Today's home is located in a prime area off Dupont Circle in Washington D.C. This home was built in 1890 and is a stately townhome on Massachusetts Avenue next to many other similar homes which are embassies, cultural institutions, foundations, associations and private residences. The first floor of the home is given over to grand public rooms for entertaining including double formal parlors and a large dining room with a fireplace. There is also a catering kitchen and a custom wine cellar . The second through fourth floors are the family space including a family kitchen, living room and five bedrooms. The home is done in a luxurious and formal style that would befit the family of a senator or dignitary. It is listed at $17.5 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Today's grand estate is located in Malvern, a small town that was once the end of the Mail Line railroad in Pennsylvania. Today's home is located on a quiet country road and expands over 19 acres. The six-bedroom home has an original part that dates back to 1755 but had a major addition six years ago. There are 40 rooms total including a home theater, a large kitchen, hand-carved Parisian paneled living room and a billiards room in over 18,500 square feet. The grounds include a pool, tennis court, pond and there is a beautiful terrace that looks out over rolling green lawns. This home is listed at $10.5 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

There are few apartments in New York more romantic than this one. This penthouse in the St. Urban building at 285 Central Park West is a writer's dream with a library that makes me weak in the knees. The circular, two-level library is inside the domed northern turret of the building. The lower floor has bird's eye maple bookcases, and the top floor or thinking level is designed as a reading retreat inside the dome, opening to a private rooftop reading terrace and observation deck. The library looks out over the park and the city.

The penthouse also includes a living room with wood burning fireplace and access to a terrace, two-story greenhouse, dining room, chef's kitchen and a master suite with two dressing rooms and two marble bathrooms. The second bedroom has a wood burning fireplace, and both the second and third bedrooms have marble baths. There are also two laundry rooms.

The apartment was cobbled together by architect Lee Harris Pomeroy from several different spaces to create one unit with two wings which are anchored by the central turret. It was no easy task, new windows were cut through the mansard roof for better park views. The apartment is 4,000 square feet total and the St. Urban includes amenities such as a 24 hour doorman, a basketball court, full gym, and bicycle storage. This apartment is listed at $14.5 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Today's home comes front the land down under. This penthouse in the heart of Sydney, Australia has views over Sydney's Botanical Gardens. The three story unit is located in the northern half of the Macquarie Apartments building designed by Renzo Piano. The modern glass and terracotta building lends itself to contemporary interior design. This apartment has an open floor plan and big windows and a terrace to enjoy the view. There is also a private roof terrace with gardens and a whirlpool tub.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

I saw this apartment listed in the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column and liked it so much I decided to make it an estate of the day. This condo on Water Street in the Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. overlooks the Potomac River. The current owners combined three units into one to create a six-bedroom expanse decorated in a modern style. The building also has a rooftop pool, gym and 24-hour staff. The Wall Street Journal reports that the city's condo record is thought to be a Georgetown sale for $6.25 million which means that even if this one sells pretty far below the listing price of $10.6 million it will still likely set a record.

Actor Jamie Foxx hasn't lived in his Tarzana, California home for a while, moving on to a 40-acre spread in Thousand Oaks. This three-bedroom in Tarzana had been his home since 1997 when he bought the home for $930,000. As the Real Estalker mentions, the home has been the site of some of Foxx's famous wild parties and the police were once called over a nude basketball game being held on the home's half court. The home has been customized by Foxx with details such as aquariums in the living room, a game room in the basement, a media room and a recording studio. The home has since gone through a major renovation which explains the blandness of the current decor.

The backyard includes a large lawn, pool and pool house, sunken spa and that infamous basketball court. This home is listed at $2.23 million.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
-- Loews Hotel chairman and NY Giants co-owner Jonathan Tisch and his wife, Lizzie, have gone to contract to buy a full-floor co-op at 2 E. 67th St. for somewhere above its $40 million asking price.
--One of the most impressive properties in Southampton, New York has hit the market for $67.5 million. It was our estate of the day on Friday.
--Elisabeth and Tim Hasselbeck have sold their three-bedroom apartment on West 79th Street for $1.6 million. The couple bought the unit for just under $1 million in 2005.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--30 West 21st Street, the building famous for its old new-wave dance club Danceteria is now 11 luxury apartments listed around $5.8 to $7.9 million each, plus a triplex penthouse for $7.7 million and a townhouse apartment for $9.25 million.
--James S. Chanos, the president and founder of a hedge-fund group called Kynikos is in contract to buy the penthouse at the iron-fenced mansion 3 East 75th Street, which was listed for $24.85 million.
--Larry and Annette Everston, the owners of the high-end shoe shop Otto Tootsi Plohound, who decorated their loft at 285 Lafayette Street in a Moroccan theme complete with a citrus garden of lemon and orange trees in the sunroom, have sold their 7,000-square-foot apartment in the Soho condo for $7.35 million.
--The six-story mansion at 18 East 80th Street sold this month for $37.5 million, making it one of the largest townhouse deals ever in New York, even though its owners bought the place in 2001, when the asking price was just $8.9 million.

