The bloody truth behind luxury $2.8m home
It’s a dream home any of us would love to own, if only we had a spare $2.8 million.
Nestled in Los Angeles, just up the road from Hollywood, the gated two bedroom 1920s home looks like a prime piece of real estate.
The online listing has all the flattering industry parlance you would expect, extolling the majestic views, expansive living room, lush greenery and unparalleled privacy.
That is, until the real estate agent mentions “the event that happened 50 years ago.”
The house for sale is 3311 Waverly Dr, Los Feliz. It used to be owned by Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary.
Sometimes referred to as the forgotten victims of the Manson Family murders, the couple were brutally killed in their home in August 1969 by cult leader Charles Manson and members of his so-called Manson Family commune.
The execution-style killings took place the night after members of Manson’s cult murdered a pregnant Sharon Tate and four other high profile victims who were beaten, stabbed and shot just 17 kilometres across town from the Los Feliz home.
Sharon Tate murder rocked Hollywood
Sharon Tate, 26 at the time, was a rising star in Hollywood and was married to director Roman Polanski. The murders shocked Los Angeles and even caused many celebrities to go into hiding.
Extensive global media coverage, and the books and movies that followed the Manson murders meant they’ve become part of Hollywood folklore, the latest of which is Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood, due out next month.
But thanks to the real estate listing, even the lesser known victims are back in the headlines.
The agent tasked with selling their former place, Robert Giambalvo, told the Los Angeles Times that he wanted any potential buyer to know the history of the home.
In California, a seller has to tell any potential buyer if a death - natural or otherwise - has occurred in the home in the last three years. Obviously that doesn’t apply in this case but Mr Giambalvo has made the public aware.
He included in the listing that the residence is formerly known as the LaBianca house, and encouraged people to do their own research before going to the open house.
“We don’t want somebody to go into escrow and find out 10 days, 15 days later that there was the event that happened 50 years ago. And then they don’t want to buy it because of that,” he explained to the Times.
“We just wanted people to make offers with their eyes wide open.”
The price tag is set slightly lower than the market rate, in part because the agent believes the Manson stigma will eliminate some buyers, and in part because it’s prudent real estate practice, he said.
However other local real estate agents think it’s unlikely the dark history of the house will negatively impact the sale price.
The house last sold in 1998.
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