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Action on the Bel Air, Calif., manor gives hope to ultra high-end brokers.

The market for homes worth $50 million or more is so small that when even one of these behemoths is sold, it makes waves. So real estate experts are paying close attention to the recent sale of Le Belvedere, a sprawling sandstone palace in Bel Air, which sold on June 4 to an unidentified European family, for as much as $72 million.

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Fixes bail out president’s Chicago mansion. Kennedy compound down. Truman crib yours for $365,000.

U.S. presidents live in worlds about which most mortals can only dream. But if the real estate market crashes, do their homes continue to float along in a world above, or do they nosedive along with everyone else’s? Full Article Here

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The National Association of Realtors said its Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in April, increased 6.0 percent to 110.9, the highest since October. Full Article Here

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As more and more people rebel against ticky-tacky, cookie-cutter homes, options are growing for more unique, satisfying dwellings.

Popular Mechanics’ Chris Sweeney recently created a great list of 18 of the world’s strangest homes. And though there are arguably some even stranger ones out there (the toilet-shaped home, for one, or the coral castle), one of the things we like about Popular Mechanics’ list is a strong focus on sustainability.

The Popular Mechanics collection focuses on designs that think outside of the box and approach sustainability from a holistic perspective. Some include recycled materials, but recycling itself isn’t usually the central theme.

You don’t have to live in a house built out of discarded tires, bottles, or vehicles to “go green.” Full Article Here

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New Home Sales Bounce Almost 27% Higher in March 2010

Sales of new homes broke out of a four-month winter slump with a bang in March 2010, soaring 26.9% over February, the government recently said, evidence that federal tax incentives for buyers due to expire next week are giving the housing market a boost.
The March figures were meager by historical standards, bouncing off an all-time low in February, and analysts said job creation was paramount for the momentum to sustain itself.
“It shows that the tax credit still has some punch, and we will probably see some better sales numbers for April,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Economy.com. But “if we don’t get more jobs, the housing market is going nowhere.” Full Article Here

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