Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
What properties were in Jeffrey Epstein's estate?
Executive summary
Jeffrey Epstein owned a global portfolio that prominently included a Manhattan Upper East Side townhouse, a Palm Beach waterfront estate, a New Mexico ranch (“Zorro Ranch”), an apartment in Paris, and two private Caribbean islands (Little St. James and Great Saint James); his executors later sold those holdings and the estate paid victims and administrative costs as properties changed hands [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]. Reporting shows the estate’s real-estate holdings were valued in the low hundreds of millions and that most properties have been sold since Epstein’s death, producing proceeds used for estate administration and victim compensation [5] [3] [2].
1. The headline properties: islands, townhouse, Palm Beach, New Mexico ranch
Jeffrey Epstein’s best-known real estate assets were two private U.S. Virgin Islands—Little St. James (often described in reporting as “Little St. Jeff”) and nearby Great St. James—an Upper East Side, seven‑story Beaux‑Arts townhouse at 9 East 71st Street in Manhattan, a Palm Beach waterfront compound purchased in 1990, and a sprawling “Zorro Ranch” in New Mexico of more than 8,000 acres with a reported 30,000‑square‑foot main house [1] [2] [4] [3].
2. What happened to those properties after his death
After Epstein’s August 2019 death, estate executors put the properties on the market and sold most of them over the following years; for example, the Manhattan townhouse eventually sold in 2021 (reported around $50–51 million), the Palm Beach home was sold and later demolished, the New Mexico ranch was sold (buyer and price often kept confidential), and the islands were reported sold to buyers such as Stephen Deckoff in 2023 [2] [3] [4] [5].
3. How the sales fed the victims’ compensation and estate expenses
Executors and reporting indicate proceeds from property disposals were used for estate administration, creditor payments, and to fund victim compensation programs. Forbes reported that the estate paid out most sale proceeds to the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program and related trusts while retaining roughly $50 million from sales; the estate’s filings showed a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar picture that evolved with tax refunds and revised valuations [5] [6].
4. Valuations and accounting: shifting numbers and a tax refund
Initial post‑death valuations put Epstein’s net worth and real‑estate slice at several hundred million dollars, with real estate roughly $117 million of that valuation; subsequent sales and an IRS tax refund reshaped the estate’s numbers. Forbes reported executors had valued the estate at $578 million after death, that properties sold between 2021–2023 for roughly $160 million, and that a $112 million IRS refund left the estate with $131 million in assets as of a recent filing [5].
5. Legal and public scrutiny tied to the properties
Epstein’s properties were not just financial assets; they were focal points of investigations and litigation. Prosecutors referenced the Upper East Side townhouse and Palm Beach property in charging materials; congressional oversight teams have also received and released documents from the Epstein estate, underlining that the properties and associated records remain central to accountability efforts [1] [7] [8].
6. Reporting disagreements and limits of available sources
Different outlets report varying sale prices, buyers, and timing: for example, estate‑level summaries in Forbes and Mansion Global give overlapping but not identical totals and dates for each sale, and some purchase details remain confidential in filings [5] [3]. Available sources do not mention a single, definitive master list compiled in one public filing that reconciles every parcel, price, and purchaser; some municipal and private sale records are reported only piecemeal [5] [3].
7. Why it matters now: victims, taxation, and public records
The disposition of Epstein’s real estate has real consequences: proceeds helped pay hundreds of millions in settlements and compensation according to reporting, the estate sought and received significant tax adjustments, and congressional releases of estate documents continue to generate news and political friction [5] [6] [7]. Observers who follow estate administration emphasize that property sales both funded victim relief and reduced the assets available to heirs or other claimants [5].
8. Bottom line and recommended next steps for readers
If you want a verified, item‑by‑item accounting of every parcel, price, and buyer, current reporting assembled here shows most major assets and their broad outcomes but not always complete transactional detail; consult the estate’s court filings and the quarterly accountings referenced by estate counsel for the authoritative record, and track follow‑up reporting from outlets such as Forbes and Mansion Global for sale disclosures and accounting updates [5] [3].