The laughably extravagant, immensely luxurious world of L.A. real estate reached new heights in 2019.
A Willy Wonka-esque spec developer sold his candy-filled mansion for $94 million. A one-of-a-kind property perched above Beverly Hills that once listed for $1 billion sold at a foreclosure auction outside a Pomona courthouse for $100,000. Los Angeles County saw its all-time price record shattered twice: first with the $119.75-million sale of the Manor in Holmby Hills, then with the gargantuan $150-million sale of “The Beverly Hillbillies” mansion in Bel-Air.
Could 2020 bring another price record to one of the hottest markets in the country? Here are a few contenders vying for the honor.
Casa Encantada
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Price tag: $225 million
Casa Encantada
(Simon Berlyn)
Spanning eight acres in prime Bel-Air, this storied estate has already set the record for the priciest residential sale in the U.S. twice. Why not a third time?
The trophy home clocks in at 40,000 square feet and counts titans of industry such as Conrad Hilton and David Murdoch as former owners. It currently belongs to financier and Global Crossing founder Gary Winnick, who put it up for sale in October.
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Built in the ‘30s during the Great Depression, the palatial Georgian-style mansion retains its opulence with ionic columns, formal gardens, terrace balconies and grand formal rooms. In addition to seven bedrooms and 20 bathrooms, there’s an 18-foot entry, a reception hall, tennis court, basketball court, greenhouse, guesthouse and swimming pool. Designed in the shape of an H, it boasts city, mountain and ocean views from nearly all of its 60 rooms.
67 Beverly Park Court
Price tag: $165 million
The palatial estate is on the market.
(Realtor.com)
This Italian villa is in a world of its own. Accessed by a private street, the 10-acre estate took seven years to complete and combines a 20,000-square-foot mansion, a 30-car courtyard, a pool house and a pair of guesthouses all topped by 40-foot palm trees.
Ornate moldings and chandeliers fill the floor plan, which has 20 bedrooms and 23 bathrooms among marble floors, coffered ceilings and custom fireplaces. Outside, the grassy yard alone covers four acres.
It’s owned by billionaire businessman Steven Udvar-Házy, who first brought it to market in 2017. The property has been up for grabs ever since.
0 Tortuoso Way
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Price tag: $150 million
The 10-acre property is on the market.
(Realtor.com)
One of the most prized empty properties in all of L.A. County is currently up for grabs at a cool $150 million. It would tie the record at that price, but it would take the crown as the most expensive sale of a vacant lot by a mile.
Combining more than 10 acres across the street from Hotel Bel-Air, the grassy, gated property sprawls across three different lots. Approved plans allow the owner to build up to 180,000 square feet, so a deep-pocketed buyer could erect a private hillside kingdom with some of the best city, ocean and canyon views in the county.
The One
Estimated price tag: $500 million
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Though it has never surfaced for sale, Nile Niami’s long-awaited giga-mansion will make a massive splash when it finally does. For years, rumors have swirled about what lavish excesses the movie producer-turned-spec developer will cram into its 100,000 square feet of space.
Details surrounding the development imply that it’ll push opulence to its logical conclusion. There will be a private casino, a nightclub, an IMAX theater, a bowling alley and a lounge where the ceilings and walls double as a jellyfish aquarium — not to mention the 20 bedrooms, 30 bathrooms and five swimming pools.
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The location isn’t bad either. Perched on four acres on a Bel-Air hilltop, it enjoys 360-degree views of the surrounding landscaping.