Prince William and Heiress Kate Middleton Look at Houses on the Market in Malibu

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Prince William and his girlfriend, heiress Kate Middleton, recently left the rest of the Royal Rat Pack for a weekend so the United Kingdom's hottest couple could look at houses on the market in Malibu.

What? The second in line to the royal throne is considering a move to the West Coast? Not to worry. Even if the prince buys a home in the United States, it doesn't mean he will stay there forever.

In fact, the home he toured has been sold already, and the buyer was not Prince William, Malibu locals say.

The buyer was like the prince, however, in appreciating the four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom compound with its detached guest house and ocean view.  The home, priced at about $8 million, also has a winding road leading to a four-car garage.

The prince's house-hunt has been more dignified than soccer star David Beckham's of a couple of years ago when rumors were rampant about what and when he would buy. So far, the prince's appearance to see the home has been one of only a few clues that he was thinking of buying or leasing in Malibu.

William, 27, and his girlfriend left England for warmer climes just after the prince made his second polo outing for the year. The season was cut short by torrential downpours.

Bentzen & Levin Real Estate, specializing in luxury real estate in Malibu and the Westside, handled the listing. Sarah Kosasky represents the firm in Beverly Hills; Katie Bentzen represents the company in Malibu.

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Actress Shannen Doherty, a star of "Beverly Hills 90210" and the WB's series "Charmed," has listed her Malibu home at $4 million.

The contemporary style home is behind gates and has a long driveway. The house is on more than an acre of landscaped grounds with ocean views, a pool and a spa.

The house, built in 1976, has five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms in slightly more than 3,400 square feet.

There is an open floor plan with high pitched ceilings and skylights. The master-bedroom suite has a fireplace and ocean views.


Doherty put the home on the market last year at $4.4 million but withdrew it until now. She wants to sell the home, because she plans to spend more time in New York.

Robert Radcliffe has the listing with the Radcliffe Group at Sotheby's International Realty, Pacific Palisades.

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The Manhattan Beach townhouse owned by Tom Preissing, the L.A. Kings defense man, has been put on the market at $2.15 million.

The home has four bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in slightly more than 2,600 square feet, and it  is about two blocks from the ocean.

There are also ocean views from several of the rooms and from the decks of the Spanish-style home, built in 2006.

Preissing, 30, was the National Hockey League's 2004 rookie of the year with the San Jose Sharks. He signed with the Kings in 2007 as a free agent.

Ed Kaminsky of Shorewood Realtors, Manhattan Beach, has the listing.

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Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, a former Miami Dolphin, has decided to throw in $1.5 million worth of designer furniture and a signed football to the buyer of his Weston, Fla., home.

Marino first listed the house three years ago and, since then, reduced the asking price two times.

Marino, 47, and his wife, Claire, are now asking $13.5 million for the 15,000-square-foot Tuscan home on four acres, 25 miles west of Fort Lauderdale.

The couple built the home in 1998. It has 10 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, two guest houses, a pool, a putting green, a 5,000-bottle wine cellar and a pond stocked with fresh bass.

"We're looking to downsize a little bit," the former quarterback said. He and his wife have three children in college and a fourth graduating from high school. 

Marino retired in 2000 and then put the home on the market for $15.9 million. It is now for sale fully furnished.
 

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