Tesla CEO Elon Musk has initiated foreclosure proceedings on a Bel-Air home that had been purchased by filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman and his wife, screenwriter Elizabeth Hunter.
The property, which previously belonged to Walker-Pearlman’s uncle, the late actor Gene Wilder, was purchased by one of Musk’s trusts in 2013 for $6.75 million. Musk subsequently sold it to the couple in 2020 for $7 million, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Elon Musk finances the purchase of a home in Los Angeles
Musk had initially listed the home for sale for $9.5 million, a figure the couple was unable to cover. In their 2020 agreement, Walker-Pearlman and Hunter financed the purchase with a $6.7 million loan provided by Musk. The billionaire had made an agreement with Walker-Pearlman, who had spent his childhood in the house, to guarantee its preservation, according to the Journal in 2022.
However, the couple has faced difficulties keeping up with payments, in part due to the impact of last year’s writers and actors strike, according to the Journal’s latest report. In late July, Musk’s representatives issued a notice of default, the first formal step in the foreclosure process. This notice indicated that Musk could opt to sell the home after 90 days.
There appear to be no hard feelings between Musk and the couple: in an interview with the Journal, Walker-Pearlman expressed gratitude toward the billionaire for making the purchase possible. “There’s no tragedy here. Elon gave us a magical opportunity. I have no complaints,” Walker-Pearlman said, adding that he and Hunter ”owe him a spiritual debt.”
The couple has listed the home for sale for $12.95 million through Drew Meyers of Westside Estate Agency, the Journal reported. Meyers did not respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.
The 2,800-square-foot home was purchased by Wilder in 1976 for about $300,000. It includes a kidney-shaped pool and views of the Bel-Air Country Club. Musk did not respond to a request for comment sent outside of normal business hours.