Patch 2017 Wow! Houses: How The Other Half Lives

No matter how modest, every home, it’s said, is the castle of the person who lives there. But some houses really are castles, costing millions and millions of dollars and so lavish they have more bathrooms than a person could possibly clean in a week, enough garages for a fleet of vehicles and amenities that put some community recreation facilities to shame.

We asked Patch editors across the country to submit some of their favorites from the past year. If you can afford these homes, congratulations. If not, scroll through to the bottom of this article and you’ll also see some of the listings closer to your price range from our real estate partner, realtor.com, in your community.

Here are some of the Wow! House stories that appeared over the past year:

Play Where Presidents Walked In This $100 Million Gem

Dallas, Texas, has oodles of expensive homes — including one offered at auction that originally listed for $100 million that is considered one of the most impressive and architecturally significant private estates in the country. Walnut Place, commissioned by Count Pio Crespi, is a breathtaking 1938 limestone mansion built by Maurice Fatio. Host to Presidents, celebrities and dignitaries, the Count entertained in, amongst others, the silver-leafed Art Deco bar room and the library paneled in 19th century Italian burled walnut. From 2000-2003, a restoration and expansion took as many as 250 craftsmen, including builder John Sebastian, architect and designer Peter Marino and landscape architect Arabella Lennox-Boyd. See more on realtor.com.

Live In The House Built For David Rockefeller

Once owned by David Rockefeller and designed by Mott Schmidt in 1938, Hudson Pines in Sleepy Hollow, New York, is one of the finest examples of Schmidt's country houses. Set in picturesque Pocantico Hills, the estate embodies understated style & warmth. With 75-plus rolling acres and long views of The Hudson River, the residence encompasses over 11,000 square feet. See more on realtor.com.

They’re Sleeping Where Celebrities Slept
Non-famous New Jersey families who wanted to sleep where celebrities— from hockey coaches to reality TV stars — found some nice pickings. See more on realtor.com.

This House Was The Celebrity

An almost $4 million house in Hinsdale, Illinois, was the celebrity. The winner of HGTV’s award for the most dramatic transformation in 2016, it features a carriage house, a glass wine cellar and a smoking lounge. See more on realtor.com.

If The Walls Berry Gordy’s Motown Mansion Could Sing

The 1929 Italian Renaissance Revival mansion that once belonged to the man most responsible for the Motown sound sold in 2017 after a careful renovation that preserved some of the 10-bedroom home’s most striking elements — stained glass windows, a handcrafted fountain, a wine cellar and seven dining areas. See more on realtor.com.

Heeeere's Johnny Carson's Old Home

Want to live in a house with history? For $81,500,000, you can live in the Malibu oceanfront estate that the late-night TV host Johnny Carson called home for nearly 20 years. This two-bedroom home sits on a 4.1 acre lot and features: a waterfall, Koi pond, saltwater pool, a guest house, gym, locker room, tennis court, and more. See more on realtor.com.

Party Like You’re Madonna At Her Childhood Home

Pop idol Madonna’s childhood home went on the market in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Madonna hasn’t always loved her hometown, but, a few years ago, the Material Girl put that history to rest and is now an avid promoter of metropolitan Detroit and Michigan. Maybe she’ll show up at her old digs some day. See more on realtor.com.

Local Celebrity’s House On The Market

Not all celebrities are nationally and internationally famous. A home in Lemont, Illinois, owned by ABC7 meteorologist Jerry Taft. Among the many features that make it special are a regal master suite with a sitting area, fireplace and glamour bathroom. See more on realtor.com.

Live Like A Diplomat In Former Consulate Of Czech Republic

Castello Montebello, a mansion located in Northville, Michigan, once served as the consulate of the Czech Republic. So, of course, security is optimized with a guard house and bank vault, but it also amenities you won't get anywhere else, like a replica of the most famous theatre in New York City, the Paramount Movie Palace. See more on realtor.com.

Have 40 Cars? They’ll All Fit In This Garage

This home in Ankeny, Iowa, listed that was listed for just under $1 million had space for 40 cars. As you might expect, it has a custom man cave, too. See more on realtor.com.

What If You Have Only 22 Cars?

And speaking of huge garages, there’s space for 22 luxury cars in an unbelievably huge mansion in Burr Ridge, Illinois. The garage is perfect for party guests at the more than 30,000-square-foot home has a lavish ballroom ballroom with 40-foot ceilings. See more on realtor.com.

