Inside the $35 Million Atlanta 'White House,' and Why It's Technically LoopNet's Most Expensive Duplex.

Drive about 10 miles outside downtown Atlanta, and you'd be excused for thinking you'd somehow made it all the way to Washington, D.C. After all, that's where you'd find the Atlanta White House, a 23,200-square-foot mansion and replica of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, complete with an oval office and grand ballroom.

White-House looks aside, this property is, technically, a duplex. And it could be yours for $35 million.

The estate sits on 2.67 acres, with a main residence that includes six bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, soaring ceilings, marble floors, and a ballroom to fit 200. A separate guest house tacks on seven more bedrooms and six additional bathrooms.

As you might have guessed, this isn't your typical two-unit starter investment. At $17.5 million per unit, it's a mansion with a guest house, marketed as an apartment building and priced like a local landmark.

The real question isn't whether it's technically a duplex, it's what kind of investment it actually is.

How a Mansion Became a "Duplex"

When you think of a duplex, you might think of a modest building with two side-by-side units and a tenant in each one. So how does a $35-million mansion end up in the same category? Because it is: The property consists of two separate residential structures on a single parcel. In real estate classification, that's a two-unit property, or a duplex.

But it hardly compares with the other Atlanta multifamily properties for sale. After all, the city's next most expensive duplex on LoopNet is just $1.45 million, and it doesn't come with a frescoed ceiling or a movie theater.

Clearly the Atlanta White House isn't your run-of-the-mill rental duplex. The ballroom hosts weddings and corporate events. The grounds are available for photo shoots and filming. And the seven-bedroom guest house operates as a luxury Airbnb.

What this property is, then, is an event venue and hospitality business that happens to be classified as a duplex.

What the Property Actually Does

The future new owner of the Atlanta White House isn't likely to be chasing rent checks. They'll more likely generate revenue by selling access to space and experience.

Take the grand ballroom. With capacity for 200 people, marble floors, and dramatic columns, it's built for high-end events. And when wedding venues can run up to $10,000 for a single day in Atlanta, nuptial celebrations are an obvious income source.

Add corporate functions, private parties, and milestone celebrations, and the ballroom alone becomes a substantial revenue driver.

On top of that, the property is also marketed as a film and photoshoot location. Production crews will pay premium rates for distinctive locations, and a property this photogenic can command substantial daily rates

Then there's the seven-bedroom guest house. It's positioned as a luxury short-term rental and, depending on occupancy and local market, could pull strong nightly rates when it's fully booked.

All of which adds up to the fact that this property isn't a passive investment. It will require management, event coordinators, cleaning and maintenance crews, plus administrative support to run optimally.

Compare that to your typical duplex investing strategy and it's even more clear that the Atlanta White House is in an entirely different stratosphere of real estate. It's a hospitality property for sale that happens to occupy a residential property, not a residential property that generates a little side income.

Who Buys a $35 Million "Duplex"?

So who actually buys a $35-million property like this? Not your typical investor looking for nearby residential income properties.

The ideal buyer likely has hospitality expertise, not just real estate experience. They might already run event venues, operate short-term rentals at scale, or manage hospitality properties. They likely already have established relationships with event planners or production companies, and deep enough pockets to handle slow months.

Unlike your traditional apartment complex with predictable monthly income, event-based revenue is seasonal and volatile. Wedding season runs from April to October, corporate events happen around quarterly planning cycles, and film productions book only when they need it.

The opportunity is real. After all, a well-run event venue in a major city can generate significant income. But this isn't a passive real estate investment; it's a full-time operating business that happens to be housed in a unique piece of real estate.

What You Can Learn From the Atlanta White House

The Atlanta White House is an extreme example, but it illustrates a broader real estate lesson: due diligence matters.

The listing says duplex, but the actual property is more likely to operate as an event venue with hospitality revenue, highly complex operations, and a risk profile that has nothing in common with a traditional two-family rental.

Property categories exist to organize databases, not define investment strategies. You might want to compare a duplex vs. triplex for an investment, but multifamily property types include everything from duplexes to high-rise luxury apartments.

Before you dive into cash-flow projections or start planning for tenants, review how a property actually makes money and match it to your individual goals.