As London homebuyers know all too well, searching for the dream property is invariably a painful, draining and time-consuming enterprise.
And, as A-list couple Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have just discovered, even having the most impressive of budgets doesn’t always provide a straightforward solution.
After nearly a year of searching for the perfect home for their blended family, the couple — also known as Bennifer — have reportedly paid £48.7 million ($60.9 million) in cash for the colossal Wallingford Estate in Beverly Hills.
J-Lo and Ben Affleck, who officially married in in Las Vegas in July last year and share five children from previous relationships, come with plenty of baggage after renting Australian billionaire James Packer’s equally palatial home — also in Beverly Hills — while they carried out their property search.
Pictures published on TMZ appear to show the A-listers’ many belongings arranged on the pristine driveway before being moved into their new home.
Originally built to resemble Marie Antoinette’s home in Versailles — Le Petit Trianon — the estate was listed for sale for £108 million ($135 million) in 2018 by a property developer who is thought to have paid £17.6 million ($22 million) before remodelling and expanding it significantly.
The most recent asking price of the home is thought to have been £60 million ($75 million), so the couple have still managed to negotiate a £11 million-plus price drop. The deal is said to have taken just one week — perhaps cash does make things a little simpler after all.
With a house that spans 46,000sq ft — far bigger than the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern — there’s plenty of room for the 12 bedrooms and 24 bathrooms shown on the listing.
A 5,000sq ft guest penthouse, caretaker house and space to park 80 cars can be found outside, along with an infinity pool and sports complex — featuring paddle tennis and basketball courts, a boxing ring and gym for J-Lo’s hardcore fitness workouts.
Ben Affleck sold his Pacific Palisades home in October for £22.8 million ($28.5 million) and it was reported the couple planned to renovate and live in J-Lo’s Bel Air mansion — the home she later listed for sale for £34 million ($42.5 million) while the couple rented in Beverly Hills. J-Lo’s Bel Air mansion is still on the market, although now at the reduced price of £32 million ($40 million).
