Many laughed when news broke earlier this year that Hugh Hefner would sell the Playboy Mansion for $200 million with the stipulation that he would continue to live there. Hugh Hefner is laughing all the way to the bank as he now has a buyer for the estate. His neighbor Daren Metropoulos, who bought the Hostess company saving Twinkies from near extinction to the delight of millions, is now purchasing the mansion, Hef included.
The young billionaire became Hef’s neighbor in 2009 when he bought the property adjacent to the Playboy Mansion from Playboy Enterprises for $18 million.
The twelve bedroom, 5 acre home was built in 1927 and sports a wine cellar, home theater, tennis court and of course the infamous grotto adjoining the swimming pool. The mansion even has a zoo license.
Built in 1927, the Playboy Mansion has seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a wine cellar, home theater, gym, tennis court and swimming pool partially covered by a man-made cave, or grotto.
“We can confirm that the Playboy Mansion is in escrow with Daren Metropoulos as the buyer,” a Playboy spokesman told the press.
“Due to confidentiality restrictions, we are not able to comment on any specifics, including what contingencies need to be cleared to close the sale,” he added.
The Wall Street Journal quotes Metropoulos as saying the famous mansion “transcends its celebrity” and that “to have the opportunity to serve as its steward would be a true privilege.”
Once Hefner is no longer on the property the investor plans to connect the two estates into a combined 7.3-acre compound, a Metroplous rep has said. Hugh Hefner has lived on the property for 45 years since he bought it for just over $1 million.
