Jay-Z and Beyoncé headline L.A.’s most expensive home sales of 2017

It hasn’t been quite the chart-topping year as was 2016 — when prices were sent into the stratosphere by two $100-million sales — but the upper crust of L.A.’s housing market continued to move at a healthy clip in 2017.

Beverly Hills and Santa Monica registered median sales prices that rank among the highest in the country, and coastal communities such as Malibu and Manhattan Beach saw price records reach new marks.

Of the 40-plus home sales of $20 million or more, there were seven deals north of $40 million and a pair in the high $80-million range, according to PropertyShark. Here’s a closer look at L.A. County’s biggest sales of the year.

$88 million — Bel-Air

Hip-hop power couple Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who have a long history with the Westside rental market, became new L.A. homeowners in August with the purchase of a newly built mansion on Cuesta Way.

The modern showplace sits behind walls and gates and comprises six structures with about 30,000 square feet of living space. Features of the monolithic-vibe compound include spa and wellness facilities, a media room and four outdoor swimming pools. The windows and pocketing glass walls are bulletproof.

Patios and terraces create an additional 10,000 square feet of outdoor living space. Also within 2 acres of grounds is a full basketball court.

The property, developed by Dean McKillen, was never publicly offered for sale but carried an asking price of $135 million, according to real estate sources.

$85 million — Malibu

Entertainment mogul David Geffen set a Malibu record in May with the sale of his oceanfront compound on Pacific Coast Highway. The off-market transaction is the most expensive sale historically in the city, records show, besting the previous high-water mark set four years ago at $74.5 million.

Sitting on Carbon Beach, a desirable stretch known for its wealthy homeowners, the estate previously made headlines when Geffen fought the California Coastal Commission over keeping closed the public beach access point that lies next to the compound.

It includes a main house, guesthouses and a pavilion/screening room. Gray shingles and white trim give an East Coast vibe to the exteriors. Outdoors are an oceanfront swimming pool and spa, lawns and a patio.

$69.9 million — Malibu

An investment group led by real estate developer Mauricio Oberfeld sold the former bluff-top home of Teodoro Nguema Obiang, son of the president of Equatorial Guinea, in a deal finalized off-market.

The investment group acquired the 16-acre compound a year ago for $33.5 million in cash after Obiang agreed to sell the property and other assets to settle charges of corruption and embezzlement alleged by federal prosecutors.

The 15,000-square-foot mansion, with six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, was renovated and quietly shopped at the beginning of the year. It sold to an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands, records show.

$65 million — Beverly Hills

The onetime home of late comedian and actor Danny Thomas, once listed for as much as $135 million, sold in February to business scion Evan Metropoulos in another deal finalized outside the Multiple Listing Service.

Sitting on 2 acres at the end of North Hillcrest Road, a stretch coveted by tech titans and billionaires, the sprawling estate takes sweeping city and canyon panoramas from all sides.

The 11,880-square-foot house, built in 1970, boasts such gilded details as Baccarat chandeliers, gold-leaf ceilings and ornate tile work. A ballroom, a rotunda dining room, a media room, seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms are among the living spaces. Moorish arches feature prominently inside and out.

Metropoulos is the son of billionaire investor C. Dean Metropoulos and is a principal in his father’s company. His brother, Daren, bought the Playboy Mansion last year.

Aaron Kirman of John Aaroe Group was the listing agent.

$48 million — Malibu

Billionaire Larry Ellison struck an off-market deal in March to buy the Carbon Beach home of Lisette Ackerberg, widow of Minnesota developer Norman Ackerberg.

The 73-year-old co-founder of Oracle Corp. has long maintained a sizable footprint along this coveted portion of the Pacific Coast Highway, buying more than a dozen homes in the area over the last two decades.

His new house, built in contemporary style in 1986, is one of the few oceanfront homes in the area with a regulation tennis court.

Although details are scant, tax records show that the property has five bedrooms, seven bathrooms and more than 7,700 square feet of living space. Extensive decking, a swimming pool and spa, lawns and landscaping make up about half an acre of grounds.

$41 million — Bel-Air

In December, a property with ties to blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay sold to billionaire real estate developer Jay Paul.

