Apart from being the hotspot for many a billionaire in the area, San Francisco has been in the news for being one of the few areas in the U.S. that has seen a surge in demand for real estate space, especially during a time when the industry wasn’t doing all that hunky dory. So much has been the demand, that the surrounding areas like Palo Alto had seen a jump in median price of houses between 2010 & 2011 of around 20%, which has been the highest since 2008. Home to the Silicon Valley of the United States, the real estate market within the area seems to be in no hurry to slow down, instead go the other way, especially after IPO filings and the trade of technology companies’ shares have resulted in concentration of wealth in the area yet again, which finally rubbed off on the market. This current list provides a look into those mansions in the area, which have been valued as the most expensive in the area:
Value: $70.4 million
One name that would repeatedly appear in the luxury real estate market, Oracle founder, Larry Ellison, who in the habit of buying trophy properties around the world, and expanding it to suit his luxurious tastes. One of them was this 16th century imperial Japanese style mansion, which was purchased over a period of 3 years, and renovated alongside according to specification. Though not much is known about the property, but it is known to have a quiet 191 sq mile lake access, private swimming pool, personal pond with Miniature Island, tennis court coupled with a pavilion, bath houses, tea houses and waterfalls amongst other amenities. In all, there is more than 18,000 sq ft of living space in that compound.
Value: $53 million
This mansion has one of the most important chapters of fashion history associated with it; this mansion belonged to the great grandniece of Levi Strauss, who had eventually sold the property to Madeleine Haas Russell, whose children in turn, have recently sold the property for $53 million. Though listed for over $59.5 million, the current price had ensured that the price is still a record breaker of sorts, in the area of Atherton, California. It included a 5-bedroom English Tudor style house which by itself has more than 11,000 sq ft of space, apart from its 5-bedroom guest house, private pool with cabana, caretaker’s cottage, hidden bar room, apart from a tennis courtyard and sizeable private garden.
Value: $38 million
As the name suggests, this mansion is located near the Gold Coast in San Francisco, California. More than anything else, as the name suggests, it’s indeed a sea-lovers delight because of the premium panoramic views of the sea coast and most parts of the city’s skyline, especially North Bay views of most of the rooms. Other than that the property is known to have features like the 7 grand bedrooms, with 7 full bathrooms out of which 2 are master suites, library, music room, formal office area, recreation room, multi-car garage, tennis court, and garden. Most of the elegance on the interior is actually attributed to the Italian Renaissance style of décor with the prime example being the marble staircase connecting the upper floors to the ground. The variety of marble used is supposedly the premium group, which is known to a coveted piece of designing element sought in most homes.
Value: $29.5 million
Located on the Broadway Street in San Francisco, this mansion would naturally be a hot cake for the taking because of the prime location, sprawling setup, and of course the quality of the amenities on board. This would include 6 bedrooms with 5-full bathrooms, a wine cellar to store 3,000 bottles of wine, large private landscaped garden, heated swimming pool, extensively decorated dining room, custom crafted wooden furniture with French and British designs, other than the pristine view of the city’s skyline from the large balconies. Though not outstanding by all means, the price commanded by this 11,000 sq ft mansion still managed to break records by being the 2nd most expensive property sold in the city last year.
Value: $38 Million
Unlike this part of California, this mansion stands out as an odd amongst the rest as English Tudor houses aren’t generally very common in this part of the state. Built in 1914, this mansion-estate received much of revival and renovation during the last few years, where the current owner seems to have invested heavily. The estate spreads much over 30,000 square feet, and is spread over 7.5 acres with each division of the mansion dedicated to the special amenities such as the staff areas, the giant ball room, and the main living area, apart from the massive manicured lawns and swimming pool. The interiors contain every bit the grandeur one would expect include the 12-foot ceilings, along with Jacobean furniture in detailed woodwork of rare variety such as mahogany and oak (entry stair wall), marble fire places, onyx counter tops. In terms of its accommodation, there are 7-bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, grand formal ball room, caretaker house, a gymnasium, private 3-car garage and even the staff quarters we mentioned before.
Value: $24.95 million (estimated)
Not many houses we find have this duality in its aesthetics, where it combines the grandeur of a classic old world mansion on the exterior, and the interior design of a semi modern set up. Spread over 3.30 acres, and nestled in the interior of a quiet country lane, this property is known to have 15,000 per square feet for its main home which includes its 6 bedrooms with 6 and ½ bathrooms, family and game room, library-cum-office, indoor pool, 8-car garage, tennis court, 2 bedroom 2 bathroom guest house, and the elevated spa. Before all of this, it’s the dramatic and grand entrance, which says one is indeed on high ground entering the property.
