The Overexposure series

A townhouse on rue du Cherche-Midi, built in 1820, listed as a historic monument, about 1,800 m² of living space. Formerly owned by Gérard Depardieu.

Listed

Put up for sale in December 2012, at around €50M (about €27,800/m²).

Outcome

Sale revealed in February 2026: €22.6M (about €12,600/m²), to a British buyer.

Duration

About 13 years

Discount

−55%

What weighed

About thirteen years on the market, in full public view.

Property of Johnny Hallyday.

Listed

Put up for sale in 2018 at €26M.

Outcome

Sold in 2025 for €8M.

Duration

About 7 years

Discount

About −69%

What weighed

An agent on the mandate, interviewed by Le Parisien (translated): “the attention and the media pressure were a real problem and put off several buyers who could have offered a very good price”. Similar properties, drawing much less attention, were €3M to €4M cheaper.

Michael Jackson's ranch, Santa Barbara County, about 1,100 hectares (2,700 acres).

Listed

Put up for sale in May 2015 at $100M, then cut to $67M (2017) and $31M (2019).

Outcome

Sold in December 2020 for $22M.

Duration

More than 5 years

Discount

−78%

What weighed

Two public price cuts before the sale.

Property of Michael Jordan.

Listed

Put up for sale in 2012 at $29M.

Outcome

Sold in December 2024 for $9.5M.

Duration

12 years

Discount

About −67%

What weighed

Twelve years on the market before finding a buyer.

About 9,800 m² (105,000 sq ft). The developer spoke of $500M.

Listed

Put up for sale in 2021 at $295M, as part of a receivership.

Outcome

Sold at auction in March 2022 for $126M ($141M including fees).

Duration

From 2021 to March 2022

Discount

About −52% to −57% against the asking price

What weighed

A property turned soap opera: the developer's debt and legal proceedings weighed as much as the exposure.

A historic estate of about 4 hectares, once owned by Tony Curtis, then by Sonny and Cher.

Listed

Listed at up to $180M.

Outcome

Sold in December 2020 for $88M.

Discount

About −51%

What weighed

A very high asking price, then a sale at less than half.

The estate where the wedding scene of Scarface was filmed.

Listed

Put up for sale in 2014 at $35M.

Outcome

Sold at the end of 2015 for about $12M.

Duration

About 18 months

Discount

−65%

What weighed

A famous film set: the fame of the place did not hold up its price.

The “Murder House” from American Horror Story: a 1908 mansion at 1120 Westchester Place.

Listed

Listed at $4.5M in December 2011, raised to $12M in 2012 during the show's success, then $7.8M and $5M (2014).

Outcome

Sold for $3.2M in 2015.

Duration

From 2011 to 2015

Discount

−73% against the highest price

What weighed

The price was raised to ride on the show, then collapsed. In 2018, the buyers sued the sellers for not disclosing the stream of fans drawn by the show.

A house bought for $1.355M in 2014. Anonymous threatening letters, a story picked up by the local press, then by The Cut (2018).

Listed

Back on the market as early as 2015.

Outcome

Sold in July 2019 for $959,000.

Duration

From 2015 to 2019

Discount

About $400,000 lost, before costs

What weighed

Not a luxury property: proof that the mechanism works at every scale.

The house from The Silence of the Lambs: a four-bedroom Victorian house in good condition.

Listed

Put up for sale in August 2015 at $300,000.

Outcome

Sold in 2016 for $195,000.

Duration

11 months

Discount

−35%

What weighed

The listing was viewed millions of times online, drawing mostly the curious.

Pierre Cardin's house, designed by the architect Antti Lovag.

Listed

Listed at €350M in 2017, presented by the press as the most expensive house in Europe.

Outcome

Still unsold (checked on 7 November 2026).

What weighed

No measured discount: a case of time on the market, and of a price that became the story.