The Farmington house off Poplar Bars Road, known as the Sisti mansion, is for sale again. Rapper 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, has put the property on the market for $18.5 million.
It will be a tough sell. Not too many people are looking for a 52,000-square-foot home with 18 bedrooms, multiple kitchens, two pools, a recording studio, a strip club, a 40-person hot tub and a reputation as a symbol of vulgarity and greed.
Still, Mr. Jackson, a former drug dealer turned music star, has altered its bad karma. Benjamin J. Sisti, who built the mansion for $2.7 million in 1987, went to federal prison for his role in a real estate swindle. A Lithuanian businessman picked it up from the bank and soon had to sell it because of bankruptcy. Boxer Mike Tyson bought it for $2.8 million, tried to sell it for $22 million, then lost it in a divorce settlement. Mr. Jackson paid $4.1 million in cash for the place in 2003 and reportedly put $10 million into it. He is leaving to live nearer his son.
Admit it. There's a certain fascination about what it would be like to afford the 17-acre retreat with infinity pool, pop-up plasma TV in the master bedroom, bathrooms so plentiful that sources can't agree on exactly how many, and a backyard helipad for convenient getaways.
To put this fantasy in perspective, the listing agent calculates that it would cost nearly $94,000 a month to pay the mortgage on this baby, not that buyers in the necessary income category would require a mortgage. Taxes alone are more than the median income of the entire state.
Still, riches come in many forms. As serendipity would have it, a story about Mr. Jackson's home appeared in the same issue of The Courant as a supplement from the state Department of Children and Families showcasing children who are looking for families to adopt them. Among them is Kristina, who turns 16 this month. She is described as a huge fan of 50 Cent. Her dream? To meet her favorite rapper.
How about it, Mr. Jackson? Why not make Kristina's day and give her a call before you leave Connecticut? Her smile will make you feel like 18.5 million bucks.
Source: Courant.com
It will be a tough sell. Not too many people are looking for a 52,000-square-foot home with 18 bedrooms, multiple kitchens, two pools, a recording studio, a strip club, a 40-person hot tub and a reputation as a symbol of vulgarity and greed.
Still, Mr. Jackson, a former drug dealer turned music star, has altered its bad karma. Benjamin J. Sisti, who built the mansion for $2.7 million in 1987, went to federal prison for his role in a real estate swindle. A Lithuanian businessman picked it up from the bank and soon had to sell it because of bankruptcy. Boxer Mike Tyson bought it for $2.8 million, tried to sell it for $22 million, then lost it in a divorce settlement. Mr. Jackson paid $4.1 million in cash for the place in 2003 and reportedly put $10 million into it. He is leaving to live nearer his son.
Admit it. There's a certain fascination about what it would be like to afford the 17-acre retreat with infinity pool, pop-up plasma TV in the master bedroom, bathrooms so plentiful that sources can't agree on exactly how many, and a backyard helipad for convenient getaways.
To put this fantasy in perspective, the listing agent calculates that it would cost nearly $94,000 a month to pay the mortgage on this baby, not that buyers in the necessary income category would require a mortgage. Taxes alone are more than the median income of the entire state.
Still, riches come in many forms. As serendipity would have it, a story about Mr. Jackson's home appeared in the same issue of The Courant as a supplement from the state Department of Children and Families showcasing children who are looking for families to adopt them. Among them is Kristina, who turns 16 this month. She is described as a huge fan of 50 Cent. Her dream? To meet her favorite rapper.
How about it, Mr. Jackson? Why not make Kristina's day and give her a call before you leave Connecticut? Her smile will make you feel like 18.5 million bucks.
Source: Courant.com
