Michelle Williams Buys $10.8M Home in Brooklyn Heights—a Hot Neighborhood for Celebs

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Actress Michelle Williams and her fiancé, director Thomas Kail, have picked up a townhome in Brooklyn Heights, an upscale neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY. The $10.8 million purchase is one of the most expensive in the area, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Williams, who recently received a Golden Globe for her performance in “Fosse/Verdon” (which Kail directed), is just the latest star to move into the neighborhood. But she is no stranger to the borough.

The “Brokeback Mountain” actress had previously purchased a mansion in Prospect Park in 2015, and sold a townhouse in neighboring Boerum Hill for $8.8 million in 2014, according to the Real Deal.

The 1820s-era home of 3,000 square feet was paid for with a trust connected to Kail, according to the Journal. Along with the townhouse, the two bought an adjacent lot.

Alas, the property was reportedly purchased off market, so we have no listing photos to take a peek inside.

But we do know this splashy transaction is just the latest star-powered pilgrimage on these treelined streets. 

A year ago, the A-list couple Emily Blunt and John Krasinski picked up two condos in the Standish building for a whopping $11 million. Matt Damon also reportedly made a record-breaking $16.745 million purchase for the penthouse in the same building at the end of 2018.

Other boldfaced names who have called Brooklyn Heights home include Paul Giamatti and the power couple Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.

While Brooklyn has a reputation as a hipster haven, filled with bars, restaurants, and boutiques, Brooklyn Heights is a quieter, and very exclusive, cousin.

“Brooklyn, and specifically Brooklyn Heights, offers more residential neighborhoods with families, treelined streets, great parks, and sometimes beautiful views of the water. That’s a real draw for celebrities and urban dwellers in general,” says Bill Caleo of the Brooklyn Home Company.

“To live in a home that provides a city experience in such a beautiful and comfortable atmosphere is really special.”

Just one subway stop or bike ride over Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, the posh yet peaceful neighborhood is known for its stately brownstones, the picturesque paths of the waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park, as well as the iconic Brooklyn Heights Promenade. And for locals, the restaurants and bars of Henry Street are a stroll away.

“My experience is [that famous] people in Brooklyn, specifically Brooklyn Heights, feel comfortable walking around their neighborhood, sitting in local coffee shops and restaurants, and taking their dogs to the park, without the fear that they’ll be accosted or someone will take a picture of them in their sweats and sell it to some tabloid,” says listing agent Lindsay Barton Barrett of Douglas Elliman.

Should you be in the market for a townhouse, you can check out Barrett’s listing of this renovated beauty, currently one of the most expensive homes on the market in Brooklyn Heights. 

Completely transformed by the Brooklyn Home Company, the now turnkey, 8,000-square-foot, five-story space includes six bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, a wine room, gym, playroom, a garden, and a roof deck, and is being offered for $14.5 million.

Another star-studded purchase might be in the making.

The post Michelle Williams Buys $10.8M Home in Brooklyn Heights—a Hot Neighborhood for Celebs appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/michelle-williams-buys-townhouse-in-brooklyn-heights/

This Wisconsin Home Is Designed for Football Fans—but There’s a Catch

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In preparation for this weekend’s Super Bowl, we’d like to show off the ultimate game day party pad.

But if you’re not in love with the Green Bay Packers, there’s a bit of a problem. Lambeau Field (the Packers’ home turf) is just across the street—and viewable from every room on the home’s main floor.

And if you’re not enamored with the Packers’ distinctive hues, welcome to your worst nightmare. The entire interior of this home is done up in green and gold colorways.

The ranch-style home with the primo location was on the market last week with listing agent Jeff Narges. The 1957 home is listed for $750,000, which is steep for Green Bay, WI, where the median listing price is $196,950. This 2,146-square-foot home (with two bedrooms and two baths) previously changed hands in 2007, for a mere $170,000.

The neighborhood, which is closer to the stadium than some of the parking options on game days, is emerging as an extension of Lambeau Field. Another modest home on Shadow Lane with a similar lot size is available for $599,900. And a four-bedroom ranch on the same block was sold for $650,000 in 2017.

Exterior

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Interior

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Kitchen

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Bedroom

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Bathroom

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In this game day party pad, every square inch of interior wall space—even the two baths—is painted green and gold.

