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☆ Connecticut's sprawling Copper Beech Farm estate sells for a record-breaking $139 million — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The estate once held the record for the country's most expensive home sale at $120 million in 2014. The property's seller is an LLC with ties to financier Ray Dalio, the Wall Street Journal reported. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The seller of Copper Beech Farm was The Conservation Institute LLC, a Connecticut company that has ties to hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio, the Wall Street Journal reported. Sotheby's International Realty's Leslie McElwreath and Joseph Barbieri represented the seller and Stephanie Bo Li of Douglas Elliman represented the buyer.

Persons: Ray Dalio, Ken Griffin's, Leslie McElwreath, Joseph Barbieri, Stephanie Bo Li, Douglas Elliman Organizations: Wall Street Journal, Service, Conservation Institute Locations: Wall, Silicon, Greenwich , Connecticut, New York City, Connecticut

☆ A man returned home to find a new $1.5 million house on land he acquired decades ago. Now he's suing for $2 million.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

He is suing the LLC that purchased the land, since he said he never sold it. Fairfield County property records show that the property had been sold in October 2022 for $350,000 to 51 Sky Top Partners LLC. That would include removing the four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot house that's currently being built on the property by a local construction firm affiliated with 51 Sky Top Partners LLC, CTInsider said. The lawsuit details a claim that a Daniel Kenigsberg of Johannesburg, South Africa, signed "an obviously forged power-of-attorney to steal real property," CTInsider said. Monelli is one of the three owners of 51 Sky Top Partners LLC, along with Gina Leto and Greg Bugaj, CTInsider said.

Persons: Daniel Kenigsberg, Kenigsberg, CTInsider, —, Anthony Monelli, Gina Leto, Greg Bugaj Organizations: Service, Sky, Partners, Coldwell Banker Locations: Connecticut, Wall, Silicon, Fairfield , Connecticut, New Haven, Long, Fairfield County, Johannesburg, South Africa, Trumbull , Connecticut, Monelli

☆ I moved to an abandoned house in Japan's countryside. I learned that homeownership in Japan is not the same ticket towards long-term stability as it is in the US.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

In 2022 she acquired a free abandoned house on Shikoku, the smallest of Japan's four main islands. She doesn't think it's smart for foreigners to jump into homeownership in the Japanese countryside. I had made assumptions after watching HGTV-inspired YouTube videos about abandoned houses in Japan, but it's not necessarily realistic. I personally don't think that it's a good idea for foreign people to jump into homeownership in the Japanese countryside right away. For someone like me who's only lived in large cities in America, to go to the Japanese countryside is an even bigger cultural shift.

Persons: Bethany, Bitsii, Nakamura, I'm, Maigo Mika, Bethany Nakamura, Banks, would've, It's, there's, homeownership, it's Organizations: Service, HGTV Locations: Japan, Shikoku, Wall, Silicon, America, New York

☆ This Beverly Hills mansion with a strange history had its price cut by $30 million — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Beverly Hills mansion built in 1996 on the site of the Tate murders is seeking $55 million. Get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in business, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley — delivered daily. The house has been on the market for over a year and took a major price cut recently. Altman doesn't think that's why the 21,000-square-foot mansion has been on the market since January 2022, when it was originally listed for sale for $85 million. Buyers are unphased by its eerie history and willing to spend serious money for a unique home, Altman said.

Persons: Tate, Jeff Franklin, Matt Altman, Douglas Elliman, Altman, Josh, Sharon Tate, Manson Organizations: Beverly Hills, Service Locations: Beverly, Wall, Silicon, Beverly Hills , California, Beverly Hills, Angeles

☆ Photos: You can own this 18-acre property that comes with three dome homes made out of barbed wire and sandbags for $279,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A rural ranch in McNeal, Arizona, is looking for a new owner who can forgo a mortgage. The 18-acre plot is outfitted with three hand-built adobe domes, a well, and is powered by solar. The $279,000 property doesn't have electricity — so that means no washing machine or refrigerator — but it isn't too far from the nearest town. Ransom Ranch, is located in McNeal, Arizona, only a 35-minute drive from Bisbee, Arizona, as well as the Mexico border. The property has 12 fruit trees, an organic garden that grows flowers and nuts, and a private well.

