The Most Expensive Homes In The World

"Two years ago, at the peak of the real-estate boom, only a handful of homes in the U.S. had ever been listed for $75 million, let alone $100 million. Even the highest residential sale to date -- investor Ron Baron's $103 million purchase earlier this year of a 40-acre compound in East Hampton, N.Y. -- was never publicly listed. The deal was so secret that the brokers weren't named."

"There are five contenders for the current prize, including a Beverly Hills compound once owned by William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies that's listed for $165 million; the Aspen home of Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, which has been visited by the past three U.S. presidents ($135 million); and an estate overlooking Lake Tahoe with a staircase modeled after the one aboard the Titanic (a dark horse at $100 million). All have come on the market since summer 2006."

"The U.S. doesn't have a monopoly on extreme listings -- or extreme sales. The international home sale record is thought to be held by a London property that sold in 2004 for £70 million (about $128 million at the time). A Paris home is on the market for €100 million, or roughly $135 million."