Filed under: Estates

When it comes to remote vacation homes ease of management can be nearly as important as location. That’s one of the major selling features for the Sundowner on Nevis, an idyllic Caribbean island. The Sundowner is part of the Four Seasons Nevis where all homes come with security systems, provisioning services for food, and routine maintenance of the homes. The home is prepared for your arrival and locked up when you leave. You also get access to the resort’s championship golf course, clay or hard tennis courts, a full range of watersports, the fitness center, and the full-service spa. The home has five bedrooms (each with walk-in closets and refrigerators), big living room and a kitchen.

The home sits on 1.19 acres in the hills for views of the ocean and St. Kitts in the distance and, a bit closer the 13th hole of the award-winning Robert Trent Jones II golf course. There’s an infinity pool with a huge terrace and there is a bar downstairs for poolside entertaining. The home also has a wraparound terrace. The decor doesn’t seem to quite match the home’s pricetag and the kitchen is a bit less than fabulous but you aren’t there to cook, you’re there to soak up the sun. This home is listed at $4.5 million.

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Filed under: Estates

One doesn’t really think of real estate when discussing rare objects. After all, land is everywhere. When it comes to discussing what’s “rare” in real estate there are a few distinct categories and despite the old adage, it’s not just location, location, location. In fact location is just one of the considerations. When it comes to location, one thing to take into account is that the smaller amount of land available, the rarer the land. Property on islands in the Caribbean such as Richard Branson’s Necker Island or places like Nantucket, Bermuda, Kiawah Island has a certain rarity just because the real estate available is defined by the shoreline. There’s no chance of endless sprawl in these places. Another factor in rarity which also goes under the heading of location is proximity. Nearness to New York City pumps up the prices in the Hamptons, Westchester County and Greenwich, Connecticut.

Sometimes rarity comes down to exclusivity. We see this in the case of private communities where owners pay to be safely tucked behind gates and have access to shared facilities like clubhouses. Exclusivity is sometimes taken to its most ruthless degree when it comes to New York real estate. Getting into one of the famous buildings in New York City such as 740 Park takes not just money but also a fair bit of clout.

What I think makes real estate most rare is history. A piece of real estate that has been lived in by famous people and has a long history achieves a certain level of rarity. The Dakota in New York is a prime example, the list of famous people who have made the Dakota home are as much a part of its value as the building’s charm and location. Also under the rubric of history is architecture. For example, in Los Angeles where I live, homes created by modern architect Richard Neutra are worth far more than their square footage and acreage might lead you to believe. A Neutra home owned by Vidal Sassoon recently hit the market for $25 million.

At the intersection of location, exclusivity and history you find some of the rarest pieces of real estate, European castles that are hundreds of years old, villas perched cliffside overlooking the Mediterranean, homes that have their own vibrant character. One of my favorite examples, La Rondinaia in Ravello Italy, was owned by Gore Vidal and is now being turned into a niche hotel. My pick for the rarest piece of real estate currently on the market is Bran’s castle, the castle in Transylvania that inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which is expected to fetch upwards of $135 million. The rarest real estate is, the kind that nearly never comes on the market, it remains handed down in families. For some more of the historic estates on the market check out the gallery below.

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Filed under: Estates

I don’t describe too many homes as romantic but looking at the photos for this one, that’s the word that first sprung to mind. Now this could be because I have certain romantic associations with Nob Hill in San Francisco (and specifically with the Nob Hill Inn) but I think it’s the home. This stately home was built in 1915 in the flourishy Beaux Arts style. It has four bedrooms and has a beautifully extravagant redesign by interior designer Paul Wiseman that relies on a palette of creams and whites with rich golden tones. The home has private offices, a wine cellar and a “pentroom” on the roof terrace that offers beautiful San Francisco views. It is listed at $7.9 million.

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Filed under: Estates

Ever wondered which neighborhoods are experiencing the most growth and are the most lucrative in terms of real estate investing? Forbes has compiled a list of the top five neighborhoods that have grown above and beyond the rest. Whether the growth is due to a dramatic drop in crime or rezoning and infrastructure development, here are the top five and their percentage of growth since 1990 which make the rest of our hometowns look measly on the investment scale.