But that’s not all. Scoreboards and football field yard-markers are also painted on some walls. And although the owners will probably pack up their Packers shower curtain, bar stools, pennants, bed linens, and framed photos of Packers team rosters, there’s no hiding this is a home with “Go, Pack, Go” written all over it.

The team’s logo is featured on the carpet, and every single wall is either green or gold—or both. Many of the closets are designed to look like locker rooms.

Outdoor entertaining is easy, thanks to a fenced backyard with spectacular stadium views, a raised deck, and a brick fire pit for postgame s’mores. Two indoor bar areas make it easy for guests to sip cold beer or grab snacks for tailgating.

According to the listing, this isn’t so much a family home as it is a party pad during Packers home games. The place can “sleep up to 16” and life in the shadow of Lambeau can be “yours for the years to come.”

The post This Wisconsin Home Is Designed for Football Fans—but There’s a Catch appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/green-bay-packers-ultimate-fan-home/

Score! 7 Miami Open Houses Worth Hitting on Super Bowl Weekend

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With Super Bowl LIV kicking off this Sunday, football fans are gearing up for the big game—particularly in the host city of Miami, where the event will unfold at Hard Rock Stadium.

According to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, about 150,000 out-of-state visitors are expected to flood the city this weekend. And while many may focus solely on downing beer and mountains of chicken wings while rooting for their favorite team (San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs, take your pick), it turns out that a number of these revelers might also partake in a more surprising pregame activity: hopping through open houses in the most luxurious mansions that Miami has to offer.

“There’s a lot of wealth in Miami right now—Super Bowl tickets aren’t cheap—so I think it’s definitely a good time to have an open house and plant the seed of, ‘Oh, look at our amazing 80-degree weather,'” says local Douglas Elliman real estate agent Dina Goldentayer, who is hosting three luxury open houses this weekend. “I think the open house traffic this weekend will be similar to Art Basel, which is typically known as this area’s busiest week of the year for luxury lifestyle real estate purchases.”

“Miami is in the spotlight this weekend, and no doubt those visiting the city for the big game will want to know what they can get for their money,” says Florida real estate agent Cara Ameer. “Miami is really like the Los Angeles of Florida, with amazing homes, world-class restaurants, shopping, and culture. It is really becoming a hub for fashion, arts, and entertainment as so many parts of the city have been revitalized.”

Moving to Miami also makes sense for people who want to save on taxes.

“Florida has been a hot spot as a result of tax reform, which has driven a lot of people from high-tax and cold-weather states to the Sunshine State,” adds Ameer.

And these Miami open houses mostly happen on Friday, Saturday, or (at the latest) Sunday morning, so a little luxury real estate shopping needn’t interfere with your enjoyment of the big game. So if you’re in town for the climactic highlight of the NFL season, consider hopping in your car to go check out some of Miami’s most jaw-dropping open houses below.

1. 19 Palm Avenue, Miami Beach, FL

19 Palm Ave., Miami Beach, FL

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Price to score: $23,500,000
Open house hours: Saturday, noon–3 p.m.

Why it’s a winner: This 9,556-square-foot, six-bedroom home is destined to be party central with its open-air atrium, reflection ponds, and rooftop lounge so you can take in the starry sky above.

2. 6585 Allison Road, Miami Beach, FL

6585 Allison Rd., Miami Beach, FL

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Price to score: $18,900,000
Open house hours: Saturday, noon–2 p.m.

Why it’s a winner: With over 10, 000 square feet of living space, including six bedrooms, a bar, theater, and elevator in case you’re feeling lazy, this house is one of just 49 waterfront homes on a gated island. So, you’ll have plenty of privacy.

3. 4720 SW 76th Terrace, Miami, FL

4720 SW 76th Terrace, Miami, FL

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Price to score: $3,400,000
Open house hours: Saturday, 3–5 p.m. 

Why it’s a winner: Not into the beach? Then head down a quiet tree-lined street to this quaint 4,507-square-foot, four-bedroom beauty, which comes with custom millwork, coffered ceilings, and exotic hardwood and marble floors.

4. 7350 SW 47th Court, Miami, FL

7350 SW 47th Court, Miami, FL

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Price to score: $5,685,000
Open house hours: Saturday, 3–5 p.m.

Why it’s a winner: With 9,452 square feet of living space, including seven bedrooms, and sitting on a verdant acre of land, this estate features gorgeous balconies stretching across the upper levels as well as an outdoor cabana, kitchen, and oversize lap pool.

