Oprah Winfrey buys neighbour Jeff Bridges' home

When you're worth almost US$3 billion and can easily say, "Been there, done that, have that," what do you do with the rest of the money after the usual investments? For more than a decade, the super wealthy have been parking it in real estate. In fact, they're buying up a lot of the planet in the form of islands, vast ranches, resorts and glamorous homes. Yes, Oprah Winfrey owns at least six homes, after selling her Chicago and Atlanta homes. Lately, her focus has been on the Montecito neighborhood of Santa Barbara, where after purchasing actor-friend Jeff Bridges' home, totals three. This includes The Promised Land, as she named her 40-acre main home and grounds, worth about $90 million. She purchased the Bridges home after waiting for the price to be reduced from the original US$7.49 million, and ended up buying it for US$6.85 million – the exact price Jeff and his wife, Susan Geston, paid for it five years ago. Oprah also owns homes in Maui, Hawaii, Orcas Island, Wash. and a ski chalet in Telluride, Colo.[print_gllr id=48938]The Bridges' 3,517-sq.-ft,, two-bedroom, three-bath Spanish Revival-style home was originally built in 1919 by architect James Osborn Craig, sited on four acres of gardens. Meticulously cared for and having undergone restorations and updates, it still has its original windows, doors, hardwood floors and five fireplaces. The kitchen and bathrooms were remodeled to bring them into the 21st century. The kitchen, with its new cabinetry and quartz countertops, adjoins a large family room. High ceilings, expansive windows and French doors illuminate the home with every room opening to lush gardens. The master suite features an open-beamed ceiling, large bay window, French doors and fireplace.Montecito is a sought-after neighborhood at the western tip of Santa Barbara, with commanding views over the Pacific Ocean. Lush with large trees and thick with greenery, the neighborhood has recovered from the 2018 Thomas Fire that destroyed many of the area's homes. Bridges and Geston have been downsizing their homes, with the sale of their 20-acre, Tuscan-style vineyard estate two years ago for US$15.9 million, and their Montecito home to Winfrey for US$6.85 million. They have also sold some land parcels in Malibu this year.Photos: Coldwell Banker