Top 10 Most Expensive Houses in the World

Home is where the heart this, they say and if you have homes as big as entire cities, it’s more than one person’s heart we are talking about. Most people’s idea of a home is fairly big, decently sized, cozy and a warm house that they make into a ‘home’ with adding memories and attachment to it. But then again, not everyone is ‘most people’. Some people like to go all out and put all the efforts and money into building a giant house. Now the house in question need not always be beautiful or breathtaking but it always stands out. These houses are built with meticulous planning and design details. The owners of these houses almost always want to build something like nothing else. These are the most expensive houses in the world. The most basic characteristics of these expensive homes are – large and spacious, huge gardens, intricate decors etc. The most appalling part of such houses is that even though the houses are humungous, the number of people living in them is very small like 5. Here is a list of the top 10 most expensive houses in the world-

10. BRAN CASTLE ($135 MILLION)

Eastern Europe and always gotten an air of mystery with its gothic past. Romania is not different. Bran Castle is located in Transylvania in Romania. Today, this fortress is a national monument in Romania because it is said to be the house of Dracula, the Romanian legend. It was once home to many Romanian royal families, the most popular being Vlad, ‘The Impaler’, who is more popularly known as the Dracula. This whooping $135 million dollar estate has 57 rooms, 17 bedrooms, some very beautiful interiors with Gothic architecture and a remarkable décor. The owner of this house, Archduke Dominic put this house up for sale in 2007 but the government decided to make money off this masterpiece and made this into a museum.

9.UPDOWN COURT ($139 MILLION)

England is home to many royal families so one can expect some really breathtaking houses in this country. Updown Court is a private property located in Windlesham, Surrey, England. This house is a Californian style mansion with 103 rooms, private cinema halls, bowling alleys, 58 acres of landscaped garden, a woodland, tennis and squash courts and what not. This is one house that no person can ever get bored in. The entire property is valued to be around $139 million and in 2005, it was the most expensive house in the world. The house looks like a movie-set and one must really see it to believe the extravaganza of this house.

8. THE MANOR ($150 MILLION)

Los Angeles is not new to big and lavish homes and The Manor is just one of it’s many huge and expensive houses. Built in a chateauesque style, The Manor is a 123 bedroom home which was originally built for television producer Aaron Spelling. The current owner of the house is Petra Ecclestone, the daughter of Formula 1 giant Bernie Ecclestone. This house has been used in many movies as a set and it the most expensive house in the LA County. The house is valued at $150 million and has swimming pools, cinema halls, tennis courts and a beauty salon! We wouldn’t even bother getting out of the house if we lived in it.

7. THE PINNACLE ($155 MILLION)

A house in a residential area in which only billionaires can buy homes. Who needs any further explanation to that? The Pinnacle is a house in Montana, USA which is owned by Tim and Edra Blixseth, the owners of the Yellowstone Club. This house is the ultimate dream of every ski-lover with heated floors, fireplaces in all rooms including bathrooms, a huge wine-cellar, an indoor and an outdoor pool and the list just goes on and on. With only 10 bedrooms, the house is spacious and very well designed. This house is worth $155 million and we’d spend every single cent we have to buy this dream place.

6. FRANCHUK VILLA ($161 MILLION)

Everyone knows that London is a very expensive city. And yet, this expensive city is home to one of the most expensive houses in the world. The Franchuk Villa is located on Kensington Street, London. This Victorian style mansion used to be a girl’s school but it is now a private home that is up for sale. It has 6 floors with 20 feet ceilings, a cinema hall, gym, a panic room, an indoor swimming pool, sauna etc. It is currently valued at $161 million. It is the most expensive house sold in London.

5. HEARST MANSION ($165 MILLION)

The set of the movie Godfather, the honeymoon house of J F Kennedy and now a national monument, the Hearst Mansion has many such attributes to its name. Located in Beverly Hills, LA is this castle-like house which has 6 separate residences, 3 swimming pools, tennis courts and the other usual things that one finds in expensive homes. But what makes this one different is that the Hearst Mansion also has a disco in it! Truly one of a kind castle. This house is estimated to be around $165 million and is owned by the government and is open to public.

4. FAIRFIELD POND ($198 MILLION)

Anyone who watches American TV shows based in New York know what Hamptons mean- glamour, money and a vacation on the beach. Fairfield Pond is located in the Hamptons and is the most expensive residence in the US. Owned by the investor Ira Rennert, it is valued to be $198 million. Located on the beach-front, this house has bowling alleys, tennis courts, a basketball court. It has 29 bedrooms and 39 bathrooms. The place is spread over63 acres and is the largest residential compound in the US.

3. THE PENTHOUSE ($200 MILLION)

Mansions that cost millions and millions are quite understandable given that they are spread over a huge amount of property. But one of the top 3 most expensive houses in the world is a penthouse flat! Hard to believe, but The Penthouse is a whopping $200 million flat in central London that overlooks Hyde Park. The fancy house has a wine tasting room, bullet-proof windows, and a panic room, access to spa and squash rooms, a 24/7 help on hand and view of London like no other. It is the most expensive flat or apartment in the world.

2. VILLA LEOPOLDA ($506 MILLION)

Cote d’Azur is every person’s French dream and someone out there is truly living it. A 27 storey high mansion on the French Riviera, Villa Leopolda was built for King Leopold but was later bought by Edmund Safra. The best feature of this mansion has got to be its private beach front, which on the French Riviera, is nothing short of paradise. Apart from that, it has 11 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, gardens, swimming pools etc. One can only imagine what it must be like to sit in this house with a book and a cup of coffee and watch the beautiful sea. The most expensive house in Europe, Villa Leopolda is worth $506 million, a price, we think, that is totally worthy of this beauty.

1. ANTILIA ( $1 BILLION)

And now, time for the most expensive house in the world – Antilia. The most expensive house in the world comes from a rather shocking country – India. Antilia is 27 storey high building on Peddar Road, Mumbai. It is the house of business tycoon Mukesh Ambani, who is the fifth richest man in the world. This building probably has anything and everything that you can think of – 5 personal restaurants, cinema halls, a ball rooms, a garden, 4 floors of parking space, a yoga studio, a bar, library, a helipad and the list just goes on and on. It is the first and the only billion dollar home in the world being worth $1billion. With a maintenance staff of 600, the total number of people living in the house is 605 as the Ambani family only consists of 5 members. Boy, do these people know how to splurge! So just in case you were looking for homes and thought that the real estate prices were high, always bear in mind these homes!