5. 3523 N Bay Homes Drive, Coconut Grove, FL

3523 N Bay Homes Drive, Coconut Grove, FL

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Price to score: $4,675,000
Open house hours: Saturday, 2–4 p.m.; Sunday, noon–2 p.m.

Why it’s a winner: This award-winning home built by architect James Lloyd offers 3,498 square feet of living space and four bedrooms. It is perched along Biscayne Bay with its own boat dock.

6. 4701 SW 74th St, Miami, FL

4701 SW 74th St, Miami, FL

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Price to score: $4,250,000
Open house hours: Saturday, 2–4 p.m.

Why it’s a winner: Nestled among majestic oaks in Ponce Davis, this modern new construction measures 5,495 square feet. It offers six bedrooms, and designer finishes include a Scavolini kitchen and Sub-Zero/Wolf appliances.

7. 6056 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL

6056 Alton Rd, Miami Beach, FL

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Price to score: $1,975,000
Open house hours: Saturday, 1–3 p.m.

Why it’s a winner: This 3,394-square-foot, four-bedroom 1928 Mediterranean Revival comes with two guest villas and one coach house, all with a bed and bath in each. So, there’s room for all your friends to stay.

The post Score! 7 Miami Open Houses Worth Hitting on Super Bowl Weekend appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/super-bowl-open-houses-in-miami/

Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli List Mansion as College Admissions Scandal Rages On

Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Image; realtor.com

Embattled former “Full House”  actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have put their Los Angeles mansion on the market as they await their upcoming trial for their involvement in the college admissions scandal.

The couple have listed their six-bedroom, nine-bathroom mansion, which sits along the Bel Air Country Club golf course, for $28,650,000, according to TMZ. Their trial is expected to begin in October. If found guilty, they could face up to 45 years behind bars.

They purchased the home for $13.9 million in 2015 and put it back on the market two years later—for about 2.5 times more than what they paid for the contemporary, modern estate. But in 2018, they pulled the $35 million property off the market.

The sale has nothing to do with the scandal or the significant jail time the couple could be facing, anonymous sources told TMZ. The sources claim it’s due to Giannulli’s passion for architecture and high-level home flipping. They renovated a 1920s Tuscan villa, a 1940s Georgian, also in Bel Air, and a contemporary home in Aspen, CO.

The 12,000-square-foot residence on a cul-de-sac was used as collateral to secure Loughlin and Giannulli’s $2 million bail. If they don’t adhere to the terms of their release, the government reportedly could foreclose on the home.

The property features an outdoor swimming pool and spa, a two-story entryway featuring a grand suite, and a five-car garage. That’s in addition to the staff suite, two living rooms, gym, library, and the master bedroom, which comes with his-and-her bathrooms and closets.

The couple are accused of paying $500,000 to a college admissions consultant and his nonprofit to help get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as members of the crew team. Isabella Rose Giannulli and YouTube and Instagram influencer Olivia Jade Giannulli were accepted to the school even though they’d never done crew either previously or at the school.

They’ve pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, honest services fraud, money laundering, and federal programs bribery.

They’re not the only celebrities to be snared in the scandal. The federal government has charged 53 parents, including “Desperate Housewives” actress Felicity Huffman. Huffman served 11 days behind bars, paid a $30,000 fine, and was sentenced to do 250 hours of community service. She was found guilty of paying $15,000 to have her daughter’s SAT exam answers corrected.

This week Huffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, who wasn’t charged in the college admissions crimes, began looking for tenants for the rental property they own right next door to their Hollywood Hills home. They’re asking $16,500 a month for the five-bedroom, six-bathroom midcentury home on a hillside, according to Variety.

They purchased the 4,500-square-foot home on a cul-de-sac in the Outpost Estates neighborhood for $3.8 million in 2012. It sits on just over an acre of land and features a sauna and swimming pool, multiple decks and patios, and views of the Los Angeles skyline.

The post Lori Loughlin and Mossimo Giannulli List Mansion as College Admissions Scandal Rages On appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/lori-loughlin-and-mossimo-giannulli-list-mansion-as-college-admissions-scandal-rages-on/

Forget Everything You Know About Renters: This Is Who’s Renting Today

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It’s time to put aside all of your assumptions about renters! The fastest-growing group of tenants today isn’t the stereotypical broke 20-somethings scrounging for change between the couch cushions.

Instead, renters are becoming wealthier, both younger and older—and more likely to have children than in previous years, according to a recent report from Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.

