What happened to the Boulder, Colorado mansion?

On By Littum

Real estate appraiser Orell Anderson, who helped appraise the mansion for the Ramseys in the 1990s, said he’s surprised the home remains standing given its past.

Sitting behind a blockade of evergreens, a nearly 100-year-old mansion in Boulder, Colorado, has been occupied by only two couples since 1996. And the current homeowners have tried to sell it several times without success, largely because of its past.

Throughout the 1990s, the mansion belonged to John and the late Patsy Ramsey, parents of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, who was found murdered in the basement of the mansion on December 26, 1996. The Ramseys sold the house in 2004, and Carol Schuller Milner and Timothy Milner have owned it ever since. .

Ramsey’s murder, which remains unsolved, has re-entered the spotlight following the release of Netflix’s new documentary series, “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey.” The three-part series features interviews with John Ramsey, in addition to police investigators who have worked on the case over the years and reporters who covered the case as it unfolded in Boulder.

Located in Boulder’s University Hills neighborhood, the 7,240-square-foot mansion has five bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms and a two-car garage, according to a listing posted on Realtor.com. It was built in 1927.

How much is the JonBenét Ramsey house? Multi-million dollar listings went unsold

The Ramsey mansion was off the market as of Wednesday, but it was listed for $6.95 million by LIV Sotheby’s International Realty in spring 2023, per reporting of Denver Post and The daily camera. The listing no longer exists, and LIV Sotheby’s International Realty did not respond for comment on the mansion’s latest listing when contacted.

But last year’s listing was not the Milners’ first. The mansion has been put on the market at least four other times — in 2008, 2009 and 2011 for $2.3 million and in 2014 for $1.95 million, according to Westwordan independent Denver news publication that interviewed Carol last year and in 2011.

Orell Anderson, President of Strategic property analysisappraised the mansion back in the late 90s for the Ramseys along with colleague Randall Bell, managing director of Landmark Research Group.

Anderson said homes like Ramsey’s tend to “haunt the market” because of their past. The housing market also has almost “zero tolerance” for properties where violence against children took place. Given the prominence of the Ramsey case, Anderson told USA TODAY that he’s surprised the original house even exists.

The Milners did not respond to USA TODAY’s emails and phone calls seeking comment about the purchase, ownership and listing of the mansion for sale.

Who are Carol Schuller Milner and Timothy Milner?

Carol Schuller Milner is the daughter of the late televangelist Robert H. Schuller, known for hosting the weekly television show, “Hour of Power” and founder of Christ Cathedral, formerly Crystal Cathedral, in Orange County, California.

Timothy Milner is the founder of Flatirons Consulting Services in Boulder, a counseling center that offers services to individuals, families and couples. According to the Flatirons Counseling Services website, Timothy has been a Christian therapist for more than 30 years.

How much did the Milners buy the mansion for in 2004?

The Milners bought the Ramsey mansion for $1.05 million in 2004, according to a warranty deed filed in Boulder County in June 2004. This compares to the $500,000 that John and Patsy Ramsey bought the mansion for, according to a warranty deed filed in the county in November 1991.

When they appraised the mansion in the late ’90s, Anderson and Bell estimated it would sell for 20-25% below market value, and it did, both told USA TODAY.

When he first visited the mansion for the appraisal in the 90s, Bell said the home was easily seen from the street and the front door was accessible from the sidewalk. He recommended that the Ramseys add trees or bushes to mitigate bystanders and provide extra security. On a visit to Boulder last year, Bell said he drove past the mansion and was pleased to see it tucked away, hidden behind thick, tall trees.

Why did the Milners buy the Ramsey mansion?

In the early 2000s, the Milners moved to Colorado to establish a ministry in Boulder, Westword reported.

But as the congregation in the Milners’ ministry began to grow, their traditional home was not large enough. Carol told Westword that the couple had friends who had invested in the former Ramsey house and offered to sell it to them. Although the Milners didn’t have the money to pay the ticket price, she told the outlet, the friends agreed to sell them the mansion for their modest current value.

At first, Milner was skeptical about buying the mansion and moving his four children into it. In 2016, she shared her thoughts on buying her home public Facebook page.

“At 10 a.m. … we found ourselves walking through the south door, towering pines reminding us of the playful Rockies awaiting our weekend attention,” Milner wrote in her post. “A questioning, longing gaze drew the rest of me into the morning room and I gasped. I stood tall and breathed in and felt full of life and I smiled. I was home. I knew I was home.”

How did the experts rate the Ramsey mansion?

After reflecting on the work he did more than 20 years ago, Anderson said the first step in evaluating the property was to visit it in person.

“Sometimes it can be very uncomfortable,” he said. After the initial review, Anderson and Bell worked out a base value for the mansion, based solely on the property, not its associated baggage.

From there, the appraisers looked at the sale prices of other homes in the area where the killings occurred, how the community reacted to the Ramsey murder, and how many “media hits” the home had, Anderson said. Once this study was completed, Anderson and Bell were able to create their estimate that the mansion would sell for 20-25% below market value.

The murder of six-year-old Ramsey is the most prominent reason why the mansion is struggling to sell, as it has been in the news for decades. But Anderson said the mansion’s floor plan, which he likened to a “rat maze,” doesn’t help either.

The mansion’s unconventional floor plan is mentioned several times in the Netflix documentary series. The four-storey home is often described as deceptively small on the outside, as it contains countless rooms and nooks.

Bell said that in addition to the act of domestic violence against a child, the fact that the case remains unsolved is another reason the Milners have struggled to sell it.

Greta Cross is a national trends reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at [email protected].