Value: $20 million
Though there isn’t an official name to this famous estate owned by Eric Schmidt, it is sometimes referred to by the above mentioned name, due to its location in the South Californian city of Montecito. One of the reasons why it gained fame in recent times was the fact that Kim Kardashian was to get married at this venue, with style all of us are now acquainted with. Designed by famous architect George Washington Smith, this property includes vast open spaces such as its front lawn, and various buildings within the compound designated for different uses. The primary one is the 5,000 plus square foot main house where there are 4 bedrooms with 4 full bathrooms and 2 half bathrooms, for the owner’s accommodation, apart from guest house which has a single bedroom in it. Other facilities would include the gourmet kitchen, with an extra studio space which provides privacy for both the guests and the owner who stays on the compound. For some indulgence, there is the spa, swimming pool, tennis court, massive car garage, apart from the pretty elaborate and sizeable fountain, making the area quiet a view to see.
Value: $14.9 million
With the niche segment we talk about, this property does come as a surprise because of the lower end pricing as compared to some of the more expensive variety. Placed atop a hill-side area, 2 acres of nature’s prime space is occupied by this property, which like the some of the previous mansions, includes several artistically done areas such as the leather bathed library cum office, the carved pillars in the alleyway, the chandeliers and upholstery of the formal dining room, and when time permits, the sizable swimming pool in the backyard.
Value: $12 million
With the recent $12 million sale, the Sunnyridge estate showed a way out for the recession hit real estate market in the United States, especially after the year 2008. Originally crafted in 1928, by noted architect Ralph Wyckoff who was also credited with San Jose civic buildings like its post office, this property received a makeover in 2009 as a smart house. This included the 14,250 sq ft. main house with 6 bedrooms, and 11-bathhouses, all of which mark the premium variety of property this estate belongs to.
Value: $7 million
Another high end piece of real estate, which hasn’t been given an official name, but from the mention here it’s easy to figure out, who it belongs to; Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook. Though some say that he will need to give the construction guys some more time to get it ready, but this proves to be a much needed break from the current rental where he stays. Some of the notables of this new mansion-estate are the private saltwater pool, spa, outdoor fireplace and a special professional grade music room, apart from the banquet sized dining halls, and the opulent master bedroom which also has a special foot soaking tub, meant for countering the Californian winter. We would love to know more details, but it’s said that privacy of Mr. Zuckerberg is of prime importance this time, hence not much revealed.
Value: $6.4 million
Larry Ellison apart from being the tech maven he is, will always be around the news circles simply for being picky and choosy of the multiple mansions and estates he owns, the most controversial being this Pacific Heights mansion in San Francisco. Bought in 1988,it later ran into legal controversy for his neighbors’ growing trees in the backyard, which obstructed views of the San Francisco Bay. However, with his aggressive buying power and legal team, he has managed to buy the property next door to be included in this estate, as well keep the trees of his neighbors well trimmed within limits. Amongst the notable features are the 10,742 square foot area, and the 5 modernly designed bedrooms, and the special location giving direct views of the San Francisco Bay area.
Value: $2.4 million
News headlines were abuzz for a while when the CEO of Twitter put his mini-mansion up for sale. Spread over an area of 3,000 square feet, this estate has 5 bedrooms, 5 and a 1/2 bathrooms, totaling up the count of rooms to 8, which would also include the guest house. The theme of this property is known to modern Victorian in nature, hence wouldn’t feature anything out of the ordinary. However, some sources say that it was bought more for an interim purpose than as a permanent residence for Mr. Evan Williams (CEO, Twitter) who has reportedly bought a flashier place in Noe Valley.
Value: NA
Unlike Steve Jobs created products which generally grabbed headlines around the tech world wherever noticed, this home supposedly isn’t as grand as some might think it to me. Though elegant and simplistic, this mansion is known to be an English style property, which works for the tech maven’s taste. Nestled near the Stanford University, this property gets noted simply for the unique location where it stands unlike some others which are known to high-end amenities within. This one was reportedly purchased when Steve and his wife Laurene moved into this place in the mid-1990s.
