Nestled in a remote desert spot in New Mexico, this expansive property is a prime piece of wilderness real estate, however, its dark past proved somewhat off-putting to potential buyers. During its two years on the market, the price tag of Zorro Ranch was slashed by almost $10 million (£7.8m) in a bid to shift the infamous acreage. Now, the ranch has finally sold to a mysterious buyer. But why were buyers so reluctant to take it on? The residence was part of the estate left behind by sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein – and what's more, there's a chance his partner in crime Ghislaine Maxwell could benefit from the sale. Click or scroll on for more...
Epstein bought the secluded ranch, which spans over 7,500 acres, back in 1993. Following his death in 2019 as he awaited trial for federal sex-trafficking charges, his assets and vast real estate portfolio were gradually sold off, though Zorro Ranch proved tricky to offload. While The Wall Street Journal originally reported that the proceeds from the sale would go to Epstein’s victims, tax authorities, creditors and the real estate agents handling the listing, it's now come to light that shockingly, his victims will receive nothing from the sale. According to The Mirror, a compensation fund distributed almost $125 million (£98m) among Epstein's victims, which included the sale proceeds from some of his former properties, but payments from the fund ended in August 2021.
To make matters worse, there's a chance that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former long-term girlfriend, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking and other offences in relation to Epstein's crimes, could benefit from the sale. Maxwell is suing Epstein's estate, where the proceeds of the sale will go. Maxwell is seeking reimbursement of legal fees and security costs, after claiming that Epstein allegedly promised to cover the costs. Ghislaine was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022. In total, it's said that Epstein's estate is worth a reported $600 million (£471m). One of Epstein’s victims told The Mirror: "It is beyond deplorable how she has the nerve to try and profit while victims can no longer get compensation.”
Located on Zorro Ranch Road in the community of Stanley, some 40 miles east of Albuquerque, the infamous compound encompasses a grand main house, a caretaker's property and an array of other residences, outbuildings and luxurious amenities. The three-storey primary residence sits at the heart of the expansive lot and was lavishly fitted out by the late Paris-based interior designer Alberto Pinto, who was renowned for his opulent schemes.
Dating back to the 1990s, the mansion offers around 30,000 square feet of lavishly appointed living space, including four bedrooms. A pair of ornately carved wooden doors, replete with coats of arms, lead the way into one of the grand reception rooms. Seemingly taking design cues from historic stately homes, a coffered wood ceiling frames the space, which includes yellow brocade wallpaper and vast gilded chandeliers.
The faux-medieval aesthetic extends to the kitchen too, with its large stone-framed range, terracotta floor tiles and beamed ceiling, complete with unusual painted diamond detailing. The extravagant compound was originally listed for $27.5 million (£21.6m) in June 2021, but by October 2022, the price had dropped to $18 million (£14.1m) after prospective buyers failed to emerge, cutting almost $10 million (£7.9m) off the property's price tag. A buyer has now been found, but their identity has remained something of a mystery.
As well as the main residence's reception areas, there are plenty of other grand spaces. Clad in intricately carved pine wood, which envelops the walls and ceiling, the library is steeped in Old World grandeur. Downlighting illuminates shelves of wall-to-wall bookcases, while an intricate metal chandelier presides over a desk, reading area and numerous globes. The mansion isn't short of plush amenities either – you'll find a gym, an indoor swimming pool and a spa spread across its square footage.
As well as the primary home, Zorro Ranch's large desert lot also offers four additional residences, a lodge, a log cabin, an estate manager's property and a yurt, plus surprising extras including a private 4,400-foot-long airstrip, an airplane hangar and a helipad. There's plenty of scope for the new buyer to transform these buildings into commercial ventures – in fact, they may be glad of the extra income as property taxes amount to $112,000 (£88k) a year, according to Realtor.
The estate is home to extensive equestrian facilities, including an eight-stall barn, a riding arena and a secure horse run. There's also a tack room, office and storage room for keeping equipment. For tennis enthusiasts, there's a professional court elsewhere on the property, as well as a seven-bay heated garage for storing a prized collection of vehicles.
