Take a tour around Cher's incredible property empire
Dina Goldentayer / Douglas Elliman; @cher / Instagram
Cher's amazing homes will make you 'Believe'
With more than 20 studio albums under her belt and a reported net worth of $360m (£286m), it's no surprise that Cher has amassed an incredible property portfolio. She's made her money work hard too, investing in houses and often selling them on for a profit. However, she may wish she'd held on to some of them, including the Miami getaway she bought for just $1.5 million (£1.2m) that has just hit the market at $42.5 million (£34m). Let’s take a look around...
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Cher's Miami manse
With a career spanning seven decades, the multi-talented performer has been in the property game a while too. She bought the waterfront Miami manse in 1993 for $1.5 million (£1.2m) and nearly tripled her money when she sold it for $4.3 million (£3.5m) three years later. But now the very same pad has just come on the market and is priced at a staggering $42.5 million (£34m). We bet she wishes she could 'turn back time'....Let's look around...
Dina Goldentayer / Become Legendary / Douglas Elliman
Cher's Miami manse
The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom house on La Gorce Island, off the coast of Miami Beach, has undergone a few changes over the years since Cher was mistress, of course. According to The Wall Street Journal, the present owners are James Eaton, president of a Canadian private holding company and his wife Cecily. Reportedly, they spent the last three years renovating the place, raising the ceilings and converting a terrace into a dining room and sitting area. With its dual staircase and arched doorways, the results are spectacular.
Dina Goldentayer / Become Legendary / Douglas Elliman
Cher's Miami manse
The couple coughed up $17 million (£13.6m) for the 12,450-square-foot Spanish-style property in 2020 and have spent a fortune transforming it into a contemporary open-plan masterpiece with floor-to-ceiling windows, a full Art Deco-style home bar and 158 feet of frontage on Biscayne Bay.
Dina Goldentayer / Become Legendary / Douglas Elliman
Cher's Miami manse
The Goddess of Pop would no doubt approve of the bathrooms too, which have been fitted out with a two-person central shower, a statement marble freestanding bath and plenty of living and lounging space. Cher sold the Mediterranean-style pad to Calvin Klein co-founder, Barry K Schwartz, in 1996 and she's been busy buying and selling ever since. But one of her homes isn't selling...
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Cher's Malibu dream home
Cher bought this Italian Renaissance-style estate for just shy of $3 million (£2.4m) in September 1989, according to property records, and spent nearly five years transforming it into her perfect home. The sprawling 13,200 square-foot mansion sits on approximately 1.7 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean from its setting on the Pacific Coast Highway, and is considered one of the most sought-after areas of Malibu.
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Cher's Malibu dream home
According to reports, LA-based interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard was engaged to create the “Venetian-meets-Moorish” building, which boasts arched windows and doors with unrivalled ocean views. The ‘Do You Believe’ singer first listed the seven-bedroom property, which includes a gatehouse which doubles as a guesthouse, in 2009 for $45 million (£36m), and there were rumours in 2013 that Beyoncé and Jay-Z had snapped it up. But this turned out not to be true.
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Cher's Malibu dream home
As famous for her striking looks as for her talent, the house includes a state-of-the-art dressing room, as well as a show-stopping climate-controlled wig room, which according to the 2002 book The Cher Scrapbook, displays almost 100 of the singer’s hairpieces. The primary suite also boasts two closets (one doubling at a panic room), an indoor-outdoor gym and a private cinema.
Cher's Malibu dream home
The singer was hoping for some serious profit when she then put it on the market in October 2022 for a staggering $85 million (£67.7m). But almost a year on, she is still yet to sell the magnificent mansion, despite having dropped the price by a whopping $10 million (£8m) in March 2023. Her current home, it remains the glittering jewel in her property portfolio.
Where next for Cher?
Having bought and sold a whole host of properties over the last 60 years, it seemed Cher was finally settled in her dream home in Malibu. But it seems she's keen to move on. With a new Christmas album reveal in September 2023, will the star steal Mariah Carey's crown and have a new home for the holidays? We can't wait to find out!
Read more... Cher's property portfolio journey from humble beginnings in California to Beverly Hills and London mansions...
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READ MORE: Where does Cher live?
Cher has bought and sold some amazing real estate in her time, from a humble apartment in London to a tropical mansion in Hawaii. Her long-term home has been the magnificent Malibu mansion she custom-built in the nineties, which she has been trying to sell on and off for years. It is currently on the market for $75 million (£60m), which includes a $10 million (£8m) discount (scroll down for more info). But let’s go back to the beginning…
By Fresno High School - Owl, yearbook of Fresno High School, Fresno, California [public domain]
Cher's childhood
On May 20th 1946, Cherilyn Sarkisian was born to John Sarkisian and Georgie Holt in El Centro, California. After her parent's divorce when she was young, Cher moved around the country as a child with her mother and often had little money. Pictured here as a Junior at Fresno High School, Cher soon realised her dreams of becoming a superstar and took up acting at a young age.
