Archives for 2013

Top 10 Most Expensive & Lavish Celebrity Houses

February 15, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

The life of a celebrity is full of glitz and glamour. There are celebrities who like to spend their earnings on their own make-over and cosmetic surgeries while the rest like to also change their lifestyle and switch over to a more luxurious mode of living which includes huge investments in various branded outlets and mostly in their own personal homes. Today we are going to take a look at few of the most lavishing residential wonders of the world’s most highly rated celebrities. Welcome to Hollywood you guys!

#10 Rapper and Song Artist 50 Cent

50 Cent’s huge house has an area of 51,657 sq.ft area which contains more than a luxurious palace! This huge abode contains 19 bedrooms, 37 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, 5 Jacuzzis, 2 snooker rooms. That’s not all. The house has an indoor swimming pool along with a night club and gym. The house also offers racquetball court, tennis court, home cinema, indoor shooting area and of course a pond as well. The house was recently renovated for around $6 million.

#9 Celine Dion

Celine Dion House

The house which is situated in Florida is actually called a Water Park rather than a house since the entire house is surrounded by artificial lakes, rivers and streams. The house has a number of swimming pools and fountains. The house requires approximately 6 million gallons of water per year. However Renee and his wife took an effort to construct 5 wells to overcome the water deficit. The house is designed in an extremely wonderful manner offering a contrast of white and black furniture in the interior region of the house.

#8 John Travolta

John Travolta House

The Hollywood star John Travolta has a house worth $2.5 million. Although the house itself is not that beautiful but the luxurious designing and facilities provided has made the house full of fame. The house has a huge parking area, not only for cars and other vehicles, but the house offers a wonderful parking for Boeing 707 along with the parking for Gulfstream. Due to such a unique facility the house has gained a lot of attraction by others.

#7 Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey House

Now who hasn’t heard about Oprah Winfrey? The renowned talk-show host and one of the world’s most famous celebrities owns massive resort-cum-residency covering an area of around 23,000 sq. lands which is equal to 42 acres. The Californian based home which was bought for $50 million has 14 bathrooms and 8 bedrooms with lavish furniture which adds to the beauty of the place.

#6 Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise House

The most famous star Tom Cruise owns a number of houses all over the world including a few lavish palaces in the United Kingdom. Besides owning so many luxurious properties, his home in Beverly Hills which costs almost $35 million most certainly stands out from the crowd. The palace is lavishly designed from inside as well as outside. The house contains 7 Master Bedrooms and 9 bathrooms along with a private pool and a tennis court. The house took a lot of investment in its renovation and expansion and currently occupies a space of 1.4 acres.

#5 Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams House

Robbie William’s house has an area of about 10,681 sq. of land which has a beautiful pond and a swimming pool that surrounds the house. The house has 8 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms with a unique design and furnishing which makes the house look even more lavish.

#4 Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart House

Rod Stewart, a Rock star legend owes an exotic house worth $12.5 million. The house is basically famous for its football pitch, carting track and yes its own personal beach! Rod Stewart loves painting and ancient statues designed in an elegant way, due to his unique choice his house is full of such items which makes the house shine even more brightly!

#3 Will Smith

Will Smith House

Will Smith is known for his versatile movies and song productions. As he maintains a good reputation, in the same way his house located in Calabasas, California has also gained a great fame. The house has a large area off land which consists of basket-ball courts, tennis courts, sport arenas and much more. Therefore Smith enjoys a lovely life with his wife and children in his wonderful lavish palace. His home is also sometimes referred to as a fairytale castle palace by a number of people.

#2 Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison House

Larry Ellison, the founder and CEO of Oracle software solutions for Enterprises has gained a lot of publicity not only for his work and success but for his property as well. He owns more than 12 houses on which he spent $180 million. His house in Malibu is famous for its beach-side location, lavish style and an irresistible attraction makes his house different from others.

#1 Hugh Hefner

Hugh Hefner Mansion

Hugh Hefner’s house has an area of 20,000 sq. and is worth around $40 million. The land is actually about 6 acres and the house itself consists of 26 bedrooms. The house is lavishly designed with unique furniture design along with an underground water system which distinguishes this amazing palace from others.