Persons: Kimberly Ewing Organizations: Service, Bisbee Realty Inc Locations: McNeal , Arizona, Wall, Silicon, Southern Arizona, Ransom, Bisbee , Arizona, Mexico, Bisbee

☆ Americans are moving to Japan for its safety and affordability
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

"My children had to do active shooter drills," Hanson told Insider. Hanson and her family are a few of the 6,642 Americans who moved to Japan in 2022, according to the country's Ministry of Justice. "I was very concerned about gun violence, which is almost non-existent in Japan," Evans told Insider. Along with the safety of Japan, Evans was also pleasantly surprised by the affordability. Bethany NakamuraNakamura, 35, started the process of moving to Japan from her studio in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 2020.

Persons: Veronica Hanson, Hanson, let's, " Hanson, expats, Hanson —, —, didn't, flack, Veronica Hanson Hanson, Alex Evans, Evans, Anne Sutherland, Smith, wanderlust, Sutherland, Smith Sutherland, Austin . Sutherland, Bitsii, Nakamura, Bethany, Bethany Nakamura Nakamura Organizations: Service, country's Ministry of Justice Locations: Japan, Wall, Silicon, Lake Oswego , Oregon, American, Mexico, Canada, An Oregon, Dominican Republic, Nara, Oregon, Tokyo, Mukaishima, Hiroshima, Australia, Austin , Texas, Kyoto, Asakusa, Austin ., America Bethany, Jersey City , New Jersey, Shikoku, Osaka

☆ Luxury homes like Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Malibu estate take a staff of up to 50 to maintain — and could cost owners $1 million a year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"These homes run like a well-oiled machine," Jenny Greenwood Huber, owner and founder of Heritage Estate Management, told Insider. Heritage Estate ManagementHeritage Estate Management provides household staffing and property management services for West Coast estates in places like Beverly Hills and Malibu, where the Carters' new home is located. With a staff of 20, property owners could be paying nearly $5,000 a day — or $1.8 million a year. Heritage Estate Management charges $150 per hour of property management service. Heritage Estate ManagementAccording to Huber, her staff could work 20 hours to 50 hours a month at a single estate.

Persons: Jenny Greenwood Huber, Huber, Beyoncé, Downton, nannies, Jay, housekeepers, Anthony Barcelo Huber Organizations: Service, Heritage Estate Management, Heritage Estate Management Heritage Estate Management, nannies, butlers, Heritage Locations: West, Wall, Silicon, Malibu, West Coast, Beverly Hills, chauffeurs, Los Angeles

☆ I moved my family from the US to Japan. Healthcare and housing are significantly cheaper and I feel a lot safer here.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Alex Evans moved from Jacksonville, Florida, to Mukaishima Island, Japan, in June 2022. I'm not in Hiroshima City, I'm in an island city, so the prices in Hiroshima City would be very different. We sold that house about a year before moving to Japan and rented for a year because it felt easier. Expenses for my family are significantly cheaper in JapanI ride my bike to a lot of places, but we do own a car. I feel a lot safer hereMy initial reason for moving was for family reasons, but pretty quickly after getting here, I had a lot of other reasons.

Persons: Alex Evans, He's, Evans, I'm, — it's, I've Organizations: Service, Nashville Locations: Jacksonville , Florida, Japan, Wall, Silicon, Mukaishima, Hiroshima City, Mocksville , North Carolina, Winston, Salem, Chapel Hill, South Carolina, Hawaii, Maui, Jacksonville, Hiroshima, I'm

☆ My clients pay $50,000 a year for me to book them the most luxurious and exclusive travel excursions. This is what my day is like.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Elisabeth Brown has been in the luxury travel industry for a decade helping clients plan trips. She mostly works from home, but often travels herself to try experiences before her clients do. Brown, along with her colleagues, has as many as five clients, and is able to customize their itineraries with suggestions. She's able to work from her home in Brooklyn most days, though that doesn't mean her days are laid back. As for a lunch, Brown says she's a "grazer" and snacks on carrots or pretzels throughout the day.

