[The Catalyst]

(02-20-2019 08:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 02:54 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

My friend from Dallas, TX said housing is really cheap over there.

No it's not, please don't talk about stuff you don't know about. Housing prices just doubled in 5 years. It's expensive as fuck and not getting better any time soon with all these Fortune 500 companies moving in.

We don't need more people in Dallas.

My bad if this was incorrect. She told me this a while ago. I tried to make it obvious it is second-hand information.

[Heuristics]

(02-20-2019 08:43 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 08:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 02:54 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

My friend from Dallas, TX said housing is really cheap over there.

No it's not, please don't talk about stuff you don't know about. Housing prices just doubled in 5 years. It's expensive as fuck and not getting better any time soon with all these Fortune 500 companies moving in.

We don't need more people in Dallas.

My bad if this was incorrect. She told me this a while ago. I tried to make it obvious it is second-hand information.

I've heard from people I know in Austin, not Dallas necessarily, that California transplants and tech are driving the housing prices up in the place by a large margin. It is of course hilarious that people are decamping from California to Texas for greener pastures and no state income taxes.

[Cattle Rustler]

(02-20-2019 08:43 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 08:35 PM)Cattle Rustler Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 02:54 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

My friend from Dallas, TX said housing is really cheap over there.

No it's not, please don't talk about stuff you don't know about. Housing prices just doubled in 5 years. It's expensive as fuck and not getting better any time soon with all these Fortune 500 companies moving in.

We don't need more people in Dallas.

My bad if this was incorrect. She told me this a while ago. I tried to make it obvious it is second-hand information.

It's all good bro, I got triggered for a second there.

[jbkunt2]

Midwest and the South are gonna be pretty hard to beat on value for oversized houses.

You can can get some beautiful ones in New England in nice areas with scenic views.

Thailand would be a good shout for something ultra modern and relatively affordable.

Non-touristy parts of Mexico perhaps.

The average size of houses are much bigger in the US than any other country in the world.

As others have said, luxury is expensive everywhere.

[RawGod]

(02-20-2019 08:37 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

I like nice houses also. The key thing to realise is Kiwis do not(well, they don't really care all that much). If you come here and are visibly mad, they just won't understand

There are just too many flaws/dysfunction that is just ridiculous. Kiwis don't realise this, thus there is a rosier picture painted than is justified.

Yes you get NZ very well...it's an isolated island country and some things are just accepted as being normal, when in fact they are shit by international standards. Such as the housing, or the attitude of the "ladies". If you are so stupid as to point this out to a Kiwi, you are not going to win any popularity contests...

[fktax]

Check out Montenegro! It's like Croatia but cheaper and (for the time being), less tourists.

A friend has convinced me to head down there with him in a few months We've been speaking with a few agents and have some properties we need to see in person.

You can get serious, historic villas on large lots of land for not much cash at all.

Biggest thing we've learned though is to get the title checked by multiple people though. Their record system is fairly bad due to war.

Good guide here: https://montenegroguides.co/real-estate-...ty/buying/

[Donfitz007]

THIS is a bargain mansion. The pool itself is worth 1.5 million by most designers.

[Tail Gunner]

(02-21-2019 03:02 PM)Donfitz007 Wrote:  

THIS is a bargain mansion. The pool itself is worth 1.5 million by most designers.

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

[Donfitz007]

(02-22-2019 01:16 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

(02-21-2019 03:02 PM)Donfitz007 Wrote:  

THIS is a bargain mansion. The pool itself is worth 1.5 million by most designers.

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

Every party needs a pooper, that's why I'm inviting you,
Party pooper, party pooper.

[croquet]

(02-22-2019 01:16 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

Say one had the money to buy that mansion ^^ above, what's saving $30k vs the hassle of buying the same mansion in a foreign land subject to foreign rules?

Sure those foreign rules may or not be net positive in the end for the buyer, but that's for the buyer to decide, not you and your political leanings.

