Back in the winter of 2016, Julia Roberts and her husband, cinematographer Danny Moder, added this 1950’s ranch to their Southern California real estate portfolio. The house was hard-won; according to Variety, the sellers tried to nix the sale during the escrow process, and it took months to compel them to hold up their end of the bargain.

The couple paid $6.8 million for the Point Dume property, which is across the street from a residence they’ve owned since the early 2000s. Recently, they passed it on to a new owner.

It was far easier unloading it that it was acquiring it. Billionaire investor Thomas Laffont stepped in with $8 million to take it off their hands. Laffont, too, wanted the property to augment an existing property in the neighborhood; he’s owned the spot right next door since 2019.

The house is an unassuming entry in the Point Dume residential landscape. The property finds its most compelling reason for being in its lush, garden-like grounds, which extend to 1.16 acres.

But the house is a quiet little charmer. Interior details include narrow-plank hardwood, vaulted and semi-vaulted plank ceilings, and a cozy series of three bedrooms. It’s cozy in size, too, at just under 1,800 square feet. A living room with a masonry fireplace, and a cottage-style kitchen sporting a bright slash of red give the home character.

The exterior living area prefers space and quiet, green privacy over packing in the recreational bling, and the wide stretch of lawn, vine-covered arbor, and small patio overlooking it all sustain a classic Point Dume feel.

Laffont co-founded Coatue, a hedge fund with large investments in tech. His net worth is north of $1 billion.