Unusually, the vast estate even has amenities befitting of a small town, including a firehouse with its own firetruck – perhaps a necessity in this remote corner of New Mexico. If you can look past the property's infamous former owner, Zorro Ranch has a lot of development potential to offer its enigmatic new owner, from an off-grid commercial enterprise to residential rentals or even an events space. Or perhaps the new owner will look to wipe the slate clean and reimagine the site afresh.
Read on to discover more unsellable homes that struggled to find a buyer
If you've ever struggled to find a buyer for your home, spare a thought for the owners of these wonderfully eccentric properties. From out-there mega-mansions with extravagant interiors to one-of-a-kind architectural masterpieces that have to be seen to be believed, these houses have proven to be a challenging sell. Click or scroll through to tour these unexpected estates for yourself...
Built by Full House creator Jeff Franklin back in 2000, this 21,000-square-foot mega-mansion was originally listed for $85 million (£66.8m) but has since been reduced to just under $55 million (£43.2m). However, it's no great surprise that the Beverly Hills property is struggling to secure a buyer, since its glamorous façade hides a gory past. The land on Cielo Drive was once the site of Hollywood starlet Sharon Tate's home, and the location of the infamous Manson murders which occurred in the summer of 1969, orchestrated by cult leader Charles Manson.
Only 26 at the time of her death, Tate had just married film director Roman Polanski, and was eight months pregnant with their first child. In February 1969, the couple began renting a house on Cielo Drive in the mountains above Beverly Hills when the heinous crime took place. Decades later in 1994, real estate investor Alvin Weintraub purchased the land, demolished Tate and Polanski's home and built a new mansion on the site. He even changed the lot's address in an attempt to separate the new property from its dark past. In 2000, Franklin purchased the mansion for just under $6.4 million (£5m), and set about expanding the residence into the amenity-packed mega-mansion it is today.
Set back behind double gates, the 21,000-square-foot main home boasts nine bedrooms and 18 bathrooms. The home's numerous living spaces are designed to maximise the property's unique location, perched on a hilltop with spectacular views of the city below. With enormous sliding glass doors in every room on the first floor, the interiors feature a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living, with cool breezes and natural light flooding the spaces.
It goes without saying that the home's enormous master bedroom is a spectacular retreat, complete with a king-sized bed, seating area, flat-screen TV, fireplace and a wraparound private balcony with its own fire pit overlooking the pool area. Offering ample room to stretch out, the master suite is a truly luxurious getaway for balmy mornings and cosy evenings alike.
Other bonus features housed in the two main storeys include a plush home movie theatre, spa, state-of-the-art gym, hair salon and a billiards room with its own library, fireplace and home office space. However, in spite of these countless luxurious features, the property has been on the market since January 2022 without a bite.
It's not every day that a $100 million (£78.6m) estate comes up for sale, let alone one owned by iconic James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan. Spread across just over an acre of prime Malibu beachfront, the palatial property is seriously impressive, however, the former 007 delisted the estate in August of 2021 after it languished on the market for a year without a single offer, according to the New York Post.
Put up for sale in September 2020, the actor and his wife, journalist Keely Shaye Brosnan, built the Thai-style property themselves, with the colossal project taking around a decade to complete. The home's design was reportedly inspired by Brosnan's time spent in Thailand when he filmed the 1997 Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies.
A labour of love, the lavish mansion is a breathtaking piece of real estate. Encompassing almost 12,500 square feet, the property offers five bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, plus a whole host of beautiful living spaces. The main level of the home includes an airy open-plan lounge and a gourmet kitchen decked out with teak floors and vast walls of glass.
Known as Orchid House, the property's beachfront views are unparalleled, with the glittering Pacific Ocean taking centre stage. Elsewhere, there's a movie theatre and a recording studio on the lower floor, a spa complete with two saunas, a steam room, a plunge pool and a Japanese soaking tub and a two-storey guesthouse to host VIP visitors in style.
