David Siegel's $100 million dollar Unfinished Windemere, Florida Mansion

The Windemere mansion started by timeshare tycoon David Siegel in Windemere Florida boasts some impressive stats: 90,000 square feet. Twenty-three bathrooms. Thirteen bedrooms. Ten kitchens. A 20-car garage, with additional space for two limos. Three pools. A bowling alley. Indoor roller rink. Two-story movie theater. Video arcade. Fitness center. Baseball field and two tennis courts. This megamansion is over 36 times larger than the average American home.

You can buy this huge mansion in Florida for $75 million as is, or completed for $100 million.

Nicknamed "Versailles" for the French royal palace that inspired it, the edifice hit the market recently. Construction was halted last year to save money in a recession that proved particularly hard on Siegel's once-booming industry.

The unfinished palace at 6121 Kirkstone Lane in Windemere makes Tiger Woods' place just down the street in this gated Orlando suburb look more like a guest house. Siegel, who has 12 children, could have easily moved forward with construction but wanted to avoid cutbacks at his company, Westgate Resorts.

Taxes alone on the property, if sold at $100 million, would be between $1.45 million and $1.74 million annually, according to Orange County appraiser's website. The yearly upkeep also would likely fall in that range, real estate agents said. That's what you get for buying one of the biggest mansions in Florida!

Bill Gates Florida Mansion (Hobe Sound, Jupiter Island)

For rent: A 10,500-square-foot, four-bedroom, six-bath, home, with an Intracoastal Waterway yacht dock and heated indoor pool. Cost: $50,000 a month (in season). Landlord; billionaire Bill Gates.

The barrier island municipality already has the distinction of having the second-highest per capita income of any inhabited place in the country. Among its residents are publisher Nelson Doubleday, Scripps Florida President Richard Lerner and singer Celine Dion. Golfer Tiger Woods is building a home on the island.

Now, Gates, a founder and the president of Microsoft, listed annually among the wealthiest in the world, has picked up land on the northern end of the oceanfront island through a company run by a 25 year old who lives in the state of Washington.

Jeff Gelman, who sold his 5.2-acre home at 100 Harbor Way, at the end of a narrow mangrove-lined private road for $5 million to Justin Hance and his company Front Range Investment, said Gates is behind the July 13 hardball purchase on the property that was appraised by Martin County at $8.7 million.

Gelman said he believes Hance, whose office is in the same Kirkland, Wash., building as Gates’ private investment and holding company Cascade Investment LLC, is working for Gates or fellow billionaire Warren Buffett, Buffett is also an investor with Cascade.
Hance, a 2006 graduate of Claremont McKenna College in California who according to the college’s Web site interned at Cascade Investment, could not be reached for comment Monday.
Officials with Cascade Investment did not immediately respond to a request for comments send by e-mail Monday.

Gelman said his accountant would constantly remind him of the daily expenses of maintaining the property that included $117,000 in property taxes in 2008.
“I would have liked for them to have paid more, but it was what it was, this is a tough market,” said Gelman, who had lived in the home for five years but had already moved to new home. “I didn’t get all the money I wanted, but I got rid of it.”

Tom Turner, who brokered the deal for Waterfront Properties, couldn’t confirm that Gates is the potential buyer.

“It’s been bandied all over the place, from Gates to Buffet to Paul Allen, Gates’ original partner with Microsoft,” Turner said. “I don’t really known the answer and probably if I did I’d probably plead the fifth.”

Gelman, who has been selling real estate for two decades and considered Hance's negotiation tactics distasteful, has previously sold homes to Dion and Richard Fuld Jr., the chairman and chief executive officer of the failed Lehman Brothers.

“They were trying to take advantage of the deal,” Gelman said. “They were under contract at $5.4 (million) so they continued inspections, kept prolonging the due diligence, and finally one week before they were to close, they lowered the price from $5.4 (million) to $5 million on us. I just figured whatever, you must need this 400 grand really bad.”
First Range did not purchase the three adjoining lots owned by Gelman, two vacant parcels and one that includes a 3,515-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home.

