In a move that capitalises on nostalgia, Tina Trahan, a 53-year-old Brady Bunch aficionado, has purchased the iconic Los Angeles house featured in the TV show for $4.97 million (US$3.2m).
Trahan secured the property for roughly nine per cent less than its previous owner, television network HGTV, paid in 2018.
Trahan, a historic home enthusiast married to ex-HBO CEO Chris Albrecht, revealed her admiration for the classic family show, which aired from 1969 to 1974, as well as the 1995 film adaptation.
She intends to use the Studio City property for fundraising and charitable events, describing it as “almost like a life-size dollhouse,” to the Wall Street Journal.
HGTV had acquired the circa-1959 house for $3.5 million and undertook a renovation to recreate the original set design from the series.
This refurbishment was chronicled in their show, A Very Brady Renovation. Before HGTV’s ownership, the home had been with the same family for nearly five decades.
Marcy Roth, Trahan’s real estate agent from the Eklund Gomes team at Douglas Elliman, initially thought Trahan was joking when she expressed her interest in the property.
However, Trahan confirmed her serious intention, revealing her existing collection of unique homes, including Stone Manor, an Italian Renaissance mansion in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
During HGTV’s renovation, hosts Drew and Jonathan Scott collaborated with original Brady Bunch cast members to reimagine the home’s interior, right down to the ‘groovy’ attic and stone-covered entry.
They also expanded the house with a second storey, bringing the total area to about 742sq m and adding five bedrooms.
Despite the house’s cultural significance, Trahan believes it was overpriced due to a lack of modern amenities.
“No one is going in there to make pork chops and apple sauce,” she said, adding that making the house liveable would detract from its artistic value.
According to property records, homes in the same neighbourhood generally trade for $1 million to $3 million, further fuelling Trahan’s argument that HGTV overpaid during a 2018 bidding war with singer Lance Bass.