From Berg Properties Big Time Listings:
--Actress Ronnie Claire Edwards has sold her Los Feliz home for $3.85 million. It looks like the owner might be a celebrity. The Real Estalker says it is Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
--Winona Ryder has sold her co-op apartment in Manhattan's Gramercy Park for $2.2 million.
--Country singer Deana Carter has placed her two-bedroom home in the Hollywood Hills on the market for $899,000. The listing is here.

From the Real Estalker:
--Oprah Winfrey has put a two-bedroom Fisher Island condo on the market for $2.09 million. The condo is located in the Seaside Village section of Fisher Island. The listing is here.
--Jamie Foxx has put his Tarzana, California home on the market. It's our estate of the day later today.
--Olympic medalist and Playboy model Amanda Beard has put her three-bedroom cottage in Venice, California on the market for $1.045 million, the price she paid for it in 2006. The listing is here.
--Pete Sampras may have sold his Beverly Hills mansion to Will and Grace co-creator Max Mutchnick and his entertainment attorney husband Erik Hyman.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--John Cleese has finally sold his Montecito equestrian ranch was finally sold. It had been originally listed at $28 million and has reportedly sold for around $16.5 million.
--Sports agent David Falk has listed a Beverly Hills condo he owns for $2.245 million. The listing is here.
--A home in Beverly Hills which was owned by a friend of actress Valerie Harper,who is now acting as executor of the estate, has an accepted offer of $5.4 million even though it was only listed at $4 million and appraised for less than that.
--Katherine Heigl has put her Los Feliz starter home, shown above, on the market for $1.75 million. The listing is here.
--Television producers Kent and Susan McCray have listed their Malibu home at $3.8 million. The five-bedroom home's property website is here.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Tennis Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander has listed his home in Sun Valley, Idaho for $8.5 million. Wilander and his wife Sonya bought the land in the 1990s and built the home. The listing is here.
--A condo in the Georgetown area of Washington D.C. has hit the market at $10.6 million, which may be a record for the area. We'll be looking at it as our estate of the day on Monday.
--A Jupiter, Florida home owned by British Internet entrepreneur Stuart Lawley has sold for $4.65 million which is around 22% less than he paid for it in 2001.

It's not exactly ski season but today's estate in Vail, Colorado is probably fun in the summer time too. The five-bedroom mountain home has a contemporary style that combines the rustic and the modern to great effect. It is on 1.2 acres of land and includes a large four-bedroom guest house which brings the total bedrooms on the property to nine. The main house has views of the Gore Range Mountains and surrounding aspen forest from large floor to ceiling picture windows. In addition to large living, dining and kitchen spaces there is also a family and recreation room, Jacuzzi and dry sauna. The home has ski-in access and walking distance to ski slopes and town. The home is zoned duplex so the main house and guest house could be sold off separately, there is also the chance to add approximately 4,000 square feet to the home in case 4,360 square feet is too small for you. This home is listed at $10.95 million.

Another tremendously expensive property has gone on the market in the Hamptons. Braden Keil's Gimme Shelter column in the NY Post reported on today's estate, a 12-bedroom home that is nearly 18,000 square feet. The property is owned by Juergen Friedrich, who ran the European division of Esprit sportswear and has spent a great deal of money updating the home, which was built in 1902 and designed by Grosvenor Atterbury. The country home sits on 9.11 acres that include old trees, flowering shrubs, evergreen perimeters, rose gardens. indoor pool, outdoor pool with pavilion, tennis court, paddle court, gymnasium, carriage house and a four-car garage. At nearly 3,000 square feet, the master bedroom suite is larger than many homes. What may hurt it on the real estate market is that it is not on the water. But if you can live without that, it's a pretty impressive property. It is listed at $67.5 million.

