Mark Wahlberg is one of the finest actors Hollywood has to offer. With films like Ted, Father Stu, and Boogie Nights, the actor quickly became synonymous with entertainment. The actor recently began a new chapter of his life in which he and his family moved out of Los Angeles, California, and settled in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And now, as the actor is working on his ‘Hollywood 2.0’ dream project, the real estate sales in Vegas can be seen skyrocketing. People are leaving their homes in California and following Mark Wahlberg’s footsteps thanks to lower taxes and a better, cheaper cost of living. The real estate market in Vegas is getting hotter and hotter by the minute as people flock to find a home with a view of the Mojave Desert.
People are following in Mark Wahlberg’s Footsteps
In the fall of 2022, Mark Wahlberg ditched his Beverly Hills mansion and moved to Las Vegas for a better lifestyle for himself and his family. Here, the actor bought a 2.5-acre plot for $15.6 million in order to build a home on it. He also purchased a $14.5 million bungalow as a temporary residence while his dream house is in the works.
Wahlberg’s shift to Vegas might have opened the door for many other people, celebrities or not, to leave California behind. A real estate agent in Vegas, Alexis Michaud, told Daily Mail,
“The mansion tax in California has frustrated a lot of Californians. That, combined with their income tax rate, has caused so many Californians to come to Nevada, a tax-free, business friendly environment.”
Daily Mail received data from the University of Nevada which stated that almost seventeen thousand residents surrendered their California driving licenses to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles. And according to the Nevada State Bank, a record-breaking 2,000 luxury homes were sold in Southern Nevada. The average price for these homes was calculated to be $1.8 million.
Michaud added, “In the last six months of 2022, interest rates going up and a lot of uncertainty led buyers to pause relocation plans but starting in January we’ve seen an uptick and now, this summer, the market is quite busy.”
Apart from Wahlberg, celebrities like Celine Dion, Dean Cain, and Floyd Mayweather are among those who left their Californian status behind to begin new lives.
Mark Wahlberg’s Hollywood 2.0 Project
Talking to FOX Business Wahlberg opened up about his new project where he plans to build a “state-of-the-art” studio in Vegas, turning the city into “Hollywood 2.0.” Since we already have an up-and-running Hollywood, what made Wahlberg decide to build one from scratch in Sin City?
Well, the actor aims to create more employment opportunities and elevate the film and TV industry in Vegas. He stated,
“We’re looking to create 10,000 jobs on the studio alone. The average salary would be $100,000 more than what it is now. We want to train people both in front of and behind the camera, create jobs, most importantly, first and foremost, for locals. And then, after that, I think we can attract a lot of people. The housing market is great.”
This project comes amidst the writers’ and actors’ strike where the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA writers and actors went on strike after their contracts expired, demanding a better work environment. Both groups are fighting to prevent AI from taking over their jobs and are also asking for better pay. Wahlberg’s Hollywood 2.0 couldn’t come at a better time!
The actor went on to sing praises about the growth opportunities in the city, giving an example of how the people he works with went from struggling to pay rent to having a six-bedroom house at half the cost.
“When I moved here, I brought probably like 15 or 20 people that work with me also moving here. They went from three-bedroom houses that they were really struggling to pay rent for. And now they have a six-bedroom house. And it’s, you know, half the cost. And, you know, they walk their dogs. They’re in a gated community. They’ve got the school right there two blocks down the road. It’s just a much better lifestyle here and more affordable.”
Wahlberg also stated that the recently-elected Republican Governor Joe Lombardo is also looking to open Vegas to more industries, rather than just gaming and tourism. It is going to be interesting to see how the Pain & Gain actor manages to pull off this ambitious project. If he succeeds, it’ll surely be a new beginning for the entertainment industry.
Source: Daily Mail
