Saudi prince’s former River Oaks mansion drops asking price by $5M

The asking price has dropped by $5 million on a River Oaks mansion that was originally built for a Saudi prince.

The nearly 22,900-square-foot home at 1000 Kirby Drive, built for the late Prince Abdulrahman bin Faisal in 1986, is asking $14 million, down from $19 million, the Houston Business Journal reported. Compass agents Laura Sweeney and Mike Mahlstedt are listing agents for the 10-bedroom property.

The home was built on 3 acres to accommodate the prince’s family when he had business in Houston.

“This is an iconic property that most Houstonians have admired for years,” Mahlstedt told the newspaper.

Luxuries include a crystal chandelier and 40-foot ceilings in the entry hall. A full kitchen was built on each floor so the prince could be served on any level. The formal dining room has a 40-person seating capacity as well as a 2,000-bottle walk-in wine vault.

The primary suite, located on the second floor, has two sleeping areas as well as two en suite bathrooms, sitting areas, an exercise room, steam and sauna baths and multiple balconies. Four more bedrooms are on the second floor, each with its own bathroom. The third floor holds four guest bedrooms and a living room.

A pool house and a guest house also sit on the fully gated property.

While the luxury housing market experienced a resurgence during and after the pandemic, it’s started to cool down in recent months. Despite the downward trend for the luxury market, sales of homes priced $1 million and higher increased by more than 7 percent in September, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.

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