The grounds are the property's pièce de résistance thanks to an array of outdoor lounges and dining terraces, a saltwater pool and 117 feet of private beach. While the resort-style estate's appeal is clear, it seems that nine-figure price tag was just too steep to draw in a buyer. After 12 months of radio silence, Brosnan pulled the property off the market rather than lowering the asking price. Perhaps he had second thoughts about letting go of his Malibu masterpiece; we can't say we'd blame him.
With most unsellable homes, it's incredibly easy to understand why they've languished on the market, but this dreamy mountain retreat is a real stumper. With a former celebrity owner, jaw-dropping landscape views, endless private acres of land and a cool, mid-century interior that any retro lover will adore, we can't quite figure out why Frank Sinatra's vacation retreat failed to find a buyer for so long. Though the property was recently taken off the market, it remains unclear whether the estate has a new owner, or was simply deemed a lost cause.
Most homes of the rich and famous get snapped up quickly but Sinatra's long-time vacation hideaway has been on and off the real estate market for 15 years without ever securing a sale. The iconic crooner commissioned Villa Maggio back in 1967 and the secluded home can be found in the wilds outside of Palm Desert, in California's Coachella Valley. Many have suggested that Sinatra's hit song 'Let's Get Away From It All' could have inspired the private estate.
The five-bedroom house was named after Angelo Maggio, Sinatra's character in From Here to Eternity, and has been described by Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices as a "James Bond lair-like compound". The spy-worthy house occupies a truly remote plot high above the desert and is surrounded by more than seven private acres of land. The home's secluded position has been blamed for the lack of interest, but the city of Palm Desert is less than 30 minutes away.
Sinatra is said to have lived in the property for 12 years, during which time he likely hosted plenty of A-listers. Over the years the wood-shingled A-frame house has been listed and reduced countless times. According to Realtor's property history, it hit the market in 2007 for just under $5 million (£3.9m), then in 2008 and 2009 it was marketed for $4.8 million (£3.8m). In 2015, the price was dropped even lower, to $3.9 million (£3.1m), but again no buyer could be found.
As well as the five-bedroom main residence, the seven-acre estate also boasts a self-sufficient three-bedroom guest home, a pool house, saunas, a resort-style pool, a large exterior entertaining area with a fire pit, a lit tennis court, a helipad and parking for up to 24 cars. Until recently the property was for sale via Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices for $4.3 million (£3.4m), but it's no longer available. Perhaps someone finally stumped up for the singer's overlooked paradise?
Also known as Peterson's Folly, the 14-storey Sway Tower, which is located in the Hampshire village of the same name, looms over the surrounding countryside. Standing an impressive 218 feet high, the Portland cement tower is the tallest non-reinforced concrete structure in the world and a major landmark visible for miles around.
The tower was acquired in 1973 by entrepreneur Paul Atlas. The businessman went on to renovate the folly and turn it into a family home with four bedrooms, each of which features a dressing room and ensuite bathroom, along with sitting and dining rooms, a country-style kitchen and a utility room. Atlas also had a conservatory and indoor swimming pool built and rents out three of the upper floors to telecoms firms and the emergency services, providing an income of around $39,800 (£31k) per year.
Despite its many superlatives, the tower is proving tricky to sell. Atlas first put the folly on the market in 2016 seeking offers in excess of $2.4 million (£1.9m) but failed to find anyone interested in buying it. The property was put up for sale again in 2018 with an inexplicably bumped-up asking price of $4.2 million (£3.3m). Needless to say, no buyer could be found.
Originally designed as a mausoleum, the high-altitude home was built by eccentric barrister and High Court judge Andrew Thomas Turton Peterson in the 1880s. An avid spiritualist, Peterson is said to have been directed to erect the building by Sir Christopher Wren, who reportedly conveyed the instruction from beyond the grave.
Atlas attempted to auction the property in 2019, to no avail, and put it on the market again in July 2020, with StQ Property Group, with an asking price of $3 million (£2.4m). Sadly, it appears to have now been taken off the market. Potential buyers are no doubt put off by having to climb all those stairs – it lacks a lift and there are 330 steps in total – not to mention the likely massive maintenance and insurance costs, which is a shame as the folly really is an awesome family home with bags of personality.
