Monday, May 10, 2010

Real Estate Wrap Up: Al and Tipper Gore

BUYER Al and Tipper Gore
LOCATION: Montecito, CA
PRICE: $8,875,000
SIZE: 6,500 square feet (approx.), 6 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: Let's talk about former vice-president turned global warming do-gooder Al Gore this morning, shall we? Mister and Missus Gore–that would be Al and Tipper–have been much in the real estate news lately due to their much reported purchase of a pricey property in Montecito, CA, a stunning and particularly pretty spot along the California coast otherwise known as Oprahville.

Montecito, a scenic and uppity enclave long known for its immoderately priced homes–it was the 7th most expensive zip code in the country in 2009 according to Forbes–has long been known as a bastion of conservative rich people until the more liberal Tinseltown types starting making real estate inroads into the community. In addition to the Big O and Al Gore, past and present residents include Rob Lowe, Julia Childs, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Carol Burnett, Kirk Douglas, Steve Martin, Jimmy Conners and more high fallutin' financier and big bizness types than Your Mama cares to name or shake a stick at. The children will recall that the boob toob's most famous lehbeezhun Ellen Degeneres and her horsey wife Portia di Rossi owned a particularly lovely George Washington Smith designed residence for about a hot minute back in 2007 and Your Mama hears from a well connected source that lace and leather luvvin' singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks is considering decamping from her Santa Monica, CA penthouse for the casual but aristocratic streets of Montecito.

Your Mama first discussed the former second couple snatching up a manse in Montecito back in the third week of April 2010 when we heard from Montecito Mary who told us that word on the real estate gossip grapevine was that Mister and Missus Gore had their well-heeled eyeballs on a property on posh Park Lane. The following week the Los Angeles Times–we actually first read it in the Wall Street Journal–confirmed that the Gores weren't just eyeballing high-priced pads in Oprahville but had actually picked up a property, an $8,875,000 property.

Considering the issue "reported," Your Mama promptly forgot about the matter moving on to more pressing issues like clipping our toenails and making a fruit salad. Then, this morning and out of the blue, Your Mama received a covert communique from a gabby gal we'll call Helena Hasthebeef who whispered some details about the Gore's acquisition in Your Mama's ear. As it turns out, according to property records, the big livin' Gores did not purchase a Park Lane property but rather they snagged a 1.5 acre mini-estate with an "Italian Grand Style" villa just off of Park Lane.

What was not reported anywhere–at least not anywhere that we found–and what's interesting to Your Mama about this whole bizness is that property records show that Mister and Missus Gore actually bought the 6,500+ square foot ocean view villa back in October of 2009 making it, technically, old news except that it hadn't been discussed or divulged until well into 2010, at least not by any of the real estate gossips and informants we read regularly or share information with. Your Mama's research reveals that while the Gores have always purchased property in their own names, the Montecito manse was purchased through a trust that links back to the very same post office box in itty-bitty Carthage, TN to which all of the other Gore properties link back.

Property records and listing information Your Mama managed to tease out of the interweb reveal that the Gores' new west coast outpost, sits on a private lane shared by 8 0r 10 other swanky homes high in the hills above The Big O's spread and has a combined total of 6 bedrooms and 9 poopers in the two-story main house and the impressively sized pool house/ guest house.

Other amenities include a 3 car garage, 6 fireplaces with carved stone mantelpieces, main rooms with high beamed ceilings, stone floors and oodles of wood framed French doors many topped by fan lights, arched doorways, a gore-may country style eat in kitchen, two family rooms, vine strewn loggias with panoramic views, a simply shaped rectangular swimming pool and a circular spa. A long curving stone balustrade topped with a few silly statuary sits atop a retaining wall beyond which are the eye popping view.

Mister and Missus Gore, no strangers to de-luxe digs, own several other luxury properties around the country. There is, of course, the family seat, a large bucolic farm in rurul Carthage, TN where Mister Gore's family once grew tobacco.

Property records show that in December of 1977, Mister and Missus Gore grabbed up a 4,040 square foot brick-faced Tudor affair in the Arlington Ridge neighborhood in Arlington, VA. The 3 bedroom and 4.5 pooper property, which sits just a hop skip and a jump from Crystal City and just across the Potomic from the White House, cost Mister and Missus Gore just $150,000.

