Taylor Swift’s last foray into real estate was a disaster. Okay, not really, but it was a PR disaster. Last year, after only dating high school student Conor Kennedy for a few months, Taylor bought the multi-million dollar property right across the street from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port. Then, in her Vanity Fair cover story, Taylor tried to half-ass a denial about the real estate purchase only to be called out by the VF journalist, who looked into the real estate deal. It seems that Swifty did actually make the purchase (through her shell company) and then she flipped it for a profit after a few months had passed. So, at least Swifty made some money off of it, although her reputation did get dinged and plus she just continues to look like the kind of young woman who real-estate-stalks her boyfriends.
Anyway, Taylor’s new real estate venture doesn’t seem to come with a boy attached, so I just don’t know what to think. According to TMZ, Swifty just bought a $17 million Rhode Island mansion. IN CASH.
Taylor Swift is a certified BALLER — TMZ has learned that not only did she just buy a Rhode Island mansion for $17 million … but she did it with straight cash, homey!
As TMZ first reported, Swift was eyeing the 11k-plus-square-foot mansion for a few weeks now, having toured the place back on April 15.
According to our real estate sources, the asking price on the house (which sits on 5.23 acres) was around $20 mil, but Swift got it for $17.75 mil.
We’re told Swift wired the money over and movers were spotted at the house early this morning. Maybe Taylor is better at closing the deal than we thought.
A month from now, will we find out that Swifty has some new boyfriend, perhaps a teenage son of some Rhode Island hedge fund manager or something? Perhaps. But having seen the estate (I’m including a photo below), I think Swifty bought it because the house looks like a giant wedding cake, or perhaps a pile of meringue or whipped cream. That appeals to her Alice In Wonderland sensibilities.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
IN CASH?! Please excuse me while I close my eyes and fantasize about piles and piles of money magically appearing on my desk.
Well, it was wired over, so “virtual” money, not actual cash.
But yes, that would be something to imagine piled up on your desk (or anywhere else!) :).
I wish the piles and piles of money would appear magically on my desk next to my piles and piles of bills.
Shouldn’t she be buying mansions in Nashville or something? She is turning so j.crew blue blood rather than sassy country.
She has her Nashville condo plus her parents place. Anyway, her family used to vacation on the coast all the time when she was younger so Im surprised she didnt have a place already.
To be fair, I don’t think she should be locked into “mansions in Nashville” or anywhere else that has a country aura, merely because she started out her career w/ a country sound.
She’s always looked more J. Crew than Country Princess, IMO. Lord knows, I adore those beautiful old “cottages” in Newport. If I had 17 mill. to blow on a mansion, Newport would be right up there. Or the Vineyard or the Hamptons.
A girl can dream, right? Falls into the category of “never gonna happen” for me. I can’t fault her for her real estate choices, can only be wildly jealous. *SIGH*
she’s running out of bue-balled virgin blood or something… those are the eye bags of steve buscemi under the 30 pounds of concealer she’s wearing.
You beat me to it. Snarking about her under-eye baggage was the only reason I even clicked on this post. No doubt, she looks rrrrough for a “squeaky-clean,” princess-perfect 23-year-old.
For 17 million I’d like to be a bit more secluded. I don’t get all these wildly expensive houses that are built so close together. Surely money should buy you freedom from annoying neighbours, or at least a massive wall.
Maybe there is a cute boy next door (probably on her must have list before closing).
I guess YMMV but I think the distances between the houses are far enough for me, and are at par with other affluent neighborhoods.
Although I do think the house is very nice, the pile of rocks and the retaining walls take away from its charm. I realize they did it to prevent erosion by the ocean but isn’t a house that costs that much supposed to look effortless?
You see everyone, don’t hate on Taylor for writing songs about her exes. IT PAY$ FOR HER.
Why are we dissing this home again? Great view, awesome pool area. It’s a great place. You GO Taylor.
Very funny comments on TMZ where 2 people arguing about the location are BOTH wrong. It’s in Westerly (Watch Hill).
