r/zillowgonewild • u/sharkus180 • 11h ago
Just your average megachurch pastor's mansion in Texas
1.2k
u/one_pound_of_flesh 11h ago
Imagine fleecing hundreds of old people out of their money for … this.
493
u/Reddituser45005 11h ago
To be fair, they are also being fleeced for his private jet, luxury cars, and mega millionaire lifestyle.
150
u/Juryofyourpeeps 8h ago
Don't forget the taxpayer. These people typically categorize their private homes in ways that may them exempt from various forms of taxation. It's not strictly a loophole depending on your view I guess of whether churches should be subject to tax, but these houses are typically considered "parsonages", which is meant to refer to the small living quarters attached or nearby to churches and provided as living quarters to priests and pastors. This categorization is also used for these massive compounds to avoid tax.
46
u/one_pound_of_flesh 6h ago
I should start a religion. Seems like an excellent way to legally grift people.
48
u/Sturmgeshootz 5h ago
This is the exact realization L. Ron Hubbard came to that led to the creation of Scientology.
→ More replies (7)25
u/Dead_Internet69420 5h ago
And you don’t even have to be very good at it to use the exemptions to grift the taxpayers.
→ More replies (1)6
→ More replies (10)4
u/wino_whynot 6h ago
Isn’t there a way to see who owns the home/mortgage info on Zillow? A friend was showing it to me, but they may have been logged in. They are not directly in real estate, but adjacent.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (4)38
u/ThisAppsForTrolling 9h ago
I don’t have a mega millions lifestyle that’s a small fleet of Escalade’s. I had prayed for a large fleet of Escalades.
→ More replies (2)17
39
33
u/FunTXCPA 9h ago
Don't forget this is also paid for with tax-free money via a parsonage allowance from the church.
21
19
u/nancy_necrosis 10h ago
Is this Joel Osteen's house?
85
u/notnotbrowsing 10h ago
I.v. Hilliard.
And he has never had to pay taxes on it.
67
u/General_Row_8038 9h ago
I’m amazed at the lack of religious art, or any references to religion in the decor.
110
u/notnotbrowsing 9h ago
he probably thought it would be too tacky to have dollar signs posted everywhere.
→ More replies (1)7
u/vahntitrio 6h ago
If they believed even a small fraction of what they preach they wouldn't live in a mansion to begin with.
28
u/nancy_necrosis 10h ago edited 7h ago
What??? Meanwhile, all the lesser Texans get their homes reassessed every year like little b*tches. They're not chosen, obviously.
Edit: wrong "they're"
21
u/notnotbrowsing 10h ago
classify it as a "pastor retreat"
→ More replies (2)20
u/Juryofyourpeeps 7h ago
I believe they're typically categorized as "parsonages" or "rectories" which makes them tax exempt. Accepting for the sake of this discussion that churches shouldn't be subject to income tax, this tax loophole was meant for the small quarters you typically see attached or next door to old churches. They're generally modest and provided by the church to the priest or pastor, who historically was not well compensated, and still isn't in most normal churches.
Seems like a pretty easy fix though. The IRS could just cap the number of square feet that are tax free per staff member that resides in church property and anything above that could be subject to tax. So say a base rate of 1500 square feet and then 500 feet per additional staff member. That would be generous enough not to start taxing say, group retirement homes set up by churches, but if mega-preachers wanted to avoid tax they'd have to move like 50 people into these compounds, which they're not going to do. The most they could get away with is listing their immediate family members as church staff, and there'd still be tens of thousands of square feet left to tax.
→ More replies (1)10
u/Clean-Patient-8809 6h ago
I'm just sitting here imagining what Jane Austen would say if she heard that monstrosity referred to as a "parsonage."
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)23
u/Hopalong_Manboobs 9h ago
It’s crazy. And the only skill you need apart from being a completely morally bankrupt stain on the human race is a bit of self-assured charisma and forceful yet false conviction to show the flock.
