Zsa Zsa Gabor was one of the most high profile actresses and socialites the US has ever seen until her untimely death in 2016. This brought to an end the life and times of a Hollywood legend about which books were written, films were made and rumours invented. Her former home at 1001 Bel Air Road, Bel Air has just been sold for $10.4 million to an as yet unknown party. So, what is the mystery which surrounds the sale of Zsa Zsa Gabor’s former home?
The history of 1001 Bel Air Road
Records show that the property was initially acquired by Gabor back in 1973 for a modest $250,000. While she remained a high profile socialite until the very end it appears that her finances started to head south in 2013. This was the year that Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband Frederique Prinz von Anhalt were forced to sell their estate to a development firm by the name of Jade Enterprises.
Under an unusual agreement the couple was allowed to remain in the property for at least four years, or until Zsa Zsa Gabor’s death, paying a $350,000 a year rent for the pleasure. There had been rumours and counter rumours that the property was in “escrow” but it has finally been confirmed the property has been sold for $10.4 million. The property was not officially listed and was sold via a “whisper listing” which is often used by those seeking privacy for their financial transactions. The last time it was officially listed was 2012, the year before Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband were forced to sell their estate, with an asking price of $14.9 million.
Inside Zsa Zsa Gabor’s former home
It is unfortunate that the home which Zsa Zsa Gabor and her husband created has been overshadowed by the somewhat strange transactions surrounding the property. Said to have been originally commissioned by Howard Hughes back in 1955 the home has six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a large terrace swimming pool and what is described as a circular foyer. When you bear in mind the prominent socialite that Zsa Zsa Gabor became after her acting career was over, you will not be surprised to learn that she entertained guests such as Elizabeth Taylor, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Frank Sinatra and many more.
The pictures of the home do not seem to do it justice but with the current value of $10.4 million this must have been something special. The only fact missing from this rather strange story is the price that the estate was sold for back in 2013 – bearing in mind the rumoured financial distress of the couple it is unlikely it was sold anywhere near the market price at the time.
Celebrity properties
What has become clear in the Zsa Zsa Gabor story is that what the rumourmongers don’t know they just make up. Was she in financial distress in 2013? Had she become bedbound? These are all rumours which were circulating at the time, based on unsubstantiated information. It does however show that celebrity property transactions in the US are extremely difficult to hide and ultimately there is no privacy.