Property records and previous reports also show that in June of 2002 Mister and Missus Gore paid $2,300,000 for a 10,070 square foot Greek Revivial style residence on 2.09 acres in the upscale Belle Meade area of Nashville, TN. The 20 room house has, according to property records, 5 bedrooms, 8 full and 2 half poopers, a gracious circular driveway and back motor court, and a large swimming pool in the backyard. It is for this house that Mister Gore the global warming guru took a fair amount of flak due to its excessive energy consumption pegged in the press to be 12-20 times more than the average homes of less financially fortunate Americans. Since that time, Mister Gore has reportedly installed solar panels, a energy saving furnace and radiant floor heating, measures that aren't quite adequate for some green technology proponents.

What's most concerning to Your Mama–not to mention our dedicated but dictatorial house gurl Svetlana–is that Mister and Missus Gore own 21 full and 3 half poopers not counting however many terlits there are on the family farm in Carthage. That's a lot of damn water down the drain for just two damn people. But that's really a high horse for another day and another blog.

photos: Coldwell Banker Previews

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

which place did they buy? this one looks very different
http://newsbusters.org/node/38375

Anonymous said...

Where are the solar panels!

Anonymous said...

Amazing how well being an altruistic Eco fighter pays these days. Gore went green all right. People are such suckers.

Anonymous said...

After initially misreading "main rooms..." as "maids' rooms with high beamed ceilings", I momentarily thought that Svetlana would be in domestic heaven! And as for global warming not-for-me Gore, apparently ex-vicey and Tipper aren't visiting their public recreation center community pool for exercise; however, I'm sure that they are using recycled gray water from their 23 poopers to maintain their large expanse of lawn. And Mama, while Veranda and Patti O. insist that our chef never clip his toe nails while preparing fruit salad for them, Studly and I are much more casual about things like that, just like you!
Love you,
Hedda

Michael Hughes said...

Talking and walking. Distinctly different from one another. With Al there is no housing bubble. cheers.
Michael Hughes
Fuller Sotheby's International Realty
www.bolderrealestate.com

Anonymous said...

What an effin hypocrite. Imagine his "carbon footprint" back and forth from mansion to mansion on his private jet. Just another limo liberal.

Anonymous said...

Once upon a time I visited the Gores' Arlington VA home with a camera crew. While setting up for an interview with Tipper Gore, I noticed some attractive black and white photos on the wall. Since Tipper is a photographer, I looked for a way to work them into an establishing shot.

My favorite photo was a wide scene of a lake, featuring a young, long haired woman standing in waist-deep water, photographed from behind, topless. Very lovely, but it didn't take me more than a second to realize the model was probably one of the underage Gore daughters. And in one more second I saw my career ending in accusations of invasion of privacy, yadda yadda.

Now that the girls are grown up, and California being the crazy freewheeling state that it is, I hope the Gores break out the good nudes.

Anonymous said...

What Anon. above me said. Jeeezus, was that four or five homes (I lost track), with a total square footage of well over 20,000 square feet. I'm sure all his toilets are low flow and double-flush, so there might be that. Or NOT.

(My word verification is 'sylli.' I totally concur.)

Carla Ridge said...

Am I the only one who thinks this looks like Diandra Douglas' place? I've read Mama's post three times and am nearly cross-eyed from the effort, and didnt see her name.

Kim Hunter said...

it was the 7th most expensive zip code



tsk tsk. Poor Oprah

Madam Pince said...

I like Al & Tipper, but for eco-warriors, they don't seem to practice their preachin'.

chris said...

I always presumed the Gore's were comfortable; I didn't know they were rich rich. Was I naive, or did they conceal their money too well? Reading all this, Mama (and thanks for it), I suspect they are much richer than the Bushes, or am I exaggerating? Where did all the money come from?

luke220 said...

It's a very classy house, just like the new owners.

Regarding the toilets, 24 don't consume any more water than three. It's all in how often they are flushed.

Anonymous said...

Carla-- I don't think it's Diandra's. That spread was listed at an astonishing $29 million.

http://www.luxist.com/gallery/diandra-douglas-in-montecito/2664895/

Anonymous said...

Agree with Luke. Repugnacans may think the Gores are full of sh*t but I doubt they use the crapper any more or less than the Bushes, Cheneys, & McCains. Speaking of McCains, remember that they may have twice the number of houses as the Gores. Can't be sure since Grandpa can't remember how many they have. Chris - I think the Bushes' money make the Gores look like paupers.

chris said...

