PRICE: $100 million. This 25,500-sq.-ft. mansion in Northern California’s Los Altos Hills has five bedrooms and nine bathrooms, according to listing data. Russian tech billionaire Yuri Milner is the listed buyer.

HOLMBY HILLS (594 South Mapleton Drive, Los Angeles, Calif. 90024)

Price: $85,000,000. The Spelling Manor, for sale since 2008, sold in July 2011 at 56.7 percent of the original listing price of $150 million.

ATHERTON CA.

Price: $53 million.  This 12-acre estate has an 11,000-sq.-ft. English Tudor-style house as well as a 6,500-sq.-ft. guesthouse, according to listing details.

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA (42765 Dunes View, Rancho Mirage, Calif. 92270)

Price: $42,900,000. Covering 249 acres, the Porcupine Creek golf course estate has a 18,430-sq.-ft. main residence, four 1,860-sq.-ft. guesthouses, and four 600-sq.-ft. casitas.

The 4 Most Expensive California Homes Sold In 2011 is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

 
A Pennsylvania developer has spent $85 million on a Beverly Hills apartment complex it plans to turn into a luxurious extended-stay hotel. Dubbed The AKA Beverly Hills, This resort will be featuring 88 suites which will start at about $400 a night.

Korman Communities bought the Crescent Beverly Hills apartments from C-III Capital Asset Management. The upscale apartments at 155 N. Crescent Drive were completed in 2006.

New Luxury Hotel Coming To Crescent Drive In Beverly Hills is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

The Silicon Valley Business Journal reported late last year that homes worth $5 million or more shot up 55 percent compared to 2010.

Quite impressive but this news is tempered with the following sour news published in the last 24 hours by this same publication:

2,296 million-dollar-plus homes were sold in Santa Clara County in 2011, up 1.9 percent from 2,253 in 2010.

While sales were nearly flat for the year, the median sale price of homes worth $1 million or more was $1.47 million in December 2011, up 8.9 percent from December 2010.

The Los Altos/Los Altos Hills area boasted the most million-dollar-plus sales in December 2011 with 34, followed by San Jose with 24, Palo Alto with 21, Saratoga with 19, Los Gatos with 18, and Cupertino and Mountain View with 11 each.

Original Article: http://www.bizjournals.com

$5 Million-plus Home Market Surges In Silicon Valley is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

Real estate investment in Asia picked up significantly in the second half of 2010.

Territories such as Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and China the most active markets. This real estate trend continues well into 2011 and the Chinese government has already begun to implement policies to keep their home-grown real estate market from overheating. These policies are often accompanied by the dreaded “B” word- Bubble market.

A Bloomberg Medica report last winter noted this real estate bubble fear:

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao also said Jan. 18 the government will “resolutely” implement controls on the real estate market in the first quarter. China’s property prices will fluctuate within a 10 percent range this year, Shen said, adding that the country “may only avoid the bubble burst if current property tightening is effective.”

These four markets alone accounted for more than US$29 billion of transactions in the period between July and December 2010, a massive 83 per cent of the total regional volume.

The Asian real estate investment market ended 2010 on a strong note, with total transaction volume reaching US$62 billion, a surge of 59 per cent year-on-year, according to CB Richard Ellis’ Asia Investment MarketView report for the second half of 2010.

China was one of the first markets to recover in the present cycle and continues to be dominated by domestic corporations, while foreign institutional investors mostly disposed of investment properties in the country at a gain. Institutional investors have been shifting to other investment markets, with Singapore witnessing a record quarterly investment volume of more than US$5 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010, a total of 31 per cent of the total regional volume for the period.

Elsewhere in South East Asia, the Malaysian investment market received a boost from Starhill REIT’s acquisition of eight hospitality properties for a total of US$330 million.

