Mansion owners have hilarious complaints about how difficult it is to be rich
In a new article in The Wall Street Journal, mansion owners have gone on the record to say that living large isn't as easy as it sounds.
The homeowners have complaints ranging from employing enough staff members to contacting family members in opposite ends of the house.
The first homeowner profiled, Claudio Stivelman, owns an 11,000-square-foot house in Golden Beach, Florida. Stivelman said that hiring staffers was just too much work, and that he's leaving his home. He employed "two housekeepers, a weekly handyman, and regular visits from a pool guy, landscaper and pesticide sprayer," the Journal reports. Stivelman said he was "tired of...all this maintenance."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Carolyn Mullany-Jackson, meanwhile, resides in a comfortable 20,000-square-foot home in Paradise Valley, Arizona, and said it's far too difficult to contact others in the home "when they are out of shouting range." Mullany-Jackson told the Journal that sometimes she will resort to texting the others rather than use the house's intercom system.
Norm Snyder, who, along with his wife, is selling his 14,000-square-foot house on Kent Island in Maryland, had a similar problem with his residence. The home includes a nightclub with a stage and full bar, a car showroom, and a two-story movie theater, along with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. "It took me six months to find my way around and feel comfortable," Snyder said.
The Journal also notes that while the size of the average American home is increasing, the 2013 average was still only 2,598 feet, making these mansions far from common. And if you're wondering, the average asking price for homes larger than 10,000 square feet is $3.5 million.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
'Make legal immigration a more plausible option'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
LA-to-Las Vegas high-speed rail line breaks ground
Speed Read The railway will be ready as soon as 2028
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel's military intelligence chief resigns
Speed Read Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva is the first leader to quit for failing to prevent the Hamas attack in October
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Why Johnson won't just pass Ukraine aid
Speed Read The House Speaker could have sent $60 billion in military aid to Ukraine — but it would have split his caucus
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's first criminal trial starts with jury picks
Speed Read The former president faces charges related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published