[66Scorpio]

My wife is building a house in the Philippines and it will be something like $50 a square foot, all in, including land and interior. A quick internet search indicated that the US average runs $75 to $130 for labour and materials (ex. land and finishings, and this might be doubled if you have a general contractor handle everything for you). It's sort of a pet project she started before we met and she has been working on it for 2 years.

Dan B's mansion is supposedly 38,000 square feet (about 70% the size of the White House) which implies roughly two million dollars with a similar location and quality. However, beach front property would jack that up, as would luxury interior fixtures, furnishings, the swimming pool and such.

[Tail Gunner]

(02-22-2019 02:28 AM)croquet Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 01:16 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

Say one had the money to buy that mansion ^^ above, what's saving $30k vs the hassle of buying the same mansion in a foreign land subject to foreign rules?

Sure those foreign rules may or not be net positive in the end for the buyer, but that's for the buyer to decide, not you and your political leanings.

The title of this thread is "Where can you buy the cheapest super mansion houses?" The answer sure isn't "California." Sure, people do stupid things with their money all the time, but the OP seems to be seeking a sensible optimum solution.

Even Warren Buffet has sat on more than $100 billion for several years now because government manipulation of the economy through artificially low interest rates have inflated asset prices in the U.S.

Quote:

Buffett said finding things to buy at a “sensible purchase price” has become a challenge and is a major reason Berkshire is awash with US$116 billion of low-yielding cash and government bonds, whose average maturity was 88 days as of the end of 2017. [NOTE: He still has deployed this capital since that article was written.]

https://business.financialpost.com/inves...ible-price

The next time that the U.S. will be in the running for "cheapest super mansion houses" is during the next 2008-style financial panic, when the fools who bought overvalued real estate are deleveraging themselves of their assets. For example, condo prices in Miami have tripled since 2008.

So, the answer to the OP's question is not really "where," but "when." Answer: during the next financial panic.

[Tail Gunner]

(02-22-2019 02:19 AM)Donfitz007 Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 01:16 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

(02-21-2019 03:02 PM)Donfitz007 Wrote:  

THIS is a bargain mansion. The pool itself is worth 1.5 million by most designers.

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

Every party needs a pooper, that's why I'm inviting you,
Party pooper, party pooper.

"Hey, the government is offering free land. I am going to build my dream house there!"

Friend: "Uh, that used to be a toxic chemical dump, plus there are still land mines buried there from the last war."

Every party needs a pooper, that's why I'm inviting you,
Party pooper, party pooper.

[BBinger]

(02-22-2019 10:51 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 02:28 AM)croquet Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 01:16 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

Say one had the money to buy that mansion ^^ above, what's saving $30k vs the hassle of buying the same mansion in a foreign land subject to foreign rules?

Sure those foreign rules may or not be net positive in the end for the buyer, but that's for the buyer to decide, not you and your political leanings.

The title of this thread is "Where can you buy the cheapest super mansion houses?" The answer sure isn't "California." Sure, people do stupid things with their money all the time, but the OP seems to be seeking a sensible optimum solution.

Even Warren Buffet has sat on more than $100 billion for several years now because government manipulation of the economy through artificially low interest rates have inflated asset prices in the U.S.

Quote:

Buffett said finding things to buy at a “sensible purchase price” has become a challenge and is a major reason Berkshire is awash with US$116 billion of low-yielding cash and government bonds, whose average maturity was 88 days as of the end of 2017. [NOTE: He still has deployed this capital since that article was written.]

https://business.financialpost.com/inves...ible-price

The next time that the U.S. will be in the running for "cheapest super mansion houses" is during the next 2008-style financial panic, when the fools who bought overvalued real estate are deleveraging themselves of their assets. For example, condo prices in Miami have tripled since 2008.

So, the answer to the OP's question is not really "where," but "when." Answer: during the next financial panic.

