Los Angeles

A LOS Angeles mega-mansion that was the biggest US home to ever go up for auction sold for US$141 million, including commissions, when bidding closed Thursday (Mar 3).

The 21-bedroom, 49-bath hilltop Bel Air estate - dubbed "The One" - had a list price of US$295 million.

Developer Nile Niami said in 2015 that he would ask US$500 million for the Bel Air property, which also has 5 swimming pools and a 30-car garage.

The highest offer was US$126 million, according to a spokesperson for Concierge Auctions, which ran the sale.

A 12 per cent commission for the auction house boosted the total price to US$141 million - more than double the previous record for a US home auction, the company said in a statement.

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Other auctions of luxury properties have fallen short of asking prices.

The Villa Firenze in Beverly Hills, California, fetched US$51 million last year after Concierge Auctions conducted a sale with a US$160 million asking price. The identity of the top bidder wasn't immediately available.

The sale requires approval by a bankruptcy court judge, with a closing scheduled by Mar 21, according to a court filing. "I think the court should approve the amount," said Los Angeles billionaire Don Hankey, who is the largest single creditor.

Court records show he is owed US$124 million for loans and advances to the project. He said in an e-mail that he wasn't the high bidder, but declined to say whether he entered the auction.

Niami, a former film producer, spent almost a decade developing "The One" before lenders moved to foreclose on the project. That led his firm, Crestlloyd LLC, to file for bankruptcy last year, setting up the auction.

The project has US$196.4 million in secured debt and US$59.3 million in unsecured debt, according to a Mar 2 filing by David Golubchik, the bankruptcy attorney representing Crestlloyd.

More than 40 potential buyers toured the property, including representatives of Middle Eastern royalty, Asian high-net-worth families and US tech titans. BLOOMBERG