Larry Ellison, Ken Griffin, Dace Brown Stubbs and other billionaires are buying neighboring houses using ‘methods’ called ‘Landmaxxing’, ‘Defensive buying’ and …

Larry Ellison and several other billionaires may be increasingly buying neighbouring homes and land to create larger private compounds. A report claims that the Oracle founder, hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, Jack Daniel’s heiress Dace Brown Stubbs and several other wealthy buyers are doing this. According to Coldwell Banker’s midyear luxury market report, the trend has given rise to terms such as “Landmaxxing”, which means acquiring additional land to expand a property, and “defensive buying,” where buyers purchase adjacent land to preserve privacy or protect views.Citing the report, The Wall Street Journal noted that searches for US. luxury properties doubled in the first five months of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Searches for buildable land jumped 97% year-over-year, and searches for private islands and estates more than doubled, indicating rising demand for larger, multi-parcel properties.

How and why Larry Elisson, Jeff Bezos and other billionaires are expanding their compounds

Among the buyers highlighted in the report is Citadel founder Ken Griffin, who has spent more than $450 million assembling a 27-acre compound in Palm Beach. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has purchased properties worth more than $230 million on Miami’s Indian Creek Island, while Oracle founder Larry Ellison has continued acquiring neighbouring properties in Malibu, California, Incline Village, Nevada, and Manalapan, Florida.A real estate agent named Danny Hertzberg working for Coldwell Banker Realty said many buyers now see adjacent properties as both lifestyle assets and long-term investments. “This is more sought-after than the 40,000-square-foot house. For some people, it is privacy and security. For others, it is a hedge against inflation,” he said.He added that neighbouring property owners are often the first buyers approached when a home goes on sale because they are willing to pay more to expand their holdings.Real estate agents say buyers are using neighbouring properties for a range of purposes, including guest accommodation, staff housing, gardens, boating facilities, gyms, spas and sports courts.Venture capitalist Benjamin Ling expanded his holdings on Miami Beach’s Palm Island by purchasing the waterfront property next to his home. Investor Ibrahim Al-Rashid also bought two neighbouring homes on Hibiscus Island, later building a guesthouse with a gym, spa and a man-made fish pond alongside his primary residence.Businessman Patrick Dovigi purchased three nearby parcels last year, with plans to add a gym, spa and cabana next to his waterfront home, along with a padel court on another lot across the street.Some buyers are also engaging in what Hertzberg described as “defensive buying,” purchasing adjacent land to create a buffer between themselves and future developments.Dace Brown Stubbs, whose family founded the company behind Jack Daniel’s, said she expanded her Colorado ranch after concerns that new construction could alter the surrounding landscape.“I hated the thought of a giant house or two being built on these beautiful fields,” she said.Stubbs initially purchased a 14.26-acre ranch and later spent an additional $1.15 million over several years to acquire another 40 acres to preserve the property’s views.The report also highlighted WeatherTech founder David MacNeil, who has acquired multiple adjacent parcels in Manalapan, Florida. One nearby parcel is also being purchased by Larry Ellison, further expanding the Oracle founder’s existing compound in the area.According to Coldwell Banker, average luxury single-family home sales volume increased 2.8% year over year between January and May, while the median luxury home price rose 4.7% to $1.83 million. The brokerage said the luxury market has continued to be driven largely by cash buyers and long-term wealth creation rather than mortgage rates.