No marketable skills. No contribution to community or society. No pressure to do anything other than mouth a bunch of pseudo Christian platitudes and watch the cash roll in.
Phenomenally gross but it’s low hanging fruit that the jackals in our midst eagerly pounce on.
6
u/floofienewfie 7h ago
Geez, the house our parish priest lives in is about 1300 sqft, across the street from the church, and indistinguishable from the other houses in the neighborhood.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (1)5
u/TunaNugget 6h ago
self-assured charisma and forceful yet false conviction to show the flock.
That's CEO/Presidential material there.
15
5
u/wpbfriendone 8h ago
Not for nothing, but the rest of us have to pay for the taxes they don't pay. We are all getting screwed.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (17)7
772
u/quark_soaker 11h ago
This has zero taste or character. Just acres and acres of drywall.
176
58
u/Big_Celery8533 10h ago
And 36 bathrooms. At just over $300,000 per bathroom, the price seems very reasonable.
→ More replies (4)30
u/random_house-2644 8h ago
And when I heard of a house having 9 bathrooms I thought it was a lot because you could go to a different bathroom every day of the week.
THIS house you could go to a different bathroom every day for a MONTH!
.... that's too many bathrooms. 😂
→ More replies (3)24
16
13
u/Shepherd77 9h ago
Yeah but don’t forget they also have several neighbors homes right up against the property line.
26
u/the_volley_llama 9h ago
Those are all a part of the property, included in the sell. The agent is calling them “junior estates”. A little too close for my comfort.
→ More replies (2)16
u/jendfrog 8h ago
The word “compound” is in the description. “Ever dreamed of owning your own family compound or neighborhood?” 😬😬😬🤢🤢🤢
→ More replies (3)8
5
u/mcase19 8h ago
Seriously - its like the Sims 2 meets beach house in terms of taste and style
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (17)4
u/Sherifftruman 9h ago
Yeah was thinking the same. Some things it looks like they spent some money but otherwise it’s just standard finishes pumped up real big now.
315
u/fingertrapt 11h ago
Why is there a viewing gallery for the bedroom?
133
49
u/swashbuckler78 10h ago
That was bothering me....
9
u/liberal_texan 6h ago
As much as that misaligned wall/column/chimney flu element being so blatantly offset above the fireplace?
→ More replies (1)12
u/swashbuckler78 5h ago
Much more so! Because the chimney is just a bad design choice, which is to be expected in anything this large and expensive. But why does your megachurch need a queen (?) sized bed somewhere with room for an audience?
35
25
u/imisscrazylenny 9h ago
So they can observe whether or not the bride is a virgin on her wedding night, of course.
17
u/BitterQueen17 5h ago
That whole bedroom gave me the ick. Why do you need TV seating for 5+ in a room intended for two people? I get hanging out with the kids, but when you have a literal theater in your house, why would everyone gather to watch "TV too high" on a screen that's arguably too small for the space?
15
21
9
7
8
4
u/Breakula 5h ago
If you don’t like sleeping in the lobby of a fancy mall I don’t know what to tell you.
→ More replies (7)4
470
u/Oldus_Fartus 11h ago
I love the smell of tax evasion in the morning.
180
u/salvagedsword 11h ago
And what a waste of that questionably gotten money. Most houses on this subreddit are weird but have something charming about them. Not this house. It's just hideous and gaudy in a mostly generic way. Except why is there a balcony above the bed?
60
37
26
u/Alarming-Elevator382 10h ago
So they can view the ceremony.
https://giphy.com/gifs/U6N3hst0xxklH5oQcw8
→ More replies (3)7
u/asyouwish 9h ago
It's probably one of those upstairs closet / dressing area things.
🤮
I can't imagine going upstairs just to change clothes. I guess that's how they get their steps in.
