Baton Rouge’s most expensive estate hasn’t found any takers yet

It’s not surprising to local real estate agents who handle high-priced home sales that Paula Pennington de la Bretonne’s compound on Highland Road has not yet sold, despite being on the market since last October. After all, with an asking price of $18 million, the 12.5-acre estate—which includes a five-bedroom, 41,000-square foot main house and several smaller other structures—is the most expensive home ever listed in this market. That’s why a Manhattan-based real estate firm is now sharing the listing with de la Bretonne’s daughter, Shannon Smith, who has been marketing the property since it went up for sale last fall. Douglas Elliman Real Estate—whose other listings at the moment include a $22 million residence on New York’s Upper East Side, a $15 million residence on Madison Avenue, and a $50 million condo on Miami Beach—began listing the property Aug. 23. “We just have more global contacts who might be in the market for that kind of property,” says John Musso, Elliman’s listing agent. “We do a lot of stuff in New York at that price point and have a lot potential buyers in London, Saudi Arabia—places like that.” Would a London or Saudi buyer want a home in Baton Rouge? That, say local agents, will be the biggest challenge in selling the property. “People aren’t going to just move to Baton Rouge because they fall in love with a house,” says Quita Cutrer of Burns & Company, who handles many high-end homes in the city. “People are going to move to Baton Rouge if they have a connection here, a reason.” View a listing of the compound with photographs. —Stephanie Riegel