Stephen Ross Palm Beach Mansion - "The Reef" (Owner and Founder of The Related Companies)

A little about Stephen Ross's Palm Beach Mansion - The Reef, lauded as an architectural gem at The Paris Exposition of 1937, is still a scene-stealer seven decades later, landing $31.85 million in a private, very quiet sale in October.

Stephen Ross purchased the house in 2008 - 702 N. County Road, $31.85 million


The buyer of the landmarked oceanfront mansion at 702 N. County Road is Stephen M. Ross, co-owner of the Miami Dolphins and chairman, CEO and founder of The Related Companies, a real-estate development empire that created the Time Warner Center and dozens of luxury towers in Manhattan.

The Reef was not listed for sale, and no real estate brokers were involved in the deal.
Ross, who paid $6.36 million for a condominium at Il Lugano in 2002, is one of the four owners of CityPlace in West Palm Beach, which The Related Companies developed. The sellers were Anita and Stuart Subotnick, executive vice president and partner in Palm Beacher John Kluge's Metromedia empire. The Subotnicks paid $9 million for The Reef in October 1996. In 1989, a mansion known as The Reef, at 702 North County Road, Palm Beach, sold for $4.6 million to Gerald Tsai Jr. Now Tsai has financed the residence with NationsBank for $6.15 million. The Reef has 19,692 square feet.

The Reef, a Treanor & Fatio-designed oceanfront mansion was built in 1936, and has been lauded as "The best design of Maurice Fatio's career."

Celine Dion's Jupiter Island Mansion - HUGE Pool

Celine Dion has a RIDICULOUS POOL at her Jupiter, Florida Mansion!

Dion's Jupiter Island house, which was built in 1963, has four bedrooms and four bathrooms.  At 6,859 square feet, it's much smaller than the pop diva is accustomed to, although the property includes a 1,700-square-foot guest house built in 1985. The pool has got to be bigger and worth as much as the entire house!  If Dion intends to build a new home on the site, Jupiter Island laws discourage mega-mansions such as the diva's Lake Las Vegas compound in Henderson, Nev.

Lord Conrad Black's Stolen Palm Beach Mansion For Sale

While Lord Conrad Black, aka Conrad Moffat Black, aka Baron Black of Crossharbour, the third biggest newspaper magnate in the world, is now loving in  Coleman Federal Correctional Complex in Orlando, his Palm Beach Mansion is up for sale. Black was found guilty of diverting funds for personal benefit including having one of his corporations actually buy this home after he defaulted on the mortgage.

Tiger Woods Mom Mansion on Jupiter Island, Florida (Tida Woods Jupiter Mansion)

Tiger Woods is building his Mom a mansion on Jupiter Island. Woods bought two adjacent properties directly across the Intracoastal from his soon-to-be Jupiter Island residence for $2.4 million in 2007. Now, he is building Mommy Tida a mansion that is costing another $2.6 million for construction. Tida Woods, who usually stays out of the spotlight burst onto the media stage Friday with her long embrace for her son after his televised apology. This is some home, wish I could do this for my Mom!

Dwayne Wade's House in Miami, Florida

At 9330 SW 59th Pl, Miami, FL 33156 you will find Miami's favorite baller, Dwayne Wade's House.
The massive home in the Pinecrest, Florida area puts to shame other NBA homes I have seen such as those owned by Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone. Like Shaq, Wade personalized his pool and like Malone, Wade went a wee bit crazy with the murals.

From the outside the nearly 12,000-square-foot French-style home seems rather sedate but once inside the six-bedroom home things get a bit Flashtastic. Wade, known as "Flash," has put a "W" inlaid in the marble floor in the entrance hall and the listing includes the furnishings, artwork and some of Mr. Wade's memorabilia. There are rooms in the home, such as the dining room that are rather elegantly decorated, there are also touches like the Spider-man-themed bathrooms and the many, many renderings of Mr. Wade, that make this a home in need of some work. The home is so idiosyncratic that you would really have to be a fan to live here and I wonder if he will have as tough a time selling as Malone did. There is also a one-bedroom guest house, pool and patio with a summer kitchen on the property. The home is listed at $8.9 million. After the jump, a monument to ego.