This Condo Included Yacht, Rolls Royces, Lamborghini

And speaking of cars, a Midtown Manhattan ultra-luxury condo listed for $85 million, a price that included nifty throw-ins like a $1 million yacht with five years of docking fees, Rolls Royce Phantoms, a Lamborghini Aventador Roadster and courtside season tickets to the Brooklyn Nets. See more on realtor.com.

Start Your Engines In This Race Car Driver’s Dream House

A home in Brick, New Jersey, has a private 92-foot dock for your boat, and a special three-car garage with racedeck flooring for a collectible car or your dream wheels. See more on realtor.com.

Want To Ditch The Car, Escape To Your Own Island?
Some days, moving to an island away from it all seems like a grand idea. The house on an island in western Michigan is nice, but not grand, but the privacy it offers is priceless. See more on realtor.com.

First-World Problems: Where To Land The Helicopter

This home in Rochester Hills, Michigan, speaks to a first-world problem: Wherever will you land your helicopter? On the helipad behind the sprawling mansion, of course. See more on realtor.com.

More First-World Problems: Who Will Clean The 14 Bathrooms?

If you could afford this magnificent lakefront mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, you could probably also afford to hire someone to clean all the bathrooms — 14 in all, nine of them full. See more on realtor.com.

There’s A Bathroom At Every Turn Here, Too

A look at the top-selling homes in Morris County, New Jersey, included this gem: A $39 million home with six bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, and a whole lot of luxury. See more on realtor.com.

Screen Hollywood Flicks In Home For the Super Rich

The lower level of this $28,950,000 home for the super rich features a theater/screening area with a 98-foot flat viewing screen, a full bar, gym, steam shower, sauna, powder room, lounge, and temperature-controlled wine tasting room. See more on realtor.com.

People Who Live In Glass Houses Can See The Sea

Glass, tile and white walls carry the sleek, modern approach throughout this 11,000-square-foot home in Sea Girt, New Jersey. The views from this $7.9 million house are simply stunning. See more on realtor.com.

Let’s All Move To The Country (It’s Not A Farm)

When wealthy New Yorkers want to escape to the country, Greenwich, Connecticut, is a favorite destination. Measuring more than 10,000 square feet, this listing “reflects the highest level of design details complimented by state-of-the-art systems.” See more on realtor.com.

But You Can Farm At Island Paradise That Comes With Goats

If your idea of paradise is a pristine island in Chesapeake Bay you're in luck: Goat Island off the Eastern Shore of Maryland is still on the market for $1.5 million. The asking price is a deep discount from the original $15 million the owners once sought. And, the property comes with a bonus: a herd of about 30 goats. See more on realtor.com.

How About A Pickup Game Of Basketball?

At this Toms River, New Jersey, mansion, you can play a little basketball or paddle tennis on your lighted, private half-court, then sit in your spa to relax and treat your sore muscles before you gather with friends around the pool and brick fireplace to sip wine from your wine cellar. See more on realtor.com.

Tennis, Anyone? You Don’t Have To Leave Your Home

A huge estate listing for just under $3 million in a prestigious subdivision in Mountain Brook, Alabama, has it all — pool, tennis courts, exercise room, guest house and space for family and entertaining. See more on realtor.com.

Or, If You Prefer To Play Beach Volleyball ...

You can’t possibly be bored at this home in Brick Township, New Jersey, which offers multiple options to fill your leisure time,from a massive game room that's perfect for rainy days to the infinity saltwater heated pool and the dock with a sliding board for splashing down into the river. Dock your boat at the end of your private dock and spend days cruising the Metedeconk River and nearby Barnegat Bay. Play a little beach volleyball and then dine on the paver patio after grilling up dinner, then sit by the firepit with coffee or drinks. See more on realtor.com.

Or Just Take A Swim In A Resort-Quality Pool

In Birmingham, Alabama, $7 million buys a home on the golf course at Shoal Creek Country Club. The main house is a masterpiece, but the property also includes a guest house, resort-quality pool, pool house, artists’ studio, formal gardens, a fruit tree grove and a vegetable garden. See more on realtor.com.

Lead photo: 10000 Hollow Way Road, Dallas, Texas via realtor.com