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Mapping the Most Expensive Houses For Sale in America

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In light of the recent influx of unreasonably expensive residences hitting the market—including a $139M monster in South Florida and a $125M stunner in Montecito, California—it seemed appropriate to update the index of most expensive houses listed right this very second. The qualifications: each property had to be on the open market—so The Manor in L.A., which heiress Petra Ecclestone is very quietly maybe looking to sell for $150M, doesn't count—and had to include a main house of some sort. Sorry giant residential landmasses, you're not welcome here.


Looking for the most expensive houses in specific cities? Well, we've got that too.

· All Blockbusters posts [Curbed National]
· Mapping the Most Expensive Properties in America [Curbed National]

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Le Palais Royal, $139M

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Asking $139M, Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Le Palais Royal is officially the most expensive home on the market. Currently "under the final phase of construction" and promising completion by the end of 2015, the "magnificent, French-inspired Beaux Arts masterpiece" promises an 11-bedroom, 60,000-square-foot palace with more unnecessary amenities than even the most lavish of mega-mansions. Besides its 465-foot stretch of beachfront, 492-foot private dock that can accommodate "up to a 185-foot mega yacht," and underground garage with parking for over 30 cars, the estate boasts "the first-ever IMAX Theater contracted for private use" and a $2M marble staircase in the foyer. Oh, and interested in a whole mess of gold leafing? Look no further. [link]

Rancho San Carlos, $125M

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Just 10 days ago a roughly 237-acre estate known as Rancho San Carlos, one of the largest properties in moneyed, celeb-studded Montecito, has been put on the market for $125M, reports the Wall Street Journal. Though the likes of Ellen Degeneres, Oprah, and Jeff Bridges count homes there, Montecito has yet to see a sale break $100M, so even after a few hefty price cuts, the estate could set a record for the area. Regarding the price, which pays for a 30,000-square-foot main house, a smattering of outbuildings, and 100 acres of citrus and avocado orchards, the Sotheby's agents representing the property point out that Bellosguardo, the 23-acre Santa Barbara estate of the late Huguette Clark, is said to be worth about that much. So why not shoot for higher? [link]

Ritz-Carlton Penthouse Trio, $118.5M

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In the upper stories of the Ritz-Carlton in Manhattan's Battery Park is the city's current priciest listing, a three-unit penthouse combination that hit the market for $118.5M. As of now, the three units are owned by two separate people, but the combined 15,434-square-foot interiors (plus 2,193 square feet of terrace space) will theoretically sell as a package deal. The largest of the units, a 7,600-square-foot spread, listed last year for $56.5M. The second-largest chunk asked $23M earlier this year. If you ask the listing agent he'll tell you the place is "a good deal." [link]

Vincent Viola Mansion, $114M

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In mid-December, a 19th-century Manhattan townhouse hit the market for $114,077,000. Vincent Viola, the owner of the Florida Panthers, and his invitation designer wife, Teresa, bought the house for $20M in 2005 and have since festooned its 20,000 square feet with floors made from old railroad tiles, a Venetian-onyx elevator, and a 900-square-foot dining room dressed up with all the subtlety of Versailles (far from a new design strategy). There's also gold-leafed walls, a red velvet home theater, and every possible breed of marquetry and inlaid wood. [link]

Pumpkin Key, $110M

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Up until NYC's Ritz Carlton conglomerate came along, Key Largo's Pumpkin Key was 2014's priciest new listing, offering 26 acres in the Florida Keys for $110M. Included in the deal is a 5,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home (ever so artistically portrayed in watercolor in the listing); tennis courts ("that double as a helipad," according to the Journal); a couple of caretaker's cottages; a dock master's apartment; a 20-slip marina; and a dozen developable bay-front lots. [link]

Homer's Pond on Martha's Vineyard, $108M

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This 314-acre Cape Cod property initially listed last year for $118M, but has since been shaved down to $108M. The property is also available in more palatable chunks, divvied up into pieces worth as little as $22M. There is a mainhouse to be had, but make no mistake: the value is in the land. [link]

De Guigne Estate, $100M

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In February 2013, this sprawling historic estate in Hillsborough, Calif., listed for an even-steven $100M. The property, currently owned by 75-year-old Christian de Guigne IV, whose family has held title to the land for more than 150 years, boasts seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a ballroom, a flower-arranging room, and no fewer than six staff rooms. Interestingly, de Guinge is retaining a "life estate" on the property, which will allow him to stay at the main house indefinitely, even after it's sold. Full disclosure: the listing was recently and mysteriously pulled off Sotheby's listing service, though as far as one can tell, nobody's actually opened their wallets yet. [link]

City Spire Penthouse, $100M

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What NYC's City Spire penthouse lacks in interested buyers it makes up in ridicule: its owner still believes his apartment is worth every cent of the $100M ask, despite the fact that the space's own interior designer described it as a "horror." It's also, by far, the most expensive "For Sale By Owner" house in the country. [link]

