Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady LOVE pricey real estate. They are in the process of building a huge mansion in Massachusetts, reportedly in excess of $40 million so far. Last year they also picked up a huge and expensive New York City apartment. And this whole time, they were building another huge mega-mansion (more like a castle) in California. And now the California mansion/castle is being sold. WHAT?
This is really shocking … the incredible European country estate Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen spent 4 years and $40 million building is on the market … less than a year after it was completed.
Our real estate sources tell us … the couple wants out of L.A. permanently and will be living full- time in Boston, where they’re building another ridiculously big estate — a 14,300 square-foot house on 5 acres. The estate is listed for a cool $50 MILLION!!!
As for the L.A. house, Tom and Gisele personally spent a huge amount of time planning the design. It’s an amazing property — a 14,000 square-foot main house, one of the best home gyms in the world, antiques from everywhere around the globe, an amazing infinity pool, waterfall and pond … all on 4 prime acres in Brentwood.
There was actually a buzz the New England Patriots QB and his supermodel wife would move to L.A. full-time after he retired, but clearly that’s not the case. What we can’t figure out — why not have 2, more modest $20 million mansions in both cities. BTW … we called Tom and Gisele’s brokers — Kurt Rappaport and Stephen Shapiro — but our calls weren’t returned.
More details about the LA castle: it has six bedrooms (which doesn’t seem like that much considering how huge it is), a gourmet kitchen, a library (for all of Gisele’s book club books!), and, of course, a koi-filled moat. And this castle was built to their specifications, and apparently it’s eco-friendly or something. I don’t know. Are those solar panels on the roof? I guess so.
So, why are they selling this castle after building it for the past 4 years at exorbitant cost? Here’s what I wonder: is Tom Brady paying for all of this real estate? The tabloids claim that Gisele believes it’s Tom’s duty to pay for everything, regardless of the fact that she’s the highest-paid model in the world. I kind of wonder if Tom might have gotten overextended on his real estate-buying binge. Or hey, maybe they’re just committed to living on the East Coast.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.
They are ridiculously wealthy, so I don’t buy that. Gisele herself made something like 40 million dollars a year ago based of her shoe line and various modeling gigs, not to mention Tom’s pay check. My guess is they just decided they didn’t want to live in Los Angeles anymore. The paps are really out of control there, and maybe they don’t have family there so it wouldn’t be worth it.
Of course they are. But I think that maintenance costs for that kind of mansions are huge, even for their paychecks. Millions every year. And it’s easy to underestimate them before investing in a R.E.
They already have a number of mansions, they probably realized that they were not going to spend much time in LA. And – perhaps – they also realized that his paychecks are not going to be the same once retired.
And for how many years will she be recognized as the number one model in the world?
She is not the most brilliant and educated woman on the planet but for sure she knows how to manage her money. I think they took the right decision.
maynot: “She is not the most brilliant and educated woman on the planet but for sure she knows how to manage her money.” She knows how to manage her money and it means she IS brilliant. She is very clever.
the “millionaire taxes” in ca are something like 40% even the really wealthy are balking and pulling up stakes from ca and moving to tax friendlier states. plus I think tom wants to coach for boston when he retires. and Giselle is always more of a new Yorker anyway and Bridgette moynahan films in nyc too
Chicago.
@Adrien ?? No, NYC. You think Jack gets on a plane from Chicago that often? That has a lot to do with it I’m sure. They like Boston and, also, she has a big family in Brazil. Maybe it just doesn’t make sense for them because they realize they’ll barely be there.
When it comes to lower taxes that is not Mass. They have among the highest taxes in the Union but they also have great infrastructure, schools, and health care unlike low tax states. Maybe they like Boston and being closer to New York.
Massachusetts taxes are not some of the highest – they are middle of the pack. That’s an old canard to bash the state for being liberal.
I did time in SoCal. There is traffic, Smog, over crowding, earth quakes (did I mention traffic??) and they have to worry about paps. LA is a great place to visit but I will never live there again. I don’t blame them. It looks way nicer on TV.
Interesting…I’ve been dreaming (after this winter in Mass.) of moving back to Cali but you make some good points..
