Tom Cruise finally sells Beverly Hills home - after slashing the price
Tom Cruise knows your pain if you have ever struggled to sell a property. His Beverley Hills mansion has finally sold - to private equity billionaire Leon Black - after he was forced to cut the asking price.
TMZ reported that the sale netted him $40 million - well short of his original asking price of $45 million - although still a decent profit, because according to Variety he paid $30.5 million for it in 2007.
For his $40 million, Black gets an incredible home with seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a tennis court, swimming pool, and guest houses - just in case the mansion doesn't have enough space for everyone.
Black already has a huge property portfolio, but it could prove a useful place to hang more of his enormous art collection.
Three sold
The latest sale is part of something of a selling spree for Cruise. He used to own two properties in LA, but in the space of a year he has parted with both. The other was in the Hollywood Hills, and sold for a reported $11.4 million back at the end of last year.
At the end of November 2014, he also put his stunning Colorado estate on the market - for $59 million. This is more than just a four-bedroom cedar lodge with its own gym and library, it also includes huge grounds, a guest house and sports and leisure facilities. The lodge is still reportedly on the market.
In 2013, Variety says that Cruise also sold a 10th floor Condo in New York City's East Village for $3 million.
Finally, the Daily Mail reported earlier this year that he had put his East Grinstead (Sussex) property on the market too - for £5 million.
With three houses sold in three years - and two more on the market - it begs the question of where he is planning to live.
Unusual possibilities
The endless property sales have led to a number of rumours. The internet is home to hundreds of them, claiming that Cruise is all set for a move to various small US towns - but there's no truth in any of them. These are established by fake news sites that people can submit fictional news stories to - and then benefit financially when their stories are shared on social media.
One story that sounds more interesting is a news report that he is planning a move to Saint Hill Manor in Sussex, the former home of L Ron Hubbard and the headquarters of the Church of Scientology. The Mail claimed he was renovating it - at a cost of $16 million and planning a move to be closer to his London-based daughter Isabella.
Cruise has not commented on the story. But what do you think? Has he ditched various homes around the US and UK for a chance to live in this enormous Scientology castle?