Here's how well '70s supermodel Cheryl Tiegs has done for herself

Here's how well '70s supermodel Cheryl Tiegs has done for herself

By Sid Lipsey,
Yahoo Homes

In the 1970s, Cheryl Tiegs broke earnings records for supermodels. Later, she added to her fortune as a celebrity spokeswoman and businesswoman. Now, she's hoping to make another fortune by selling her elegant Bali-style home in Bel Air.

The former Sports Illustrated cover girl is listing her 4,770-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom home in the tony Los Angeles neighborhood at $15 million — about six times the $2.49 million that the Los Angeles Times says Tiegs paid for the property in 1996. It's also 25 percent more than the $12 million price tag that Tiegs put on it just three years ago before taking it off the market.

"It's a very glamorous house done in extremely good taste," listing agent Joe Babajian tells Yahoo Homes. "But it's down-to-earth and warm and very inviting and friendly. And that describes her."

The view. Click a photo for a slideshow.
The view. Click a photo for a slideshow.

Asked about the price increase, Babajian cites skyrocketing property values ("The prices have appreciated dramatically," he says) and the extensive renovations Tiegs has done on the house, which was built in 1951. She enlisted designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, who appeared on Bravo's "Million Dollar Decorator," to make over the home into a Bali-inspired sanctuary.

Despite the $15 million ask, Babajian says Tiegs' home is a relative bargain. He tells Yahoo Homes many of the surrounding properties — which he says include homes owned by Salma Hayek, Nancy Reagan and Univision founder Jerry Perenchio — are in the $50 million range. "It's in East Gate, the most prime part of Bel Air," Babajian says.

The house sits on about an acre and a half. Babajian's listing says it has "panoramic city views," "private and lushly landscaped grounds" and "meandering pathways," along with a pool and guest house.

Tiegs in June 1978.
Tiegs in June 1978.

Tiegs bought the home well after her supermodeling heyday, in which she reportedly commanded a then-unheard-of $2,000 a day. That's not counting the millions she earned for her Cover Girl endorsement gig, her fashion line with Sears, a TV deal with ABC, and various book and business ventures. She's still an in-demand spokesperson; in recent years, she endorsed Cambria natural stone countertops (which, by the way, adorn the house Tiegs just put on the market).

So why is Tiegs parting with the place she's called home for nearly 20 years? "She really just wants to have a place in New York," where one of her three sons recently graduated from NYU, says Babajian. "He's staying in New York, so she wants to be there part time and she doesn't need this big of a property in Los Angeles."

Click here or on a photo for a slideshow of Cheryl Tiegs' Bel Air-meets-Bali house for sale.

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