The roughly 1-acre site on Stradella Road is where Bay owned a modern mansion designed by Jack Warner, whose architectural firm worked on the Bel-Air Country Club. The “Transformers” producer sold the house in 2014 for $11.45 million, and it has since been renovated and expanded to 15,000 square feet, or about double its original 7,919-square-foot footprint.

Disappearing walls of glass, a wine room and a designer-done kitchen are among features of the five-bedroom, nine-bathroom house. An indoor “wellness center” contains massage and steam rooms, a sauna and a gym.

James Harris and David Parnes of the Agency were the listing agents. Alexander Tarigo of Rodeo Realty represented the buyer.

$40.8 million — Holmby Hills

Nicolas Berggruen, the billionaire famous for shedding his worldly possessions, added a trophy home to his portfolio in April when he purchased a Delfern Drive estate with deep roots in Hollywood history.

The Georgian Colonial-style home, designed by architect Gordon Kaufmann and built in 1938, was once owned by Universal-International Pictures President William Goetz and his wife, Edie Mayer Goetz, the daughter of filmmaker Louis B. Mayer.

The Goetzes commissioned Hollywood designer Billy Haines to update the home for lavish events. Actors David Niven, Judy Garland and Cary Grant were among stars to frequent the gatherings.

The 14,905-square-foot house, trimmed in lacy wrought-iron work, has verandas extending from each level that overlook a circular swimming pool. Scaled formal rooms, high ceilings and ornate details are among the interior features. The Art Deco-inspired library/den retains the wet bar designed by Haines.

Jeff Hyland and Drew Fenton of Hilton & Hyland and Aaron Kirman of John Aaroe Group were the co-listing agents. Linda May, also with Hilton & Hyland, represented Berggruen.

$38.5 million — Beverly Hills

A newly built contemporary in the Trousdale Estates neighborhood quietly sold in April to a Scotland-based entity for $9.5 million less than the whisper list price.

The roughly 5,000-square-foot showplace sits on a Gilcrest Drive lot where famed violinist Jascha Heifetz once had a home. During Heifetz’s ownership, he commissioned architect Lloyd Wright to design a recording studio on the property. The studio was moved and rebuilt inside the Colburn School after actor James Wood acquired the property.

Described as a “state-of-the-art modern barn,” the six-bedroom, seven-bedroom house has paneled walls, high-end finishes and floor-to-ceiling windows. More than an acre of grounds center on a 210-foot, zero-edge swimming pool, which occupies the space where the studio once stood.

$38 million — Beverly Park

Tom Gores, the billionaire investor and Detroit Pistons franchise owner, made a move in November to reacquire his former home in Beverly Park.

The 24,000-square-foot mansion was among chips used by Gores last year to facilitate the $100-million purchase of a 30,000-square-foot mansion on Carolwood Drive.

The Beverly Park estate was among the developed and undeveloped properties that were traded for the mansion that was built on speculation. It later appeared in the public record in October 2016 with a sale price of $40 million and in March was listed for $49 million.

Designed by Donald Ayres, the Tuscan-style mansion has seven bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and 24,000 square feet of interior space. Formal and informal living spaces feature beamed ceilings, contemporary fixtures and elaborate stone fireplaces.

A swimming pool and spa, lawns, mature trees and gardens fill out more than 2 acres of grounds.

$36 million — Malibu

Philanthropist and heiress Wallis Annenberg bade adieu to her spot in the Malibu Colony in March in another deal that played out off-market.

Designed by architect Frederick Fisher, the contemporary retreat sits on 70 feet of frontage with views extending up and down the coastline.

The 8,400 square feet of interiors features white walls and hardwood floors for a casual beach vibe. There are seven bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms including a master suite with a private terrace.

Extensive decking surrounds a lap swimming pool on the side of the house. Steps lead from the deck to the beach below. A guest apartment sits above the garage.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATHotProperty

MORE FROM HOT PROPERTY

Modernist marvel Edris House in Palm Springs seeks $3.2 million

Dave Coulier of ‘Full House’ fame cuts loose from longtime home in Encino

‘DWTS’ alum Frankie Muniz sells his 1930s hacienda in Arizona for $3.2 million