Jon Bon Jovi has been dragged into a property dispute after he reportedly refused to sell his $US43 million ($A65 million) mansion to a mysterious buyer who’s snapping up properties in the sought-after area.
According to the Wall Street Journal, an anonymous buyer has “been quietly assembling one of the most valuable private estates” in Palm Beach — which sits mere minutes from President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
So far, the unnamed buyer has forked out $US250 million ($A380 million) on four separate homes in the Florida enclave in recent months.
The estate is said to include a $US178 million ($A271 million) piece of prime oceanfront land that was initially put on the market by cosmetics mogul William Lauder — who is heir to the Estée Lauder fortune — in 2023 for $US200 million ($A304 million), as well as two separate homes that sit across the street from that plot.
Sources told the Journal the unidentified real estate mogul is far from done with the spending spree.
The buyer is said to already have their sights set on another investment property: a Mediterranean-style mansion that sits alongside their newly acquired waterfront land. The home is owned by the “Livin’ on a Prayer” singer.
MORE: Fresh blow for Perry amid split
‘Let go’: Common item Mariah refuses to own
‘Never coming back’: Depp reveals sad demise
Jon Bon Jovi has refused to sell his $US43 million Florida mansion to an unidentified buyer. Picture: Jason Mendez/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
That buyer is also said to be interested in a home that sits on the other side of the land and is currently owned by a casino mogul. Picture: Realtor
The acquisition of the rocker’s dwelling would provide the buyer with one of the most sizeable waterfront properties in Palm Beach — made all the more impressive by the addition of the two properties that sit directly behind it.
Yet, the apparent real estate scheme has reportedly hit a major snag with Bon Jovi, who is said to have “resisted overtures to sell his property”.
Property records seen by Realtor indicate the seven-bedroom, 12-bathroom home was last purchased in July 2020 for $US43 million ($A65 million) via an LLC — of which Bon Jovi’s longtime business manager Charles Sussman was listed as the manager.
The home had originally been listed for $US44.9 million ($A68.3 million) in January of that year and was described as a “stunning direct oceanfront estate” complete with a workout room, a temperature-controlled wine cellar, private in-home elevators, and two oceanfront loggias, as well as a separate pool cabana.
Bon Jovi’s home sits directly to the left of the Lauder land that was reportedly purchased in February of this year in an off-market deal.
Sources told the Journal the buyer paid close to the reduced asking price of $US178 million ($A271 million) for the plot.
According to reports, the unidentified buyer first picked up a 2.8-acre plot of oceanfront land that came on the market in 2023 by beauty mogul William Lauder. Picture: Realtor
The land was originally purchased by Lauder in two separate deals.
The first acre was bought up in 2020 for $US25.4 million ($A38.6 million), one year before the businessman added the second 1.8-acre property for an undisclosed sum.
Initially, the two plots had been home to two separate oceanfront mansions, which Lauder demolished to make space for his own enormous dwelling.
However, he shelved those plans and opted to put the vacant land on the market.
In addition to that expansive plot, the anonymous buyer is said to have also picked up two dwellings that sit directly behind it, although neither dwelling ever came on the market.
Property records show that one of those homes was owned by Thomas Harvey and his wife, Cathleen Black, who bought the dwelling for $US4.2 million ($A6.3 million) in 2018.
Though Realtor estimates the home is now worth around double that, the Journal reports that the buyer paid a staggering $US18 million ($A27 million) for it.
Mr Harvey told the outlet in an email that the person made an “unsolicited offer” on his house — while adding that he does not know their identity.
Days later, the dwelling next door to Mr Harvey’s property was also sold, this time for $US30 million ($A45 million), according to the Palm Beach Daily News, having previously been registered to a trust.
That home, which was also purchased in an off-market deal, had last traded hands for $US5.3 million ($A8.07 million) in 2017 and was last linked to an LLC.
Both properties, per the Palm Beach Daily News, were most recently purchased via LLCs that are registered in Delaware: Creekshore LLC and Mango Leaf LLC.
The anonymous buyer is also said to have purchased this four-bedroom property that is understood to have been snapped up for $US30 million in an off-market deal. Picture: Realtor
The second home was purchased for a reported $US18 million. Its former owner confirmed that it was not ever put on the market. Picture: Realtor
According to The Real Deal, discussions about the potential purchase of Bon Jovi’s home are still ongoing, despite the singer’s reluctance to part ways with his property.
The buyer is also said to have begun conversations about buying the home that sits on the other side of the Lauder land.
That home is currently owned by casino mogul William M. Rickman Jr., who purchased it in 2016 for $US13.1 million ($A19.9 million).
Built in 1935, the property boasts six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, as well as water frontage.
Though the identity of the buyer has not yet been confirmed, sources have claimed to the Real Deal the person believed to be behind these multimillion-dollar deals is Microsoft mogul Charles Simonyi, who spent years working alongside Bill Gates.
Gates’ name was also thrown into the mix of potential buyers, along with former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, suggesting the deals all have strong ties to the computer company.
All three men boast incredibly impressive property portfolios, and each owns at least one dwelling in the popular Seattle enclave of Hunts Point, Washington State which is widely considered to be something of a haven for billionaire tech moguls.
Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor and was republished with permission.
MORE: ‘Lonely’: Who gets what in Holly, ex split
English (US) · 