Iconic ‘Breaking Bad’ house up for sale for $4M

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The iconic house in Albuquerque, known to the world as Walter White’s home in “Breaking Bad,” is officially up for sale for $4 million.

The homeowners let KOB 4 take a look, and it’s the first time cameras have ever been allowed inside. 

Even more than a decade after the show ended, it still draws tourists from all over the world. Fans take pictures outside day and night, but most people aren’t allowed inside.

Joanne Quintana and her siblings grew up in the northeast Albuquerque home and own it. Their parents, Fran and Louis Padilla, bought it back in 1973.

Then, one random day in 2006, a knock at the door changed their lives.

“My mother never ever answers the door, and she did. They introduced themselves and handed her a card and said, ‘We would like to use your house for a pilot.’ And she’s like, ‘You want to buy a bridge in Brooklyn? What are you talking about?’” said Quintana.

Fiery Fran confirmed that the project was legit, and it was just a pilot, so they took the leap. Two weeks later, filming began.

“We were, like anybody, it’s a once in a lifetime thing. You got to meet the actors, the actresses, you got to see how they set up the equipment and what it all takes,” Quintana said.

Despite popular belief, they only used the inside of the home for gear, and prep – not for scenes. 

The family was there for the iconic pizza scene. Joanne says they had boxes of pizzas lining her sidewalk in case Bryan Cranston didn’t get it on the first take, but he nailed it on try one.

For the pivotal scene when Skyler walks into the family’s pool, the family snapped a photo as they filled the pool with 90-degree water to make the actress comfortable.

Fran always had cookies for the crew.

“What was funny was Bryan Cranston could not eat not one cookie. Because he had cancer in the show, so he was losing weight. So he would pass, but everybody, all the directors, all the writers would eat the cookies. The last day of shooting, he takes a picture holding my mom’s biscotti because he finally got to eat her cookies,” said Quintana. “Aaron Paul had to grunt and get angry to get into his character of Jesse. That was awesome. And the magic of Hollywood, nobody will ever get to experience what we did.”

Then the show became an international sensation.

“The fans started coming. We would go out there, my mother and I, and we would take pictures with them,” Quintana said.

But when did it start to get to a point where they had to put the fence up?

“Around 4:30 in the morning, the doorbell rang, my mom got up and opened the door, and it was a package,” said Quintana.

The package was addressed to Walter White at the Padilla family’s home, so they called the bomb squad.

“My brothers said that’s it, we’re done, fence is going up. That’s too close for comfort is the front door,” Quintana said.

Now, cameras alert them when someone is outside.

“We average 300 cars a day. Come Balloon Fiesta, hundreds of thousands come for balloons. Balloons go up, they come down. Where do they come? Here,” said Quintana.

As Quintana’s parents got older, it got harder for her to protect them inside.

“Nobody knew that there was two people very sick, eventually on hospice, and eventually passed away,” Quintana said.

Now, she says it’s finally time to sell.

“This was our family home from 1973, almost 52 years. So we’re going to walk away with just our memories. It’s time to move on. We’re done. There’s no reason to fight anymore,” said Quintana.

Zillow estimates the 1,900-square foot home would go for under $350,000, but the family only got paid a fee per shoot, no residuals.

With the multi-million dollar price tag, the family expects that it won’t be a family home anymore, and they don’t think it should be.

“I hope they make it what the fans want. They want a BnB, they want a museum, they want access to it. Go for it,” Quintana said.

For years, people have shown up with luggage, scammed into thinking they rented the home. A speedo-wearing man paid a thousand dollars for a dip in the pool. 

“This is what they want. They want the iconic pool,” said Quintana.

David Christensen with eXp Luxury and Ryan Johnston with InterPhase Entertainment are selling the home. For more information, visit www.walterwhiteshouse.com.