Luxury Real Estate

By: Kitty Laios of Kitty J. Laios Real Estate

Hydra is one of the most unspoilt and romantic islands in the Mediterannean. It lies 33 miles south of Athens and four miles off the coast. The town of Hydra is protected by the European Council as a European monument, and no cars are allowed on the island. Due to the strict building code, the island has retained its character and elegance, and is a haven for artists, from Greece and abroad.

This stunning house is more than 200 years old and is restored to perfection. It consists of several houses joined masterfully together, with a private, domed road running through. It lies in Kiaffa, the old city of Hydra and is situated at the top of the natural amphitheatre of the bay of Hydra, offering spectacular views in all directions. It is a beautiful, very spacious house on several levels, decorated in the best of taste, full of important artwork and antiques. Most of the rooms have wooden ceilings, stone floors and most of the bathrooms offer beautiful sea views.

The house has six bedroom suites with private bathrooms, a further bedroom with bathroom, a large living room adjoined by a veranda with views to the harbor of Hydra, a study, two drawing rooms, several courtyards and a garden, open air dining room under a pergola, a swimming pool, sauna and Jacuzzi, private cinema, water purification and pressurization system.

There is multichannel satellite television in all bedrooms and in other spaces. The house has one fully equipped kitchen and cellar for gourmet cooking as well as a kitchenette/bar, to accommodate the pool area.

The distance from the house to the harbor of Hydra is 5 minutes by foot.

From: George Penner of deasy/penner&partners

Los Angeles, CA (June 22, 2009) – deasy/penner&partners(www.homeasart.com),a Southern California-based luxury real estate firm focusing on design-centric and architecturally significant homes and estates, is pleased to announce that Mike Deasy and Bruce Kaye are representing the “Randolph Duke” contemporary residence in the Hollywood Hills.

10-foot high glass panels slide open to erase all boundaries between indoors and out. The floating concrete main staircase, planes of dark stucco, poured-quartz floors, rift-cut oak paneling and a monumental stacked-stone fireplace connects the two floors and penetrates the glass to link the interior and exterior. The gated house is surrounded by wide decks and generous gardens on both levels, as well as a stunning silver-leaf tiled swimming pool and a reflecting pool that acts as an invisible guardrail outside the living room. With views from Downtown to the Pacific Ocean, the house hovers above the city that spreads out like a giant glittering jewel box. Winner AIA 2007 Best Residential Design.

Listed at $6,500,000, the “Randolph Duke” is located at 7869 Fareholm Drive in Los Angeles. For more information, please see (www.homeasart.com) or contact deasy/penner&partners directly at: 310.275.1000.

deasy/penner&partners diverse architectural reach extends from Malibu to Palm Springs, with offices in Venice, Beverly Hills, Pasadena and Palm Springs. They bring decades of experience and unmatched expertise in sourcing and representing home as art. Over the past 35+ years, their team has been active players in the Southern California architectural movement, having represented some of the region's most significant estate and architectural properties by the likes of Richard Neutra, Marston & Van Pelt, Rudolph Schindler, John Lautner, Craig Elwood, Ray Kappe, Raphael Soriano, Buff & Hensman, Gregory Ain and Donald Wexler –as well as contemporary talents: Frank Gehry, Philippe Stark, Lorcan O'Herlihy, Steven Ehrlich, Johnston Marklee, Michael Sant, Patrick Tighe, Koning Eizenberg, Marmol Radziner and Stephen Kanner.

For more information on deasy/penner&partners, please contact George Penner: 310.275.1000.

By Peter Klemm of Klemm Real Estate

Designed by noted architect Wilson Eyre, and constructed in 1908, the Rye House is an authentic Country Estate, nested in the Hills of Litchfield, CT

Litchfield Estate on 210 +/- Acres

This one of a kind English Country Estate sits on a private 210 acre site with magnificent views to the south. Built in 1908 and designed by noted architect Wilson Eyre, the Rye House features many unique architectural treasures including; extensive hand carved chestnut wood paneling, hand carved limestone fireplaces, a hand carved marble stairway and 14 ft. ceilings with exquisite plaster details.

