Original article published by The London Times
Written by Staff
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Mark Wahlberg has had many roles during a 30-year career in Hollywood, beginning as a rapper before making the successful jump to acting (Keiran Southern writes).
The star of films including Boogie Nights, The Departed, and Ted may soon be able to add another title to his CV: property mogul, after placing his 12-bedroom Los Angeles mega-mansion on the market for $87.5 million, more than ten times what he paid for the 30,500 sq ft home in 2009.
The home comes with a five-hole golf course, 20 bathrooms, a wine cellar, sprawling lawns, a skate park, tennis court, a home theater, and a great house.
Wahlberg, 50, renowned for his bulky physique, regularly shares fitness updates from the on-site gym.
Pictures reveal an elaborate double staircase after entering the mansion, a pool with a mini waterfall, and a two-story paneled library. The driveway wraps around a tall fountain.
The home in the North Beverly Park neighborhood was designed by Richard Landry, an architect called the "king of the mega-mansion."
The listing describes the sale as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great estates in Los Angeles" and notes that it guarantees "total privacy" because of its secluded location.
Beverly Park is in an area known as the Beverly Hills Post Office — although it carries the prized Beverly Hills postcode. It is technically within the Los Angeles city limits.
This does not dent its appeal, however, and the area is said to be the most exclusive gated community on the West Coast.
"Beverly Park is like the creme de la creme, it doesn't get any better than that as far as the gated community goes," Rochelle Maize, a leading Beverly Hills real estate agent, said.
Whoever buys the home will find themselves in a celebrity enclave with Denzel Washington, Justin Biever, Eddie Murphy, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson among their neighbors.
Wahlberg may succeed in selling for his asking price as the high-end housing market in Los Angeles has been running red hot.
However, a correction may be on the way, Maize said, with interest rates on the rise as the US attempts to get a grip on rising inflation. This may explain why Wahlberg has decided now is the right time to sell, she believed.
Wahlberg lives at the estate with his wife, Rhea Durham, and their four children. Should they get $87.5 million, the home will easily rank among the most expensive to have sold in Beverly Park.
In January it emerged that Adele had agreed to buy Sylvester Stallone's estate in the area for $58 million.
