When Hefner put his property up on the market, his asking price was a whopping $200 million. While, the final sale closed at exactly half the price, it was accompanied by a strange request. The mansion was acquired by Hefner's neighbor, Daren Metropoulos.
According to reports, 90-year-old Hefner but the slashed price came with a strange condition that 90-years-old Hugh Hefner cannot be evicted from his estate for the rest of his life. However, in exchange for his permanent residence, Playboy enterprises has agreed to pay a sum of $1 Million per year to lease the property. The record deal also included all the statues, arcade games and gargoyles present at the estate, CNN Money reported.
The proud owner of Playboy mansion, Daren Metropoulos, is a son of C. Deal Metropoulos, a principal at Metropoulos & Co. and a billionaire investor. Metropolous is Hefner's neighbor, living in 2-acre home right next to playboy mansion, that was previously a part of Holmby Hills home since the 1920s. Metropolous wants to join the two estates and make it into one big mansion.
21,897 square feet mansion is tastefully designed in Gothic-Tudor style and has been famous for celebrity parties as well as other sexual shenanigans. Hefner, founder of Playboy enterprises, bought this estate back in 1971 for $1.05 million and has continued to love and work at the mansion since then.
The estate, spread across 5.3 acres, contains a 29-room house that includes a game room, wine cellar, 12 bedrooms, master suits across two-floors and chef kitchens. The estate is also among a few homes in LA with a zoo license of its own. The estate grounds have large collection of birds and monkeys, albino peacocks and several other animals that are known to move around freely in the gardens. Additionally, there is also a tennis court, a four-bedroom guesthouse and the notorious swimming pool inside the property, Los Angeles Times reported.