The most expensive homes on the market

The number of properties valued in excess of £1m and up for sale has jumped of late. We check out some of the homes you could buy if money was no object!

The number of £1m properties on the market is on the rise, according to a new study.

Investec Bank found that in the second quarter, 21,319 residential properties of this value were listed for sale, up 8% on the first quarter of the year, and 10% up on the same level at this stage last year.

Two areas which saw huge growth in the number of high value properties hitting the market were Kent and Hampshire, each of which saw a jump of a whopping 42%!

Let’s see how the ten regions with the most £1m+ properties compare:

So only London has seen a fall in its multi-million pound properties, though it still accounts for the vast majority of high roller homes. And it will no doubt come as no surprise that the list is dominated by the south, and particularly the south east.

Now, let’s take a look at some of the most expensive homes currently on the market – and why they command such astronomical prices.

Mayfair

Mayfair is the most expensive property on Monopoly for a reason – it’s where some serious high rollers live. And you’ll need to be a high roller to buy this beautiful mansion in Mount Street. It’s currently on the market for a whopping £32m!

The mansion takes up five floors, with eight bedrooms (seven of them en suite), while there’s even living space for the staff. According to Carter Jonas, the agent handling the property, this mansion still boasts an awful lot of authentic period detail, so it’s bound to appeal to those with traditional tastes.

Check out the promotional brochure (PDF).

One Hyde Park

One Hyde Park is an extraordinary development of residences at the Mandarin Oriental hotel, and you can currently nab yourself a trendy five-bedroom apartment stretching across an entire floor, and boasting views of both Knightsbridge and Hyde Park.

The apartment is a whopping 9,000 square feet, with its own gym, spa, swimming pool, private cinema, and acclaimed art lining the walls.

You’ll need to apply directly to Knight Frank in order to find out exactly how much you’ll be looking at to purchase this apartment, but bear in mind that last year a penthouse at One Hyde Park was sold for an eye-watering £140m!

East Lothian

Thankfully, it’s not just London where you’ll find the highest valued properties in the UK. Up in East Lothian in Scotland, you can currently snap up an entire estate, with its own mansion, farmland, farmhouse and 12 cottages.

All in all, you’ll get land of about 2,500 acres, a herd of suckler cows and flock of sheep. How could you possibly resist?

Again, you’ll need to apply directly to get an asking price, but you can be assured it will be in the tens of millions.

Cornwall

For just £10m, you can snap up this farm in Sithney, Helston down in Cornwall. The farm encompasses ten separate houses and cottages, covering around 724 acres.

A big visitor attraction, the main house is used as offices, with a shop and restaurant on top.

However, given it has been listed on Zoopla for almost a year, there may be a chance to knock a few quid off that £10m guide price!

Surrey

In Weybridge in Surrey, the Ravenridge mansion is currently on the market, a property sat on an elevated position on St George’s Hill and boasting spectacular views as a result.

The mansion encompasses four floors, covering about 16,000 square feet, with six bedrooms, 1.91 acres of land, your own swimming pool, air conditioning (always an important feature of any British property...) and some incredible gardens. My own favourite feature is the 1,000 bottle wine store and bar.

For just £14.75m, it’s all yours.

Cumbria

There has long been a north/south divide when it comes to house prices, and that’s very much the case at the very top of the market too, with northern properties presenting (relative) bargains.

My personal favourite is Town Head House, a nine bedroom house on the shore of Lake Windermere, within the Lake District National Park.

The house itself is actually Grade II listed, and deemed to be of architectural and historical importance, while there is now a Town Head Barn Cottage which is let out as a holiday home, and rated at four stars, so you can make a few quid put of the property while living there.

The estate is currently on the market for £5.25m. You can check out its PDF brochure here.

Guernsey

If there’s one thing the mega-rich love, it’s paying as little tax as possible. And Guernsey offers them the chance to do just that, with a flat income tax rate of 20%, and no VAT, Capital Gains or Inheritance Tax to worry about.

And with Woodlands, they can buy a beautiful property to enjoy those puny tax rates in! The main house sits within 25 acres of grounds, with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a library, wine storage area, swimming pool and large courtyard. There are also two cottages for any staff, and a secondary three-bedroom open house.

It will set you back £12m to snap up Woodlands.

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