Hot Home News: Phyllis Diller, J. K. Rowling & California Movie Home

Online, October 11, 2012 (Newswire.com) - This week's Top 10 homes spotlight at TopTenRealEstateDeals.com includes Phyllis Diller's Los Angeles home where she lived from 1965 until her death this year at age 95. Phyllis grew up in Lima, Ohio, had six children, moved to Michigan, divorced her first husband and later became a comedy star in St. Louis. She then left the Midwest for Hollywood and bought a 9,266 square foot home where she raised her children and wrote jokes. Phyllis had pet names for many of the home's 22 rooms including the Bob Hope Room she named after her mentor, and a powder room she called the Edith Head, after the iconic costume designer. Her family home is now for sale at $12.9 million.

In other home news:

J. K. Rowling's former home in Scotland is now on the market. She doesn't live there now, but maybe a little of Harry Potter's spirit still remains. She did write three of the 7-book series there. It is on the market at $3.7 million.

A California beach home that is going to auction has just about everything. Five bedrooms and seven baths, gourmet kitchen, 140' of oceanfront, a 5-hole putting green, and a media room with 10 video screens. Ranging in size from normal to big screens, sports lovers will never miss a putt or a pass and could add a huge variety of sports at the same time. Originally priced at $24.5 million then lowered to $18 million, the home is now under sealed bid auction with no minimum opening bid. Located just a short jog from Mitt Romney's La Jolla car elevator beach home.

Also in the news, the historic Searles Hopkins Castle in Massachusetts is having a big sale. It was originally priced at $15 million but was just reduced to $8.995 million. And Oracle CEO Larry Ellison bought another Malibu beach home. This one cost $36,943,890.

Real estate is never boring at TopTenRealEstateDeals. Check out today's most entertaining and unusual real estate news stories of the week at TopTenRealEstate Headlines where you won't get information about home loan rates or housing starts or stuff like that. Instead, get news such as ugly celebrity homes, the world's coolest glass homes and a look at American castle homes.

TopTenRealEstateDeals.com also has Top 10 Condo Developer Deals, the Top 10 upcoming home and condo auctions, and regional real estate agents' choices for the best deals in their areas.

Top 10 lists are available to media outlets for publication.