Owning a home once lived in by a household name could be more than just a talking point – it might also help when it comes to selling.
According to new research from Beauchamp Estates, the ultra-prime London agency, homes linked to A-list celebrities sell in roughly half the time of a standard listing.
Its Homes of the Rich and Famous survey found that while the average prime central London property takes between 12 and 14 months to sell, celebrity-owned or celebrity-associated homes typically change hands within just four to six months – and occasionally in a matter of days.
Beauchamp’s analysis drew on data from its website, which attracts more than one million annual visits, along with social media engagement, media coverage and sales timelines for celebrity homes marketed between 2023 and 2025. The firm compared these listings with similar properties in the same streets or neighbourhoods.
MARKETING MOMENTUM
The results suggest that star power translates directly into marketing momentum. On average, celebrity-linked listings received ten times more online page views than comparable homes – around 8,500 to 10,000 per property – and up to 40 times more mentions across social media.
In the traditional media, some sales generated hundreds of articles worldwide, providing what the firm describes as “thousands of pounds worth of free publicity” for vendors.
Despite this flurry of attention, the number of serious registered enquiries remains similar to standard properties. What changes, however, is buyer motivation: celebrity homes attract roughly double the number of formal offers.
Photo Credit: Tony Murray
Among the most high-profile recent examples was the £6.95 million Belgravia penthouse once owned by Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, sold in 2025 just three months after being listed.
The 2,600 sq ft apartment on Eaton Place attracted over 2,000 online views within weeks and multiple offers, before being bought by a young European couple drawn to its musical heritage.
ROLLING STONES
Nearby properties of similar size and value, Beauchamp notes, have yet to sell.
In the same year, the firm marketed Mick Jagger and Marianne Faithfull’s former Marylebone home – a £5.5 million sub-penthouse in Harley House, their base during the 1960s (main picture).
The listing received over 1,000 web views within two weeks and sold inside six months to a domestic buyer who happened to be a Rolling Stones fan.
Tim Burton’s former Primrose Hill mansion, Eglon House, sold for £17.5 million in 2023 to a British media entrepreneur – one of the area’s highest ever recorded prices.
Photo credit: Joas Souza_18
Originally listed at £20 million, the 13,000 sq ft house, where Burton worked on his 2019 film Dumbo, had been on the market for four months before its sale.
ROYAL CONNECTIONS
Other celebrity-linked homes have changed hands even faster. In 2024, Countess Raine Spencer’s former Mayfair townhouse on Charles Street, once the setting for Princess Diana’s first meeting with Dodi Fayed, sold within 24 hours of listing.
Priced at £10.95 million, it received two immediate offers after a surge of social-media publicity.
Similarly, the former London home of Rihanna – an eight-bedroom property in St John’s Wood – sold in 2023 for £27.5 million to a young Chinese buyer, following a brief marketing period accompanied by a worldwide media buzz.
Beauchamp notes that around 95% of celebrity property transactions still occur off-market, often protected by non-disclosure agreements.
Even so, word of a potential sale typically “ripples” through London’s network of agents, buying consultants and brokers, fuelling what Managing Director Jeremy Gee describes as a “whispering campaign” that helps generate offers.
For buyers, purchasing a home with a famous past can bring hidden advantages.
HIGH-QUALITY
Gee says: “A-list celebrities tend to be financially successful people who can afford to buy the very best homes and maintain them beautifully.
“So therefore buying a home previously owned by a celebrity can provide a high-quality, well-maintained property which is extremely advantageous when it needs to be resold. It’s like buying an iconic Picasso painting.”
The firm’s survey found that over 80% of celebrity-owned homes sold since 2023 have benefited from top-tier presentation and design, often featuring interiors by renowned designers and bespoke architectural details.
Yahya Swallem, Beauchamp Estates’ senior sales consultant who handled the sale of McVie’s penthouse, says such listings are “a dream to market”.
“The Fleetwood Mac connection gave the Eaton Place property massive global exposure,” he says.
“The digital footprint it created would have cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to replicate in advertising – a huge saving for both the agent and vendor.”
Rosy Khalastchy, head of Beauchamp’s St John’s Wood office, believes the appeal goes beyond publicity.
“Some buyers like the bragging rights,” she says. “They enjoy telling friends that they own a trophy home once lived in by a famous person. There’s also an element of celebrity endorsement — if a house was good enough for that person, it’s good enough for me.”
However, the firm cautions that fame alone does not guarantee a premium price. Even the most glamorous address must still meet the fundamentals of location, quality, and market-sensitive pricing.
Gee adds: “Buying a celebrity-linked home, especially one with a Blue Plaque or clear historical record, can be a real asset for marketing. But it still has to be immaculately presented and priced sensibly. Having a celebrity ‘pre-owned’ home doesn’t mean it will sell quickly if the asking price is unrealistic.”
As the recent sales of homes once belonging to Christine McVie, Mick Jagger and Tim Burton demonstrate, a touch of stardust can make a tangible difference.
When the property is priced right, the magic of celebrity association – and the whisper network that follows – can turn an ordinary listing into a headline-grabbing success story.
