David Duchovny lists longtime Malibu home for $12.5M — complete with a restored train caboose

New York Post

30-04-2025

David Duchovny wants to believe — that he'll find a buyer for his home.
The leading man of 'The X-Files' and 'Californication' just listed his longtime Malibu dwelling for $12.5 million, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The luxurious, custom-built residence comes with a striking neighbor: a one-bedroom restored train caboose, in which Duchovny wrote his 2021 novel 'Truly Like Lightning,' and often records his podcast 'Fail Better.'
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11 Duchovny, 64, pictured in February.
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11 The entrance to the ultra-modern home.
Cristian Cruzio
The three-bedroom main house spans 3,577 square feet on about 1 acre of land, according to the brokerage Compass.
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Duchovny tore down the prior structure there when he bought the property for $4.75 million in 2016, the Journal reported, and spent $7 million building anew.
'Even though it's just 30 minutes from town, it feels like an entirely different world,' Duchovny said in the listing's press release. 'That sense of wonder first captured me, and my appreciation for it has only grown over time.'
The ultra-modern home features polished cement floors, soaring ceilings and large glass doors.
11 The living room is flooded with natural light by skylights and pivoting glass doors.
Cristian Cruzio
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11 A dining area off the chef's kitchen.
Cristian Cruzio
11 A bedroom.
Cristian Cruzio
11 The primary bedroom's ensuite bathroom.
Cristian Cruzio
The open-concept living space — which Duchovny crowned his favorite space in the home — is lit up by recessed lighting and skylights, and a wall of pivoting glass doors connect the home to the outdoors.
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A chef's kitchen at the heart of the home features stone countertops, a five-burner range and a hidden nook with a coffee station.
The primary suite's sliding glass doors open up to the amenity-packed backyard, including a lap pool, a Jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a cold plunge, an outdoor kitchen and a sunken fire pit.
11 A sunken fire pit built into the wooden deck.
Cristian Cruzio
11 The backyard features a lap pool and a Jacuzzi.
Cristian Cruzio
The free-standing train caboose is the $12.5 million listing's most striking feature. The caboose was there when Duchovny bought the property, the Journal reported, which he initially rented from 'The X-Files' creator Chris Carter.
Duchovny spent about $1 million renovating the train car into a guesthouse, according to the outlet. The space consists of a sleeping area, a built-in dining nook, a bathroom with a rainfall shower and a rooftop deck.
Speaking with the outlet, Duchovny called the caboose reno 'one of the things I'm most proud of that I've ever developed in my life.'
11 The caboose came with Duchovny's purchase of the property.
Cristian Cruzio
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11 Duchovny spent about $1 million renovating the train car.
Cristian Cruzio
11 The actor has used the space as a retreat for writing his novel and recording his podcast.
Cristian Cruzio
Duchovny, 64, raised his two children in Malibu. He told the outlet that he is selling the property now that they are both grown.
Compass's Chris Cortazzo, who holds the listing, praised the indoor-outdoor flow of the home as capturing 'the spirit of the Malibu lifestyle.'
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That Malibu lifestyle includes deeded access to a private beach entrance.
Cortazzo said he expects sales to pick up in Malibu with the much-anticipated reopening of the Pacific Coast Highway following the wildfires early this year.
'We're seeing strong demand from displaced residents looking for homes,' Cortazzo said. 'I believe insurance payouts are starting to come through, and rather than waiting to rebuild, many people are turning to Malibu, drawn by the lifestyle we offer.'