The Orange County Register - OCRegister
When a secluded luxury estate in the Santa Ana Mountains of South Orange County wouldn't sell, Realtor Cheryl Cooper found an innovative way to make money off the property despite the recession.
The owners, whom Cooper declined to identify, built Château Meritage as a place to host charity events. In 2008, they decided to sell the home. It was listed on the market for four months at a price of $3.89 million. While it was listed, Cooper got inquiries from people not interested in buying the home, but renting it.
"When people came out to see the place they started asking if they could get married there or use the property to rent out as an out-of-the-way place to stay," said Cooper.
Cooper said it was originally word of mouth that started what has become a business that Cooper manages while still selling real estate.
"It's a little bit of bread and butter to carry me from real estate transaction to transaction," Cooper said.
The approximately 5,000-square-foot home and guest house sit on 4.2 acres behind a gate in their own small valley away from prying eyes, completely surround by foothills. That seclusion is one of the estate's selling points to celebrities, corporate CEOs and politicians that Cooper receives inquiries from.
