Want to Buy the Affleck/Damon Crazy Castle?

The hills of Eagle Rock are alive with open houses—but they don’t have many visitors. I checked out a couple of places this weekend, and while there is a lot for sale, buyers seemed to be scarce. Of course, spring has sprung in LA, so it could be that people are heading to the beach (or forgot to reset their clocks), but it was awfully lonely out there. My first stop was at a “magnificent mini castle estate” called MaCastle. It was built in the 1900′s and has been billed as “Romantic Revival,” but I’d dub it plain old crazy (in a fun way)—lots of little rooms, odd details, and as you can see from the pic, a great front gate.  It was once rented by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon while they wrote Good Will Hunting, an odd image considering it’s a bit of a dollhouse with an indoor balcony and rose appliques on the stairs. No word on whether Jimmy Kimmel was a frequent sleep-over guest. I have to admit, the $985,000 price tag seems as steep as the front steps, but it’s the kind of place that really needs that special buyer to fall in love with it. For the rest of us, it’s going to remain “unique.” There is also a fixer-upper that’s part of the same estate (looks like seperate lots, although the two properties are very close together) that is listed as a 2/2 for $585,000. Looks like it hasn’t been lived in for a long, long time. Down the block and around the corner is a FSBO Craftsman for $790,000—with a “submit all offers” tagline. This house has potential, but the bathrooms have been redone with Home Depot-esque modern tiles and fixtures, which takes away from the Craftsman vibe, but it has a huge grassy front yard, and the area is nice. Across Colorado, the open houses were scarce, but the for sale signs abundant. I liked the looks of this 3/1.75 that just had its price drop from $669,000 t0 $649,000. And here’s a nearby short sale that has a listing price of $595,000. It last sold in 2005 for $649,000.