Mark Zuckerberg. Picture: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg
Mark Zuckerberg has been revealed as the mystery buyer of a $US23 million ($A36 million) in Washington, D.C. in an all-cash deal.
According to Realtor, the Facebook founder’s purchase was so secretive, the home vanished from view on Google Maps soon after it closed.
Located in the expensive neighbourhood of Woodland Normanstone, the five-bedroom dwelling hit the market on March 3 and sold for its exact asking price just one day later.
It is thought that, while the property’s listing and sale were made public via the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the deal was conducted privately, given the quick turnaround of the purchase.
When news of the sale was revealed, it sparked a frenzy of speculation about the identity of the buyer.
In the months since Donald Trump won the US President election, an influx of high-profile businessmen and billionaires who have bought up properties in D.C.
The intrigue was heightened when the home was suddenly blurred from view on Google Maps in an apparent bid to further shroud the property in secrecy.
Politico reports that Zuckerberg, 40, is the proud new owner of the property, with a spokesperson for the Meta CEO confirming to the outlet that he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have “purchased a home in D.C.”
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Mark Zuckerberg has been revealed as the mystery buyer of a $23 million mansion in Washington, D.C., just two months after he attended Donald Trump’s inauguration. Picture: Julia Demaree Nikhinson – Pool/Getty Images
The home’s purchase was initially shrouded in secrecy — and the property quickly vanished from view on Google Maps, adding to the intrigue surrounding the buyer. Picture: Google Maps
As for why the billionaire felt the need to add a D.C.-based dwelling to his already-impressive property portfolio, particularly given that his company is headquartered in California, the spokesperson said that the purchase will “allow Mark to spend more time [in the city] as Meta continues to work on policy issues related to American technology leadership.”
Owning a home in D.C. offers another advantage to those within President Trump’s pool of high-profile supporters: proximity to the White House.
Despite openly criticising Mr Trump during his first term, Zuckerberg has done an about-face since the President won the 2024 election against Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, offering very public support to the Republican, even donating $US1 million ($A1.54 million) to his inaugural fund.
His purchase of the $US23 million ($A36 million) D.C. mansion came just three weeks before his latest visit to the White House on April 2, when he lobbied President Trump and his aides to settle the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against Meta — which is due to go to trial on April 14.
According to the Wall Street Journal, it was the third time Zuckerberg has visited the White House since Trump was re-elected, with insiders telling the outlet that “some of Trump’s aides have grown frustrated at the company’s lobbying strategy, believing it has been too aggressive.”
The outlet noted that Mr Trump has yet to make a decision on whether to agree to a settlement on the case, which could force Meta to reverse its acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram.
Still, Zuckerberg’s new home — which is just over 2 miles (3.2 kilometres) from the White House — provides him with much more private proximity to the president and sees him joining the likes of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel, and Google CEO Eric Schmidt in becoming a homeowner in the greater D.C. area.
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Zuckerberg bought the home from Democrat donors Frank and Sylvia White. Picture: Robert Gurney; Anice Hoachlander via Realtor
Zuckerberg’s new property was actually listed by the same agent who brokered the deal for Fox News host Brett Baier when he sold his $US29 million ($A46 million) D.C. mansion to Cantor Fitzgerald CEO, Howard Lutnick.
That same agent, Daniel Heider of Sotheby’s, told the Wall Street Journal in January that he had seen a surge in the number of high-powered property owners seeking a luxury dwelling in D.C. in the wake of Trump’s election win — noting that many were simply hoping to “be close to the sun.”
“There are a lot of folks who are coming to Washington that aren’t necessarily even politicians, but those that want to be close to the sun,” he said.
“They make 2016 look like amuse-bouche for the main entree, which is this moment in time right now.”
The Facebook tycoon has made no secret of his desire to work his way into Mr Trump’s inner circle and was even included in a group of very high-powered businessmen who received a front-row seat at Trump’s inauguration.
That group also included Bezos, Tesla founder and DOGE tsar Elon Musk, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.
Together, the men have a combined net worth of more than $US1 trillion ($A1.5 trillion).
Zuckerberg owns multiple properties across the U.S., including two properties on Lake Tahoe. Picture: Tahoe Luxury Properties via Realtor
The seats occupied by these powerful tech titans during the ceremony are “usually reserved for the president’s family, past presidents and other honoured guests,” the Associated Press noted.
Such was the significance of their presence at the historic event that multiple headlines were dedicated to their attendance.
“The Tech Oligarchy Arrives,” one read, as another branded the group “the broligarchs.”
Records indicate that Zuckerberg’s new home was previously registered to a trust that is linked to Democrat donors, Frank and Sylvia White, who bought the property in 2013 for $US5.15 million and then proceeded to tear down the existing dwelling to make way for a much more modern design.
Parts of this story first appeared in Realtor and was republished with permission.
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