Image: RCA. Sylvester Stallone, Gage Skidmore. Mansion Global, PNG CC. Antique Bust, Michele Truex. Money, Trader_john. Interior, Fred Romero. Mansion Pool, Wicker Paradise.
Mansion Global is the website of choice to visit if you’ve got a spare $5,000,000, $8,000,000, $10,000,000 million dollars to spend on a new home. Luxury villas, grand estates, fairy tale mansions and elegant penthouses from around the world are all on view to discover, select and buy.
The site has all the usual features of a dot.com address in its design.
There are index pages, drop down menus, a search bar, an about page and of course pretty pictures of (very) pretty homes. Buyers can perfect their pick of property type by square feet, building features, lot size, in-house services and price scale. There’s even a handy sidebar to connect directly with the listing agents. This is textbook E-commerce, and the only missing function is an Add to Cart button.
What makes Mansion Global stand out from other luxury home websites is that it is a “content rich” destination. The platform is run by the Barron’s Group of publications, which also publishes the Wall St Journal, the Financial News, Barron’s Magazine and Market Watch. The added content on Mansion Global.com includes property market reports, new tax information, architectural histories, featured listings of the week and new developments in the high end property & home market.
To be honest, calling many of the residences showcased on Mansion Global “homes” is like saying Mount Everest is a big hill…kind of a giant understatement. They are more like super-houses. Real estate is exactly like everything else, food, clothes, cars…you get what you pay for. Low eight figures is nice, but the real action in fancy residential real estate happens when your budget is twenty, sixty, one hundred million dollars plus. Mansion Global is THE online space where all the knowing, showing and listing of splendid cribs at this price point can be found.
It is no accident Mansion Global is owned by a publishing company.
In any business/consumer market, where there is money, there are also the advertising dollars & marketing budgets that ride along with it. In the last two years, the mainstream media has woken up to the activity in the high-net-worth circle and is reporting much more frequently on high value property moves (and sales) by celebrities, big business types, sports stars and tech wizards.
Most recently, actor Sylvester Stallone listed his 3.5 acre, 21,000 sq ft Beverly Hills, California mansion for $110,000,000. https://nypost.com/2021/01/23/sylvester-stallone-lists-la-mansion-for-jaw-dropping-130m/
Tesla CEO, and everybody’s favourite tech guru, Elon Musk sold 4 of his homes in Bel Air, California for $62,000,000 million USD. https://www.latimes.com/business/real-estate/story/2020-12-30/elon-musk-sells-three-bel-air-homes-for-a-combined-40-9-million
Over in Europe, the estate of French designer Pierre Cardin (RIP) put a “for sale” sign on his Bubble Palace in Cannes, France, for exactly €323,058,957.00 Euros, which works out to roughly $390,000,000 million USD. https://www.monaco-tribune.com/en/2020/04/pierre-cardins-bubble-palace-architectural-dream-on-the-french-riviera.
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s house is not for sale, but at one billion pounds may be the most expensive private home in the world. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9169565/Tsar-Putins-1billion-palace-pleasure-monstrous-monument-Russian-leaders-vanity.html
To get a better idea of the numbers, here are just a few of the things $110,000,000 USD/ €90,750,000 can buy: 436 brand new Ferraris, 36,666 five-star Hawaiian resort vacations, 27,500,000 Starbucks venti ice coffees or 36,666,666 million Big Macs.
Selling is only one half of the super swanky home business. The other half is buying. One obvious question is…exactly how do you buy a thirty, fourty, fifty million dollar plus pad? There are two answers. Obvious answer #1: You need money, lots. In any region, the group of local property buyers who have this kind of available cash is (really) small. This is a worldwide marketplace. Very often, clients and buyers come from overseas. For this reason, Mansion Global is a multilingual website. English, Spanish and Mandarin.
Less obvious answer #2: Whatever the language, it takes a whole team to buy a luxe+ abode. A lot happens behind the scenes before “closing” (completion) and anyone is sipping Moet. The prices may be higher, but all the regular 1,2,3s of buying a house like home inspections, discovery, contingencies and insurance are still a necessary step. It is a winding road of details which involves lawyers, client reps, buying agents, listing agents, brokers, developers, banks, shell companies and offshore LLCs in “tax friendly” locations like the Bahamas, Lichtenstein & Hong Kong.
Wheeling and Dealing: Top Luxury Real Estate Brokers:
Sotheby’s International Realty. Knight Frank. Engel & Volkers.
Christies International Real Estate. Douglas Elliman Real Estate.
Nest Seekers International. The Corcoran Group.
Back in 1944, English property developer Harold Samuel blessed the real estate industry with these three words: “location, location, location.” It’s still the most famous quote in the business. Three other words closely linked to home properties are amenities, features and facilities. In other words, extras and cool stuff. A big part of the thrill of buying and owning a fabulous property are the benefits and bonuses which come either with the building or the land.
