May 19, 2008
Update: Michael Jackson foreclosure delayed - again
Well, here we go again, kiddies. Once again Michael Jackson is reporting that his Neverland Ranch has been saved from foreclosure. The loan was bought by Colony Capital, a real estate investment firm.
The $23-24 million loan was previously held by Fortress Investment Group. And we all remember the drama involved in that deal, don’t we? They were ready to foreclose and the property was slated for the auction block on May 14.
But Jackson was in negotiations with Colony. Reuters reports that Colony is “very comfortable” holding the loan and negotiating payment. Really? With whom? Jacko certainly isn’t bringing in the bucks like he used to. So where is he going to get money for this?
We have no idea, darlings. Just no idea. But we do still wonder if someone will restore Neverland to its former glory, or just redevelop it within an inch of its life.
Filed under Celebrity Property, For Enthusiasts by Becky Scott
March 31, 2008
Update: Michael Jackson and the Neverland Saga Continues
We had last heard that Michael Jackson had made a deal to save his neglected Neverland, but the newest dish is that he didn’t exactly refinance his $24+ million loan.
Fox 411 reports that a foreclosure is still scheduled for the declining property. In fact, the public auction is set for May 14 in Santa Barbara.
Looks like one of Jacko’s lawyers made a teensy-tiny error with the statement that a deal was made. Instead, there’s only a two-month extension on the auction. So developers can go back to salivating over this prime property. Oh, the greedy development dreams they must be having!
Apparently a group in LA has funded an escrow account with $46 million to make a refinance deal with MJ on Neverland. But while they thought they were working with Jacko’s people, it’s rumored that it was Jackson’s former manager Raymone Bain behind the chaos — and MJ knew nothing about it!
It’s a confusing mess over there, with new reports coming in all the time. Jackson’s going to sell Neverland. No, he’ll never let it go. He’s going to refinance. No, he can’t. Wait, there’s a deal in line! Never mind, that was a crazy scheme by someone else!
So is the LA group going to make a deal? We’re not sure, but the escrow account is apparently still funded. The Real Estalker reports yet another rumor that MJ managed to get his loan at Fortress restructured. We’re just as skeptical about the rumored deals as RE is, though, considering such a large sum of money is at stake. It’s doubtful that a big old finance company would want to keep giving breaks to MJ when there’s so much money to be had in the deal.
Will Jackson sell the property before the auction? Oh darlings, it’s anyone’s guess at this point. The behind-the-scenes shenanigans are enough to give us a headache. Jacko just continues to attract the drama, doesn’t he?
Photo by robstephaustralia licensed under Creative Commons.
Filed under Celebrity Property, For Enthusiasts by Becky Scott





