15 US ‘Super Billionaires’ who own $3.21B in property portfolios
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates. They are all mega billionaires who own huge property portfolios.
Reaching billionaire status has long been seen as one of the ultimate indicators of wealth and success — and one that has, for many years, only been achievable by a very tiny minority of people.
However, in recent years, a rather gaping divide has begun to grow between the world’s billionaires and those whose fortunes afford them a top spot on the list of the wealthiest individuals across the globe, giving rise to a new elite group of ultrarich US men and women who have been branded the “super billionaires.”
A new report by the Wall Street Journal found that there are 24 people who fall into this very exclusive category — which is reserved for those who have a net worth of more than AUD $80 billion.
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At the top of that list is none other than Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who has held the title of world’s richest man since September 2021 — a position he cemented in December 2024, when he became the first person in history to amass a AUD $642 billion fortune.
However, while Musk, 53, may have the most impressive fortune, when it comes to personal property holdings, he can’t really hold a candle to the other 14 US-based super billionaires — a group that includes the likes of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.
So, which super billionaire boasts the best bragging rights when it comes to their ultralavish real estate holdings — and whose homes tell a much more modest story than their bank accounts? Realtor.com dug into the list.
Elon Musk: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $672 billion
The 53-year-old, South African-born entrepreneur — who has made headlines recently through his divisive work with President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency — has repeatedly broken records for having the highest net worth of any man in history.
Just weeks ago, he became the first person to achieve a net worth of more than AUD $642 billion. And while his fortune has dropped to AUD $550 billion since then, he continues to hold the title of richest man in the world.
However, his real estate is much more modest in scope.
Though he has owned various homes in the past, in 2020, the billionaire made the surprising decision to sell “almost all of his physical possessions.”
In a series of posts shared on X, which was then known as Twitter, Musk shared that he planned to “own no house,” with reports at the time revealing that he was giving up every property he still owned.
And despite multiple reports suggesting that the billionaire has been buying up megamansions and compounds from Florida to Texas in order to create a compound to house his ever-growing family, the only property he is confirmed to have owned and lived in over the past few years is an incredibly modest home in Texas.
As Realtor.com previously reported, the only property Musk is confirmed to have lived in recently is a three-bedroom, ranch-style house that sits just a block from his SpaceX Starbase facility in the Brownsville, TX, neighbourhood of Boca Chica.
The businessman announced on X that he had moved into the rental property in 2021: “My primary home is literally a ~$50K house in Boca Chica/Starbase that I rent from SpaceX. It’s kinda awesome though,” he said.
The Brownsville property that Musk was referring to sits on a grassy street that runs down to the perimeter of Starbase and has several similar properties dotting it.
The home serves as the businessman’s official legal residence, a status he confirmed when he visited a local polling station to cast his vote in the 2024 presidential election. He had spent months campaigning for Republican Donald Trump.
“Just voted in Cameron County, Texas, home of Starbase!” Musk wrote on X on Nov. 5, alongside an image of himself and several acquaintances standing outside the polling location.
Before decamping to the Lone Star State, the tech mogul was based in the San Francisco Bay Area, where he owned a swanky, multimillion-dollar mansion.
Located in Hillsborough, CA, the 1916-era build boasts seven bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms across 16,000 square feet and sits on a 47.4-acre lot — one of the largest parcels of land on the San Francisco Peninsula, its listing noted.
Musk picked up the pricey property in 2017 for AUD $37 million. He later sold it for AUD $48 million in 2021.
One of the homes that Musk sold off when he rid himself of all his possessions was a historic abode in Los Angeles that was once owned by famed actor, Gene Wilder.
According to reports, he bought the property via a trust in 2013, paying AUD $11 million for the home, which is “nestled in the exclusive Bel Air neighbourhood.”
Though he went on to sell it off, it’s clear that the home held a special place in Musk’s heart, with the entrepreneur noting that his one “stipulation” in his move to let go of his material holdings was that the Wilder house could not be torn down.
In the end, Musk sold the property to Wilder’s nephew, filmmaker Jordan Walker-Pearlman, even loaning the buyer a whopping AUD $10 million in order to help him pay for the AUD $11.2 million house.
But that fairytale story turned to a nightmare in August, when it was revealed that Musk had moved to foreclose on the home after Walker-Pearlman fell behind on his loan repayments, prompting Musk to file a notice of default.
