Celeb R.E.: Tom Petty's Former Rancho Estates Mansion, Now Selena Gomez's, Hits the Market Again

Tom Petty and Selena Gomez image courtesy Wikipedia Commons

Longtime readers of this blog may remember that we first covered the longtime former Encino home of rock legend Tom Petty back in August 2013, when the property was owned by Petty’s ex-wife, Jane Benyo Petty. At that time, the Rancho Estates-area home was listed for $3,575,000, and the history was already wild enough to make it one of the Valley’s more interesting celebrity real estate stories.

That history is worth revisiting because the home is now back on the market, this time with a second major music-world connection: Selena Gomez.

According to the current brokerage listing, the gated estate is listed for $6,495,000 and is described as a private celebrity compound with 6 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and approximately 11,483 square feet on a lot just under an acre. The listing also leans into the property’s layered celebrity history, noting its ties to both Tom Petty and Selena Gomez.

The deeper story begins with Petty. He owned a home on this same Encino site going back to the early 1980s. On May 17, 1987, an arsonist set the house on fire while Petty, Jane, and their daughter were reportedly sitting down to breakfast. Everyone escaped safely, and firefighters were able to save the basement recording studio, along with master tapes and Petty’s Gibson Dove acoustic guitar. His signature gray top hat was reportedly lost in the fire.

Petty rebuilt on the same lot in 1989, using fire-resistant materials, and that rebuilt estate is the home that still stands today. The property became part of Petty’s post-divorce history after his split from Jane Benyo, who kept the home after the divorce. It later went through a difficult stretch involving foreclosure, rental activity, and reports of notorious party-house use before eventually changing hands again.

Fast forward to 2020, when Selena Gomez quietly purchased the estate for about $4.9 million. Gomez appears to have put her own stamp on the property during her ownership, including updates such as a glam room. The kitchen also became familiar to fans of her HBO Max cooking series Selena + Chef, with reports noting that the whitewashed brick around the cooking area served as a recognizable backdrop during the show’s early seasons.

The estate itself still fits the creative-compound storyline. It is marketed as a gated, three-story retreat tucked at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a dramatic two-story great room, skylit stone fireplace, former music studio, recording or vocal booth, wine cellar, gym, media room, hidden passageways, panic rooms, sunken performance space, pool, cabana, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and lush landscaping.

That mix of privacy, music history, and unusual features makes the property feel less like a standard Encino mansion and more like a private creative retreat. It reflects an older version of Valley celebrity living: tucked away, heavily landscaped, built for both privacy and creative work, and still close to the studios and music industry centers of Los Angeles.

This is not the first time this blog has tracked Gomez’s real estate moves. Back in 2012, the blog covered one of her former Valley homes during the Tarzana / Jonah Hill rumor cycle. That rumor later turned out to be more complicated than first reported, but the property still became part of Gomez’s early Valley real estate history. She listed that Tarzana home in 2014, and it was later sold to Nick Young and Iggy Azalea.

Around the same period, Gomez quietly purchased a gated Calabasas mansion, which this blog also covered in 2014. She later listed that Calabasas home in 2015, after less than two years of ownership. The Encino / Rancho Estates purchase appears to be the next major Valley-area chapter after those earlier moves.

Since then, Gomez’s overall real estate footprint has expanded, especially following her relationship and marriage to producer Benny Blanco. Reports have tied the couple to a much larger Beverly Hills estate purchased for roughly $35 million, while Blanco has also owned properties in the Hollywood Hills, Beverly Grove, West Hollywood, Malibu, and New York.

For Gomez, the current Encino listing may represent the closing of one of her pre-marriage real estate chapters. For Tom Petty fans, however, the house remains much more than a celebrity-owned mansion. It is a custom-built Encino estate born from one of the most dramatic moments in Petty’s life, rebuilt after the 1987 arson fire and preserved as a music-oriented creative compound.

There is also an earlier Hollywood connection to the property before the Tom Petty and Selena Gomez chapters.

According to a Los Angeles Times article dated September 6, 1965, actor Victor Buono was living at this same Encino property at the time. That connection is further supported by a later 1966 pool permit, which appears to confirm Buono’s ownership or occupancy of the Rancho Estates home during that period.

