Jerry Rice Cashes In in Atherton

SELLER: Jerry and Jackie Rice
LOCATION: Atherton Avenue, Atherton, CA
PRICE: $22,000,000
SIZE: 16,180 square feet, 7 bedrooms, 7 full and 3 half bathrooms
DESCRIPTION: Very elegant California French Style on three levels with six bedroom suites, seven full and three half baths. First level library and additional upstairs office. Grand formal entry way, step down living room, family room with full bar, fabulous gourmet kitchen, first level home theatre, lower level game room with full bar, wine room, crafts room and full gym and underground, seven car garage with individual doors. The home features over 2 million dollars worth of electronics and security system with fully automated smart home features. Private and gated grounds on an approx 1.4 acres with swimming pool and spa, covered veranda with built-in heaters and speakers and stone outdoor fireplace, guest house with kitchenette and full bath surrounded by luscious lawns, fountains, pond and majestic trees for the utmost in privacy and security.

YOUR MAMAS NOTES: As the children might imagine, Your Mama did not know who retired professional footballer Jerry Rice was until we did a quick search on the internets. Turns out he is a very accomplished man who won three big and gaudy Super Bowl rings (have you seen one of these monsters?) as a ball catcher with the San Francisco 49ers and in the process earned lots of awards, accolades, records and money.

Anyhoo, Mister Rice and his wifey Jackie have recently put their Atherton, CA estate on the market for a spine crunching $22,000,000. For the children who don't know Bay Area geography, let Your Mama school you a little. Atherton lies just south of San Francisco and it's known for its posh, dignified, and outrageously expensive estates. Some (although not Your Mama) might even call it the Beverly Hills of the Bay Area, and unless you're swimming in paper, don't even bother looking for a house in Atherton.

The Rice pad occupies a 1.4 acre flag lot that property records indicate they purchased in July of 1997 for $2,656,354. The sporty couple spent several years designing, planning and building the three level, 16,180 square foot house and only finished building their "California French" style dream house with 6 bedrooms suites 7 full and 3 half bathrooms five years ago.

According to listing information, there are scads of amenities that a ridiculous rich internet multi millionaire might appreciate...like an underground 7 car garage for the fleet of hybrids (this is the socially conscious Bay Area after all), over two million dollars in electronics and security, a first level home theatre, and a 5,000+ square foot basement level that includes a game room, full bar, wine room, a full gym and a crafts room (is this sorta like Miz Candy Spelling's gift wrapping room?).

Outside, on the private and gated property, we find a heated swimming pool and spa, a covered veranda with built in speakers and outdoor fireplace, "luscious lawns," fountains, a dog run/kennel, and a guest house with kitchenette and full bath. But no tennis court.

Personally, we don't like the faux chateau exterior of the house or the interior decor for which we're quite sure some queen charged Miz Jackie Rice an arm, a leg, and then some. Unless a house is sitting directly on the ocean where postage stamp lot sizes are standard, for $22,000,000, whether anyone uses it or not, Your Mama needs to see a tennis court and we don't see one here. Pity.

Let's do a little math here, kids. Property records show the Rice couple paid just over $2,6000,000 for the property. And for the sake of argument, let's just say they spent another ten or eleven million clams building the monster mansion, which wouldn't seem unbelievable, right? That means they could potentially haul a huge truckload of money to the bank if they sell this place anywhere near its asking price.

Not a bad way to make a few million bucks.