The home is currently due to go under the hammer in a foreclosure auction.
Jeff Bezos: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $422 billion
As for the second-richest man: The Amazon founder, 60, may not have top-dog status as a
billionaire, but his real estate is far and away one of the most jaw-dropping collections of any of the men featured on the “super billionaires” list.
His real estate holdings became the subject of much speculation in 2023, when he announced that he and partner Lauren Sanchez were planning to move their primary residence to Florida, a decision that the Amazon founder said was motivated largely by a desire to be closer to his parents.
However, in February 2024, it was revealed that Bezos enjoyed another perk as a result of his relocation: saving hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes.
According to a report by CNBC, the businessman stands to save “at least AUD $979 million” in taxes that he would have had to pay if he was still living full-time in Washington state.
Prior to that move, Bezos had been largely based at his properties in the tony enclave of Medina, a suburb of Seattle, where he had been buying up homes for many years.
Bezos is one of several billionaires who own properties in the ultraexclusive Washington enclave of Medina, which is also home to the likes of Bill Gates and former Microsoft executive, Charles Simonyi.
Four years after he founded Amazon, Bezos — whose net worth was estimated at $263 billion by the WSJ — spent AUD $16 million, along with now-ex-wife MacKenzie Scott, buying up two homes that sit on a 5-acre plot in the town of Hunts Point. In 2010, the duo reportedly spent AUD $45 million to extensively renovate the estate, which boasts 310 feet of private shoreline and its own boathouse.
In order to maximise space (and privacy), Bezos also purchased an adjacent property in that same year — an expansive 24,000-square-foot mansion that was reportedly listed for AUD $85 million, although it is unclear whether the Amazon CEO paid that hefty sum or managed to snag a discount.
That home would ultimately serve as the business mogul’s primary residence for the next decade until 2023, when he announced his move to Florida. However, he appears to be holding on to his Seattle stake — at least for now.
Bezos launched his e-commerce company in Washington state in the mid-1990s and built an enormous compound there. However, he’s since declared that Florida is his new state of choice — and he has the properties to prove it.
The billionaire now owns three pricey places on Indian Creek Island — the third, he picked up for a reported AUD $144 million in 2024. According to reports, he plans to raze the other two properties — which he picked up for a combined AUD $235 million — and live in the most recent purchase while awaiting for construction to be completed.
Indian Creek Island, which is known as “Billionaire Bunker” because of its residents’ extraordinary wealth, is also home to the likes of Ivanka Trump and Tom Brady, although Bezos is understood to be its richest inhabitant.
The neighbourhood, which is made up of just 34 homes and 40-odd residents, is guarded by its very own police force, ensuring the utmost safety for its wealthy homeowners.
The owner of the storied Washington Post owns a similarly storied estate in the nation’s capital, a compound that he is said to have dropped AUD $37 million on in 2017. His D.C. property includes two large, historical buildings and a chauffeur’s residence and garage, totalling nearly 27,000 square feet of interior space.
The entire lot measures more than 34,000 square feet, with landscaped gardens and lawns. It had been marketed as “perfect for a school or embassy or an exceptional private home.”
The Blue Origin founder also has a huge pied-à-terre in New York City. He owns a AUD $25 million, three-bedroom apartment, purchased in 2020. That’s in addition to AUD $128 million worth of units in the building, including a three-storey penthouse and two apartments on the level right below it. In 2019, building permits were filed to combine the units.
The lavish spending continued to the West Coast, where, in 2020, Bezos dropped a record AUD $264 million for David Geffen’s Los Angeles mansion, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Known as the Warner Estate, the 9-acre spread was built for Jack Warner, the late former president of Warner Bros.
The parcel features “expansive terraces, sprawling gardens, several guesthouses, a tennis court and its own nine-hole golf course,” according to the WSJ.
The Amazon founder reportedly added one more property to his cart in 2021. The billionaire and Sanchez picked up a 14-acre estate on the Hawaii island of Maui. The cost of the off-market transaction was reported to be in the neighbourhood of AUD $125 million.
The offering is said to include a 4,500-square-foot main house, a 1,700-square-foot guesthouse, and a 700-square-foot pool. The holding encompasses seven parcels of land and a fish pond with a private, white-sand beach.