UPDATE: Wade has struggled to sell the home, reducing the price several times. It is now listed at $4.599 million.

Rosie O'Donnell's Miami Beach Mansion

43 Star Island Dr, Miami Beach, FL 33139, FL 33139 is home to Rosie O'Donnell. Rosie bought the house in 1999 for 6.7 million and it is now worth between 14 and 16 million.

Transformer's Director Michael Bay Bought The Hogan's Old Miami Beach Mansion

Does Michael Bay's Miami Beach Mansion look familiar? Well it should, it was the one that Hogan Knows Best was filmed in. Terry Bollea, aka wrestler Hulk Hogan, has sold his Miami Beach mansion on the bay -- to Michael Bay, Hollywood director and producer.

The Miami Herald writes that the deal was done for just under the sticker price of $18.9 million. Bollea, 54, bought the gated residence at 2900 N. Bay Rd. in April '06 for $12 million.

Bay, 42, the director of many action films, including the recent "Transformers" will enjoy his modern six-bedroom main house with elliptical floating staircase, two guest apartments, pool, cabana and dock, plus a five-car garage.
Troubles have been plaguing the family Hogan, as Hulk, wife Linda, daughter Brooke and son Nicholas realized someone stole jewelry during their move Thursday -- including a diamond watch and a couple of necklaces. The police report put the value of the missing items at $100,000.

Hulk has an estate in Belleair, near Clearwater, in the style of a French chateau.

Neal Litman, Bollea's Miami real estate attorney, declined to comment on the sale to the Herald. "He's exciting, he's interesting, he's humorous. The way he acts on TV, he really is that guy, but he's got a warm side to him.''

Andy Roddick's Boca Raton Home (much smaller than his Austin, Tx mansion)

Andy Roddick rose to tennis fame in Boca Raton Florida. While he still maintains a home in Boca Raton, Florida, it pales in comparison to Andy Roddick and Brooklyn Decker's Austin, Texas mansion!

In November of 2003 Andy Roddick purchased a home in Austin, Texas for just under $2 million. Built in 1998 and located on Lake Austin, the two-story home offers a spacious 5,558 square feet. Roddick added a boat lift and a sport court to the home in 2004.

Jim Clark, Netscape Founder's Palm Beach Mansion

Who knew the interweb fad would last? Clark, cofounded Silicon Graphics and Netscape, had been married 4 times and also houses his yachtes, Hyperion and Athena at this Palm Beach mansion he calls home. His most recent wife (version 4.0) is an Austrailian model 36 years his junior (Kristy Hinze).

Malcom Glazer's Palm Beach Mansion sold to Billionaire Jeff Green

Palm Beach's biggest recorded deal of the 2009 just happens to be the recent sale of Tampa Bay Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer's oceanfront La Bellucia home, a 12,000-square-foot spread on 3.8 acres, for a cool $24 million. The buyer? Los Angeles real estate investor and billionaire Jeff Greene. The sale was first reported by the Palm Beach Daily News. Here's the story.

La Bellucia is a landmarked oceanfront Addison Mizner-designed house at 1200 S. Ocean Blvd with nine bedrooms, nine-and-a-half-bathrooms. According to the newspaper, it had a price tag of $27.5 million and was on the market for less than 30 days. Willey J. Kingsley, a physician and capitalist in Rome, N.Y., built the home in 1924 and named it Beautiful Lucy after his wife, Lucy.

Glazer’s company, First Allied Jacksonville Corp., bought it in July 2000 for $14 million. The Glazers originally sought permission to demolish the main house and then, later, to bring the entire property back to its former grandeur, local realtors say. But they later decided against the renovations and chose to remain in their current home nearby, also on Palm Beach’s Billionaire’s Row.

Jeff Green Greene, became a billionaire by betting, correctly, in 2006 against the subprime mortgage market.

