Elon Musk has sold all seven of his homes in California for $128million after vowing to “own no house”, according to US media reports.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO, 50, is now residing in a small rental home, believed to be worth $50,000, near his aerospace company in Boca Chica, Texas, after selling his seven properties.
The move, which will see the billionaire rake in an estimated $25m in profits, comes just days after the billionaire’s former partner Grimes, 33, claimed Mr Musk led a minimalistic life and at times “lived below the poverty line”.
Among the properties Mr Musk sold was the former home of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory actor Gene Wilder – who died at the age of 83 in 2016.
He agreed to sell the home to the Hollywood star’s nephew Jordan Walker-Pearlman in order for the property to remain within the family and on the condition that it would not be torn down or “lose any of its soul”.
The billionaire also sold one of his Bel Air mansions to Chinese billionaire William Ding, who paid $29m for the lavish property.
Four other homes in Bel Air were sold to the Los Angeles property developer Ardie Tavangarian.
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The sales come after Musk in 2020 vowed to sell “almost all physical possessions”, including his properties.
But it also follows his decision to leave California in December 2021 to focus on the electric carmaker’s giant new manufacturing complex and SpaceX, which has a launch site at the state’s southern tip.
At the time, the billionaire tweeted: “I am selling all physical possessions. Will own no house.”
Earlier this month, singer Grimes told Vanity Fair the Tesla CEO was sincere about meeting his goals and does “not live like a billionaire”.
She said: “Bro does not live like a billionaire… Bro lives at times below the poverty line. To the point where I was like, ‘Can we not live in a very insecure $40,000 house? Where the neighbours, like, film us, and there’s no security, and I’m eating peanut butter for eight days in a row?”‘
What is less than clear is whether his new rental home has space for his growing family, with Grimes also telling Vanity Fair he now has a daughter “Y”, to add to their son “X”, and the pair of them “always wanted at least three or four”.
According to the singer, while they might have split according to Mr Musk, she regards him as her “boyfriend” and they “see each other all the time” even though they “live in separate houses”.