Girlfriend doesn’t like the beach. Pool OK.
I know this is going to sound jealous & petty, but it’s my genuine feeling on this.
Isn’t it just sad that someone who warbles into a microphone & travels the country/world… would make that staggering amount of money? Someone with a completely unimportant job as compared to rescue workers, firefighters, police.
Why aren’t they being paid for jobs like theirs that involve putting their lives on the line sometimes… Jobs that actually matter.
Yes, all Celebs make disgusting fortunes with which to do as they please. But I can never avoid thinking about the fact that we have homeless & starving people in our country, but these celebs are buying ballroom sized bathrooms.
Yeah, I’m with you on that…
Preach
It’s called capitalism and it’s a good thing. We are all free to pursue our dreams and our dream jobs. It is your choice what avenue to pursue.
Not all of us will be super successful, famous or wealthy, because most of us are not willing to put in the hours and sacrifice these people have to get to where they are.
Even Kim Kardashian works very, very hard at her famewhoring. Most of us would not put in that kind of time, effort and personal sacrifice to have what she does. Would you have sex on tape and let a guy pee on you for millions to watch? Would you want a film crew and cameras following your every move? Would you want to marry someone and have a kid with someone else just to stay relevant?
As for Taylor Swift, she may have spent $17.7 million on a mansion, but she earned every penny. She was also named Most Giving Celebrity by DoSomething.org.
Firefighters, Police, Teachers etc. perform a very valuable job. They are greatly appreciated by their communities. But if they wanted a job that pays $1 million a year or more, they would need to choose a different profession.
As for the poor and homeless, there are charities to help them. We live in a great nation where everyone can get an education and make something of themselves.
But you have to work for it.
Yes they do work hard but I think luck also plays a huge part in it. Most music artists will never get a big break no matter how talented they are than the current crop of popular kids. Besides, those who can earn millions like Taylor, Beiber etc comprise probably only 1% of the music industry. Most artists would never make that kind of money.
It’s also a major plus if an aspiring singer can find a niche for himself/herself. Otherwise they won’t go anywhere.
@Sherry – I forgot to clarify that I wasn’t picking on Taylor specifically w/my comment. I meant in those in the entertainment industry in general. It’s great that she gives back to charities. =)
But I disagree about ‘earning every penny’ of millions of dollars. Celebs do make sacrifices w/their personal lives, but they also receive incredible complementary perks everywhere they go. I just don’t think singing some songs & traveling around the world in the lap of luxury is ‘earning’ countless millions.
That’s the problem. The people doing jobs that deserve that sort of salary (by comparison), are those putting their safety/lives on the line at times just to save/help someone… (I don’t know what sort of salary the soldiers sent to Iraq are/were getting, but they’re a prime example of those who would be ‘earning every penny’ of millions).
Economically, we as a society support vanity, entertainment, & scandal, often with our wallets. I just think that’s something in need of some kind of repair.
It also depends on what venue you chose to work as a firefighter/teacher/etc. Let’s remember, firefighters/teacher although they are fulfilling and noble jobs, they are quite common. Every city and every town has atleast one firefighting department, and a dozen school. If we paid a six figure salary to each and every one of them, we’d be bankrupt (we’d probably have to hike up the taxes which I’m sure people will have a field day over). As a teacher though, you do have a choice to work primarily in private schools/private universities which I’m sure you would get a good paycheck at the end of the day.
Celebrities make their money from private business/venues/consumerism, so that is why they get very wealthy, very easily.
But to be honest, I don’t think we want this to change because… well, freedom of choice isn’t it? You can’t really force someone to say NO YOU ARE MAKING THEM RICH AND YOU ARE STILL POOR. However, you can hike up taxes and not have such stringent laws against piracy (because believe me, if there was no reprecussions for piracy, downloading music/movies/tv shows from the internet, I bet you, studios/companies will lose a lot of money and will not pay these musicians/actors as much).