Tom plans to stay with the Patriots in management capacity after he retires so no need for a west coast mansion, in addition to the mansion in Costa Rica.
The mansion in Costa Rica belongs to Gisele… As far as I know, She had before she married him.
Yep, that is her separate property.
I think that they just thought they would be spending more time in LA because Bridget Moynihan used to spend half HER time out there, but afaik she has actually moved back to NYC full time. I know that she has John in one of the most exclusive all boys private schools in Manhattan, so I bet they are just more committed to the east coast now than they thought would be a few years ago.
Ugh, such a gross waste of precious space and resources. Who needs a living space that massive?
I totally agree. I know that a lot of people are of the “it’s true money, they get to spend it as they please!” mindset, but I just see it as wasteful and almost amoral – there are so many hungry people in the world. Sigh.
+1
To each their own but the house seems pretty extravagant.
+++++everything.
Well, if you don’t like your family you can live in the same house and need never see them!
It was rumored that JLo and Mark Anthony did exactly that when things started to go south in their marriage. He stayed in one wing of their house and she stayed in the other. I also think Kimora Lee and Russell Simmons shared their house for awhile after they split.
someone with more money than brains/common sense.
It’s not going to be the first time Gisele is selling an expensive property.
She has sold in the past a hotel in Brazil and one small farm in Woodstock, NY. It’s worth to mention three apartments in New York and Gisele’s first property shared with Tom in Boston is sold too. Oh, she had a house in Hollywood Hills during her years with Leo DiCaprio she has sold it too.
This woman wants to be a real estate tycoon or something.
While I’m a little envious of a gourmet kitchen (ours has way less counter space than I’d prefer), I immediately was like “I WANT A KOI MOTE”! Then I remembered we do have a pond filled with goldfish from the previous owners, so I just have to wait until spring thaws everything out and warms up the water so they’ll come back out of hiding.
I can’t say I really like the place though – it’s really bulky, and the landscaping isn’t anything special. When we bought our house this past summer I was mostly excited about the ridiculous amount of plants and wooded area that came along with the property (and of course my goldfish). Clearly that’s not Giselle and Tom’s priority.
I was just about to ask the same. Who needs a house this big?!
My thoughts exactly. I am happy that at least in my corner of the world that the urge to build bigger and bigger homes seems to have calmed down a bit. I’m sure the economy is a factor but I like to think people have come to their senses. You can still have a gourmet kitchen and lots of great features and be eco friendly at a fraction of their square footage. Small is the new big! 🙂
If I had that kind of money I would so much rather find an older home with some character and neat historical details and renovate/preserve it than build a soulless monstrosity like that house. Even though LA is a “young” city, there are a lot of older homes from the pre-war era that are just gorgeous, or if you’re into modernism, the canyons are full of mid-century homes that are ripe for repair. Smaller footprint, chance to recycle/reuse elements already in the home, and you’re left with something with some individuality and character. And you can get huge tax breaks from the city and state for greening an older home in LA County, too.
Algernon, ITA. I love the old California Craftsman bungalows myself. As for preservation, we’ve rehabbed two old buildings and you are right in that you can’t find character, details and craftsmanship like that anymore. A critic once called the new monstrosities clogging our cities “architectural pollution” and I have used the term ever since, it’s so appropriate.
I also am on my city’s historic preservation commission, and as much as we advocate for preservation we can’t stop people from tearing down old gems. And when they do it’s like a dagger to the heart for me!
Agree with you and Algernon. “Character” is way more my thing than ugly Soprano-house tacky monster homes. A modest-sized but beautifully designed modern home, or a refurbed century-home, please, if I had money to burn and could deal with over-spending it on myself. If it has a smidge of suburban-ness to it, I don’t want it, I don’t care how big or how great the features.
YMMV of course, but that Tom-Giselle house proves you can’t buy taste.
The neighbourhood is full of huge mansions so this mansion is not the only criminal in the area.
This mansion is located in a private road inside of a gated community in the neighbourhood of Brentwood. Around it there are other big mansions.