Persons: Elisabeth Brown, it's, Brown, —, I've, Peter Anderson, What's, Anderson, she's, I'm, Noon, grazer, Elisabeth Brown She'll, they're Organizations: Service, Knightsbridge Circle, FedEx, New York University, Gramercy Locations: Wall, Silicon, London, North America, Stockholm, Singapore, Brooklyn, Copenhagen, Denmark, Iceland, Europe, Paris, West Coast, Kenya, New York, Manhattan

☆ We sold our house to live in an RV and travel the US. It's not as carefree as we expected.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aleja and Blake Briles sold their home in Dallas and bought a $100,000 RV to tour the country. They didn't anticipate the challenges RV life would present, especially parking outside of RV parks. Their advice for people new to RV life is to plan your visits ahead and expect to make repairs. We lived in that house for four and a half years, then we sold it in 2021 to do this. The certain RV lifestyle that we chose was more off-grid and out in nature and not tucked into an RV park.

Persons: Aleja, Blake Briles, Blake, we've, Outlaw, Aleja Briles Blake, There's, —, there's, nilly, We've Organizations: Service, YouTube, Land Management Locations: Dallas, Wall, Silicon, Covid, Oregon, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, California, Tahoe

☆ A day in the life of Erin Lichy, the new 'Real Housewives of New York City' cast member whose day job is selling and flipping luxury real estate
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-04 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She is also a cast mate on the rebooted "Real Housewives of New York City," premiering July 16. Her two jobs play off each other: One day Lichy might sell a dated $5 million condo on the Upper West Side. While Lichy works with sellers to maximize their profit when listing a property, she's dabbled in flipping properties, too. Lichy earned her real-estate license at 19 years old and received a master's degree in sustainable development from New York University. Five of the new 'Real Housewives of New York City' cast members with Lichy at right.

Persons: Erin Lichy, Douglas Elliman's Eklund Gomes, —, Lichy, she's, hasn't, It's, Tesla, Abraham, Abraham Lichy, Levi, Layla, Elijah, Eklund Gomes, Homegirl, She's, it's, Le Cuona, We've, Erin Lichy She'll Organizations: Housewives, New, Service, Douglas Elliman's Eklund Gomes Team, New York University, New York City, NBC Locations: New York City, New, New York, Tribeca, Manhattan, Barry's, Flatiron, Tribeca ., romaine, Ubers, Brasserie

☆ I bought a $62,200 house in Italy, where I'm planning to live most of the time. The home prices are so low, I bought a second house — and may buy more.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She bought another home with her brother to use as a rental and may buy another with her sister. I've gone to China, Amsterdam, Paris, and Germany, among other places, but Italy just felt like home. My primary house is in Mussomeli, and my brother and I bought a second house. Lorrah MintonAt the closing of my primary house, I paid a 10% deposit and the agency fee, which is generally 4% of the purchase price. Generally, the property taxes are between 300 and 600 euros annually, but because my house is ginormous, it's 946 euros.

Persons: Lorrah Minton, Minton, I've, it's, It's, I'm, they're Organizations: Service Locations: Italy, Sicily, Wall, Silicon, Mussomeli, American, China, Amsterdam, Paris, Germany, California

☆ I bought a $62,200 house in Italy that I'm planning to move into full-time. The home prices are so low I bought a second house — and may buy more.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

She bought another home with her brother to use as a rental, and may buy another with her sister. I have my primary house in Mussomeli, and then together, my brother and I bought a second house. That's why we bought the second house, and my sister and I are looking at a third house right now. Lorrah MintonWhat needed to be paid at closing for my primary house was a 10% deposit and the agency fee, which is generally 4% of the purchase price. But if someone said you can get this 3,000-square-foot, six bedroom, two kitchen, beautiful house for 70,000 euros, I'd say, "Done."

