Is a room with a view not enough for you? The annual list of the world's most sought-after homes is in. According to Forbes.com, this year's crop of hot spots includes Australia's Gold Coast and the French Riviera, which offer extraordinary views of the sea, and urban pads in New York, Beverly Hills and Rio de Janeiro.
The properties "might be sold within a week or stay on the market much longer," says Thierry Journiac of Terra Cognita. "This is because their owners do not really need money and so do not want to discuss the price much."
"You're definitely talking about the highest end of the market here," Joshua Saslove of Joshua & Co., an affiliate of Christie's Great Estates based in Colorado, told Forbes.com. "The net worth of the buyers and the sellers is such that they can do whatever they want."
These are world's most expensive properties, and the prices are as unique as the homes. Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan's Aspen ski lodge lists for US$135-million, while 6,000 miles away, a 64-room Istanbul waterfront mansion is asking for US$100-million.
A little further down from that heady price is South Africa's most expensive home, which comes in a comparatively modest US$18-million. But you'd better act quickly; South Africa has been dubbed one of the quickest growing real estate markets by the international real estate company Knight Frank, so that affordability may soon vanish.
If you have a medieval bent -- or a soft spot for that pale and toothy character, Dracula -- check out a US$140-million Romanian castle that was built in 1212 and once housed Bram Stoker's inspiration, Vlad the Impaler.
Regardless of whether the asking price is eight digits or nine, these potential buyers are generally cut from the same cloth: They are wealthy jet-setters hunting for that complementary second, third or fourth home. While historically, Americans, Arabs and Europeans have long bought getaways across the globe, increasingly, the rising wealth in Asia is injecting that continent's elite into the buying pool.
Still, discovering every top-tier property is impossible. Many owners sell their homes only to preselected buyers, and hide their asking and sales prices. This helps owners conceal the value of a home for tax purposes, and keeps fellow aristocrats from regarding them as tacky for announcing a US$100-million property to the world.
http://www.nationalpost.com/life/homes/story.html?id=423280
No comments:
Post a Comment