WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIS WATTS’ HOUSE? THE INFAMOUS COLORADO HOME HAS A VERY DIFFERENT LIFE NOW

For years, the Frederick, Colorado, house where Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann, stood largely empty as the property became one of the most recognizable addresses in true-crime history. But the house eventually found buyers — twice.

FREDERICK, Colo. — From the outside, the house at the center of the Watts family tragedy looks like an ordinary suburban home.

It has multiple bedrooms, a large family room, a fireplace and a spacious backyard.

But inside those walls, one of the most notorious family crimes in modern American history unfolded.

In August 2018, Chris Watts killed his pregnant wife, Shanann Watts, and their daughters, 4-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Celeste. Shanann was 15 weeks pregnant with their son, Nico, at the time. Watts later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to multiple life terms in prison.

And for years afterward, the house itself remained frozen in the shadow of what happened there.

THE HOME THAT BECAME A CRIME SCENE

The Watts family purchased the Frederick property in 2013 for approximately $399,954 and lived there for five years.

To neighbors, it had been a typical family home in a growing Colorado subdivision.

That changed forever on August 13, 2018.

Shanann had returned home from a business trip in the early morning hours. According to the case record, Watts killed her inside the home before taking their daughters to an oil-field worksite. He later killed Bella and Celeste and disposed of their bodies at the site.

The house subsequently became one of the most heavily scrutinized properties in the country.

THEN IT SAT EMPTY

After Watts’ arrest and conviction, the property became difficult to sell.

The house remained vacant for years while legal and financial issues surrounding the property were worked out.

By 2020, the home had become so notorious that neighbors complained about strangers driving through the neighborhood to see it.

Some visitors reportedly arrived late at night.

Others left memorials outside.

Neighbors were concerned about the constant attention and asked people to respect the privacy and safety of the surrounding community.

The house wasn’t merely real estate anymore.

It had become a destination for true-crime curiosity.

WHY DIDN’T ANYONE WANT IT?

The problem was obvious.

Anyone purchasing the property would not simply be buying a house.

They would be buying a house with an infamous history.

Real-estate experts noted that properties associated with notorious crimes can be extremely difficult to sell because potential buyers may struggle with the psychological impact of knowing what happened there.

That stigma became part of the property’s financial history.

The home eventually sold in 2022 for $600,000, according to People.

But that was not the end of the story.

THE HOUSE WENT BACK ON THE MARKET

In April 2024, the property returned to the market.

The asking price?

$775,000.

The five-bedroom, four-bathroom home had approximately 4,177 square feet of living space and featured many of the amenities buyers would expect from a modern suburban home.

But its history remained impossible to ignore.

The listing reportedly did not emphasize the property’s notorious past, instead presenting it as a conventional home.

Potential viewers were reportedly instructed not to take photographs or videos inside.

THE PRICE KEPT FALLING

The property did not immediately attract a buyer at the original asking price.

The price was reduced multiple times.

Eventually, the house sold on October 17, 2024, for $650,000 — substantially below the original $775,000 asking price.

That sale marked the second time the property had changed hands since the Watts family tragedy.

And suddenly, the question changed from:

“Who would buy this house?”

to:

“What will happen to it now?”

THE HOUSE WAS NEVER DEMOLISHED

One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding the property is that it was eventually torn down.

It wasn’t.

The house remains standing.

The exterior has been altered since the murders, including repainting that changed the property’s appearance.

Inside, however, the home’s physical structure remains a reminder of how ordinary the setting once appeared.

A large kitchen.

An open family room.

A gas fireplace.

A backyard.

A children’s home that once looked like thousands of other American suburban houses.

That contrast is part of what continues to fascinate people.

THE NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY MADE THE HOUSE EVEN MORE FAMOUS

The property received renewed international attention after Netflix released “American Murder: The Family Next Door” in 2020.

The documentary used home videos, social-media material and interviews to reconstruct the disappearance of Shanann and her daughters.

That brought millions of viewers directly into the family’s world — including the house where much of the tragedy began.

The documentary also contributed to the property’s notoriety.

For many viewers, the house became almost as recognizable as the people involved in the case.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FAMILY’S BELONGINGS?

After Watts was arrested, Shanann’s family was allowed to retrieve belongings from the house.

The property was eventually cleared and prepared for sale.

But the emotional significance of the home never disappeared.

For Shanann’s family, it was the place where their daughter and grandchildren had lived.

For investigators, it was a crime scene.

For neighbors, it became an unwanted attraction.

And for true-crime audiences, it became a symbol of a case that shocked the nation.

TODAY, IT’S JUST A HOUSE — BUT NOT TO EVERYONE

The most striking part of the property’s history may be what happened after the headlines faded.

The house didn’t disappear.

It wasn’t abandoned forever.

It wasn’t demolished.

It was sold.

Twice.

According to People, the most recent documented sale was in October 2024 for $650,000.

But its history continues to follow it.

The address remains recognizable to people who remember the case.

The tragedy remains permanently connected to the property.

And the home represents one of the strangest realities of notorious crime scenes:

Eventually, someone has to live there.

THE FAMILY THAT ONCE LIVED THERE IS GONE

Shanann, Bella, Celeste and unborn Nico never got another chance to make memories in that house.

Their lives ended in August 2018.

Chris Watts is serving multiple life sentences and will never return to the home as a free man.

The property, however, continues to exist.

New owners can repaint the walls.

Change the landscaping.

Replace furniture.

Remodel rooms.

Turn the page.

But they cannot erase the history.

A NORMAL HOUSE. AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY.

Today, the Watts home is no longer sitting empty and waiting for someone to take a chance on it.

It has been sold.

It has changed hands.

And from a real-estate perspective, it has moved forward.

But for millions who followed the case, that five-bedroom house in Frederick will forever be associated with one of America’s most haunting family tragedies.

**The house survived.

The family did not.**