Gene Hackman’s old house sells in just one month – realestate.com.au

Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s New Mexico home has sold after just a month on the market.

According to reports, the deal was completed last week.

Hackman and Arakawa’s Santa Fe complex was listed for $6.25 million ($9.3 million) in January, less than a year after their deaths at the property.

The listing entered into a conditional contract in just eight days, the New York Post reports.

The contract price has not been disclosed and it is possible that the final closing price for the home remains unknown.

New Mexico is among about a dozen states that do not require home sales prices to be made public.

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Hackman and Arakawa bought their Santa Fe home in the 1990s. Photo: Getty Images

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Hackman, 95, was a two-time Academy Award winner. He appeared in more than 100 films during his five-decade career, including The French Connection, Unforgiven and The Royal Tanenbaums.

Arakawa, 65, was a classical pianist. According to researchers, Hackman succumbed to heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Arakawa was determined to have died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rodent-borne disease, days before Hackman’s death.

The couple purchased the property in the 1990s and later built a three-bedroom main house, a guest house and an artist studio.

The recent history of their sprawling estate hasn’t deterred or even bothered potential buyers, surprising real estate agent Tara S. Earley of Sotheby’s International Realty.

Ms Earley previously said the price of the house was paid without a celebrity premium, and acknowledged the deaths could put off some buyers.

“Everyone who came to view the property, the circumstances did not bother them.” Ms. Earley told the Journal. “If it was an obstacle, they would have overcome it.”

Ms Earley said she organized 12 tours of the house during the eight-day advertising period.

The eventual buyer’s agent, Chris Pearson Kramer of Sotheby’s International Realty, declined comment to the Journal.

Hackman and Arakawa custom built the main house, guest house and studio. Photo: Aram Herrera for Sotheby’s International Realty via NY Post

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The 53-acre site is spread over two parcels in the gated Summit neighborhood, northeast of downtown Santa Fe.

The main house and guest house together cover 13,000 square feet, including six bedrooms. Large expanses of steel and glass overlooking the high desert landscape.

The contemporary design was executed by Stephen Samuelson in collaboration with architect Harry Perez-Daple, the same team behind Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s massive Calabasas estate.

Outdoor facilities include a lap pool, hot tub, putting green and a picturesque pagoda.

Hackman and Arakawa’s personal belongings were removed from the property before the sale. In addition to professional staging, the house needed a new roof, paid for by Hackman’s estate.

Hackman left behind a fortune of US$80 million ($128 million) when he died, with revelations that none of it would be left to his three children.

The house was cleared of the couple’s belongings and professionally staged before the sale. Photo: Aram Herrera for Sotheby’s International Realty via NY Post

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In 1995, the “Birdcage” actor reportedly made Arakawa the sole beneficiary of his estate, leaving out his three children he shared with his ex-wife, Faye Maltesen: son Christopher and daughters Leslie and Elizabeth. Hackman

Hackman’s wife would receive his fortune in the event of his death, which would likely happen before her, but they both tragically died within days of each other.

If Arakawa died first, most of her assets would go to her husband.

The documents reportedly include a provision stating that if they were to die at the same time within 90 days of each other, all of Arakawa’s assets would go to charity. The couple, who married in 1991, had no prenuptial agreement. According to TMZ, Hackman’s son has already hired a top California trust and estate attorney, which is a good indication that he will likely contest the will.

Previously estranged from his three children, Hackman confessed that his dedication to his Hollywood career had put a strain on their relationship.

Parts of this story first appeared in the New York Post and was republished with permission.

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