Penthouses.com: The Weblog

Truly exclusive and loved by the celebrity crowd, The Harmon , due to complete late 2009 sits directly on the $9+ billion development Las Vegas Strip. With its ultra-chic design and amenities to match, those who seek an indulgent hide-away need to look no further. Managed by Andrew Sasson’s The Light Group, The Harmon offers just 207 units (with only 15 penthouses), ranging from 980- 3700 sq ft and will range from $1.3-$10+ million, making it a highly-desired, prime-location address.

Amenities include pool and lounge perched 100 feet above the Strip, The Harmon Spa, MR CHOW restaurant, Frédéric Fekkai hair salon, concierge service, valet, 24-hour security, conference & meeting rooms, and owners private lounge.

Are you ready to live the good life?

Canada is an evergreen and popular nation with international investors and it is becoming an increasingly popular choice with those in search if the ultimate lifestyle property . It is said that investors looking for the ideal place to buy should consider Quebec.

Quebec is described as a “four season outdoor playground” because of its mountains and lakes, its ski runs and protected wilderness areas, and as a result it is already hugely popular with North American visitors who love the great outdoors and who embrace the unique cultural fabulous province.

Many of those who have visited this province have also realised that it is one of the most affordable in Canada for real estate, and this has led to Quebec becoming home to a certain number of high end, exclusive communities where real estate is prized.

It is these communities where there has been an intensification of the internation property interest as well; locations such a Mont Tremblant- North America’s number one ski resort- have become particularly desirable as they offer the ultimate blend of high-end real estate with luxury lifestyle.

Because of the vast size of the nation, Canada generally offers a buyer far more real estate for their property pounf or dollar, and because the country is a first world leading tourism center offering world-class amenities and facilities aswell as being home to some of the worlds most striking natural scenery. Canada really can be said to have it all.

Ever wanted to swap your home just for a short time? Now you can with HomeLink, the world largest home exchange organisation. HomeLink International was established in 1953 and continues to lead the way in home exchange holidays. Here you can pick your desired destination and then fill in your search criteria, from a non smoking home, to somewhere that pets are allowed. You can then browse the homes up for exchange with their desired destination.

The idea is that you swap your home with another HomeLink member for the duration of your holiday. You stay in their home while they stay in yours. You don’t pay rent and neither does the other person. It’s a free exchange, and they call it a HomeLink holiday.

Take a few days in Amsterdam, two weeks in California or a tour of Australia. Exchangers are most interested in the location. As one journal said about exchanging cottages and mansions, “size doesn’t matter, so long as the place is right”.

Anual membership for HomeLink is from £115 depending on how many pictures you have and how detailed you advert is.

Now thats what I call a cheap holiday! Click here to go to their website

If the banking crisis is threatening the size of City bonuses and property prices, then the news has not yet reached some in Canary Wharf.

The owner of a pair of penthouse apartments at Berkeley Tower, the tallest building in Canary Riverside, has put them on the market with a record asking price of £18.7 million. That’s £14million more than he paid for them three years ago

The total size of the properties are twice the size of the average three-bedroom semi, at more than 6,000 square feet.  This means the cost is more than £2,700 per square foot, more than double the previous Canary Wharf record of £1,216 per square foot.

It is estimated that about 88,000 homes are valued at over £1 million in England and Wales, up from just 30,000 homes five years ago, according to figures by Halifax

When it comes to sales above the £1 million mark, the SW7 postcode has been in second place for years but this year it was matched by W8. The SW1X postcode, which includes Knightsbridge, remains in fifth place, behind NW3 (Hampstead). This may change when flats at One Hyde Park come on to the market with asking prices of at least £20 million each.

However, estate agents today warned that turmoil in the financial markets could see central London homes fall in value for the first time in more than five years. Property agency Savills says houses and flats in the £1 million to £3 million bracket will be stagnant at best for the rest of the year and could fall by up to five per cent.

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Italian architect David Fisher is building his first skyscraper, the Dynamic Tower, and it happens to be one of the most ambitious construction plans since the Pyramid of Khufu. Every floor of the 80-story self-powered building rotates according to voice command, and nearly the entire structure of the $700 million building is pre-fabbed.

The Dynamic Tower offers infinite design possibilities, as each floor rotates independently to create a building that constantly changes shape, resulting in a unique and ever evolving architectural structure.

