Ben Affleck Reportedly Blows $20M on a Home You Must See to Believe

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Ben Affleck has reportedly bought a home in Pacific Palisades—and if this rumor turns out true, Batman sure paid a bundle: $19,250,000 to be exact, according to celeb site X17.

Wow. Even in A-list celeb terms, a $20 million house is quite pricey. Whom is Affleck trying to impress?

Perhaps his new girlfriend, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lindsay Shookus, whom he’s been dating in the wake of his divorce from Jennifer Garner. According to E! News, Affleck and Shookus were spotted house hunting in the Los Angeles neighborhood on Valentine’s Day.

“They visited two homes in the $8 million to $10 million range with a broker who gave them tours,” an eyewitness said.

Hey, it doesn’t get much more romantic than house hunting  on Valentine’s Day! But apparently, those mansions weren’t nice enough, so Affleck must have doubled his home-buying budget.

Did Ben Affleck buy this home?

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Is Affleck bending over backward to impress Shookus? Or is this guy going off the rails post-divorce and plagued with impulsive decisions (witness crazy back tattoo)?

A tour of this $20 million megamansion could contain some inkling of an answer.

An ‘entertainer’s dream house’

For starters, according to the real estate listing (currently under contract), Affleck’s alleged new digs features seven bedrooms and seven full baths—plus two half-baths, just in case nine guests need to use the loo all at once. (Hey, it’s possible.) Offering 13,453 square feet of living space on a lush half-acre, the property provides kids and adults alike with plenty of room to roam.

The living room opens out to the yard.

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As for the home’s style, it’s billed as “brand-new East Coast traditional” and an “entertainer’s dream house,” complete with a chef’s kitchen, gym, screening room, walk-in wine cellar, and even a room for live-in help. Outside, there’s a pool, spa, and guesthouse. This all means plenty of friends can crash without cramping anyone’s style.

“The amenities are killer here,” says Los Angeles real estate developer Tyler Drew. “Keep in mind, he’s also a director, so the theater in the house isn’t simply window dressing. Filmmaking will happen here. Add in a couple extra bedrooms for Kevin Smith or Matt Damon and you have yourself a great place to work on film. This seems designed from the ground up for a Hollywood actor or actress, with the gym, pool, and mature view-blocking trees. It’s probably worth a few million less than what he paid, but privacy is something that’s hard to put a price on.”

No doubt, had Shookus gotten a gander at this place, too, she would have been impressed.

The kitchen

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Or is Ben Affleck buying for his kids?

But perhaps best of all, the house is less than a mile from Garner, so shuttling their kids—Violet, 12, Seraphina, 9, and Samuel, 6—back and forth would be a breeze.

“The fact that it’s less than a mile away from his ex-wife and the kids is perhaps one of the biggest selling points of the house,” says Shane Lee, real estate analyst for RentHop. “It’s easier for him to visit the kids and to maintain a good relationship.”

This proximity to his family could explain why Affleck may have been so willing to entertain this home’s sky-high purchase price.

“In an age where absentee fatherhood is a thing, throwing a couple of million onto the fire is not going to bother Batman too much,” says Drew. “Mr. Affleck’s been living in a pool house this entire time, so it’s safe to say he’s been saving his money for a property like this. This purchase is not for him or to impress his girlfriend. It’s for his kids.”

Kids’ room

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Oh, and maybe his ex factors into this over-the-top purchase, too.

“Perhaps Ben is affected by ‘keeping up with the Joneses,’ or should we say ‘keeping up with his ex-wife,'” says Denise Supplee, a real estate educator at SparkRental. “While there are some homes in that price range; there are other viable options much less expensive.”

Nonetheless, “I see nothing but pros with this home—light, bright, and neutral with timeless elegance that never goes out of style,” says Florida real estate agent Cara Ameer. “I’m not sure if buying this home is a way to impress his new girlfriend, but clearly this move appears to be more motivated by family than anything else. While no one ever ‘needs’ a 13,000-plus-square-foot home or something that costs nearly $20 million, in this case, because Affleck can, he did!  Maybe he wants more room in case Shookus decides to move in at some point down the road.”

Game room

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