Harpo Marx's Rundown, Renovated Neff in Rancho Mirage

Poor Harpo Marx, never quite as snazzy as his *big little brother. At least someone finished the massive renovation of Groucho's Wallace Neff-designed house. Harpo's Neff in Rancho Mirage appears to have been taken by the bank mid-overhaul, not that acres of granite bestow all that much dignity. The El Rancho Harpo website tells you to "Enter as you stroll across a bridge with waterfalls to the front door.  Once inside, you notice the immense open spaces, huge wet bar and vaulted twenty foot beamed ceiling," but the MLS listing tells you to "Bring your contractor." The eight bedroom, ten bathroom house comes with a pool, a koi pond, and a tennis court, plus a historic designation that qualifies it for the Mills Act. The house is listed at $1.779 million, but at over 9,000 square feet, that's only $196 per square foot.
· 71111 La Paz Rd [Redfin]
· El Rancho Harpo [Official Site]