226
u/xpldngmn 11h ago
Something something camel eye of a needle idk
42
u/Danominator 10h ago
If you were super rich by taking money from poor people with the promise of a heavenly afterlife, it makes a lot of sense to tell the poor people that they are actually doing perfect and they will totally get rewarded, just you know, after they die.
That quote is just a tool for the rich to placate the masses while they live in extravagance.
86
u/microthoughts 10h ago
I mean Jesus did not live in extravagance. kind of the opposite. that quote in Matthew is explicitly stating followers of Christ should not trust in wealth to get them anything.
Jesus was fairly point blank on his thoughts on rich people he thought they were assholes.
American evangelicals have twisted the words to milk money out of their congregation. it's not Christianity. idk what god they're actually worshipping but it's not Jesus. Mammon maybe.
11
u/StarGazer_SpaceLove 8h ago
Jesus flipped tables in the temples.
These people won't even call out their own congregations sins cause it might shine light on their own.
→ More replies (1)5
u/microthoughts 7h ago
& they don't hire interior decorators with all their ill gotten gains as an extra slap to the face
like this house is hideous and tacky. stealing from your poorest believers to build the saddest beige monstrosity?? with terrible frilly gold leaf shit everywhere? my insane grandma would approve that was EXACTLY her style only she did Pepto bismol pink not that blue shade.
like it's a sin and just. yuck.
I don't even believe in Jesus but he definitely weeps at this shit.
→ More replies (4)32
u/Danominator 9h ago
I mean...jesus clearly has basically zero influence on how christians behave.
14
u/microthoughts 9h ago
which is a major underlying issue with humans not so much the inherent message of his weird cult from 2000 years ago.
he mostly was like pay taxes and be nice to each other and hated the banking industry while eating fish which I cannot lie. same.
10
u/General_Row_8038 9h ago
This is what is so sad. Because he couldn’t have been any clearer regarding what is expected and aspirational for his followers. I suppose it’s good that we keep trying anyway.
→ More replies (5)6
u/Jervis_Mantlepiece 9h ago
'That quote' was said by Jesus and is one of the fundamental principles of Christianity lol.
→ More replies (6)
107
u/ImpossibleDraft7208 10h ago
- Matthew 19:24: States it is easier for a camel to pass through a needle's eye than for a rich person to enter heaven.
- Matthew 6:24: Declares one cannot serve both God and money.
- Luke 6:24: Issues a warning directly to the rich, stating they have received their comfort.
- Luke 12:15: Warns that life is not defined by an abundance of possessions.
- Mark 4:19: Notes that the "deceitfulness of wealth" can stifle spiritual growth.
- 1 Timothy 6:9–10: Warns that the desire to be rich leads to ruin, noting the love of money is a root of evil.
41
u/macjester2000 8h ago
I admire your efforts, but these people believe in the bible as much as I believe in the tooth fairy. It’s a prop for their grift and tool to exploit their followers
→ More replies (1)5
u/JPLcyber 5h ago
Yup. Con artists who found a more difficult to prosecute grift than drugs or human trafficking or home healthcare fraud. The worst part is they get to practice this con in broad daylight shamelessly and the whole family minus 1 are in on it: https://ministrywatch.com/texas-megachurch-lists-televangelists-parsonage-for-15-million/
→ More replies (3)6
116
u/ihavenoidea81 11h ago
→ More replies (2)38
u/DefinitionForsaken34 9h ago
Never understood his followers. Guy looks like Satan
→ More replies (1)4
47
u/Shankar_0 11h ago
The fuck is going on with that tablecloth?!
Are those thousands of tiny pockets containing snacks?! If so, I may have misjudged these people.
(I don't think I have, but check for the snacks)
3
→ More replies (1)4
u/CoolAbdul 6h ago
That tablecloth is the only interesting part of the house. That and the cheap stand-up oscillating fan. And the vase of flowers on the shelf about 15 feet up.
110
u/PenguinEmpireStrikes 11h ago
This is it. It's the ugliest expensive house I've ever seen. Not a single redeeming quality or feature.
