The only thing more impressive than buying and building a $16 million house in all cash is doing it twice — and that’s what Christian personal finance guru Dave Ramsey plans to do.
The man who famously disavowed debt has listed his home in Franklin, Tennessee, outside Nashville for almost $16 million after about 12 years of living in the 13,500-square-foot, six-bedroom, seven-bathroom property. He plans to use the money to build a new home without taking out a mortgage.
“The Nashville real estate market is so great right now, Dave and Sharon are taking the opportunity to build on land they own south of the city,” Ramsey Solutions spokeswoman Megan McConnell told the Nashville Business Journal.
Nashville luxury homes are selling for about 22% more than they were at the same time last year, according to the Luxury Home Marketing luxury monthly market report.
Ramsey’s shingled home for sale has a large car park surrounded by immaculate landscaping and pierced with an ornate center fountain featuring spitting lions’ heads and horses, plus maidens strumming mandolins. The house is lit in the listing photos to showcase its brick-and-stone exterior.
The fenced-in 14-acre lot has 6,000 square feet of covered outdoor space including a covered patio, a covered porch, a screened patio and three double-wood door garages with room for eight cars — or “toys,” according to the listing. The house also has several terraces on the upper floors.
Large windows overlook a blue-lit infinity pool in the backyard with a jacuzzi inset, a built-in waterfall and jumping fountains. A grill area offers seating at 1,150 feet in the air, overlooking the city of Nashville and offering sunset views, according to the listing.
The house has five fireplaces, a wet bar, three staircases and Energy Star appliances — plus an air filtration system, which has become a popular amenity during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 500-square-foot eat-in kitchen has a double oven and an additional 400-square-foot formal dining room. The finished basement has a 500-square-foot den with a fireplace, a bedroom and two full bathrooms.
Ramsey’s mansion was formerly at the center of a controversy about whether Christians should have opulent wealth.
“I used to say ignorant things like ‘what does anyone need with [frivolities] like that’ when I was immature. Now I have been blessed to see how God uses people who are obedient when they are broke and when they aren’t,” Ramsey, who is a prominent radio personality and author of 15 books, allegedly told Bible Money Matters.
The listing comes about two weeks after making controversial comments on-air about stimulus checks.
“You have a career problem, you have a debt problem, you have a relationship problem, you have a mental health problem — something else is going on if $600 changes your life,” Ramsey told Fox News, referring to COVID stimulus checks.
Listing broker Kelly Gammer of Capital Realty Group did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication.
