Perched on a cliff in the Corona del Mar community of Cameo Shores is a contemporary-style home reminiscent of a Balinese resort. Its asking price is $27.9 million.
The 7,000-square-foot home at 4541 Brighton Road is linked to the late John Whelan, founder of Costa-Mesa based Whelan Property Management, and his spouse, Brad Prescott, according to property records.
It’s a few doors down from one of Orange County’s best-known luxury homes, the Portabello Estate, which is owned by Business Journal OC 500 and OC’s Wealthiest Fariborz Maseeh, who scooped up the mansion in 2010 for an estimated $34.1 million.
The couple completed four years of renovations to 4541 Brighton this year, according to listing details.
It has four bedrooms and five bathrooms, and beamed ceilings throughout. A large chef’s kitchen with teak cabinetry offers dual dishwashers, three ovens, an additional fridge and a butler’s pantry with refrigerator and two islands—one for prepping, a second as a breakfast bar. The home’s theater also has its own kitchen and bar.
A 29-foot waterfall connects to an outdoor infinity pool near a heated loggia, spa, bathroom and steps leading down to the beach.
Whelan, who emigrated from Ireland in 1955, died in July. Following a career in retail when he helped open Sears’ original South Coast Plaza location in the late 1960s, he moved into real estate and started his firm.
Records show he bought the home in 2012 for $8.2 million.
Casey Lesher of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has the listing.
House of Spirits
Vernon Underwood will soon be raising a glass in farewell to his longtime Laguna Beach home.
The chairman of Young’s Holdings Inc., parent company of wine and spirits distributor Young’s Market Co. in Tustin, listed his 4,150-square-foot property with an asking price of $14.9 million.
Records show Underwood purchased the gated estate at 2321 S. Coast Highway in 1997 for $2.3 million.
Built in 1920, the oceanfront property has three bedrooms and three bathrooms. There’s also a two-bedroom, one-bathroom guest house.
The home’s lower level features a family room with ocean views and direct access to an outdoor gazebo, as well as stairs leading down to the beach. There’s also a deck for sunbathing.
Of course, the home has a large walk-in wine cellar. The kitchen includes a center island with butcher-block top. Listing details show the property has a black-bottom pool near its brick entryway and a three-car garage with space for three additional cars.
The home is a few doors up the road from the “Rockledge-by-the-Sea” mansion purchased by Bill Gross in July for $32 million.
Underwood started his career at Young’s warehouse in 1955, unpacking freight cars before moving up the ranks in the business. The company, founded in 1906, is one of the oldest family-run businesses in the U.S.
Frederick Balzer and Kristine Torrance of Berkshire Hathaway HomeService have the listing.
Personal Playground
A private estate on 6.4 acres with its own fruit orchard, such as apples, pomegranates and citrus, traded hands last month in an off-market deal for $6.8 million—making it one of the biggest sales in Coto De Caza this year.
The 9,000-square-foot home at 31632 Sandia Way has seven bedrooms and six bathrooms, plus a separate guest casita.
It has a billiards room, saltwater aquarium, crafts room, theater, wood-paneled office and wine cellar. There’s also a 15-car garage.
The grounds of the private estate feature two ponds, a putting green and pool house.
Located in the Los Ranchos Estates neighborhood of Coto, the community is home to 75 custom-made houses and one of six to be sold this year, according to listing agent Nicole Christopherson of NMC Realty. She also represented the buyer.
Records show the seller as Don Edwards, who purchased it in 1989 for $650,000.
