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BET’s Debra Lee Cuts Price on D.C. Mansion—Again

The 10,800-square-foot home is now asking $10.75 million

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Debra Lee, the CEO and Chairman of Black Entertainment Television (BET), has clipped another quarter of a million dollars off her D.C. home.

The four-level contemporary home stands in the Massachusetts Heights neighborhood known for its neo-Georgian mansions and faux chateaux. It has four bedrooms, five full- and two half-bathrooms and glass walls in almost every room, offering panoramic views of the Rock Creek Park.

The 10,800-square-foot home, which is now asking $10.75 million, has hosted many big names: A-list entertainers, D.C. politicians and company executives, according to listing agent Marilyn Charity at Washington Fine Properties. The media mogul hosted a $40,000-a-plate fundraising dinner for Barack Obama in 2012, Ms. Charity said.

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"Ms. Lee developed this place from scratch. It was built for her family and to entertain," Ms. Charity said. "It is her dream home."

Property records show Ms. Lee purchased the house in 2010. She put it on the market in Dec. 2016 for $13.5 million. The price was cut to $11.5 million two months later. This is its second price cut.

"It is a very unique property. It is a contemporary home with almost 11,000 square feet of living space, but it doesn’t have a lot of bedrooms," Ms. Charity said.

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According to Ms. Charity, the BET executive decided to downsize after her children graduated from college, and she has relocated to the west coast since then.

The chairwoman of the largest cable network for African-American audiences will have to commute between Los Angeles and New York, as BET moved its headquarters from D.C. to New York this year.

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Designed by Modernist architect Michael Marshall, the contemporary mansion features an angled and curved facade, a 20-feet-tall great room with sweeping views, a full theater and a nine-car garage, according to the listing. The master suite has a wall of windows facing Rock Creek Park. The mansion also has five outdoor terraces, a wine room, a sauna, an exercise room, and a saltwater infinity pool.

"There has been a lot of interest from people who are already in the neighborhood, along with some foreign buyers," Ms. Charity said.