Sprawling across almost 21,000 square feet, this mammoth property in the Californian town of Los Altos Hills is something of a design marvel. Drawing inspiration from vernacular architecture across the world, the estate certainly makes a grand first impression with its extended porch and circular driveway. However, that doesn't mean it's been easy to shift since it hit the market.
The remarkable residence is nestled in just over eight acres of beautifully landscaped grounds that feature idyllic dining terraces, a fire pit and a six-car garage, as well as an array of unique sculptures. A bespoke project undertaken by an award-winning builder, the home was designed with the highest quality materials and technology.
With multiple state-of-the-art kitchens on offer, the interior is no less impressive than the exterior. According to Zillow, the property was first listed for sale back in 2016, and over the years, it's been pulled from the market numerous times and had its price slashed – it was originally offered for a staggering $88 million (£69m), before having its price slashed just under $40 million (£31.4m), more than a 50% discount. It was taken off the market in May 2023.
The lavish estate has a whopping 10 bathrooms and five large bedrooms, including the sumptuous master suite. However, the residence's most glorious flourish has to be the luxurious indoor pool that seamlessly blurs into the home's opulent living spaces – on sunny days, retractable skylights can even open up the pool to the great outdoors.
There's plenty more in store when it comes to jaw-dropping home features. Dotted throughout the extensive floor plan you'll find a self-contained home office suitable for hosting executive-level meetings, a 15-seat movie theatre and this magnificent wine cellar, capable of holding 3,000 bottles of your finest tipple.
We love Christmas and all the heart-warming seasonal celebrations that come with it, but this palatial property is one for hardcore festive fans. From the outside, this spectacular modern mansion appears fairly ordinary, but step inside and you’ll be transported to a winter wonderland quite unlike anything you might have seen before…
The custom-built colonial dates back to 1998 and sits on almost three acres of landscaped grounds in Colts Neck, New Jersey. The home’s grand 5,420-square-foot interior is truly mind-blowing and the two-storey foyer offers an imposing welcome. Every room is decorated with festive Santas, wreaths and stockings. Even without the seasonal accessories the house is striking, with shimmering grey stone covering almost every surface.
Akin to a festive grotto, the home features four bedrooms, four bathrooms and plenty of oversized living spaces. There’s a lounge, a music room, a dining room and a kitchen, all adorned with Christmas decorations and religious emblems. Many of the rooms also boast decorative wood mantels and ceramic floors, as well as custom woodwork and crown mouldings that add to the mansion's character.
Other highlights include the home’s high-performance insulated glass windows, which no doubt keep the living spaces cosy all year round. There are plenty of eye-catching bathrooms in the dwelling too, the largest of which comes kitted out in floor-to-ceiling grey marble. Alongside the sunken tubs and crystalline light fixtures, the washrooms also offer vibrant pink basins and gilded taps.
Elsewhere, you’ll find a huge basement decked out with a gym, a hall of photographs, and a sauna. The property’s garden is also quite something. There’s a substantial swimming pool, a spa and a three-car garage. Last sold in 1999 for $756,900 (£595k), this eye-catching house was listed with Christie's International Real Estate back in October 2020, with an asking price of $2.2 million (£1.7m), but it's no longer on the market. It goes without saying that this was one of the most unusual homes for sale in 2020.
Las Vegas is a city that marches to the beat of its own drum, and this house, located on the outskirts of the city, is definitely no wallflower. The extraordinary property was listed for sale in July 2019 for $315,000 (£248k) and over subsequent months was gradually reduced before being taken off the market altogether. After being briefly relisted in 2020, the property seems to have been unable to find a buyer who appreciates its quirky living spaces.
Nestled on a quarter-acre plot, the house offers 2,574 square feet of living space and an unbelievable interior that certainly leaves a lasting impression. A cross between a religious shrine and a toy museum, the property is decked out in all manner of unusual ornaments.