Today's home in the Shadyside area of Houston, Texas is the type of place I would love to be invited to for a cocktail party. Not only is it a beautiful classic home, a vintage Harrie Lindeberg and John Staub design built in the early 1920s (and on the National Register of Historic Places), but the current owners have created an inviting abode full of a variety of art to ogle and shelves of books to browse through. This eight-bedroom home is on 1.7 beautifully landscaped acres with formal gardens and a greenhouse. The home includes a dramatic entrance hall with a floating staircase,large living room, library, garden/media room, dining room, gourmet kitchen w/morning room and wine cellar. A new pool and pool house were constructed in 2002. There is also a carriage house with staff quarters. This home is listed at $11.3 million. The AOL home value tool estimates it at just $2,307,393.

This unique contemporary is located in the town of Cologny near Geneva in Switzerland. The four-bedroom home, built in 1989 by Blum & Blum in Zürich, has views of Lake Geneva and the Jura mountains. The home's unique style is formed by two t-shaped concrete rectangles and a crescent-shaped building with a stone facade. The home has three levels and the building's unique shape lends itself to two semi-circular lounge areas including one on the ground floor with a marble fireplace. The master bedroom and bathroom suite are on their own floor which also includes a solarium and the bottom floor includes a gym and laundry area. The home gets lots of light and is surrounded by gardens with flower beds and trees. It is listed as price on request.

The New York Times periodically picks a price and then does a "What You Get for ... $xxx,xxx" piece in its Real Estate section, comparing homes in three cities. I've never seen a "What You Get for ... $35,000,000," article so here it is, at least in one city: This estate in Montauk (no direct link, so go here, and enter Web ID H34007) is set on 35.5 acres between the Atlantic Ocean, a freshwater pond and fields and meadows, with 400 feet of ocean frontage. The house is 7,000 square feet and has a tiled roof, plus there's 50% more living space than the house itself, thanks to the 3,500 square feet of mahogany decking. Built in 1994, there are three levels, comprising five bedrooms, five baths, living and dining rooms with 16-foot ceilings and walls of glass that overlook the ocean and grounds. For cooking (or, more likely, where your staff will be doing the cooking), there's a chef's kitchen. Also: a breakfast room, an office, a screening room with a state-of-the-art JBL system, and a garage. A path leads through private gates to the beach.

Today's home is a unique opportunity, the chance to own your own castle. Amsterdam Castle was built in 1875 by Issac Perry for the state of New York National Guard in Amsterdam, New York. It's now a 36,000 square foot private residence listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are 50 rooms, including a 10,000 sq ft ballroom, a rifle range, and a fallout shelter and billiard room. There are four turrets and three living wings and the castle also has a 10-car garage and onsite parking for 40. The castle has recently been used for movies and rented out for overnight stays as well as weddings (the ballroom rents for $990 for four hours). It is listed at $1.195 million.

Paul Michael Glaser is best known for playing Detective Starsky in the 1970s cop show Starsky and Hutch and has gone on to have a career as a television director. Glaser has separated from his second wife, Tracy Barone. His first wife Elizabeth, who died from AIDS and contracted HIV through a blood transfusion during childbirth, founded the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The home that Glaser and Tracy Barone Glaser shared in the town of Agoura is five bedrooms and includes a gourmet kitchen, walnut wide-plank floors and tasteful and casual decor designed for a family. The grounds include a dressage arena with lights and corrals, a pool and spa, gazebo, and a study/loft with views over the grounds. This home is listed at $2.424 million.

[via LA Times]