“We’ve seen this enormous growth in high-income households [who are renters],” says Whitney Airgood-Obrycki, a research associate at the center and the lead author of the biennial report. A high-income household is defined as bringing in at least $75,000 a year. “[They] have college educations.”

These more well-off tenants accounted for more than three-quarters of the growth in the renter population from 2010 to 2018, according to the report. There were 43,725 renter households in 2018. And despite the assumption that folks buy homes to raise children in, there were actually more rental households with children than homeowners with kids—at 29% and 26%, respectively.

According to Airgood-Obrycki, she’s seeing more baby boomers and soon-to-be retirees become renters. That pushed up the median age of renters to 42, still 15 years younger than the typical homeowner.

“A lot of them are roommate households that combined have high incomes together. We’re also seeing adult children who are still living with their families,” she adds.

Those leasing the roofs over their heads, increasingly need to have more money to do so. That’s because most of the new rentals coming online tend to be pricier, luxury units. They’re often designed to appeal to young professionals and older tenants who are downsizing or retiring who can afford them.

And leases in nice buildings present an attractive alternative for white-collar professionals struggling with student debt or those living in ultrapricey cities having trouble coming up with a down payment.

As for the rental properties themselves, “the vast majority of new units are larger, and they tend to be in the central core of large cities where land and construction is more expensive,” says Airgood-Obrycki. “These new units are being built with more amenities.”

But the problem is these higher-earning renters are inadvertently pushing up rents for those who can least afford them. Landlords are incentivized to raise rents, because they know they can get them, and renovate older properties so they can charge more.

Factor in a severe and growing affordable housing shortage and nearly half, 47.5%, of renter households were cost-burdened in 2018. That means these less-affluent tenants are spending more than 30% of their incomes on housing. About a quarter, or 10.9 million, spent more than half their incomes on rent.

And despite the strong economy and low unemployment rate, the number of cost-burdened folks grew by 261,000 households from 2017, to reach 20.8 million in 2018.

“There’s an ongoing affordability crisis that’s worsening again,” says Airgood-Obrycki. “If [rents] just keep going up and up and up and incomes aren’t quite rising at that same pace for most households, then you get this gap.”

The post Forget Everything You Know About Renters: This Is Who’s Renting Today appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/forget-everything-you-know-about-renters-this-is-whos-renting-today/

The Force Awakens! Mansion With ‘Star Wars’ Basement Is the Week’s Most Popular Home

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There’s no need to travel to a galaxy far, far away for a private and luxurious “Star Wars” experience. An out-of-this-world Hidden Hills, CA, mansion landed on the market this week and went viral at hyperdrive speed. The residence, loaded with a collection of Star Wars memorabilia, was this week’s most popular home on realtor.com®.

Even without the stunning below-ground “Star Wars” stash, the house is a showstopper. The $26.5 million estate also has an on-site observatory for space exploration, a fitness studio, and a wine room—which obviously has to play the “Cantina Band Song” on repeat.

But it’s the basement entertainment complex fit for a Jedi Council meeting, with an 18-seat theater, bar, and custom-made props, that makes the home supremely clickable.

Setting the Skywalker saga aside, you also clicked on a number of historic homes this week. A couple are even on the National Register of Historic Places, like the Governor James Whitfield house in Mississippi and the Porter-Thomsen home in Nebraska.

You were also interested in the Samuel Merrick House in Pennsylvania, which hosted the final meeting between George Washington and his commanders before they crossed the Delaware.

Scroll down for all of this week’s most popular homes. And may the force be with you, always.

10. 1187 Eagle Rd, Newtown, PA

Price: $1,125,000

Why it’s here: This historic Bucks Country farmhouse served as the meeting location for George Washington and his officers before they crossed the Delaware River. Really! Built in 1773 and known as the Samuel Merrick House, the three-bedroom home has nearly 5,000 square feet of living space, including a modern addition. The lot of more than 6 acres allows for plenty of room to stretch out and ponder the home’s remarkable history.

Newtown, PA

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9. 736 E. Victory Dr, Savannah, GA

Price: $749,900

Why it’s here: The Levy House is where traditional, formal living meets slow Southern charm. It was built in 1924 and renovated in 2017, and the interiors feature plenty of designer details. There’s a lion’s head window, custom-made by a local artist, and a morning room surrounded by 14 French doors that open to the courtyard and pool. The four-bedroom brick home sits in the city center and also includes a detached carriage house with private courtyard.

