Call it a hot real estate market. Call it morbid curiosity. Whatever it is, the house where Charles Manson’s followers killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969 just sold for $1.875 million.
It’s the second time the infamous estate has traded hands in three years. In 2019 it was scooped up by Zak Bagans, host of the paranormal reality show “Ghost Adventures,” who planned to film a project there but later called it off out of respect for the LaBianca family.
Bagans put it on the market for $2.2 million in October and trimmed the price to $2 million before finding a buyer in June who, according to listing agent Arto Poladian, plans to make some updates to the 99-year-old abode.
On Aug. 10, 1969, a day after murdering actress Sharon Tate and four others in Benedict Canyon, Manson’s followers snuck into the home of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, killing them both.
A police officer blocks the driveway of the Los Feliz house where Leno and Rosemary La Bianca were killed by followers of Charles Manson on Aug. 10, 1969.
(Bettmann / Getty images/Bettmann Archive)
How does one market a house with such a dark past? In this case, a mix of strategic wording and the help of a red-hot real estate market with a shortage of homes and abundance of buyers.
When the property last hit the market in 2019, listing agent Robert Giambalvo told The Times about the private location and spectacular views while also recalling “the event that happened 50 years ago.”
This time around, the listing was geared toward developers, flippers and “history buffs and those looking to add their touches to reimagine one of L.A.’s most unique properties.”
“Most buyers were serious, but of course we had some who were intrigued by the property’s history — all of which was disclosed in the MLS,” said Redfin’s Arto Poladian.
There’s plenty to like about the property. It claims three-fourths of an acre on a hillside lot, taking in sweeping city and mountain views. A long, gated driveway winds past a spacious yard with a fountain in front. Out back, a patio descends to a swimming pool and spa surrounded by fruit trees and a wood barrel sauna.
The house itself clocks in at 1,655 square feet with a pair of bedrooms and bathrooms. Inside, living spaces are adorned with picture windows and mirrored walls.
Cloaked in drab white tile, the kitchen could use an update — as could the bedrooms and bathrooms, which pair mint green walls with salmon-colored tile.
Arto Poladian of Redfin held the listing. Samuel Buchanan of B&B Properties represented the buyer, who remains unknown.