Rose McGowan Sells Her Home for a Good Cause: To Crush Harvey Weinstein

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Rose McGowan has just sold her Los Angeles home for $1.935 million, and for what many might consider a very good cause: to fund her ongoing legal battle against Harvey Weinstein.

McGowan, famed for her role in the TV series “Charmed” and films such as “Scream,” claims that the disgraced film mogul sexually assaulted her in 1997. Among the most vociferous of the many women to come forward and accuse Weinstein of misconduct, McGowan also detailed the alleged assault in her recently released memoir, “Brave.”

Yet in early January, McGowan announced that unspecified legal action by Weinstein, whom she calls “the monster,” was forcing her to sell her house to fight him in court. Later that month, she listed her 2,927-square-foot, four-bedroom, three-bath mansion in Hollywood Hills for $1.9 million, which she had purchased seven years earlier for $1.39 million.

The home soon found a buyer willing to pony up over asking price: Ariel Vromen, an Israeli filmmaker best known for the 2012 film “The Iceman.”

This got us wondering: What sold him on this house? In the words of listing agent Tracy Maltas, did he fall for its “groovy” Mid-Century Modern vibe? Its double-sided fireplace and spa?

Or did he also sympathize with McGowan’s plight and want to help?

Rose McGowan sold her house for a cause: Can you, too?

Home sellers are often warned to keep quiet about why they’re selling their home, since just about any explanation offered could be used against them by home buyers angling for a deal (e.g., “we’re having a baby and need more space” reeks of desperation, which could embolden buyers to lob a lowball offer).

But McGowan’s home sale suggests that sometimes, broadcasting your reason for selling can work to your advantage.

“This was a great marketing strategy for her home,” says Washington, DC, real estate agent Cedric Stewart. “What people fail to realize is that stories sell, even in real estate. That’s why we start each listing appointment by asking the seller to tell us their story: Why they bought, and why they’re selling. This information can be used to create an attractive narrative that will entice buyers who identify with the story.”

Because, let’s face it, plenty of people love to hate Weinstein these days, or are supporters of the #MeToo movement. McGowan gave one sympathizer (with well-lined pockets) a way to pitch in: by buying her house.

“That’s what made this so powerful for McGowan,” Stewart continues. “By mentioning her reason for selling, she immediately identified with everyone who supports her cause. Who knows, Ariel may be an advocate as well!”

“It was brilliant marketing on her part,” agrees New York real estate agent Dolly Lenz.

Still, Lenz believes that pulling off such a home-selling Hail Mary would work only under very specific circumstances.

“Most people agree that Weinstein’s a villain,” Lenz says. “So there was zero risk she’d piss anyone off.”

However, if Stephanie Clifford (aka Stormy Daniels) tried selling her home to fund a lawsuit even circuitously involving Donald Trump—that might be tricky.

“You might upset that one buyer who wants your house because he sides with Trump,” Lenz points out.

Yet there are other instances where advertising your reasons for selling a home would work at pulling at buyers’ heartstrings and purse strings, too.

“If you’re selling a home to fund an illness or to take care of your ailing parents, I think such causes would be well-received, as they bring out the best in people,” says Lenz. “Selling for a charity would work, too, although you’d have to be careful and not pick anything too political or controversial.”

Here are some other things to never, ever say when selling your house.

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