Global Luxury Real Estate : Asian Trends is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

. . a panel of 500 architectural firms that focus on residential properties what customers are asking for in new developments. The percentage reporting that customers wanted smaller houses has seemingly started to drop . . .Read More

Wall Street Journal: Are McMansions Back In Style? is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

Frequently, it’s to your advantage to pick the title company that closes the luxury home purchase. Title companies will typically hold the earnest money pending closing and if a title company does a lot of business with one party or the other it may be more likely to favor that party in the event there is a dispute over the earnest money.

During disputes or real estate litigation proceedings, it is a typical occurence when title company employees become witnesses for one party or the other, so it is important to have some rapport. Also, many purchase agreements stipulate that a title company should pay the earnest money to the seller if the buyer defaults in any material terms. Many buyers are not even aware that they may be in default when they find out the seller has already been paid their earnest money as “liquidated damages.”

Luxury Home Buying Tips is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

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CONTACT INFO: Mobile: 310-617-7192 ;Fax: 310-432-6401

Bryan Kraft’s unequaled knowledge of Beverly Hills Real Estate and the surrounding cities puts this luxury realtor’s clients in an expert position to make the best decisions regarding their listing and buying options.

Bryan Kraft is an entrepreneurial realtor whose specialty is helping clients from around the world aggressively Buy, Sell and Lease residential and commercial real estate throughout the greater Los Angeles area. There is no one better to guide you in your search than Bryan’s team. With many years of real estate expertise representing residential and commercial owners and tennants alike.

Bryan understands both sides of the fence, in addition to being an expert on the Beverly Hills and greater Los Angeles community. His detailed knowledge of the area and his field puts him in a unique position to deliver superior, custom-tailored serviced to a full scope of referral and relocation tools for both business and personal real estate service needs. Furthermore, being a nimble organization ensures that a core executive team of agents works on every client account to better anticipate each client’s real estate demands.

Featured Luxury Home Realtor: Bryan Kraft is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

Remember the 60-second rule: That’s all the time you have to create a winning first impression. Here are some simple to significant ways to maximize your home’s appeal.

Exterior

* Keep the grass cut and remove all yard clutter.

* Weed and apply fresh mulch to flower beds.

* Apply fresh paint to wooden fences.

* Tighten and clean all door handles.

* Clean windows inside and out.

* Powerwash home’s exterior.

* Ensure all gutters and downspouts are firmly attached and functioning.

* Paint the front door.

* Buy a new welcome mat.

* Place potted flowers near the front door.

Interior

* Evaluate the furniture in each room and remove anything that interrupts “the flow” or makes the room appear smaller. Consider renting a storage unit to move items off-site.

* Clean and organize cabinets, closets and bookshelves.

* Clean all light fixtures and ceiling fans.

* Shampoo carpets.

* Remove excessive wall hangings and knick-knacks.

* Repair all plumbing leaks, including faucets and drain traps.

* Make minor repairs (torn screens, sticking doors, cracked caulking).

* Clean or paint walls and ceilings.

* Replace worn cabinet and door knobs.

* Fix or replace discolored grout.

* Replace broken tiles.

* Replace worn countertops.

Special details for showings

* Turn on all the lights.

* Open all drapes and shutters in the daytime.

* Keep pets secured outdoors.

* Buy new towels for bathrooms.

* Buy new bedding for bedrooms.

* Replace old lamps or lampshades.

* Play quiet background music.

* Light the fireplace or clean out the ashes and light a candelabrum.

* Infuse home with a comforting scent, such as apple spice or vanilla.

* Set the dining room table for a fancy dinner party.

* Vacate the property while it is being shown.

Home Selling: Simple & quick ways to increase your home’s appeal is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale

Beverly Hills luxury home buyers and sellers are encouraged to easily access MLS records using our online realtor tools and also to sign up for membership to the Beverly Hills Newsletter, an insider real-estate market newsletter with up-to-the-minute reporting and statistics on the Luxury home market in Beverly Hills and surrounding areas, and also feature news of interest to prospective homeowners on L.A.’s westside.

About Beverly Hills Luxury Homes is a post from: Beverly Hills Luxury Homes For Sale