Not everyone is making money in the California real estate boom. Director Steven Spielberg just sold his oceanfront Malibu home, not his primary residence, for approximately $4.5 million or $1.5 million less than he paid for the property when he purchased it in 1992. His loss is his lucky buyer's gain.

The buyer is the Academy Award-winning special effects wizard Stanley Winston, and his wife, Karen, who purchased the property through a trust. Mr. Winston is known for his startling effects in motion pictures such as 1986's "Aliens" and "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," He is the creative force behind the lifelike dinosaurs in Spielberg's 1993 classic "Jurassic Park," and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."

Mr. Spielberg is currently in the news because of the release and favorable reception of his realistic homage to World War II and its veterans in "Saving Private Ryan" starring Matt Damon and Tom Hanks.

Telecommunications King Makes Headline News with Home Purchase

Not since Bill Gates broke ground on his approximately $50 million, 40,000-square-foot lakeside compound has another telecommunications mogul even come close to spending that much on a residence.

But Bernard J. Ebber, president and chief executive officer of WorldCom, Inc. does. He has just purchased a 164,000-acre working cattle ranch in western Canada, for which the asking price was $67 million. Ebber is expected to continue the ranch's commercial operations, one of the largest in the nation. Ebber is a Canadian by birth.

Rock Meets Rap

David Bowie, gender bender rock legend has just sold a Beverly Hills condo to rap star Heavy D for approximately $850,000, according to sources quoted in the LA Times.

Published: August 19, 1998

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Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.