Category Archives: Oceanfront Houses

Drake Lists Two Condos in Miami Florida

Get you’re teen work on a rap video so he/she can buy you the double dipper of condos from hip-hop singer Drake, who got his start as a member of the cast “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” a Canadian teen series. If you’ve never heard of him before, you’re probably over 40. After all, he must be famous if he only has one name and his current album is teetering at the #1 position in many music charts.

The cost for the combo of two condos is $2,499,000, $599,000 for one and $1.9 million for the other. While other rappers go on and on about the tough times, Drake raps about his money with songs like, “Successful” and he certainly is. In his budding career he’s already earned upwards of $11 million from record sales alone.

These two side-by-side condos in Miami, Florida are in the Marquis Miami and were actually featured as part of the music video, “I’m on One.” Drake combined the two condos to make one gigantic 5,475 square foot apartment. However, if you’re bank balance is a little low and all that kid of yours wants to do is study and go to college, you might be able to swing one of the condos with the cash in your checking account.

The larger and more expensive one has 3,800 square feet and sports four bathrooms and three bedrooms. The smaller of the two has only 1,675 square feet with two baths and one bedroom.

What do you get for your money? First, you get all the special amenities from the Marquis that every condo owner receives, a cocktail lounge, a pool, private elevators, housekeeping, climate controlled storage and a fitness center with a spa. You also get windows extending from the floor to the 20 foot vaulted ceiling, which give you the primo view of the Biscayne Bay.

If you love to cook, there are Viking restaurant style state-of-the-art appliances and the exotic wood cabinets. There’s nothing but the best, including a marble staircase in each apartment. Everything is larger than life in this combo offering. In fact, it even looks like there’s full length curtains from the top floor of all the building’s windows that extend to the pool deck outside on this posh building.

If you buy it, you can party like a rock star, or should I say rap star, because there are noise reduction partitioning walls so you won’t bother the neighbors.

More Pictures of Drake’s Former Miami, Florida Condo

image source: realtor.com

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Elin Nordegren Demolishes Oceanfront Mansion: Bug Infestation & Building Code

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The ex-Mrs. Tiger Woods, Elin Nordegren released all her fury about the extramarital affairs of ex-hubby Tiger by buying a $12 million dollar mansion in North Palm Beach, Fla, and then demolishing it. Of course, the $100 million ex-hubby paid her as a settlement, left lots of room in the budget to break and rebuild.

What is now a hole in the ground with surrounding port-a-potties and bulldozers once held a huge 17,178 square foot home. It had a 7-car garage, with 8 bathrooms, multiple fireplaces and even an elevator. There’s speculation whether Ms. Nordegren should have demolished this 1930s mansion or whether the settlement will be enough, even with child support, after she builds her dream house.

While some say it was worth purchasing the house because of the cost of the land with a beachfront in that area and that taking the route of demolishing the home might be the cheapest when compared to the upkeep, it still is a shame to wipe out the historic building with the swipe of a wrecking ball. However, new information revealed the mansion had a termite infestation and was out of compliance with the current safety code for hurricanes. So, if that is true, let the wrecking ball fly. Just make sure you treat the soil and rid it of those pesky critters before you start building.

Either way, most agreed that she probably stayed within close distance to Tiger, approximately 10 miles, for the children, either as part of the divorce settlement or simply as a good mother. Reports are suggesting that the house to be built is strikingly similar in both style and size. Word has it that every worker had to sign a confidentiality agreement to protect her privacy.

Until the new home is complete, Ms. Nordegren is staying close by in a rented condo that’s also on the beach. While she also maintains a home in her country of origin, Stockholm, that’s only accessible by boat, it’s doubtful she would spend all the time it will take to rebuild her mansion, that far away from the children’s father.

image source: Pacific Coast News

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Alexis Bellino’s Fab New California Mansion

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[one_fourth]Price: $5,00,000 ish[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 7,146 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 5[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 5.5[/one_fourth_last]

There’s something amazing about celebrities, including reality TV celebrities, which is a whole “nuther” category in my book. No matter how broke they are, or how financially ruined, they still land on their feet and live in the lap of luxury. Just one year after the bank started foreclosure proceedings, forcing reality show star of “The Real Housewives of Orange County,” Alexis and Jim Bellino to short sell their property for $3 million, incurring an equal amount of loss and not covering the $4 million plus mortgage, they’re living in new quarters. On top of that, Jim’s company also filed bankruptcy.

Living in a new house is reasonable, unless that home costs more than the one they lost due to lack of funds. On the reunion show of “Real Housewives of Orange County,” Alexis noted they were buying a new one and this time paying cash. The new home listed for several prices with a range between $4,999,999 and $5,900,000. Did they buy the property?

