Tough times all around. If you thought you had it bad, with your over-qualified skills, yet underpaid job, or no job at all, or your mortgage, college fund, credit etc. and the general anxiety about the uncertain economic forecasts, rest assured, the rich are takin’ damage too.
I mean, just look at these 6 celebrity homes for sale, below. I tell ya, when it comes to the point at which decent materialistic consumer-icon one-percenters can’t KEEP on accumulating wealth and actually start selling properties, everything we stand for is threatened.
Sure, on the bright side, the fact that they sold them means that there were buyers, so it must mean that other individuals in the same echelon are doin’ just peachy, but the principle stands. It’s a shame to see ANY poor ultra-rich pillar of society even contemplating selling a property instead of just extending his/her dominion over new territory.
Of course, it could be that they just got bored and, like kids that were raised well, decided not to hoard without using, and instead let some other kids play with their toys too. … For a price, of course.
Anyway we’re talking about some pretty sums indeed. Not quite what your Average Joe would get for selling his property (hint: they’re a bit higher), but the gist of it remains the same: these fortunate men and women would part with some of their tangible assets in exchange for money to be used elsewhere. Just like you would too if you were in their place. Speaking of which, you can be! Literally in their place. By buying the houses that follow.
1. Bedford Estate, New York.
Bought by Catherine Zeta Jones in 2010 for 5 million $. It has a 1930s era style and is a country estate an hour from New York, in the Bedford Suburbs surrounded by 5.7 acres of rural peace and quiet (including a horse farm). It has 6 bedrooms and 6 baths, family room, music room, and office, spread over about 6,600 square feet and many other features. And it’ll “only” cost you 8.1 million $.
2. Vila Au Soleil, Lurin, St. Barthelemy, the Carribbean.
An island paradise filled with sunny relaxation (as the name of the villa hints), this property belongs to funny man Steve Martin who reportedly used it many times to center himself while writing/creating new stuff, as a haven from the hectic Hollywood environment. It has four bedrooms. But probably its most interesting feature is the two-level infinity pool with a view to the ocean. As well as the outdoor bathtub that the master suite has. He initially asked 11.59 million $ but has since reduced the price to 10.623 million.
3. The Cotton Tavern, Connecticut.
For 1.6 million $ you can go all-out rural with the 1770s property that Renee Zellweger bought and restored, taking great care to keep as many original pieces as possible, including ornaments and details. It stretches over 3,400 square feet and has three bedrooms. But you’ll be more interested in the cozy-making features. Namely a wood paneled library, seven fireplaces, a country kitchen and more.
4. Lucky House, Parrot Cay in the British West Indies’ Turks and Caicos Islands
The family beach house of Christie Brinkley and her kids, this property is a Yoga inspired one, with a Zen-feel all around its 3,400 square feet. And that’s in-tune with the area, since the award-winning COMO Shambhala Retreat, which provides a range of holistic, Asian-inspiried therapies as well as Yoga and Pilates is nearby. It has three bedrooms and four baths and sells for 9 million $ (although it used to cost 10.75 million $).
5. Cahuenga Pass, Hollywood Hills.
Jimmy Kimmel and his ex-wife Sarah Silverman lived here from 2002 to 2009, in a Hollywood Regency-style house, designed in 1947. It’s a five bedroom, five bathrooms house, but there’s much more than that: indoor and outdoor kitchen, pizza oven, barbecue and beer keg dispenser, pool, hot tub terrace etc. And 12 seems to be an important number because it has 12 tv sets and it can seat 12 people in the dining room. The price: 2, 299 million $.
6. Jupiter Island, Florida.
When you think home, you don’t usually also think water park. Unless you’re Celine Dion and her husband René Angélil, who built exactly this in 2010 in Jupiter Island, Florida: a massive complex serves as both a home and practically a water park. And by massive I mean 10,000 square feet of a home situated on 6 acres of land at the Atlantic, including 415 feet of private beach. The rooms and facilities are too many to list here (go look ’em up if you want). Suffice to mention that the many buildings that comprise the “house” are encompassed by a massive pool which goes around the property, complete with an artificial river, bridges, gazebos, water slides and water-gun stations. Consequently, it sells for a staggering 62.5 million $ (- it used to be 72 million $).
