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beaglesdoitbetter1

Nation's most expensive home

beaglesdoitbetter1
11 years ago

I didn't see this posted yet, anyone catch it? There are 328 pictures:

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Comments (14)

  • 4boys2
    11 years ago

    Spelling wanted 150 but sold for 85.
    It should be the "highest price ever asked" for a
    single family home.
    To date, of the states that disclose selling prices
    I think the Woodside,CA home at 117.5 is the current record holder.
    It's funny how much you will pay
    if you have the money
    and you want what you want.
    The 100 mil paid for a Los Altos home was estimated to be worth 50.

  • kswl2
    11 years ago

    It's certainly a lot nicer than the nation's largest home (or purportedly so), the unfinished house that is the subject of the movie "Queen of Versailles." If you haven't seen the movie, you should. I cannot describe either the people, the houses, or the attitudes that would do any justice to the sheer awfulness of it all.

    Here is a link that might be useful: The Queen of Versailles

  • Oakley
    11 years ago

    K, I checked out the movie online and ordered it. It was nominated for an Oscar! Should be interesting. lol

  • kswl2
    11 years ago

    Cannot wait to hear what you think of it, Oakley. I found myself saying, Oh my! over and over. Not in a good way!

  • Vertise
    11 years ago

    I doubt I will ever understand why anyone needs a home like that. Not just the size but the formality and extravagance. I think living there would feel more like a hotel or an historic building than a home. To each his own, I just don't understand it.

    Wouldn't mind having that kind of money though! (Strictly from a financial freedom standpoint, lots of money brings other problems and complications to life).

    This post was edited by snookums2 on Sun, Feb 3, 13 at 16:54

  • 4boys2
    11 years ago

    I wouldn't mind that kind of money..

    But only because I could let the philanthropist in me shine !!

    OK, so I could retire :)

  • Artichokey
    11 years ago

    "Queen of Versailles" is available on Netflix. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! If you watch it, the beginning is... not as compelling as the second half; the interesting part begins when the real estate market crashes and the family's fortunes change. I'm glad that I knew that because I found the first half grating and would have given up.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    11 years ago

    oh good, something to add to my netflix queue! Thanks KSWL.

  • jakabedy
    11 years ago

    I watched "The Queen of Versailles" just this last weekend. The film maker really was, dare I say, fortuitous, to have begun filming when she did. The film was initially meant to follow the building and finishing of the grand home, but instead turned into a study on how the real estate crash affected a few of the top 1%. If you put the awful taste and needless excess to the side for a moment, you can get a glimpse into a world not normally seen. Both spouses come across as semi-sympathetic in their own way.

  • marcolo
    11 years ago

    I am not sure how one lives in such a home in 2013.

    The house where Downton Abbey is filmed originally boasted a staff of more than 100, far larger than the one seen on the show. Also, even the first season gave short shrift to the sheer number of balls, large dinners and parties that a house of this stature would host. These houses were quite full of people.

    Today a staff of that size is prohibitive even for most of the rich (a butler now earns six figures). Nor are the residents likely to be making full use of the rooms as they were intended; there is no need to be dressed in a separate room in the morning by a valet or ladies' maid, write in the library, change for lunch, go to another room later for tea, change for dinner, have the butler count the spoons in the butler's pantry, withdraw to the drawing room, send the servants down for supper in a separate hall, and on and on. People live in these houses today like they're in a suburban McMansion. They come and go at whatever hour, eat whenever, often alone, microwave a few snacks and watch TV. Yes, there are parties, but not as many as formerly, and additional staff comes in for that.

    So what are these houses for, exactly, once you get over being bludgeoned into admiring them?

    Oh, and the reno of this house left the ceiling looking quite cheap. Drywall with air vents from Home Depot? Please.

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I liked Queen of Versaille. I actually felt a tiny bit bad for the woman. She seemed like she was just kind of clueless but she was trying in her own way and the husband didn't really seem that nice to her. The Siegals were apparently pretty unhappy with the way they were portrayed in the movie and I think he ended up suing the film maker maybe...

    marcolo, I agree w/ you. I thought they did some very questionable stuff w/ the remodel. I don't understand why anyone would ever need a house like this not to mention also a pool house and a guest house! I would take the acreage and I like a few of the nice architectural details/moldings but the house does not seem like anyplace I'd want to live.

    I forgot to link to the original Yahoo article where it was described as the nation's most expensive house: http://homes.yahoo.com/blogs/spaces/nation-most-expensive-home-sale-crespi-hicks-estate-181248712.html It is listed for $135 million but I can't imagine it is going to sell for that much.

  • kitchendetective
    11 years ago

    DH would definitely complain about mowing that lawn! I think it's a beautiful place, except for the gym. Didn't look through the entire set of photos, though. (I'm referring to the OP house.)

  • sixtyohno
    11 years ago

    What stood out for me in the Queen film was the Nanny had not been home to her kids in the Philippines. She took care of the Siegle's kids but never had the mony to see her own because she sent her money home to support her family.

  • YoursTilNiagaraFalls
    11 years ago

    I also saw "The Queen of Versailles." Utterly depressing. The Christmas scenes, the family dynamics, the poor lizard... Where is the meaning in a life like that? I always wonder what those sorts of people are thinking when they're lying on their deathbeds.