Getting divorced is a pain no matter who you are, and Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez seem to have quite an ordeal ahead of them, particularly if reports that the two have no prenuptial agreement in place are true. A particular headache is their now infamous Beverly Hills mansion, now listed with an asking price of $68 million, but which is an overpriced "white elephant" that the former couple could be about to take a bath on, at least according to one real estate expert in the area.
That expert spoke to Paula Froelich of NewsNation on the burden of the 12-bedroom, 24-bathroom mansion that Affleck and Lopez spent more than $60 million during happier times:
"That house is actually worth between $40 and $50 million…It's in a terrible location. Wallingford Estates is a gated community with no guard. Most homes in the area are from the 1970s and are worth between $5 to $10 million. This is just a huge white elephant. It's garish, too big, and dated with amenities that are just silly and not necessary (like an indoor sports complex)."
The source went on with an even harsher assessment of the home's virtues:
"The house is ugly. It was built in 2001 by a mediocre developer with just bad taste in architecture … it's a mish-mosh of styles with a faux French roof."
In the world of luxury real estate, over-the-top amenities are half the fun from the outside looking in, but in some situations, they can inflate the price of a home and make it that much harder to sell. Add in the reported additional millions that Affleck and Lopez are said to have invested in renovations and improvements to the home, plus the more than $1.5 million in property taxes, insurance premiums, and maintenance fees it takes to keep the home in good standing, and you're looking at a possible money pit in the making.
It's a real change in tune from when the former couple thought they were getting a bargain on a mansion that was initially listed with a sale price of $100 million when it was first constructed. Now, even though they are still trying to turn a profit on what they paid for the home last year, they could be in for a rude real estate awakening — if this particular expert investor turns out to be correct in their assessment.
On a more optimistic note, you can take a look at the mansion for yourself below in a video from Home Sweet Home USA on YouTube:
