Oh, what a tangled web they’ve woven! After months of denying the reports, YouTube’s endlessly controversial ACE Family — comprised of married super-influencers Austin McBroom and Catherine McBroom (née Dolores Paiz), plus their three young children — finally admitted to losing their California mega-mansion to the hungry jaws of foreclosure.
In late November, the McBrooms released an hour-long YouTube video explaining the circumstances that led them to acquire and eventually default on the flawed property. Per the couple, it was a cabal of unscrupulous people — an unlicensed contractor, a shady architect and even their own realtor — who “screwed [Austin and me]” out of “millions of dollars.”
That video went viral, and has since racked up nearly 4.5 million views, though it’s been met with decidedly mixed reactions. While the family’s longtime fans rallied around them, various other YouTubers and creators were far more harsh, releasing spoofs and compiling evidence to dispute some of the McBrooms’ head-scratching claims.
The empty house has now been put up for grabs as a foreclosure sale, presumably because the lenders would like to recoup some of their losses. Though the current listing bravely sidesteps mentioning any of the mansion’s problems, there are many — and the McBrooms were only too happy to expose all the construction defects in their video. Per the family, there are multiple water leaks, uneven and improperly grouted floors, and a swimming pool that doesn’t actually hold water — and that’s just for starters. The house also has (had?) no gas or hot water; Catherine claimed she was forced to “give my babies cold baths” for an extended period of time. How or when that troubling situation was remedied remains unclear.
-
Image Credit: Redfin What’s certain is the following: sometime in 2018, the McBrooms agreed to buy the palatial hilltop estate, which consists of three side-by-side parcels of land totaling nearly two acres. At the time, there were two unfinished mansions on the premises, though the McBrooms commissioned the developer to combine the two structures into one supersized mega-mansion, complete with 12 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms in upwards of 13,000 square feet.
The deal closed in July 2019, with the McBrooms paying about $10.1 million for the property, a sale price that was backed up by more than $9 million in hard-money, high-interest loans. By early 2021, the entire estate had fallen into foreclosure, with more than $9.3 million (principal and interest) remaining unpaid. The couple’s lenders eventually seized control of the property in November ’21, and the McBrooms moved out at the end of that month.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Commensurate with its ballers-only asking price of nearly $13 million — making it the most expensive house in Woodland Hills by a country mile and then some — the former Ace estate comes equipped with extravagant amenities. The vast motorcourt can easily accommodate upwards of a dozen cars. There’s also garaging for six additional vehicles, plus a half-court basketball court, an in-ground trampoline and backyard putting green. Best of all are the nearly 360-degree views, which sweep over a huge swath of the San Fernando Valley.
Located at 4838 Calderon Road, the property is also equipped with drought-tolerant AstroTurf instead of real grass, a boon in searingly hot Woodland Hills — where temperatures have been known to spike past 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Though they lived in the mansion for more than two years, the McBrooms never received a certificate of occupancy from the city of Los Angeles, meaning they were never legally allowed to occupy the giant place. Not only will the new owners have to fix all the construction defects, they’ll also be responsible for seeking and obtaining that elusive certificate — all before they can move into their palatial new home.
-
Image Credit: Redfin The ultra-contemporary structure wouldn’t look out of place in Miami — the house is almost blindingly white throughout, and there are hundreds of recessed LED lights, adding to the corporate appearance. In their video, the McBrooms revealed they recently paid $43,000 to replace the front door and its surrounding panels with the black metal creation above.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Interior spaces are vast and primed for throwing huge events.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Walls of glass flood the interiors with natural light — which could be a good or bad thing, depending on the time of year.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Due to the mansion’s unusual roots as two separate homes, there are some concessions that were made. For one thing, the kitchen — while sumptuously equipped with stone countertops and luxe applainces — seems quite small for such a massive house.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Still, the upstairs primary suite is gigantic and boasts impressive views, a large stone bathroom and custom closet.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin There’s also a balcony overlooking the infamous swimming pool and nearby sports court.
-
Image Credit: Redfin -
Image Credit: Redfin Despite the foreclosure, don’t cry for the McBrooms. The family — who still boast nearly 19 million subscribers on YouTube alone — are still living large. They’ve already posted a tour video showing fans around their lavish new house, believed to be a rental mansion at an undisclosed location somewhere in the L.A. area. That new estate includes an ultra-chic kitchen, backyard swimming pool, guesthouse and a full-size sports court.
-
Image Credit: Redfin Ernie Carswell and Rick Tyberg of Douglas Elliman hold the Woodland Hills listing.
-
Image Credit: Redfin