Hot Property Newsletter: Tobey Maguire and Cheryl Tiegs get back into the realty market

In real estate sales, if at first you don’t succeed, then change something. This week’s study in contrasts sees “Spider-Man� star Tobey Maguire lowering the asking price for his Brentwood lot and supermodel Cheryl Tiegs upping the ante on her Balinese-inspired Bel-Air showplace.

Our Home of the Week is in Beverly Hills, where a 4,000-square-foot penthouse designed in the 1980s by noted architect Frank Gehry is up for lease at $22,500 a month. The glass-walled, three-bedroom residence showcases original mosaic tile work in the kitchen. The master suite fireplace evokes a ziggurat and features an ornamental stairway to heaven.

Once you’re done reading about these deals, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week.

– Neal Leitereg, Jack Flemming and Lauren Beale

Using his spidey sense

Tobey Maguire’s plot of land in Brentwood is as empty as when he bought it 11 years ago. Now, the actor is hoping to shed the vacant property, offering it for sale at $11.995 million, down from $14.25 million last year.

The flat, fenced lot of just under an acre sits above Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood.

Before he bought it, the property held a Monterey Colonial-style home designed by noted architect John Byers. According to an old listing, former owners included actor Jack Oakie, actress Greta Garbo and filmmaker H.C. Potter.

Maguire, 44, boasts a regular string of film credits dating back to the ’90s, with notable roles in “The Cider House Rules,� “Seabiscuit,� “The Great Gatsby� and Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man� trilogy.

Records show the actor shelled out $10 million for the property through a trust in 2008.

Improving with age?

Iconic cover girl Cheryl Tiegs has put her Bel-Air home on the market at $18.5 million. The property has been on and off the market for the last six years starting at $12 million.

The secluded one-story house is set behind gates. A lily pond flanks the double-door entry. The 4,770 square feet of living space has an open plan, vaulted beamed ceilings and panoramic city views. The interiors also contain a wine cellar, an eat-in kitchen, five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms.

The Balinese-inspired estate encompasses nearly 1.45 acres of grounds with a swimming pool, a guesthouse, pathways and fountains.

Tiegs, 72, has appeared on the covers of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, Time and Vogue magazines, among others.

Positive spin on murder house

“Ghost Adventures� star Zak Bagans has paid $1,888,888 for the Los Feliz house where Manson family members murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca some 50 years ago.

Numerologists may feel free to weigh in with comments, but to some, 888 is known as the “angel number� and considered a sign of positivity, infinite flow and abundance.

The 1,655 square feet of (most certainly haunted) interior space would seem to be an ideal work-live environment for the paranormal investigator. He told “People� he was “intrigued by the energy� he felt in the 1920s Spanish-style home. The panoramic views of downtown L.A. and the surrounding hillsides aren’t bad either.

The two-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom home previously sold in 1998 for $375,000.

Ice coach lands on beach

Los Angeles Kings head coach Todd McLellan has bought a home in Manhattan Beach for a little over $6.77 million.

Described as an ambitious combination of a “NY loft meets modern farmhouse,� the newly built house has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms and more than 6,300 square feet of space.

The three-story floor plan includes formal living and dining rooms, an office, an open-plan kitchen, a family room, a wet bar, a game room and a home theater.

McLellan, 51, in April signed a five-year contract to become the head coach of the Kings.

Plenty of lipstick storage

A hideaway that was once home to Emmy Award-winning actress Loretta Swit is for sale in Hollywood Hills West for $4.895 million.

Set behind an ivy-covered brick wall, the French-influenced Hue De Olive was built in 1941. Some 4,000 square feet of interiors include a beamed-ceiling living room with a fireplace, a wainscoting-lined dining room, a library, a den, a study, a gym, three bedrooms and four bathrooms. Blue cabinetry and a sunny breakfast nook add a French country vibe in the kitchen.

Multiple patios and a cabana extend the living space outdoors. A waterfall, mature plants and trees surround the swimming pool and spa.

Swit, 81, is known for her long-running role as Maj. Margaret “Hot Lips� Houlihan on the 1970s-’80s sitcom “MASH.�

Her favorite room

Actress Cassidy Freeman’s colorful, cozy kitchen is the heart and hearth of her 893-square-foot Santa Monica apartment, a space that celebrates her family and friends. The marigold yellow kitchen features artwork painted by loved ones, open shelving and eclectic Southwestern-style pottery and kitchenware.

Actor Cassidy Freeman in the kitchen, her favorite room.

(Steve Saldivar / Los Angeles Times)

From the archives

Ten years ago, the longtime Beverly Hills home of singer, pianist and comic actor Jimmy Durante sold for $3.2 million. The cigar-smoking vaudevillian with the prominent proboscis bought the property in 1944 and had the main house remodeled into a contemporary in 1963. There was also a two-story guesthouse where he sometimes rehearsed, a swimming pool and a pool house.

Twenty years ago, then couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman bought a residence in London for $3.28 million. The home had 4,000 square feet of living space, nine bedrooms and a driveway with parking for 10 cars.

Thirty years ago, ballad singer Burl Ives sold his Montecito home and moved to Washington state. The 50-year-old, Mediterranean-style villa sold to the tune of $3.9 million.

What we’re reading

Fashion model Karlie Kloss has listed her two-bedroom, two-bathroom New York City town house for $2.75 million, reports the Wall St. Journal. Located in a low-slung co-op in the West Village, the residence has a wrought-iron entrance gate and a small garden.

Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is letting go of his vacation home in St. Michaels, Md., reports Realtor.com. The asking price is $2.45 million.