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Week of Dec. 11th- 'Celebrity' real estate ties can be shaky — or even unreal

December 11, 2016

What’s in a name?

In Los Angeles real estate, a lot. A property’s connection to an A-list celebrity or renowned architect can add glamour, intrigue — and a price premium.

Name-dropping such ties is a common practice, but estates can be mistakenly attributed to notables, and the “Marilyn Monroe once slept here” syndrome has perhaps become frayed from overuse.

Agents Joyce Rey and Jade Mills recently branded a $40-million Beverly Hills property “the Harry Warner Estate,” lending gravitas to a home once owned by the co-founder of Warner Bros.

Warner’s connection to the 1923 home, however, proved tenuous, given that building permits showed a Warner name entry for one year, 1946, with no records indicating further ownership. Listing details also cited “architect Paul Williams’ artistic vision,” but there is no hard documentation proving that Williams worked on the property.

“It was hard to read the architect’s name on the original plans,” said Mills, adding that the homeowner claimed it was a Williams design. “We have now taken that off our paperwork.” Continue the story.



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