A storied Los Angeles estate spanning more than 6 acres (a rarity for the city) in the ultra-pricey Holmby Hills has recently found new owners, trading hands in a landmark $86 million deal — one of the city’s most notable real estate sales of the year so far.
Beyond its acreage, specs, and ritzy location, the trophy compound also has a history of famous owners.
The iconic Carolwood estate in Holmby Hills was once home to musician Rod Stewart and later owned by Bradley Bell, executive producer and head writer of the long-running daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, and his wife, former diplomat Colleen Bell.
Colleen was the seller, with luxury agent Ben Bacal of Revel Real Estate representing both the seller and buyer side of the deal.
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The recent sale involved dividing the property into two parcels — one sold for $57 million, the other for $29 million, to separate buyers — in a complex transaction that amounted to a whopping $86 million.
The buyers have been identified as David Zander, a television, commercial and film producer who bought the biggest parcel and the house, and Nick Kaiser, co-founder of the private-equity firm Marlin Equity Partners, who purchased the remaining parcel.
Managing the intricacies of multiple buyers, legacy ownership, and historic zoning, the sale required strategic coordination between attorneys, land use experts, and seasoned negotiators, representatives for the brokerage tell us.
The $86 million price point makes the deal one of the largest to close in Holmby Hills — and greater Los Angeles — this year.
Credit for the sale goes to a team led by leading luxury agent Ben Bacal, who represented both buyers and sellers and helped guide the deal to completion.
Talking about the notable sale, Ben says he is “Grateful to close on this $86M sale on Carolwood in Holmby Hills Bel Air — representing both sides. This transaction is one of Revel Real Estate’s most complex and rewarding sales of 2025. Honored to have led it and thankful to our clients for their continued trust in us to get it done.”
Far from your modern, cookie-cutter glass mansion, the storied compound has timeless, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with an elegant, vine-covered facade that comes into full view at the end of a circular driveway surrounded by meticulous landscaping.
Known as the Henry Kern residence, the trophy home was originally designed in the 1920s by George Washington Smith, one of the masters of the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Southern California.
Located in the ultra-expensive Holmby Hills area, said to put its “poorer” cousin of Beverly Hills to shame with its extravagant mansions and celebrity compounds, the Carolwood estate had its fair share of famous owners,
The house was owned by none other than Rod Stewart, the raspy-voiced British singer and performer known for hits like Maggie May. Stewart, who’s famous for owning palatial estates worth close to 9 figures, sold the property in 1992 to a well-known couple.
Bradley Bell, executive producer and head writer of the long-running daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, and his wife, former diplomat Colleen Bell, paid $6.25 million to buy the house from Stewart and kept it in the family for over three decades.
In 2004, the Bells expanded the property by buying the longtime home of the actor Gregory Peck for $19.5 million — set right next to theirs — which they later razed and merged with their original estate to create the 6-acre compound.
At the center of the compound is a character-rich home with Spanish Revival flair and a total of 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.
The stately interiors span 17,000 square feet, with grand rooms featuring two-story ceilings, clerestory windows, painted beams, and arched doorways.
The timeless appeal of the property is evident throughout, from the grand living spaces to the outdoor areas. The pool area in particular stands out with its dual staircase with wrought-iron railings, mimicking the design we typically see inside the neighborhood’s grand mansions.
But all the outdoor spaces have an enchanted feel to them, with topiaries, landscaped gardens, palm trees, and perfectly manicured bushes all throughout the nearly 6-acre property.
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