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For many, The Brady Bunch replica house represents a snapshot in time of wholesome American culture. But for the property’s buyer, art collector Tina Trahan, it’s one of the finest pieces in her collection.
And that’s even if some parts of the home aren’t exactly functional — like the appliances, for instance.
“When I was buying it, I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, it was a great investment,'” Trahan told People. “When I buy art, it’s because I love the art. It’s not because, ‘Oh, I’m going to make money on this’ … If you’re going to make money in art, you have to sell it. I buy art, and then I don’t sell it.”
Trahan purchased the home in Studio City for $3.2 million in early September. Danny Brown of Compass represented the listing.
Exterior of “The Brady Bunch” house | Anthony Barcelo
Prior to that, HGTV had bought the property whose exterior is featured in The Brady Bunch TV series for $3.5 million in 2018. The network went on to renovate the home’s interior for about $2 million to recreate The Brady Bunch set in a 2019 series called A Very Brady Renovation.
Given the costs associated with HGTV’s purchase price and subsequent renovations, Trahan snagged quite the deal. The home initially hit the market in May for $5.5 million.
“Never will I ever touch one thing [in the house],” Trahan said. “I was telling someone, ‘If you [even] bring a flat-screen TV into the house, it’s no longer The Brady Bunch.’ There’s a lot of value in this for a lot of people that care about it. And HGTV put in a lot of time, effort and money into the house to make it the way it is, and … I find that incredibly valuable. So I don’t know.”
Just don’t ask Trahan for a home-cooked meal a la Mrs. Brady, since none of the kitchen appliances are functional.
Don’t expect a home-cooked meal to appear on this table | Anthony Barcelo
“None of the appliances work — the range doesn’t work, the stove doesn’t work, the oven doesn’t work,” Trahan said. “There’s literally nothing.”
Trahan is a historic home enthusiast and the wife of former HBO CEO Chris Albrecht. Fortunately, the home’s functionality isn’t the thing that attracted her, but rather, her own connection to watching The Brady Bunch as a kid.
“It was like, ‘I need this house. I have to have the house,'” Trahan said. “I loved the movie … and I watched the show growing up after school. I just felt like it was just part of America and the culture.”
Trahan told The Wall Street Journal that she has plans to use the home for charitable events.
“That would be a huge revenue stream for charities,” she said. “It brings so much joy, and it makes so many people happy, just like The Brady Bunch did.”
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