Bill gates house for sale
The Opulent, Futuristic Megamansion of Bill and Melinda Gates Could Be a Hard Sell
If the compound came to the market, the divorcing pair would have to find a buyer looking for a Seattle home with a trampoline room and 66,000 square feet to dust
By Liz Lucking
| | Mansion Global
Bill and Melinda Gates' compound in Medina.
Composite: Getty Images
A trampoline room, an estimated $130 million market value and a size rivaling that of the White House are some of the unique features of the fortress-like Washington compound of the soon-to-be-divorced Bill and Melinda Gates.
But the suburban Seattle property, should it ever be up for grabs, could be a very tough sell.
“We’re all fascinated with this story for the obvious reasons—the unfathomable wealth, these are both respected people on the world platform,” said Ernie Carswell of Douglas Elliman, a Los Angeles-based agent with upward of 25 years of experience selling some of the city’s most lavish and big-name properties.
“They have an incredible home, but now, if it has to be sold, it's not going to be wham bam thank you ma’am,” he said.
Dubbed Xanadu 2.0.—but listed in property records as the more straight-laced Gates Residence—the ex-couple’s main home on the edge of Lake Washington near Seattle, is perhaps the jewel in the crown of a hefty property portfolio that has seen hundreds of millions of dollars invested across the U.S. in the form of beachfront mansions, equestrian estates and vast swaths of farmland, property records show.
“I have a nice house,” the Microsoft boss, who’s worth an estimated $124 billion, said on Reddit in 2019. “It includes a trampoline room which seems kind of over the top but my kids love using it to work off their excess energy.
I am not sure how guilty I should feel about being in a great house.”
Details of the home are scarce, but glimpses of what lies behind its walls have been revealed over the years, many in an account from a Microsoft intern who visited in 2007 and wrote about the experience in a blog post.
“Going down Bill’s driveway is like arriving at Jurassic Park,” the intern, Robert Smith, wrote, referring to the film. “The driveway is long, windy, goes steeply down, and is just covered in plant life.”
He also revealed the existence of a movie theater and “a room that looked to be completely filled with couches and pillows.”
“We checked out his dock, his beach (with sand imported from Hawaii), hot tub and boat. He’s also got this area of his house where a stream runs down from under the house into Lake Washington,” the intern wrote. “We also saw the indoor/outdoor pool that has an underwater grate that allows you to swim between the two sections.”
Such a degree of customization within a private residence doesn’t make a home more valuable, though it does garner attention, according to Mr.
Carswell.
“It gets some great PR, a sound bite,” Mr. Carswell said. “I don't think it adds value, but it gives great recognition.”
“But the Gates’ trampoline room is probably going to become the next owner’s bowling alley,” he said.
Spanning a reported 66,000 square feet, the compound—which property records indicate has a value of $130.8 million—dwarfs anything else on the market in Washington state currently.
A custom home built much larger and more lavishly than any property in the area can lead to difficulties when selling, Mansion Global previously reported.
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The Chicago-area mansion of former NBA star Michael Jordan is a prime example.
Spanning 56,000 square feet, Mr. Jordan’s home is three times as large as the next largest mansion in the area and the house is loaded with custom amenities, including a regulation-size basketball court and a round infinity pool with a grassy island at its center.
The basketball legend first listed the mansion in 2012 for $29 million, and it remains on the market today asking $14.8 million.
In the case of the Gates house, the size isn’t a detractor, “but it's only going to appeal to a very limited number of buyers who come with their staff,” Mr. Carswell said. “You have the privilege and the responsibility of maintaining 60,000-70,000 square feet. Who’s going to be dusting that?”
Encompassing a more than five-acre waterfront parcel, the Gates Residence—which came with $1.13 million property tax bill last year, public records show—is in the upmarket Seattle suburb of Medina, where the most expensive home currently on the market is asking $22.5 million, according to listing records.