Larry Ellison: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $380 billion
Oracle co-founder Ellison, 80, is no slouch in the real estate department. He’s said to own multiple homes in idyllic beach towns, from Malibu to Lanai.
Ellison has become known as a “Malibu real estate mogul,” buying his first Carbon Beach property back in 2002.
In 2018, he made headlines with the purchase of Hollywood producer’s Joel Silver’s Malibu, CA, beach house for AUD $61 million.
In addition, he has reportedly amassed 11 other properties in the coastal city. He also is said to have paid AUD $32 million for the Casa Malibu Inn in 2007.
This serene island in Hawaii reportedly has no traffic lights. But it does have some swanky resorts and one high-profile resident: In 2012, Ellison bought the two hotels as well as the land holdings that amount to 98 per cent of the island for a reported AUD $481 million. His purchase included “87,000 of the island’s 90,000 acres of land.”
The tech mogul has since updated the hotels and added improvements to the island, such as some farming operations, with an eye toward turning the island into a sustainable mecca.
Lanai has beautiful beaches, a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, and dining and resort amenities in the high-end hotels.
In the Sunshine State, Ellison has also made his mark. In April 2021, Ellison paid AUD $128 million for a premium waterfront estate with the intention of tearing it down. However, over a year later, he still had not razed the home. Instead, he tested the market with an ask of $232 million for his property in Seminole Beach Estate.
However, the listing never appeared to have led to a deal, and that property was later taken off the market.
Ellison’s property is the third-largest oceanfront parcel in Palm Beach County. It sits in a gated community with 24/7 security.
At 7.35 acres, the parcel is one of only a handful of properties in the state that can accommodate a private helipad. The property comes with 520 feet of ocean frontage.
In 2022, the entrepreneur made another splashy purchase: The wheeler dealer dropped a record-setting AUD $277 million on another Florida property south of Palm Beach, in Manalapan.
The buyer’s appetite for the beach also brought him to a historic enclave of Newport, RI, where he’s said to own four properties in the area, including the Astors’ former mansion, which he apparently purchased for AUD $17 million in January 2010. He is said to have spent an astonishing AUD $160 million to renovate it for a planned Beechwood Art Museum.
The San Francisco Bay Area resident has apparently also had a long-time home in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighbourhood. He picked up the William Wurster-designed mansion in 1988, paying a reported AUD $6.2 million that’s valued at over AUD $14.5 million today. Built in 1958, the over 10,000-square-foot layout includes five bedroom and six baths.
Years later, in 2011, he apparently picked up the home next door for a reported $64.22 million.
Mark Zuckerberg: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $353 billion
Meta CEO Zuckerberg, 40, has splashed out a considerable amount of money on his real estate empire. The Facebook co-founder owns pricey properties in Palo Alto, CA; Lake Tahoe, CA; and Hawaii.
The site of the beginnings of social media platform Facebook, Palo Alto also is where the tech entrepreneur put down roots. In 2011, he picked up his first home there — a AUD $11 million residence in the Crescent Park neighbourhood.
Built in 1903, the restored space offers 5,617 square feet, wood floors, a saltwater pool, banquet-size dining room, glassed-in sunroom, five bedrooms, and five bathrooms.
It wouldn’t be his last: After Zuckerberg’s marriage to Priscilla Chan in 2012, the two invested in four more surrounding homes, for a total of AUD $48 million, according to Architectural Digest.
The Chan-Zuckerbergs have spent years vacationing on the shores of Lake Tahoe and, in 2018 and 2019, the tech mogul snapped up two properties in the area for a combined AUD $94 million.
One of the homes, known as the Carousel Estate, has already been razed, and plans are reportedly in place for a sprawling compound of nearly 10 acres. The plans include a “20,000-square-foot, 35-foot-tall main residence with a timber and glass facade,” along with “a new bunkhouse, a gym, a gatehouse, multiple guesthouses, and offices,” according to Forbes.
The compound will include nature trails, walkways, and additional development.
If the family really wants to get away, they can head to their spread on the Hawaii island of Kauai.
In 2014, the Chan Zuckerbergs reportedly shelled out AUD $160 million for two huge tracts of land on Kauai’s North Shore, creating a 700-acre spread for family getaways.
