It seems like 2019 was filled with high-end real estate deals. For that year alone, six homes were sold for at least $100 million. Los Angeles emerged as a hot spot for these nine-figure deals as it tallied the highest number of pricey real estate transactions. L.A. is followed by New York and Palm Beach to complete the top 3 locations with the most expensive homes.
The boom in high-priced Palm Beach mansions in 2019 led to speculations that wealthy New Yorkers are leaving Florida due to an amendment in the federal tax law in 2017.
America’s most expensive real estate deal was made by the hedge fund manager and billionaire Ken Griffin, who has been on a real estate buying binge in recent years. He shelled out a whopping $238 million for a Manhattan penthouse. Aside from this luxury apartment, here’s a round-up of the ten most expensive homes in the U.S.
PCH – Malibu
Price: $110 Million
This Malibu beach house is located along Carbon Beach, which is dubbed as Malibu’s billionaire’s beach. Designed by abstract artist and architect Richard Meier, the property is made up of the main residence and a guest house. It was previously owned by hotelier Peter Morton before he sold it to billionaire Michael S. Smith and his wife, Iris.
La Follia – Palm Beach
Price: $110.25 Million
The 37,000 square-foot home has a total of 13 bedrooms and is part of almost 5 acres of land located along Billionaire’s Row in Palm Beach. The exclusive area is just south of Mar-a-Lago. It was originally listed for $135 million but was sold months later for $110.25 million.
La Reverie – Palm Beach
Price: $111 Million
To say that this mansion is huge is an understatement. It spans 70,000 square feet and has 11 bedrooms and 22 bathrooms. It was purchased by billionaire Steven Schonfeld for $111 million, which makes it the highest-priced residence in Florida.
Mar de Amor – Malibu
Price: $115 Million
Constructed in the late 1990s, this 10,600 square-foot home sits on a 2.6-acre estate in Paradise Cove. It boasts of an infinity pool, private access to Paradise Cove beach, and gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean.
360 Mountain Home Road – Woodside, California
Price: $117.5 Million
The owners of this home located at 360 Mountain Home Road surely enjoy tons of space within their property. It spans a massive 9 acres! It was known as the most expensive home in California from when it was sold in November 2012 up 2019, when three other LA homes with heftier price tags were sold.
Spelling Manor – Los Angeles
Price: $119.75 Million
The former family home of the late TV producer Aaron Spelling is one of the largest private residences in America with 56,000 square feet of living space.
It is also a community in itself with a wine cellar, a gym, tanning rooms, a tennis court, a beauty salon, and a 2-lane bowling alley. Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone previously owned the mansion before she sold it for $119.75 million.
Copper Beech Farm – Connecticut
Price: $120 Million
The Copper Beech Farm is the only one in this list that is located outside California, Florida, and New York. The 51-acre estate was first listed in May 2013 for $190 million. The price had a couple of drops before it was finally sold for $120 million in 2014.
Chartwell – Los Angeles
Price: $150 Million
Formerly owned by one-time Univision top honcho Jerry Perenchio, this 25,000 square-foot Bel Air property hit the market in 2017 with a price tag of $350 million.
Lachlan Murdoch, co-chairman of News Corp. and the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, was able to purchase the property for a much lesser price of $150 million. It previously set the record as the most expensive home in L.A. until it was beaten by Jeff Bezos’ mansion soon after.
Jeff Bezos’ Estate – Beverly Hills
Price: $165 Million
According to reports that came out in February 2020, Amazon chief Jeff Bezos is believed to have spent $165 million for this 13,000 square-foot estate. It is equipped with a swimming pool, a tennis court, two guest houses, and a nine-hole golf course.
220 Central Park South – New York
Price: $238 Million
Citadel founder Ken Griffin’s newest addition to his real estate portfolio takes the crown as the most expensive home in the U.S. The 24,000 square-foot New York apartment was valued at $238 million when Griffin purchased it. This is just one of the high-profile real estate purchases that he has made over the years. In 2017 alone, he bought several properties, which include a London home priced at $122 million, several floors of a Chicago condo worth $58.75 million, and a $99.1 million Florida lot.