What are the ten most expensive houses in the world and who owns these exceptional properties? Here are the top 10 of these extraordinary properties and their current owners.
Palaces several hundred years old or recent residences with contemporary architecture, gold and marble or exotic woods and metal structures, urban towers or wooded parks:
The most precious real estate in the world is of great diversity. Geographically, a few places stand out:
London, of course, where four of the ten residences in the world's top 10 are concentrated, but also the Côte d'Azur and California. New York new homes and Mumbai Properties also slip into this top 10.
On the side of the owners, diversity is also in order, between the royal lines, the entrepreneurial dynasties, the Russian oligarchs and the great fortunes of technology. Most have been bought out recently, but some have been in the hands of the same family for decades, if not centuries. The Co Copperstones Properties web portal has compiled the latest valuations of the most prestigious properties and ranked them according to the value assessed by professionals.
At the top of this world ranking is Buckingham Palace: the residence of the Windsor family belongs to the British nation in its own right but has been a residential house since its construction in 1703 and its takeover in 1761 by King George III. If it is unthinkable to see the British crown cede this property one day, it was still valued by the Nationwide Building Society in August 2013 to the tune of 1.55 billion dollars. With 775 rooms including 19 “state rooms”, 52 “royal and guest rooms”, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms and 188 rooms reserved for the staff of the royal household.
French Riviera and Mumbai:
Two extremely different properties complete the podium with the Antilia building in Mumbai (India) and the Villa Leopolda in Villefranche-sur-Mer, on the French Riviera. The first belongs to the Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, owner of the second most important firm in the country, Reliance Industries (active in the field of raw materials) who had this personal dwelling building of 27 floors and 400,000m2 built. a twenty years. To take care of and manage it, Mukesh Ambani employs 600 people, from cleaning to the management of the three helipads located on the building.
Villa Leopolda is more traditional:
Built by the King of the Belgians Léopold II in 1902 in a neo-Renaissance style, it fits perfectly into the site of Cap Ferrat with its eight-hectare park with more than 1,200 trees very varied. Estimated at 750 million dollars, the property was the subject of a failed sale in 2008 when the Russian oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov wanted to buy the property from Lily Safra, widow of Edmond Safra. Far from the generally accepted estimate, the transaction amounted at the time to around just over $ 500 million.
In the same Neo-Renaissance style and with a large park, but located across the Atlantic, the Four Fairfield Pond property in Sagaponack, near New York is estimated at $ 248.5 million. With its 250'000m2 in total for the property and 10'000m2 for the dwelling, it is one of the largest private homes in the United States. It is owned by American investor Ira Rennert, whose fortune is estimated at $ 5.9 billion.
Four London mansions in the top 10:
Return to London for the fifth most expensive properties in london with the mansion called Kensington Palace Gardens (not to be confused with Kensington Palace where Prince William, Kate and their children live). This residence in the heart of London belonged to Formula 1 manager Bernie Ecclestone until it was bought by Indian industrialist Lakshmi Mittal. With twelve bathrooms, an indoor pool, Turkish baths, and a 20-car garage, the property is valued at $ 222 million.
New crossing of the Atlantic to discover the house which is ranked sixth in the world: Ellison Estate, in Woodside (California) bears the name of its owner, Larry Ellison, co-founder and chairman of the firm Oracle. This contemporary residence is largely inspired by Japanese design and includes no less than ten different buildings, an artificial lake with koi carp, a tea palace and a bathhouse. The set is estimated at $ 200 million.
California still for the seventh most expensive residence on Earth today: the Hearst Castle is located in San Simeon. This gigantic villa in Italian style but with Moorish influences was built between 1919 and 1947 for the media mogul William Randolph Hearst. After the latter's death in 1951, the house hosted John Fitz gerald Kennedy and his wife Jackie during stays on the West Coast, as well as other distinguished hosts like Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable, Bob Hope, but also the filming of the movie The Godfather. If it is now possible to visit the property, it, estimated at 191 million dollars, belongs to the heirs of William Randoph Hearst united in a trust.
United States still for the eighth most expensive house in the world: Seven The Pinnacle would be worth $ 155 million. This home revisits the chalet style in the mountains of Yellowstone, Montana. Originally, this property, called the Yellowstone Club, was a residence for ski and golf enthusiasts. But the company that ran this luxury holiday village went bankrupt in 2008 and the buildings were bought. Now the owners are named Tim Blixseth, producer and music author, but also real estate mogul and great fortune in the timber industry, and his future ex-wife Edra (divorce proceedings have just been initiated) . With its fireplaces in the bathrooms, its indoor and outdoor swimming pools, its huge wine cellar and its private ski lifts, the estate is truly exceptional.
In the ninth row is another house in Kensington Palace Gardens. Next door to Lakshmi Mittal's residence, the home of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich (who made his fortune as head of Millhouse LLC and owns Chelsea Football Club) is valued at $ 140 million. But it could see its value increase in the future if the rumors concerning extensions in the basement (tennis court, fitness and gallery for vintage cars) were to be confirmed.
No big trip to discover the tenth most expensive residence in the world: it is in the same district of Kensington in London that the Ukrainian oligarch Elena Franchuk owns a house called 17 Upper Phillimore Garden, whose value is estimated at 128 million of dollars. Modest compared to the dozens of rooms in the other top 10 houses, this one only has about ten rooms. But it also has its advantages with a swimming pool in the basement, as well as a sauna, a fitness room, a cinema and a panic-room. The materials are also extraordinary with the most precious marbles and gold decorations.