The land has 2,500 feet of ocean frontage as well as a working organic farm. The couple made plans to build a 6,100-square-foot, two-bedroom residence on the property, along with a 16-bay garage complex and a “ranch administration building” that includes keycard-protected offices and security headquarters.
But the land grab continued. In 2021, Zuck and Chan purchased a reported 595.4 acres for AUD $85 million from the non-profit Waioli Corporation. This property is adjacent to the land bought in 2014. That same year, they scooped up another 110 acres for AUD $27 million. The land reportedly includes a former sugar planation and the Ka Loko reservoir.
Sergey Brin: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $256 billion
The Google co-founder was born in Russia but has resided in the US for decades now — having moved from his home country when he was just 6 years old.
Brin, 51, studied at the University of Maryland before pursuing a Ph.D. at Stanford University, which is where he met his future co-founder, Larry Page. Together the duo began building the search engine inside a garage in Menlo Park, CA, on the outskirts of San Francisco — not far from Palo Alto, which is now widely recognised as one of the world’s biggest technology hubs.
However, in recent years, Brin has moved on from that tiny space, building himself an enviable collection of California real estate.
Brin is reported to own a AUD $56 million Malibu, CA, pad that he bought in 2022, months before his divorce from lawyer Nicole Shanahan.
The 51-year-old had been spending time in the area after he and Shanahan had picked up a place together for AUD $21 million in 2020.
Set in the Point Dume area, known as the “California Riviera,” the coveted spot features a private gated beach, ocean views, and access to the Little Dume surf spot.
Built in 2005, with five bedrooms and eight baths, the swanky spot includes a chef’s kitchen with two islands, a Balinese-style cabana and pool, a separate guesthouse, and gym. The 1-acre fenced and gated property features a vegetable garden, fruit orchard, and three-car garage.
In 2022, Brin purchased a second Malibu estate in the same Point Dume area, splashing out AUD $56 million. The 6,107-square-foot “midcentury modern masterpiece” offers “spectacular” ocean and Catalina Island views, the listing notes.
The listing adds that the property boasts a “celebrity pedigree, exceptional privacy, dual owner’s suites, media room, infinity pool, and stairs to the sandy beach.”
The property includes six bedrooms and six baths and sits on just under an acre. The lavish estate includes a pivot door, sports court, pool, and a main house with walls of glass, a fireplace, and a beamed ceilings. Other highlights include skylights, vaulted ceilings, and multiple patios and terraces.
A gated staircase leads to the wide, sandy beach at Dume Cove.
Steve Ballmer: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $252 billion
Like many of his fellow tech billionaires, Ballmer, 68, the former CEO of Microsoft, has long been based in Washington — where the company and its founder, Gates, are also located.
Ballmer was born in a suburb of Detroit but moved to Boston as a teenager, when he landed a place at Harvard University — before later pursuing a postgraduate degree at Stanford.
However, during his first year at the California school, Ballmer received a call from Gates, who asked him to join his fledgling tech company — a position that required him to not only drop out of the college but to also relocate to Washington.
Despite his extraordinary wealth, Ballmer — who left Microsoft in 2014, the same year that he bought the L.A. Clippers — has maintained a relatively modest property portfolio, much of which is in the greater Seattle area.
Ballmer and his wife, Connie, purchased their primary residence on the Lake Washington peninsula back in 1987, paying AUD $2.14 million for the dwelling, which originally sat on 2.1 acres.
That proved to be a very savvy buy, with records indicating that the property is now worth more than 10 times that amount.
What’s more, the couple have since added to their holdings in the area, snapping up an adjacent mansion for AUD $16 million back in December 2019, according to multiple reports.
That property boasts 3,790 square feet of living space, which includes five bedrooms and four bathrooms. It was originally built in 1902 but underwent an extensive renovation in 1999, the listing indicated.
Although Ballmer’s role as owner of the Clippers means he spends much more time in Los Angeles, the property is believed to have remained his primary residence.
According to Forbes, back in 2005, Ballmer began buying up multiple properties on Whidbey Island — a popular vacation spot in the Puget Sound, north of Seattle.
At one point, it was reported that he and his wife owned 10 properties on the island — some of which featured houses, while others were just plots of land.
Per property records, there are at least two known parcels of land still registered under Ballmer’s name.
Warren Buffett: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $247 billion
Despite being one of the richest men in the world, Buffet has a property portfolio that tells a much more humbling story.
