Romania’s Bran Castle, the 14th-century Transylvania fortress famous for its connection with the ruler who inspired Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula, is now represented by private investment firm Baytree Capital. Ultimate Homes reported earlier this year that ownership of the landmark was restored to the Habsburg family, and that the family reportedly was trying to sell Bran Castle for $78 million. This week, Baytree announced that the property is still for sale, but a price was not released. Baytree has been charged with creating a long-term strategic plan for the enhancement and preservation of the 700-year-old castle.

For photos, visit:
http://www.baytreecapital.com/bran.php

To read the press release:
http://www.baytreecapital.com/pr062807.php

To see BusinessWeek’s column:
http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2007/06/the_bat_oh_its.html

The Miami Herald today reported that no one bid on the 15-acre island offered at auction yesterday for a starting price of $12 million:

http://www.miamiherald.com/460/story/154919.html

A private Bahamian island is being auctioned today, starting at $12 million. This isn’t your usual island, however.  The Miami Herald detailed the eccentric owner and the stockpiles of supplies kept on the island, enough to survive for years.  It’s an intriguing story with CIA ties and a great slide show that gives me the feeling I’m looking at a real-life version of “Lost”…

http://www.miamiherald.com/457/story/152480.html

Unique Homes publisher Rick Goodwin is quoted extensively in this BusinessWeek article released today. The piece focuses on the increasing amounts of money spent on estates worth $10 million or more, despite a slowdown in the real estate market at the lower price levels.

“These are trophy properties,” says Goodwin. “They’ve won the game now, and this is their prize.”

“We always joke about new money being garish, but I think that’s more of the old money being jealous that they can’t let go like that,” he says.

To read to entire article, go to:
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2007/db20070626_819685.htm

Unique Homes attended the sixth annual Coldwell Banker Island Affiliate Management Conference in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, earlier this month.  Jim Gillespie, the president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation, led the group.  He touted the success of the Coldwell Banker Previews International program, designed to market luxury homes of $1 million or more. More than 26,000 Previews properties were sold for a total of $49.7 billion last year.

“This is one of the most informative conferences I attend,” says Advertising Sales Manager Ginger Chergey, who represented Unique Homes.  “Working with people from so many different countries toward a common goal is great.  All of the affiliates are dedicated to their field and to their islands.  A lot gets accomplished in a very short period of time.”

(Photo: Jim Reed, managing director of Coldwell Banker Island Affiliates; Jim Gillespie, president and CEO of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation; and J.C. Calhoun of Coldwell Banker Cayman Islands and Coldwell Banker Island Affiliates)

John McMonigle of The McMonigle Group in Newport Beach, Calif., recently announced two huge residential sales closed by his group.

Last week, McMonigle announced the sale of Sugarloaf Point, a Laguna Beach estate listed for $31.5 million. The 2-acre site juts into the Pacific with its own private beach.

Today, McMonigle reported the sale of Villa Murano, a Shady Canyon landmark in Irvine.  The custom estate resembles a Northern Italian villa and was listed for $13.995 million.

McMonigle has sold more than $1 billion in the last three years, and is the number one agent for Coldwell Banker nationwide.

Also in the LA Times: DataQuick Infomation Systems released its latest ZIP-code based data on real estate prices per square foot.  The list is not comprehensive, and includes only areas covered by DataQuick.  At the top of their list: Malibu and Encino.

http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-re-hotcold17jun17,0,7430066.story?coll=la-class-realestate-news

The Los Angeles Time is reporting that Spider-Man star Tobey McGuire has sold his Hollywood Hills home for $11.5 million, five years after buying it for $3.7 million.

http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/hotprop/la-re-hotprop17jun17,0,1707813.story?coll=la-class-realestate-hotprop

Forbes.com has unveiled its list of the ten most expensive homes for sale in the U.S., which essentially mirrors the list published in our very own Ultimate Homes just a couple months ago.  You can link to Forbes list below:

http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/realestate/2007/05/18/expensive-homes-housing-forbeslife-cx_mw_0521estate.html

The June 1 edition of the Financial Times features an article on luxury homes in the Caribbean. The reporter interviewed Unique Homes’ publisher, Rick Goodwin, for the story.  Below, please find a link to the Financial Times story:

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/21cfafd6-104f-11dc-96d3-000b5df10621,dwp_uuid=d8e9ac2a-30dc-11da-ac1b-00000e2511c8.html

(Image: The June/July issue of Unique Homes, which will be on sale soon, features an exceptional Bahamian estate on its cover. The magazine also features information for buyers seeking properties abroad.)