Very true. A mansion isn't simply "a large house", it's the manor house where a Patriarch seats his lordship. It's impossible for a man to have a mansion in a third world shithole like California for the reasons that the local derps will demand all sorts of ransom payments to keep the property yours and impose all sorts of burdens trying to keep you from doing what you want with your own home.

The stickbuilt stuff fashionable in the US is also incapable of mansionhood for the reason that it is incapable of aging with grace. Many local papers and historical societies across the US will mourn when a historic "Victorian" house meets its end, nevermind that such structures are the last of their kind for the reason that pinewood construction and time don't get along very well. A mansion is a very aristocratic thing of the sort that endures.

If the prospect of having to jack up the structure exists because all the preservative leeched out of the sill plate leading to it becoming softer than a kitchen sponge...

The black sea coast in Europe (Romania, etc) is likely the least expensive destination to search for mansion candidates. Latin America is generally more expensive, but opportunities exist in Venezuela where middle class homes can feature ferrocement construction and six car garages are not exceptional.

[Tail Gunner]

(02-22-2019 12:50 PM)BBinger Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 10:51 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 02:28 AM)croquet Wrote:  

(02-22-2019 01:16 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

Yes, a real bargain -- paying about $30,000 in annual property taxes in SoCal, when you can go to many foreign countries and pay just a few thousand dollars (or, in some cases, just a few hundred dollars) in property taxes on a house with the same value. People need to review all the factors before making such a purchase. So yes, if you wish to subsidize socialist stupidity, buy a mansion in California.

Say one had the money to buy that mansion ^^ above, what's saving $30k vs the hassle of buying the same mansion in a foreign land subject to foreign rules?

Sure those foreign rules may or not be net positive in the end for the buyer, but that's for the buyer to decide, not you and your political leanings.

The title of this thread is "Where can you buy the cheapest super mansion houses?" The answer sure isn't "California." Sure, people do stupid things with their money all the time, but the OP seems to be seeking a sensible optimum solution.

Even Warren Buffet has sat on more than $100 billion for several years now because government manipulation of the economy through artificially low interest rates have inflated asset prices in the U.S.

Quote:

Buffett said finding things to buy at a “sensible purchase price” has become a challenge and is a major reason Berkshire is awash with US$116 billion of low-yielding cash and government bonds, whose average maturity was 88 days as of the end of 2017. [NOTE: He still has deployed this capital since that article was written.]

https://business.financialpost.com/inves...ible-price

The next time that the U.S. will be in the running for "cheapest super mansion houses" is during the next 2008-style financial panic, when the fools who bought overvalued real estate are deleveraging themselves of their assets. For example, condo prices in Miami have tripled since 2008.

So, the answer to the OP's question is not really "where," but "when." Answer: during the next financial panic.

Very true. A mansion isn't simply "a large house", it's the manor house where a Patriarch seats his lordship. It's impossible for a man to have a mansion in a third world shithole like California for the reasons that the local derps will demand all sorts of ransom payments to keep the property yours and impose all sorts of burdens trying to keep you from doing what you want with your own home.

The stickbuilt stuff fashionable in the US is also incapable of mansionhood for the reason that it is incapable of aging with grace. Many local papers and historical societies across the US will mourn when a historic "Victorian" house meets its end, nevermind that such structures are the last of their kind for the reason that pinewood construction and time don't get along very well. A mansion is a very aristocratic thing of the sort that endures.

If the prospect of having to jack up the structure exists because all the preservative leeched out of the sill plate leading to it becoming softer than a kitchen sponge...

The black sea coast in Europe (Romania, etc) is likely the least expensive destination to search for mansion candidates. Latin America is generally more expensive, but opportunities exist in Venezuela where middle class homes can feature ferrocement construction and six car garages are not exceptional.

Yes, success in life is all about outside-the-box thinking. For example, you can go to Italy, get your own castle for free, convert it into a tourist attraction, and then invite all the young tourist girls into your castle for the "special free tour" of your bedroom.