But I think teachers/firefighters are aware of the costs and benefits of their job, any person who goes into a low-paying job knows. I wanted to be an archaeolgist, but I knew I would be living pay-check to pay-check and frankly, the cost for me was too great. Now I have two jobs at the moment, one that pays very well because it is in the medical industry and the other one is in the NGO field which pays next to nothing (if you are lucky, of course). I’m not expecting any money to come out of the NGO field despite the fact that it is a fulfilling job and a noble one (the NGO provides medical services to refugees and impoverished communities). That’s just the way it is I’m afraid, and there comes a time when most people chose one or the other (a fulfilling job with no pay, or a boring one with lots of pay).
No one wants to pay taxes but they are more than willing to shell out the money for songs, T-shirts, concert tickets, etc. etc.
That’s true, & incredibly disappointing. Especially the ‘not wanting to pay taxes’… People seem to be forgetting just how much depends on taxes. But since we’ve had tax cuts recently, the systems for the sake of people in need (especially the mentally ill) can’t work.
So now we end up with tons of mentally ill people who have ended up homeless for one reason or another, obviously not able to afford care, but not able to get help from our government either.
Yet singers & actors in entertainment make unimaginable fortunes (& somehow still get in trouble for not paying their taxes). Ugh. Just a frustrating subject.
I took my daughter to her very first concert on Sat night, to see Taylor Swift. We were only able to go b/c Taylor has some tickets at every concert available for under $50…ours were $30 each, which is FANTASTIC. The tickets were my daughter’s birthday present & she’s been waiting 4 months for the concert. We didn’t buy a t-shirt, glow stick or anything else except a bottle of water. I’m personally not a Taylor Swift fan, but even I’ll admit she put on a hell of a show…and the look on my daughter’s face when Taylor came out on stage was worth every penny we spent.
BTW: We pay taxes, and ridiculous amounts in medical bills for my daughter & me…sometimes you need to get out & have a little fun.
Yes, Hakura! I’m with you.
And anyone who thinks that such things are available to anyone and everyone, as long as we dare to dream the capitalist dream, you’re either naive or monied.
Someone was quick to update the Watch Hill entry on Wikipedia 😉
So how many houses does she have now? It seems too big and too lonely for her to live alone there.
I love houses built in the 1920s & 30s. This is a gorgeous, fabulous house.
That little bitch.
I wonder what “boy” in Rhode Island is this 23-year-old woman chasing now?
It better not be my stepson. He’s 12, so he might be a bit young for Taylor.
That is a beautiful property and a pretty amazing location. She may be hyper annoying but at least she’s good for the economy?
Wow – that is a beautiful place.
The fact that she shops at Bristol Farms makes me like her more. I love that store – in a way that is really unnatural to feel about a grocery store.
Peasant in me cannot understand why would anyone need such a big-ass mansion (other than to prove you can afford it and to shove it in hater’s faces). I sometimes dream about a nice house with a big garden, but even my dream house from the scenario where I’m super rich and don’t have to care about money anymore, is about 10 times smaller than this giant. It just doesn’t seem like home when you need an hour to check all the rooms and where you can live with someone and never see them. More like a museum, not a cosy home. I could maybe get it if she lived there with her parents, grandparents and all the 1st and 2nd cousins, but most celebrities have those giant villas (more than 1 each) and they live there by themselves or just with their spouses (or mothers) and maybe children.
When I was younger I wanted a big mansion. Now, I subscribe to the “Not So Big House” philosophy. I’d rather have a smaller house with great landscaping and special touches than a huge McMansion where I hardly ever see my family because we’re so spread out.
My husband and I were touring some large homes (they were open for charity) and one of the homes was a gorgeous French Chateau style. The owner was giving the tours and said the house was 13,000 square feet. Then, during the tour, she took us to the kitchen, eating and “keeping room” area that was very cozy and flowed into one another. She said, “This is where our family spends 95% of our time.” By my calculations, at least 11,500 square feet of that house hardly ever got used.
I’m with you on that! The bf and I don’t plan to have children and have already talked about how we don’t want a huge house. The bigger your house is, the more you have to clean and take care of. I think I’d want no more than 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a small backyard. I want to be able to spend my time at home relaxing and enjoying quality time with the hubs. Not spend it cleaning and dusting.
