Houston trial lawyer Tony Buzbee just spent $16 million on the mansion next door to his own mansion, giving him control of two adjacent River Oaks estates that share a 245-foot property line. The newly purchased 15,000-square-foot home at 1708 River Oaks Blvd. sits directly beside Buzbee's existing 12,000-square-foot estate at 1722 River Oaks Blvd., both on lots just over one acre.
The deal, first reported by The Real Deal, closed after 1708 River Oaks Blvd. had been listed at $15.5 million. Buzbee told the outlet that the seller was not willing to reduce the price much, and the home ultimately sold at roughly $1,033 per square foot — well above River Oaks' average sale price of $634 per square foot last year, according to the same report. The Houston Association of Realtors ranked the sale as the single most expensive home transaction recorded across the Houston metro area in July, a distinction detailed by PaperCity Magazine.
Buzbee was represented in the transaction by Diane Kingshill of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty, who also represented his wife, Frances Moody Buzbee, per The Real Deal. Kingshill declined to comment on the sale. The seller, Crowd Property LLC — managed by Riyaz Maknojia and Fayaz Bardai according to public filings — was represented by Laura Sweeney of Compass, who did not respond to the outlet's request for comment.
A Mansion Built for Extravagance
The property itself is loaded with amenities befitting its price tag. The Real Deal reports the home has six bedrooms, an indoor swimming pool and a domed stained-glass ceiling, while PaperCity Magazine adds that the estate includes an indoor natatorium with a heated pool and spa, a lacquered library, a wine vault, and a wellness wing with a beauty salon and massage parlor. The residence spent 70 days on the market before closing, per PaperCity's reporting.
Harris Central Appraisal District records reviewed by Zillow show the home carried a 2026 assessed valuation of $18,062,181 and an annual property tax liability of $383,861 — figures that actually exceeded the home's $15.5 million listing price. HCAD appraises real estate annually for property taxation purposes across Harris County.
Deja Vu on River Oaks Boulevard
This is not Buzbee's first headline-grabbing moment on this stretch of River Oaks Boulevard. He bought 1722 River Oaks Blvd. in 2013, according to the Houston Chronicle, and in 2017 he purchased a fully functional, demilitarized $600,000 World War II Sherman tank and parked it outside that mansion, triggering a dispute with the River Oaks Property Owners HOA before donating the vehicle to Texas A&M University in 2018. The tank reportedly took part in the D-Day landing at Normandy before Buzbee bought it from a French museum, according to War History Online.
The 1722 address was also burglarized following a Super Bowl party in 2019, resulting in the theft of $21 million in artwork, jewelry, computers, and firearms, PaperCity Magazine reported; the stolen property was later recovered after Buzbee offered a $50,000 reward. In February 2022, Buzbee listed the 12,209-square-foot mansion — designed by architect Tom Wilson and built in 2005 — for $27.5 million, offering to accept Bitcoin for the sale, according to CultureMap Houston. That listing evidently didn't pan out, and Buzbee instead chose to expand next door.
Landmaxxing Comes to River Oaks
The purchase fits a pattern real estate watchers call landmaxxing — buying up several adjacent properties to create a sprawling private compound rather than relocating — a trend popularized by figures like Ken Griffin, Jeff Bezos and Larry Ellison. The Real Deal suggests the article implies Buzbee may intend to assemble his two adjacent River Oaks properties into a unified compound, though whether he plans to combine the estates or keep 1708 River Oaks Blvd. as an auxiliary or family residence remains an open question.
River Oaks itself has carried this kind of prestige since 1924, when brothers Will and Mike Hogg and Hugh Potter engineered the 1,100-acre neighborhood as a model master-planned community, according to the Harris County Historical Commission. It remains Houston's premier luxury subdivision, governed by strict deed restrictions, and it pioneered the use of private maintenance fees and property owner association oversight in Texas. Mega mansions topped 2025's sales charts in the neighborhood, headlined by a River Oaks Boulevard estate sale near $19 million, driven by sustained demand across River Oaks and Memorial.
The Lawyer Behind the Purchase
Buzbee is a familiar name well beyond Houston real estate circles. The self-funded political outsider ran for Houston mayor in 2019, advancing to a December runoff against incumbent Sylvester Turner before losing with 43.96% of the vote in an election that saw just 18.73% voter turnout and roughly $19 million in total candidate spending, per Wikipedia.
As an attorney, Buzbee has won billions of dollars on behalf of clients and built a reputation around high-profile personal injury lawsuits. He represented 120 victims of the crowd crush at Travis Scott's 2021 Astroworld festival, which killed 10 people and injured hundreds, and he has represented victims of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the 2005 BP refinery explosion in Texas City. He has also represented dozens of plaintiffs in sexual misconduct lawsuits against Sean Combs, and in September 2023 he served as lead defense counsel for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton during his Senate impeachment trial, securing acquittals on all 16 articles, according to the Texas Tribune.
