shyGirl
Nov 22, 2002, 09:21 AM
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?level_3_id=45&page=5724066
ENGLEWOOD - First the rumor was that it would be Madonna. Then the word was Sir Paul McCartney.
Whoever plans to move into a 6.95-acre estate on Lincoln Street in the city's posh East Hill section is causing quite a stir.
The secretive nature of the transactions, the complicated paper trail, and the bustling of contractors at the eight-year-old mansion have had neighbors playing a guessing game.
Rumors that McCartney - who can afford to buy homes throughout the world and, in fact, has - would keep an Englewood residence traveled all the way to City Hall.
Many in town knew McCartney hired an Englewood-based band, Soul Solution, to play at his nuptials this year. And he donated proceeds from a concert two years ago to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
And it wouldn't seem too much of a stretch: Actors Eddie Murphy and Aidan Quinn, as well as guitarist George Benson and singer Wilson Pickett, have kept homes in Englewood.
But Scott S. Anderson, a partner at an accounting firm in Maryland that is connected to the purchaser, denied Tuesday that McCartney - or any celebrity - is planning to move onto the estate.
"Paul McCartney has no interest in this property," said Anderson, who had heard the rumors but couldn't say how they started.
"I hate to disappoint them. They're never going to see Paul McCartney there,'' said Anderson, who works for Arthur F. Bell Jr. & Associates, which handles complicated financial matters.
Anderson declined to identify the eventual occupant or clarify his own interest in the property. Bergen County property records list Anderson as the buyer of two of the three connected parcels; the third buyer is a company - Delaware Investment Properties - that uses Anderson's accounting firm as its mailing address.
Paul Freundlich, a spokesman for McCartney, said it would be "very, very surprising" if McCartney had such plans. The former Beatle is concentrating on a concert tour, he said.
"I don't know anything about it, to be honest with you. And I have no way of refuting or adding to this rumor," he said.
The combined price tag for all three Englewood parcels was $10.3 million, according to the property records, which show the transactions closing in early July.
But the rumor that McCartney, 60, secretly gobbled up the three lots had neighbors eagerly anticipating his arrival with his wife, Heather Mills, who is 34.
The couple is said to have been house hunting, and the English media reported they bought a six-bedroom home in October overlooking a private beach in southern England for $3 million.
Many rumors about buyer
Real estate professionals said rumors are commonplace in pricey neighborhoods, but that the buzz surrounding the Englewood property is extraordinary.
Charles Oppler of Classic Realty Group in Englewood said he'd heard a number of different stories about who would move in, with the likely prospects ranging from McCartney to "a couple of investment bankers."
"About 20 people are living there, if I paid attention to the rumors," Oppler said.
Even a laborer helping to erect a security fence on the property had been led to believe the singer-songwriter was on his way.
When asked if McCartney was moving in, the man - who was standing by a wheelbarrow - cautiously looked around, smiled, and quickly nodded his head in agreement.
According to county records, Michael and Dede Levitt sold the three lots - which include a main house, guesthouse, pool, and tennis courts - to Anderson and Delaware Investment in July. When contacted last week, Michael Levitt said it would be "inappropriate to comment."
The couple's attorney, John L. Van Horne III, said he believes there had been a confidentiality agreement.
Homes not bought directly
Such murkiness is not uncommon in the world of high-end real estate.
"Some properties are bought through corporations or a management company," said Jeff Checkley of Weichert Realtors in Ridgewood.
"Most of these people are far too busy to manage their own affairs, so management companies handle that for them," the Realtor said.
"Typically, the deals are handled through their accountants. At times we may not even be given the name off the bat, but instead get a call that someone is interested in a home,'' Checkley said. "Before you even get to the client, you have to get past the assistant, the secretary, the banker ... the whole entourage before Mr. or Ms. Celebrity walks through the door."
Checkley explained that rumors can take on a life of their own.
"Very simply, let's say one of Paul McCartney's people could have heard of Englewood and was told to check it out," Checkley said. "The agent passes on the information and the price range, and through the course of conversation, the team might say Paul McCartney is the client, and the next thing you know, Paul McCartney is moving into town."
Checkley said the desire among the wealthy to keep records private is understandable.