Step back in time as you pass thru the gated entrance. A luxurious, romantic setting, perfect for entertaining. The main house includes 18 rooms, and offers 10,000 sq.ft. of living space. The house exterior is completely stone, with a classic stucco finish. The graduated slate roof and hand-made copper gutters communicate the grandeur of the house and are amplified by the antique, hand carved elements of the house, such as the original window and door hardware and carved wooden shutters.

The Rye House offers six main bedrooms, six full baths and three half-baths. The third floor includes an additional bedroom and bath. In addition, there is a private four bedroom room guest wing with a full bath. Four fireplaces on the first floor and five fireplaces on the second floor. Stunning oak and fir floors are throughout the home. A security system and gated entrance service the residence.

The estate also includes a new 75’ x 35’ pool with adjoining hot tub, tennis court, garden house, detached four car garage, and custom built play structure. The tennis court features the original stone pillars and stone walls surrounding it. The architect, Wilson Eyre, was also a noted landscape architect. He designed a walkway of stone pillars, covered with a grape arbor, under which one could walk from the Main House to the Garden House. Along that walkway there are three garden rooms that open to a stone walled grass pasture with original carved wooden gates. The grounds include priceless specimen trees such as a Japanese Pagoda Tree, magnificent Copper Beeches, Magnolias and a flowering Wisteria.

A large one of a kind castle play structure was designed and built by Barbara Butler. A few of the play castles special features are: a hidden castle chamber with a secret door, a play jail with an escape hatch, a 30 foot slide, a water canon, a zip line, a climbing tower and hand carved gargoyles.

The 210 +/- acre private estate offers breathtaking views and some fantastic trails for hiking, biking, riding, ATV's, etc. Bantam Lake and Lake Waramaug are within close proximity, offering world class scenery for biking and boating.

The Rye House

By Heidi Warth of Warth & Properties

South facing. The living area is distributed over 2 floors.

Main floor: Impressive entrance area, living area at different levels with high ceilings and view to the roof vault, dining room with large picture windows and sea view, high-quality kitchen with nice details, open library, guest toilet, 1 generous master bedroom with bath en suite and dressing area, 1 utility room.

 

Basement: 2 double bedrooms with dressing area and each with 1 bathroom en suite, 1 store room. 2 other guest apartments each with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom and with access to the garden.1 apartment for employees with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom, kitchen and living room.

Very good qualities, impressive architecture, first class construction quality, comfortable layout with large light-flooded rooms, underfloor heating, reversible A/C, fireplace, big window surfaces, picture windows, double glazing, impressive glass, wooden and high-grade steel works, high ceilings with visible, massive wooden beams, teak built-in closets, alarm, wine cellar, plant room.

Very inviting and extensive open and covered terraces with summer kitchen and barbecue, very pretty pool scenery, pre installation for wellness spa area with sauna and shower temple, fitness studio with access to the garden.Wonderful Mediterranean garden with automatic irrigation system, nice quiet surroundings, privacy and easy access.

Double garage and parking spaces for several cars.

Features

· Fitness studio with access to the garden

· Impressive glass, wooden and high-grade steel works

· Pre installation for wellness spa area with sauna and shower temple

Mariah Carey has reportedly made an offer on Fleur de Lys, the $125 million dollar estate listed by Joyce Rey on LuxuryRealEstate.com. It is currently the world's most expensive estate. The 15-bedroom mansion in the Beverly Hills area was built by Texan billionaire David Saperstein and currently owned by his ex-wife, Suzanne.

Contactmusic reports that after three months of house hunting Carey and her rapper / actor husband Nick Cannon have made an offer on the estate, for an undisclosed amount. "They like the home because there's so little that needs doing to it," a source close to the couple allegedly remarked.

 

By Jim Walberg of Caribbean Islands Realty

Buying your second or third homes are not just happening in the Caribbean. We have now discovered that many of our clients are buying in Italy, too.

Timbers Resorts, a leader in the emerging category of luxury, boutique resorts are completing the final work on beautifully restored and reconstructed farmhouse villas on 4,200 acres in the Tuscan region of Italy near Siena. For those who are wanting to enjoy the Tuscan lifestyle, Castello di Casole is a five-star luxury resort and residence club. These villas are being painstakingly restored and reconstructed to their original charm and further enhanced with modern amenities.