The selling points that developers and marketers highlight as perks in regular+ homes such as granite countertops, work spaces and exposed brick walls are are considered basic, basics at the multi-multi million euro/yuan/dollar level. A quick read of the extras listed with the homes on Mansion Global show they go way beyond the level of creature comforts. For instance, hydronic floor heating, 2 full gourmet kitchens and a 20 person spa all come with a 21,528 square-foot oceanfront mansion in Flinders, Australia. Three extra, extras offered with a 10 bedroom, 14 bathroom villa in Malaga, Spain are a 15 car garage, 2 indoor/outdoor pools and a full size Turkish bath. For $66,000,000 USD, you can have your very own wooden great hall, gold crystallo quartzite bathroom, art gallery and fully furnished outdoor rooftop, all part of a 3 floor penthouse overlooking Central Park in Manhattan, New York.
Fun fact: a “pocket listing” is a real estate listing that is not (widely)advertised, posted on an MLS database or shared with other agents and brokers. One of the reasons is for privacy. Another is to keep a deal secret. Many transactions at this price level never even make it onto MG…or any other sites. There are numerous buyers and sellers who want to keep details of property portfolios and big money transfers quiet. A clue to the wish for secrecy can be seen on Mansion Global where the houses and interiors are pictured, but exact street addresses are “undisclosed,” and prices are only “available on request.”
It takes roughly fifty five minutes to fly from London to Paris, 6 hours and 45 minutes to go from there to Dubai, and 7 hours 55 minutes cruising time before touch down in Hong Kong. An online “open house” tour of these four cities on Mansion Global.com shows these 4 homes are currently “on the market” and available…
London, England: Banking, Finance, Commerce.
Lygon Place, Belgravia
https://www.mansionglobal.com/london/887296?mod=search&pos=8&page=1&
7 Bedroom Townhouse
Sq ft: 7250
Reception Room
Media Room/Gym
2 Patios
Private Undergound Parking/24hr Security
Price: $24,267,300 USD/ £17,488,685**
Agents: Strutt & Parker.
Paris, France: Finance, Commerce, Retail.
Rue de Bourgogne, 75007
https://www.mansionglobal.com/listings/682508?mod=search&pos=5&page=1&
5 Bedroom Single Family Home
Sq ft: 9106
Reception Room
Indoor Swimming Pool
Courtyard Garden
Parking spaces/Hi Tech Security
Price: €40,000,000/$48,480,000 USD.**
Agents: Daniel Feau Conseil Immobilier, SA.
Dubai, UAE: Finance, Commerce, Banking.
Emirates Hills, Sector R
https://www.mansionglobal.com/dubai/626225?mod=search&pos=1&page=1&
8 Bedroom Villa
Sq ft: 32,266
8 Bathrooms
Spa
Outdoor Bar
Price: $34,877,383 USD/128,111,603 Dirham**
Agents: Noble House Luxury Real Estate.
Hong Kong, PRC: Banking, Trade, Commerce.
Repulse Bay, Hong Kong
https://www.mansionglobal.com/listings/3851733?mod=search&pos=4&page=1&
4 Bedroom Waterfront House
Sq ft: Undisclosed
4 Bathroom
Villa Style
Price: $116,098,108 USD/ 900,000,000 HKD.**
Agents: Christies International.
(**Subject to sale and change)
Famous quotes:
“I will forever believe that buying a home is a great investment. Why? Because you can’t live in a stock certificate. You can’t live in a mutual fund.” – Oprah Winfrey.
“The major fortunes in America have been made in land.” – John D. Rockefeller.
“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”- Mark Twain.
“I made a tremendous amount of money on real estate. I’ll take real estate rather than go to Wall St and get 2.8 percent. Forget about it.” – Ivana Trump.
Extra:
The most expensive piece of home real estate for sale in America right now is in Los Angeles, California. It is called The One.
https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/the-worlds-largest-and-priciest-home-is-ready-for-its-close-up
Copyright (C) 2021. RaphaelClarence/La Source Online. All rights reserved.
Photo Credits:
Barron’s, CC. Newspaper, Jon S. Vladimir Putin, Thai Sliver. Newport Mansion, Xiquinho Silva. Elon Musk, Steve Jurvetson. Painting, Pedro Ribeiro Simões. Interior/Black, Alexy Gnilenkov. Beach, Wicker Paradise. Antique Clock, RCA. CDN Dollar Bills, Eric L. Kitchen/Living Room Interior, Alexy Gnilenkov. Residential Sign, Elliot Brown. Miami Mansion, Thank You 20,5M. Antique Interior, Matt Binns. Cunard Interior, Tom Mascardo. Statue, Frank Kovalchek. Jet, Bruce Emmerling. Rooftop, Wicker Paradise. Louvre, Dave Shea. Mansion CC. Pinatto Sofa, Wicker Paradise. Pool, Puno 3000. Interior, Wicker Paradise. Money, Julien G. Staircase, Sam Amil Grand Room, Eric Alix Rogers.