Savannah, GA

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8. 1279 Fox Ave SE, Paris, OH

Price: $369,000

Why it’s here: Stone Creek Stables is a 22-acre farm with a home built in 1900. It’s move-in ready—outfitted with barns, stables, and everything else an aspiring farmer would need. The listing says the property is filled with wildlife, springs, and a creek. The three-bedroom home is modern, with such trendy touches as wood floors, sliding barn doors, and an updated kitchen and bathrooms.

Paris, OH

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7. 749 W. Onondaga St, Syracuse, NY

Price: $119,000

Why it’s here: Close to downtown, this brightly painted historic home could be used as a private residence, bed and breakfast, or even as commercial property. Known as the Archimedes Russell house, the six-bedroom was built in 1885 and is lavishly decorated with fabric, gilded woodwork, and daring paint colors throughout. Highlights include the double staircase, chandeliers, and other antique touches.

Syracuse, NY

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6. 906 Third Ave N., Columbus, MS 

Price: $950,000

Why it’s here: This National Landmark home was built in 1854 by Governor James Whitfield. The Antebellum treasure has been lovingly maintained over the decades and has had multiple updates across its over 7,100 square feet. There are custom silk wall coverings, original chandeliers, and an ornate library with custom molding and inlay.

Columbus, MS

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5. 357 Cherryhill St., Valparaiso, IN

Price: $390,000

Why it’s here: Tucked at the end of a cul-de-sac and surrounded by Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy, this two-story family home is perfectly suited to modern living. The five-bedroom residence boasts a large kitchen with two pantries and hand-poured concrete countertops. Modern farmhouse details, like sliding barn doors, give the space versatility, and the finished lower level, with a rec room, is a perfect retreat for kids.

Valparaiso, IN

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4. 483 Fingerboard Schoolhouse Rd, Earleville, MD

Price: $425,000

Why it’s here: Built in 2006, this log-built house sits on nearly 4.5 acres, across from a wildlife management area. The cozy three-bedroom home has upgrades like a wood-burning stone fireplace, mudroom, sunroom, and loft. The wooded lot also includes a barn with electricity and plenty of extra storage.

Earleville, MD

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3. 4770 Mayo Woodlands Rd SW, Rochester, MN

Price: $1,700,000

Why it’s here: Dubbed the Mayo Woodland residence, this modern home was designed by award-winning architects, according to the listing. Interiors of the more than 6,000-square-foot house are light and airy. Natural light pours into nearly every room, thanks to large windows, which frame views of the large wooded lot dotted with prairie flowers and a private pond.

Rochester, MN

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2. 3426 Lincoln Blvd, Omaha, NE

Price: $425,000

Why it’s here: Known as the Porter-Thomsen home, this piece of Omaha history was built in 1904. The four-bedroom home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and offers notable features like a wraparound porch, formal entry, ornate woodwork, murals, columns, and pocket doors. All the standout features have been lovingly maintained for more than a century.

Omaha, NE

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1. 5824 Jed Smith Rd, Hidden Hills, CA

Price: $26,500,000

Why it’s here: Tucked away in the basement of this Hidden Hills mansion is a mind-blowing Jedi lair packed with one-of-a-kind “Star Wars” memorabilia. In addition to the 5,000-square-foot “Star Wars”-themed retreat, the six-bedroom modern Craftsman home is elegant and spacious. The lush 3-acre property also has a pool, tennis court, fire pit, and on-site observatory.

Hidden Hills, CA

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The post The Force Awakens! Mansion With ‘Star Wars’ Basement Is the Week’s Most Popular Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/mansion-with-star-wars-basement-most-popular/

$59M Penthouse at Hudson Yards Tower Is the Week’s Most Expensive Listing

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A luxurious penthouse in the tallest residential building in New York City’s Hudson Yards has landed on the market for $59 million. It also earns the title of this week’s most expensive new listing on realtor.com®.

Hudson Yards is the massive redevelopment project along the Hudson River and West Side Highway. It’s a mixed-use district of housing, office space, retail shops, and parks. It features a spiral staircase called the Vessel, an interactive artwork by designer Thomas Heatherwick.

The limestone and glass tower was designed by David Childs of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, with interiors designed by Tony Ingrao. The residences, which begin on the 53rd floor, sit atop an Equinox hotel and gym, indoor and outdoor pools, a Soul Cycle studio, and restaurants. The hotel is currently open, and residential occupancy is scheduled to begin this summer.

