It ranks among the priciest stretches of real estate anywhere in the world, with typical homes in the area commanding roughly $3.5 million to $5.5 million.
But as Hollywood veteran Nicolas Cage was reminded this week, Malibu’s postcard-perfect ocean views and A-list neighbors can carry a cost far beyond the purchase price.
The celebrity haven is once again drawing national attention after Cage’s striking $10.5 million beachfront home was left sitting over a sizable sinkhole, following powerful storm surges linked to Tropical Storm Marie in the Pacific.
Kyle Tourjé, Vice President of Alpha Structural, a prominent Los Angeles structural repair company, said several factors may have contributed to the damage, with the pounding surf along the Southern California coast over the weekend making the situation worse.
“We get a lot of these calls,” he told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview. “A lot of these houses are built on sea walls that are very old.”
‘The house above might be newer but what’s below could be 70 years old. When you get these surges, they can pull the dirt out from underneath the sea wall which causes sinkholes.
Stunning aerial images reveal the scale of the sinkhole that opened up beside Nicolas Cage’s $10.5 million Malibu beachfront mansion
A massive hold can be seen swallowing part of the ground – with a portable toilet lying inside – besides Cage’s multimillion-dollar property on Tuesday
Nicolas Cage has become the latest A-lister to discover that owning a slice of Malibu paradise can come with a costly downside
‘Sometimes the sea wall isn’t high enough which has the same effect. These are very common sea wall problems.
‘Then, in Malibu, most sewage goes into seepage pits, and they can also damage soil and cause subsistence if the seawater gets in.’
Exclusive aerial photos taken by the Daily Mail show the massive damage done to Cage’s property, which is boarded up at the front while the hole can clearly be seen at the back.
Part of the road leading to the property is also in the hole – something that will cause extra complications for 62-year-old Cage, according to Tourjé – while a porta-potty can also be seen trapped inside.
Tourjé says Cage could simply have got unlucky, with his property bearing the brunt of the surges while his neighbors’ properties were spared.
But he says most prime seafront properties in Malibu are vulnerable to storm surges – and that means Cage isn’t the only big name who could find himself in trouble.
One expert told the Daily Mail these surges can ‘pull the dirt out from underneath the sea wall’ and cause the sinkholes
The dramatic images show just how close the damage came to the actor’s beach house, with neighboring Malibu homes lining the same coveted stretch of coastline
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Cage’s home occupies a prime spot directly on the Pacific, where experts say aging seawalls and powerful storm surges can leave neighboring properties vulnerable
Further down the coast from Cage’s mansion is Carbon Beach – also known as Billionaire’s Beach – whose past and present big-name owners read like a veritable who’s who of leading lights in tech and film.
Topping the list is Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison who owns multiple homes on the tony stretch of sand, where neighbors include record executive Lou Adler and Friends star Courteney Cox, and up until March, rapper Dr Dre, who sold his beach house for $16.5 million.
Former residents include Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot, former CBS chief executive Les Moonves and entertainment mogul David Geffen.
Another prominent celebrity enclave is Malibu Colony – again directly on the beach – where residents include Tom Hanks, Bill Murray, Miley Cyrus, and Jonah Hill – who listed his property for $13.3 million earlier this year.
Previous owners include Halle Berry as well as Golden Age stars such as Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland and Bing Crosby.
‘There are lots of reasons why you’d want to live in Malibu,’ Tourjé said. ‘You have world class properties, world class views, world class privacy.
The spectacular ocean views that make Malibu real estate so desirable can come with serious risks when powerful waves hit the coastline
Hollywood legend Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson and Miley Cyrus have long owned homes in Malibu Colony, another exclusive beachfront enclave
Friends star Courteney Cox and Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison also own properties on Malibu’s ultra-exclusive Carbon Beach, better known as Billionaires’ Beach
‘But you do need, when purchasing a property there, to get it evaluated and make sure you know the age of the sea wall.
‘If you already live there, you need to regularly get the foundations inspected, the sea wall inspected and the plumbing checked – you have to be proactive about maintaining it to make sure your property isn’t at risk of subsidence.’
Malibu is also vulnerable to wildfire damage, with large stretches of the California town – particularly on the Pacific Palisades end – still pockmarked with burned out gaps and empty foundations nearly two years after the devastating Palisades Fire ripped through the area.
Along with Spencer Pratt, who famously lost his Pacific Palisades home in the blaze, Paris Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia and Mel Gibson all lost beachfront properties in Malibu – with the sea wall in the areas hit by the blaze also left badly damaged.
Although damage from the blaze is still being repaired, Tourjé said homes – such as Caitlyn Jenner’s – on the rocky hillsides on the other side of the Pacific Coast Highway are also put at heightened risk by storm surges, especially in the burn areas.
‘Malibu has a challenging history of landslides,’ he noted.
‘If you’re on a hillside, the risk is still there so managing the foundations and things like drainage is critical.’