 

The Castello di Casole residences are organized around a series of glass-tiled, infinity-edge pools and hand-set stone patios complete with wood-burning ovens. Outside and in, one can trace the centuries across the hand-set loggias, terracotta vaulted ceilings and attention to exacting detail which makes each villa an individual expression of art and architecture. The farmhouse villas range from 3 to 5 bedrooms and include a private infinity-edged pool, with 4,000 to 7,000 square feet of living space. Furnishings are a collection of the finest interior appointments from local artisans and antiques gathered from throughout the region.

Located within easy access to Siena and Florence, this historic estate is also home to the 18th century Castello, opening in spring of 2010 as an intimate 41-suite, plus luxurious penthouse, hotel. Formal and casual dining venues, terraces, pools, artisan shops and a world-class spa and fitness center will be available for an Owner’s enjoyment

 

 

 

 

 

Some Of The Features and Benefits:

• Traditional Tuscan architecture and interiors
• Concierge team
• Airport transfers, private chefs and dining upon request
• Language and cooking classes
• Daily housekeeping
• Pre-arrival Grocery
• Extensive private trail system
• Guided regional day trips
• Grape and Olive harvesting
  

The pricing for fractional ownership starts at just over $300,000 for a 1/12 deeded interest. Your fractional purchase entitles you to three planned vacation weeks each year, plus usage as residences are available, and short notice vacation weeks. There are also whole ownerships available. Please contact me for further details. If you have an interest in owning a piece of Tuscany, this is a project you will want to seriously consider. Until next time…your lifestyle detective is on duty…

By Garey De Martini of Hill & Co Real Estate

San Francisco, CA – February 10, 2009 – The property was extraordinary to begin with. Now, after more than a year of seismic upgrades and extensive remodeling, the former church has been transformed entirely into a stunning home, with enormous windows, hand-painted ceilings, warm hardwood floors and top-of-the-line appliances and amenities.

 

Once a church condemned by the City as no longer inhabitable, the home has been completely redone. Its interior has a modern sensibility about it, in breathtaking contrast to its Gothic Revival architecture. Some rooms, as you would expect, are enormous. Others are surprisingly intimate.

It is a remodel of remarkable scale and vision. Siamak Akhavan, owner of the home and a partner of BMP Construction, is delighted with the results and would be happy to live in the property. But he has engaged the Hill & Co. team of Woodruff & Miller, who represented him on the purchase, and asked them to facilitate a sale should a buyer be interested.

This is a one-of-a-kind property, and it will require a very special buyer. The public rooms give new meaning to the word “spacious”. The home includes a 5+ car interior parking area, spectacular stained glass windows and its own tower, with a custom steel and transparent plexiglass spiral staircase leading to a deck with 360 degree views.

Just a couple of years ago the building was in serious disrepair and abandoned. While occupying a desirable corner in one of San Francisco’s most vibrant neighborhoods, its prospects were bleak. Now, it is a true showcase. It is without question one of San Francisco’s largest, most extraordinary and stunning homes.

For more information and photos visit www.CastleOnThePark.com

Hill & Co.

Founded in 1956, Hill & Co. Real Estate is a San Francisco brokerage long associated with the City’s finest properties. With three offices and nearly 100 full-time agents, the company enables clients to successfully navigate San Francisco’s complex real estate market. Two additional Hill & Co. offices provide property management and rental services. For more information, visit www.hill-co.com.

By Mike McFadden of The Society

Arizona vs. Philadelphia! The biggest and most surprising news to happen in the playoffs! And Arizona is playing host!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Society and our partner Bella Palazzo has assembled a last minute package to bring you to the game and make the experience a one of a kind!

 

Camelback Vista is a spectacular 9,000 sq. ft. home with, with a one-of-a-kind heated triangular shaped negative edged pool/spa soaring into the skyline, and is the perfect spot to base yourself for the weekend. The outside grill island has a sit-up bar, refrigerator, fireplace, heaters, loungers and outside flat-screen TV. Inside you will find two huge kitchens, wet-bar, and downstairs media room with 60” flat-screen TV. Upstairs is a mans kingdom with a huge theater butted against the red rocks of Camelback Mountain with seating for 12! Adjacent to the theater is a two-story rock climbing wall, and an exercise room with sauna.

