YouTubers buy $8.4 million mansion in Spokane Valley
New owners of an $8.4 million mansion in Spokane Valley are behind the popular YouTube channel Genevieve’s Playhouse.
The sale is the priciest in Spokane County by far this year and sits among the top ranks of all time in the area. The next-most expensive home sale in 2024 was a $3.85-million transaction for a house on the South Hill.
The couple who purchased the Spokane Valley home, Robert and Jacqueline Mann, are moving from Georgia. The family runs the YouTube channel with their children – featuring toy reviews and skits for young kids. Starting in 2016, the channel has now grown to more than 44 million subscribers.
Recent videos include skits with Paw Patrol, Bluey and Peppa Pig toys enacting full episodes with the popular characters. The toy review videos are also meant for toddler-aged children to enjoy. In their 659 videos, the channel has garnered nearly 34 billion views.
Robert Mann said the family is moving to Spokane for its beautiful views and fresh air.
“We love the area. It’s beautiful. We’re just a normal family starting new lives in a new place,” Mann said.
The 13,674-square-foot home on 168 acres is tucked in the Valley, with private forest stretching into the flanks of the Antoine Peak conservation area. The home features eight bedrooms, eight baths, a theater, an indoor basketball court, a spa, an elevator and a garage, adding an additional 4,000 square feet. There is also a 12,000-square-foot shop and a full guest home with separate entrance, garage and elevator. There are five bedroom and baths in the main mansion, and an additional three bedrooms and baths in the adjoining guest house.
Mann said he looks forward to camping in those private woods with his children.
The Dec. 11 sale concluded the home’s first listing since being built in 1979.
Since its construction, the property has been owned by Gene Monaco, former CEO of Monaco Enterprises. The Spokane Valley-based manufacturing company produces fire and security alarm systems designed primarily for use on military installations.
Gene Monaco served as CEO of his namesake company from its founding in 1971 to its 2019 acquisition by Lometa Capital. In 2016, the company settled a lawsuit against the federal government for $5 million. The government alleged Monaco defrauded the U.S. military by overbilling or billing for services never provided. The company and Gene Monaco denied the allegations.
According to selling Realtor Joel Elgee, there is “no precedent” for such a sale in Spokane County.
“The closest was a $6 million home sold three years ago,” he said. “This is even on a whole other scale.”
His realty team at Avalon24 prepared years in advance before putting the property on the market a year ago. At such a price point, Elgee expected the home to be on the market for longer. He credited his team’s national and international outreach for the sale, including advertisement in the Wall Street Journal.
Spokane Realtors President Karene Loman said sales of multimillion dollar homes are “not super common in Spokane.”
“If we sold 7,000 homes in Spokane last year and only a dozen or so were over $2 million, that tells you how common it is,” she said.