The Wall Street Journal Announces Fleur du Lac’s “Godfather House” as US House of the Year

Wall Street Journal readers voted Lake Tahoe west shore’s Fleur du Lac Estates condominium #2 as the 2013 US House of the Year after three weeks of voting and thousands of votes.

The U.S. House of the Year was chosen through two reader polls on WSJ.com. Homes were placed on the poll after winning a House of the Week reader poll throughout 2013. Each week, readers vote for their favorite house of the week from the House of the Day feature on WSJ.com. Fleur de Lac #2 received the most votes, 88,957, out of the 897,478 votes cast in the 2013 U.S. House of the Year contest, according to the announcement in the Wall Street Journal. The poll included 51 homes.

Fleur du Lac Estates is a 4,100-square-foot, 22-unit condominium development, and unit #2 was made famous as the setting for “The Godfather: Part II” where Fredo Corleone met his watery demise. Zari Mansouri is the current owner of the famous condominium #2. Mansouri is the President and chief executive of Laboratory Skin Care, a business-to-business biotech company in the San Francisco Bay Area. She spent her free time traveling to the nearby Squaw Valley Ski Resort, until she finally decided to make Lake Tahoe her primary home. Mansouri bought the condo in 2006 and spent three years and $3.5 million dollars on renovating the property.

Lake Tahoe has attracted affluent Bay Area buyers for years with its world-class skiing, expanse of pristine lake, and legendary nostalgia. In the busy summer tourist season, tour boats stop near the private compound for a peek at the development’s “Godfather” history.

Her reasons for moving to Fleur du Lac go beyond water views. As a single woman, she says it helped to have maintenance and upkeep handled by the condo development. There is 24-hour security and a concierge-like service that handles requests, such as reserving the original Kaiser family boathouse and yacht club for parties. Ms. Mansouri says she is one of the few year-round residents of the community, allowing her to enjoy the perks of condo living with the privacy of a single-family home.

Mansouri has the home listed with Bill Murphy and Jeff Hamilton of Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty for $6.499 million. Ms. Mansouri says she is selling because she is spending more time near her office in the Bay Area. Murphy says they have received inquiries from about 50 prospective buyers, but selling a luxury waterfront home takes a precise fit. Murphy says he sees sailing enthusiasts as likely buyers.

Would you like to schedule a private showing of Fleur du Lac #2? Contact Bill Murphy and Jeff Hamilton. Contact one of our local experts to find out more about purchasing and listing extraordinary homes in Lake Tahoe. Contribute to the conversation using #SierraSothebys, #LakeTahoeLuxury, or post a comment to our Facebook page.