Michael Phelps is always going for the gold, in the pool and now in the real-estate market as well. The Olympic gold medalist recently put his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, on the market for $4. 1 million, which is eye-popping considering that he picked it up for $2. 5 million just three years ago.
The 6,000-square-foot Santa Barbara–style ranch house does have major appeal unto itself, however, so the high price may also just be in line with the rising price of other luxury properties in the area (in the past year, housing prices for homes in Mesa and nearby Scottsdale have jumped 6. 2 percent).
Plus, there’s a swimming pool that will undoubtedly be a major selling point, given that it was graced with Phelps’s athletic prowess at one point. The home is also chock-full of features that verify its celebrity status: imported French oak floors, custom lighting, Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances in the chef’s kitchen, sleek Carrara marble countertops, limestone fireplaces, and, importantly, a 350-bottle wine storage area.
The house includes five bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms, and is fully equipped with smart home capabilities. Perhaps just as importantly, it offers stunning views of nearby Camelback Mountain.
The living and dining room area features a vaulted ceiling with glass doors that open out onto an outdoor entertaining area with a double-sided fireplace that separates the space into two distinct rooms. The open kitchen space, with all-white cabinetry and coffered ceilings, also includes a breakfast bar and is attached to the family room. Phelps’s home also includes a home office, with glass doors leading out into the grand outdoors; just around the corner is a covered living and entertaining area with its own fireplace.