Nelson Peltz Palm Beach Mansion

Situated on North County Road in Palm Beach, the Nelson Peltz property, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and just north of the famed Breakers Hotel, features a French Regency-style, 44,000-square-foot main residence. The 13-acre property also has a 16,000-square-foot guesthouse, two swimming pools, a tennis court and a movie theater. Peltz, who is a member of The Forbes Four Hundred Richest in America list, is chief executive of New York holding company Triarc Companies (arbys, wendys). He is trying to sell the property because he doesn't use it anymore. Ned Monell of Sotheby's International Realty has the listing. Nelson Peltz is the former owner of Snapple. His current net worth is estimated at $1.05 billion, and he lives in an oceanfront mansion in Palm Beach.

Where Can I find the Mansions in Palm Beach Florida

Well, we are hearing this question pretty frequently" "Where Can I find the Mansions in Palm Beach Florida?"

If you are visiting West Palm Beach or Palm Beach anytime soon, you may be asking yourself, "Where can I find the wealthy home area?" Well, the answer is pretty easy. To overly simplify this, the million dollar homes in this area of Florida are along A1A (also known as Ocean Ave). Though they can be hard to find given the gates and massive landscaping (including Royal Palms that are over a hundred years old and huge ficus hedges).

Many million dollar homes are located on South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach Florida. This street has many famous homes to include the Mar-a-Lago Club that is owned by Donald Trump. (answering another popular question: where is Donald Trumps Marlago mansion?" This strip has several huge Florida Mansions, including a couple valued at over $50,000,000. Many of these homes along A1a in West Palm Beach, Manalapan and Ocean Ridge have cabanas on the ocean side that match their house, connected by tunnels to the main homes, where the backyards are the intercoastal! It's an exciting drive to pass these million dollar homes in Palm Beach County. If you pass this area at night and on a weekend, you may catch a glimpse of a celebrity in one of the nearby restaurants just located off of South Ocean Boulevard. Local celebrities in Palm Beach County include Chris Evert Loyd, Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Celine Dion, Rush Limbaugh, and many others.

If you want to walk around some of the lower million dollar homes, then there is metered parking around a mile from the Mara-a-Lago Club. It's extremely hard to get one of these metered parking spots if you are arriving before 6:00 P.M. It is a lot easier to find parking after 6:00 P.M, when the sun has gone down and the beach goers are finished swimming and surfing. This community is perhaps one of the most luxurious in the United States of America. Many world famous millionaires live in this area and security is extremely tight. If you are looking to shop around this area, be sure to bring plenty of cash since the restaurants and shops are a bit pricey.

Scott Stapp's Boca Raton Florida Mansion

UPDATE - Scott Stapp's Boca Raton Mansion for Sale "Scott Stapp and Jaclyn Nesheiwat have listed for sale an eight-bedroom, 3.5-bath home at 8812 Twin Lake Dr. in Boca Raton for $4.4 million. Stapp and Nesheiwat acquired the house for $4.995 million in March 2006. The 13,357-square-foot house in the Whisper Walk neighborhood was built in 2006. Katrina S. Campins of the Campins Co. Luxary Real Estate is the listing agent for the house. He received a degree in music from Valencia Community College. He also attended Western Kentucky University and Vol State Community College. Nesheiwat is a beauty pageant contestant and the winner of Mrs. Florida America 2008 as well as Miss New York USA 2004." Scott Stapp's, from Creed Boca Raton Mansion is pretty nice. Scott Stapp previously had a huge home in Orlando, Florida area for several years but relocated to Miami Beach in 2005. Stapp settled into a $5 million waterfront home in the La Gorce subdivision and also owned a nearly $3 million condo. On February 10, 2006, Scott Stapp married Miss New York USA 2004 winner Jaclyn Nesheiwat. Soon after the marriage, Stapp purchased a $5 million, two-story home in Boca Raton, Florida. The home offers seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, tennis court, swimming pool and spa. Boca Raton is located approximately 30 miles north of Miami Beach. In March of 2007, Stapp had listed both of his Miami Beach residences for sale and moved to this Boca Raton Mansion. He recently made news when his wife Jaclyn Stapp called the police saying Scott Stapp was “on drugs and pot. There is a lot of pot in the house"

Huge Ocean Ridge Boynton Beach Mansion a1a and Ocean Blvd

So we get alot of emails and questions about the huge mansion at the end of Ocean Blvd where it meets A1A. This gargantuan Florida mansion next to the Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park.