Quote:

Italy is giving away more than 100 historic castles, farmhouses and monasteries for free in an effort to breathe new life into its disused public buildings.

Under a new scheme unveiled by the country's government run State Property Agency, 103 ancient buildings will be up for grabs to entrepreneurs who promise to transform the locations into tourist destinations.

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/italy-is...catch.html

[Leads]

I stayed at an Airbnb in Balchik Bulgaria. It was your classic white mansion with like 4 stories and multiple sprawling patio views looking down on the Black Sea. They paid 12k and it was the nicest place I've ever stayed in my entire life. Marble spiral staircases and every thing you'd expect. No AC though due to a construction miscommunication! I had several fans in my room. No prob as the family was nice and had a commercial espresso machine down in the huge kitchen.

The weird thing was walking from it down into the seaside town and passing poor, buck-naked gypsy families and almost getting eaten alive by rabid dogs.

[fktax]

(02-22-2019 02:44 AM)66Scorpio Wrote:  

My wife is building a house in the Philippines and it will be something like $50 a square foot, all in, including land and interior. A quick internet search indicated that the US average runs $75 to $130 for labour and materials (ex. land and finishings, and this might be doubled if you have a general contractor handle everything for you). It's sort of a pet project she started before we met and she has been working on it for 2 years.

Is she a Philippino? Biggest issue I know of in most South East Asian countries is you can't actually own the land as a foreigner. You can own a local company that owns the land (which presumably the government can take on demand) or you can own an apartment (which is a piece of sky land).

[Matt Warner]

(02-20-2019 07:57 PM)Heuristics Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 07:48 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 07:29 PM)Heuristics Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 07:26 PM)The Catalyst Wrote:  

(02-20-2019 05:56 PM)Brosemite Wrote:  

Constantly going up in price...and the property taxes? Sheesh

Yeah she was probably comparing it to equivalent houses in Auckland or Christchurch, or perhaps even the US as a whole.

Do they have a billionaire's row over there in NZ? Those tech bros (beta preppers) are buying up the whole country, so they're overdue one. It could end up the London of the Southern Hemisphere if NZ markets it correctly.

From what I know actual billionaires buying stuff here doesn't really make an impact.

The major factors are:

1) The Kiwi government having major restrictions on building highrises or in farm areas (zoning etc), plus super strict regulations on building, from what I heard regulations alone make costs around double what they should

2) Kiwi delusion as to how good NZ/buying houses are

3) Chinese delusion as to how good NZ/buying houses are. Here it is more understandable as perhaps you might not want to buy a house in polluted China. And also you might be desperate to get assets out of the clutches of the CCP. That being said I still believe they are overpaying for Kiwi assets if they have access at all to alternatives(Aussie/Canadian houses).

We're cheaper than London I believe but more expensive than the vast majority of places and certainly for our city size.

That’s interesting. So they’re a bit protectionist or anti-housing in some ways.

I can’t imagine how much a single family home is running over there. In some parts of the US a decent house can be had for a couple hundred thousand, of course depending on what part of the country you are in. Of course we have a lot of land, and zoning can be pretty lenient especially outside of urban areas or even in some suburbs… Which are sprawling by most accounts.

1) Restricting the housing market is a problem, and I would hate to live there. Sounds like California where they have a monopoly like structure set up preventing the building of affordable single family housing.

2) Agreed

3) Chinese will do that. They want to expatriate their money and real estate holdings, somewhat of a similar situation in Vancouver, California and Australia. They also want rule of law and good property rights, understandable because they don’t want their houses being bulldozed or seized. Of course they contribute to the inflation in property costs.

I find Auckland very similar to Sydney. That said Auckland is nothing like the situation in the rest of NZ, maybe with the exception of Wellington.

A couple of urban myths. In both Sydney and Auckland there is the view that high density reduces the cost of housing and governments oppose hi rise and this adds to it as well. This is bullshit pushed by the developers and those with a vested interest.

