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    Why America’s Billionaire Class Is Snapping Up Prime D.C. Real Estate

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    Historically, Washington, D.C., has been where politcos go to make policy. Today, it’s also where the ultra-wealthy go to hobnob with Capitol Hill decision-makers and West Wing movers and shakers. In recent years, a trend has taken shape in the nation’s capital, where everyone from tech billionaires and hedge fund titans to crypto crusaders and cabinet picks is descending on D.C., not just for influence, but for real estate. The result? An unprecedented boom in the District’s ultra-high-end housing market, with multimillion-dollar properties trading hands at a pace and price point that might even raise brows in famously high-cost locales like Beverly Hills and Palm Beach. 

    Mark Zuckerberg is the latest of the world’s wealthiest to secure a residential foothold in the capital, according to Politco. The Meta CEO, who also maintains homes in Hawaii and California’s Bay Area, was recently revealed as the buyer behind a $23 million all-cash purchase in the leafy Massachusetts Avenue Heights neighborhood. The 15,400-square-foot architectural stunner—designed by noted D.C. architect Robert M. Gurney—features five bedrooms, seven-and-a-half baths, two kitchens, and a pool complex fortified by security walls. Located just a quick drive from the White House (or a brisk stroll from Vice President J.D. Vance’s residence at the Naval Observatory), it’s a strategic buy in more ways than one. 

    Mark Zuckerberg dropped $23 million in cash for his new home in D.C. in March 2025.

    Anice Hoachlander

    A Meta spokesperson told The New York Post the acquisition will allow Zuckerberg to “spend more time [in D.C.] as Meta continues the work on policy issues related to American technology leadership.” 

    Zuckerberg joins a growing cohort of ultra-wealthy tech titans and Trump-aligned business leaders reshaping Washington’s high-end housing market. Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos kicked off the trend back in 2016, scooping up the former Textile Museum in Kalorama for $23 million. The 27,000-square-foot behemoth—once two side-by-side mansions—set the tone for what was to come: a rush of high-net-worth individuals turning D.C.’s historically discreet neighborhoods into billionaire enclaves. It has been widely reported he later shelled out another $5 million for a house directly across the street.

    In 2016, Jeff Bezos purchased D.C.’s former Textile Museum in Kalorama for $23 million.

    PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images

    Then came Peter Thiel. The PayPal co-founder scooped up a $13 million estate on Woodland Drive in 2021, Washingtonian reported. The seller? Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt followed suit, snapping up a storied N Street residence for $15 million. The home was once graced by none other than Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

    But the tech elite aren’t the only ones moving in. Washington’s new crop of political appointees is bringing their deep pockets and taste for trophy homes. Howard Lutnick, the billionaire CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and President Trump’s pick for commerce secretary, recently shattered local records with a $25 million purchase of Fox News anchor Bret Baier’s French chateau-style home in Foxhall. Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent—worth over $700 million, per his financial disclosures—went house-hunting in Georgetown earlier this year. His target became a Federal-style home occupied by Connie Milstein, a former ambassador to Malta, that he acquired for $12.5 million, The Wall Street Journal reported.  

    Howard Lutnick bought Bret Baier’s former Foxhall home for a record $25 million.

    Studio Trejo

    Newcomers to Congress and business-world mainstays are planting roots in proximity to the nation’s great halls of power, too. David Sacks, the “White House AI and Crypto Czar,” picked up a $10.3 million home earlier this year, and nearby, former hedge-fund manager and now Senator David McCormick ponied up $10.5 million for the Georgetown residence of the late attorney C. Boyden Gray, a former ambassador to the European Union.

    As for the ripple effects? Hard to miss. Homes that used to sit on the market are now getting multiple offers. Take one Georgetown mansion, for example—originally listed at $13.95 million. The price did drop to $9.99 million, but it still ended up selling over asking in a bidding war, The WSJ reported. Bottom line: being close to Capitol Hill has never been more desirable—or more expensive. 

    Authors

    Abby Montanez

    Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      An Oceanfront Compound in Hawaii Once Owned by a Rothschild Hits the Market for $32.5 Million

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      When you live in a place like Hawaii, it doesn’t get much better than a sun-drenched beach in your backyard.

      Located in Kailua on the east coast of O’ahu, a tropical compound has hit the market for $32.5 million with Brandon Kim of List Sotheby’s International Realty. Built in 2001, the oceanfront residence was previously owned by Harry Rothschild of the Rothschild banking family. According to property records, he offloaded the property in 1987 for what today seems like a bargain price of $1.2 million. During his occupancy, Rothschild, who passed away in 2015 in Honolulu, gave the estate its enduring moniker, Kai Moena, or The House of the Resting Sea.

      The compound includes more than 250 feet of beach frontage.

