Many people make some of their biggest real estate moves not long after marriage. One may need a bigger space, while a pooled income can significantly expand the range of attainable homes.
While that price range is upped to extremes when the parties concerned are famous, the principle generally holds true whether one is famous or not. Less than two weeks after her June wedding to fitness trainer Sam Asghari, pop star Britney Spears doled out $11.8 million for a 12,000-square-foot home in the celebrity enclave of Calabasas.
Spears later found it to be too accessible to the curious public and relisted it for $200,000 above what she paid for it in January.
A $42 Million, Amenity-Heavy Bel Air Mansion
Now going by Jennifer Affleck, Jennifer Lopez married her longtime beau Ben Affleck in July 2022 in a lavish ceremony. Just under seven months later, Lopez placed a Bel Air mansion she's owned since 2016 on the market for $42.5 million.
Seven years ago, Lopez bought the 12,800-square-foot complex from actress Sela Ward for $28 million. Built in 1940 by star architect Samuel Marx, the home is an iconic sight in the neighborhood located just a few steps away from the famous Hotel Bel-Air.
If Lopez gets her asking price, she will have made a fairly significant profit of around $14.5 million. While Southern California home prices have risen significantly in the last six years, the ultra-luxury category generally sees slower growth and houses can sit on the market for longer amid a very limited pool of eligible buyers.
High price tags are also sometimes used to attract attention to a property without actually expecting to receive that much. This listing is held by Brett Lawyer of local agency Carolwood Estates.
Affleck, in turn, sold his Pacific Palisades home for $28.5 million last October. This is also a cool profit as he paid just $19 million for it after divorcing Jennifer Garner in 2018.
While it looks like a major combined purchase may not be too far into the future, celebrity news outlets initially reported that Lopez and Affleck had planned to live in the Bel Air estate -- it is rich on amenities like an 100-seat private theater, an infinity pool and spa, a pagoda with a small golf course and even a private lake.
The Wild, Home-Flipping World Of Celebrity Real Estate
Together, Affleck and Lopez now own a significant real estate portfolio that also includes an 87-acre area outside of Savannah, Georgia as well as multiple sprawling homes across Los Angeles, NYC and the Hamptons.
Consolidation of properties is also something that is incredibly common among those with an extensive real estate portfolio. Getting more and more into home-flipping after leaving daytime television, former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and partner Portia de Rossi just sold a $21 million Montecito mansion to Bumble (BMBL) founder Whitney Wolfe
In 2022, significant sales included a Montecito mansion sold to entertainment executive Scooter Braun for $36 million (despite buying it for $21 million just a few months ago) as well as a smaller Montecito home for $13.5 million and a $8.8 million midcentury property in Beverly Crest.
The pair has long had an interest in home renovation (and later flipping) but got even more into it after the last episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" aired last May.
