Unique Homes Blog

By Roger Grody

Movie stars show off their glamorous mansions in Beverly Hills and Malibu, but many of the Golden State’s most opulent residences are in the San Francisco Bay Area. A diverse housing inventory—elegant townhomes in cosmopolitan neighborhoods, magnificent waterfront estates, and splendid wine country villas—accommodates a wide range of lifestyles. At press time, there were approximately 600 homes priced at more than $3 million in the Bay Area (including Napa Valley, but excluding San Jose). 52 properties were priced in excess of $10 million, including a 20,600-square foot villa in San Francisco’s exclusive Pacific Heights neighborhood, listed at $65 million. TRI Coldwell Banker’s Malin Giddings, who specializes in the tony San Francisco neighborhoods of Pacific Heights, Presidio Heights and Russian Hill, acknowledges significant price declines, but reports the entry point for a single-family home with no views and some required maintenance is still about $3.5 million. “For a recently renovated home in a beautiful location, you should expect to spend $6-8 million,” she says, noting those properties offer at least 6,000 square feet, but still no views. Showcasing spectacular Golden Gate vistas, however, is a full-floor co-op listed at $8.5 million, which Giddings considers the finest on the West Coast....Read more

Things are heating up in New York City as one luxury condominium sells out and another development, an environmentally friendly two-unit townhouse, launches sales. The 505 IN HELL’S KITCHEN, designed by architect Thomas O’Hara, being 95 percent sold out has two remaining penthouses left, fully wired for a hot tub and barbeque. Situated in two buildings, with108 residences, it surrounds a garden courtyard that makes up half an acre of land. The 505 condominium features a furnished massive two-tiered rooftop terrace, private gardens, and balconies.  It flaunts a dazzling Times Square skyline, making it the perfect outdoor living and dining oasis. On the flip side in Boerum, Brooklyn, 93 NEVINS and 453 PACIFIC STREET, a two-unit converted townhouse, announced the opening of sales. Co-developed by R & E Brooklyn Inc. and Green Depot, as an eco-friendly and energy-efficient, it features rooftop solar panels, recycled electricity and green roof and planted terraces, providing better air quality and alternate electricity. The town houses at 453 Pacific, 3,059 square feet, and 93 Nevins, 3079 square feet, include three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and private garages. Priced at $2,595,000 each, the surrounding neighborhood of tree-lined streets and bluestone sidewalks make an eclectic mix of old...Read more

Two and one-half years ago, Unique Homes traveled to Mexico's gated, master-planned Punta Mita development to tour the 1,500-acre project's numerous real estate offerings including bay- and oceanfront lots, hillside villas, a variety of condominiums, townhomes, the existing Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, and the future location of the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort. In 2007, Punta Mita enjoyed a very successful $113 million in sales, says Gary Pepin, Vice President of Sales for Punta Mita Properties. Today, those at the forefront of the project, including owner/developer DINE, are determinedly moving forward with their plans amidst an economic downturn that has forced similar developments to halt in their tracks. "When something this dramatic happens in the economy, you can't just sit and wait for the market to come back to you, you can slash prices or you can start doing things," says Pepin. "We've been very aggressive about designing and creating new product that addresses the changing needs and desires of different buyers." Iyari, a new portion of Punta Mita being offered starting this fall, has been created in direct response to current market conditions. Primarily offering raw land, Iyari, which means heart, is right...Read more

PRINCETON, N.J. — A helipad, private vineyard, two bowling alleys, 341,175 square feet, 123 bedrooms, 146 bathrooms, 80-plus horse stalls and a traditional Turkish spa. This is just a sampling of what you would get if you purchased each of the 11 most expensive homes for sale in the U.S., according to Ultimate Homes, an annual publication that ranks the country’s priciest residential real estate offerings. The 2009 Ultimate Homes list begins with the $150 million Spelling estate in Holmby Hills, Calif. The prestigious “Top 10” list includes 11 properties this year because of a tie at “the bottom,” with four properties listed at $75 million. It would take more than $1 billion to buy each of the 11 top offerings at list price. “The homes at the Ultimate level are not subject to normal market fluctuations,” said Publisher Rick Goodwin. “This is our fifth edition of Ultimate Homes — in 2005, $75 million topped the list. This year, there are seven properties more expensive than that.” Ultimate Homes will be available on June 23. It is published within the June/July issue of Unique Homes magazine. Editors identified 314 homes for sale in the U.S. for $20 million or more. These are...Read more

Patrick Knowles has never designed two yachts that were exactly alike, and he hopes to keep the trend going.

