Heads up, house hunters! If you're looking for the perfect 2,700-acre Peter Pan-themed carnival/mountain compound that only requires a measly $5 million a year in upkeep, have I got the listing for you!
Colony Capital, which controls Michael Jackson's former home Neverland Ranch (and has reportedly invested at least $50 million in its maintenance), is preparing to put the iconic property on the market. The Jackson estate is unhappy with the decision:
"We are frustrated, bitterly disappointed and saddened that it has come to this," said a representative for Jackson's estate in an electronic message to FORBES. "Sadly, Michael lost control of Neverland during his life as a result of advice from a former manager."
...Still, many options were explored over the years. Toward the end of his life, Jackson himself is said to have been intrigued by the idea of turning Neverland into a school for the performing arts; after his death, many have suggested that the property be turned into an attraction like Elvis Presley's Graceland.
But as anyone who's been to Neverland (this writer included) can tell you, Los Olivos isn't exactly Memphis. The area is nowhere near an interstate, and its narrow mountain roads aren't conducive to accommodating hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
If you can't afford the fafillion dollars that Neverland Ranch will probably cost, but you REALLY want a piece of the King of Pop, who knows! Maybe some of his weird-ass fucking stuff is still for sale.
Image via Getty.