Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck wasted no time returning to the hunt for a luxury mansion after their previous real estate deal fell through as they were seen viewing one of the most iconic properties in Southern California – built by television mogul Aaron Spelling and wife Candy.
The newly-engaged couple was spotted on Tuesday at the massive $165million property, which was once called ‘Spelling Manor’, in the Los Angeles suburb of Holmby Hills – with famous residents including Kylie Jenner.
They visited multiple properties as they continued their search for a new home, just days after the multihyphenate, 52, shared news of her second engagement to the actor, 49, in her On the JLo newsletter written to her fans.
The 14-bedroom property, now referred to as The Manor, is triple the asking price of the $55million estate in Bel-Air the couple were in escrow for, before the deal fell through.
The sprawling home was built over several years by late TV showrunner Aaron Spelling and his socialite wife Candy Spelling and was completed in 1990.
In 2011, Candy sold the home to British heiress Petra Ecclestone for a whopping $85million, before the model, 33, spent a reported $20million in lavish renovations.
Then in 2019, Ecclestone sold the famous property for just under $120million to an anonymous Saudi Arabian buyer.
The massive 56,000 sq ft property, which sits on a generous 4.6 acres, houses an impressive 100 garage spaces, fourteen bedrooms, a spacious dining area and 27 full bathrooms.
The lavish home boasts a traditional architectural style and features luxurious amenities including a bowling alley, a plush movie theater, tennis court, hair salon, and a pool and jacuzzi combo.
During the house viewings, the On the 6 music artist wore a cream, cropped, cable knit sweater and showed off a bit of her toned tummy in the ensemble, which had an asymmetrical hem.
Jennifer added a pair of loose-fitting, olive green, belted trousers with a round silver buckle. They gathered at her waist and she added a pair of large, silver-toned hoop earrings.
She showed off her natural beauty as she went makeup-free for the day out and about with her rekindled love.
The mother-of-two wore her honey blonde hair loose and arranged in a center part as it fell down her back and was windblown in a straight style.
Jen matched a pair of work boots to her sweater and effortlessly brought the elegant ensemble together with a large, cream Hermés bag.
She rocked a classic short and nude manicure as she carried a case-free phone in her hand. Meanwhile, her beau Ben was dressed in a black crewneck sweater with the sleeves rolled up.
The Batman star sported his well-recognized tussled and scruffy beard as he cut a casual figure in khaki-colored pants and a black sweatshirt.
The smitten couple traveled in a dark-colored Mercedes as they house-hopped around the city of angels.
On the same day, the power couple were seen checking out a different home in the same neighborhood which was owned by the ex-wife of famed restauranteur Mr. Chow.
The nine-bedroom property, which features 14 bathrooms, was considerably smaller at 30,000-square-feet while the asking price is a much more modest $65million.
The luxurious home is filled with art with perhaps the most interesting decor being the 400-year-old Moorish columns at the entryway.
Prior to Tuesday’s search, an eyewitness reported that the couple spent about two hours checking out three different homes on Sunday with Affleck’s two youngest kids, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, ten, who he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Affleck’s eldest Violet, 16, did not appear to be present during the outing, nor did Lopez’s 14-year-old twins Emme and Max, who she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
The couple’s return to house hunting comes after their deal on a $55million estate in Bel-Air fell through, according to TMZ.
While it is unknown what caused the stars to back out of buying the last property, they have since been touring much more expensive homes in the same area.
The spectacular $50m mansion, which was being sold by Texas billionaire Todd Lemkin, boasts ten bedrooms and 17 bathrooms as well as a theatre, gym, multiple kitchens, an infinity edge pool, and a stunning view of a golf course and the city.
Since the deal fell through, they have toured a $75million property, in the heart of Holmby Hills, with 17 beds and 25 bathrooms.
The stunning home boasts a Japanese Garden and teahouse, French Courtyard, and a romantic greenhouse.
According to the listing, there is also a tranquil waterfall that lead to a glass-walled tennis court perched aside a Moroccan bathhouse and an authentic hammam and a blue tiled swimming pool.
Their house hunting comes after Jennifer and Ben announced their second engagement, after they were previously engaged 18 years ago in 2004.
Their rekindled relationship came as a shock to fans as they reunited in May 2021 – 17 years after their failed engagement.
In April 2021, Jennifer confirmed the end of her relationship with Alex Rodriguez, a former New York Yankee after the pair dated for four years and were engaged for two years.
In mid-May, Jennifer spent some time in Los Angeles with Ben, igniting initial rumors they had in fact reunited.
‘Jennifer was just in Los Angeles for a couple of days,’ a source told People at the time. ‘She spent time with Ben. They have kept in touch every day since their Montana trip.’
The couple then went Instagram official with their relationship in July while on a European holiday in honor of her 52nd birthday.
The power couple have continued going from strength to strength in their relationship since then, attending red carpet events and spending time together around the world.
Ben and Jen initially dated in early 2002 after meeting on set of Gigli. They became engaged in November of that year, with Ben proposing to her with a 6.1 carat radiant cut pink diamond ring with two trapezoid white diamonds, mounted on 18K pink gold and platinum band from Harry Winston.
The ring is now worth an estimated $12million, with it costing Ben at the time (November 2002) a reported $1.2million.
The huge increase in worth stems from the price of the rare colored diamond, which has soared.
They were set to get married in September 2003, but postponed their wedding and eventually broke up in January 2004.
But they have now got engaged for a second time, with the Hustlers actress sharing details of the intimate engagement in a newsletter shared to her website on Tuesday.
‘Did you ever imagine your biggest dream could come true?’ she wrote in her post. ‘Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed.
‘I was taken totally off guard and just looked in his eyes smiling and crying at the same time trying hard to get my head around the fact that after 20 years this was happening all over again, I was quite literally speechless and he said, ‘is that a yes?’ I said YES of course that’s a YES.’
‘I was smiling so big and tears were coming down my face, feeling so incredibly happy and whole.
‘It was nothing fancy at all, but it was the most romantic thing I could’ve ever imagined…just a quiet Saturday night at home, two people promising to always be there for each other. Two very lucky people. Who got a second chance at true love.
‘Green has always been my lucky color and now, for sure, it always will be.’