I so agree. It’s quite shameful really. It kinda makes me sick.
Ditto.
I did laugh when she went on an on about how “eco-friendly” her house was….because there’s nothing more eco-friendly than one family (okay, and staff, sure) living in 14,000 SF!
+1
I don’t care how they spend their money but a huge huge HUGE house for 2 adults and 2 young kids is not eco-friendly
Exactly – the size of that home, the footprint and changes to the property, that big green lawn, etc , none of that is eco friendly. They may have put a few solar panels on the roof and used “green” materials, but when you’re building something like that, don’t even start with the eco-friendly stuff. Not to mention that they have several homes and only inhabit each part time.
Gisele’s ex-mansion is the most eco-friendly house in the gated community where it is located. The neighbourhood is full of huge mansions, you and I can’t say how many mansions in Brentwood are 60+% eco-friendly. To think Gisele is cruel while ignoring the millionaire neighbours is ridiculous and shows your hate towards only Gisele.
In Gisele’s homecountry millions of poor people build their houses with damaging materials to the environment and you don’t see Gisele showing hate towards them probably because they are poor so deserve compassion. Maybe Gisele should put away money to the poor to build their own eco-friendly houses, huh? If she did it, Angelina Jolie’s place as most adored compassionate millionaire woman would be taken by Gisele. Stupid Gisele.
Gisele’s financial status is the reason why people say they can’t have eco-friendly houses. To have an eco-friendly house apparently costs millions. Hmmm.
CassieWZ, the only reason people are commenting on Gisele’s house and not the neighbors is because she is the one who went on the record in Architectural Digest talking about how it is eco-friendly. The point is that building a single family home THAT big and modifying the landscape that much simply isn’t eco-friendly. Especially for a house they’d never live full time in.
To go full out, all green can be very expensive, but there are a lot of ways to take inexpensive steps to reduce impact. The primary one being that for a new home, don’t build more than you need.
Lucy2: You mention the article at Architectural Digest so you have read it. Gisele said in the interview the environmental friendly features the house has.
Gisele’s piece of land would have being brought by someone else and maybe the owner would never do anything Gisele has done because he/she is surrounded by neighbours who do not say publicly what they have done so the feeling of “WTF it’s not worth money to be eco-friendly” would be more acceptable since you see everyone bashing Gisele for being active. The hypothetic owner would never being publicly criticised. It’s a guess, of course.
Hey Cassie – I’m an interior designer and had to get what’s known as a LEED Certification (stands for Leadership In Energy and Environmental Design) in order to work on projects that meet LEED criteria. There are different rating levels based on a points system for a particular project. The levels are Certified, Silver, Gold and, the best, Platinum. I’m sorry, but there is absolutely no way in h-e-double hockey sticks you can get anywhere near Platinum with this type of house. Mayyyyyyybe you might be able to get to Silver. Maybe. Even getting to Certified is hard for a huge house. As Lucy said, I would personally have nothing to say about it if she didn’t go on and on (and on) about how the place is an eco-friendly masterpiece.
You nail it.
Thank you. Saying that your monstrosity mansion is eco-friendly is like saying your Baconator is demure and health-conscious because you left off the ketchup. Get real and get over yourself. These people have no taste or individuality. It’s another tacky McMansion “designed” with elements picked out of a builder’s catalog.
And so ugly!pure kitsch(sp?)
+1 My exact thoughts.
I saw the pictures of the house and it’s not beautiful, as one might expect The color scheme is boring and it looks kind of tacky and Disneyland-esque.
It’s their money and they can do what they like with it, but I, myself, think that such conspicuous consumption is trashy.
I’ve never liked these huge mansions because they never looked lived in. There’s so many rarely used rooms and they just make the place feel cold.
Exactly! Who wants to live alone in some big, echoing hotel?
If I had big piles of money I would want a really nice house with four bedrooms and about 3500 square feet.
Anything more than that and most of the house never gets used…I think eventually it might get a bit creepy. “Wow, I haven’t been in this room in years!”
Ahh, rich people problems!
Would anyone have notice that was Brady in the suit with the sunglasses if they saw the pic without Gisele and the title heading? He looks so different.