The likelihood of the residence ever hitting the market though—and exact details of the split that was announced Monday have yet to be laid out—is slim, according to local Medina agent Tere Foster, of Team Foster at Compass.
Firstly, “they just have no need,” said Ms. Foster, who is the listing agent on the aforementioned $22.5 million home. “When I talk to clients in these categories they say ‘we don't sell real estate, we acquire real estate.’”
“So it would be unlikely. Are there buyers out here that can afford it? There are. There's a lot of local money and a lot of money outside of this market,” she said. But “it’s hard for me to imagine it would ever be sold.”
And secondly, if the sprawling estate were ever going to change hands, it’s unlikely to be exchanged on the open market.
“If the family wanted to sell, it would be marketed in a quiet way. They know all the people that could write the checks,” Ms. Foster said.
The property is somewhat of a local landmark in Medina. “I can tell you when we get people in from out of the country, buyers say, ‘we want to live as close to the Gates compound as possible.’ You have people who move to Medina because Bill Gates lives there,” she added.
“They're very good neighbors.”
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Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates. Susan Walsh/AP Photo- Bill Gates has amassed a multimillion-dollar property empire.
- His portfolio includes Florida horse ranches, a Washington mansion, and a San Diego beach house.
- Now, that property may be divided in his divorce from his wife of 27 years, Melinda.
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Bill Gates has amassed a property empire over the years.
From his $130 million Washington mansion nicknamed "Xanadu 2.0," to Florida horse ranches, to his latest California oceanfront purchase, the Microsoft billionaire's personal real estate holdings could be worth over $200 million — and that's not including the purchases made through through his ultra-private investment firm, Cascade.
Now, with the news that Gates and his wife of 27 years, Melinda, are splitting up, the Gates real estate portfolio may be under a microscope: The couple reportedly never signed a prenuptial agreement, but they do have a separation contract in place, which would stipulate how property should be divided.
Here's a closer look at Gates' property holdings around the country.
Gates spends most of his time at his 66,000-square-foot mansion in Medina, Washington. It took Gates seven years and $63 million to build this behemoth of a house, which is filled with lots of high-tech features. He purchased the lot for $2 million in 1988, but the property is now worth an estimated $130 million.
Ted Soqui/Corbis via Getty ImagesRead more about his house in Medina »
Inside, a high-tech sensor system helps guests monitor a room's climate and lighting.
There's also a trampoline room, a 60-foot swimming pool, six kitchens, and a dining hall that can accommodate up to 200 people. The house even has its own name: Xanadu 2.0, after the home in "Citizen Kane." An outside deck at Gates' house in 2006. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, Pool Source: Business Insider
In October 2014, Gates purchased the 228-acre Rancho Paseana for $18 million.
The property includes a racetrack, guesthouse, office, veterinarian's suite, orchard, and five barns. Weight-loss expert Jenny Craig previously owned the property before selling it to Gates. A horse stable, though not the one on Gates' property. Lo Chun Kit /Getty Images Source: Business Insider
Gates also owns another horse farm in Wellington, Florida, which he purchased for $8.
7 million in 2013. The Gateses' daughter, Jennifer, is an avid equestrian, and they had previously rented the house when in Florida for her competitions. Jennifer Gates during the Winter Equestrian Festivals at The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida, in 2020. Aaron Gilbert/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Source: Forbes, Business Insider
In 2009, Gates reportedly purchased a Wyoming ranch that once belonged to Buffalo Bill Cody.
Though the price he paid for the 492-acre property was never reported, it was originally listed for $8.9 million. The Green River in Wyoming. Lee Cohen/Getty Images Source: Gawker, Business Insider
Gates owns nearly half of the Four Seasons hotel chain through Cascade, including hotels in Atlanta and Houston.
Gates shares 95% ownership with Prince al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, according to a Wall Street Journal report from 2017. The Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia. Mark Makela/Reuters Source: The Wall Street Journal
In 2013, Gates and several unnamed buyers paid $161 million for the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco, according to The Journal.
Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Source: The Wall Street Journal
As of 2021, Gates has become the largest private-farmland owner in the US. He currently owns 242,000 acres of farmland, and the largest holdings are in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Nebraska, according to an analysis by The Land Report.
A farm in Nebraska. Humeyra Pamuk/ReutersSource: Business Insider, Land Report
Last spring, Gates purchased a $43 million oceanfront beach house in San Diego.
The 5,800 square foot home includes six bedrooms, a pool, a 10-person Jacuzzi, and a fire pit. The Guiltinan Group Source: Business Insider
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A few facts about Bill Gates' unique mansion Independent Appraisal Company
With a net worth of $81.
5 billion, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is considered the richest man in America and one of the wealthiest people in the world. It is not surprising that such a person has acquired an insanely extravagant house. According to the building estimate, Gates spent seven years and $63 million to build his Medina in Washington County and named the house Xanadu 2.0 after the fictional home of "Citizen Kane" Charles Foster Kane.
Covering an area of 6130 square meters, this house is considered not only one of the largest, but also one of the most high-tech - and what would you expect from a high-tech genius? Here are some of the most noteworthy features of the unique Xanadu 2.0 home.
1. House worth at least $123 million
Bill Gates' home is worth $123.54 million as of this year, according to an unofficial real estate appraisal, with Gates purchasing the land in 1988 that would later grow into Xanadu 2.0, "only" for $2 million. At the moment, he pays a million dollars a year only in the form of property taxes.
2. The house required over a thousand cubic meters of planks to build.
The house was built from 500 year old California fir, also known as Oregon pine or Douglas fir. Three hundred builders were involved on the construction site, a good hundred of whom were electricians.
3. High-tech sensor system that helps to monitor the climate and lighting in the room
When guests arrive, a high-tech system that interacts with sensors located throughout the house receives data about their individual preferences. As guests move through the house, sensors transmit readings, and in each room the air temperature and lighting adjust to the specified parameters. Speakers hidden behind the wallpaper even let the music follow guests and hosts from room to room.
4. Natural materials were used in the construction of the house to reduce heat loss
Xanadu 2.0 is considered an eco-friendly house, which means that it fits into the environment as intelligently as possible in order to more effectively regulate temperature and heat loss.
5. Wall art can be changed at the push of a button
The $80,000 computer screens are located throughout the home. Any inhabitant of the house can, at will, add a favorite picture or photo to the system's memory, so that they can then be shown on the screens of the whole house.
6. The pool also has its own underwater music system
The 18 meter pool is housed in a separate 360 square meter building. Here you can swim along the glass walls and then swim out to the terrace outside. The building also has a dressing room with four showers and two bathrooms.
7. There is a trampoline in the house with a 6-meter ceiling
No word on how big the trampoline itself is, but one can imagine that it is a fun alternative to a routine workout routine. The sports area covers a total of 230 square meters and, in addition to the gym, it has a sauna, steam room and separate men's and women's changing rooms. Agree that in such an environment, monotonous physical activity becomes much more diverse.
8. The huge reception hall can accommodate up to two hundred guests
The hall, whose area, according to residential real estate, occupies 200 "squares", can accommodate up to 150 people for a dinner party, and a buffet or cocktail party can even be organized at two hundred guests. A 1.8 m wide limestone fireplace dominates along one wall, while a 6.7 m wide video screen adorns the other wall.
useful if the Gates are throwing a crowded party. Otherwise, it seems that this is already too much. Although, on the other hand, the owners and guests do not need to spend a lot of time looking for the nearest bathroom.
10. There are a total of six kitchens in the house
They are located in different parts of the house, so employees can be ready for any event. Needless to say, a whole staff of professional chefs is working in the kitchens, ready to satisfy the most demanding requirements of gourmets.