Residents of the 143-unit building will receive their own private amenities, including a fitness center, meditation room, children’s playroom, screening room, golf simulator, and a private terrace.

As for this full-floor condo on the 90th floor, it’s still under construction. When it’s finished, the five-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom unit will include Hudson River and city views, and 10,171 square feet of living space. The images of the unit seen below are renderings.

Terrace and living room

Courtesy of Related-Oxford

Tallest residential tower in Hudson Yards

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Lobby with tapestry by Swedish artist Helena Hernmarck

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The layout will feature a private elevator that opens to an entry foyer, which leads to a corner great room with a 14-foot ceiling and French oak floors. 

Adjacent to the dining room is a 454-square-foot terrace. The eat-in kitchen is equipped with Gaggenau appliances and features a marble island, counters, and backsplash. 

The corner master suite has a dressing room and wet bar, as well as dual master baths.

In addition, there’s a fitness room, media room, and in-unit laundry (true heaven for many New Yorkers). The new neighborhood features access to the High Line.

Stephen Ross, the CEO of Related, the building’s developer, purchased a top-floor penthouse last fall for his personal use. In doing so, Ross left a vacancy at the Time Warner Center. He put up that Central Park condo for sale for $75 million, which made our most expensive home list last year.

35 Hudson Yards is represented by Corcoran Sunshine—New Development.

The Vessel

Lawrence Schadt

The post $59M Penthouse at Hudson Yards Tower Is the Week’s Most Expensive Listing appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/59m-penthouse-hudson-yards-most-expensive/

Whispers Estate in Indiana for Sale for $130K, Ghosts Included

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A Victorian mansion dating to the late 1890s is for sale, but there’s a catch. It may come with some permanent houseguests.

“It’s actually a gorgeous home. It’s in really good shape for as old as it is,” says Heather Bland, the agent selling the home on Warren Street in Mitchell, IN.

Known as Whispers Estate, the home has a history of paranormal activity. The $130,000 list price includes the furniture and ghosts.

The 3,700-square-foot, four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home features original wood floors throughout much of the home.

Exterior

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According to the website created by the homeowner, the structure was once part home, part business—as was the case with many homes in the 1800s. A doctor had his practice downstairs and, over the years, some patients died, including children. The doctor himself died of pneumonia, in the first-floor master bedroom.

Several TV shows, publications, and paranormal groups have investigated the home. There have been numerous reports of a child seen running through the house, the smell of baby powder in one of the rooms, children singing or crying, doorknobs jiggling, and doors popping open. People who sleep in the room where the doctor died say they sometimes wake up to sounds of coughing and labored breathing.

“I’ve been in there twice and haven’t felt anything so far, but you can read different things about it, and you might not feel anything or see anything for a long time, and then maybe you do,” Bland says, adding that her boss felt and saw something paranormal when they were measuring the home.

“He had a look on his face, and I said, ‘What?’—and he said, ‘Did you see that?’ and I said no,” Bland recalls. “We were measuring, and I said, ‘Did you?’ and he said ‘Yeah,’ and I was, like, ‘OK, let’s get this measured then and get out of here.’”

Interior

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The paranormal inhabitants don’t seem to cause much trouble, Bland says. “The owner said in his experience, if people are there and they’re respectful and not trying to cause a ruckus or anything, the alleged paranormal are nice.”

The current owner bought the home in 2007 after visiting it during a paranormal convention. He is selling it now because he is engaged and moving to Indianapolis, about two hours north of Mitchell.

As for tours of the place, “We’re doing a 24-hour notice before [a showing] and a pre-approval because we want to weed out people. We don’t want to just have people [who say], ‘let’s go look at it, it’ll be cool.’ We want people to be serious that are looking at it, and for whatever reason they want to buy it, that’s their personal preference,” Bland explains.

The home sits on a quarter-acre. There is a formal entry, 10-foot ceilings, a living room, dining room, stone basement, and unfinished space on the third floor. The furnishings include antiques.

Bland says the perfect buyer is out there, somewhere.

“It’s going to take one of two [types of] people. I think it’s going to take somebody that loves this and appreciates the paranormal stuff, or if somebody just wants it to be their home. It’s a huge, gorgeous home for $130,000. I mean, you couldn’t build it for that.”

