Elon Musk lists two Bel Air homes after promising to sell off his possessions
Two of Elon Musk’s massive, multimillion-dollar Southern California homes are on the market just days after he said he planned to sell off much of what he owns.
“I am selling almost all physical possessions. Will own no house,” the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder said on Twitter Friday. When a follower asked why, Musk responded: “Freedom.”
The listings and Musk’s comments about selling his belongings come days after he slammed coronavirus stay-at-home orders in an expletive-laced statement during Tesla’s quarterly earnings call. Health officials have said such orders, which forced Tesla to temporarily halt work at its Northern California manufacturing facility, are important to slowing the spread of the virus. Musk likened the restrictions to “fascism” and “forcibly imprisoning people in their homes.”
It was just the latest in a months-long pattern of Musk sharing information and making comments about coronavirus — mostly on Twitter — that contradict public health guidance about the pandemic.
The two Bel Air, California, properties were listed for sale on Monday, according to the real estate website Zillow. Musk also owns multiple other residences in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, according to property tax records.
The first listing is for a 16,000-square-foot home with seven bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a two-story library, theater, pool, tennis court, fruit orchard and other features, that overlooks the Bel Air Country Club. Musk bought the property for $17 million in 2013. It is now listed for $30 million.
The second house — just down the street — is a 2,800-square-foot ranch-style home formerly owned by Willy Wonka actor Gene Wilder. The home has five bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool and a private guest cottage. The house was purchased for $6.75 million, and is now for sale for $9.5 million.
Musk added one request related to the sale of the second house: “Just one stipulation on sale: I own Gene Wilder’s old house. It cannot be torn down or lose any its soul.”
He later tried to clarify the reason for listing the homes, saying on Twitter, “Don’t need the cash. Devoting myself to Mars and Earth. Possession just weigh you down.”
On the same day, Musk also tweeted snippets of the Star Spangled Banner, and said he thought the Tesla stock was priced too high, causing the company’s shares to fall sharply.
