Ian Thorpe gets offer in LA

Ian Thorpe gets offer in LA
Jonathan ChancellorDecember 7, 2020

Olympic swimming legend Ian Thorpe, the five-time gold medalist, has an offer on his Hollywood hillside home.

It came on its latest attempt at a sale.

The organic-themed two bedroom Laurel Canyon home came with a listing price of $US950,000.

Now its US listing site suggests the agent was 'accepting back up offers', in case the current offer fails to proceed to escrow.

Thorpe paid $US879,000 for the Hollywood treetop escape in 2006 upon his initial retirement.

He tried to sell it in 2013 with a $US999,000 price tag.

It dates back to the 1960s as an artist retreat originally owned by actor John Compton.

It sits high above the trees with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a breezy living area and kitchen and a wood-panelled office.

All with views across the canyon.

The only hint of Thorpe's ownership is what looks like a framed photo of him in the pool hung up on the wall in the foyer.

Nicknamed the Thorpedo, Thorpe is one of Australia's most decorated Olympians, securing five gold medals in the 2000 and 2004 Olympic games.

The property served as one of his overseas home bases as he tried to get back into competitive swimming before the 2012 London Olympics, however he failed in the trials.

His sale comes ahead of the touted exodus of Aussie expats and disillusioned Americans looking to pull up their American roots after Donald Trump was made President elect.

Since the Trump vote, daily property searches for Sydney property from US IP addresses on realestate.com.au have jumped by more than 300 percent.

Sydney has been the most searched for city, ahead of Melbourne and Adelaide.

Most of the searches came from California and New York, both Hillary Clinton strongholds.

Quick exits from the still troubled US property markets won't however be easy. 

Singer Delta Goodrem's Hollywood Hills home comes with reduced hopes.

She first listed back in March for $US4.199 million ($AUD5.74 million), but the asking price has now been reduced to $US3.68 million.

The multi-award winning singer bought the five bedroom, four bathroom home for a reported $AUD2.3 million in 2010.

Located just 10 kilometres from the Hollywood sign, her house features her very own music room completed with a piano and drum kit.

It offers views that stretch from the mountains to LA's city lights. 

This article first appeared in the Saturday Daily Telegraph.

Jonathan Chancellor

Jonathan Chancellor is one of Australia's most respected property journalists, having been at the top of the game since the early 1980s. Jonathan co-founded the property industry website Property Observer and has written for national and international publications.

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