Ben Affleck Ditches Pre-Divorce Rental As He & J.Lo Struggle Selling Mansion

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are in the midst of divorce proceedings, and now they’re also dealing with real estate troubles.

Their $68 million Beverly Hills mansion was put on the market in July, with a potential buyer offering under asking at $64 million. The sale seemed to be moving forward until the buyers halted the deal, having backed out of escrow.

But, besides the mansion, Affleck has officially moved out of a rental where he lived temporarily just as his marriage to Lopez was breaking down. He now lives closer to his first ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, and their three children in the Pacific Palisades. The 6,200 square-foot mansion is nothing compared to the Beverly Hills home he shared with Lopez, but at $20 million, it is still impressive. According to Page Six, the home has five bedrooms, six baths and a guest house and horse stables.

The potential buyers of the Beverly Hills mansion is a couple from New Jersey and are still apparently interested in the property, but had to back out as a result of a death in their family. Regardless, this will still cost J Lo and Ben several million dollars as they paid $61 million dollars in cash for the mansion in May of 2023.

After some renovations to the 24 year old home, Zillow touts 12 bedrooms, 24 baths, 12 car garage as well as an indoor “sports complex” which features pickle ball and basketball courts, a gym, boxing ring and a sports bar. But experts say it may be tricky to sell this home due to the extrordinary price, but also considering the short amount of time they held onto the property. TMZ reports that the former couple will owe the state of California a 5.25% mansion tax as well as realtor fees.

The “mansion tax” is a fairly new tax that affects those homes that are worth more than $5 million dollars with a 4% charge, and those that sell at more than $10 million dollars can expect the tax to total 5.5%. Voters passed the tax in an effort to raise funds for the ongoing homeless crisis in California.

Those for the tax say it is beneficial to raise money for programs such as short-term emergency rental assistance, eviction defense, and direct cash assistance for low-income seniors and those with disabilities. But those against it say it has slowed the market in LA, affecting both mansions and multifamily properties that may total more than the threshold of $5 million.

According to the New York Post, the house comes with a lot of financial baggage for the next buyer. Estimates put the electricity bill for a property of this size at a range of $3 thousand to $10K a month. A gas bill could be as little as $500 a month up to $3K per month. The house going back into escrow could slow the sale down further, despite the potential buyer still showing interest. An escrow account is usually used to hold funds for taxes and insurance and includes a good faith deposit from the buyer, which can be used as a down payment once the sale goes through successfully.

Lopez and Affleck have had a long, bumpy, sometimes storybook romance. People Magazine reports that they first started dating in 2002 but broke it off after 2 years. Lopez went on to marry singer Marc Anthony and have a family with him before divorcing in 2014, while Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005. They later divorced in 2018. The two superstars decided to give love a chance again in 2022 by getting married in July of that year, only to divorce two years later.

TMZ reports that there is no prenuptial agreement in place, which means whatever money was earned during their two-year marriage would be split equally between the two.