From the Real Estalker:
--Oprah's best friend Gayle King has put her six-bedroom home, shown above, in Greenwich, Connecticut on the market for $7.45 million. The listing is here.
--Rumor has it P. Diddy is spending $30,000 per month to lease a four-bedroom house with two pools in the hills above West Hollywood.
--The Real Estalker's intrepid commenters have unearthed the property website for Ryan Philippe's new home in West Hollywood, which was sold for $7.15 million.
--Kristan Cunningham, former host of Design On A Dime and her partner Scott Jarell have put their Pasadena home on the market for $1.25 million. The couple bought the home in August 2003 for $729,000 and are now reportedly headed to New York where Cunningham works on Rachel Ray's show. The listing is here it's listed as looking for backup which means it's in the early stages of being sold.
--E! Online recently reported that the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their New Orleans home. The pair is currently in the South of France awaiting the birth of their twins. The Real Estalker Mama checked out the property records which show that the home is still owned by a trust controlled by Brad Pitt.
-- Peter Andre and Katie Price are house hunting in Beverly Hills
--Britney Spears has been reportedly checking out new real estate in gated communities in Calabasas.
-- Kanye West has put the home of his late mother, Dr. Donda West on the market for $1.745 million. The three-bedroom home is located in Playa Del Ray. The listing is here.
--Mena Suvari has put her Venice, California home on the market for $1.795 million. It has already gone to contract.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Norm MacDonald just bought a two-bedroom ocean-view loft in Santa Monica for $1.8 million.
--David Duchovny and Téa Leoni listed their Malibu ocean-view home for $12 million on June 1 and then took it off the market. And then last week, they withdrew the house from the market.
--Songwriter and producer David Foster is selling two units in the California building on Wilshire Boulevard. The two units can be bought separately or together. Both units are three bedrooms and 3,270 square feet. The unfinished unit is listed at $2.495 million and the completed unit is listed at $3.15 million. The listing is here.
--Paul Michael Glaser has put his equestrian 4,362-square-foot house in Agoura, Calif. on the market for $2.424 million. It's our estate of the day later today.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Carly Simon is selling her West Village co-op. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex in a Federal-period townhouse on Commerce Street is listed at $3.8 million.
--Heather Mills is eager to move into her two-bedroom in the modern glass Richard Meier building at 173 Perry St. She reportedly paid just under the $5 million asking price for the ninth-floor apartment which includes Meier designed furnishings.
--Rachel Ray and her husband, John Cusimano, have finally closed on a property in the Hamptons that had a $2.9 million asking price.
--Howard Koeppel and Mark Hsiao, the gay couple who once housed Rudy Guiliani when he split from wife number two, Donna Hanover have paid $2.37 million for a high-floor apartment at 100 Riverside Blvd.
--Ted Koppel has lowered the price on his Potomac, Maryland home again. It's now under half price, down from $4.1 million to just $1.79 million.

From Celebrity Big Time Listings:
--Leonard B. Stern, a long-retired TV producer and writer who created the popular "Mad Libs" game, has sold his house in Beverly Hills to a writer for "The Sopranos" for $4,062,500.
--Mike Malinin, the drummer of the rock band the Goo Goo Dolls, has paid $1.305 million for a single-level contemporary-style house in Studio City.
--Jason Biggs has sold his Hollywood Hills home for $1,442,500.
--Actress Laura Prepon has paid $2.317 million for a home in Los Feliz.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
--New York University sociology chair Dalton Conley, who wrote a book called The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why has sold a two-unit apartment at 323 West 11th Street for $1.44 million this month to his sister Alexandra. The pair have been apartment swapping for a while. In 2005, both siblings were living a few buildings apart on West 11th. When the unit next door to Alexandra Conley's apartment came on the market her brother bought it along with her apartment (she bought his in return). Now Conley is moving on and selling back to his sister.
--Singer Regina Spektor has bought a two-bedroom apartment in a huge white-brick postwar building at East 34th Street and Third Avenue for $1.125 million.
--Minor drama over a major Upper East Side property. There has been a bit of broker squabble over the listing of 9 East 67th St.. It's listed with Warburg for $34.9 million.
--The buying and selling from liquor heir and Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr., continues. Bronfman is famed for his Manhattan real estate dealings. Last year he sold his East 64th Street townhouse to a Russian oil billionaire for $50 million, even though he paid $4,375,000 for the property in 1994. But has the real estate slump affected his selling prices? His 11-room apartment at 1040 Fifth Avenue has gone to contract for somewhere between $20 and $21 million which is below the $24 million asking price. And the duplex penthouse he bought at the Carhart Mansion for around $19 million, and put on the market in April for $24.5 million, is still unsold.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--The buyer for Donald Trump's Maison de l'Amitié turns out to be an investment company linked to Russian fertilizer billionaire, Dmitry Rybolovlev. Mr. Rybolovlev is paying $100 million for the Palm Beach mansion.
--Usher has dropped the price on his Alpharetta, Georgia home. Usher's been raising and lowering the price on this one since it hit the market. It was listed at $1.95 million when we checked it out as an estate of the day in September. Usher raised the price after an appraisal to $2.3 million but has now listed it at $1.995 million.