The Celebrity Beat: Relocation.com's Celebrity Real Estate Report

By Serena Norr

California was a hot real estate destination on this weeks Beat. From Jack Black to  Lindsay  Lohan to Orlando Bloom to Drew Barrymore it seems that everyone was either buying or selling or placing their homes up for rent in Cali. Not only homes, this week it was reported that a massive yacht – 193-feet to be exact – was purchased by Google’s co-founder Larry Page. According to the New Zealand Herald, Page reportedly spent $45 million for his luxury liner that comes equipped with a fitness and massage room, on-deck Jacuzzi and a helicopter landing pad. Until next week…

•    Jack Black Purchases Home in California for $5.9 Million
According to the LA Times, actor Jack Black recently purchased Flea’s (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers) California home for $5.965 million. The Los Feliz-area home includes seven bedrooms and three bathrooms, along with solar panels, a pool, a motor home and 6,500-square-feet of living space.

Image of Orlando Bloom's Home - Renting for $18,000/a month. (Image Credit: The Luxist)

•    Orlando Bloom List Hollywood Home for Lease
English actor Orlando Bloom recently placed his Hollywood Hills Home up for rent for $18,000 a month. The private and gated estate, situated on a hill includes 3/4 of an acre of gardens, an outdoor pool, spa and a gourmet kitchen fitted with custom cabinets. The home, purchased for $2.75 million in 2007, also includes four bedrooms, four bedrooms, including a master suite with a large walk-in closet that overlooks the pool and 3,200-square-feet of living space that sits on a spacious three-quarter-acre lot.

Exterior shot of Drew Barrymore's new home - Purchased for$5.7 million.

•    Drew Barrymore Buys Home New Home in California
Actress Drew Barrymore recently purchased a two-plus acre estate in Montecito, California for $5,705,000 (originally listed for $6.9 million). The Monterey Colonial style mansion includes six full-sized and two half bathrooms, five bedrooms, three fireplaces, a two-car attached garage and a guesthouse. Encompassing 6,000-square-feet, the traditional L-shaped mansion also includes a formal dining room with walnut flooring, a library and an outdoor area with a gorgeous garden and backyard terrace.

Massive yacht purchased by Larry Page for $45 million. (Image Credit: Housing Watch)

•    Google Co-Founder Larry Page Buys 193-Foot Yacht
According to the New Zealand Herald, Larry Page, the co-founder of Google recently purchased a 193-foot yacht called the Senses for $45 million. The massive white boat or what some may call a ‘floating mansion,’ includes indoor and outdoor dining areas, an office, a fitness and massage room and an on-deck Jacuzzi. The Senses can also fit 14 crew members and 10 guests and includes a helicopter landing pad. Page, who lives in Palo Alto, also owns a 8,149-square-foot mansion with six bedrooms and four full-sized bathrooms that he purchased for $6,800,000.

Images of Lindsay Lohan's new Venice rental - Listed at $17,000/a month. (Image Credit: The Real Estalker)

•    Lindsay Lohan Rents at the Beach
Actress Lindsay Lohan (who was also recently released from the Betty Ford clinic), scored a new rental in Venice for $7,100 per month. The modern 3,100-square-foot high-rise home includes four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms that also includes a steel fireplace, huge windows and a modern kitchen with mahogany cabinets.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
•    Follow us on Twitter @Relocation_News
•    Become a fan of Relocation.com on Facebook

House Swap Dos and Don'ts and a Giveaway!

Win a copy of "The Holiday" and more goodies by commenting below.

Taking part in a house swap may include staying in a cozy place like this - as seen in the popular movie "The Holiday."

Have you ever dreamt of getting away from all of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season? Wishing you could celebrate the season in sunny Southern California or finally experience a white Christmas? That’s exactly what Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) and Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) did in the film “The Holiday.”

Two women, looking to leave their troubles at home behind, initiated a house swap only to find themselves falling in love with local guys in each other’s countries. For most of us, the romance part of that story may not happen quite the same, but taking part in a house swap can be a simple and fun way to explore another city or country – not to mention a cheaper alternative to a hotel.

For some expert advice, we connected with house swap veterans, Sushma Dwivedi and Natalia Eude, who swapped homes with each other earlier this year. They’ve given us a lot to think about after their international (New York City and Paris) house swap. Based on their insight we created this list of Dos and Don’ts that will hopefully be helpful to you as you prepare for your first house swap!

•    Do your research before initiating a house swap. Ensure that the house swap is being done with someone who has a similar lifestyle to you and similar expectations about this experience.
•    Don’t be shy! Ask your swapper to introduce you to their friends and/or neighbors and provide you with key phrases to know in case there is any sort of language barrier.
•    Do leave your swapper guidelines and tips that could help in his/her transition like maps, directions to the local supermarket, bank, shopping center, etc.
•    Don’t be afraid to ask questions, you want to be as prepared as possible before traveling to an unfamiliar location.
•    Do have an open mind and understand that things may operate differently so be prepared to allow time to adjust.

Have you ever done a house swap before? If so, is there anything you’d recommend we add to our list of Do’s and Don’ts?

The Giveaway:
To help you get in the house swapping spirit we are giving away a holiday gift package complete with “The Holiday” DVD, popcorn, hot chocolate mix and sweet treats!

The Rules:
•    Leave a comment below telling us if you’d ever do a house swap and where would you want to go (one comment per person, additional entries will be disqualified).
•    Please enter your email address in the appropriate field when leaving your comment (it will not be visible to anyone but us and will only be used to contact you if you should be selected as the winner).
•    One winner will be randomly selected on Friday, December 17th at 11:59PM EST and announced by Monday, December 20th.
•    Winner will be notified via email and will have 72 hours to respond before another participant is chosen.
•    Contest open to U.S. and Canada Residents only.

Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
•    Follow us on Twitter @Relocation_News
•    Become a fan of Relocation.com on Facebook