As soon as you step through the front door, you’re greeted by life-sized statues, animal figurines and ornate dolls. A bold colour scheme of vibrant yellow and red extends throughout, alongside antique-style furnishings and distinctive artwork. There's no denying that this is a real estate listing that nightmares are made of!
The house offers three bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as a large lounge, a dining room and a kitchen that features a large serving hatch. Outside, there’s a garage, which has been converted into a large family room complete with utility facilities and a dryer closet, plus a standalone storage building in the backyard.
The master bedroom is awash with curios and Regency-style furnishings. As well as a grand four-poster bed, it also offers a sitting area, an ensuite bathroom and a large walk-in closet. Although it’s not currently on the market, the eclectic property is estimated to be worth in the region of $391,300 (£307k).
Dig out your shoulder pads and reach for the hairspray, because this neon-lit time-warp home in California's Coachella Valley is straight out of the 80s. Constructed in 1989, the custom property has been described by the former listing agent, Ed Borquez of Pacific Sotheby's International Realty, as “a masterpiece frozen in time”, complete with a whole host of wow-factor glitzy features.
A Miami Vice-esque pastel colour scheme pervades the sensational seven-bedroom, 14-bathroom property, which covers 12,369 square feet and sits on 1.5 acres of land. Pictured here in all its glory, the entrance looks like the exterior of a Las Vegas nightclub thanks to its enormous pink canopy, rock walls and bold sculptures.
Like the rest of the property, the sprawling indoor living area has more or less remained untouched for decades, as you can see from the furniture, which screams 80s glam. Custom features quite unlike anything else we've seen abound throughout the jaw-dropping mansion, including this spectacular polished marble fireplace.
As the ultimate party pad, the games room is a riot of pastel neon lights, with a bespoke pink pool table taking centre stage, flanked by a grand piano and flashy mirrored walls. The property's masterstroke, however, is its 6,200-square-foot entertainment pavilion, closely followed by the party-ready swimming pool terrace.
The villa even rocks waterfalls designed by Disney. Sadly, no buyer came forward to snag the dazzling dwelling, which was listed for just under $6 million (£4.7m), despite the fact that in 2003 it was on the market for a hefty $16.5 million (£13m).
Try as they might, estate agents just can't seem to find a buyer for this iconic property on the Côte d'Azur. A groovy, psychedelic wonder, the Palais Bulles or Bubble Palace was designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag in 1975, constructed over a period of 14 years and snapped up in 1992 by Italian-French fashion designer Pierre Cardin.
The 12,917-square-foot property, which is made up of pink terracotta domes, has languished on the market with Christie's International Real Estate since 2017, though it appears to have been pulled from the market. A French Riviera landmark, the Palais Bulles has hosted a Christian Dior fashion show, as well as stars like Pierce Brosnan and Marion Cotillard, and was used as a location for Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.
The far-out bubble home features a gigantic reception room and panoramic lounge filled with custom furniture that blends effortlessly into the rotund space, 10 bedrooms (which have been decorated by renowned contemporary artists), 11 bathrooms and a circular kitchen with bespoke fixtures and fittings.
Other highlights of the magnificent property include the three round swimming pools, multiple patios and terraced gardens, complete with an array of lush, tropical plants. Just imagine taking a dip here and soaking up breathtaking views of the glittering French Riviera.
The one-of-a-kind pad even has its own 500-seat amphitheatre, which hosts an annual celebration of theatre and film, though the event has suffered cancellations in recent years due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The lack of buyers may of course have something to do with the asking price. Listed for a reported $390 million (£306m) when it was last on the market, Palais Bulles was one of the most expensive homes for sale on the planet, and then some.
Harry Potter fans will almost certainly recognise this charming timber-framed 15th-century manor, which doubled up as the façade of the wizard's on-screen birthplace in Godric's Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Situated in the chocolate-box village of Lavenham in Suffolk, the property was put on the market in 2017 with Carter Jonas.
