A 20,900-square-foot estate once featured on MTV’s “Cribs” sold at auction in mid-December, notching the most expensive home sale that month in Houston.
The Royal Oaks property at 3102 Noble Lakes Lane hit the market with a $9.9 million asking price, and was previously owned by former NBA All-Star Nick Van Exel, according to the Houston Chronicle. Van Exel showcased the six-bedroom, six-bathroom four-story mansion during the early-2000s run of “Cribs,” cementing its place in reality TV lore and Houston luxury real estate trivia.
The final sale price wasn’t disclosed.
Harris County deed records show Bank of America picked up the property at a foreclosure auction in 2012 for $2.1 million. The bank sold it later that year for an undisclosed sum to a Houston couple, who proceeded to dramatically raise the home’s profile and price tag, according to the publication.
Those owners poured more than $14 million into renovations, Diana Kingshill of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty told the outlet. Kingshill co-listed the estate with Jason Lee Villarreal, and the sellers ultimately took the auction route, closing the deal through Concierge Auctions in December.
Perched on a hillside overlooking Royal Oaks Country Club, the mansion was designed for large-scale entertaining. Amenities include a private bowling alley, a 13-seat home theater, a 3,000-gallon aquarium stocked with albino mini sharks and an infinity-edge pool with views of the adjacent lake and golf course, the outlet reported.
Designed by architect Paul Olson, the estate features 72 custom walnut doors, including an 18-foot-tall entry door once believed to be among the largest ever installed in a private home. Additional highlights include two full kitchens, a 260-bottle wine display, a sauna and a fully outfitted barbershop.
Van Exel, who earned an All-Star nod with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1998, spent 13 seasons in the NBA and maintained Houston ties during off-seasons.
— Eric Weilbacher
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