Instagram/Getty Josh Altman sells a Beverly Ridge castle on MDLLA.
The agents on Million Dollar Listing have been known to take on unique properties that require an outside-the-box approach in order to get it sold. That’s the task Josh Altman faces in the August 18 episode, when he lists a house that was previously featured on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
Altman’s new listing is a stunning castle located in the ultra-exclusive Beverly Ridge neighborhood. But the previous owner had a very specific design taste that may not appeal to a broad range of buyers. Altman is forced to get creative in order to make the property stand out.
Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles airs at 9pm ET/PT Tuesdays on Bravo.
Here’s what you need to know:
Carlton Gebbia of RHOBH Designed the Mansion With a Gothic Medieval Theme
The estate at Beverly Ridge made its Bravo debut several years ago. Previous owner Carlton Gebbia, who starred on season four of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, gave the camera crews a tour of her “humble abode,” as she described it.
She explained during the tour that the home’s design was heavily influenced by Gothic architecture, mixed with her love of French-style furniture. Gargoyle carvings are scattered throughout the home.
Gebbia said she had wanted large open spaces that would be ideal for entertaining, as opposed to having a “maze” of rooms. She added that in the massive great room, she and her children had been known to use the space for rollerskating.
GettyDavid and Carlton Gebbia in 2001
The Gebbias purchased the land for $1.8 million in 2004, as David Gebbia explained to Altman in a preview clip of the episode. The family construction company then spent $8 million to build the house, which took three years to complete. David Gebbia commented that his ex-wife was originally from England and that her design was heavily influenced by that background. The preview clip included a flashback of Carlton Gebbia talking about how since she was a small child, she had dreamed about building her own castle.
But the fairy tale did not last forever. David and Carlton Gebbia separated in 2016. The divorce was finalized in 2018 and their Beverly Ridge home was put up for sale.
The Beverly Ridge Castle is Adorned With Hand-Carved Design Elements & Sits On More Than an Acre of Land
Bravo’s MDLLA often features massive homes and, on occasion, megamansions. But a castle is a far more rare find. The Beverly Ridge property is located in an exclusive gated community that includes only a handful of homes, making entry into the area a rare challenge.
The Beverly Ridge castle sits on a lot that is 74,523 square feet. In addition to the 1.25 acres of flat land, the property includes the hillside behind the house, meaning the homeowner never has to worry about another house being built on that land. The backyard has a pool with a Baja shelf and a spa. A subterranean garage is large enough to fit six vehicles.
Back inside, the castle includes about 15,200 square feet of living space. The great room has a cathedral-style ceiling that stretches 36 feet high, with Juliette balconies overlooking the space from the second floor. Mosaic designs also decorate the flooring.
The entertainment area is outfitted with a custom wood-carved bar. The gilded ceiling was also hand-carved and cost $300,000 alone, as explained in a preview clip of the episode. In the house tour Carlton Gebbia gave back when she was on RHOBH, she explained that the room also included a confessional that she explained had “been christened, I’ll have you know.”
There are five bedrooms and six bathrooms in the house. The master suite is enormous, with his and her closets and bathrooms. The bedroom used to include a custom bed that the Gebbias shared; it was 11-feet wide and 12-feet long, as Carlton explained on the 2014 house tour.
The master bedroom has one of the most unique fireplaces buyers will ever see. The fireplace is 200 years old was taken out of a church and flown over from Paris, the seller explained in the Bravo preview. The carved design appears to be a dragon with a crown on its head.
As Altman explained to the Bravo cameras, he was aware that the Gothic design of the castle would make it a hard sell. He enticed other agents and potential buyers with a Medieval-themed broker’s open. He dressed as a knight, provided a roasted pig as part of the meal and hired professional sword-fighters for entertainment.
The Property Was Initially Listed For $22 Million But the Final Selling Price Was Significantly Lower
Carlton and David Gebbia’s divorce made headlines, but their decision to sell the Gothic-themed mansion made headlines of its own. The property was initially listed for $22 million in April 2018 by Pacific Union International. Co-listing agent Yawar Charlie told Forbes at the time that the house was a “throwback to the estates of the 1920s and 1930s in L.A. where the premium was on the detail and value of the workmanship.”
But the house failed to attract an offer. According to records on Compass, the price was reduced to $19.9 million in September 2018.
The Altman Brothers took over the listing in December 2018 with a new price: $19.5 million. Josh Altman promoted the property on Facebook as a “grand custom home that was carefully crafted to express Italian Romanticism while offering all the modern conveniences the heart could desire.” The price was lowered again in January 2019 to $17.995 million.
In May 2019, the sellers agreed that the market had adjusted and another price reduction was warranted. The new listing price was $16.5 million, according to Redfin. The house sat on the market for several more months but did eventually sell. The Altman Brothers celebrated the sale on social media in December 2019. The final sales price was $13,765,000.