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Celeb crib exchange

Rich and famous celebs including ‘The Rock’ seek privacy, waterfront access; A-Rod, Matt Damon and others look to unload pricey South Florida pads

From left: Scottie Pippen, his Fort Lauderdale mansion, Alex Rodriguez and the Mei building in Miami Beach
From left: Scottie Pippen, his Fort Lauderdale mansion, Alex Rodriguez and the Mei building in Miami Beach

From sports stars to Hollywood hunks, celebrities continue to drop serious cash on dream homes and condos in South Florida.

Privacy and waterfront access were pivotal for stars making expensive home purchases during the last few months of 2013 and the beginning of 2014.

Former Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa accomplished both objectives when he picked up an oceanfront estate in one of Miami’s most exclusive communities.

Actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sought out a quiet neighborhood in Broward County to buy a spec mansion, while Serena Williams took a break from winning Grand Slams and grabbed a future home site in northern Palm Beach County.

Some celebrities felt the time was right to test the market.

Matt Damon, Scottie Pippen and Alex Rodriguez put their luxury homes and condos up for sale.

And music mogul Timbaland successfully unloaded his home in Miami Beach.

Others, like billionaire developer Jeffrey Soffer and his supermodel wife Elle Macpherson, took advantage of their relationships with lenders to obtain fresh financing.

Below are some of the most notable local residential deals since last winter.

Philadelphia Eagles owner and Oscar-winning movie producer Jeffrey Lurie paid $28.5 million for a six-bedroom Palm Beach manse. Built in 2008 on nearly two acres, the 17,000-square-foot home at 1275 South Ocean Boulevard includes an elevator, swimming pool and boat dockage.

Retired baseball slugger Sammy Sosa bought an oceanfront home in Miami’s secluded Golden Beach community for $7.6 million. The two-story, seven-bedroom estate at 667 Ocean Boulevard totals 7,273 square feet in size.

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Movie star and wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson dropped $4.5 million on a 13,700-square-foot spec mansion at 16715 Berkshire Court in the Landmark Ranch Estates neighborhood of Southwest Ranches in Broward County. His ex-wife, Dany Garcia, also lives in the neighborhood.

Tennis great Serena Williams set the stage for a move to Jack Nicklaus’ golf-pro development The Bear’s Club in Jupiter. She picked up a 2.4-acre home site at 152 Bear’s Club Drive for $4.1 million.

National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman added a second condo at Toscana South in Highland Beach for $3.1 million. Bettman and his wife Michelle now own units 1610 and 1703 at 3740 South Ocean Boulevard.

Celebrity DJ and music producer David Guetta, basketball star Manu Ginobili and tennis legend Arantxa Sanchez Vicario are early buyers at the Related Group’s condo Paraiso Bay in Miami’s Edgewater neighborhood.

Music mogul Timbaland took a break from producing for Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and other stars to sell his Miami Beach condo at the Murano Grande for $4.8 million. The three-bedroom unit at 400 Alton Road totals nearly 4,000 square feet.

Academy-award winning actor Matt Damon can’t seem to find a buyer for his waterfront manse on the exclusive North Bay Road in Miami Beach. Damon shaved $1 million off the asking price for the 12,700-square-foot home to about $19 million.

Basketball Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen again put his Fort Lauderdale mansion on the market, this time for $11.8 million. The former Chicago Bull first listed the 10,000-square-foot Harbor Beach home and its custom-built basketball court for $16 million three years ago.

While fighting a losing battle to overturn a season-long suspension for using performance enhancing drugs, Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees listed his 11th-floor condo at the Asian-themed Mei building in Miami Beach. The asking price of the 5875 Collins Avenue unit: $3.1 million.

Former Super Bowl hero Plaxico Burress took a $2 million loss on the short sale of his Lighthouse Point home. The 6,872-square-foot home at 2249 Northeast 26th Street sold for $2 million this time around.

Pricey loans

Billionaire developer Jeffrey Soffer and his supermodel wife Elle Macpherson landed an $18 million loan for their Indian Creek mansion. JPMorgan Chase Bank gave the couple the mortgage for the nine-bedroom, 24,000-square-foot home, one of the largest residences in Miami-Dade County.

New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne beefed up the mortgage on two of his Miami Beach homes. He obtained a $2 million advance with Fifth Third Bank to add to the $7.9 million loan he already had. “Weezy” owns a 15,101-square-foot waterfront mansion at 94 La Gorce Circle and a 1,316-square-foot condo at the Setai at 2001 Collins Avenue.