Honey Co-Founder Buys the $18 Million House Next Door
It’s been only four months since tech entrepreneur George Ruan, the co-founder and primary force behind electronic coupon-clipping browser extension Honey, and his wife paid $60 million for an unfinished Bel Air estate with 21,000 square feet of living space and 1.2 acres of land. But the couple are already expanding — property records reveal they’ve paid another $18 million for a neighboring property that partially wraps around their existing fiefdom.
The new 2.3-acre acquisition includes a? large but decoratively dated Mediterranean-style villa set on a knoll behind large gates. Long owned by Emmy-winning comedic actor Harvey Korman, the mansion was formerly used to host lavish events where frequent attendees included Carol Burnett and Tim Conway. Following Korman’s death, his widow Deborah sold the house in June 2017 — amid much publicity — for $14 million to buyers who appear to have made few changes to the property in the three years since.
Originally built in 1976, the 6,600 sq. ft. structure was heavily modified in the 1990s and now includes a master suite with dual baths and dressing rooms. There’s also a lighted tennis court and a pool/spa combo surrounded by a large spa, while the sizable motorcourt can accommodate two dozen luxury automobiles.
Nice as those features are, it seems obvious Ruan acquired the Korman estate not for the house itself but rather for its valuable land, which directly adjoins his mansion at the end of a hidden cul-de-sac in the upper Bel Air neighborhood. The new acquisition beefs up his $78 million compound to total 3.5 acres of prime L.A. hillside, with jetliner views from the Century City skyline across to the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island on the horizon.
Ruan, now in his early 40s, founded Honey in late 2012 and sold the company to PayPal earlier this year for a record $4 billion, L.A.’s biggest-ever tech acquisition. His still-under construction, ultra-contemporary Bel Air masterpiece was designed by South Africa-based architecture firm SAOTA and includes an infinity pool, formal gardens, and soaring walls of glass.
Launch Gallery: Inside George Ruan's Spare Bel Air Mansion
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