Jerry Rice Sues Over Botched Sale Of Atherton Home (PHOTOS)
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According to TMZ, former 49er and NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice has filed a lawsuit over the unsuccessful sale of his $11 million Atherton home.
The deal was allegedly set to close earlier this summer, when the buyers pulled out at the last minute. Reportedly, the buyers signed a contract agreeing to close the deal by July 15 or forfeit a $330,000 deposit. Rice claims they couldn't meet the deadline, and is suing to keep the deposit and the home.
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It sounds like Rice is playing hardball, but we don't blame him -- the $11 million price tag was nearly $4 million less than his asking price, and he even threw in some expensive furniture and gym equipment to sweeten the deal. And this isn't some tract home in suburbs. According to SFLuxe, Rice and his wife spent about four years building the estate from the ground up. And it shows. The final product was featured in Haute Living and, while it's easy to giggle at the ostentatiousness (yes, that's a gift-wrapping room), the home is a gem in the second most expensive zip code in the country.
The three-story home sits on 1.4 acres and offers six bedrooms, ten baths, a guesthouse, a gourmet kitchen, a movie theater, an elevator, a full gym with steam room, sauna and cold plunge, a game room with full bar, an office, an outdoor pool and a gorgeous al fresco dining area with stone hearth. And, according to Haute Living, Rice spared no expense when designing the underbelly of the home: the whole pad is equipped with a smart-home system, back-up generators, incredible sound and lighting features and state-of-the-art technology. It's also set back 250 yards from the street behind a gate for hall-of-fame-style privacy.
Check out photos of Jerry Rice's Atherton home, courtesy of SFLuxe, in the slideshow below. Oh, and if you're thinking of buying, we suggest you meet the deadline.
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Robin Wilkey First Posted: 12/06/11 02:09 PM ET Updated: 12/06/11 03:32 PM ET