An avid fan of “The Brady Bunch” has purchased the iconic Los Angeles home used for all exterior shots in the popular 1970s television series.
Tina Trahan, 53, bought the property for $3.2 million – 9 percent less than what television network HGTV originally paid for the property in 2018 – and renovated it with retro authenticity.
The television station had hoped to sell the property for $5.5 million after spending nearly $2 million on renovations since its last sale for $3.5 million – but instead they had to deal with it settle for a huge loss.
When it last sold in 2018, the home famously sparked a bidding war, with stars like Miley Cyrus and singer Lance Bass vying to purchase the $1.8 million property.
HGTV ultimately came in with the winning offer of $3.5 million for the Studio City, Calif., property – twice the original asking price.
This time Trahan is the new owner. She is the wife of former HBO boss Chris Albrecht and has a passion for historic homes and a fondness for the original 1995 TV show and film.
Fan Tina Trahan recently purchased the iconic “The Brady Bunch” home in California for $3.2 million in a recent sale
The Latest: The home from the iconic series “The Brady Bunch” is back on the market, five years after HGTV purchased the home and renovated it with retro authenticity
Tina Trahan, 53, is the wife of former HBO boss Chris Albrecht and has a passion for historic homes and a love for the original 1995 TV show and film
No one will actually live in the house and she intends to use the house for fundraisers and charity events, comparing it to a life-sized dollhouse.
“The Brady Bunch” debuted on ABC on September 26, 1974, and the series proved to be groundbreaking for the time as it focused on a blended family.
Created by Sherwood Schwartz, the series initially ran for 117 episodes from 1969 to 1974 and spawned a number of spin-offs, films and specials.
Mike (played by Robert Reed) and his three sons Greg, Peter and Bobby moved in with their new wife Carol (Florence Henderson) and their three daughters Marcia, Jan and Cindy, along with housekeeper Alice Nelson (played by Ann) B. Davis ).
The series eschewed any political commentary of the time, a surprise given that the U.S. was in the midst of the controversial Vietnam War.
Although The Brady Bunch performed poorly over its five seasons, it has become an icon of TV history thanks to its huge success in syndication and reunion TV movies.
The cast of the Sherwood Schwartz television series, which ran from 1969 to 1974, were pictured on a staircase
The TV network invested $1.9 million in the remodel, renovating the home’s signature floating staircase and retro kitchen and expanding the property by an additional 2,000 square feet
The outhouse was also used in the 1995 film “The Brady Bunch.”
The renovated home is a unique blend of modern conveniences and retro nostalgia
The second level is an exact replica of what was seen in the series
Sets like this bedroom were filmed at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles
The two-bedroom, three-bathroom home was notably featured in the show’s opening credits and is therefore said to be the second most photographed home in the United States, surpassed only by the White House.
After purchasing it in 2018, HGTV performed a major renovation of the mid-century home, restoring the home’s interior and exterior as seen on the popular TV series that had run in syndication for decades.
The renovation also included the iconic staircase that was featured on televisions across America for decades.
HGTV aired the home’s remodel in the 2019 special “A Very Brady Renovation,” which the network said garnered strong ratings and an estimated 28 million viewers in four weeks.
The TV network invested $1.9 million in the remodel, renovating the home’s iconic floating staircase and orange and avocado green Formica kitchen, “groovy” attic and stone-covered entryway.
The network, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, significantly upgraded the home and also added a second floor.
The house has been renovated down to the last detail and looks exactly like it does on the TV show
A Discovery affiliate documented the renovation in the 2019 special “A Very Brady Renovation.”
Other bedrooms have been recreated down to the smallest detail
The 2019 special about the renovation generated strong ratings and an estimated 28 million viewers over a four-week period
The second level is an exact replica of what was seen in the series, including the living room and bedrooms, as the scenes in the latter areas were filmed at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
The network has featured the property at 11222 Dilling Street in specials and on the Discovery+ reality series “Trixie Motel.”
Before HGTV owned the house, it remained in the same family for almost half a century.
Trahan’s agent, Marcy Roth of Douglas Elliman, said she was initially surprised when Trahan expressed her desire to purchase the “Brady Bunch” home and assumed it was a joke – only later did she realize that their passion was indeed real and unwavering.
She was like, ‘No, I’m not kidding, I’m obsessed,'” Roth explained.
Trahan said she believes the home is overpriced because of its lack of modern amenities and appliances, and that it could never be used as a typical home without major modifications, which would then diminish its value as a work of art.
Although HGTV took a loss on the sale of the house, the network more than made up for it by generating significant revenue from television shows and events related to the house.
The property is still a popular tourist attraction and Trahan told WSJ.com how she plans to use the home to raise funds and host charity events.
“It’s almost like a life-size dollhouse,” she said.
The avocado green Formica kitchen was recreated to look exactly like the one on the TV show
The television network invested $1.9 million to remodel and renovate the home’s famous floating staircase
Fans of the show will recognize the living room and its iconic staircase
The living room in the house borders the stairwell and the dining area
Christopher Knight, Susan Olsen, Barry Williams, Mike Lookinland, Robert Reed in The Brady Bunch
The famous television home’s backyard is seen with manicured shrubbery as it gets drenched in the Southern California sun
As is typical in Southern California, the back lawn is artificial turf, the green of which will never fade
Although The Brady Bunch’s backyard was built on a sound stage, it still shares similarities with the backyard of the actual house
In 2018, A Very Brady Renovation featured original Brady Bunch cast members Maureen McCormick and Christopher Knight, along with Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott, working on the Brady Bunch house
The Brady Bunch, created by Sherwood Schwartz, debuted in 1969 and ran for five seasons until 1974
The home’s 2018 sale marked the first time it had come on the market in 45 years, as it was last purchased in 1973, according to the report.
The home first hit the market with an asking price of $1.85 million, with NSYNC singer Lance Bass among those placing the bids.
However, HGTV prevailed in the real estate showdown.
Memorabilia in the house included in the purchase includes a green floral couch that was featured in the living room and a horse sculpture from the show that was recreated using 3D printing.