They say that the life of a celebrity is filled with glitz and glamour and that is exactly what it feels when one visits the aforementioned places of pure elegance and class.

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog, Random Thoughts

Foreclosure Crisis ‘Now Well Past the Peak’

February 15, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Foreclosure filings continue their downward spiral, dropping to the lowest level in January since April 2007, according to RealtyTrac’s latest report.

Filings — which include notices of default, scheduled auctions, and bank repossessions — dropped 28 percent in January year-over-year.

“We’re now well past the peak of the foreclosure crisis,” says Daren Blomquist, spokesman for RealtyTrac.

Still, the foreclosure problem has a ways to go: Filings remain at double the pace of 2005, and foreclosure auctions are on the rise in 26 states.

“It’s likely that by this time next year, we’ll start to see 2005-type, pre-crisis numbers again,” Blomquist says.

The decrease in foreclosure starts in January was largely attributed to California, which saw a significant drop last month. Due to a new law in California that offers borrowers in default more protection, the state saw foreclosure filings fall 62 percent in January. The big drop made it the first month since January 2007 that California was not the leader in the nation in foreclosure filings — that state has been replaced by Florida.

Meanwhile, RealtyTrac also reported that bank repossessions were down 24 percent in January from year-ago levels, reaching their lowest ebb since February 2008 and putting it below half of the record amount set in September 2010.

Source: RealtyTrac and “Foreclosure Filings Fall to Lowest Level Since 2007,” CNNMoney

Filed Under: Blog, Housing Market, real estate financing

Music notation, a Möbius strip and explaining space-time [video]

February 14, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

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The brilliant mind of Vi Hart tackles explaining space-time in a way that definitely won’t make you fall asleep like that wee ballerina in a box did when you were a kid.

Filed Under: Blog, Music, Random Thoughts, Technology

Love, Marriage & Homeownership

February 14, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

In honor of Valentine’s Day, let’s look at how romantic attachments influence home buying. We found some interesting facts when we looked at the statistics for the married vs. single populations of U.S. cities.

Single Homebuyer Trends

The U.S. demographics have changed, and for the first time more households are unmarried. Fifty-one percent of households are headed by an unmarried person. With more single people, we wanted to know if more single people are buying homes. According to the Wall Street Journal, men are buying homes at approximately the same rate as the 1980s; about 10 percent of homebuyers are single men. Single women, however, are buying more homes. In the 1980s single men and women bought homes at similar rates, but in the 2000s approximately 20 percent of homebuyers are single women, compared to single men representing 10 percent of homebuyers.

Married People are Homeowners

The cities with a high percentage of married people have a high percentage of homeowners. In cities with more than 30 percent married, we find that, on average, 50 percent of homes are occupied by homeowners. In comparison, cities with larger single populations, less than 30 percent married, only 39 percent of homes are occupied by homeowners.

So, married people are more likely to buy homes – this is hardly surprising. There is a reason they refer to getting married as settling down. When saving up for a down payment, it’s also easier to buy a home with dual income. The pros of renting – greater mobility, low maintenance costs and less responsibility – appeal to the single population.

While the percentage of the population that is married is correlated with homeownership, the prices of homes for sale in the city are not. Comparing median home listing prices and percentage of homeownership, we found little relationship between these figures.

Love, Marriage & Homeownership

Filed Under: Blog, Housing Market, real estate financing

Seattle Home Show: The Place For Home Ideas

February 14, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

The annual Seattle Home Show opens this Saturday, February 16 through 24, at CenturyLink Field Event Center. Over 550 exhibits will feature the latest products, services, and designs for indoor and outdoor living. Model homes will also be available for viewing. The fall and spring installments of the Seattle Home Show provide Northwest residents the opportunity to speak to vendors and designers about new trends.

Show hours run 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays, and noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for juniors (7-15), and children under 7 are free. Purchase tickets online at www.SeattleHomeShow.com and receive free parking.