"Think how we would feel if there was a constant parade of people in front of our homes or people going through our garbage. And that does happen."
Two of McCartney's former Beatle colleagues were attacked. John Lennon was shot to death outside his Manhattan apartment in 1980, and George Harrison fought off an intruder who stabbed him in his home in England in 1999.
In Englewood, where residents were taken aback by security measures, including a new iron fence and a guardhouse, the rumors even prompted neighbors to do their own investigating. At least one traveled to City Hall to take a peak at property records.
But some work permits list Christine Matthews as the owner; another lists Delaware Investment. Contributing to the confusion is that Matthews' address on the documents is that of the property being renovated, so it is difficult to locate her.
Helen Jerome certainly didn't consider the possibility of living across the street from rock royalty when she bought her house one year ago.
"It's exciting," she said of the talk, adding she has mixed emotions.
Jerome said she was warned by neighbors of Murphy to expect a lot of foot traffic if McCartney shows up. She's already seen people sauntering by the house and slowing down cars to take a peek.
"But everybody's wondering, 'Why here?''' she said, adding McCartney could pick any town.
The permits show the project includes remodeling the gym and bathrooms, as well as relocating the laundry room in the main house. They also call for an addition to the guest house.
The smallest lot on the estate is vacant and there were no plans for construction on file at City Hall.
County property records indicate the house on the main 2.9-acre lot was constructed in 1994. The Levitts bought that parcel in 1991. The couple bought another 2.45-acre lot in 1998. The guard house will be on this lot. The couple bought the smallest parcel, 1.6 acres, in 1999, records show, and it contained a home that had been built in 1919, but it was later demolished.
Checkley said that just because a property is exclusive doesn't mean a celebrity is moving in.
"A chief executive officer or a chief financial officer is not a well-known celebrity but ultimately is in the same marketplace with the same concerns and wants," he said. "That person may not be high profile but the dollar volume is the same. And around here there are more CEOs and high-end executives than there are celebrities."
------------------
http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/rocknroll.gif
Song of the moment-A Hard Day's Night
shyGirl's Hideout (http://www.geocities.com/smw15/index.html)
"I get shy when they start to stare."
ENGLEWOOD - First the rumor was that it would be Madonna. Then the word was Sir Paul McCartney.
Whoever plans to move into a 6.95-acre estate on Lincoln Street in the city's posh East Hill section is causing quite a stir.
The secretive nature of the transactions, the complicated paper trail, and the bustling of contractors at the eight-year-old mansion have had neighbors playing a guessing game.
Rumors that McCartney - who can afford to buy homes throughout the world and, in fact, has - would keep an Englewood residence traveled all the way to City Hall.
Many in town knew McCartney hired an Englewood-based band, Soul Solution, to play at his nuptials this year. And he donated proceeds from a concert two years ago to Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
And it wouldn't seem too much of a stretch: Actors Eddie Murphy and Aidan Quinn, as well as guitarist George Benson and singer Wilson Pickett, have kept homes in Englewood.
But Scott S. Anderson, a partner at an accounting firm in Maryland that is connected to the purchaser, denied Tuesday that McCartney - or any celebrity - is planning to move onto the estate.
"Paul McCartney has no interest in this property," said Anderson, who had heard the rumors but couldn't say how they started.
"I hate to disappoint them. They're never going to see Paul McCartney there,'' said Anderson, who works for Arthur F. Bell Jr. & Associates, which handles complicated financial matters.
Anderson declined to identify the eventual occupant or clarify his own interest in the property. Bergen County property records list Anderson as the buyer of two of the three connected parcels; the third buyer is a company - Delaware Investment Properties - that uses Anderson's accounting firm as its mailing address.
Paul Freundlich, a spokesman for McCartney, said it would be "very, very surprising" if McCartney had such plans. The former Beatle is concentrating on a concert tour, he said.
"I don't know anything about it, to be honest with you. And I have no way of refuting or adding to this rumor," he said.
The combined price tag for all three Englewood parcels was $10.3 million, according to the property records, which show the transactions closing in early July.
But the rumor that McCartney, 60, secretly gobbled up the three lots had neighbors eagerly anticipating his arrival with his wife, Heather Mills, who is 34.
