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What makes an expensive home? We normally associate pricey houses with enormous and landscaped lawns, swimming pools, exclusive and gated surroundings, large rooms, staff houses, sports facilities, and even wine cellars. And of course, as any real estate agent would tell you, the most important things are location, location and location!
In the United States, the five most populous cities are located in the states of California, New York, Illinois, Texas and Pennsylvania. The cities of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia are great places to live in. They all have fantastic educational institutions, impressive sites and tourist spots and consistently strong teams in the major sports.
These cities are also the locations of some of the most expensive homes that were sold last year. A New York penthouse located in Central Park West sold for $88 million. A Russian composer also bought a 6,000-square foot loft in the 12th floor of The Plaza for $48 million. The west coast, meanwhile, saw Petra Ecclestone, the 22-year-old daughter of Bernie Ecclestone of Formula One fame, shell out $85 million for the manor of famous Hollywood producer Aaron Spelling. And she even got it with a huge discount, as the original asking price was $150 million.
Now, if you could only follow the footsteps of these billionaires by complementing your upscale city lifestyle with a luxurious home to live in. Take a peek then at the following residences for your consideration. These are the most expensive listed houses in the five most populous cities in America.
1. The Saperstein Mansion in Bel Air - $125 million
Ms. Suzanne Saperstein, who got the house as part of her divorce settlement with her husband Mr. David Saperstein, owns this Los Angeles mansion. Built in 2002 in the exclusive and gated community of Bel Air, this romantic and French-style mansion got its inspiration from the Chateau de Vaux le Vicompte in France. It sits on four acres of land and has a total area of 35,046 square feet.
The mansion boasts of a separate guesthouse, well-manicured lawns and a gigantic swimming pool. Hedge walls surround the pool for the privacy of the owners.
The inside of the house features 12 bedrooms and 15 full bathrooms. The whole place has high ceilings made of strongbox. The dining room is huge with an ambiance fit for royalty. The ceiling in the dining area is made of barrel vaults.
Ms. Saperstein has been trying to sell this mansion for the sum of $125 million. It is a sharp up tick, however, from the $40 million paid for by Gene Sykes of Goldman Sachs for the 35,000 square foot Cantor mansion located in the same community.
2. The Woolworth Mansion in Manhattan - $90 million
This French-style limestone mansion located in the Upper East Side of New York City was built in 1916 for the daughters of Frank Woolworth, a retail tycoon who was then building his eponymous skyscraper in the downtown part of the Big Apple.
Everything about this mansion is grand, from the receiving area and entry hall to the foyer and the master stairs. The dining area can be configured for up to 50 people. The house also features a sunroom.
The entire house has seven floors in total. The upper floors boast of 14-foot rooms with glass windows from the floor to the ceiling.
The Woolworth mansion is in the middle of two other mansions in East 80th Street off Fifth Avenue. With a total area of 19,950 square feet, the house is for sale for the tidy sum of $90 million.
Townhouses in the same area have been sold for less than half this price. A classy, five-storey, 12,000-square foot townhouse called the Vanderbilt Mansion was purchased for $48 million last year. Another one, called the Harkness Mansion, fetched for “only” $36.5 million. And we call $36.5 million “only” because the price of the same townhouse six years ago was $53 million.
3. The Trump Tower Penthouse - $32 million
Would you like a residence with the amenities of a hotel? Then, the $32 million Trump Tower Penthouse in Chicago may be the one for you. It is part of the Trump Tower condo-hotel, meaning you would get access to its many first-class services, like a state-of-the-art gym, a spa that features oil massages that make use of precious gemstones, an indoor swimming pool, valet services and a restaurant that has a 24-hour room service. The penthouse itself sits on a 14,260-square foot area. It has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms.
Aside from the room partitions that include spaces for a bar, an exercise room and a theater, the penthouse is designed in such a way that you could put your stamp on it. In other words, the unit is bare, so you are allowed to build it up based on your taste and specifications. Located in the 89th floor of the tower, the 16-foot floor to ceiling windows would give you a majestic view of Lake Michigan and the city of Chicago. This is certainly high living for the highest residence in the Western hemisphere.
4. The Mount Vernon Mansion - $29.5 million
This tasteful neoclassical Georgian mansion in Dallas sits on 10 acres of prime estate. Built in 1930, the mansion overlooks the White Rock Lake. It includes amenities such as a separate guesthouse, a bowling inn, a huge garage, tennis courts, golf putting holes and swimming pool.
The interior has five bedrooms and eleven bathrooms. It also has a deck that offers fantastic sunset views.
5. The Rittenhouse Square - $15 million
This is a bare, three-storey mansion with total square footage of 9,153 square feet. It is located in a building in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. You will get round-the-clock services of a doorman and concierge, access to a chauffeured luxury car, gym, swimming pool and room service.
But what you’d be really paying for is the amazing view from its balcony that overlooks the square. There is also another spacious terrace overlooking the courtyard.
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