Some speculators note that since the records online show it belongs to the original seller, they may have simply leased it. However, there often is a lag between a closing and the updating of online records. So, they mystery remains. If they did buy the property, this writer wants to find out how they managed and whether they keep a magic genie captive in a bottle.

The home is a 7,146 square foot Mediterranean-style five bedroom, five and a half bath home. It has three levels and even an elevator for those adverse to any physical activity. There’s an access to a private beach, an eight-car garage and a state of the art kitchen. Each room comes complete with an ocean view, except the windowless media room on the lower level.

While the home is attractive, the mystery remains. Did Alexis and Jim buy the home or lease it? If they bought it, how can they afford an even more expensive house than the one they lost to a short sale and almost foreclosure?

More Pictures of Alexis Bellino’s California Mansion

image source: movoto

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Matthew Perry’s Malibu House Hits Market

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[one_fourth]Price: $13,500,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 3,677 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 4[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 5.5[/one_fourth_last]

[box] Matthew Perry, another “Friends” millionaire who’s done a whole lot more since the series, is putting another of his properties up for sale. While there may be speculation at his net worth, this author’s guess is that owning several properties just isn’t financially sound, particularly when other investments are flushing down the potty.[/box]

Maybe the decision came after his recent stint in rehab, his ongoing battle with attaining an optimum level of sobriety and decided the pressure to maintain so much real estate wasn’t in his best interest at the moment. In related real estate news: Matthew Perry recently sold one property at the Sierra Towers for $2,850,000 just a mere $145,000 below asking price, a good deal in a slow real estate market. Now, he’s putting his fabulous 3,677 square foot home in Malibu up for sale. Of course, he still has other real estate.

Perry purchased the home back in the spring of 2005 for a mere $6,550,000 and now plans to sell it for $13,500,000. It sits on 2.32 acres of prime land and has four bedrooms and five and a half baths. The asking price is almost double the purchase price, so the sale may be just another way to pad his retirement fund and remove some of the financial burden of maintaining several residences.

The Pier House, the name of the home he’s selling (When a house has its own name, you know it’s high dollar.) is noted as an architectural statement located right above the Malibu Pier. It offers multiple outdoor play areas with sliding glass doors in the living areas giving quick access.

There’s a huge viewing room containing theatre projection and an exceptionally comfortable-looking couch for ample seating, plus a bed in the back… a questionable decorating decision at best. Tasteful décor and architectural intricacy grace the other rooms with an open air feeling that most people would give up their first-born to experience in their living accommodations. In fact, the bathroom, containing stone walls, an open feeling glass shower also has a bird’s eye view of the ocean.

The house is gorgeous but the view and connection to the landscape is worth a minimum of the asking price, with the living accommodations thrown in free. It seems like Perry made good real estate decisions, even if not all his personal decisions were the wisest.

image source: Partners Trust Real Estate

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Donald Trump Sells Oceanfront Mansion

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[one_fourth]Price: $7,150,000[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Size: 11,200 sq ft[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth]Bedrooms: 5[/one_fourth]

[one_fourth_last]Bathrooms: 9[/one_fourth_last]

[box] The Donald, otherwise known as Donald Trump and his model/trophy wife Melania Knauss recently sold their opulent “Donald Trump” designed home for about 40 percent of the original asking price.[/box]

Initially, he put this flashy Rancho Palos Verde home up for sale at $12,000,000 but begrudgingly accepted the marginal offer of $7,150,000. It’s doubtful he lost money, but one never knows. It wasn’t his most shining hour in real estate deals for the world renown real estate mogul.

While the house has high end decorating and contains only the best construction and building material, it lacked a homey look. In fact, if you only viewed the entrance or the fountain area on the exterior, you’d guess it was a casino. It smacked of commercial and casino glitz.

Perhaps the Donald’s unique taste was the reason other buyers didn’t snatch it up for full price. He should have put a few slot machines in the foyer and a gaming room and he’d have a lot more bids, although they might come from Boyd or Caesar’s Gaming.

The property is in the small huddled group of mansions located just adjacent to the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. It offers an ocean view, wine cellars, a Pilates studio, a panic room and of course, a huge walk in closet with a dressing room.

The interior has dark wood trim, marble or hardwood floors and rising phallic pillars that make you wonder what Trump was compensating for when designing the house. In many of the rooms, you’d swear you were in hotel lobby or executive whale suite of a casino…except that the suite would be homier and less austere.

The closest to homey is the kitchen area that offers a counter for a quick snack and separates it from the breakfast nook that offers an ocean view and from the living room.

Even with the snack bar area, the huge island in the kitchen, with the dark mahogany wood is slightly reminiscent of a check out desk at one of Trumps famous hotel endeavors. It seems the Donald needs to turn decorating over to others if he’s only going to hold on to the house for a short time and wants the highest dollar.

Pictures of Donald Trump’s Rancho Palos Verdes Mansion

image source: Keller Williams Realty