This package is for four privileged individuals with lower bowl seats in University of Phoenix Stadium, the use of Camelback Vista for three days and two nights (check in after noon on Friday, and out by noon on Sunday). Care to play 18 at one of the spectacular courses available in Scottsdale on Saturday (expected high temperature is 72!) Need dinner reservations, or choose an exotic rental car? Take advantage of our full service concierge. Private chefs, massage, cigars, and libations are all available, and we can pre-stock the refrigerator with your favorite beer and Tequila!

Desert nights are cool, and the sun in the daytime will turn you many shades of red, so bring a sweater and some sun screen, and get ready for some fun in the sun!

Camelback Vista NFC Championship package for four $12,000 US dollars.

All concierge charges, additional activities, and other amenities listed are additional.

Next Steps:

• Email The Society today and reserve your weekend. info@thesociety.com
• If you already have tickets and just need accommodations send us an inquiry with your request. We have just under 100 rentals in the area.
• Other Travel Resources: Check out www.Kayak.com and www.Southwest.com for airfare prices. Plenty of deals left.

By Frederick Peters of  Warburg Realty

The second half of 2008 saw the quickest, deepest changes in New York’s residential real estate market which I have experienced in my career.   In the weeks following Labor Day, and accelerating exponentially after the bankruptcy filing of Lehmann Brothers on September 15th, credit markets froze, real estate transactions all but ceased, and prices began to fall. By the end of the year, buffeted again and again by stock market plunges, the Dreier Scandal, and the fraud perpetrated by Bernard Madoff, New York’s luxury marketplace had experienced dizzying drops of between 15% and 30% in value.

The conventional wisdom about New York City has been that the top end of the market would always remain strong. One of the most interesting phenomena of the past six months has been the profound weakness appearing in this sector. Very few properties for over $10,000,000 have sold since September, and those that have were substantially discounted. The deals which are being done (and there ARE still numerous deals being done) are mostly priced under $2,000,000. There are several reasons for this: the leverage between buying and renting still tips in favor of buying, especially at reduced prices; there is ample inventory now; buyers who were priced out in the past are returning to the market; and perhaps most of all, the buyer of the one or two bedroom apartment is usually non-discretionary. This buyer NEEDS a place to live. Conversely, the buyer of the larger apartment is already ensconced in at least some comfort somewhere else; and it is more likely to be a discretionary purchase which can be postponed for six months or a year.

Warren Buffett has famously said that he buys when people are fearful and is fearful when people are buying. Today the market offers unique opportunities to courageous buyers. At Warburg we are seeing an increasing number of buyers re-enter the market as they perceive opportunities to purchase the property they had hoped for, at a price more affordable than it has been since 2004 or early 2005. These buyers are cautious and they make low offers (in fact, one of the hallmarks of today’s marketplace is the willingness of buyers to make offers 20% to 25% below the asking price and the willingness of sellers to counter those offers). But at the right price they will buy, and we are seeing more of those deals being struck at all price levels.

As we move into 2009, I predict that some time in the first two quarters, real estate will find a bottom. I do not believe that real estate will go down as far as the stock market, and those buyers waiting for that to happen will simply miss their opportunity. No-one ever sees the bottom except in retrospect, so trying to time the market is always a mistake. Excellent values will arise over the next three to six months, and savvy buyers will be poised to take advantage of them. I foresee a stabilized and gradually re-invigorated market towards the end of 2009. That said, double digit year-over-year appreciation is gone from this market for now.

New York real estate, even in the current environment, is still an outperforming asset for users with an occupancy window of at least five years. It is less volatile than stock (albeit less liquid) and provides the additional dividends of use and enjoyment. In this complex environment, the services of an experienced agent can be your biggest asset. Your agent can help you recognize value and strategize about the most effective way to realize it. In the business we refer to transitional markets like this one as “brokers’ markets”; today more than ever our skills are instrumental in bringing the disparate ideas of buyers and sellers together. We at Warburg look forward to working with you during this unprecedented, unsettling, exciting time.