Last year, Vice Media CEO Shane Smith shelled out $23 million for a massive property in Santa Monica, California — without ever setting foot in it, he told The Wall Street Journal.
His wife had scoped out what she called their perfect house.
Built in 1932, the 3.3-acre estate has a total of 12 bedrooms and 14,000 square feet of space. It also has a 72-foot-long pool.
The home, known as the Villa Ruchello, had belonged to noted director Henry Jaglom. It has appeared in "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Entourage."
But when Smith bought it, it needed a bit of work.
"No one had really been taking care of the house for 15 years or so," Smith's wife, Tamyka, told The Journal. "The owners had gotten a divorce and were renting it out. We had to replace all the plumbing, all the electrical, the roof and do the whole thing."
Tamyka was in charge of restoration work that The Journal says featured "handblown glass chandeliers from Venice, a geometric orb bar custom made by MJ Atelier, antique Persian rugs and various vintage French and Italian furnishings."
The house is worth only a small fraction of Smith's fortune, which The Journal says could be around $1 billion. Smith also owns a $3.8 million home in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Here's a look at how the Villa Ruchello was when Smith bought it:
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The Villa Ruchello sits behind a set of wrought-iron gates.
The lot totals 3.3 acres of land covered in lush gardens.
The house was built in a Mediterranean style in the 1930s. Several ponds are on the property, and there's even a wishing well on the way up to the house.
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