The founder of the Miami Beach landmark restaurant The Forge is expanding his residential enclave in Palm Beach County's exclusive Ocean Ridge.

Multimil-lionaire Alvin Malnik dropped $7.9 million for a five-bedroom house on the Atlantic Ocean in the sleepy town east of Boynton Beach. The 9,417-square-foot house built in 1985 is at 6307 N. Ocean Blvd.

The lawyer-turned-real-estate-investor and his wife, Nancy, live in an 11-bedroom, 18.5 bathroom estate next door at 6301 N. Ocean Blvd. Their expansive home of six years measures about 44,600 square feet on 2.23 acres, making it the biggest house in Ocean Ridge. Ocean Ridge has about 3,000 residents -- including seasonal visitors.

Joseph and Carol Russo sold Malnik his newest home on March 28. The Russos paid $2.2 million for it in 1990. County appraisers put the market value of the oceanfront home at $3.85 million, less than half of the purchase price.

Malnik paid about $800 per square foot, and one broker said it was a good price.

"Some homes are selling for well above $1,000 per square foot in that area," said broker Candace Friis with the New York-based Corcoran Group in Delray Beach. "It is a terrific buy for the buyer. It is a very nice house."

Friis was not involved in the sale. She said the property was not on the Multiple Listing Service.

The Russos recently bought a house that's half the size in Palm Beach. They paid $3.95 million for a 4,686-square-foot home on Australian Avenue in February.

Malnik owes his South Florida celebrity in part to the success of The Forge, now run by his son, Shareef Malnik. Rich in European architecture and art, the former casino is a draw for celebrities, politicians and wine connoisseurs. The restaurant's underground cellar has room for up to 300,000 bottles.

Alvin Malnik, 73, bought the neglected restaurant in 1968 when he was a young attorney and his roster of clients included mob financier Meyer Lansky.

Considered one of the fathers of the organized crime in the United States, Lansky established gambling operations in Florida, New Orleans and Cuba in the mid-1930s. His illegal operations extended to drugs and prostitution. In the 1970s, he faced tax evasion charges and fled to Israel. His extradition brought him to Miami and prison. He died of lung cancer in 1983, leaving behind a $400 million fortune.

Malnik's association with the gangster tainted his reputation. In a 1980 opinion, the New Jersey Casino Control Commission described Malnik as a "person of unsuitable character and unsuitable reputation."

Malnik has always denied any involvement with organized crime, noting he was never convicted of any crime.

In recent years, Malnik has focused on real estate. He transferred ownership of The Forge to his son in 1991 after a spectacular roof fire heavily damaged the restaurant.

Shareef Malnik re-opened it and took it to a higher level. He created Jimmy'z at Cuba Club as part of the restaurant and has hosted celebrities such as Madonna, Michael Jordan, Robert De Niro and Paul McCartney.

The elder Malnik has been an active investor in South Florida real estate for at least three decades, said Mark Gilbert, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield in Miami. Malnik invests in commercial and residential income-producing properties, but his name rarely appears on corporate records filed with the state.

Gilbert has been a friend of Malnik's for years and does business with him at times. Gilbert was the registered agent of ANC Rental Plaza, in which Malnik was an investor. In February, ANC sold the former Blockbuster headquarters in Fort Lauderdale for $23 million to Miami-based N.R. Investments. The new owner is converting the tower to office condos, said N.R. Investments' principal Nir Shoshani.

Renamed Museum Plaza, the 177,000-square-foot building has 45,000 square feet available for sale. Blockbuster founder H. Wayne Huizenga's penthouse office and the ground-floor retail space are on the market for $290 to $320 per square foot, Shoshani said.