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The start of Cher's career
After a difficult childhood, at the age of 16 Cher quit school and moved to Hollywood with a friend. She took acting classes and introduced herself to as many industry professionals as possible in her bid to become a star.
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Sonny & Cher
In 1962, at 16 years old, Cher met fellow performer Sonny Bono. Sonny introduced Cher to producer Phil Spector and they sang backing vocals on a number of hits and the couple soon became a pop duo, releasing a number of smash hits. They also became a couple, eventually separating in 1975. In 1971, Cher went solo and release her album Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves, with which she went to number one in the charts with the title track.
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Cher's property portfolio
Cher went on to establish a solo career of her own and is often referred to as the Goddess of Pop. She went on to have a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and in 2018 started her seventh world tour. Now based in California, Cher has spent her career buying and selling property all over the world.
Sonny & Cher's first mansion
After sharing an apartment in Franklin Avenue in Los Angeles, Sonny & Cher reportedly bought this home in 1967 from American actor Tony Curtis for $250,000 (£200k). The couple were more interested in the Owlwood Estate, which they would eventually go on to buy, but settled for the home on Cloud Road for the time being.
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Sonny & Cher's first mansion
In 1964, the couple had an unofficial marriage ceremony and by the end of the 1960s, their music career had started to stall after the huge success of their hit single 'I Got You Babe' in 1965. However, this didn't stop them from continuing to climb the property ladder.
Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer / Getty
Sonny & Cher's first mansion
Bult in 1962, the home has seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms with just over 9,000 square feet of space. Last sold in 2017 for $23.5 million (£18.8m), Sonny and Cher were thought to have put the home on the market in 1969.
Sonny & Cher's Owlwood Estate
Cher and husband Sonny bought Owlwood Estate in 1974 for about $750,000 (£597k). The 12,000 square foot mansion was built in 1936 on Carolwood Drive, not far from Sunset Boulevard.
Sonny & Cher's Owlwood Estate
The property sits within 10 acres of manicured lawns and landscaped gardens and boasts a tennis court, a pool and pool house, fountains and a guard tower, just to name a few of the grand amenities.
Sonny & Cher's Owlwood Estate
The Italian Renaissance-style home was designed by architect Robert Farquhar and features fabulous panelling, incredible chandeliers and old-Hollywood-style moulded ceilings.
Sonny & Cher's Owlwood Estate
Sonny & Cher sold the property for $950,000 (£752k) in 1976 after they parted ways in 1975. Since then it's changed hands several times, and been expanded with additional lots and adjacent properties added to the amazing estate, increasing its value massively.
Sonny & Cher's Owlwood Estate
The property sold for $90 million (£71.6m) in 2016, making it one of the priciest residential sales in Los Angeles County's history. The estate hit the market again in 2021, this time selling for a reduced, $88 million (£70m).
Cher's equestrian estate in Benedict Canyon
Shortly after Cher & Sonny went their separate ways, the star bought this secluded property in the mid-1970s in Beverly Hills, tucked away in the upper Benedict Canyon. The compound has extensive and beautiful 14-acre grounds, with long rolling lawns and flower gardens, a swimming pool, tennis court, a paddock and riding trails.
Cher's equestrian estate in Benedict Canyon
The star spent several years remodelling the property into a quirky Egyptian-themed mansion that spanned 10,000 square feet. She told People Weekly magazine in 1979 that her architect Ted Grenzbach "got a lot of ideas from the souvenir book that came with the TV movie 'Jesus of Nazareth'."
Cher's equestrian estate in Benedict Canyon
Over the next few decades, its value fluctuated as it changed hands between new owners who all made their own additions to it. It also went through periods of abandonment; one of a few celebrity homes left to wrack and ruin. However, in 2019, it hit the market again for a whopping $48 million (£38.1m) but was mysteriously taken off the market.
Cher's equestrian estate in Benedict Canyon
With 11 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, the home is now made up of five parcels of land and includes a 7,000-square-foot Moroccan guest house and a 20,000-square-foot guest house. Cher decided to part ways with the home in late 1988 and sold it to Eddie Murphy for a reported $6.3 million (£4.9m).
Cher's London home
While Cher's property story centres around the US, she did spend a year in the 1990s renting an apartment in Oliver's Wharf, a converted warehouse in Wapping, London, overlooking the Thames. She said that at the time she took taxis everywhere, visited the local pub and could happily walk around the city without being recognised.
Cher's London home
At the time the area still had an industrial feel and Cher's incredible warehouse conversion was among gritty buildings and construction sites as London's docklands were slowly renovated and more high-level accommodation added. Cher once tweeted to say that she lived in the East End before it was cool.