Persons: Lorrah Minton, —, Minton, I've, it's, It's, there's, I'm, they're, someone's Organizations: Service Locations: Italy, Sicily, Mussomeli, American, China, Amsterdam, Paris, Germany, —, California

☆ See inside the 'dated' and 'overpriced' $35 million Gucci penthouse that has been on and off the market for 8 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

A virtually staged living room. Michael Parks"It's overpriced," one broker told Curbed, saying Olympic Tower is "just a dated building." They continued, "It's well-run, but it's dated. They have a high number of staff, so it's high-touch, but for that price, people want something newer." The 1970s building has a gym for residents, but that doesn't come close to some of the over-the-top amenities that newer buildings offer.

Persons: Michael Parks, It's, doesn't

☆ A couple bought a $7,500 abandoned New York home and is restoring it to its former Victorian glory. See inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

New walls being placed in the home. Lindsay Noah-VermillionShe plans to eventually live in the home, so she and her husband are going beyond the basic requirements"We looked at that number and went, 'Well we want to do more than just remodel it to be livable,'" she said. "We wanted to restore it as much as we could. We knew we were going to put a little bit more money into it. Our standards were different, and higher, than the standards that they were requiring."

Persons: Lindsay Noah, Vermillion

☆ A buyer shelled out $145,000 for a retro mobile home in California with rumored ties to 'I Love Lucy' — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A mobile home rumored to be used by Desi Arnaz as a makeup trailer hit the market in April. In May it sold for $145,000, but that price doesn't include the land it's parked on in Palm Springs. A mobile home in Palm Springs, California, that is now a delightful one-bedroom home, but is rumored to have been Desi Arnaz's makeup trailer for "I Love Lucy," sold in May for $145,000. In Palm Springs — home of natural hot springs and celebrity getaways — the median listing home price per square foot is $501. "In theory it sounds cheap," listing agent Niko Esposito of Paul Kaplan Group Palm Springs told Insider.

Persons: Desi Arnaz, —, Lucy, I'm, it's, getaways, Lucille, Niko Esposito, Paul Kaplan, Esposito Organizations: Service, Mobile, San, Palm Springs Locations: Palm Springs, Palm Springs , California, Springs, San Jacinto

☆ A couple lived a "very 'Schitt's Creek'-esque" existence while buying and renovating a rundown motel in rural Pennsylvania — see inside
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Joanna and Brian Linton live in Philadelphia and wanted a break from city life during the pandemic. They sought out a cabin in the mountains for quick getaways, but decided to buy a motel on a whim. It cost five times more than they expected to renovate it, even though they did most of the work. The married couple wanted to buy a cabin in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, where they could stretch their legs and breathe in fresh air. In August 2020, the couple and their kids piled into the car and made the roughly two-and-a-half hour drive upstate to scout properties.

Persons: Joanna, Brian Linton, — Organizations: Service Locations: Philadelphia, Pocono, Pennsylvania

☆ I was scrolling Trulia on the couch with wine, and it turned into a 1,000-mile move to a place I'd never lived. I'm thrilled.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Texas resident Vanessa Chaverri-Gratz was casually perusing real estate with her husband on a date. We didn't plan to move right away, we said, "Let's just look at real estate, because that's really fun." The house is located in Grosse Ile, Michigan, an island between Michigan and Canada. We were not going to offer over asking, and we weren't going to put ourselves in a bad situation with selling our home. We agreed that unless everything literally fell into perfect place, it wasn't going to happen — and a lot of things needed to fall into place.

☆ Americans flocked to Portugal for cheaper, more peaceful lives, but newcomers also brought crowds and drove up the cost of living
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Americans have been moving to Portugal for years, and the pandemic accelerated the trend further. The Bagbys are part of a wave of Americans who have moved to Portugal, a country roughly the size of Indiana. "It's a very reasonable cost of living," Zaretsky told Insider. Zaretsky paid 600,000 euros for the house in Portugal after selling her Austin, Texas, home for $676,000. Portugal has a strong tourism economy, and its shoulder season draws large crowds, making the petite coastal country feel tight.