I was thinking the same thing. How could you ever possibly properly utilize such an enormous space? I mean it’s just a holiday home! If it was her actual home I’d understand. Then you could put in an office and a gym and recording studio and a bunch of guest bedrooms and a semi-permanent living area for your permanent staff etc etc etc. But a holiday home? It’s going to stand empty most of the year. Perhaps she has hundreds of friends that she plans on inviting along for weekend getaways. I don’t know, after 27 years I personally can count the number of people I’d invite with me to my proverbial/hypothetical holiday home on one hand. Can you really have THAT many friends?
Celebs function a little differently than we do though. Think Clooney’s Lake Como house- he spends summers there. But all the rest of the time, there are constant stories. ‘We borrowed George’s house, we got married at George’s house, we all had the party at George’s house.’ It seems like he is constantly loaning that place out to all the people he stars with and is friends with.
Honestly I just admire this girl’s business sense. I know everyone knocked her for the Kennedy house but I think that was an investment move all along that had bad timing. She made a good profit off of it and I never saw any inclination or attempt by her to actually live there. This house is a solid investment. You can knock her for being immature in a lot of ways but she’s smart with her money whether it’s her making the decisions or her being smart enough to find smart people to do it.
My state! Hopefully she will throw some money around here, we sure could use it.
i just watched her very first video last night, “tim mcgraw” she was so beautiful in it with the curly hair and how she dressed then. i hate the straight hair and how she changed. she was so different then.
If I had that kind of cash, and was a single young woman, I think I’d want to buy a cool apartment or town house somewhere in New York City – where you could just stroll down the street to your favourite coffee shop for a latte and meet up with friends for drinks at a wine bar at night. Not a big lonely old mansion out in the country. Ahhhhh it’s nice to daydream.
lilStar, it’s not that rural, but the beaches are nice, if you like cold Atlantic water and jelly fish and the occasional great white shark…As far as night light or coffee bars, nope.
Hey I grew up in Newport and I LOVE those beaches! If you want to try COLD water move up here to Maine!
I took a closer look at the pictures of the house and I bet it would be beautiful to look out your window right at the ocean. But I’m not getting the huge rocks in front of the beach? Do you know what the reason for that is? Seems to kind of take away from owning a beach front property if there really isn’t much of a beach. Looks like it would be deadly in a big storm. Oh well, Swifty will live lonely in her big old mansion and I’ll dream of days in NYC :O).
@lil Star, the huge boulders are called a break water and serve to keep the beach from eroding and the cliff collapsing into the ocean. It’s lovely there, but not quite the social scene someone like Swifty would enjoy.
Wow, I grew up in that area, and I can tell you this, the local swamp Yankees (if there are any left) aren’t going to be thrilled with her — they like their quiet money.
Personal preference, but if I had that money I wouldn’t buy a giant lonely mansion on a cold beach I’ll barely use. Go buy a little villa in Tuscany, chick — if you are going to stray from your country roots, go big.
Still trying to be Jackie O, I see.
Have we ruled out a new Merman crush? Or perhaps a sailor boy? (It is beachfront, after all.)
Lol! Merman! 😀
I like Taylor. I don’t think she is going to be in this house for very long, its business. She is going to flip this house and make a big profit off it.
Zero personality.
She bought the house in cash? She most likely will never set foot in it. I think it’s strictly an investment property that she will flip and make a tight profit. I think her father is some kind of Financial adviser and her mom works in finance also. In a monetary sense she is a very lucky young woman. She will most likely always be financially independent.
Wow, the place looks really run down now. I was going to say I’d be thrilled to live in just the pool house, and then I saw the second picture. Of course, with her money, she will have it ship shape in no time.
If you listen to her album RED deluxe version she’s got audition songs on there and they are pop songs. In fact, the majority of the album is pop. Most likely she wanted to do pop music but the record execs didnt see her going far with the fanfare and told her country was her best bet for getting in the door.