Anthony and Jane Ranzetta, the owners of the Grade I-listed property, which is known as De Vere House, may have thought the six-bedroom manor would sell in next to no time. Instead, the historic home remained unsold for two and a half years. The Ranzettas, who run the house as a B&B, even shaved $57,000 (£45k) off the $1.3 million (£995k) asking price, but potential buyers were thin on the ground.
It's hard to see why house hunters weren't squabbling over this heritage house. Consisting of two separate wings, the characterful property features an entrance hall, drawing room, two sitting rooms, a dining room and two kitchens in addition to the six bedrooms and four bathrooms, all of which are decorated in a delightfully quaint style.
As you might expect, the primary bedroom contains a fine four-poster bed, while exposed wooden framework offers a window to the home's past. Whether it was the Grade I listing – properties in this bracket can prove tricky to alter – the hordes of Harry Potter aficionados who flock to the famous movie home throughout the year or the asking price that put buyers off is anyone's guess.
The manor also features a magical cottage garden, but not even this was enough to entice a buyer. While there were seemingly no offers on the horizon, the listing generated a lot of publicity, so much so that the Ranzetta's B&B had a surge in bookings. The couple were happy to shelve their downsizing plans, taking the house off the market back in February 2020 to focus on their booming business.
Prior to its demolition in early 2022, the exterior of this dreamy Mediterranean Revival mansion in Dunedin on Florida's Gulf Coast was pretty in pink stucco with accents of white, resembling many of the extremely marketable historic homes in the Sunshine State. Built in 1925, the five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bathroom property appeared fairly sedate from the outside. Inside, however, was something of a different story...
The former home of cereal czar W. K. Kellogg, the interior was far from reserved. A mishmash of styles including Baroque, Rococo and Art Deco, along with a riot of colour, greeted unsuspecting visitors. Frescoed walls adorned this magnificent hallway, along with dramatic archways decorated with ornate patterns.
Kellogg snapped up the amazing American estate in 1934 and went all-out decorating his Florida retreat, commissioning vivid hand-painted murals to add to the abundant stained glass, coffered ceilings and mosaic tiles, as well as filling the unique property with lavish furnishings laden with sumptuous velvet and silk.
Among the property's many eye-popping highlights was the opulent Art Deco bar. The house even had a 70s-style disco complete with a planetarium ceiling and a psychedelic dance floor that would make Studio 54 look dull. Kellogg passed away in 1951 but subsequent owners retained the home's extravagant style.
It probably goes without saying that the interiors, while totally fabulous, were not to everyone's taste, and with modern buyers tending to favour sleek, minimalist design, the owner had a hard time selling the idiosyncratic property. In fact, the Kellogg Mansion had been on and off the market since 2013. The architectural marvel finally sold for $4 million (£3.2m) in June 2021, before meeting the wrecking ball.
Over the past few years, house hunters in New Jersey have had the opportunity to tour one of the most extraordinary home conversion projects we've ever seen. This unique former church is located in Cream Ridge and has been on and off the market since 2018 but hasn’t managed to find the right buyer.
Spanning a generous 3,682 square feet, the heavenly home offers two bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as spacious open-plan living areas with towering cathedral ceilings and plenty of unique decorative touches, including jaw-dropping gold ceilings and dramatic archways.
Dating back to the early 1900s, many relics from the building’s former life as a church have been incorporated into the interior. Ornate stained glass, millwork and the original altar offer striking focal points, while the church's organ pipes have been turned into a custom bar area.
While the vibrant colour palette might be the first thing to catch your eye, there are also plenty of beautiful period features that add to the home's charms. From elegant hardwood floors to decorative built-ins and soaring pitched ceilings, there’s much to admire about this one-of-a-kind property.
Incredibly, the former church’s bell tower is also intact, so the lucky new owner of this unique home can ring in each and every morning. One thing's for sure, this spectacular conversion certainly isn't short on soul! The kaleidoscopic property was last listed with Compass for $635,000 (£499k), though it appears to have been temporarily removed from the market. Watch this space...
Loved this? Follow us on Facebook for more unusual homes