☆ A 46-bedroom Texas mansion that nobody wanted, sat abandoned for decades, and nearly got bought 20 times finally has tenants
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Jordan Pandy | Dennis Green | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A 63,000-square-foot mansion near Houston, Texas, has sat vacant for more than 20 years. Owner Jim Youngblood tried to sell the vacant home more than 20 times, but every deal fell through. In 2007, Youngblood, a partner at a local leasing and property management company, bought the abandoned mansion for $525,000. ("Everybody has these grand ideas," Youngblood told Realtor.com in 2016, "but they don't have any money.") "I held onto it for several years and had it under contract over 20 times," Youngblood told the Houston Chronicle, "but nobody could get it closed."

☆ Furniture flipping earned me $6,000 this year. It's a great side hustle for stay-at-home moms.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

On top of the $6,000 she's earned so far this year from flipping furniture, she makes money from brand partnerships and products she features on her social-media accounts. I got started flipping furniture eight years agoWhen my son was born, we needed a dresser for him. I find the old furniture on Facebook MarketplaceI started flipping furniture. Once I've saved up enough, I take a break from flipping furniture and do my house project. Ashley BrandfassI've made a little over $6,000 this year from flipping furniture.

☆ A beloved restaurateur turned a white home into an over-the-top pink-and-green paradise that found a buyer in just 6 days after a bidding war. See inside.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Upstairs on the Square restaurateur Deborah Hughes just listed her Victorian house for $1.4 million. Hughes decorated the three-bedroom with neon colors, lively patterns, and fun details over 21 years. The home drew 100 open-house visitors, a Zillow Gone Wild post, and a viral TikTok in six days. Located in Somerville, a smaller city four miles outside of Boston, the three-bedroom house decorated in a riot of colors and patterns hit the market for $1.475 million on May 3. Hughes is known locally as the co-owner of Upstairs on the Square, a beloved, fancifully decorated, and now-closed restaurant in nearby Harvard Square.

☆ A Hamptons insider of 60 years dishes on the history, people, and parties that makes New Yorkers' favorite beachy hideaway so iconic
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Ultimate Hamptons insider Dan Rattiner started writing about the Long Island enclave in 1960. Rattiner, whose book "Hamptons Private" explores the area in pictures, shared his observations. From fisherman stomping grounds to ritzy beach getaway, the Hamptons has a storied past. The white-sand beaches on the tail end of Long Island, New York, are the stomping grounds of celebrities from Martha Stewart to Beyoncé. "I've interviewed lots of celebrities and lots of local people," Rattiner told Insider, citing interviews with the likes of Donald Trump, Billy Joel, and Barbara Corcoran, as well as plenty of Long Island locals.

☆ The trendiest thing that adds value to your home – and livens up your summer BBQ: a pizza oven
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Pizza ovens tend to add more value to a home than they cost, with pricier models reaching $11,000. According to the report , having a pizza oven in your listing description can score you extra dough at selling time. Courtesy of the WatanabesThe desire for pizza, and pizza ovens at home, is only growing. Why pizza oven popularity is panning outKristi Jenkins, a Seattle-area broker for The Agency, showed her clients a $3.4 million home in Fall City, Washington — a 30-minute drive east of Seattle — with a large outdoor living space equipped with a Forno Bravo pizza oven. Douglas Elliman RealtyBianculli's pizza oven is a part of his kitchen and is connected to one of six fireplaces in the house.

☆ We moved from Chicago to a laid-back remote island in the South you can only get to by boat. We love it so far.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jordan Pandy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2022 they moved their family to Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, near the Georgia border. Most Daufuskie Island residents leave their cars on Hilton Head and instead traverse the island by golf cart. Haig PointWe've come to Daufuskie Island five or six times before we decided to move. The ferry travels across the Calibogue Sound between Daufuskie Island and Hilton Head. Nicolle: The water taxi is free for children under 18, and for adults it's $6 each for the first two adults.

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