Dining room

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Bedroom

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Kitchen

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Stairwell

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The post Whispers Estate in Indiana for Sale for $130K, Ghosts Included appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

source https://www.realtor.com/news/unique-homes/whispers-estate-haunted-indiana-mansion-for-sale/

A Modern Oahu Compound Is Crowned the 2019 House of the Year

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Our 2019 House of the Year winner proves the power of the mantra “location, location, location!”

But a zero-edge saltwater pool doesn’t hurt either.

For the second consecutive year, a home from Hawaii scored the top spot in WSJ.com’s House of the Year poll. Each year, our readers choose from among the 52 House of the Week winners to determine which home is the best of the best. In 2019, 133,631 votes were cast in the poll.

This year’s winner—a sleek, oceanfront estate on the island of Oahu—wasn’t the only Hawaiian property to make a splash in our annual competition. Five homes from the Aloha State landed in the top 15, including a stately villa atop a mountain in Maui and a Lanai home that was built with materials from around the world.

Readers returned to the mainland for our second- and third-place winners. A South Carolina island home with views of the Atlantic Ocean and a cantilevered Colorado property set among woods and native grasses were separated by just 32 votes.

These House of the Year candidates weren’t just competing against each other. Despite a record number of $100 million sales, the homes faced a sluggish luxury market in 2019, thanks to a glut of high-end product and retreating foreign buyers. Prices for luxury homes in Los Angeles fell by 3.5% in 2019, according to Douglas Elliman. In Manhattan, prices in the luxury market dropped 24%.

Thirty-seven of the 52 homes remain unsold, one is in contract and one is due to close in March. Those that did sell mostly did so for less than their asking prices.

At $21 million, our House of the Year winner is the second-priciest home of the 52 contenders. Perhaps its “mana”—or the spiritual energy which the owner believes infuses the home—will bring good fortune in 2020.

—Kerry Barger

Dining and living area

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It was a simple problem that led Elizabeth Grossman to her future home: She couldn’t find a house to rent in Honolulu that was suitable to host her family—she and her husband, two of their children from previous marriages and their significant others, and their close friends—for the holidays. A broker suggested they look in Lanikai. “I said, ‘Where the hell is Lanikai?’” she laughs. Her grandmother had lived part-time in Maui, so she’d been visiting the Islands her entire life, but she’d never heard of the small beach town on the windward side of Oahu.

In 1999, Mrs. Grossman, a retired managing director at Soros Fund Management Co., and her husband, Richard Grossman, a surgeon and founder of the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles, drove into Lanikai. She looked at him and said “Oh my God, we have to live here,” she recalls. “It was like some sort of vortex. I just felt peace.” Being newlyweds, her husband happily agreed.

It took a few years to find what they wanted, but in 2004, they purchased a 0.8-acre waterfront property, a quarter mile from Lanikai Beach, with views of the Mokulua Islands, for $6 million.

Eat-in kitchen

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They hired Bay Area architect Jim Jennings, who Mrs. Grossman had worked with previously on her home in San Francisco, to design the property. “Elizabeth and I are very aligned as far as taste, so we knew it was going to be a modern building,” says Mr. Jennings.

He designed a 7,465-square-foot main home that stretches across the site, taking full advantage of the 151 feet of private waterfront, with its views of the Mokulua Islands. The construction of the home cost $10 million.

The estate took top prize in WSJ.com’s House of the Year poll, with 4,039 votes.

The main residence is just one room wide to “make sure that every space has a relationship to the ocean, to the lagoon, to the Mokululas,” says Mr. Jennings.

Window openings on either side of the structure align, to allow for views to the water from the courtyard and pool. Moveable screens and large lanais allow for seamless indoor-outdoor living.

One request from Mrs. Grossman was that the home feel “very Hawaiian” and have good “mana,” a Hawaiian concept that means spiritual energy and power.

Bedroom

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Mr. Jennings collaborated with local architect and his Berkeley classmate Gordon Tyau, who was born and raised in Hawaii. “He was my muse for all things Hawaiian,” says Mr. Jennings, explaining that it isn’t just a few features that contribute to the home’s mana.

“It’s how the home can open up and take advantage of the climate,” he says. “It’s the sense of space, and the way there’s a relationship always to the sound and the swaying of the palm trees and the local vegetation. It’s all part of the same dance.”

The feeling is most evident on the upper level, in the two master suites where glass walls open to wraparound terraces. “It becomes a pavilion in the palm trees looking out over the ocean,” says Mr. Jennings.

