Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch On The Market For $31M
Are you in the market for a completely over-the-top estate in the Santa Ynez Valley? Would you like to own a part of pop culture history? Do you happen to have $31 million lying around? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then have we got the house for you! Neverland Ranch, the former home of pop icon Michael Jackson, just hit the market. This isn’t the first time the house has been listed for sale. But this listing is a massive price drop, and honestly if you’re rich and looking to spend a nice wad of cash, could be a great investment. We have no idea why anyone would actually want to live there (can you imagine the utility and maintenance costs?!), but people with a lot of money do really weird things sometimes.
Neverland Ranch is located in the Santa Ynez Valley, on 2,700 acres. It’s been renamed Sycamore Valley Ranch, but come on.
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The property features a 12,600-square foot French Normandy-style home that was built in 1982. There’s also a four acre lake (with waterfall!), swimming pool, movie theater, a sunken tennis court (which we don’t even understand), and a barn and animal shelter facilities. The iconic clock and garden that spells out “Neverland” is still intact, so it has that going for it. It was originally listed back in 2015 for a whopping $100 million. But extravagant estates belonging to tarnished pop stars just don’t have the same panache as they used to, you know? Gotta get that price down to make it accessible to us little folks. It was taken off the market in 2017, and the listing has since returned to original agents Suzanne Perkins and Kyle Forsyth. It’s currently co-owned by real estate investment firm Colony Capital and Michael Jackson’s estate.
The timing of the listing is interesting, to say the least.
Forsyth says the time is right to sell “with the drought ending and the Santa Ynez Valley in full bloom”. However, one has to wonder if the decision to list the property again, and at such a drastic price reduction, has anything to do with the new documentary about Michael Jackson. Leaving Neverland, set to air on HBO this weekend, tells the stories of two men who allege they were repeatedly sexually abused by Jackson as children. Child molestation allegations have followed the singer for years, and the documentary has been called disturbing and revelatory. The singer’s family strongly denies the accusations, and has publicly denounced the documentary. If you remember, Jackson was acquitted of child molestation charges in 2005.
