Homes of Teen Idols
Did you hear? The celebrity real estate world recently buzzed with the rumor that Justin Bieber had bought himself a $10.8 million home for his 18th birthday — and it was the same bachelor pad Ashton Kutcher has been renting, no less. It was almost too dreamy for a single item of gossip.
As anyone who attended high school knows, gossip isn’t always true, and TMZ soon reported that while Bieber had in fact toured that home, and two others, Kutcher may be the one who buys that house.
Speaking of high-school days and dreamboats, we present a collection of teen idols and their homes. A lone elder statesman of this group is 33, but the rest were born after 1984, with four born in the 1990s. And yet they can afford to buy luxury homes and mansions with prices ranging up to $6.5 million.
In this selection of homes provided by Realtor.com and Trulia, we’ve got several Brits and some Disney alumni, a little bit of country, and zero rock 'n' roll. (That last sentence contained a reference to 1970s teen pop stars Donny and Marie, to appease the elders among us.)
By Colleen KanePosted 8 March 2012
Katy Perry
Location: Los Angeles
Price: $6.5 million
Bedrooms: 7
Bathrooms: 9
Square Footage: 8,835
After 2010’s “Teenage Dream” made her the only female to have five No. 1 singles from one album, Katy Perry was named MTV’s 2011 artist of the year. But at the end of 2011, she and husband Russell Brand announced their plans to divorce. The couple purchased this compound for $6.5 million, according to the Los Angeles Times, in happier days (June 2011), and Brand has since moved out.
The Spanish-style home, built in 1925, overlooks the Sunset Strip. The nearly 3-acre compound includes a pool with rock features and a guest/pool house. The previous owner was National Lampoon executive Daniel Laikin.
Demi Lovato
Location: Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Price: $2.25 million
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 5
Square Footage: 4,053
She’s still a teenager, but Demi Lovato has packed lots of experience in her 19 years — the singer and Disney actress is also an alumna of “Barney and Friends,” and she dated fellow teen idol Joe Jonas. “Demi Lovato: Stay Strong,” a documentary about her battles with bulimia and self-injury, debuted in March on MTV.
Lovato purchased this Spanish-style home for her family around her 18th birthday for $2.25 million, according to People magazine. Lovato lives in the home’s 820-square-foot guest cottage, according to the Real Estalker blog.
Jesse Metcalfe
Location: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Price: $2.2 million
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Square Footage: 2,000
This 33-year-old dark and handsome hunk made his name on the soap “Passions,” then went on to become the lawn-grooming extramarital lover of Eva Longoria’s character on “Desperate Housewives.”
Metcalfe’s Mediterranean-style house, built in 1999, is no longer on the market, but it made two appearances on the market last year for the $2.2 million that the L.A. Times says Metcalfe bought it for in 2008.
Miley Cyrus
Location: Studio City, Calif.
Price: $3.9 million
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 7
Square Footage: 5,173
Miley Cyrus, 19, was born during the heyday of her father, country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, but has come into her own fame, performing as her Disney alter-ego Hannah Montana and as herself.
Last year, Cyrus plunked down the very grown-up sum of $3.9 million for a mid-century modern Studio City house, according to NBC New York. The private, gated and walled property features a double-sided fireplace and sliding glass doors leading out to the deck and patio.
Chris Colfer
Location: Los Angeles
Price: $860,000
Bedrooms: 2
Bathrooms: 4
Square Footage: 2,462
In this collection, Chris Colfer’s Laurel Canyon house is the most like a non-celebrity’s first home. Built in 1963 with updates like a ‘90s-esque kitchen and what appear to be wood laminate floors, the house is quite modest for a star of a smash-hit TV series.
However, Colfer is just 21, so for that age group he’s doing quite well. And maybe the “Glee” star is too busy filming his smash hit TV show in nearby Paramount Studios to care about domestic aesthetics.
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
Location: Bel Air, Calif.
Price: $5,995,000
Bedrooms: 5
Bathrooms: 5
Square Footage: 4,044
This modern house could be the ultimate fan headquarters for a die-hard Twihard. For a few months, it was rented by Twilight stars and real-life couple Robert Pattinson, 25, and Kristen Stewart, 21, and it went on the market around the premiere of “Twilight: Breaking Dawn” for just under $6 million, according to the listing on Realtor.com.
With its Southern California location, its fabulous views of Canyon Reservoir, its abundance of natural light and its pool and patio, it’s easier to picture buff, shirtless teen werewolves living here than pale, sparkling vampires. Whatever their reasons for choosing it, the famously private couple continue to remain mum.
Leighton Meester
Location: Encino, Calif.
Price: $1,457,500
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Square Footage: 2,847
The star of “Gossip Girl” picked up this new home last fall (these photos were taken prior to her purchase). It was a big year for the 25-year-old actress, who was also battling her mother with a lawsuit and countersuit.
The single-story home was built in 1948 but has been updated with features demanded by modern buyers: a current kitchen with a breakfast bar, and the addition of a steam shower and walk-in closets.
Taylor Swift
Location: Beverly Hills, Calif.
Price: $3.975 million
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4
Square Footage: N/A
At 22, country pop singer/musician Taylor Swift has already been quite active in real estate. According to The Real Estalker blog, she bought a penthouse duplex in the Nashville’s Adelicia in 2009. Last year she bought a house in Nashville for her family, and just months later it went back on the market.
Swift picked this one up in spring 2011 for $3.975 million, according to Realtor.com. Built in 1941, this feminine and gracious traditional home manages to reflect its current owner. An unidentified source told the New York Post that Swift bought this house so she wouldn’t have to stay in hotels when she was in L.A.
Leona Lewis
Location: Los Angeles
Price: $2.5 million
Bedrooms: 4
Bathrooms: 4 full, 1 partial
Square Footage: 3,946
British singer/songwriter Leona Lewis rose to fame while winning the third season of “The X Factor” (UK version), then followed that with two albums and three Grammys to her resume.
Although she only bought it in 2010, the 26-year-old singer put her Mediterranean-style home up for sale last June for $2.5 million, and it has not yet sold, according to the property listing on Trulia. It’s located in the Hollywood Hills behind two sets of gates and has a guest house, pool and private gardens.