Forget the super mansion, 2017’s billionaires all want a GIGA-MANSION… with an ice hockey rink and a two-storey walk-in wardrobe
WHILE most Brits are struggling to even get a foot on the property ladder, the world’s top 0.1 per cent have had to come up with a new name to describe how massive their houses are.
This year is all about the “giga-mansion,” sprawling properties in exclusive neighbourhoods that cost upwards of $100 million (£78 million), of which there are currently 33 on the market globally.
A new report by Christie’s into – a.k.a those houses you and I see behind iron gates – says this year is all about going that extra mile.
These giga-mansions are bigger than the White House and fancier than the Savoy inside.
For instance, the new property "The One" by property developer Nile Niami in the exclusive Bel Air neighbourhood is 100,000 sq ft – almost twice the size of the White House in Washington DC, which houses thousands of government staff.
It also dwarfs "The Manor", the 56,000 sq foot property originally built by 90210 producer Aaron Spelling that was long known as the largest home in LA and is now owned by Petra Stunt – daughter of Bernie Ecclestone.
Petra bought the 123-room home in 2011 for $85 million (£66 million) from Candy Spelling.
Another example of the giga-mansion is the Playboy Mansion, which sold last year for $100 million (£78 million), less than a year after first hitting the market.
Now, there is even a house on the market for $381,465,000 (£296,054,986) called Le Palais Bulles a.k.a The Bubble Palace, in the Côte d'Azur in France.
The 1,200-square-metre home owned by Pierre Cardin has ten space-age bedrooms, three swimming pools and a 500-seater amphitheatre.
Rick Hilton of Hilton & Hyland Real Estate told Christie’s that: “The sky is the limit.
“Once we hit the $100 million (£78 million), mark, we broke the glass ceiling—and we’re seeing people comfortable with spending more than that.”
It’s not just size that counts though, inside, these homes are packed with more detail than you could dream of.
One 100-year-old property in Mahwah, New Jersey, recently underwent a seven-year renovation, with thousands of artisan stonemasons, woodcarvers and painters from around the world working on the project.
The bricks and mortar isn’t the only thing these billionaires are spending their cash on – with big homes come big wardrobes.
According to Christie’s, the biggest walk-in wardrobe in recent years came with “Ocean Lawn” in Newport, Rhode Island.
The original closet was expanded to take in two guest bedrooms and three servants’ quarters, before then knocking through the whole area through to the level above for a two-storey walk-in.
These guys work hard and play hard too, meaning that the recreation areas in these homes go way beyond infinity pools and indoor cinema rooms.
Christie's revealed that houses sold or built in the last year have included ice-hockey rinks, a BMX pump course and an irrigated regulation soccer field.
In another home, an owner had a slide built that went from their bedroom direct to their pool.
Then there's Hollywood star John Travolta's Florida home which has two runways leading right to his front door so that he can fly his five aircraft directly from home.
Unsurprisingly, for the rich and famous who occupy these properties, safety and security is paramount.
Recent security innovations include outdoor surveillance cameras with night vision, safe rooms with oxygen scrubbers, bomb-proof windows and ceiling nozzles that fire out pepper spray when tripped.
These houses are still very extreme, but with the number of billionaires growing annually, giga mansions are set to follow.
According to Dan Conn, CEO of Christie’s International Real Estate: “For the first time in history, in 2016 the world’s 10 most expensive reported residential real estate sales each exceeded $100 million (£78 million), with the world’s top sale registering in Hong Kong for $270 million (£209 million).”
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