A resort-style mansion and estate that has been traded between two of Houston’s more idiosyncratic celebrities hit the market for $4.95 million earlier this week.
The 12,954-square-foot mansion that sits on ten wooded acres in Friendswood in nearby Galveston County was built in 2006. It was previously owned by bombastic Houston trial attorney Tony Buzbee, who departed for River Oaks in 2013 where he bought a $14 million property that he listed for $27 million in February — though he has since lowered his ask to $20 million.
In 2015, Buzbee sold his Friendswood estate to Ashley Back, a self-described health-and-fitness guru who has made millions selling the FasciaBlaster, a baton with three prongs that massages cellulite-prone areas of the body to reduce its appearance. Much of her success came through her association with the Kardashian family, who endorsed her FasciaBlaster on their reality show.
Black hasn’t consulted the Kardashians for tips on how to position the property, but said she has plenty of other celebrity friends who have bought and sold properties to get advice from. She described her property as a “unicorn,” in an email to The Real Deal.
Located 23 miles south of downtown Houston, 405 W. Spreading Oaks Avenue has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, and two half-baths. The home includes a poker room with a separate ventilation system to filter cigar smoke, a gym, a meditation studio, and a separate steam room and sauna. The primary suite is accessed through a bulletproof door with a secure keypad entry system.
The grounds include a resort-style pool, a 24-seat hot tub, tennis courts and three separate garages that can store up to 12 vehicles.
Black said she paid “in the $6 million range” for the estate seven years ago and said she decided to sell because she’s been living abroad for almost four years, jetting between Miami, Costa Rica and Spain. In 2013, Buzbee listed the Friendswood property for $4.75 million.
“At first I wanted to keep it for a family base, but after Covid, everyone has gone their own way and is living all over the world, so it seemed selfish to keep it if the family wasn’t going to use it,” Black said. “I lived there about seven years. It was the house that was FasciaBlaster headquarters and family galore. We lived in every square inch of that house.”
Black tapped Nancy Almodovar, CEO of Nan and Company Properties — which is affiliated with Christie’s International Real Estate — to handle the listing. Black said she identified with Almodovar as a driven businesswoman.
“I am also a hardcore businesswoman who has built a billion-dollar business and I want to do business with other women who have my energy, my beliefs, and my values, she added. “ Nancy is my realtor spirit animal. I know that she can tell the story better than anyone.”
In recent months, Almodovar has handled some of Houston’s priciest and most high-profile listings.
As for who she thinks the type of buyer her home could appeal to, Black is aiming high.
“I could see a celebrity, entertainer, or athlete with his family there,” she said. “Or a foreign dignitary that wants privacy or a New Yorker that wants more space than they ever dreamed of.”
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