Plus, a look at Louisville's million-dollar home boom ahead of the Kentucky Derby and a San Francisco sale shows how far the city's real-estate recovery has come.
This is an edition of the WSJ Homes newsletter, a weekly guide to luxurious properties, celebrity homes, interior design and the housing market.
There used to be a time where I would scoff at the idea of a $100 million-home sale. It seemed impossible that someone would pay that much money, no matter how palatial or tricked out the home. Then it happened -- again, and again, and again.
I'd like to say I learned my lesson, but when I first learned a Los Angeles megamansion was being shopped for $400 million, my inner skeptic resurfaced. But these days, we seem to be inching closer to a reality where that price tag is no longer an outlier.
As E.B. Solomont reports, the ceiling for the ultra-luxury market has risen dramatically, fueled by a surge in wealth creation from a rising stock market and lucrative investments in technologies like AI. Bloomberg recently reported that a waterfront apartment in Monaco sold for over $500 million in 2024; meanwhile, at least six U.S. properties have hit the market for $200 million or more since 2025, even as the broader housing market struggles.
What camp are you in? Will America ever see a $400 million home sale, or are we a long way off from a number like that?
In San Francisco, a $24 million home sale reveals just how far the city's luxury market has rebounded from its post-pandemic slump. The deal is a far cry from the property's previous stint on the market, where it languished for more than a year before selling for barely half of its $19.995 million asking price.
Meanwhile, in Louisville, a different kind of surge is underway -- and it has nothing to do with the Derby. Young creatives and professionals, drawn by the city's affordability and low cost of living, are fueling a luxury housing boom in the Kentucky city.
A 70,000-square-foot spread in Bel-Air is poised to change the ultraluxury market as we know it.
The Russian Hill house, which sold for $9.99 million in 2023, shows just how much luxury prices have rebounded since the downturn.
The Kentucky city has seen a wave of newcomers looking to buy more affordable luxury properties.
Soho House founder Nick Jones is putting his private island in Scotland on the market for around $4 million. He is also offering to complete a planned home there for around $13.5 million.
In the affluent Long Island village of Hewlett Bay Park, the longtime home of Snapple co-founder Hyman Golden is coming on the market for $15 million.
With both commercial offices and a fog machine for dancing, this Washington, D.C., home was designed to work hard and play hard. Now, it is listing for $17.75 million.
Remodeling is often one of the largest expenses a homeowner faces. So, what happens if a contractor walks away, leaving the job unfinished and your budget and timetable in a mess?
"The Devil Wears Prada 2" actor B.J. Novak on his father's advice: "When I was struggling at stand-up, my father had a suggestion: 'How about you say what you think is funny and you keep only what the audience thinks is funny?'"
WSJ's House of the Week brings readers to the Hollywood Hills home of award-winning artist Dean Pitchford, who worked as screenwriter and songwriter of "Footloose."
"As a recovering musical-theater teen, it was a thrill to enter Dean Pitchford's world filled with familiar characters like Stephen Schwartz," says Mansion reporter Sarah Paynter.
"And while I loved hearing the joy in his voice when he talked about the wild parties of his youth, it was exciting to hear that his fun isn't all in the past -- he was excited to share which Broadway shows he's planning on seeing soon, including the musical ''Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).'""
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Kerry Barger is Mansion's senior platform editor.