The one area of the property market that seems to track unencumbered is the celebrity property market.

Most celebrities are fortunate, many don't have to worry so much about costs when they sell their property, they only have to worry about how much their home will reveal to the public about their private lives. That's why most of them choose to sell off-market, and why if you buy off-market you get first dibs on the vast portfolios of stunning real estate they own around the globe.

Why are we so fascinated by celebrities' lives?

Well, aside from a glimpse into how the other half lives - their state-of-the-art luxury bathrooms and kitchens, living room-sized walk-in wardrobes, and infinity pools with views to die for - research tells us that celebrities are role models for many of us. Although you may not think that you look up to stars like Chris Hemsworth or Kylie Minogue, for example, our fascination with heroes is something that humans have always had - although, admittedly in the past, they were more likely to be gladiators, political leaders, writers or fictional characters.

Be honest, who wasn't interested in Albo's Marrickville home in the lead up to the election?

And even if your voyeuristic tendencies are simply a form of escapism, we know that looking at the lives of the rich and famous fills a void, especially during emotionally-testing times like the ones we've experienced with COVID. Seeing celebrities do normal things, like emptying the trash, picking up dog poop, or watching them do silly dances on TikTok with their teenagers makes us feel closer to them.

“We love to identify with someone who seems to lead a perfect life and to follow the vicissitudes of this life which, of course, we know, is never perfect,” says Sheila Kohler in Psychology Today.

We admit that we're as curious as the next person, and when the actor Bryan Brown admitted recently in an interview that a gardening accident had left him with third-degree burns to his face – Never leave a man with a can of petrol! – all we could think was BRYAN BROWN DOES HIS OWN GARDENING!

Interestingly, celebrities are more like us than we think

And as perverse as it sounds, it can be quite healthy to compare ourselves to others. Psychology Today confirms that "When individuals compare themselves to others as a way of measuring their personal development or to motivate themselves to improve and, in the process, develop a more positive self-image, comparisons can be beneficial."

Fortunately, celebrities have a lot of properties to sell, and some of them - like TV presenter and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who has accumulated a substantial amount of her wealth from "home flipping" - do it a lot.

When they do, virtual tours of their properties on social media, news channels and their agent's websites offer us a different perspective on their lives and an interesting insight into their personalities. We get a ringside seat into their lives. So much so, we are starting to realise that celebrities aren’t that different to the rest of us.

Did you know that Bryan Brown also cleans his own gutters, Hamish Blake makes his kids’ birthday cakes, and most celebrities walk their dogs?

However, these opportunities are few and far between because as we mentioned above, most celebrities list their homes off-market. In fact, in the US they call them "pocket listings", and many of these gorgeous mansions slip through the net before we get the chance to ogle them - which makes the ones that do go public all the more fascinating.

But even if you’re not interested in how many bathrooms Beyonce has or the latest mansion and interior design trends, winter is clearly here to stay in Australia and what better way to get through this cold snap or answer the million-dollar question of whether money really does buy good taste, than by than checking out the 7 recent celebrity home sales that Listing Loop has helpfully compiled for you below.

1. Starting on home turf, Rebel Wilson has now officially sold her “special” Sydney Harbour home in Sydney’s Inner West for an estimated AU$9 million.
2. Surf-mad thespian, Simon Baker, has reportedly purchased a stunning 3-bedroom “Tropical rainforest haven” in Bondi, for AU$6 million.
3. And TV and radio presenter, Andy Lee, is currently documenting on his socials the substantial renovations to his new riverside “fixer-upper” in Melbourne’s Hawthorn, that he bought for AU$8.5 million.
4. Further afield, best-selling female recording artist of all time, Mariah Carey has reportedly purchased her stunning, new 8-bedroom home in Atlanta for US$5.65 million.
5. Singer, Robbie William has sold his LA, Tuscan-style estate to Drake for AU$104 million.
6. Celebrity couple, John Legend and Chrissie Teigen have sold their 7-bedroom, Beverley Hills property – with his and hers “to-die-for” walk-in wardrobes, a beauty salon and grand piano in the entrance - for US$16.8 million.
7. And Maverick himself, Tom Cruise, has sold his stunning Colorado ranch – which includes a dirt bike and snowmobile track - for US$39.5 million.

Understandably, most celebrities sell off-market for privacy reasons, one of the huge benefits of our popular sales process, so if you want to sell your property discretely, check out our website for the quickest way to list it with us. You can start by taking advantage of our free Seller Assist where we put you in touch with right real estate agent to sell your property for the best price.

And in you're in the market to buy, for the fastest way to discover new property listings, download the Listing Loop app. Not yet a member? Sign up here today for free.

We’re here to help

Wherever you live, and whoever you are, we're always happy to help with all the dramas and stressors of house buying and selling.

And if you're particularly tired of house-hunting, we've even partnered with buyer advocates who can check out homes for you and organise sales assessments and negotiations.

Our off-market and pre-market marketplace gives you VIP access to properties so you can get in first.

Just sign up at Listing Loop or download our app.