• Miami Beach (City Center) in Miami, Florida — 1532% growth
• Ohio and Westgate Avenues in Los Angeles, California — 3081% growth
  
• Rosslyn/Highlands in Washington, D.C. — 566% growth
  
• Riverside Drive and 149th Streets in New York City, New York — 4391% growth
• Grove and Webster Streets in San Francisco, California — 522% growth

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Filed under: Estates, Sports

More proof that Nascar is big business comes in the plans for a luxury residential tower in Concord, North Carolina near the Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Arcadian will include penthouses, corporate suites and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units as well as a parking garage,conference rooms, a putting green, theater, fitness center, terrace pool, concierge services, shops and a signature restaurant. According to a report in the Charlotte Observer, buyers have sign contracts on 30 units since sales began in late November. The goal is to have the building ready no later than fall 2012 but that depends on sales. One Charlotte, the 40-story luxury building planned for downtown Charlotte, which we covered last Might, has now been delayed. The tower will have 13 stories with 151 units priced from $395,000 to $3 million.

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Filed under: Estates

This home is so stereotypically Martha’s Vineyard you can practically smell the salt water. The new shingled home is in the Cow Bay area of Edgartown the main town on the small island off the coast of Cape Cod. You don’t get ocean views with this one but you get water views of Sengekontacket Pond. The home also has access to private association beaches of Cow Bay on the eastern shore of Martha’s Vineyard. The five-bedroom home is either very staged or decorated by someone with a keen love of the preppy. Check out the living room complete with model sailboat and the quilt with the nautical flags. There are also two master suites with private bathrooms. The home is on a tiny over two acres and has a heated inground pool. Pools surrounded by grass don’t exactly light my fire but this is probably just a place to rinse off since you’ve got the ocean so nearby. It is listed at $6.5 million.

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Filed under: Estates

We’ve mentioned before that there are huge hotel expansions underway in Atlantic City, New Jersey but further down the coast the condo market in Diamond Beach, New Jersey is growing too. The Grand at Diamond Beach is a lavish 12-story project that will include two 12-story structures and a six-story building. The $500 million project will be finished in three phases with the first move ins planned for the end of the year. Amenities will include a concierge, pools, spa, fitness center, private beach club and hotel style amenities. The units range in price from $682,000 to $5.2 million and 25 to 30 percent have already been sold.

[via Press of Atlantic City]

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Filed under: Estates

Part of the pleasure of doing the estate-of-the-day post everyday is searching through the dreck to find truly exceptional homes. This one in Telluride wins me over with its open, light-filled spaces and the use of simple shed and gable structures to create three different spaces which represent a mill, cabin and a bunkhouse and form a master suite, main home, and a garage with a caretaker’s unit above. There’s also an older log cabin which has been moved to the almost five-acre property and set amidst the woods for a private guest experience. The entrance to the home has a timber and steel trestle bridge. There are six bedrooms total and just one fireplace but what a fireplace it is, so huge you could practically curl up inside it. This home is listed at $8.995 million.

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Continue reading Elk Run Mining Compound, Estate of the Day

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Filed under: Estates

Wow, this home on 90 acres is tucked into a small town located about an hour from Pittsburgh. It’s really more of a compound than a home. The main house is over 10,000 square feet and has six bedrooms. It is dominated by a massive circular entry that includes a glass elevator which connects o a tower of rooms in the round including a home theater, wine tasting cellar and the showcase, a 360 degree rotating observation view study with a box beam ceiling and an outdoor deck. Other features include a huge three-story pool room with a cascading fountain and both a lap pool and a wading pool which are ringed by redwood balconies. The lodge has a stone fireplace so massive it needs two animal heads mounted on it and its own indoor barbecue. This big home is listed at $5 million.

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Continue reading Pennsylvania Compound, Estate of the Day

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Filed under: Estates, Water

Plans have been announced for New England’s largest marina, The Newport Club in Rhode Island. The Newport Club covers 44.5 acres of waterfront property on Aquidneck Island, plus 100 acres out into the cove itself. There will be 1,500 marina slips with retail shops, restaurants, waterfront residences, and marine-related support facilities. The slips will range up to 500 feet in hopes of drawing more megayacht traffic to the area. The Newport Club will feature resort style residences ranging from $395,000 to $2,000,000 and there are plans to build brand-name luxury hotels to create a popular yachting destination.

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