So what’s the point of having a multi-million mansion if you never live in it? That’s what many people are asking after reading an MSNBC.com article about heiress Hugette Clark, who inherited her father’s Montana mining fortune and promptly became a recluse. However, that doesn’t mean that she’s given up her family’s estates, including very expensive properties in California, Connecticut and New York.
Her father was once a senator and copper magnate reported to be among the richest men in the world whose political career was ruined after it came out that he bought his way to power. Now 104, Clark has chosen to spend her remaining days inside a hospital — her health reportedly deteriorated and she has spent the past 22 years inside of a hospital or nursing home after the death of her mother. She’s shut out the rest of the world, only speak to her attorney and her accountant.
Her seclusion has also meant that her extensive personal properties have sat dormant for decades. She has a $100 million, almost 22,000-square foot estate in Santa Barbara called Bellosguardo which she apparently hasn’t visited in 50 years. However, a team of groundskeepers perform daily maintenance on the estate following handwritten instructions she sent decades ago.
Also sitting unused but well taken care of is her Connecticut “country home” — an almost 13,000-square foot house currently on the market for $24 million and her 42-room apartment overlooking Central Park. In fact, Clark is so reclusive that the caretakers who are in charge of maintaining her estates aren’t even sure if she is dead or alive.
Dennis Hopper who died in May 2010 had built an interesting house in Venice Beach (Los Angeles), which is for sale now at $6.245 Million. Designed by Architect Frank Gehry this property features a barn-style house and three townhouses totaling over 15,500 SQ FT. In the exterior, there is a pool, pool house, and bungalow-style guest cottage.
The condominiums are also available for sale separately, with prices ranging from $750,000 to $1.05 million.
Jade Mills of Beverly Hills-based Coldwell Banker Previews International, who has the listing with Jane Gavens said, “With its undulating aluminum and steel exterior, the main residence is an ode to the industrial look,” and “This property represents a truly rare find. It is an artist’s ‘dream-come-true’ with its light-filled interiors and its artistic heritage.”
Dennis Hopper used this house as center of his artistic output and entertained friends like Jasper Johns and Roy Lichtenstein. Dennis Hopper was an actor, artist, photographer, and filmmaker.
Below you will see some pictures of this property.
Reports have been circulating that Lebron James, who recently signed a $110 Million NBA deal, has made an offer on $49.5 million Miami-Dade, Florida mansion. Located in waterfront Gables Estates section of Coral Gables, it is one of the biggest mansions in Miami.
The property which is 20,000+ SQ FT has 8 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, 800 feet of waterfront and a dock large enough to handle a 150-foot yacht. The current owner is auto magnate Alan Potamkin. The property was listed in the market last year in April 2009. The property also includes private guest suites, a lighted tennis court, full gym, giant pool, and billiard and media rooms.
The price tag is $49.5 million, but no one know if Lebron is paying the full price. Below are some great pictures of the property.
Go to Luxury Homes Miami Beach to see more pictures of Miami luxury homes.
So what can $50 million buy you? If you are living in the Hamptons, it can get you a dream home in one of the most desirable locations in the United States. The Hamptons is the beach hideout for New York celebrities like Jerry Seinfeld, Martha Stewart and Puff Daddy along with a virtual Who’s Who of Manhattan’s business power brokers.
While some locations are more traditional summer beach homes others are palatial estates. Recently, Yahoo’s! Shine took a look at one of the more lavish beach homes in the Hamptons, a 31,000-square-foot mansion in Bridgehampton owned by Corcoran Group Senior VP Gary DePersia. Living spaces include a 2,000-square-foot master bedroom along with seven additional bedroom suites and a separate apartment with two bedrooms.
There are plenty of things to do within the mansion. The first floor features a family room and a full movie theater. However, the real fun begins on the lower level, which has been converted to an entertainment pavilion. It includes a two-lane bowling alley, game room and virtual golf course. Extreme sports lovers can also enjoy the rock climbing wall or skateboard half-pipe.
If the $50 million price tag is a bit out of your range, don’t worry: the house is also available for rent. It was recently rented for two weeks for $500,000. While that might be a bit more than staying at a Holiday Inn, there certainly are some incredible perks.
Real estate professionals who have been dealing with luxury homes have taken a major hit in recent years as the economic downturn has made it difficult to sell multimillion dollar homes. However, Forbes.com reports that the recent sale of one the most expensive mansions in the United States might be a reason for some hope. Le Belvedere, a sprawling 10-bedroom, 14-bathroom estate on a 2.2-acre bluff in Bel Air, Calif. sold on June 4 to an unidentified European family for as much as $72 million.
The estate was built by Mohamed Hadid, a developer of the Ritz Carlton Hotels, as a personal home. Hadid put the house on the market at $85 million in early 2009 but was forced to drop the price to $72 by the end of the year. The house has been in escrow since May. The sale of Le Belvedere is believed to be the largest private real estate sale in 2010 and one of the largest sales ever handled by a broker.
There are plenty of even more expensive estates near Le Belvedere that are still on the market. Candy Spelling (the widow of television executive Aaron Spelling) is selling her nearby Beverly Hills mansion for $150 million, while another marble classical-style dwelling is on the market for $125 million less than a mile away.
