Drew Barrymore held on to her Hollywood Hills home for 16 years before selling it for $16.5 million in 2018, bringing a substantial return on a property she had bought for just over $4.35 million, as reported by Los Angeles Times.
The actress acquired the house in 2002, following damage to her previous home caused by a fire. By the time she parted with the estate, the property had become a long-held part of her residential history in Los Angeles. The sale was completed privately, without the home being advertised through the Multiple Listing Service, and public records confirmed the final price. Behind its gates, the estate combined a midcentury house with separate buildings, landscaped grounds and views stretching across the city towards the ocean.
Drew Barrymore bought her Hollywood Hills home for $4.35 million in 2002
Barrymore bought the Hollywood Hills property in 2002 for a little more than $4.35 million, according to property records cited by the Los Angeles Times. The purchase came after a fire damaged her previous home in the Beverly Hills area, prompting her to move to a different address.The house offered a measure of privacy, set at the end of a long driveway behind gates. It was built in 1957 and had the low-slung character of a midcentury ranch residence.
Rather than standing alone on a compact city plot, the main house occupied a property of more than an acre, with additional buildings and outdoor spaces spread across the grounds.Barrymore remained the owner for the next 16 years. Los Angeles Times reported, when the property changed hands in August 2018, the sale price of $16.5 million represented almost four times what she had originally paid.
Inside the Hollywood Hills estate
The main residence covered approximately 8,000 square feet across two floors, according to tax records reported at the time.
It contained 18 rooms, including four bedrooms, and featured five fireplaces. A two-storey living room was among the details recorded in earlier Los Angeles Times coverage of the property.The wider estate included a guest house and a guard house, along with a motor court for vehicles. A swimming pool and terraced gardens occupied parts of the grounds, making use of the sloping site. The setting also offered views across Los Angeles towards the Pacific, a feature associated with many hillside properties but dependent on the position and elevation of the house.Its combination of a substantial main residence, secondary accommodation and outdoor amenities gave the property a footprint beyond that of a typical Hollywood Hills home. The buildings and grounds formed a private compound, with the entrance and driveway providing separation from the surrounding neighbourhood.
Barrymore sold the property for $16.5 million after 16 years of ownership
Barrymore's departure became public in August 2018. The Los Angeles Times reported that the house had sold for $16.5 million.
The transaction had taken place off the Multiple Listing Service, meaning the property was not marketed through the conventional listing system used by estate agents.The final figure marked a considerable increase on the purchase price recorded in 2002. The sale also ended a lengthy period of ownership for a property that had been part of her life in Los Angeles since the early 2000s. Although the details of the buyer and the negotiations were limited in the original report, the recorded price provided a clear account of the home's change in value over those 16 years.
From film roles to television work
Barrymore had already established herself in Hollywood long before the property sale. A member of the Barrymore acting family, she became widely recognised for films including The Wedding Singer, 50 First Dates and the Charlie's Angels series.By 2018, she was also appearing in the Netflix comedy series Santa Clarita Diet, starring opposite Timothy Olyphant. She served as an executive producer on the programme, adding a production role to her work on screen.Disclaimer: This article is based on information publicly available. The Times of India has not independently verified the property details, purchase price, sale price or transaction circumstances mentioned. The information should not be interpreted as confirmation from Drew Barrymore or her representatives.