Cher's London home
Built in 1869-70 in the gothic style, Oliver's Wharf originally specialised in tea and was a working building in the docks. Now, it's a highly sought-after property, divided into beautiful flats.
Cher's Hollywood apartment
In 2006, Cher splashed out on an apartment in Sierra Towers in West Hollywood for a reported $3 million (£2.4m). With a reputation for being a magnet for celebrities, Cher isn't the only A-lister to have an apartment here: Sir Elton John, Joan Collins and Sandra Bullock all have flats in the block.
Cher's Hollywood apartment
During 2013 Cher sold her two-unit duplex combo-condo at Sierra Towers for around $5.3 million (£4.2m). At the time it was rumoured she was planning to move to London. The apartment came up for sale again in 2020 for $6.5 million (£5.1m), still with its own distinctive style created by Cher's favourite designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard.
Cher's Hollywood apartment
Always one for interior design, Cher decked out the apartment in a Balinese style. Connected via a spiral staircase, the two units each have one bedroom and one bathroom as well as private balconies. On the lower floor sits a living space complete with an entertainment area, a kitchen and a glamourous salon.
Cher's Hollywood apartment
On the upper floor sits Cher's previous master suite which occupies the entire floor – talk about luxury! Featuring an Indian-panelled platform bed which looks out over the Malibu skyline, a sitting room and an ensuite bathroom, it also has a dressing room with mirrors that have come all the way from a palace in Jaipur, India.
Cher's Hawaiian resort home
One of Cher's more extravagant properties is her Hawaii compound. The property is set within the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, the perfect celebrity holiday home spot on Hawaii's Big Island, overlooking the ocean and the Hualalai Golf Course.
Cher's Hawaiian resort home
Cher paid a reported $2.9 million (£2.3m) for the site in 2009, as she was in midst of her Las Vegas residency, and decorated it in a Balinese and Moroccan style, with earthy, muted tones. She then sold it completely furnished, without ever having lived in it, during 2010. When selling the home at auction Cher said: "Every single room gives you the free feeling of when you go to Hawaii – a vibe."
Cher's Hawaiian resort home
With grounds spanning just under an acre, the property has a traditional island front gate that leads to a courtyard and the main residence. Inside there's a large dining room, kitchen, huge master bedroom suite and infinity pool. The whole property has 8,821 square feet of living space and the main house is surrounded by five individual free-standing bungalows – four with bedroom suites and the fifth with a media room and bar.
Cher's Hawaiian resort home
The property made Cher a big profit, selling at the auction for $8.7 million (£6.8m) in January 2010. It was one of her favourite projects, and she told Sotheby's she was involved from the beginning: "From finding the property to putting the last flower in the vase on the table. I like picking out the palm trees, going to the stone yard, figuring out which colours are going to go best."
Cher's Venice Beach apartment
One of Cher's more modest properties was her three-bed apartment in Venice Beach, which she snapped up in 2010 for $1.5 million (£1.2m). Coming in at just 1,800 square feet it would have been the perfect peaceful spot for Cher, with a zen garden and access to the coast.
Cher's Venice Beach apartment
The home's key selling point is its proximity to the beach and to the bars and art galleries of Venice Beach's buzzing Main St. Inside, the light and bright home has a double-height open-plan living room with-bi-fold doors that lead out to the grass-covered garden.
Cher's Venice Beach apartment
The master suite sits alongside two guest bedrooms and boasts a fireplace and walk-in wardrobe, as well as views out over the garden.
Cher's Venice Beach apartment
Outdoors, the tropical-inspired home features a bamboo shower and built-in barbecue on the 500-square-foot roof deck. Cher decided to part ways with the apartment in 2013 and sold it for $2 million (£1.6m).
Cher's Beverly Hills bolthole
Cher was doing lots of buying and selling in 2013. She paid $2.1 million (£1.6m) for this two-storey estate, once owned by Ed O'Neill from the sitcom Modern Family, in the coveted Beverly Hills Post Office district.
Cher's Beverly Hills bolthole
The 3,090-square-foot home, which was built in 1957, features four bedrooms, including a master suite, three bathrooms, two fireplaces, a private lounge, wood-beamed ceilings and a master closet.
Cher's Beverly Hills bolthole
The purchase was rumoured to be for Cher's son Elijah but could also have offered the singer a downsized option in California, after selling some of her most impressive properties in the area.
Cher's Beverly Hills bolthole
The property also has plenty of land with an enormous private deck, beautiful backyard with lawns, a waterfall and plenty of space to enjoy nature and the Californian weather. In December 2018, Cher sold the home for just over $2 million (£1.6m). We can't wait to see what's next for the star, who is showing no signs of slowing down, real estate flipping or career-wise!
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