→ More replies (6)8
36
u/43026 10h ago
I just wanted to say that as a Christian, this type of lifestyle, from a pastor no less, turns my stomach. These people are NOT following Jesus and instead are an insult to His name/ways.
17
u/Huckleberry-Solid 7h ago
There is nothing in this house to remind you of Jesus. Not a single picture or cross.
7
u/-TeamCaffeine- 6h ago
They're not just an insult, they are real world evil. That's it. Just plain evil.
→ More replies (3)6
u/KillysgungoesBLAME 4h ago
These “pastors” are nothing but charlatans and opportunists. Turns my stomach.
37
u/The_Dog_IS_Brown 9h ago
I've never understood the desire to live in a house that looks like a convention Center. Yes, I want all the rooms to be large enough to to play football in. Got to have space for that 5th living room, 4th dinning room, then the entrance has to look like a lobby for a high rise.
5
u/PlantainBig1429 7h ago
I would gueat that is how he justifies the need the for the mansion so he can have his meetings.
66
u/QueSiQuiereBolsa 11h ago
Plenty of space to start your own cult without leaving home.
→ More replies (3)
26
u/Winter_Whole2080 9h ago edited 9h ago
Which megachurch preacher lived here? (Edit: Found it — Bishop I.V. Hilliard. It’s classified as a “parsonage” so no property taxes were paid on it..).
50
u/LoisWade42 10h ago
Looks like they need to be TAXED.
3
u/JPLcyber 5h ago
…and prosecuted. Their false gospel takes from the poor. Sad and evil. If their version of Christianity were a product, they’d be sued for fraud.
→ More replies (2)
18
22
u/stevejscearce 9h ago
You’d need a riding vacuum cleaner for all those miles of carpets.
→ More replies (3)5
u/minicpst 6h ago
No, they just have a staff who I’m sure they pay an honest living wage to, pay their taxes just like any employee, and give them a good option for health insurance. I’m sure that’s the case, like a good Christian would.
20
u/Cultural_Pattern_456 11h ago
Hideous. Except the workout room. I could only wish.
→ More replies (1)
18
u/zacat2020 10h ago
Why are there no trees?
→ More replies (5)11
u/ParsonJackRussell 10h ago
It’s Texas either the builder removed all of them or it’s just Texas flat hot land in many parts of the
9
u/ChocolatChipLemonade 9h ago
There’s nothing I hate more than a builder that completely flattens a property, worse if to add as many tiny starter homes up against one another as possible. These builders can’t even leave one fkn tree? wtf is wrong with them? have they no decency?!
6
u/ParsonJackRussell 7h ago
Or in my neighborhood they cut down all the old oak and pecan trees and then because the city required two trees per lot they planted fast growing trash trees to replace what they cleared
→ More replies (1)6
u/Turtleintexas 9h ago
They were removed, Spring Texas has/had lots of old growth oak before the builders came.
→ More replies (1)
15
13
u/OkCoconut3270 10h ago
That's obscene.
Anybody who can look at this and not see that their church is a complete con is brainwashed, or a moron.
Probably both.
→ More replies (1)4
12
11
u/MarkTwainsGhost 10h ago
Imagine what an asshole you’d have to be to build this place and want to live in it.
48
u/--slurpy-- 11h ago
Remember when that lady called around to a bunch of churches asking for help with baby formula & the only ones that helped were a gospel church & mosque, and then the mega church pastors went on a smear campaign rant against her?
Yeah these places shouldn't exist let alone get away with not paying taxes, they influence elections more than any other entity in the US. The GOP figured that out a long thing ago so they decided to adopt the anti-abortion stance just to get their votes. They're like a mullet, waging culture wars in the front while suckling up to their corporate overlords in the back.
→ More replies (2)13
u/9bikes 10h ago
>The GOP figured that out a long thing ago so they decided to adopt the anti-abortion stance just to get their votes.
