Aspen Estate May Break Record for Most Expensive Home Sale in U.S. History

Two California billionaires are trying to make history with the sale of their Colorado estate, listing an Aspen property for a record-breaking $300 million.

That's nearly triple the amount that anyone has ever paid for a home in Colorado (that record was set last year by a different Aspen mansion that sold for $108 million). If the property sells for near its asking price, it will be the most expensive residential sale ever in the United States, surpassing the historic $238-million sale of a Manhattan penthouse in 2019.

The 74-acre Colorado estate is owned by Beverly Hills-based Lynda and Stewart Resnick, cofounders of the Wonderful Company, one of the largest farming operations in the country behind brands including FIJI Water and POM Wonderful.

The couple bought the Aspen house in 1994 for less than $5 million, according to records on the Zillow listing. Dubbed Little Lake Lodge, the property at 161 Stillwater Road is located just one mile from downtown Aspen and surrounded by around 3,000 acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management, largely shielding the land from development.

"Decades of vigilant development and care has resulted in a virtual private ecosystem," the listing reads. "Little Lake Lodge represents the opportunity to establish an enduring legacy of luxury and harmony with a majestic natural setting — an opportunity unlikely to occur again in the great Mountain West."
The main house is 18,466 square feet and sits beside a private lake stocked with trout and carp, according to the listing. The compound features three other residences of approximately 5,300, 2,400 and 1,000 square feet. There is also potential to add another home. According to the listing, the owners negotiated with Pitkin County to allow for the construction of an additional 19,750-square-foot residence, with the building plans already completed by architectural firm Rowland + Broughton.

All in all, the property features eighteen bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, eight fireplaces, a wellness spa, all included furnishings and a special oxygen system intended to help the coastal owners deal with Colorado's high altitude, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The sellers describe the property as a "multigenerational compound" that has been "lovingly, painstakingly created and maintained" and "can never be matched or replicated."

It will have to be that special to become the nation's most expensive home sale. Other properties have tried and failed to beat the record in the past, including a Florida estate that sold for $225 million in April, despite being listed for $295 million.