By Jennifer Martin

As unique as they are successful, his clients bring one-of-a-kind requests to the table. From Hollywood glam backdrops to airport-style skylounges, Patrick Knowles, an award-winning yacht and aviation designer, has taken on a wide palette of projects. In everything, he tries to stay true to his clients’ vision. “A yacht is one of the few ways they have to express themselves,” he says. “Like a home, it’s highly individual for the client. It should reflect an identity that is all their own.” While he has designed interiors on a range of boats, Knowles specializes in the megayacht and currently is engaged in projects involving yachts ranging from 161 to 190 feet. In one project, he infused an Asian theme throughout the salons and sitting rooms, with accents such as dragon embroideries, geisha sculptures and black lacquered tables side by side with comfortable lounges for entertaining guests or business clients. In another recent endeavor, he designed a yacht interior with a European spa theme. Beige, cream, ivory and sand tones were used to complement materials such as travertine stone, river rock...Read more

In our April/May issue, we took a look at six island locales perfect for a vacation home, primary residence or retirement mecca (Long Island, N.Y.; John’s Island in Vero Beach, Fla.; Palm Beach, Fla.; Ocean Reef in Key Largo, Fla.; Marco Island, Fla.; and Jamaica). Here, we expand on that story, with a look at the high-end real estate market on three other islands that make great getaway spots.

By Rick Dandes

Nantucket

The charm of old New England, with its stately sea captain’s houses and fishing wharfs, meet modern life on this 48 square mile island, 30 miles south of Cape Cod. A perennial favorite summer getaway, when the island population swells to 50,000 (from an off-season 10,000), Nantucket real estate pricing has nevertheless suffered as a result of uncertainties in the financial markets. “People have been hesitant to buy, waiting to see what the true value is of the property they want,” said Jane Miller, a broker with Lee Real Estate. Miller has sold real estate on the island for 25 years. “Our high end buyers don’t want to buy a property only to have it decrease in value by 50 percent or less in a year.” Miller reports that...Read more

By Mark Moffa “The U.S. is on sale right now.” That’s how our real estate market looks to the rest of the world, according to David Michonski, CEO and chairman of Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy. He was speaking about international real estate at the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference in January in New York City. Michonski and others at the event said buyers abroad are expressing a great deal of interest in the U.S. That interest may not be translating into lots of sales at the moment, but it is tangible and will help to lead the U.S. out of its housing crisis, the experts said. “The global economic crisis has probably created some capital that’s looking for a safe haven,” said Alison Rogers, an agent in New York City who served as a moderator during the Inman News conference. “Every time you come out of a downtown, the international involvement is stronger,” Michonski said. Specifically, he and others are looking at Miami and New York. “These markets are going to be led out by international buyers,” he said. “They have more confidence in us than U.S. buyers.” Teresa King Kinney, CEO of the Realtor Association of Greater Miami and the Beaches, agreed, adding that...Read more

By Mark Moffa With the U.S. mired in a housing slump, agents and industry leaders at the Inman News Real Estate Connect conference in New York City in January turned much of their attention toward finding out what’s going on in the rest of the world. Experts from the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and Russia were among those sharing information about their housing markets. Here’s a quick roundup of what they had to say:

• The Netherlands markets are “at a complete stand-still,” according to Boris Geheniau, owner & director of Fundament All Media. He said new home sales are down 70 percent, as buyers are still waiting for prices to drop. One innovation, he reported, is that new developments are creating “virtual communities” online for potential buyers.
• Germany is quite stable with very low employment, said Andreas Assum of Geschaeftsleitung Online Marketing, ImmobilienScout GmbH.
• The story is Spain is quite different, however. Gonzalo del Pozo, co-founder and CEO of Globaliza.com, reported that the real estate market there is “down big.” He said 1.5 million new homes are sitting empty, and that the country’s lack of an MLS (which is not unique outside of the U.S.) is not helping.

Deals are still based primarily on trust and establishing...Read more