Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez publicly listing their home is a telling sign, according to celebrity realtor Josh Flagg.
A day after Affleck, 51, and Lopez’s Beverly Hills mansion hit the market for $68 million, PEOPLE spoke exclusively with Flagg about what may have caused the couple to publicly list the home. The two bought the home for $60,850,000 in May 2023.
Flagg, who is not associated with the sale, says that the listing price is “relatively close to what they paid for it,” which “means they really want to move the property.”
“With that said, I’m also going to take [a guess] that they’re not going to walk out of this making money. They’re going to either break even or take a small loss,” he adds.
The Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles star says that “generally, people do not sell their primary residence a year after they buy it unless there is a divorce, a death, or some kind of desperation.”
While PEOPLE first reported that Affleck and Lopez, 54, were quietly shopping the home off the market in June, Flagg says that the recent amount of press surrounding the couple amid tension in their marriage will not be a “deterrent” for a buyer.
“If a buyer wants to buy a house, they’re going to buy a house. If anything, at least it is giving me some press to the house. It’s good advertising for the property,” he says.
A real estate source told PEOPLE that potential buyers showed “very little initial interest” in the 38,000-square-foot estate, which includes 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, and various amenities such as a sports lounge and a fully equipped gym.
“After privately showing the house for a few weeks, they had very little interest. Publicly listing it was the next natural step,” the source said.
The couple — who have spent much of their summer apart, including during the Fourth of July holiday — began living separately in May. Affleck moved his things out of their Beverly Hills estate a month later.
“Ben continues to live at the Brentwood rental. He’s been there for about two months now. He seems okay. He’s been at his office every day and seems focused on work. He’s also spending time with his kids,” an insider told PEOPLE in June.