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Remortgage deals have all but dried up, lenders are not lending, and we’re constantly told the end is nigh for the property market. So here’s a hit parade of the worlds most lavish properties to re-instill our faith in the property market, or perhaps just to make us all jealous!

1 ‘Antilla’ Southern Mumbai: Antilla is a 570ft masterpiece designed by its owner, head of the Reliance Industries Conglomerate, Mukesh Ambani. With 27 floors, 3 helicopter pads and various innovative elevated gardens, it’s difficult to imagine how the landmark fits in with its surroundings in Southern Mumbai. The property was named by Mukesh as was built with the aim of providing his family with a luxurious lifestyle; with this in mind, it cost Mukesh $1bn to initially build (and that doesn’t include recent renovations and maintenance!)

Quirky Fact: The Ambani family are not the only ones who live in this giant structure. Rumour has it Mukesh employs over 600 live-in staff to provide his family with a 24 hour service. Antilla must be one busy place to live!

2 Cote d’Azur France – ‘Villa Leopolda’: With a calculated worth of over $500m, this French Villa is home to the Safira family, Edmond Safira a wealthy French banker recently passed away, leaving the mansion in the ownership of his wife. Situated on the gorgeous French Rivera, the 80k square foot home is the picture of continental beauty. The mansion is perhaps one of the most traditionally styled on this list, originally being built at the very beginning of the nineteenth century. Villa Leopolda is as much about culture and history as it is about the modern and contemporary world.

Interesting Fact: Have a little Google of this property – do you recognise it at all? Villa Leopolda sky rocketed to fame after actually being used as the main set location for the film To Catch a Thief back in 1955. If it’s good enough for a starring role in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, it’s certainly good enough to get the silver medal on this list!

3 ‘One Hyde Park: The Penthouse’ – London: This penthouse suite is deserving of its very own celebrity status, despite being just a small part of a huge retail and residential complex. Talking of celebrity status, this particular property is a magnet for the high profile individuals of our society, such as wealthy bankers and celebrities. The safety features of The Penthouse are undoubtedly its main pulling factor with 24 hour SAS guard, optical scanners on entry, multiple panic rooms, bullet proof windows and even secret passageways which provide the perfect quick getaway to nearby destinations including the exclusive Mandarin Oriental Hotel (perhaps one of the most fashionable addresses in the capital). People need to be willing to fork out for their safety when it comes to staying here though – The suite alone is worth around $200million.

Fascinating Fact: It’s unsurprising that the One Hyde Park Penthouse Suite is considered the third safest property in the whole of Britain, just trailing behind the properties on Downing Street and Buckingham Palace.

4 ‘Fairfield Pond’ – The Hamptons: Home to camera shy billionaire and American Investor Ira Rennert, Fairfield Pond is nothing less than a landmark in the Hamptons. Spreading over a massive sixty-three acres, Fairfield is ranked the largest residential building in the entire North of America. Despite its location, the aesthetics of the property are somewhat Mediterranean with a total of twelve chimneys; adding to its unique nature. Along with multiple indoor and outdoor sports courts, Fairfield Pond also has an interior bowling alley, twenty-nine bedrooms and get this, a sum of thirty-nine bathrooms! It is no wonder this property is priced at a colossal $170m.

Interesting Fact: Ira Rennert is perhaps most famously known within the media world, for his purchase of a $15k hot tub for the property. Quite extravagant wouldn’t you say?

5 ‘Hearst Mansion’ Beverly Hills: Set in the heart of Beverly Hills, this is perhaps one of the most famous and well known properties and sitting nicely at 5th costs around $165 million. The mansion has been a location for the 1992 film The Bodyguard and was home briefly to President John F Kennedy during his honeymoon. With a total of 72,000 square feet of living space, Hearst has 29 bedrooms and 3 swimming pools. However, the estate is actually split into 6 separate residences over the 6.5 acres it habits. It is surrounded by famous neighbours such as Tom Cruise and The Beckhams.

Interesting Fact: Hearst Mansion was used as location for the famous ‘horses head in the bed’ scene in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1972 hit The Godfather.

6 ‘Franchuk Villa’ Kensington: This 5 story house located in Upper Philimore Gardens actually served as a girl’s preparatory school until 1997. Following this is was bought and renovated into a huge residential property worth now around $161 million. It is owned by Elena Franchuk, a Ukrainian AIDs Philanthropist and was renamed The Franchuk Villa after she purchased it. Following a £10 million renovation in 2008, the property now has 10 bedrooms and a secure panic room.

Quirky Fact: Following further renovations on the building, Franchuk Villa now also has an underground swimming pool, gym, sauna and cinema.

7 The Pinnacle, Montana: It might ‘only’ have 10 bedrooms, but it’s valued at $155 million. It is also a joint ownership between Tim and Edra Blixseth, also owners of the billionaires only Yellowstone Club. Doubling up as a golf and ski resort, they’re big on keeping it warm in the cold Rockies, every bathroom has its own fireplace and if that wasn’t enough every single tile in the place is heated also. No worries about global warming here it seems.

Interesting Fact: We weren’t joking about every square inch being heated; even the driveway is heated from underground pipes!

8 The Manor, Los Angeles: Simply nicknamed ‘The Manor’ by owner Cindy Spelling (widow of producer Aaron Spelling), it is the largest residence in Los Angeles at 56,500 sq ft and is actually on the market at the moment for $150 million. Designed and built for the Spelling family in the 1980′s, the house has 123 rooms which include 3 kitchens, several swimming pools, private orchard and even an indoor ice skating rink. If you ever get invited round for a party don’t worry about finding a parking spot, there’s room for 100 vehicles on the drive.

Fascinating Fact: Just when you think this house couldn’t get more absurd, one floor is completely dedicated as a wardrobe for Cindy Spelling, there’s a ‘wrapping presents room’ and a humidity controlled silver storage room. The 17,000 sq ft attic is fitted with a barber shop and beauty salon, and yet still the house is on the market.

9 ‘Updown Court’, Surrey: The ninth property on the list is also the UK’s third entry, worth $139 million, that means its 103 rooms total over a million dollars each. Breaking down its component parts, it features 24 bedrooms, 5 swimming pools, more spas and Jacuzzis, 58 acres of gardens and woodland, a helipad and heated marble driveway and underground granite made garage that can hold 8 limos, not bad at all!

Quirky Fact: Updown Court is record breaking in two respects, it is the largest private built residence since the 19th century in the UK, at the same time, and its total land space is larger than Buckingham Palace!

10 Dracula’s Castle, Romania: The owners of Dracula’s castle, Archduke Dominic Habsburg was certainly eager to quash any rumour that his castle was the true inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s novel after turning it into a museum in 2009. The museum doesn’t hold artefacts relating to the Dracula story either; instead it was made in dedication to Queen Marie. Many could argue therefore that the castle shouldn’t feature on this list at all; after all, it is no longer a residential property. However, standing proud on 200 feet of rock and being priced at around $135m, I think it certainly deserves a mention. The castle has a total of 57 rooms, seventeen of which were bedrooms at one point.

Interesting Fact: The Archduke’s conversion of the castle into a museum has only fuelled the tourist attraction to the castle. As a result over 450k tourists flock to Romania every year. It is undoubted that the castle still turns over quite a nice profit.

So there you have it, most of us may not be luckly enough to reside in such luxurious surroundings, but lets be thankful for what we have, and perhaps look forward to a return of the heady days of annual double digit appreciations in our home’s value!