When one of the local construction workers on the project commented on the home’s positive mana, Mrs. Grossman realized her wishes had been achieved.

The property also has a 1,877-square-foot, four-bedroom, four-bathroom guesthouse and a one-bedroom caretaker’s cottage. It is on the market for $21 million, listed with Ruthie Kaminskas of Elite Pacific Properties.

Mrs. Grossman is selling because the property requires a lot of upkeep. “I’m getting older, and there’s a lot of maintenance when you live on the ocean,” she says.

But the decision wasn’t an easy one. “The most special thing about this property is its soul and heart,” she says.

Mr. Grossman died in 2014, which makes the sale even tougher. “It’s a house my husband and I built together, so I have a lot of emotional attachment to it.”

Balcony

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The post A Modern Oahu Compound Is Crowned the 2019 House of the Year appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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Red-Hot Deal: You Can Buy a Fremont, CA, Firehouse for Just $1

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Have a buck to spare? You can be the proud owner of a historic fire station in Fremont, CA.

But if you’re burning to buy, you’d better have a plan in place.

“We are offering the building, not the land,” says Shaivali Desai, director at SiliconSage Builders, the developer who plans to erect housing on the land currently occupied by the station. The buyer “can move it off the site, and place it on any other land that they may own.”

The city agreed to sell the fire station to SiliconSage as long as the developers made an attempt to sell the old station before demolishing it to make way for a mixed-use development, which will include ground-floor retail space, apartments, and townhouses.

“The site does need to be cleared of all existing buildings, including the former Centerville Fire Station, in order to construct the development,” Fremont City Associate Planner Aki Honda Snelling said in an email. “In conjunction with the City’s approval of the development project, the City approved demolition of the former fire station, unless the fire station could be moved off-site.”

Fremont, CA, fire station

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The city agreed the price would be set at a single dollar with the buyer responsible for all removal costs.

We can see why there’s at least a hope that the fire station could be saved. A historic impact assessment of the station determined “[it] retains a high degree of exterior architectural integrity to its original 1954 minimalist International Style design.” The 4,800-square-foot station includes a wide roll-up garage door, and a first story clad in Roman brick. 

The assessment also notes it’s “the city’s second oldest station and a civic landmark in the historic town center of Centerville.” 

But the ’50s-era building, which was deemed seismically unsound and therefore decommissioned in 2008, could cost upward of $500,000 to move. 

SiliconSage Builders will vet potential buyers to ensure they understand the financial undertaking.

And a buyer can’t simply plunk down a buck and plan to move the structure next year. The developer has a schedule to stick to. Item No. 1 on the agenda is removing the fire station and other buildings to make way for the new development.  

“Ultimately, we need to figure out the timeline with them,” Desai says of a potential buyer. Currently, PG&E is disconnecting all utilities to the buildings, so they’ll be ready to be razed or, in the case of the fire station, move to a new home.

While it seems like a wild idea, there are precedents. The East Bay town of Hercules also offered a city-owned property for $1 with the caveat that the buyer would move it. 

Amazingly, the historic Queen Anne, which had been cut in half for ease of transport, received an offer and was moved to Napa. But it wasn’t just an average Joe who bought the place. It was Berkeley construction firm Rockhead and Quarry, who specialize in restoring historic homes, according to Curbed.

In another part of the country, or even in another part of the state, moving the structure might not seem like such a tall order. But in the San Francisco Bay Area, empty lots aren’t exactly plentiful.

And even if a buyer were able to move it, it’s not exactly move-in ready.

“The inside of that building, it’s not in great shape right now,” Desai says of the unused structure.

Need more proof resurrection is possible? In 2017, a California listing agent purchased an abandoned church for $1, teamed with a developer to move it a few blocks, renovated it, and put the finished product on the market for $470,000.  

There is one bright spot for the former firehouse. Even if a buyer doesn’t materialize, there’s a chance to walk off with a slice of history.

“We’re going to offer salvaged historic materials up for donation,” says Desai. However, hauling away those raw materials, such as bricks or even a fire pole, will be at your own cost.  

If the idea of living in a fire station appeals to you, ring the alarm. March 20 is the deadline to make your case. 

“Anybody wants to take it and save it, we would love for that to happen,” Desai says.

Contact Desai at shaivali@siliconsage.com for more information.

The post Red-Hot Deal: You Can Buy a Fremont, CA, Firehouse for Just $1 appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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