One Beacon Court, $98M

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Despite the fact that Curbed NY dubbed One Beacon Court "a somewhat boring Midtown building beloved by business-world billionaires," hedge funder Steven Cohen was optimistic enough to ask $115M for an apartment that most recently sold for, well, around $24M. Prior to listing, the apartment (the building's only duplex) got a Gwathmey Siegel reno that left Curbed NY feeling "a little cold, though Cohen's odd art collection (minus the head made of frozen blood, which is maybe a little much for a listing pic) enlivens things a bit." When it didn't sell, the price was dropped to $98M. In May, the New York Post wrote that Cohen is "freaking out" that his Manhattan apartment is not selling. He's apparently "furious" at brokers for not unloading his duplex. According to a source, "some feel the place might have some bad karma." [link]

Martin Zweig Penthouse, $95M

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The penthouse triplex belonging to late financial expert Martin Zweig officially hit the market for $125M in March 2013, with all the juicy interiors shots of the crown jewel of NYC's The Pierre hotel popping up a month later. After about eight months without any bites, the listing agents slashed the price down to $95M—that would be excluding the $42,720-a-month maintenance cost. Fun fact: Zweig set a record when he bought the penthouse for $21.5M in 1999. [link]

Bill Koch Aspen Mansion, $90M

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Last month billionaire businessman William Koch listed his 32,614-square-foot Aspen mansion for $89.9M. It's Aspen's most expensive listing by a landslide, a hair under double the cost of Aspen's second most expensive listing ever. What, exactly, does one get for $90M in the moneyed Colorado city? A 15-bedroom mainhouse, for one, plus nine other buildings on its 55 acres. [link]

Crespi Estate, $88M

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In January, Texas business honcho Tom Hicks put his vast spread in Dallas, Texas, on the market for an otherworldly $135M, making it the priciest ask in the country at the time (no small feat, indeed). Despite once owning the Texas Rangers and being appraised by Forbes in 2009 to have a net worth of about $1B, Hicks has stumbled financially in the last few years, so it may be no real surprise that he's looking to unload a house that is, as the Real Estalker points out, 10 times the size of the average American home. In May 2014, the owners decided they wanted to parcel off some of the estate's 25.25 acres to build a new mansion. They're now selling off just 16 acres, thus dropping the ask to $88M. [link]

Beverly Hills Mansion, $85M

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Off in Beverly Hills sits this 23,000-square-foot megalomansion that warns viewers to "be prepared for an overwhelming sensory experience unlike any you've felt before." That sensory experience could be described as stepping inside a home decorated by an obscenely rich perma-child whose primary passions in life are sports cars and Fight Club. It's ask? $85M. This way for Yves Saint Laurent fire extinguishers, chrome machine guns, candy rooms, and more. [link]

Le Palais Royal, $139M

Asking $139M, Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Le Palais Royal is officially the most expensive home on the market. Currently "under the final phase of construction" and promising completion by the end of 2015, the "magnificent, French-inspired Beaux Arts masterpiece" promises an 11-bedroom, 60,000-square-foot palace with more unnecessary amenities than even the most lavish of mega-mansions. Besides its 465-foot stretch of beachfront, 492-foot private dock that can accommodate "up to a 185-foot mega yacht," and underground garage with parking for over 30 cars, the estate boasts "the first-ever IMAX Theater contracted for private use" and a $2M marble staircase in the foyer. Oh, and interested in a whole mess of gold leafing? Look no further. [link]

Rancho San Carlos, $125M

Just 10 days ago a roughly 237-acre estate known as Rancho San Carlos, one of the largest properties in moneyed, celeb-studded Montecito, has been put on the market for $125M, reports the Wall Street Journal. Though the likes of Ellen Degeneres, Oprah, and Jeff Bridges count homes there, Montecito has yet to see a sale break $100M, so even after a few hefty price cuts, the estate could set a record for the area. Regarding the price, which pays for a 30,000-square-foot main house, a smattering of outbuildings, and 100 acres of citrus and avocado orchards, the Sotheby's agents representing the property point out that Bellosguardo, the 23-acre Santa Barbara estate of the late Huguette Clark, is said to be worth about that much. So why not shoot for higher? [link]

Ritz-Carlton Penthouse Trio, $118.5M

In the upper stories of the Ritz-Carlton in Manhattan's Battery Park is the city's current priciest listing, a three-unit penthouse combination that hit the market for $118.5M. As of now, the three units are owned by two separate people, but the combined 15,434-square-foot interiors (plus 2,193 square feet of terrace space) will theoretically sell as a package deal. The largest of the units, a 7,600-square-foot spread, listed last year for $56.5M. The second-largest chunk asked $23M earlier this year. If you ask the listing agent he'll tell you the place is "a good deal." [link]

