- Jenny Greenwood Huber started a company that staffs and manages West Coast luxury estates.
- Huber has hired as many as 50 staff members to make sure a single house is running smoothly.
In May, Beyoncé and Jay-Z shattered the record for California's most expensive home with their $200 million purchase of an 8-acre property overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Malibu.
And despite the sky-high price tag, the Carters aren't done dishing out just yet.
At a whopping 40,000 square feet, a house that size requires a level of detail and attention in its upkeep that two people alone can't provide (especially if they're busy touring the world for their newest album.)
"These homes run like a well-oiled machine," Jenny Greenwood Huber, owner and founder of Heritage Estate Management, told Insider. "At this level, it's usually a business in its own right."
Heritage Estate Management provides household staffing and property management services for West Coast estates in places like Beverly Hills and Malibu, where the Carters' new home is located.
When it comes to staffing, that means hiring full-time employees to keep a home in pristine condition. Think Downton Abbey for the 21st century: Butlers to help oversee all operations like housekeeping and entertaining on the premises, as well as serving the homeowners and their guests; nannies who follow behind the Sirs and Rumis of the world, picking up in their wake; and even lady's maids whose main assignment is to take care of the wardrobe needs of the lady of the house, according to Huber.
When it comes to property management, that could mean bringing in temporary housekeepers who give the home a genuine sparkle while the owners are out of town for a few weeks.
There could be up to 50 people working at one property at a time. Of course, that amount of hands-on-deck adds up.
Estates like the Carters' require a full-time staff of housekeepers, chefs, and nannies
Staffing a home like Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Malibu estate could end up costing up to seven figures a year for a full-time staff.
"That's like a hotel at that point," Huber said. She would recommend at least 10 rotating housekeepers, two to four housemen, a full-time gardening crew, three to four rotating chefs, multiple butlers, chauffeurs, and nannies and tutors if there are children.
According to Huber, housekeepers and housemen can make $30 to $35 per hour, chefs make $50 to $100 an hour, and butlers and nannies earn upwards of $100,000 a year.
With a staff of 20, property owners could be paying nearly $5,000 a day — or $1.8 million a year. That's far fewer staff than the Carters might need, but with Jay-Z's estimated $2.5 billion and Beyoncé's estimated $540 million net worths, that's a doable sum.
Huber calls in temporary employees for jobs like limestone maintenance
More regularly, Heritage Estate Management oversees houses with up to 15,000 square feet, often with six bedrooms or more — the crème de la crème of homes when compared to Los Angeles County's median-sized house of 1,798 square feet.
Huber's clientele, often big-business owners or venture capitalists, can afford to pay others to manage their pricey homes.
This kind of service does not come cheap.
For property management, Huber said her company charges clients a flat rate of $175 per hour for under 20 hours a month for property management, and $150 per month for 20 hours or more.
Some clients want visits a couple of times a month with annual maintenance, like cleaning and sealing of limestone, while they're out of town. Other clients prefer more regular visits, like once a week.
According to Huber, her staff could work 20 hours to 50 hours a month at a single estate. On the low end, that costs owners roughly $36,000 a year.
Huber noted that the largest house she'd ever staffed was a 70,000-square-foot secondary residence.
"When they came into town, we would have 20 people added in a temporary capacity," she said. "It was housekeepers, butlers, ladies' maids, chefs, and all of that, and it would be for three weeks. Just a massive team alongside the skeleton team that we helped put together."
Even only three weeks worth of work comes to about $75,000 at $30 an hour, not including weekend work or overtime — a costly expense for a second home.
With 40,000 square feet at their disposal, Beyoncé and Jay-Z definitely have room to stretch their legs. And if they decide they want the extra level of comfort that a full-time staff provides, well, that will come at a hefty fee.