Although Palm Springs has a well-deserved rep as a mecca for stylish architecture, it does have its drawbacks: It’s not an international business hub, for example, and a buyer would have to make peace with the laid-back desert locale.

That partly explains why the brokers haven’t seen international interest from the ultra-high-net-worth individuals who are swooping in and buying property in America. Not a peep from Russia. A single busload of Chinese nationals who looked at the property for its investment potential. And talk of buyers from the Middle East never materialized into a solid offer.

“If the home were in Los Angeles, it’d be gone in an instant, and probably closer to its original listing price of $50 million,” Smith said. “But when you look at the Coachella Valley, when you look at the high-end real estate market, in general it tops out at probably $3 to $5 million.”

And even the ultrarich have their limits when it comes to upkeep. Though there are staff quarters on-site, the sheer size of the Hope mansion—23,000 square feet, with six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, three half-bathrooms, and two pools—makes it a formidable purchase for a buyer who won’t be there year-round.

“We’re a second-home market,” Smith said. “In today’s world, there aren’t a lot of buyers who are seeking a 23,000-square-foot second, third, or fourth home.”

Understood. Those enormous walls of windows don’t Windex themselves.

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