The couple is said to have been house hunting, and the English media reported they bought a six-bedroom home in October overlooking a private beach in southern England for $3 million.
Many rumors about buyer
Real estate professionals said rumors are commonplace in pricey neighborhoods, but that the buzz surrounding the Englewood property is extraordinary.
Charles Oppler of Classic Realty Group in Englewood said he'd heard a number of different stories about who would move in, with the likely prospects ranging from McCartney to "a couple of investment bankers."
"About 20 people are living there, if I paid attention to the rumors," Oppler said.
Even a laborer helping to erect a security fence on the property had been led to believe the singer-songwriter was on his way.
When asked if McCartney was moving in, the man - who was standing by a wheelbarrow - cautiously looked around, smiled, and quickly nodded his head in agreement.
According to county records, Michael and Dede Levitt sold the three lots - which include a main house, guesthouse, pool, and tennis courts - to Anderson and Delaware Investment in July. When contacted last week, Michael Levitt said it would be "inappropriate to comment."
The couple's attorney, John L. Van Horne III, said he believes there had been a confidentiality agreement.
Homes not bought directly
Such murkiness is not uncommon in the world of high-end real estate.
"Some properties are bought through corporations or a management company," said Jeff Checkley of Weichert Realtors in Ridgewood.
"Most of these people are far too busy to manage their own affairs, so management companies handle that for them," the Realtor said.
"Typically, the deals are handled through their accountants. At times we may not even be given the name off the bat, but instead get a call that someone is interested in a home,'' Checkley said. "Before you even get to the client, you have to get past the assistant, the secretary, the banker ... the whole entourage before Mr. or Ms. Celebrity walks through the door."
Checkley explained that rumors can take on a life of their own.
"Very simply, let's say one of Paul McCartney's people could have heard of Englewood and was told to check it out," Checkley said. "The agent passes on the information and the price range, and through the course of conversation, the team might say Paul McCartney is the client, and the next thing you know, Paul McCartney is moving into town."
Checkley said the desire among the wealthy to keep records private is understandable.
"Think how we would feel if there was a constant parade of people in front of our homes or people going through our garbage. And that does happen."
Two of McCartney's former Beatle colleagues were attacked. John Lennon was shot to death outside his Manhattan apartment in 1980, and George Harrison fought off an intruder who stabbed him in his home in England in 1999.
In Englewood, where residents were taken aback by security measures, including a new iron fence and a guardhouse, the rumors even prompted neighbors to do their own investigating. At least one traveled to City Hall to take a peak at property records.
But some work permits list Christine Matthews as the owner; another lists Delaware Investment. Contributing to the confusion is that Matthews' address on the documents is that of the property being renovated, so it is difficult to locate her.
Helen Jerome certainly didn't consider the possibility of living across the street from rock royalty when she bought her house one year ago.
"It's exciting," she said of the talk, adding she has mixed emotions.
Jerome said she was warned by neighbors of Murphy to expect a lot of foot traffic if McCartney shows up. She's already seen people sauntering by the house and slowing down cars to take a peek.
"But everybody's wondering, 'Why here?''' she said, adding McCartney could pick any town.
The permits show the project includes remodeling the gym and bathrooms, as well as relocating the laundry room in the main house. They also call for an addition to the guest house.
The smallest lot on the estate is vacant and there were no plans for construction on file at City Hall.
County property records indicate the house on the main 2.9-acre lot was constructed in 1994. The Levitts bought that parcel in 1991. The couple bought another 2.45-acre lot in 1998. The guard house will be on this lot. The couple bought the smallest parcel, 1.6 acres, in 1999, records show, and it contained a home that had been built in 1919, but it was later demolished.
Checkley said that just because a property is exclusive doesn't mean a celebrity is moving in.
"A chief executive officer or a chief financial officer is not a well-known celebrity but ultimately is in the same marketplace with the same concerns and wants," he said. "That person may not be high profile but the dollar volume is the same. And around here there are more CEOs and high-end executives than there are celebrities."
------------------
http://www.beatlelinks.net/ubb/smilies/rocknroll.gif
Song of the moment-A Hard Day's Night
shyGirl's Hideout (http://www.geocities.com/smw15/index.html)
"I get shy when they start to stare."