Gene Hackman's Santa Fe Mansion Snapped Up Days After Hitting The Market

Gene Hackman's home must be breaking some real estate listing records, judging by how long it stayed on the market.

The late American actor's sprawling property did not lie fallow for too long, as it is about to become someone else's treasured haven nearly one year after he passed on.

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were found dead inside the home last February, which alerted officials from the Santa Fe County Sheriff's office.

The status of the sale has now been upgraded to "pending" after eleven days by Sotheby's International Realty, which is in charge of the brokerage. Pending in this case reportedly means that there is an accepted buyer offer on the house, and the final steps towards the close of the sale are being worked on.

Hackman's home boasts of a Southwestern-style four-bedroom structure, which sits beautifully on a ranch with a view that anyone would pay a killing for, according to an agent.

The agent added that the home is big and stylish, and even though two people passed away in there, there will still be plenty of offers to grab it.

The agent continued that the security the area offers also makes the home a cynosure of interests, alongside the six acres of land and incredible view of the Rocky Mountains.

As noted by The Daily Mail, Hackman and Arakawa met in the mid 1980s, after which they moved out to Santa Fe, where the latter became the vice president of a home decor and furnishing store in the area.

On January 16, The Blast shared that the home appeared on the market for $6.25 million, and experts suggested that the price may be the starting point for such coveted property.

Hackman's home was designed as a Pueblo revival ranch before it underwent intense remodeling in 1990 and earned a feature on the hallowed pages of Architectural Digest.

When Hackman and his wife's bodies were discovered inside the property, the sight inside was far from the famed appeal of the home. Officers claimed that the interior appeared upside down and littered with clothing, boxes, diapers, and dog cages.

Alongside the dirt was a severe rat infestation, although health officials insisted the living spaces in the home were exempt from rodent presence. However, the placement of the house among the piñon and juniper trees has been found to encourage the possible existence of rodents and wildlife in the area.

News of the couple's death sent shockwaves across Hollywood, especially how their bodies were discovered, spurring speculations of a possible sinister move at play.

Upon law agents' entry into the home, they were met with the couple's heartbroken German Shepherd looking over their lifeless bodies. At the same time, another dog was found dead in a crate near Arakawa.

After extensive investigation, the officials affirmed that Hackman and Arakawa indeed died from health-related issues and not from a third-party attack. The actor's pacemaker showed that he had an abnormal heart rhythm on February 18, 2025, which was believed to be the day he died.

Officials also predicted that their deaths may have happened a week apart, and as for Arakawa, her browsing, emails, and phone call history revealed that she carried out some research about flu-like symptoms and breathing techniques.

The actor's wife also browsed about COVID-19-related illness and possible treatments between February 8 and 12. Body camera footage from the scene showed no signs of forced entry or any disorganization beyond the explainable mess that was discovered.

Arakawa and Hackman left behind an $80 million estate that was riddled with tales of credit card debt months after their deaths. As stated by The Blast, it became public knowledge after they passed that the actor owed Citibank an outstanding credit card balance of $98,345.29.

His wife also failed to offset a credit card debt of $4,329.75 to the Bank of America before she died, forcing these institutions to file recovery claims.

Beyond the debts, it also remained unclear who would get to inherit Hackman's estate, as his last update was in June 2005, where he identified Arakawa as his successor trustee.

The will reportedly left out the names of their three children, Christopher Allen, Elizabeth Jean, and Leslie Anne Hackman, who were estranged from the actor for years leading up to his death. 

The actor, considered one of the greats in Hollywood, mainly preferred life out of the spotlight throughout his career. An attorney representing his estate had argued that the star and his wife went great lengths in making sure that their private life remained off camera.

The attorney, Kurt Sommer, suggested that the same tempo should be maintained for their situation, now that they are no more. Sommer's suggestions, alongside Julian Peters', who is the estate representative, stressed that investigative materials that could be upsetting should be protected from the reach of the media.

Since front-line media organizations picked up interest in the case, they informed the court that any thoughts about publishing any images of the dead couple alongside releasing any sensitive visuals are off the table.

Since Hackman's retirement from acting, his last public sighting alongside Arakawa was in March 2024, when they were seen grabbing food at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Santa Fe.

Continue to rest in peace, Gene Hackman!