11. The massive library houses a manuscript that Gates purchased for over $30 million.
The 195-square-meter library has a domed roof and two secret bookcases, one of which contains a hidden bar. On the ceiling can be found a quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless classic, The Great Gatsby, which reads: "He came a long way to this lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close he might not have recognized it." The library also houses the Codex Leicester, a 16th-century manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci, which in 1994 Gates bought at auction for $30.8 million
12. Plush home theater seats can accommodate up to 20 guests
The cinema is designed in the Art Deco style, equipped with a professional modern screen, comfortable chairs and sofas, and a cooking machine popcorn.
13. The existing house was moved on a barge to make room for a separate entertainment building
Building with an area of 83 square meters. meter is located next to the Gates sports court, surrounded by a green lawn and has boat docks. This is not just a unique house, but a real city within a city.
14. Guest house is as high-tech as the main house
According to US News, the 176-square-square guest house was the first building built on the site. The house, which has its own bedroom and bathroom, became a kind of test of high technology, which was later applied to the main house. It is here that Gates wrote most of his book The Road to the Future.
15. In total, all garages on the estate can accommodate up to 23 cars
Several garages are located at different points of the plot. The most interesting, however, is the underground cavern, made of concrete and stainless steel. Only this garage can accommodate 10 cars. Some parts of the concrete were deliberately crumbled to give the structure a "deconstructivist" look.
16. Gates has a favorite tree that is monitored around the clock
He is said to have taken a liking to a 40-year-old maple that grew close to the driveway of his house. The climatic conditions for this tree are now monitored around the clock by computer, and if the soil near the tree becomes too dry at a certain moment, an automatic watering system is activated.
17. The artificial pond is constantly filled with fish
The artificial pond was created to solve possible problems with the runoff that the massive walls of the house can create. The water in the artificial pond is always filled with salmon and sea trout.
18. The sand on Gates Beach is imported from the Caribbean
The shoreline of the lake contains sand, which is shipped annually in large quantities by barge from the island of St. Lucia - a private piece of Caribbean paradise transported to another continent.
19. Someone once paid $35,000 just for a tour of the house
Each year, Microsoft holds an auction where employees donate goods and services that are then entered into a competition. Proceeds go to the company's charitable foundation. Bill Gates once donated a private tour of the Xanadu 2.0 house, and it is said that a Microsoft employee once won the tour for $35,000.
Olga Shoshina
0095 House of the former US President Richard Nixon is sold for $ 75 million After a divorce from his wife, the billionaire wanted to rebuild everything here Bill Gates Microsoft co-founder has reduced a luxurious $ 43 million estate to ruins, according to the New York Post, citing the billionaire's neighbors. In the house built on its territory, Bill Gates lived for several years, namely since March 2020, with Melinda French - now his ex-wife. The couple was satisfied with everything, including the location: the estate is located on the ocean in San Diego (California). The 500+ square meter house had six bedrooms and three bathrooms at once, but now there is nothing left of it. The demolition was initiated by Gates himself. Upon completion of the total reconstruction, its area will be even larger. "The house they bought was in immaculate condition, so it's not clear why he wanted to tear it down," a knowledgeable realtor told the New York Post. According to insiders, Gates plans to use the house, located in such a prestigious area, as his summer bachelor residence. 1/1 All that's left of Bill Gates' seemingly perfect home Neighbors say the billionaire has come twice with his bodyguards to check on progress in the past few months. “They make a lot of noise, my child can't sleep. This has become a real problem for the entire district,” one of the neighbors explained. According to the publication, a spokesman for Gates said that the billionaire "does not own this property and has never even been there." Obtaining a building permit in this area is a feat in itself. According to local authorities, the collection of the entire package of necessary documents takes a long time, and in practice it is impossible at all in many cases. The divorce of Bill Gates and Melinda French became known last spring. They were married for 27 years, having given birth and raised three children.
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By the way, people living in close proximity to the construction site are extremely dissatisfied with the active round-the-clock construction right next to them. True, they are promised one thing: by August of this year, everything will be over, and they will be able to live in peace again, enjoying the silence. 
