Celeb home accommodates friends, keeps paparazzi out — PHOTOS

Until last May, rhythm and blues singer Keyshia Cole and her husband, Daniel Gibson, leased an eight-bedroom, three-story house near Horizon Ridge and Green Valley parkways in Henderson.

According to the Realtor, the pair looked around extensively and thought that house was the most secure and private of all the places they had seen, including guard-gated and golf-course houses. “They said it was practically paparazzi proof,” said John Gafford, broker and owner of Simply Vegas Realty, which has listed the 9,423-square-foot home for $2.5 million.

Because it is next to a wash, it would be difficult for an intruder to gain access, plus the house comes with a 55-station alarm system.

“It’s so secure. Other homes of this type are typically on a golf course or near other homes, making it difficult to secure access,” Gafford said. The house sold for $1.6 million in 2008.

The pair married in Las Vegas in 2011, and they have a son. Gibson is a former basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2012, they participated in a reality TV series on BET called “Keyshia &Daniel: Family First.” She can currently be seen on BETs “Keyshia Cole: All In.”

“There aren’t many luxury homes in this area with eight bedrooms,” Gafford said. “You don’t see a lot of homes in that price point that have eight ‘real’ bedrooms. Typically, you would have to give up one to function as an office, den or loft, but this home has it all.”

The house has a basement, and there is a master bedroom on each of the three floors, as well as an elevator. The home’s exterior is stone, and the wood-and-glass front doors are trimmed with a Beaux-Arts-style iron design that repeats throughout the entry, setting the style for the main areas.

Stepping inside is like walking onto a Hollywood movie set. The focus is on the glamorous ironwork that wraps all around the living room, dining room, staircase and hallway; not to mention a formal living room with a soaring 22-foot-high ceiling and a stone facade fireplace that connects to it.

At the top of the staircase is a loft, which overlooks the formal living room. The ornate ironwork extends right and left at the top of the stairs, in a wall across the width of the loft, and down the hall toward the bedrooms. It is repeated below the loft, separating the living room from the formal dining room with a bar.

Elegant touches throughout the house include iron wall sconces, large white columns and arches, creating easy flow from room to room. There are two large bay windows at the front of the house and a balcony over the front from one of the guest bedrooms.

Creamy travertine floors are throughout the main floor, which includes a master bedroom, smaller bedroom, powder room, office with exterior entrance, laundry room, kitchen and den.

The eat-in kitchen has a large island made of Brazilian single-slab granite, a six-burner stove top, birch custom cabinets, travertine backsplash and professional grade appliances.

The kitchen sits across from the family room with built-in bookcases, and a smaller version of the living room fireplace. It opens outside to a long, covered patio at the back of the house.

The upper floor has five bedrooms, including the huge master with minibar, granite-faced fireplace and balcony facing the rear of the house.

The spalike master bathroom uses fine finishes including travertine floors with a darker tile border and polished countertops. An elevated spa tub has views of the mountains, valley and the pool. There is a large, separate rain shower, and his-and-hers closets.

The lower level offers even more entertainment options, including a billiards room with fireplace and wet bar and a nine-seat home theater.

Much of the backyard and patio areas are shielded from street view, but visible from several terraces throughout the house, plus from the lower level, where one bedroom has patio access.

The master bedroom and the infinity-edge pool and hot tub offer views of the Strip.

Simply Vegas Realty specializes in selling luxury homes, and Gafford says the local market is “doing quite well, our company keeps closing million-dollar homes at a steady pace. Conversely, there still are a large percentage of homes in that segment that are overpriced, creating almost a shortage of high-end inventory that could continue into summer.”

And he should know, considering he was initiated into the real estate world by Donald Trump as a contestant on “The Apprentice’s” third season.

“It was an awesome opportunity, but the thing I am most proud of is it’s not my greatest accomplishment,” he said. He lasted eight shows before being fired, and ended up going into the real estate business after the show ended with the winner of that season, Kendra Todd

“She is the person that got me into real estate. I spent the first (post-apprentice) year traveling the country with her selling projects across the nation,” he said.

He landed in Florida for a couple years before moving here in 2009. He and his wife Gidget, have two children and live in Henderson.

Simply Vegas Realty has offices in Summerlin, Henderson and just recently opened a third office near the Strip. According to Gafford, it is the largest boutique real estate firm in Nevada, with the third largest market share in listing volume with 230 agents.