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Gene Hackman and Betsy Arakawa’s residence in New Mexico has been sold just a month after hitting the market.
The transaction was finalized on Wednesday, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.
The couple’s property in Santa Fe was listed for $6.25 million in January, marking less than a year since the shocking discovery of their bodies in a tragic incident. Remarkably, the property went into a contingent contract merely eight days after listing.
Details regarding the contracted price remain undisclosed, and the ultimate sale price might stay confidential. New Mexico is one of about a dozen states where the disclosure of home sale prices isn’t mandatory.
Hackman, now 95, is renowned for winning two Academy Awards and starring in over 100 films during his illustrious career spanning five decades, with notable roles in “The French Connection,” “Unforgiven,” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Arakawa, 65, was known for her career as a classical pianist.
Hackman succumbed to heart disease with complications from Alzheimer’s, according to investigators. Arakawa was determined to have died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a rodent-borne disease, days before Hackman’s passing.
The couple purchased the property in the 1990s, later constructing a three-bedroom main house, a guesthouse and an artist’s studio.
Their sprawling estate’s recent history did not dissuade or even bother potential buyers, surprising listing agent Tara S. Earley of Sotheby’s International Realty. Earley previously said the home was priced without a celebrity premium, acknowledging that the deaths could deter some buyers.
“Everybody that came to see the property, the circumstances did not bother them.” Earley told the Journal. “If it was a hurdle, then they had gotten over it.”
Earley said she hosted 12 tours of the home during the eight-day listing period. The final buyer’s agent, Chris Pearson Kramer of Sotheby’s International Realty, declined the comment to the Journal.
The 53-acre compound resides across two parcels in the gated Summit neighborhood, northeast of downtown Santa Fe.
The main house and guesthouse span a combined 13,000 square feet, including six bedrooms. Large expanses of steel and glass overlooking the high desert landscape. The contemporary design was undertaken by Stephen Samuelson with architect Harry Perez-Daple, the same team behind Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith’s massive Calabasas property.
Outdoor features include a lap pool, a hot tub, a putting green and a picturesque pagoda.
Hackman and Arakawa’s personal belongings were cleared from the property prior to its sale. In addition to professional staging, the home required a new roof, paid for by Hackman’s estate.