Is he?? For some reason I just thought it was a real estate agent (now I see that it was a stupid assumption). Can’t see him in that pic…
That’s it, he looks like a real estate agent. Now I’m second guessing myself. Is that Brady?
Of course that’s Tom Brady. Hello chin dimple!
He’s gorgeous. House?? Not so much.
I think his face (what you can see of it) looks the same but he seems way slimmer to me in this shot. Maybe it’s because he’s not wearing any padding, which is how I’m used to seeing him.
No shoulder pads. The shoulder pads add considerable bulk to the shoulders and chest.
it’d definitely him.
I’d recognize that “DUH…” face anywhere.
(PS – I know he’s smart, I’ve heard him talk after games…but he just LOOKS so dumb.)
Sometimes he looks derpy to me, sometimes he looks incredibly hot.
But I love him either way 🙂
though he’s seemingly a nice guy and a class act of a player (not to mention extremely talented), I can’t love him.
you see, I’m a NY football fan so it’s in my blood to dislike him. though I did love him in Superbowl XLII and XLVI. 😉
I’m a big FB fan as well and being from NY you know I’m required to not like him.
I not only met but had lunch with his ex Bridget Moynahan in Washington Square Park a few years ago. She was so nice and not once did we talk about Brady. I know my celebrity etiquette. Maybe that’s why I don’t like Gisele…no it’s not, I didn’t like her before Brady.
Still I find him hot and that’s why these pics are throwing me off. He is a brilliant QB I wouldn’t take that away from him.
Understood and I thank you ladies for your very fair, unbiased analysis 😉
Also, anybody else wish football season was starting up tomorrow? I honestly cannot wait!
@TOK I kid you not, I was telling a friend and coworker the other day that I was going through FB withdrawal. The only thing that’s feeding my need slightly is hearing them talk about it on “First Take. ” I just can’t get into basketball this season so I need my FB and bad.
I always wonder why people get houses that are that big! Tbh, I wouldn’t be surprised if he just got bored of it and decided to flip it instead.
I’d be creeped out living in a place that big. I mean, I won’t pretend that I wouldn’t want a super nice house if I was rich, but I’d feel tiny and vulnerable in a space that huge, with tons of rooms that are probably never used, unless I had friends and family staying with me all the time.
Me too. As an urbanite, I’ve been living in small spaces for half my life.
I’ve been weirded out by some of the 1200 sq ft apts I’ve been looking at lately. lol
If I had all that money, I’d just own a small house in almost every city 🙂
I agree. I’m not opposed to a large house, and it’s their money, but I just wouldn’t want a house that looked like a hotel. Just me.
Same. I read a story once about a man who had a woman living in his closet for years! That’s all that came to mind when I saw that photo. I would want a huge house if i could afford it, but I’d need something cozy feeling.
Ha! That’s hilarious.
I think so too. Maybe the fun is in the planning, and once complete the fun’s over. Now they’re on to doing it all over again.
Oh yes, I know people like that. They call themselves serial rehabbers. They’re on their fifth house in about a decade. Once the house is done and they’re in, despite all the headaches and hassle and money, it’s only a matter of time before they get restless and look for another project.
We have a couple of clients like that, always working on a project. We also have others who have more money than common sense and always want more more more, whether they need it or not, and will really overbuild for what they need. I suspect these 2 are the latter type.
lucy2: No, they aren’t. They are always selling houses. They have a new project. More money than sense? You know nothing about Gisele.
I love her outfit!!!!
She’s one of a handful of women who can make those pants look good.
I have those pants – those exact ones! Aaand I only wear them on skinny days.
Also they’re from Zara so clearly times are tough for the Bundchen/Brady’s.
LJ: They’re from Zara so CLEARLY times are tough for the Brady’s? No, it’s not. They are building another mansion.
If it took 40 million to build with the upkeep and commissions they will break even IF they sell at their asking price which very likely won’t happen. They are likely going to be selling at a loss.
It’s odd.
It will be interesting to see what price they actually get, if and when it sells. Just a guess, but I’m thinking they will be quite lucky to get half the asking price.
