The villa where the followers of Charles Manson murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969 has hit the market for $1.98 million in Los Angeles.
Listed on Redfin, the home on 3311 Waverly Drive is described as a “classic 1920’s Los Feliz gated single story home” with “breathtaking views” and a “prime location.” But the description leaves out one key detail: On August 10, 1969, four Charlie Manson followers bound and stabbed the LaBiancas to death inside the property.
The murder, which took place just a day after members of the Manson cult killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate, would send the residents of Los Angeles into a spiral of terror that is still memorialized in film and studied by crime experts. Manson, who picked the Los Feliz house randomly to instruct his followers how future murders should be carried out, was eventually sentenced to life in prison and died in 2017.
Courtesy of CRMLS
The house has passed hands several times since the gruesome murder but the current owners have had it for more than 20 years. The house has undergone only minor changes since the murders, according to Redfin agent Robert Giambalvo. The new owners added a carport and retiled the bathroom, but the structure remains similar to what it looked like in 1969.
Nonetheless, Giambalvo insists the home’s sordid history has in no way inhibited him from doing his work.
“At some point we have to ask the question of when we can move on from the house’s history and look at the property itself,” Giambalvo told Inman, adding that of the 20 or so people who have seen the house so far none were born before 1969. “I honestly think that we’re there already.”
Courtesy of CRMLS
California law only requires sellers to disclose deaths on the property if they occurred within three years of the listing. Still, homebuyers can often feel uneasy about dark happenings on the property and, as real estate coach Bernice Ross wrote for Inman in 2016, will generally appreciate knowing the details.
“You can bet that the neighbors won’t waste any time telling the new owners the gruesome truth,” Ross wrote.
Courtesy of CRMLS
Of course, the situation will be different for a house that is as famous as the Manson property. Giambalvo advised agents who have to sell a notoriously famous property to be upfront but also insist on seeing a proof of funds before allowing anyone to view it.
“That will eliminate any looky-loos,” he said.
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