Do you want to buy a famous house? Prepare to pay a premium

It doesn’t matter whether a house is famous or notorious: if it has a reputation, it will cost more, experts say.

There are a number of famous homes on the market today, and their star status plays a significant role in their price because, for the right buyer, these properties are not just residences, but collectibles.

“It’s like owning a Picasso” or a Fabergé egg, Tomer Friedman, a Los Angeles-based expert on celebrities and luxury real estate agents, told CNBC recently. “You’re buying something super unique and very rare.”

For example, Kevin McCallister’s “Home Alone” house was listed for sale in suburban Chicago in May with an asking price of $5.25 million and a listing that loudly showed his connection to Hollywood. Unsurprisingly, for those familiar with the pop culture-referenced world of real estate, a now-pending offer was made less than a week after it was listed.

Other recent iconic addresses that have hit the market with prices befitting their unique place in culture include the San Francisco home seen in “Full House,” which is seeking $6.5 million. There’s also the first New York home Yoko Ono shared with John Lennon for $5.5 million, and the longtime Los Angeles residence of the late pee-wee actor Herman Paul Reubens, which is asking $4.99 millions of dollars.

The fame of these homes can earn them a premium of 5 to 10 percent, luxury real estate agent Josh Altman estimated to CNBC, noting that “there’s definitely that Hollywood cachet of ‘I bought the house from such’ “.

The same goes for infamous addresses. In 2021, the Los Angeles house where Charles Manson’s followers murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969 was awarded $1.87 million, an amount that likely grew thanks to interest from history buffs and other curious people, experts told the media.

“They’re one and the same,” said Amanda Pendleton, home trends expert at Zillow. “Some people with the means will pay whatever it takes to own this house.”