Another California community is buzzing over Ellen DeGeneres.
According to Realtor.com, the longtime daytime presenter, comedian, and actress paid roughly $21 million on a Moorish-inspired estate in Santa Barbara County, California.
Villa Tragara, located near Montecito, was inspired by the Alhambra castle in Granada, Spain. According to sources at the time, the approximately 12,000-square-foot property on 2.45 acres was asking as much as $35 million, suggesting the 64-year-old got a great deal.
DeGeneres, whose show is set to conclude this year, and her 49-year-old wife Portia de Rossi are no strangers to Montecito. The pair owns a $14.3 million ranch in the area, as well as a tiny cottage, according to Dirt.
Also in Montecito, a home that DeGeneres and de Rossi acquired off-market for $12 million in September 2021 is now on the market for $13.9 million. (Dirt also mentions that the latter pad has a buyer but is “locked up” in escrow.)
The wives also own a Beverly Hills midcentury contemporary property that DeGeneres paid $8.5 million for in August.
Kinka Usher, a French commercial director whose film accomplishments include the box office smash “Mystery Men” from 1999, planned and built this recently sold Montecito mansion in 2014.
Only one listing image is available, and it depicts a red-toned facade with candy cane-striped arches reminiscent of those found on the Mezquita church in Cordoba, Spain.
The property is situated on a hilltop with panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean. Arrivals are greeted with a stately motor court and a hand-carved entrance door. The radiant-heated flooring, which runs the length of the house, were imported from Europe. Bathrooms with ornamental accents of Corinthian columns and Turkish hammam spas are also available.
The completely groomed grounds contain a heated pool that is said to have cost Usher $400,000 to build. There are also pickleball, bocce, and tennis courts, as well as a covered pergola with 16 seats and koi ponds. The site also contains a fire pit and an olive orchard, according to the advertisement.
The listing was handled by Nancy Kogevinas of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties, while the buyer was handled by Riskin Partners Group of Village Properties.