Vincent Viola Mansion, $114M

In mid-December, a 19th-century Manhattan townhouse hit the market for $114,077,000. Vincent Viola, the owner of the Florida Panthers, and his invitation designer wife, Teresa, bought the house for $20M in 2005 and have since festooned its 20,000 square feet with floors made from old railroad tiles, a Venetian-onyx elevator, and a 900-square-foot dining room dressed up with all the subtlety of Versailles (far from a new design strategy). There's also gold-leafed walls, a red velvet home theater, and every possible breed of marquetry and inlaid wood. [link]

Pumpkin Key, $110M

Up until NYC's Ritz Carlton conglomerate came along, Key Largo's Pumpkin Key was 2014's priciest new listing, offering 26 acres in the Florida Keys for $110M. Included in the deal is a 5,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home (ever so artistically portrayed in watercolor in the listing); tennis courts ("that double as a helipad," according to the Journal); a couple of caretaker's cottages; a dock master's apartment; a 20-slip marina; and a dozen developable bay-front lots. [link]

Homer's Pond on Martha's Vineyard, $108M

This 314-acre Cape Cod property initially listed last year for $118M, but has since been shaved down to $108M. The property is also available in more palatable chunks, divvied up into pieces worth as little as $22M. There is a mainhouse to be had, but make no mistake: the value is in the land. [link]

De Guigne Estate, $100M

In February 2013, this sprawling historic estate in Hillsborough, Calif., listed for an even-steven $100M. The property, currently owned by 75-year-old Christian de Guigne IV, whose family has held title to the land for more than 150 years, boasts seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a ballroom, a flower-arranging room, and no fewer than six staff rooms. Interestingly, de Guinge is retaining a "life estate" on the property, which will allow him to stay at the main house indefinitely, even after it's sold. Full disclosure: the listing was recently and mysteriously pulled off Sotheby's listing service, though as far as one can tell, nobody's actually opened their wallets yet. [link]

City Spire Penthouse, $100M

What NYC's City Spire penthouse lacks in interested buyers it makes up in ridicule: its owner still believes his apartment is worth every cent of the $100M ask, despite the fact that the space's own interior designer described it as a "horror." It's also, by far, the most expensive "For Sale By Owner" house in the country. [link]

One Beacon Court, $98M

Despite the fact that Curbed NY dubbed One Beacon Court "a somewhat boring Midtown building beloved by business-world billionaires," hedge funder Steven Cohen was optimistic enough to ask $115M for an apartment that most recently sold for, well, around $24M. Prior to listing, the apartment (the building's only duplex) got a Gwathmey Siegel reno that left Curbed NY feeling "a little cold, though Cohen's odd art collection (minus the head made of frozen blood, which is maybe a little much for a listing pic) enlivens things a bit." When it didn't sell, the price was dropped to $98M. In May, the New York Post wrote that Cohen is "freaking out" that his Manhattan apartment is not selling. He's apparently "furious" at brokers for not unloading his duplex. According to a source, "some feel the place might have some bad karma." [link]

Martin Zweig Penthouse, $95M

The penthouse triplex belonging to late financial expert Martin Zweig officially hit the market for $125M in March 2013, with all the juicy interiors shots of the crown jewel of NYC's The Pierre hotel popping up a month later. After about eight months without any bites, the listing agents slashed the price down to $95M—that would be excluding the $42,720-a-month maintenance cost. Fun fact: Zweig set a record when he bought the penthouse for $21.5M in 1999. [link]

Bill Koch Aspen Mansion, $90M

Last month billionaire businessman William Koch listed his 32,614-square-foot Aspen mansion for $89.9M. It's Aspen's most expensive listing by a landslide, a hair under double the cost of Aspen's second most expensive listing ever. What, exactly, does one get for $90M in the moneyed Colorado city? A 15-bedroom mainhouse, for one, plus nine other buildings on its 55 acres. [link]

Crespi Estate, $88M

In January, Texas business honcho Tom Hicks put his vast spread in Dallas, Texas, on the market for an otherworldly $135M, making it the priciest ask in the country at the time (no small feat, indeed). Despite once owning the Texas Rangers and being appraised by Forbes in 2009 to have a net worth of about $1B, Hicks has stumbled financially in the last few years, so it may be no real surprise that he's looking to unload a house that is, as the Real Estalker points out, 10 times the size of the average American home. In May 2014, the owners decided they wanted to parcel off some of the estate's 25.25 acres to build a new mansion. They're now selling off just 16 acres, thus dropping the ask to $88M. [link]

Beverly Hills Mansion, $85M

Off in Beverly Hills sits this 23,000-square-foot megalomansion that warns viewers to "be prepared for an overwhelming sensory experience unlike any you've felt before." That sensory experience could be described as stepping inside a home decorated by an obscenely rich perma-child whose primary passions in life are sports cars and Fight Club. It's ask? $85M. This way for Yves Saint Laurent fire extinguishers, chrome machine guns, candy rooms, and more. [link]