      HET Productions/List Sotheby’s International Realty, Hawaiiv

      The almost 1.4-acre oceanfront spread comprises two subdivided parcels with a total of close to 15,000 square feet of living space, with 10 bedrooms and eight full bathrooms (plus three powder rooms) split between the two homes. Between the two parcels, the compound has more than 255 feet of beachfrontage, so you’re never far from sticking your toes in the sand. Both abodes are decked out with soaring vaulted ceilings and natural flagstone flooring, making for seamless indoor-outdoor living, and there are many traditional Hawaii design elements too, including rich tropical mahogany and bamboo. 

      RELATED: Kelly Slater’s Hawaiian Hideaway Hits the Market for $20 Million

      The plush pad also packs plenty of perks. “It’s like your own mini Four Seasons Resort,” Kim told Mansion Global. Along with a lagoon-style pool with cascading waterfalls, which is the perfect place to soak up those stunning Aloha State sunsets, some of the other standout features include a private fitness center, a dedicated massage room, a dry sauna, and a movie theater. If you’re more of the active type, there’s also an oceanfront tennis court.

      There are 10 bedrooms divided between the property’s two homes.

      HET Productions/List Sotheby’s International Realty, Hawaii

      For years, A-listers and high-net-worth shoppers have been flocking to Hawaii and buying up land across the state. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been building himself a survivalist-style compound in Kauai dubbed Koolau Ranch, estimated to be worth an eye-watering $270 million once complete. The tech billionaire has already dropped $170 million in land purchases alone and plans to shell out an additional $100 million in building costs. When it’s finished, the property will feature two homes, a secret tunnel that leads to a bunker, a gym, multiple pools, and 11 treehouses.

      RELATED: An Artist’s Honolulu Home Hits the Market for $9.3 Million

      At the same time, Oprah Winfrey is considered one of the biggest landowners in Maui, and last year she added another plot to her expanding Hawaii real estate portfolio. The mogul purchased a sprawling 870 acres in Kula for $6.6 million, adding to the more than 100 acres she already owned. The property is a former equestrian ranch and is where the TV titan now grows her own fresh fruit and vegetables. 

      Click here to see more photos of Kai Moena. 

      HET Productions/List Sotheby’s International Realty, Hawaii

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, entertainment, dining, travel to…

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      Mark Zuckerburg Is Reportedly Building Himself a $270 Million Survivalist Compound in Hawaii

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      Mark Zuckerberg is making sure that when doomsday comes, he’s prepared with an ultra-secluded, Leave the World Behind-type hideaway.

      Per a recent investigation by Wired, the Meta CEO is reportedly building himself a sprawling 1,400-acre compound in Hawaii that will comprise at least 30 bedrooms and 30 bathrooms, divided among more than a dozen different structures. According to documents obtained by the publication, the Facebook founder has already shelled out a whopping $170 million in land purchases in Kauai beginning in August 2014 and will eventually fork over at least another $100 million in building costs.

      At the center of the vast compound, called Koolau Ranch, will be two mansions sitting atop a survivalist bunker. The two residential buildings will total about 57,000 square feet and include elevators, an industrial kitchen, and conference rooms. Plans show that many of the doors throughout the home are expected to be soundproofed and operated via keypad. The dwellings will be joined by a secret tunnel that leads to a 5,000-square-foot underground shelter that’s protected behind a metal door filled with concrete. The bunker will feature its own living space, a mechanical room, and an escape hatch. The property aims to be further self-sufficient with an 18-foot-tall water tank and the ability to produce its own energy and food supplies.

      Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is building himself a 1,400-acre residential compound in Kauai named Koolau Ranch.

      Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

      The compound won’t, however, be all post-apocalyptic doom and gloom. Not only does it function as a comfortable family retreat, but there are plans for a wellness center that includes a full-size gym, multiple pools, a sauna, a steam room, and a tennis court. Elsewhere, 11 circular treehouses will be joined by rope bridges so that visitors can climb from one treehouse to the next without stepping foot on the ground.

      The compound’s residential structures are hidden from the road, tucked behind a six-foot wall, and monitored by round-the-clock security guards. And, due to the scope and nature of the project, anyone who works on Zuckerberg’s property signs a strict nondisclosure agreement, sources told the publication. “For a private project to have an NDA attached to it is very rare,” a local construction official explained to Wired.

      Whether the tech billionaire will use Koolau Ranch as a part-time or full-time family retreat is still unknown. However, the magazine reported that he’s already hosted two different corporate events at the compound, so its charms, luxuries, and secrets may not stay so secret for long.

      Authors

      Abby Montanez

      Abigail Montanez is a staff writer at Robb Report. She has worked in both print and digital publishing for over half a decade, covering everything from real estate, dining, travel and topics…

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