Los Angeles — $3.2M
This 3,013-square-foot house (above) with infinity pool in the Brentwood hills, built in 1963, was owned first by Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff Fred Ryan Jr., who sold to Oval Office decoratorMichael Smith (who sold to former Warner Bros. president Jeff Robinov, who gave it up for $2.85 million in 2006). “It’s much more about the exterior,” says Smith of the 21,344-squarefoot estate that sold for $3.2 million in January. “You have this beautiful view of the canyon. It was built into the hill, so well-designed for the land. It’s like a castle once inside the house and gate,” with floor-to-ceiling windows, three bedrooms, three baths, beamed ceilings and two fireplaces. He adds: “The house has such an organization outside. That’s the thing about California: You can be one with nature.”
New York — $3.2M
Zachary Quinto’s recent New York shoots for I Am Michael, Girls and The Slap no doubt were behind his NoHo loft purchase, originally listed for $3.7 million. “If you walk by the entrance of 43 Great Jones [Street], you’d never think multimillion-dollar, exquisitely finished residences were above,” says listing agent Martin Eiden of CORE Group. It was an upgrade for Quinto: His Los Feliz house was 790 square feet smaller and, at a selling price of nearly $1.3 million, cost $2 million less than this two-bed, two-bath, 2,295-square-foot space with walnut flooring. Worth it? Says Eiden of the coastal switch: “From experience, many high-profile people move to New York from L.A. so they can live normal, relatively anonymous lives. They enjoy walking and riding bikes instead of always driving.”