WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 09: Elon Musk, founder and chief engineer of SpaceX speaks at the 2020 … [+]
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Over the weekend billionaire Elon Musk tweeted that he is planning on selling almost all of his possessions, which will include all of his homes because he intends to “own no house.” When one of his followers tweeted back a simple “Why?” he responded with: “Freedom.”
Musk, whom Forbes estimates has a net worth of $38 billion, also tweeted the caveat that one of his homes previously belonged to the actor Gene Wilder: “Just one stipulation on sale: I own Gene Wilder’s old house. It cannot be torn down or lose any its soul.”
The Wilder home appeared yesterday on Zillow as For Sale By Owner with an asking price of $9.5 million. The description mentions it was the former home of Gene Wilder, best known for playing Willy Wonka, and states it is a “unique, quirky and charming ranch style.” The 2/3 acre property overlooks the 13th green and 14th fairway of the Bel-Air Country Club Golf Course. No interior photos for the 5-bath, 5-bedroom home have been provided, but it does come with a pool and detached guest cottage. The main house measures approximately 2,800 square feet.
According to property records, the home sold for $6.75 million in October 2013. Musk must have scored a deal since its initial listing price was $7.995 million.
Another of his homes is also a For Sale By Owner on Zillow (and also has no interior photos). This one is asking $30 million for a 16,251-square-foot French Chateau style six-bedroom, 11-bath home in Lower Bel Air. The house was built in 1990 on a 1.7-acre lot and claims a two-story library, theater, wine cellar, pool, fruit orchard, lighted championship tennis court and 5-car garage (with motor court) as some of its amenities. It has views of the Bel Air Country Club and the ocean in the distance. Musk closed on the home in January of 2013 (ten months before buying Wilder’s home) for $17 million and, as the listing notes, it has been extensively remodeled since then.
Bel Air has some of the highest-priced homes in Los Angeles and has long been a celebrity home base. Currently the most expensive property publicly on the market is a $165 million listing for a 20-bedroom, 23-bath home on nearly ten acres of land.