The most expensive home ever listed in the United States has just hit the market in Bel Air, Los Angeles at a whopping US$250 million ($350m).
Handbag tycoon and owner-developer Bruce Makowsky dreamed up the extravagant property, drawing inspiration from his own glamorous lifestyle, so he could flip it and sell it on to a wealthy owner.
The tycoon wants to show the property to restricted groups. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
The palatial property has dethroned the previous record-holder, a US$195million mega-mansion in Manalapan, Florida.
The 3530-square-metre mansion, which comes with custom-made luxury furnishings, houses 12 bedrooms, 21 bathrooms, three kitchens, a bowling alley, a movie theatre, an 26m infinity pool with its own bar, and a candy room filled with US$200,000 worth of treats.
A fitness center. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
Makowsky also included a car collection worth $30million, made up of a variety of vehicles including 1930s roadsters and 21st century supercars.
Bruce Makowsky himself. Photo / Getty Images
The mogul also has 130 works of art, and topped his billionaire's paradise with a helicopter. He developed the property without a buyer lined up but says more than half a dozen people are interested.
A garage filled with 12 luxury vehicles, including a $15-million-plus Von Krieger 1936 Mercedes 540 K Special Roadster. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
The US$250million price tag doesn't just include material amenities. Makowsky has also factored in the costs of seven live-in employees who will work at the property full-time, the Los Angeles Times reported. He will pay their salaries for two years.
The tycoon, who built his fortune selling handbags on QVC, has sold nine billionaire homes in the past six years. He got the idea for the mega-mansion by watching wealthy travelers invest in yachts.
The panoramic views of the Los Angeles area. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
"Today, people are spending US$300million on a boat, and they use it about eight weeks a year," he told the newspaper. "Then they are living in a US$30million to US$40million home."
Makowsky thought this didn't make sense and resolved to build a property akin to a luxury yacht, but on land. He said some have already expressed interest in the listing.
The home was built in four years without a buyer lined-up - and only about 1,810 billionaires around the world can afford it. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
It took four years and more than 250 people to finish the US$250million home. Makowsky picked every last detail, including the Champagne bottles store in both wine cellars.
The television in the entertainment room takes up almost 30 feet, while the James Bond-themed, US$2million screening room can sit 40 people on Italian leather reclining chairs.
The handbag tycoon and owner-developer Bruce Makowsky dreamed up the property. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
"I wanted to redefine what super-high-end luxury homes are all about," Makowsky told CNBC. "I wanted to break all the molds. The level of quality and attention to detail in this house is unsurpassed. And I wanted to create the greatest feeling that you can have being at home."
The property also has a garage filled with 12 luxury vehicles, including a US$15-million-plus Von Krieger 1936 Mercedes 540 K Special Roadster and a US$2million one-of-a-kind Pagani Huayra.
A helicopter is parked on the roof of the home. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
He doesn't plan to host an extravagant open-house and wants instead to show the property to restricted groups of potential buyers. Only one of the world's estimated 1,810 billionaires could possibly afford the home - maybe one of the 540 who live in the United States according to Forbes.
Two wine and champagne cellars house bottles carefully selected by Makowsky himself. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
Makowsky believes the mega-mansion's occupant will have homebody propensities, someone who will be too busy enjoying their billionaire haven to explore the area.
"People spend over half their lives in their home," he told CNBC. "So when you're home, it should be the ultimate oasis. You should have every single entertainment feature you could have in one home."
A private bowling alley with custom-made furnishings. Photo / Bruce Makowsky/BAM Luxury Development
Real estate professor Paul Habibi meanwhile told the LA Times who he think will not be interested in the extravagant home.