The reality is high density in desirable locations is not cheap and the building quality of Sydney apartments with few exceptions is appalling. I suspect Auckland quality is similar.
High density in less desirable locations is cheaper but I wouldn't want to live in a concrete shitbox in the surburbs for any price.

At least the NZ government is doing something about overseas buyers out pricing the locals and pushing up house prices.
In Australian and in particular Sydney, the glut of rubbish apartments on the market and the reduction of overseas buyers especially the Chinese is reducing prices anyway.

Away from Auckland house prices are not too bad, say in Christchurch you can buy a reasonable house for around 450-500 $NZ. Convert into USD and its not too bad.

I have a quite positive view of NZ and don't agree with the backward place view of many. I know people doing very well there and they have a great quality of life.

Also in general is it way less regulated than Australia, way less of a nanny state.

[Seadog]

(02-20-2019 04:17 PM)Donfitz007 Wrote:  

An affordable mansion of that caliber is still MINIMUM $3,000,000.

I always knew Vancouver's housing was out of whack, so out of curiosity googled what $3m will get you there.

Behold!



It's amazing how in the midst of an irrational financial bubble people will use any rationale to justify their irrational behavior. After all, housing only goes up, yesterdays ceiling is today's floor, and it's impossible to overpay.

In all seriousness, I wouldn't want a big home. I had an acquaintance who had a nice 7000 sq ft, 8 br behemoth on a lake here. He said he regretted it because as nice as it was, he spent all his time maintaining it, and never actually got to enjoy it. Just ask Kona what it takes to maintain a lawn to respectable standards.

[RawGod]

Mansions are definitely overrated. Do you know what kind of apartment you can get for well under $1m in Budapest? Prime location, Danube views, high-ceilinged Austro-Hungarian splendour, completely modernised and renovated...much better value for me than a McMansion. But depends on the lifestyle you want.

[66Scorpio]

Quote:

Is she a Philippino?

Yes. I haven't looked into how they look at foreigners owning real estate. I suspect the heavy Spanish and American influence might give better legal liberties and protections for foreign real estate owners, but I will figure it out in the next few years.

[66Scorpio]

A buddy of mine moved to Budapest several years ago and said the real estate market was primo. I think he started working as a real estate agent and said the market was set to take off. Not sure if it happened yet.

[croquet]

(02-22-2019 10:34 PM)Seadog Wrote:  

I always knew Vancouver's housing was out of whack, so out of curiosity googled what $3m will get you there.

It's amazing how in the midst of an irrational financial bubble people will use any rationale to justify their irrational behavior. After all, housing only goes up, yesterdays ceiling is today's floor, and it's impossible to overpay.

Housing does only go up. Show me a country where housing hasn't gone up in the last 50 years.

It doesn't go up in a straight 45 degree line I'll give you that, you'd be a fool to think however that RE isn't a good long term investment. And I define long term here as 50 years and up.

[Donfitz007]

(02-22-2019 11:34 AM)Tail Gunner Wrote:  

"Hey, the government is offering free land. I am going to build my dream house there!"

Friend: "Uh, that used to be a toxic chemical dump, plus there are still land mines buried there from the last war."

Every party needs a pooper, that's why I'm inviting you,
Party pooper, party pooper.

You got a chuckle from my comment, didn't you. You're 100% right but im Sure OP wants a dan Bilzerian style house in America.

[debeguiled]

Most mansions are ugly as sin.



No character.



No individuality.



Try hard central.



What style is that?



I believe it's:

Look at me. Big. Important.



A force to be reckoned with.



If I had big bucks I would get a place like this, just outside a big city, plenty of land, a pond. Designed by an artist with every little thing looking perfect in its place.

And a bunkhouse over the garage. To be renamed: The house for wayward girls.

Casual, artsy, original is much better than Bilzeran Design Aesthetic.

Almost anything is better than a garish McMansion.

Even like this broke guy, designing and building a house on his own with no money or experience. Much better house. Much better story. Much better life.