Overview
- The 21,182-square-foot Olympia Fields estate closed in mid-October for about $1.6 million to an unidentified buyer, well below its $3.49 million 2024 listing.
- Seller Elaine Isley listed the property after the 2023 death of her husband, Isley Brothers co-founder Rudolph Isley, who bought it out of foreclosure in 2013 for $587,500 and restored it.
- Listing agent Alex Wolking cited a 2023 tax bill near $250,000 and the home’s extreme size as major obstacles, noting an appeal reduced the assessment from roughly $4.7 million to $2.6 million.
- Brokers characterized the sale as consistent with a softer high-end market in the Chicago area, with slower sales, steeper cuts, and more cash transactions.
- Once R. Kelly’s recording base, the mansion featured in 2021 trial testimony about strict controls over women, and it includes theatrical amenities such as a jungle-themed indoor pool and a nine-car garage.