(Editor's note: The story has been updated at 4.30PM ET Jan. 30 to reflect that the listing for Drake's Los Angeles home is in doubt)
A listing for Drake’s Los Angeles home appeared on Zillow Sunday with a $9.5 million price tag and then on various other real estate listings sites for almost $19.9 million Monday morning, but it’s looking increasingly likely it was a hoax against the Canadian rapper.
Alexei Pavlov, a broker for First Choice Realty in Los Angeles, said he saw the Zillow listing and called the contact phone number, offering to market the property. Together, he and the person who answered the phone decided that the Hidden Hills property should be marketed for close to $20 million, Mr. Pavlov said.
Mr. Pavlov told Mansion Global that he then emailed the listing agreement to the person he contacted, and it was returned signed by Aubrey Drake Graham, which is the singer’s real name.
Mr. Pavlov said he then prepared the listing for the Multiple Listings Service while he waited for additional information from the person he contacted, including new pictures and a power of attorney document. However, before getting those documents, Mr. Pavlov said he posted the listing by accident, which filtered through to several other real estate sites.
Mr. Pavlov, who has never represented any other celebrities, said he’s still investigating the issue, while Zillow removed the listing late afternoon and blocked the user from posting on its site.
Mansion Global called the number on the Zillow listing before it was taken down, and the man who answered identified himself as Drake’s manager. He hung up when pressed for details about the listing.
Mr. Pavlov said he is considering contacting the authorities about the hoax, while a spokeswoman for Drake would not confirm whether the 13,000-square-foot Los Angeles Hidden Hills estate was actually for sale.
As of Monday afternoon, the MLS listing with the nearly $20 million price tag was still active on many real estate sites.
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The 30-year-old Canadian singer, who is widely rumored to be dating Jennifer Lopez after splitting with Rihanna, paid $7.7 million for the 13,000-square-foot home in 2012, according to property records.
The pad, in the exclusive Los Angeles neighborhood, has eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a fitness center, a movie theater, a recording studio, an Olympic-size swimming pool and a man-made grotto with mountain views, according to the listing and various media reports.
The property has been dubbed the YOLO (You Only Live Once) estate after Drake told Rolling Stone that he used to have that slogan written on a sign outside.
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The singer scored himself an impressive discount when he bought it; the previous owner, Saddle Ranch owner Larry Pollack, first put it up for sale in 2009 with a $27 million price tag.