Source
World
Published February 24, 2007
British mansion tops world's priciest homes
(NEW YORK) For a mere US$138 million, you can own a cozy 103-room English country home, with a panic room, marble driveways and helipads - a property that tops the 2007 Forbes annual list of the world's priciest homes for sale.
Sheer opulence: At US$138m, Updown Court in Windlesham, Surrey, which has 23.5 ha of gardens and woodlands, five pools and 22 marble bathrooms, leads Forbes' list of most expensive residences this year
Updown Court in Windlesham, Surrey, has 23.5 hectares of gardens and woodlands, five pools, 22 marble bathrooms and more than 50,000 square feet of living space, according to the list posted on Forbes.com, which did not say who the seller was.
Oh, and a bowling alley, too.
Coming a close second is The Hala Ranch (welcome in Arabic), a 38.4-hectare property in Aspen, Colorado, owned by Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States - a job that must pay well as the asking price is US$135 million. The 56,000-square-foot mansion has 15 bedrooms and 16 baths.
Who are the prospective buyers?
'These properties are marketed internationally. I suppose you would say to the wealth of the world,' said Joshua Saslove president of Joshua & Co, the listing broker of The Hala Ranch.
'We all know there's been large growth in the petroleum fuel industry, but there's also been an enormous amount in money management, private equity, in real estate,' he said.
At these prices, buyers pay cash, he said.
Where would opulence be without Donald Trump, whose Maison de L'Amitie is up for sale at an asking price of US$125 million. He bought the estate, previously owned by health care executive Abe Gosman, in 2004 for US$41.25 million at a bankruptcy auction, Forbes.com said. The Palm Beach, Florida abode is adorned with 144.8 metres of ocean front.
Sharing fourth place at US$100 million each are Tranquility, in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, an 85-hectare estate owned by Tommy Hilfiger cofounder Joel Horowitz; and Waterfront Estate in Istanbul, Turkey, which has a nearly 61-metre-long quay. - Reuters