The 5 Most Expensive Houses in the World
How much is the most expensive house in the world worth? You won’t believe the answer…
How much did your house cost? Two hundred thousand? Three hundred thousand? Or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who can afford to spend $500 thousand or $1 million on your home. But don’t be too proud of yourself — that is just a drop in the bucket, compared to the most expensive houses in the world.
But how much is too much? I can’t answer that for you, but I can tell you how much other people are willing to pay.
Coming in at number five….
The Hearst Mansion, features a whopping 29 bedrooms, and three pools. Look familiar? This house was featured in The Godfather movie. Another great fact about this house: JFK stayed here during his honeymoon, and close-by neighbors include Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes, and the Posh and Becks.
Source: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2688/4321052153_4ba896b119.jpg
Drum roll please…number four…..
This girl’s prep school turned refurbished Victorian Villa was remodeled in 2006. An impressive home, located in London’s Kensington Palace Gardens, is five storey’s, underground swimming pool, gym, sauna and cinema.
Source: http://newshousedesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Franchuk-Villa-Kensington-6.jpg
The third most expensive house in the world…
…is actually not a house at all.
The most expensive flat in the world is also the third most expensive home: a penthouse located at One Hyde Park in London. This isn’t your average apartment, however — more like someplace to live if you are afraid for your life! In the most expensive penthouses, the windows are made of bulletproof glass, ventilation systems purify the air, and you can choose other features such as panic rooms! There is also an underground passage that leads to a nearby hotel, just in case your building is attacked by aliens and your best method of escape is to pose as a guest at the Mandarin Oriental.
Although the penthouses aren’t expected to be complete until the end of 2010, we already know that they are valued at £6,000 per square foot. This gives the priciest penthouse a price tag of $200 million!
Source http://www.hauteliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/OneHydePark-300×205.jpg
The runner up…
The second most expensive house in the world is the Villa Leopolda, a beautiful estate on the French Riviera. Unsurprisingly, this beautiful home was built by royalty: A Belgian king built it in 1902. Can you guess his name? King Leopold II, of course!
At 80,000 square feet and with 19 bedrooms, this is far from the largest house in the world, but hey — it does have more than one kitchen and dining room, its own bowling alley, and its own movie theater. Nothing to sneeze at! The house is also beautifully furnished in period antiques, which probably are worth a pretty penny in their own rights.
The sprawling home, which is now valued at $506 million, was a present for the king’s mistress. Although perhaps not as starkly impressive as the more modern penthouses in One Hyde Park, there is something about the old-fashioned house and grounds that makes me think I ought to reconsider who I’ve been dating!
Source: Villa Leopolda http://farm1.static.flickr.com/8/8371345_7b893920d2.jpg
And the winner is…
The most expensive house in the entire world is a glass skyscraper in Mumbai, India. Yes, the entire skyscraper is one big mansion! The first six stories are a parking garage, and the house itself is 27 stories tall. However, since every floor has soaring ceilings, the building is the equivalent of 60 stories tall, and is equipped with its own helipads on the roof. The house also has its own ballroom, theater, and health spa, not to mention more than one swimming pool.
How do you clean and manage a house this size? Well, with 600 servants, of course. But as big as this house is, it might be time to upgrade soon! There are only 150 spaces in Antilla’s garage, and the house’s owner — Indian business tycoon Mukesh Ambani — is reported to have 168 cars in his personal collection. What does he do with the 18 cars that don’t fit in the garage, I wonder?
This towering glass monstrosity is worth a shocking $1 billion, nearly twice what the Villa Leopolda is valued at. Since this is far and above the value of any of the other homes I’ve mentioned, I think it is pretty safe to say that Antilla will remain the uncontested king for quite a while.
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Ambani_house_mumbai.jpg
About the Author:
Vern is an avid Facebook-er, blogger/writer, and native Californian. He loves writing about travel and real estate, especially La Jolla homes and Real Estate trends (his hometown).