Buffet owns a Nebraska farmland property that he began investing in 1944, when he put AUD $1,900 into a 40-acre farm.
In 1958, at the age of 28, Buffet forked over AUD $56,000 for a property in Omaha, which still remains to be his primary residence.
He and his then-wife, Susan, raised their children in the five-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom home that measures 6,570 square feet.
Realtor.com estimates that the property would now be worth AUD $2.3 million.
Buffet previously revealed he couldn’t “imagine having a better house” while speaking to BBC.
The billionaire also owns farmland in South Africa and Arizona.
In 1971, the Buffets splashed out AUD $240,000 for a vacation home in Laguna Beach, CA.
The property boasts 3,588 square feet, sculpted ceilings, and recessed lighting.
It also has six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, as well as a large fireplace and sweeping ocean views.
The home sits in a gated community that has its own tennis courts and luxe pools.
Buffet even purchased the home next door and renovated it to expand his Laguna Beach portfolio.
However, he previously told the Wall Street Journal that he only bought the property because Susan liked it. So when she passed away in 2004, he decided to sell it, offloading the second property in 2005 for an undisclosed amount — and the original property for AUD $12.68 million in 2018.
Jim, Samuel, Rob, and Alice Walton: Combined net worth (per WSJ): AUD $547 billion
Sam Walton solidified his family’s wealth for generations to come when he founded Walmart in 1962.
In the next several decades, Walton secured his family’s legacy, allowing all heirs to the Walmart fortune to receive billionaire status.
The combined wealth of the Walmart heirs — which include Rob, Jim, and Alice, as well as grandson Lukas — is over AUD $690 billion.
And while some of them have continued the retailer businesses, others have poured their funds into the world of lavish real estate.
Rob made a name for himself after leading a group that was set to buy the Denver Broncos.
The group purchased the NFL team for AUD $7.47 billion in 2022, marking a record-breaking sale.
Rob has also significantly dabbled in the real estate industry, having purchased a sprawling property in Paradise Valley, AZ.
The home boasts a resort-style swimming pool, garden, and minigolf course. Paradise Valley is home to nearly 14,000 people — all with extravagant bank accounts.
The area is known for its sweeping views of Camelback Mountain and Mummy Mountain. It also offers a number of spas, resorts, and fine-dining restaurants.
Rob also owns a property in Arizona and a home in the ski resort town in Aspen, CO. The house boasts six bedrooms and six bathrooms and sprawls across 7,000 square feet. He purchased the property for AUD $10.11 million.
Alice also has a Bentonville, AR, property, which is adorned in stone and designed by Fay Jones.
All three of Sam Walton’s children have their own properties but remain extremely private, keeping the exact details of their abodes unclear.
However, it has been reported that their properties total AUD $22.5 million.
Bill Gates: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $170 billion
The 69-year-old, who currently has a net worth of AUD $266 billion, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, is certainly no stranger to luxury, having once held the title of richest man in the world.
But while his wealth has since been eclipsed by the fortunes of other tech moguls like Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg, Gates has confessed that he has no plans to cut back on the luxuries that he has become accustomed to over the years — even after his former spouse moved out of their longtime marital home.
In a wide-ranging interview with The Times, Gates candidly spoke out about his May 2021 split from Melinda, to whom he had been married for 27 years, describing the divorce as the “mistake I most regret.”
For much of their marriage, the former couple lived inside Gates’ 66,000-square-foot compound in Medina, WA, which is referred to as “Xanadu 2.0” in a reference to a fictional estate featured in the movie “Citizen Kane.”
It was here that the duo raised their three children, Phoebe, 22; Rory, 25; and Jennifer, 28, all of whom have since spread their wings and moved into their own homes.
But though the home that once served as a base for his family is no longer occupied by his children or former wife, Gates told the outlet that he can’t see himself ever moving to a smaller property, particularly given that his three kids still enjoy visiting their childhood home whenever possible.
Furthermore, the tech billionaire says he’s grown accustomed to his new life inside the walls of the property, enjoying the small freedoms that come from living alone.
“My house in Seattle, I admit, is gigantic,” he said. “My sisters have downsized. I can’t. I like the houses I have. My kids like to come back — that is a luxury. I don’t cook, I don’t make my own bed, but I don’t mind if no one has made it — I wouldn’t notice.”