Anon: well perhaps, but Shrub released his tax returns while in office and his income wasn't all that much, at least compared to Cheney. Maybe Dad has all the money and keeps it safe for the kiddies.

Anonymous said...

Nice to see he is selling some of his fat Apple Stock.

I'm sure a lot of it is from ITune sales of explicit lyric songs downloaded by kids.

Hope Tipper enjoys spending that money.

I thought she was for child access control of these songs, yet she is gladly pocketing the money from their sales!

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/media/view.bg?articleid=1243842&srvc=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bostonherald%2Fbusiness+%28Business+-+BostonHerald.com%29

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parents_Music_Resource_Center

Anonymous said...

Do as I say, not as I do. Al Gore is a well-meaning, unhinged hypocrite. Nevertheless, I hope he and Tipper enjoy Montecito. It's a beautiful place.

Anonymous said...

Limo Liberals, always good for a laugh.

Maybe they practice if its yellow, let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down...

Anonymous said...

They got a mil dropped off the price, but it is a super high fire risk area and the insurance must be insane. But the super rich don't buy insurance up there.
Also, the house is fairly new, built in 2002. So, so much for sustainability and keeping the land open. Guess it only applies to us little people on the flat lands!

House -

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1504-E-Mountain-Dr-Santa-Barbara-CA-93108/15880573_zpid/

Anonymous said...

Wow, his carbon footprint just got a WHOLE lot bigger!

Carla Ridge said...

Thanks, Anon 10:10 AM; of course you're right.

Chris at 8:07: the Gores have always been rich. They are one of those families whose wealth goes back as far, and is as intertwined with the history of our nation, as the Bushes (well, maybe a little less on the nefarious side, is all). After all, who do you think Gore Vidal was named after?

Anonymous said...

I keep thinking of the Beverly Hillbillies when I see this house!

Old Al is going to have to BUY a lot of carbon credits to heat that cement pond!

"Well the first thing you know ol' Al's a millionaire,
Kinfolk said Al move away from there
Said Californy is the place you ought to be
So they loaded up the Prius and moved to SB.
Gold Coast, that is.
Swimmin pools, movie stars.
The Gold Coast Hillbillies!

Well now its time to say good-bye to Al and all his kin.
And they would like to thank you folks fer kindly droppin in.
You're all invited back again to this private locality
To have a heapin helpin of their Eco-Philosophy
Eco Babble that is. Set a spell. Take your Birkenstocks off. Y'all come back now, y'hear?"

Anonymous said...

Lockbox.

Anonymous said...

I don't think this is the correct house. FOX News showed a different one on the news last night.

Anonymous said...

Did you read Mama's post:

"Your Mama's research reveals that while the Gores have always purchased property in their own names, the Montecito manse was purchased through a trust that links back to the very same post office box in itty-bitty Carthage, TN that all of the other Gore properties link back."

When it comes to real estate, I'll take Mama's word over Fox News' any day of the week.

StPaulSnowman said...

Where is the little casita for John Edwards?

pudenda shenanigans said...

It is a high horse for another day and another blog. But I'm glad you said it, anyway. In my humble opinion, Al Gore sucks.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2:22,

That Newsbusters house is the wrong house.

House they show -

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1284-Mesa-Rd-Santa-Barbara-CA-93108/15879634_zpid/

That house is over 11 million and in the low lands by 101.

I would trust Mama's location.

Anonymous said...

I live in Santa Barbara and have been to this house. It is a friend's home- and is NOT the house the Gores bought. Sorry, but do some real research on the piece- YOU ARE QUITE INCORRECT and leaving yourself open to some serious criticism.

Your Mama said...

Hi Hunny,

We're open to be proven incorrect. It would not be the first time nor we imagine the last time we get it wrong. However, records on this property are pretty clear.

Since October of 2009, the address for the owner that appears on the public deeds and records for this house in Montecito is the exact same post office box in Carthage, TN to which all of the Gores other properties link back, a post office box, mind you, that can be linked directly to both Al and Tipper's names via public records.

So listen, we don't know who your friends are, but it appears to us that they share a post office box in Carthage, TN with Al and Tipper Gore.

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