The Goonies House For Sale!
Will the Goon Docks go to Developers?
By Erik Nachtrieb (SetJetters CEO & CoFounder)
Once a Goonie, Always a Goonie! This time the Goonies house isn’t in foreclosure. Could it go to developers or be your $400K/year investment property?
The Goonies House, built in 1896, sits high above the quaint city of Astoria, Oregon USA in an area that reflects the “Goon Docks”. Against a backdrop of evergreen forested hills, and set amongst a neighborhood with a smattering of Victorian style homes, the house looks out on the mighty Columbia River at the gateway to the Pacific Ocean (and yes, it does have a ladder to the attic!).
The Goonies House in The Goonies (1985) - Image property of Ablin Entertainment/Warner Bros. Pictures
Although now a nostalgic set from the classic 1985 film “The Goonies” (watch the film and trailers here), the house was originally in disrepair when location scouts discovered it. The production, led by Steven Spielberg and director Richard Donner, offered to renovate the location in exchange for permissions to use it in the film.
A 1985 American adventure comedy, The Goonies is about a group of social misfits from the wrong side of the track, a neighborhood known as "The Goon Docks", in Astoria, Oregon. The film starts in the days leading up to the impending sale of Walsh family home, and the kids’ Rube Goldberg-style fortress, to a group of land developers. During their final weekend together, The Goonies discover a treasure map in the Walsh attic that leads them on an adventure to find the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. However, as soon as they begin to follow the map and its clues, the gang finds themselves pitted against a local crime family who has no intention of letting a bunch of kids beat them to the priceless treasure first.
In 2017, The Goonies was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”
In 2001, the Goonies House was, as in the movie, in foreclosure! That year Sandi Preston purchased the house sight unseen and it was once again in severely dilapidated condition. She renovated the entire residence and soon became extremely overwhelmed by the popularity of the house amongst movie fans. For a long period of time she tried to reduce the amount of fan foot traffic to the location with signs deterring people from approaching.
Even SetJetters, a film location mobile app for movie fans, even jumped into the issue in 2021, meeting with Sandi and the Astoria-Warrenton Chamber of Commerce to develop a flagging system in the app and rules to mitigate visitor numbers. In 2022, Sandi opened the driveway up to fans welcoming them up for photos of the exterior - with some house rules! Even going as far as placing a QR code to receive donations from visitors for house maintenance.
Over the last few years, SetJetters has spoken with a few property owners of famous movie houses. Listening to the owners of the Swan Twilight House, managing and looking after a movie location house definitely starts as a passion project. Because the owner was such a Twilight fan, she even knew it was up for sale and had a vision and the eye to fit the house out with all the details found in the movie (they’re very proud of the movie-accurate boat shelf hanging in the entrance).
Her attention to movie details has turned the property into a profitable vacation rental for Twilight fans. But it did take time and faith (and a little help from a viral TikTok) to get them discovered. The owners Amber and her partner Dean now take great delight in welcoming guests from around the world and encourage visitors to take photos and share the experience of sleeping in Bella’s room on social media. (watch our video interview with Amber and Dean to learn more about what it’s like to manage a movie location house)
Last time the Goonies House was going to change hands, Mikey, Walsh, Chunk and Data (who lived in the house next door), set off on an adventure following One-Eyed Willie's map to treasures to save the Goonies House.
Whoever buys the house, being listed next week, will have to come up with a small treasure as well with an asking price of $1.65M. The house next door is going for $500K at the same time. You can find the listing by Jordan Miller of John L. Scott Real Estate when it posts the week of the 21 November, 2022. (Nicole Bales, Daily Astorian)
But, it could be worth it! When movie location houses are looked after and promoted as such, these homes can be a very profitable business. The aforementioned “Swan Twilight House”, from the first Twilight film located in St. Helens Oregon is booked out a year in advance at $400/day and the Cherry Tree Inn, the residence featured in the Bill Murray film Groundhog Day, is booked out three years in advance at $1,125 per day across 5 rooms. That is $150K to $400K in annual revenue for a movie house investment, based on their website rental rates.
Bill Murray in Groundhog Day (1993) at the Cherry Tree Inn - Image property of Columbia Pictures.
We know that not all owners of such homes are delighted by their film legacy. The owners of the Breaking Bad house are sick of pizzas being thrown onto the roof, and the Conjuring House is obscured from view on Google Maps to deter visitors.
To that end, SetJetters actively works with locations (not just houses) to ensure these spaces are respected by listing restrictions, visitation hours or rules and sometimes simply letting you know it’s not appropriate to go.
(picture left) You can see our Private Property warning on The Goonies House scene card.
But for the properties that welcome you with open arms (including the scary ones like Buffalo Bills House!) they can be found on the SetJetters app under the search tile “Famous Stays.”
Nostalgia may help fetch the asking price, but it’s the region in which the Goonies House is located that will motivate the buyer. Astoria, and the surrounding Warrington area is the oldest American settlement west of the Rocky Mountains. Visitors will find the beautiful Oregon coast to the south and the rugged forests of the Pacific Northwest to the east. There is always something to do for local fun, including art galleries, theaters, restaurants, and microbreweries in the city, and if you're looking to get out and discover the surrounding area, Astoria is a gateway to family activities and outdoor adventures. Take a ride on the Astoria Riverfront Trolley that travels the five mile river walk, find hiking trails for all skill levels, drop into the Columbia River Maritime Museum or the aquatic center. Don’t forget the historic Oregon Film Museum, where you can stand in Jack Fratelli’s actual jail cell.
Visit Travel Oregon or Travel Astoria for more travel and entertainment ideas, and for the film buffs, follow The Oregon Film Trail around the state for other iconic Oregon movie locations.
And in the meantime, let’s just hope Mr. Perkins doesn’t come up with the $2.1M for both houses!
If you’ve already got the SetJetters app, click here to find the location of the Goonies House… plus all Goonies movie locations and other famous houses in which to stay!
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