'Worst Investment Ever': The 'Brady Bunch House' Sells to Real-Estate Enthusiast for $3.2 Million The famous Studio City, California residence known as "The Brady Bunch" house recently changed hands from television network HGTV to California resident Tina Trahan.
Key Takeaways
- The property, made famous by the 1970s sitcom, was initially listed at $5.5 million.
- New owner Tina Trahan has no plans to live in the house day-to-day.
- HGTV acquired the property in 2018 and embarked on a televised renovation project that expanded the house's size.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The famous Studio City, California residence dubbed, "The Brady Bunch house," hit the market in May with an initial price tag of $5.5 million and just sold — for under $3.2 million.
The property's new owner, Tina Trahan, is a dedicated fan of the iconic home and has no plans to reside there, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Trahan, along with her husband, former television executive Chris Albrecht, have a penchant for collecting iconic real estate. Their past endeavors have included acquiring sections of Stone Manor, a colossal 125-year-old lakefront property in Wisconsin.
When the beloved 1970s sitcom house first became available for sale, Trahan expressed her deep fascination with the single-story, mid-century ranch-style residence to her real estate agent.
"I thought that was hilarious. It's almost like a life-size dollhouse," Trahan told the WSJ, adding that, even at the marked-down listing price, it's still "the worst investment ever."
The house is adorned with classic mid-century furniture, including avocado green Knoll-style Tulip chairs, a matching kitchen pedestal table with a refrigerator, low-slung credenzas, and a Mondrianesque paneled screen above the staircase.
Additionally, the listing by Compass notes that some of the fireplaces, appliances, and fixtures throughout the home are for decorative purposes only — which makes it perfect for the home's newest buyer.
Trahan told the WSJ that she intends to utilize the house for charitable and fundraising events, emphasizing that it won't be inhabited for day-to-day living.
"No one is going in there to make pork chops and applesauce in that kitchen," she said. "Anything you might do to make the house livable would take away from what I consider artwork."
Courtesy of Danny Brown | Compass | TheMLS.com
Courtesy of Danny Brown | Compass | TheMLS.com
Courtesy of Danny Brown | Compass | TheMLS.com
The house was primarily featured in exterior shots on the television show, The Brady Bunch, while the actual filming took place on a soundstage. Nevertheless, when HGTV acquired the property in 2018, surpassing a bid from *NSYNC singer Lance Bass at $3.5 million, the network painstakingly reconstructed it to replicate the on-screen home of the Brady family.
Throughout A Very Brady Renovation in 2019 (a limited series dedicated to the renovation of the home, which included cameos from the original cast), designers expanded the house's size, enlarging it from 2,500 square feet to 5,500 square feet, which included the addition of a second story.
As a result, the current home boasts five bedrooms and five bathrooms that have been meticulously restored. By the end of the series in 2019, HGTV invested an additional $1.9 million in the endeavor, according to NPR.