The local news for LA the last few days has been about how “hot, hot, hot” the LA real estate market is right now, so maybe they could get their price. Although ultra expensive real estate is its own entire market.
There’s a ton of uber-rich people from other countries buying vacation homes in LA right now. The high-end market was dead for years but it’s rebounding like crazy at present. Not too long ago you could book all these amazing properties for photoshoots and now they’re all off the market. Makes my job harder!
I’ve heard in Boston area news that it cost closer to $20 to build.
I’d rather give my $$ to dog shelters and have a cottage.
You’re so amazing
*shrugs* It’s their money, and they can do what they choose with it. And no, I don’t believe for a second Tom pays for everything.
I think they realized how little time they actually spend there.
There’s also the fact that paps in Boston are pretty low key. I know friends in the area have seen them at local parks with their kids and they aren’t harassed by anyone. They can just be out with their kids like a normal family.
Brady also still has years of playing ahead of him so he still spends majority of the year on the east coast for meetings, team workouts/activities in addition to the actual season. Gisele can work from anywhere and is nice and close to NYC.
Boston people for the most part are too prideful and angry to get ga-ga over a celeb…hahaa
I’ve seen them out and about. Of the paps, there is one local paper, with a rather low circulation, that does follow them constantly but the bigger media outlets and everybody else pretty much leaves them alone and they seem to enjoy living here.
Daily Mail often has pictures of them with the kids at the park. Too often, I’d say. It’s invasive.
Maybe they don’t need it anymore?
Doesn’t Bridget now live and work in New York? I thought they had the L.A house so they could be close to Tom’s son, but maybe they just Don’t need it anymore.
Bridget does indeed live in New York. I live downtown and so does she, and I see her and Jack Brady around the neighborhood from time to time.
I think Bridget is stunning. Hope she’s happy.
Bingo. Bridget must have decided that she prefers NYC now, which is possible because there IS something addictive about living in NYC. Brady always knew his future playing plans so, it had to be something else that changed.
OMG they bore me so…zzzzzzzz
So many couples have problems when they build a home. I’m not saying they are having problems. But I see it a lot. I don’t get spending 4 years building a home of that size. All the work and talk that goes into it; and never living in it.
I cannot fathom why people with that kind of money need to live so ostentatiously. Think of what 1/20th of their wealth could do to educate girls in countries where they’ve either been denied education or the poverty is so endemic that it’s all they can do to grub enough to eat and drink. Charities like Because I Am A Girl, Polaris Project, V-Day, the list goes on and on. Oh I know Giselle is involved in some charitable stuff but jeez…do they really need 50 thousand square foot palaces all over the world? Why not buy and run a huge eco-farm and promote sustainable and humane ways of animal husbandry or whatever. No, they have too much money so they continue to spend it on a revoltingly lavish lifestyle and live like royalty (throwing some more shade at the BRF).
I would love to go the eco farm route. That would be incredible. Someday. 🙂
Shut up, Jared. It’s THEIR money. Do it yourself!
Did they ever even live in it?
I’m having a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that this is considered “eco-friendly”…
Gisele has talked about the mansion in interviews to magazines.
90% of the materials used inside the house are recycled or antique, while three-quarters of the construction debris was also recycled.
Solar energy panels installed on the roof and next to the garden.
Greywater technology system for irrigation and indoor reuse.
There are two gardens. One for vegetables and another for fruit trees. There are several plants of many different species in and out the house.
You can’t see all of those solar panels on the roof?
I can see the solar panels just fine, thanks. That’s great that the materials for the house were reused/recycled, but the sheer scope of the property for 2 adults & 2-3 children is absolutely ludicrous. If it was actually a working farm feeding a family of 20+ then perhaps I would consider it “Eco-friendly”.
My guess would be that it’s more mundane than that. It seems a more likely scenario that they just didn’t use it that much, and that over the past few years, they’ve decided that they’ll stay on the East Coast when Tom’s career as a player is over.
