Sonny Bono’s Palm Springs Home Hits the Market for Nearly $7.5 Million

Sonny Bono’s former estate, a piece of local history in Palm Springs, California, has come up for sale.

The desert residence, on the market for $7.49 million, was home to the singer, songwriter, congressman and Palm Springs mayor from 1986 until his death in 1998, records show.

“Opportunities like this simply do not come around often,” said listing agent Louise Hampton with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California, who brought the home to the market last month.

“A hillside estate of this size, with this level of privacy and this historical connection stands among the most compelling offerings in today’s desert market.”

Bono was perhaps most famously the other half of singing duo Sonny & Cher, but also served as the mayor of Palm Springs from 1988 to 1992, and as the U.S. representative for California’s 44th district from 1995 until he died in a skiing accident in 1998 at the age of 62.

Located in the city’s Mesa neighbourhood on a hillside parcel, the colourful seven-bedroom property combines Mid-Century Modern design with Italian influences across its almost 9,000 square feet and multiple structures.

The house last changed hands in 2021 for $4.35 million. The sellers couldn’t be reached for comment.

There’s a great room, a formal dining area with a rock fireplace, a chef’s kitchen with two wine fridges.

The seven bedrooms include a primary suite with a walk-in closet and a “spa-style” bathroom with a soaking tub and steam shower, according to the listing. Several of the home’s guest suites include private patios or separate entrances.

Outside, there are lawns, olive trees, date palms and cacti alongside terraces, a new travertine pool deck, a pool, a tennis court and an oversize motor court with space for more than a dozen vehicles.

Victorian auction buyers will soon receive a piece of information that has traditionally been withheld until bidding reaches it: the vendor’s reserve price.

Under new property-sale and underquoting laws, agents must publish the agreed reserve at least seven days before an auction or fixed-date sale. Most changes begin on 1 October 2026 and apply to auctions and fixed-date sales held from 16 October.

The reserve must be presented as a single dollar amount. Advertising and the new Property Price Statement must be updated to match it, without qualifiers such as “from”, “over” or “starting at”. If the reserve has not been published seven days before the scheduled sale, the auction or fixed-date sale cannot proceed and penalties may apply.

For buyers, the immediate benefit is clearer budget discipline. A purchaser should be less likely to pay for inspections, strata reviews, contract advice and loan preparation on a property whose seller will not accept a price within the advertised range.

That does not mean the published reserve predicts the result. Competitive bidding may still carry a property far beyond it. Nor does it remove the need to value the property independently. The reserve is the seller’s minimum at that stage of the campaign, not an expert statement of market value.

The Statement of Information will be replaced by a more prominent Property Price Statement. Agents must disclose key features of the property and of the comparable sales used to support the quoted price. Where three appropriate comparables cannot be identified, one or two must be supplied if they exist.

Sold-price transparency will also increase. Agents must add the unconditional sale price to the Property Price Statement within seven days and keep that statement available publicly for at least 18 months, subject to limited exemptions including personal or family-violence concerns.

Later changes will require Section 32 vendor statements to be made available earlier, including at least 14 days before an auction or fixed-date sale from June 2027. From July 2027, agents will be prevented from taking commission from deposits released before settlement.

Vendors and agents will need to adjust campaign strategy. Setting a reserve earlier may reduce last-minute flexibility and make price expectations more visible to competing buyers. Some vendors may prefer private treaty campaigns, although those sales remain subject to broader pricing and disclosure laws.

For buyers, the practical response is not simply to bid up to the disclosed reserve. Use it as one data point alongside comparable sales, building and pest reports, owners-corporation records, planning constraints and finance approval. Decide on a maximum before the auction and do not confuse the seller’s minimum with your own valuation.

Key dates

– 1 October 2026: Most new rules commence
– 9 October 2026: First reserve disclosures may be required for sales on 16 October
– 16 October 2026: New reserve rules apply to auctions/fixed-date sales from this date
– 1 June 2027: Earlier Section 32 availability begins
– 1 July 2027: Restrictions on commission from released deposits begin
– 1 December 2027: Broader sold-price reporting to Consumer Affairs begins

Sonny Bono’s Palm Springs Home Hits the Market for Nearly $7.5 Million

The desert residence belonged to the singer, who also served as mayor of the California city, for more than a decade.