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Betty White’s Carmel-by-the-Sea house lists for $7.95M

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
The sun deck of Betty White’s Carmel-by-the-Sea home allows full enjoyment of the gardens and the beach beyond. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
The sun deck of Betty White’s Carmel-by-the-Sea home allows full enjoyment of the gardens and the beach beyond. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA, Calif. – Betty White, whose career in television spanned 80 years, was the first woman to write, produce and act in a sitcom, Life With Elizabeth. She won eight Emmys, three Screen Actors’ Guild awards, a Grammy and three American Comedy Awards. Most recently known for her bubble-headed character Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, White died on New Year’s Eve at the age of 99. Her Carmel-by-the-Sea beach house, which she built with her husband, Allen Ludden, in 1978, is listed at $7.95 million. Allan was also a television star who hosted the popular TV game show, Password, which is where they met. He died in 1981.

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Point Lobos Nature Reserve, Ribera Beach and Monastery Beach, the 3,621-square-foot, three-story home has walls of glass and earthy building materials such as the stone fireplace and light wood walls and ceilings that display the couple’s love of nature, while still keeping it open, light and airy.

White’s Carmel-by-the-Sea home consists of three stories and measures 3,621 square feet. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
White’s Carmel-by-the-Sea home consists of three stories and measures 3,621 square feet. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

There are four bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths. In addition to the romantic views, the primary suite also has a fireplace while the en suite bath has a vanity that was designed by Betty. The versatile dining room can be used informally while open to the kitchen or closed off with the only view being the deck and ocean.

White designed the vanity in the bathroom of the home’s master suite to take advantage of morning sunlight. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
White designed the vanity in the bathroom of the home’s master suite to take advantage of morning sunlight. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

As beautiful as the home’s interior is, the exterior is the big star. Views from the deck include manicured landscaping with grass, shrubs and flowerbeds. Just beyond are craggy shoreline rocks with a glimpse of the white-sand beach to the left, which runs the length of the property below the cliff. In addition to ocean views, there is also a forested hillside rising above the ocean. To top it all off, the oceanside witnesses colorful evening sunsets.

The Carmel-by-the-Sea home’s flower garden is protected from ocean breezes with strategically-placed shrubs and trees. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
The Carmel-by-the-Sea home’s flower garden is protected from ocean breezes with strategically-placed shrubs and trees. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

Betty’s infectious smile and chirpy personality were endearing to her public, but her heavy work schedule could be draining at times. The beach house, with its simplicity and focus on nature, was the perfect place for Betty and Allen to escape the public eye and decompress. After Allen’s death, Betty expressed no desire to remarry, because in her view, she had already had the best. Betty never had children of her own but enjoyed her three stepchildren from Ludden’s former marriage.

The windows of the living room of White’s home frame the California sunset to perfection. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com
The windows of the living room of White’s home frame the California sunset to perfection. Courtesy of Sotheby’s International Realty and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com

Listing agents are Nicole Truszkowski and Zak Freedman of Sotheby’s International Realty, Carmel.

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