The Tower is environmentally friendly and the first building designed to be self-powered, with the ability to generate its own electricity, as well as for other nearby buildings, it achieves this feat with wind turbines fitted between each rotating floor, An 80-story building will have up to 79 wind turbines, making it a true green power plant,’ Dr. Fisher stated.

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The painting “Le bassin aux nymphDeas,” or “Water Lily Pond,” was sold by Christie’s for £40,921,250, ($78.8m) including buyer’s premium, making it the most expensive work of art ever sold by the auction house in Europe.

It was part of a four-work collection of water lily paintings that Monet put up for sale during his lifetime, all of which are signed and dated by the artist in 1919. He saw the oil paintings of his water garden as a cumulative work in progress, and rarely sold them.

Record prices were also reached for other artists’ work including Edgar Degas’s Danseuse a la barre which went for £13.4m ($26.3m) and Natalia Goncharova’s Les Fleurs that sold for £5.5m (£10.8m).

Click here to read more and to watch a live recording of the auction taking place.

The Penthouse, an exclusive nightclub at One Leicester Square, located in the north western corner of the square, the substantial venue comprises the top three floors, 6th, 7th and 8th, of a prominent inter war building, the lower floors of which are occupied by the European headquarters of MTV and separate nightclub Sound. The nightclub has now gone into administration. 

Baker Tilly, the administrator, is said it was working with property agents Christie + Co and was looking to sell the business as a going concern, with a guide price of £1m.

Mark Wilson, a partner at Baker Tilly said: “It has been a difficult trading environment for which the business was not entirely prepared. There is enormous potential in the venue given its central location and panoramic view of Leicester Square.”

I’m sure this one will get snapped up pretty sharpish!

Records are set to break in Dubai after bids are received for two exclusive penthouses in the new Trump hotel on Palm Jumeirah.
Sales of the residences begin this week. Pre-sales of some properties have sold for $3,000 per square foot, with the average price per square foot selling for $2,450.

The 62-story tower made of stainless steel and glass, will be the tallest structure on Palm Jumeirah and is expected to be completed in summer 2011. The property will be comprised of two freestanding towers that straddle the center line of Palm Jumeirah, making it the gateway to the heart of the development.

Two expansive penthouses designed by Kelly Hoppen will sit atop both towers. But all the Tower’s 399 freehold residences will have the designer touches: Norman Foster bathtubs, Boffi kitchens and Gaggenau appliances. Furthermore, a “Soundcreation” package will be available with each residential purchase. This system provides owners with complete home automation, an awe-inspiring home cinema, multi-room audio, and spectacular custom lighting.  All residences will have access to the Beach Club which features multiple sports, leisure and entertainment facilities.

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That luxury penthouse in downtown San Jose may not be out of reach after all. In fact, you might be able to get one for just $150.

Developer Barry Swenson is raffling off one of his eight penthouses that sit atop the brand new City Heights condominium high-rise on Julian Street.

The lucky winner would have a choice of taking the penthouse or $1 million in cash.

The beneficiary of the proceeds will be InnVision, a San Jose-based nonprofit charity that provides emergency housing and services to the homeless.

The raffled penthouse is valued at $1.2 million (take a look at the slide show and video clip for a tour.) InnVision hopes to sell 18,000 tickets at $150 each with a goal of raising $1 million to support the organization’s services.

Aside from the grand prize there are a number of smaller prizes, including cash prizes ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 and a Hawaiian vacation. An early bird drawing is scheduled for June 28 at City Heights. The final drawing for the penthouse will be held on Oct. 3 at InnVision’s gala banquet at the Santa Clara Marriott.

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40 year old Christian Boros, a German advertising executive has announced plans to turn a former Nazi air-raid shelter, designed to protect 2,000 Berliners from Second World War bombing, into a luxurious penthouse complete with its own art gallery.

Mr Boros may have come to the rescue with his plans to lend one of the city’s ugliest buildings a touch of flair. He plans to turn the top of the bunker into a penthouse measuring 450 square metres that would be Berlin’s most luxurious city centre apartment. However he refused to disclose what he paid for the building or how much the conversion will cost.

‘It will be like James Bond ” very cool ” with exposed concrete and glass,’ he promised. But will this be enough to disguise the fact that once upon a time it was occupied by the Red Army and used as a prison for German soldiers.

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