Obama's 'Winter White House' sells for $6.9 million

August 30, 2010 - Hawaii

The beachfront Hawaii home that President Barack Obama and his family have rented during their last two Christmas vacations has been sold for $6.9 million.

The approximately 4,900-square-foot Kailua estate, which was built in 2006, was sold to Paradise Point Estates LLC, a company managed by Glenn Weinberg of Owings Mills, Maryland.

It is a five-bedroom, 5-1/2-bath plantation-style home on roughly 27,000 square feet of land and includes swimming beach frontage.

Paul Fireman's Nevada Ranch Lists for $50 Million

August 27, 2010 - Nevada

A Nevada ranch, one of the largest in the West, with access to nearly one million acres of land, has hit the market for $50 million.

Public records show the ranch is owned by a corporation headed by Paul Fireman, the former chairman and chief executive of Reebok and the chairman of Fireman Capital Partners.

The Winecup-Gamble Ranch contains 247,000 acres of deeded land and permitted grazing access to roughly 750,000 additional acres of public and private land. It's about 100 miles from Elko, Nev. Established in the late 19th century, the working cattle ranch can handle up to 10,000 cows.

Nam Hai Resort on the sales block in Vietnam

August 26, 2010 - Vietnam

The Nam Hai Resort on China Beach in Vietnam is for sale, property and hotel consultant Bill Barnett has reported on his blog thephuketinsider.com.

The owner Indochina Land is offering a 60% ownership stake, with the possibility of increasing it to 100% ownership. Singapore's CBRE Hotels will handle the sale exclusively.

The development, which has 60 one-bedroom pool villas and a 40 hotel-managed residential villas, was opened in 2006 under the management of boutique chain GHM.

Peach Blossom Retreat, Hangzhou

August 26, 2010 - Hangzhou

Located outside of Hangzhou and surrounded by undulating green hills, this project offers residents the serenity of country-style living complete with all the latest luxuries.

Greentown's Peach Blossom Retreat is situated 18 km outside of Hangzhou on a landscaped plateau at the foot of Phoenix Mountain.

The vast, 1.8 million sq m site epitomises the particular beauty of the region, enveloped by undulating green hills and located adjacent to Peach Blossom River.

The Serenade, Hong Kong

August 25, 2010 - Tai Hang

Located in Tai Hang and flanked by Mount Butler to the back and sweeping views of Victoria Harbour to the front, this new 54-storey twin-tower residence offers 270 luxury units, including 30 upper floor sky-house units (241 sq m), and just four exclusive pre-penthouse and penthouse units (344 to 371 sq m) occupying an entire floor.

October launch planned for Bangkok’s St Regis Residences

August 25, 2010 - Bangkok

The Residences at The St. Regis Bangkok remains on course for an October launch, and has been buoyed by the listing of the city as "World's Best" by a leading magazine.

Travel + Leisure, a publication that caters to the luxury travel market, recently named the Thai capital as number one, something that came as no surprise to many who know the city inside out.

"The ranking affirms what we have known about Bangkok all along," said William E. Heinecke, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of developers Minor International PLC.

Spectacular Swiss Villa By Attilio Panzeri For Sale

August 23, 2010 - Switzerland

Perched on a hillside with stunning views of Lugano Lake, this villa endows airy living spaces with a host of high-tech luxuries.

This modern concrete and glass-encased residence was designed by renowned Italian architect Attilio Panzeri in 2008.

Situated in Lugano, a southern Swiss lake town that borders Italy, the two-story home features 565 sq m of living space, including six bedrooms, five bathrooms, media room and wine cellar.

Media Mogul Malone Buys New Mexico Ranch

August 20, 2010 - New Mexico

Media mogul John Malone closed this week on a 290,100-acre ranch whose original asking price in 2007 was $115 million.

More recently, the working cattle ranch, known as Bell Ranch, was listed for $83 million with 40,000 acres added; they were included in Mr. Malone's purchase.

The Liberty Media chairman, whose media interests include QVC and investments in Time Warner Cable and concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment, purchased through a limited-liability company he formed with his wife, Leslie, records show.

Coeur d'Alene Estate

August 20, 2010 - Idaho

Modern golf may have originated in Scotland, but today, it is estimated there are 8,500 courses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and over 19,000 in the USA alone.

Combine a love of golf with notoriously oversized properties, and you end up with some of the most exclusive golf estates in the world.

The stunning backdrop to this property is Idaho's Lake Coeur d'Alene, one of America's premier summer playgrounds and resort destinations in the Pacific Northwest.

Vietnam Booming Green Scene

August 19, 2010 - Vietnam

Residential developments located close to nature and with million dollar price tags have become a growing trend in Vietnam's property market.

Nha Trang and Da Lat cities, which are renowned for private beaches and natural pine forests respectively, are proof to this.

The seaside city of Nha Trang has been very successful in attracting buyers for luxury resort projects while Da Lat has welcomed many visitors since a number of resort villa projects were launched recently.