"Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Melissa Gorga and her high-testosterone hubby, Joe, are selling a 9,500-square-foot mansion in Franklin Lakes, NJ, according to NJ.com.
The Gorgas had planned to move into the five-bedroom home upon completion. But in a saga worthy of the reality TV show, they have instead listed it for $2.65 million.
We thought the main drama around Melissa this season would be yet another conflict with sister-in-law Teresa Giudice. Giudice was recently released from "camp" at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, CT, where she served 11 months for fraud.
However, instead of familial squabbles, real estate issues are plaguing the Gorgas. They had found a lease-to-buy tenant for their Montville, NJ, mansion and moved temporarily into a rental while their Franklin Lakes place was under construction.
But the Gorgas recently sued their Montville tenant for nonpayment of rent and failure to live up to a lease-purchase agreement for the $3.9 million, 13,5000-square-foot home, NJ.com reports.
A Morristown Superior Court judge sided with the reality stars and ordered the tenant to pay $30,821 or face eviction. And according to a recent episode of "RHONJ," the Gorgas are back in their Montville home.
Back to the sale of their Franklin Lakes home: Pictures show a great room with a two-story ceiling and french doors leading to a patio. The master suite has two huge closets with built-ins galore.
However, the home is a few hundred thousand dollars away from being finished. It needs kitchen appliances, high-end light fixtures, and a loving buyer who wants to finish the basement.
"It's a gorgeous house," says listing agent Jerome Sahlman of Re/Max Village Square-Upper Montclair. "Joe is a good builder who works like a dog from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m."
Sahlman, who calls himself Joe's "real estate guru" and sometimes collaborator, says "RHONJ" hurts the builder as much as it helps.
"They come off not looking very good," Sahlman says of the show, which he thinks sells short Joe's skills and work ethic. "He's one of the hardest-working builders in the metropolitan area."
Joe's next project is a 37-unit apartment building in Morristown -- they call it MoHo -- that's scheduled for occupancy in November. Rents at Morristown Lofts will range from $1,800 to $3,500, Sahlman says.