Malnik's real estate portfolio also includes 32.5 acres of vacant land northeast of Lyons Road and Clint Moore Road west of Boca Raton, according to Palm Beach County property records.

The founder of the Miami Beach landmark restaurant The Forge is expanding his residential enclave in Palm Beach County's exclusive Ocean Ridge.

Multimil-lionaire Alvin Malnik dropped $7.9 million for a five-bedroom house on the Atlantic Ocean in the sleepy town east of Boynton Beach. The 9,417-square-foot house built in 1985 is at 6307 N. Ocean Blvd.

The lawyer-turned-real-estate-investor and his wife, Nancy, live in an 11-bedroom, 18.5 bathroom estate next door at 6301 N. Ocean Blvd. Their expansive home of six years measures about 44,600 square feet on 2.23 acres, making it the biggest house in Ocean Ridge. Ocean Ridge has about 3,000 residents -- including seasonal visitors.

Joseph and Carol Russo sold Malnik his newest home on March 28. The Russos paid $2.2 million for it in 1990. County appraisers put the market value of the oceanfront home at $3.85 million, less than half of the purchase price.

Malnik paid about $800 per square foot, and one broker said it was a good price.

"Some homes are selling for well above $1,000 per square foot in that area," said broker Candace Friis with the New York-based Corcoran Group in Delray Beach. "It is a terrific buy for the buyer. It is a very nice house."

Friis was not involved in the sale. She said the property was not on the Multiple Listing Service.

The Russos recently bought a house that's half the size in Palm Beach. They paid $3.95 million for a 4,686-square-foot home on Australian Avenue in February.

Malnik owes his South Florida celebrity in part to the success of The Forge, now run by his son, Shareef Malnik. Rich in European architecture and art, the former casino is a draw for celebrities, politicians and wine connoisseurs. The restaurant's underground cellar has room for up to 300,000 bottles.

Alvin Malnik, 73, bought the neglected restaurant in 1968 when he was a young attorney and his roster of clients included mob financier Meyer Lansky.

Considered one of the fathers of the organized crime in the United States, Lansky established gambling operations in Florida, New Orleans and Cuba in the mid-1930s. His illegal operations extended to drugs and prostitution. In the 1970s, he faced tax evasion charges and fled to Israel. His extradition brought him to Miami and prison. He died of lung cancer in 1983, leaving behind a $400 million fortune.

Malnik's association with the gangster tainted his reputation. In a 1980 opinion, the New Jersey Casino Control Commission described Malnik as a "person of unsuitable character and unsuitable reputation."

Malnik has always denied any involvement with organized crime, noting he was never convicted of any crime.

In recent years, Malnik has focused on real estate. He transferred ownership of The Forge to his son in 1991 after a spectacular roof fire heavily damaged the restaurant.

Shareef Malnik re-opened it and took it to a higher level. He created Jimmy'z at Cuba Club as part of the restaurant and has hosted celebrities such as Madonna, Michael Jordan, Robert De Niro and Paul McCartney.

The elder Malnik has been an active investor in South Florida real estate for at least three decades, said Mark Gilbert, a broker with Cushman & Wakefield in Miami. Malnik invests in commercial and residential income-producing properties, but his name rarely appears on corporate records filed with the state.

Gilbert has been a friend of Malnik's for years and does business with him at times. Gilbert was the registered agent of ANC Rental Plaza, in which Malnik was an investor. In February, ANC sold the former Blockbuster headquarters in Fort Lauderdale for $23 million to Miami-based N.R. Investments. The new owner is converting the tower to office condos, said N.R. Investments' principal Nir Shoshani.

Renamed Museum Plaza, the 177,000-square-foot building has 45,000 square feet available for sale. Blockbuster founder H. Wayne Huizenga's penthouse office and the ground-floor retail space are on the market for $290 to $320 per square foot, Shoshani said.

Malnik's real estate portfolio also includes 32.5 acres of vacant land northeast of Lyons Road and Clint Moore Road west of Boca Raton, according to Palm Beach County property records.

