We confess this transaction actually closed nearly two years ago, or a veritable ice age in real estate terms, but it’s still worth discussing for the following reasons: the house is attractive, it wasn’t reported at the time, and nearly $30 million is a big number for a Malibu estate that does not possess an ocean view, as far as we can tell.
What the property does have are plenty of other very valuable amenities, which we’ll get to in a moment. First, a little background: built in the late 1950s, the ranch-style house is sited in the heart of Malibu’s desirable Point Dume neighborhood. Spacious but unassuming, the structure offers 4,300 square feet of single-story living space, packing in five bedrooms and 5.5 baths.
The house is also privately situated behind gates at the very end of a quiet cul-de-sac. And for nearly 30 years, it was the home of actor Daniel Stern, forever best known as the taller and leaner of the two bumbling burglars in “Home Alone.” Three years ago, Stern finally sold his Malibu spot for $14.3 million to well-known property developer Saffron Case and her husband Timothy.
Case, who has successfully remodeled and flipped a number of other beach homes in Malibu and the Hamptons, spent less than a year giving Stern’s Point Dume spread a full overhaul that included new woodsy exterior siding, a new metal roof, a remodeled pool area, and completely refreshed interiors. The finished project, shown below, quickly sold for a brain-frying $28.5 million to married couple Andrew and Jessica Sieja, he the founder and former longtime CEO of Chicago-based tech firm Relativity.
A long driveway winds down to the main house, where there’s a casual mudroom entryway; inside, soft neutral colors greets guests in the living room, which features a wood-burning fireplace, a vaulted and skylit ceiling, and custom French doors spilling out to the backyard.
The kitchen and its striking marble are open to the dining room and a cozy family gathering area, the former dressed up with an ultra-contemporary chandelier.
The home’s true colors begin to emerge in the media room, which offers a blue velour couch and complementing blue walls. From there, each of the four guest bedrooms has a distinctly different theme and color: there’s a pink “bunny” bedroom, a nautical blue-and-white bedroom with double beds, and our personal favorite: a bedroom with dual bunk beds and walls slathered in a striking mint green.
Perhaps the most decoratively restrained space is the primary suite, which offers neutral tones, a furry chandelier, and direct access to the pool area. There’s also a marble primary bathroom with dual rainfall showerheads.
While the house lacks that aforementioned ocean view, the 1.6-acre property does include a coveted key to scenic Little Dume Beach, accessible from the house via a long, meandering pathway. And there are plenty of backyard attractions: in addition to the pool/spa combo, which is surrounded by a wooden deck, there’s a dedicated al fresco dining space, a treehouse outfitted with a slide and swing, and a fire-pit lounge area with a mini Airstream trailer, a sauna and changing facilities.
Sieja, 49, founded kCura (now known as Relativity) way back in 2001. Unless you happen to be in the legal field, you may have never heard of the AI-driven tech company, which makes software to automate the e-discovery process for law firms and is now widely used in the industry. But in 2021, the quiet giant achieved a $3.6 billion valuation and now has approximately 1,800 employees.
