Before Silicon Valley was ever known as such, there were plenty of billionaires and multi-millionaires building extravagant, hill-top homes.
One such mansion was built by the de Guignés, a family of French nobility who emigrated in the 19th century and enmeshed themselves with San Francisco's elite.
Seventy-eight-year-old heir Christian de Guigné IV is now trying to sell his family's Gilded Age estate — called de Guigné Court — which hasn't changed hands in 150 years. This will be his second attempt at offloading the property, which has been cut from $100 million to $40 million and no longer includes a condition that granted de Guigné "lifelong use" of the home.
Keep scrolling to take a tour of the house and learn more about its strange terms of sale.
SEE ALSO: The 15 most expensive houses for sale in America
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Nestled at the top of the hills overlooking the Santa Clara Valley sits a 47-acre estate with a fascinating history.
The estate has spent 150 years in the de Guigné family, who are descended from French nobility and rose to prominence in the early 20th century after a number of successful business ventures.
The grandson of Christian II, who built the mansion, Christian de Guigné IV is now seemingly desperate to sell his family home.
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