Palm Beach Mansions - Sidney Kimmel Mansion sells to John Thornton

In another sign of just how hot the Florida mansion market has remained, the oceanfront estate built by billionaire businessman and philanthropist Sidney Kimmel has sold for $81.5 million, a record for the island.

John L. Thornton, 54, a former Goldman Sachs partner and chairman of the Brookings Institution, is the buyer, people familiar with the transaction said.

While the sale price was officially recorded in late 2008 at $77.5 million, listing agent Paulette Koch said the buyer also paid $4 million in closing costs. That means Kimmel got his full asking price of $81.5 million.

The deal underscores both the strength of the mansion market and the desirability of Kimmel's home at 1236 S. Ocean Blvd.

"The house was in impeccable condition, with the finest details," said Koch, adding that three other buyers were interested in the property.

The estate boasts 5 lushly landscaped acres and 300 feet of ocean frontage. The 32,000-square-foot home was designed by Thierry Despont, who also created Bill Gates' mansion.

The living room includes 26-foot ceilings and 20-foot-high glass panels that disappear into the floor at the push of a button.

The home also features a wine cellar, pool, waterfalls, staff quarters and an air chiller and 27-zone air conditioning system.

The sale tops the previous Palm Beach record of $70 million, which Ron Perelman's estate fetched in 2004.

Palm Beach Realtor John Pinson said he wasn't surprised that Kimmel's house sold so quickly and for full price.

"There are only so many outstanding, exceptional properties, and this is one of them," Pinson said. "It's a very nice, isolated location, and the beach is very pretty."

For many, the home's property tax bill alone would prove daunting - $517,775 last year.

While the overall housing market in Palm Beach County has struggled since late 2005, the mansion market in the town of Palm Beach is booming.

County home prices dipped 4 percent from 2006 to 2007, according to the Florida Association of Realtors, but Palm Beach prices jumped 13 percent during that period, according to a study by Palm Beach attorney Les Evans.

"There are buyers out there with plenty of money that they can afford to spend," Pinson said. "When you get into this very elite level, certain people are unaffected by economic changes because they're blessed with a lot of wealth."

Kimmel is founder and chairman of Jones Apparel Group and producer of films including The Kite Runner.

Thornton could not be reached for comment. In addition to his role with Brookings, an independent research and policy institute based in Washington, he is a director of Intel Corp., Ford Motor Co. and News Corp. He's also a professor of global leadership at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

It's not the first time Thornton has proved bullish on real estate.

In 2001, he set a record for New Jersey home sales by paying $18 million for a 118-acre estate in Bedminster that Princeton University had been using as a retreat, The New York Times reported.

Description from Listing Brokers Site for this huge house in Florida Reads - World Class Oceanfront: Designed by internationally renowned architect, Thierry W. Despont on approximately 5 private acres (301' frontage), this extraordinary residence is truly a "work of art". The essence of this masterpiece is the unsurpassed direct oceanfront setting, tropical gardens, fountains and reflecting pools perfect for monumental art, and the rich mahogany and pale French limestone pervasive throughout. This unparalleled architectural vision has floor to ceiling walls of glass designed to capture light and sweeping ocean vistas with over 32,000 square feet of unmatched quality and detail beyond compare.

Michael Jordan Building Jupiter, Florida Mansion - Michael Jordan's Homes

The plans for newly inducted NBA basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan’s new enormous mansion in Jupiter, Florida have been submitted. And this house is as big as a WalMart.

The developer, Lavelle Construction Corp., submitted applications for a 37,942-square-foot building, with 26,000 square feet under air conditioning. There’s a cottage and guard gate.

In all, Jordan’s crib will have 11 bedrooms, and a yet-to-be-determined number of bathrooms.

The house, at 172 Bears Club Road, will dwarf most in the north side of Palm Beach County, and all around it at the Jack Nicklaus development.

According to property appraiser records, most homes around Jordan’s are about 10,000 square feet. Michael Jordan’s dunking down $7,627,669 to build the two-story home, which will feature an elevator, a grand stairway, 10-foot ceilings and a giant fireplace. He has already paid $152,553 to the town in permits and other fees.