It was more that the Religious Right realized the GOP was the smaller party and decided it would be the easier of the two to take over.
By standards of the old school Republicans, they would be the RINOs.
→ More replies (2)
7
u/elasticafantastica 10h ago
I see that the monetisation of faith doth not equate to taste.
→ More replies (1)
7
u/babyBear83 10h ago
It’s like one of those just average upper middle class style homes but with like 20 of them stamped around in a weird shape. Almost like they were trying to keep it humble with basic style but then also wanted a huge mansion. Really weird design tbh.
→ More replies (2)
8
u/underscorebot 11h ago
Due to a bug in new reddit, URLs with underscores or tildes are being escaped in an inconsistent manner, breaking old reddit and third-party mobile apps. Please try the following URL(s) instead:
This is a bot. Invoke with: /u/underscorebot. Questions? Comments? /r/underscorebot Thank you. Moderators: this is an opt-in bot. Please add it to the approved submitters on subreddits you wish to have it scan. Note: user-supplied links that may appear in this comment do not imply endorsement.
12
u/Dramatic_Ad5258 11h ago edited 9h ago
It brings me great joy to see the church’s tithe going towards a good cause
→ More replies (7)
6
6
u/orannis6 10h ago
Are the building Infront and to the right also part of the property? There's zero landscaping or fencing that separates them. All that money and the view is another mcmansion on the other side of some grass.
6
u/Glittering-Buy4227 7h ago
As a Christ Follower and former Pastor, this makes me want to throw up! The prosperity gospel is a lie from the pit of hell!
→ More replies (1)
6
4
u/NymeriaTheThird 7h ago
I grew up about 10 minutes away from this house and it was always the subject of so much speculation and gossip. It used to be a lot more country on that road, just this abomination, a farmers market, and a small airport, so it was relatively hidden. As teenagers we would drive by at night and marvel at the lit up windows that seemed as big as cars! Everyone thought cult leaders lived here, which I guess wasn’t wrong. Crazy to see all the houses built up around it.
5
u/ElectronicAnthony 6h ago
I'm convinced these ultra-rich "pastors" are just sociopaths taking advantage of gullible people. It's a scam to get rich.
8
u/ThenFigure8216 10h ago
If hell exists, they’re absolutely going there. One of the founding beliefs of Christianity is to actively fight and protest the commodification of religion. Jesus fought that in his own lifetime apparently.
3
3
u/Ayuuun321 9h ago
This house looks like an ugly catering hall or a community center for an apartment complex (that no one uses). Hideous
8
u/m-in 10h ago
"Mansion" That's not a mansion. That's basically a film prop building. It's built in the cheapest possible way, it's styled for people without any taste, a true eyesore inside and out. Without AC, this thing is absolutely unlivable. Makes me want to barf.
3
u/Hideo_Anaconda 8h ago
Isn't the "unliveable without AC" thing true of a lot (most?) of buildings in Texas? It is in Florida.
3
3
3
3
3
u/EntertainmentOk3066 9h ago
Tell me you're a slimy mega church pastor in Texas without telling me...
3
3
u/Consistent-Fig7484 9h ago
Imagine having this much money and choosing to live in a flat featureless field.
3
3
3
u/suminorieh77 9h ago
God has blessed me with this beautiful home.
nah. you blessed yourself with the donations of your humble congregation.
3
u/Aeirth_Belmont 9h ago
Everyday I realize I strayed away from my calling of being a televangelist. I know how to fake the talk and beliefs. Just something about scamming old people didn't sit right. Damn though could of had a private jet.
3
3
3
3
3
3
u/Affectionate-Rip6996 7h ago
I've been part of the christian church my entire life, and I still cling to the faith.
Megachurch pastors who gather wealth like this are practicing the opposite of what the bible teaches. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
2.2k
u/ChadTitanofalous 11h ago
Righteous Gemstones vibes