January 3, 2025

The original house used in the movie “Home Alone” on November 8, 2021.

Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

A range of iconic homes are on sale – and buyers will almost certainly pay a premium for the properties.

However, real estate experts say that premium is difficult to quantify because some ultra-wealthy buyers are willing to do whatever it takes to own a piece of pop culture.

“It’s like having a Picasso” or a Fabergé egg, says Tomer Friedmanis a Los Angeles-based real estate agent specializing in the sale of luxury and celebrity homes.

“You’re buying something super unique and very rare,” he said.

Buy the “Hollywood Sign”

Notable recent listings include: The Victorian home featured in the sitcom “Full House” Listed Thursday in San Francisco for $6.5 million. Last month, “Home Alone” house — the brick estate made famous by character Kevin McCallister’s Trap — is listed for $5.25 million.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s first home in New York City was a two-story SoHo loft. Listed Sold for $5.5 million in May. The late Paul Reubens, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, also had his home in Los Angeles sellAbout US$5 million.

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Luxury real estate prices have hit record highs recently. Real estate experts say the super-rich are largely unaffected by high mortgage rates because many can afford to do all-cash transactions.

These experts say prestigious homes often cost more than similar homes on the market.

Josh AltmanA luxury real estate agent in Los Angeles who has been featured on the Bravo show “Million Dollar Listing” estimates the premium could be 5 to 10 percent if a home is associated with a “household name.”

“It’s definitely a Hollywood sign of, ‘I bought so-and-so’s house,'” Altman said. Customers of his company Included Stars like Justin Bieber, James Cameron, Alicia Keys and Britney Spears.

He added that “Home Alone” is “one of the most famous movies of all time.” “In my opinion, that definitely brings a premium.”

The rich often “do whatever it takes”

Friedman said the final price tag of such a home often doesn’t matter to ultra-wealthy buyers. Marilyn Monroe, Stalloneand Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott.

Friedman said many people viewed the house as a collector’s item and made “emotional purchases.”

Experts say sellers can earn a premium for certain prestigious properties through a sky-high initial asking price or by potential buyers engaging in bidding wars.

“They’re one of a kind,” said Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. “Someone who can afford it will do whatever it takes to own this house.”

Fans gathered for photos at 1709 Broderick Street, the house used in filming for the TV series “Full House.”

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The listing of a “Home Alone” property outside Chicago leans into its collector status, highlighting “a rare opportunity to own one of the most iconic movie homes in American pop culture.”

Coldwell Banker Real Estate spokesperson Andrea Gillespie said an offer on the home is pending and will be made within a week of being listed. Seller asks for more than three times $1.585 million they paid in 2012.

this Checklist The home of John Lennon and Yoko Ono – for sale for the first time in 53 years – also highlights the fame of its former residents.

“Everywhere they lived had some value,” said Philip Norman, author of the biography “John Lennon: A Life.” recently told New York Times.

Buyers of “Full House” homes can choose Get fingerprints According to Architectural Digest, the show’s cast, including Bob Saget and John Stamos, used concrete stone.

Notoriety can be sold

Notoriety could also fetch higher prices, says Alto Poladiana Redfin luxury real estate agent in Los Angeles.

2021, Poland Dean Sell The so-called LaBianca House — the house where followers of Charles Manson murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969 — is worth $1.875 million.

The property’s reputation generates interest and attracts more potential buyers — “Ultimately, with that interest, you get a higher premium than you would without it,” Poladian said.

this Checklist For “history buffs” or those buyers who want to “add your own touch to reimagine one of Los Angeles’ most unique properties.”

It’s like owning a Picasso.

Tomer Friedman

luxury real estate agent

Sometimes, even being near a famous home can help, he added. For example, in 2018 he Sell The house next door was used for the filming of the original Karate Kid movie.

“Any type of prestigious residence – or a residence next to a prestigious residence – will generate interest from potential buyers and onlookers,” he said.

Pendleton said sometimes there’s a limit to how much a superfan is willing to pay.

She points to the Brady Bunch house as an example: a house in Studio City, Calif.—that was remodeled to look exactly like the one on the show— Priced at approximately US$3.2 million A few months after it hit the market, in 2023; it had a price tag of $5.5 million.

Pendleton said the promotion of certain properties could be “off-putting” to some potential buyers.

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Likewise, superstar homes won’t fetch as high a premium if they haven’t been updated and occupied, Poladian said.

For example, rapper Kanye West (now known as Ye) purchased a giant mansion in Malibu, California, for $57.3 million in 2021. A house, he tore it down and ruined it. in disrepair; He listed the home last year for $53 million but recently lowered the price to $39 million. (A contractor also sued West in January and filed a lien on the property, possibly complicate sales.)

“Kanye West can’t give away his house in Malibu,” said Altman, a Los Angeles real estate agent.

But ultimately, the value of a home – whether it’s a sprawling prestigious estate or a modest bungalow – is in the eye of the beholder.

“At the end of the day, no matter how much money people are willing to spend, the house is worth it,” Pendleton said.

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