Victor Buono Encino Rancho Estates Tom Petty Selena Gomez

Image courtesy LAPL/Valley Times Collection

Buono would have been in his late 20s at the time, just before becoming widely recognized as King Tut on the campy 1960s Batman television series. He was already a working character actor with film and television credits, including his Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated supporting role as pianist Edwin Flagg in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? opposite Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

Known for his booming voice and larger-than-life screen presence, Buono was often cast as memorable heavies, villains, and pompous authority figures. His later credits included The Wild Wild West, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Robin and the 7 Hoods, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and a late-career role on Taxi.

That makes the property’s celebrity timeline even more layered: first connected to Victor Buono in the 1960s, later rebuilt and made famous through Tom Petty’s ownership, and more recently tied to Selena Gomez.

Today, the property tells three celebrity stories at once: 1960s television and film through Victor Buono, classic rock through Tom Petty, and modern pop through Selena Gomez. In a Valley increasingly filled with new spec mansions, this Rancho Estates property stands out because it carries a layered creative identity that goes back more than half a century.

Property Details

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Current asking price: $6,495,000

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Location: Encino / Rancho Estates area

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Bedrooms / bathrooms: 6 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms

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Size: Approximately 11,483 square feet

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Lot: Just under one acre

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Earlier celebrity connection: A 1966 pool permit indicates actor Victor Buono was connected to the Rancho Estates property during the 1960s.

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Tom Petty connection: Custom-built for Tom Petty and Jane Benyo after the 1987 arson fire

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Later celebrity connection: Purchased by Selena Gomez in 2020

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Notable features: Gated setting, three-story layout, two-story great room, skylit stone fireplace, former music studio, recording or vocal booth, wine cellar, gym, media room, hidden passageways, panic rooms, sunken performance space, pool, cabana, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, and lush landscaping

Victor Buono Connection

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1966: A pool permit associated with the property appears to connect the Rancho Estates home to actor Victor Buono.

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Batman fame: Buono became widely known as King Tut on the 1960s Batman TV series.

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Film recognition: Buono earned Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his supporting role in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

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Other credits: His work included The Wild Wild West, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, Robin and the 7 Hoods, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, and Taxi.

Tom Petty Connection

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Early 1980s: Petty owned a home on the same Encino site.

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May 17, 1987: The earlier house was destroyed in an arson fire while Petty and his family were home.

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1989: Petty rebuilt the current estate with fire-resistant materials.

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1996: The property became part of the Petty / Benyo divorce history, with Jane Benyo keeping the home.

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2013: This blog covered the property when Jane Benyo Petty listed it for $3,575,000.

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2020: Selena Gomez purchased the home for about $4.9 million.

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2026: Gomez listed the estate for $6,495,000.

Selena Gomez Valley Real Estate Mentions on the Blog

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2012: This blog covered one of Gomez’s former Valley homes during the Tarzana / Jonah Hill rumor cycle.

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2014: This blog covered Gomez listing her Tarzana home, which later sold to Nick Young and Iggy Azalea.

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2014: This blog covered Gomez quietly purchasing a gated Calabasas mansion.

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2015: This blog covered Gomez moving out of Calabasas after less than two years of ownership.

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2026: Gomez’s former Tom Petty / Rancho Estates property now appears to be the next major Valley-area chapter coming to a close.

Gomez and Blanco Real Estate Footprint

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Woodland Hills: Gomez purchased a gated home in 2017 that has been reported as occupied by her mother and stepfather.

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Beverly Hills: Gomez and Benny Blanco reportedly purchased a much larger estate for roughly $35 million.

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Hollywood Hills: Blanco has owned and renovated a Hollywood Hills property previously connected to Tinder co-founder Sean Rad.

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Beverly Grove: Blanco has owned a Spanish-style bungalow in the Beverly Grove area.

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West Hollywood: Blanco’s earlier real estate holdings include a contemporary mini-compound with a guesthouse.

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Malibu: Blanco was also reported to have owned a Malibu beach cottage once connected to actor Edward Norton, which was reportedly destroyed in the Palisades Fire.

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New York: Blanco also reportedly sold a longtime Chelsea bachelor pad.