The Most Unreal Estate Transactions of 2014

by

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Come on, everyone’s got some deep-down infatuation with expensive real estate, jaw-dropping square footage and outrageous sale prices … right? Well, we do. So in honor of our curiosity, data analysts at Redfin compiled a list of the real estate transactions of 2014 that were the most unreal.

There were certainly some extreme sales this past year that stayed out of the public spotlight: At this level of luxury, many brokers choose not to include homes on the multiple listing service, often for privacy reasons. All the homes in our roundup were listed publicly.

The 3 Most Expensive Sales

All three of the most expensive home sales this year had their fair share of the spotlight. Two of the homes belonged to big-time celebrities and the third was all over the news as the highest price ever paid for a home in the U.S…. The actual selling price has since been reduced but a BIG story nonetheless.

Looking for more inspiration?

Browse home listings to help inspire the space around you.
The Cash is King-dom

Address: 350 North Carolwood Dr
City: Los Angeles, CA
Sale Price: $88,300,000
Listed by: Kurt Rappaport, Westside Estate Agency

Originally reported as the most expensive home sale of all time at $102 million, the Fleur de Lys mansion in the Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles eventually sold for $88.3 million. It was still the most expensive sale of the year, but not ever. What’s most impressive is that it was reportedly an all-cash deal.

Parrothead Paradise

Address: 540 S Ocean Blvd
City: Palm Beach, FL
Sale Price: $42,900,000
Listed by: Paulette Koch, The Corcoran Group

This Palm Beach estate actually consists of three separate addresses, one of which was once home to Mr. Margaritaville himself, Jimmy Buffett. I wonder if he ever had a cheeseburger in this paradise.

Star-Studded Sale

Address: 12780 Chalon Rd
City: Los Angeles, CA
Sale Price: $40,000,000
Listed by: Stephen Shapiro, Westside Estate Agency Inc.

This mega-mansion in Brentwood belonged to two mega stars: New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and his supermodel wife Giselle Bunchen. The pair sold the estate that they reportedly spent four years building to rapper and music producer Dr. Dre.

The 3 Largest Homes Sales

The average home in the U.S. is right around 1900 square feet. Each of these homes was more than 15 times that size.

Mega Manor

Address: 794 Evander Holyfield Hwy
City: Fayetteville, GA
Sale Price: $5,879,000
Size:  44,234 square feet
Listed by: Jacqueline Campbell, Keller Williams Realty

Everything about this property is big. Formerly owned by heavyweight boxing star Evander Holyfield, it happens to be the largest single-family home in the state of Georgia. “Villa Vittoriosa” (The Victory) has 12 bedrooms, 13 full bathrooms and eight half-baths, as well as an outrageous 350,000-gallon pool.

12-Ton Timepiece

Address: 40 Verbalee Ln
City: Hillsborough, CA
Sale Price: $22,800,000
Size: 35,000 square feet
Listed by: Richard Williamson Today Sothebys International Realty

This palatial property right outside of San Francisco was built at the height of the Great Depression by renowned architect David Adler. It was a behemoth property at the time of its construction but has really stood the test of time.

Mi Casa Es Su Castle

Address: 706 Guisando De Avila
City: Tampa, FL
Sale Price: $5,580,000
Size: 28,893 square feet
Listed by: Dianne Martin, Century 21

This estate is 20 minutes outside of Tampa, and that’s probably the same amount of time it takes to walk from one side of this home to the other.

The 3 Highest “Over-List” Purchases

In competitive markets, homes often sell for more than their list price. But sometimes that “markup” is extreme, as with these three purchases. It’s really no surprise that two of these three homes are in the Bay Area. The market was the center of real estate competition this year. On average, more than 60 percent of homes for sale faced bidding wars and it seemed no one really cared what they had to pay to win.

“The Bay Area real estate market was an absolute feeding frenzy this year, especially in Silicon Valley where nearly every home was selling quickly and for above list price,” said Redfin real estate agent Mia Simon. “Usually the $3 million market is a slower market, but I just sold a $4 million home in a week to an all-cash buyer.”

Malibu’s Most Wanted

Address: 23916 Malibu Rd
City: Malibu, CA
List Price: $14,995,000
Sale Price: $20,000,000
Listed by: Alex Brunkhorst, The Agency

How much is a house on the sand worth to you? Well, apparently it’s $5 million more than you’re thinking. The new owner of this prime piece of real estate on the highly coveted Malibu Beach paid $20 million for this home, which was listed for just under $15 million.

Silicon Valuable

Address: 721 Webster Ave
City: Palo Alto, CA
List Price: $2,695,000
Sale Price: $5,480,000
Listed by: Zachary Trailer, Coldwell Banker PA

From the outside, this home in Palo Alto looks pretty basic. But there was nothing basic about its sale price. This property actually consists of two newly constructed homes in a highly coveted neighborhood. Jackpot! On the market for about a week, this baby was a hot property, so hot the new owner ended up shelling out nearly $2.8 million more than the asking price to snag it.

Priceless in Pacific Heights

Address: 2610 Scott St
City: San Francisco, CA
List Price:  $9,750,000
Sale Price: $11,750,000
Listed by: Stephen Gomez, GPK

Sitting pretty in prestigious Pacific Heights, this home flew off the market in just a few days. The new owner of this home in San Francisco wasted no time offering $11.75 million to win their spot on the hill, $2 million more than the owners asked for.

Tell us which sale you think is the most unreal on Facebook, Twitter, G+ or in the comments below.

If you are represented by an agent, this is not a solicitation of your business. This article is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for professional advice from a medical provider, licensed attorney, financial advisor, or tax professional. Consumers should independently verify any agency or service mentioned will meet their needs. Learn more about our Editorial Guidelines here.
Avatar

Makayla Zurn

Makayla oversees broadcast media relations at Redfin. She also has a knack for video and produces content for the Redfin blog and YouTube channel. Before working at Redfin she was a morning TV news anchor and reporter. Makayla loves living in Seattle, where she grew up, but her dream “second home” would be somewhere along the sunny SoCal coast.

Connect with Makayla
Start your home search on Redfin
Scroll to Top