A $14 million house

Like so many homeowners, former

Apple Computer chief Gil Amelio had

some good news and some bad news

when he sold his house on the west

shore of Lake Tahoe.

The good news? The house, which

Amelio purchased four years ago for $5

million, sold for $14.35 million.

The bad news? The price tag was

marked down from the $20 million

Amelio originally sought for the property

known as Stonewood.

Nonetheless, the realty company

Chase International, which handled the

sale, said it's the biggest this year in the

Lake Tahoe area. The transaction closed

at the end of July.

The buyers described by Chase

International as a Bay-area family moving

up from a smaller second home on the lakefront

will enjoy 200 feet on Lake Tahoe,

a level lawn from house to pier, a 6,800-

square-foot-main house with six bedrooms

and baths, a caretaker's house and eight

garages.

Also on the property are garden and

water-sports storage buildings, a 50-kilowatt

generator and above-ground 750-gallon

diesel and 270-gallon gas tanks. A pier is

equipped with a hoist and Jet-Ski lift; nearby

are a children's play area and a playhouse.

(The playhouse, if you're curious, also has a

name: Pebblewood.)

To sweeten the deal, Amelio threw in an

SUV and watercraft.

Chase International said Amelio,

who once served as chief executive officer

of National Semiconductor as well as

heading Apple, decided to sell because

he wasn't able to spend enough time at

the property.

Trinkie Watson, the Chase International

agent who handled the sale, said the transaction

shows that the market for luxury homes

at Lake Tahoe remains strong.