I saw this yesterday and thought it was odd, also….I can see selling if you are going to be making a huge profit, but it doesn’t seem like that is the case here…as for them not being there much, didn’t they think of that before they built…Tom knew he would be in Boston for a few more years…strange!
I think Tom told Gis to kick in to help pay for it and she won’t so he put it up for sale.
I totally believe he is having a cash crunch.
When they built the house, Tom’s son was living in LA. Now he lives in NY. Also, Tom has just opened his first Sports Medicine facility in Boston. I think with their vacation home in Costa Rica, they just don’t see the need for it anymore and want their primary residence to be in Boston.
That house is a monstrosity. It will be interesting to see what the final sale price is. I can easily imagine becoming disenchanted with LA, particularly with the paps.
It’s fun to speculate who might be interested in purchasing the house. Kanye and Kim come to mind. Maybe the Ecclestone siblings.
I don’t think Kim and Kanye could afford a $50 million home. They have money, but do they have THAT much? They both spend like crazy, seems like they wouldn’t have much in their savings. Plus Kimye couldn’t give a damn about being eco-friendly. Maybe one of the Ecclestone girls would purchase it, as one as already purchased the Spelling mansion.
Tom Brady is probably getting his ducks in a row for when his playing
days are over.
An ownership stake in the Patriots or a run for U.S. Senate are both within the realm of possibility for Tom and Giselle.
A run for U.S. Senate? Tom doesn’t seem like the bright intellectual type to me. Plus people really don’t like Giselle. Who would vote for them? They should be worried about their lavish lifestyle. She can only make money as a model for so long and his days in football are numbered.
Liz Warren, Edward Markey & Scott Brown don’t seem particularly intelligent but were elected.
Ted Kennedy killed a woman and managed to win many elections in Massachusetts.
@ Tippy
I stand corrected. I’m not that familiar with politicians from Boston. Insane, the people who get elected.
Tippy,
I suggest you read about “Liz Warren”
The woman is a well-known bankruptcy and banking law expert . She also rewrote/helped simplify treatistes of law and was sought after to help large insurance companies and was tapped to be head of the consumer bureau.
Don’t paint with such a broad and judgmental brush.
Elizabeth Warren is brilliant.
idk: “She can only make money as a model for so long.” She is a model AND a businesswoman. People don’t like Gisele? Who are these people?
@Crazy
I haven’t heard of any businesses she owns. What are they?
Actually, I have read a lot of comments in previous blogs and it seems like a lot of people don’t like her .
idk: Yes, some people don’t like her… Leonardo DiCaprio fangirls, Tom Brady fans…
Business: lingerie line and shoe line in Brazil.
Such a waste. Who needs this much room?
Just yesterday I read an article outlining the recent large earthquake off the coast of California, and how it was connected to earthquakes north along the line, all the way to Alaska. The prediction for a large earthquake on the north end of that fault line is for sooner, rather than later. Perhaps Gisele read that article, or something similar, and they decided to unload their pricey real estate in California because of it.
I think these celebritys build and sell their mansions because they know their name will make a profit from it. Jennifer aniston did the same with her house. She bought that old house and sold it for 42 million and with her name on it, it makes profit. I really believe they planed this from the beginning.
@Nikita, assuming the figures are accurate, their $40 Million would have been much better invested in the stock market over the past 4 years. Jennifer Aniston sometimes more than doubles her money with real estate investments.
@Tippy, yes but maybe she enjoys it more to build and design a house. The Stock market is not a save thing, many of these stars lost a lot of money in the past years, they are no professionals in this case. a re is a save deal with her or his name on it. Who knows, but with the fast selling after finishing it, it really looks like they planned it from the beginning.
Yep. JA’s was featured in Arch. Digest before she sold it, too.
Those that are asking, “who needs a house this big?” …. I once asked the same thing in the presence of someone in the entertainment biz and she said that really famous people who can’t hang out in public like the rest of us live in huge homes for that reason. They use their money to create their own bubble world since they get hassled when in public.
It looks like a hotel.
If it came out that he does, in fact, pay for everything and that in doing so, he wanted to live primarily on the east coast (due to work), I might have some respect for him. Totally rational reason for selling.