Jordan, 46, bought two adjacent lots at the Jack Nicklaus-founded Bears Club last year for a total $4.8 million. He’s got three acres of wooded land adjacent to a golf course. Golf, and the privacy of a gated community, is what caught Jordan’s attention.

The sheer size of the soon-to-go-up digs, slightly smaller than the beachfronter in Palm Beach that Donald Trump sold for $100 million last year, is already having some local environmentalists chomping at the bit.

“Who needs that kind of a footprint,” said Joanne Davis, a growth management specialist with 1000 Friends of Florida. “It’s insane, a waste. Cities see nothing more than a tax base in these giant homes, but I can’t imagine anyone needing anything like that, except to show off.

“This house is going to require an enormous use of natural resources for no good reason.”

Michael Jordan is building this Jupiter, Florida mansion, but it is within code. “The Bears Club was specifically designed for large lots,”said town zoning principal planner Scott Tatcher. “The Bears Club has done a good job setting aside upland pine areas and wetlands to offset construction. It’s true other homes are in the 10,000-square-feet range, but he is building on two lots.”

In yet another not-so-green move, the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bull has had most tall trees on the property taken out.

So there you have it, Michael Jordan is building a 26,000-square-foot house in Jupiter!


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Want Ricky Martin's Beach Front Miami, Florida Mansion?

I am sure it is decorated very nicely ;-). It is yours for $22 million. What do you get with celebrity Ricky Martin's Miami Golden Beach Mansion?

General Description:
2 Story mediterranean estate in one of Florida’s most exclusive private oceanfront communities; 24 hour security patrol in community and beach!!! A very desirable location for celebrities and international homeowners.5 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms. Your own private 101 FT beach & modern comfort throughout. New gourmet kitchen with morning room, Top of the line finishes. Formal dining plus open living area. Master suite with his and her bath, walk-in closets, terrace and stunning open views. Not bad, but i've seen better celebrity Mansions in Florida!

Joey Fatone's Orlando Mansion

Joey Fatone's Orlando Mansion

Joey Fatone has placed his Orlando home (once featured on MTV cribs) up for sale with an asking price of $5,900,000.

Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Fatone purchased the two-story home in southwest Orlando near Lake Butler back in 2001 for $2,650,000. The home has six bedrooms, five bathrooms, three fireplaces, a separate building which houses several custom cars, and a boat dock. And if that's not enough, Mr. Fatone even added a million dollar pool, theme park-style water park to the nearly four acre property. From the actual listing:

Paradise Found.." Celebrity Star's private 12,400 sqft, gated 4.36 acre lakefront estate on Butler Chain of Lakes boasts 6 bdrms, 6 baths, 4 half baths, home theater, office/study, game room, 10+car garages, $1M+ resort-style pool/spa, dock/boathouse. Please view the Virtual Tour photography to appreciate the splendor and lavish inclusions of this palatially proportioned and exquisitely appointed lakefront estate. The gourmet kitchen boasts granite counters and island, dual refrigerators, two built-in ovens, and breakfast room. The formal living and dining rooms are ideal for informal family gatherings or hosting gala events. The majestic 3,800-sqft master wing boasts vestibule entry, spacious sitting room w/butler's pantry, dual-sided fireplace; a nearly 700 sqft master closet w/3 dressing islands, built in perimeter shelving and hidden access door. The master bath suite offers separate sauna, steam room, dual water closets, walk-in shower, and Jacuzzi tub. The theater room provides a private retreat, stadium seating, large projection screen, and state-of-the-art surround sound. The upstairs game room/bonus area includes a separate serving bar, and there is a second laundry room, multiple bedroom and bath suites, and two private balconies from which to enjoy panoramic vistas of the expansive, manicured grounds and azure lake views. The resort-style pool is undoubtedly the most dramatic and infinitely-appointed offering in residential history! State-of-the-art security, surveillance and sound. View the virtual tour here