A variety of seminars is also available. The class schedule includes a variety of topics like solar and efficient lighting, kitchen and bath trends, cedar home construction, remodeling and more

Filed Under: Appliances, Architecture, Blog, Home Care, Home Remodel, Technology Tagged With: seattle home show

10 Design Trends That Will Be Hot in 2013

February 13, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

1 Brass It’s having a comeback because it mixes well with other metals.
2 Elegant, Graceful Design Enough with the plain. Think pretty, classic fabrics.
3 Homey Kitchens The use of warm, modern materials. Think vintage & handmade.
4 Gloss Think high gloss, shiny, polished, lacquered!
5 Emphasis on Art Everyone will be focusing on art, it is so approachable!
6 Bright Colors Our rooms will be brighter and full of saturated hues – think Lifesavers.
7 Sophisticated Man Caves More upscale man caves, media rooms & outrageous wine cellars.
8 Antique furniture Mix beautiful old pieces with modern ones.
9 James Mont furniture Designers know about him, but this is the year that everyone else will!
10 Computer Generated Fabrics Photorealistic fabrics will soon be in living rooms!

Source: House Beautiful – January 2013

Filed Under: Architecture, Blog, Home Remodel

Obama Scorecard: Housing Recovery Strengthens

February 12, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

The housing market recovery continues to grow stronger, but the economy remains “fragile,” according to the Obama administration’s latest Housing Scorecard for January. The Obama Administration’s Housing Scorecard is released monthly, providing a snapshot of the nation’s housing market.

“The housing market has clearly bottomed out nationally and is turning a corner with new home construction increasing to a level not seen since June 2008 and home prices showing strong annual gains,” says Kurt Usowski, deputy assistant secretary for economic affairs with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “But with so many households still struggling, we have important work ahead.”

Government efforts to help struggling home owners avoid foreclosure are improving. Nearly 1.5 million homeowner assistance actions have taken place through the Making Home Affordable Program, and the Federal Housing Administration has offered more than 1.5 million loss mitigation and early delinquency interventions.

“Every foreclosure avoided has positive impacts for families, communities, and our economy,” says Tim Massad, Treasury assistant secretary for financial stability.

Also, the number of underwater borrowers continues to fall while home prices improve. Home owners who owe more on their mortgage than their home is currently worth account for 10.67 million borrowers, which is down from 10.78 million in the previous quarter, according to CoreLogic.

The inventory of existing homes for sale continues to drop, reaching a 4.4 months’ supply, according to National Association of REALTORS®’ data. In November, the supply of housing averaged 5.3 months.

Fewer homes are being sold due to limited inventories. Existing home sales fell to 411.7 million in January from 415.8 million in December.

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury and “Obama Scorecard Warns Economy Remains Fragile,” HousingWire

Filed Under: Blog, Housing Market

A Brief History of YouTube [Infographic]

February 12, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Blog, New Media, Technology

SOUND ON INTUITION

February 10, 2013 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Instruments Use Human Movement to Make Music

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Ever hear someone say, “I don’t have a musical bone in my body”? Well as it turns out, everyone may have that musical bone.

Designer Pietr-Jan Pietr believes that anyone can make music simply by moving their finger or tapping their foot. He developed five simple instruments that make music using natural human movements, calling the set Sound on Intuition.

The idea came out of Pietr’s graduate thesis at the Design Academy Eindhoven. It is based on the notion that whenever someone learns an instrument, they must teach their body certain movements in order to be able to play.

A flautist must master his fingers, a drummer his coordination, but a player of Pietr’s instruments? They simply have to move as they normally would. The result is “instruments where you skip the learning process and just play,” says Pietr.

There’s the Wob which, like a theremin, does not require any physical touch but rather uses a sensor so that when you wave you hand above it, a sound mimicking that wave is emitted.

The Fngr attaches to your index finger, creating a sound with every tap. And should you bend your finger, the tone will change with the movement. The Scan uses your handwriting, translating dots and lines you write on a page into electronic beeps.

source: Mashable

Filed Under: Blog, Music