The Microsoft founder purchased the expansive property in 1988 for just AUD $3.21 million and then poured an estimated AUD $101 million into renovating it, turning the home into an ultra-modern oasis fit for a tech titan.
The home is now believed to be worth an eye-watering AUD $208 million, according to Fortune.
The property features seven bedrooms, six kitchens, 24 bathrooms, and six fireplaces. It also boasts a private library and a 17-by-60-foot swimming pool that has its own underwater music system.
The 69-year-old’s opulent abode also comes complete with a theatre room, sauna, party space, steam room, separate men’s and women’s lockers, a trampoline room with a 20-foot ceiling, offices, and outdoor sports courts.
The reception hall is partially below ground and can seat 150 people for an elegant dinner or hold 200 people for a cocktail party.
And in true tech-founder fashion, the property has its very own advanced security system that can detect who is in the residence by the weight of their footsteps thanks to the pressure-sensitive floors.
It is a far cry from the humble middle-class family that Gates was brought up in — and he admits that there was a time when even he could not have foreseen the lavish lifestyle that now seems so normal to him.
Although Gates noted in the interview that he has “three houses,” he has never revealed which homes he took ownership of in his divorce settlement, other than Xanadu 2.0.
The former couple also owned multiple other properties, including one they purchased for AUD $69 million in Del Mar, CA, in 2020.
The luxurious six-bedroom, four-bathroom, 5,800-square-foot home was sold to the Gates family by Madeleine Pickens, a former wife of the billionaire oil baron T. Boone Pickens, according to the Wall Street Journal. The home originally landed on the market for AUD $77 million in January 2019.
The oceanfront property was built by the architect and designer Ken Ronchetti in 1999. According to the listing details, the house is well known as a city landmark and is considered “one of the most prominent coastal contemporary beach homes on the West Coast.”
Wide windows throughout the living spaces open to the back patio, offering a seamless flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The large patio also provides awe-inspiring vistas of the Pacific Ocean.
Rich wood ceilings throughout the home evoke the feeling of being on an island, and the gorgeous pool beckons, should the owners desire to take a break from the salty ocean water.
When not bouncing around in a trampoline room, the Gates family may want to hit the links, or at least entertain potential clients at a fancy private club in the desert.
In 1999, the billionaire plunked down AUD $20 million for a mansion in the ultra-exclusive Vintage Club in Indian Wells, CA. The posh town, known for its annual tennis tournament, sits next to La Quinta, CA — a different desert hot spot for A-listers.
Gates’ spread in the Coachella Valley sits on 1.33 acres in the guard-gated club, conveniently adjacent to a golf course designed by Tom Fazio.
The club bills itself as “one of the United States’ most prestigious and ultra-exclusive private country club communities.”
If you have to ask about the fee to join the Vintage Club, well, you know how the cliche goes. But we did learn that the initiation fee is reportedly AUD $401,000, with annual dues running AUD $54,000 for members.
Built in 1993, the Gates mansion measures in at 13,573 square feet and includes six bedrooms, along with 11 bathrooms.
Following up on his land grab in the Pacific Northwest, Gates bought up his fair share of property in the horse-loving haven of Wellington, FL. He bought a spread in the area to support his daughter Jennifer, who is a competitive show jumper.
In March 2016, he picked up a pricey property close to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for AUD $21.6 million.
The home features four bedroom suites, a 16-stall equestrian facility, plus a pool and spa. The listing details for the home played up its appeal to equine aficionados, touting it as within “walking distance to the Winter Equestrian Festival and Global Dressage Festival grounds.”
Then in May 2016, Realtor.com reported that Gates had snapped up two empty lots on the same street for AUD $8 million. At that point, Gates had bought up four of the six properties in a quiet court within the guard-gated Mallet Hill community.
However, the tech mogul might be downsizing in Florida — just a bit. He sold one of his four properties in Wellington in 2019 for AUD $14 million. And he clearly wasn’t concerned about ROI — that’s the exact price he paid in 2013 for the 7,234-square-foot home that kicked off his Wellington buying spree.
Even before Gates owned in Wellington, he seems to have spent some time in Hobe Sound, FL, about an hour to the north. In 2009, he purchased a European-style villa in the town for AUD $8 million.
According to the listing details, the nearly 10,000-square-foot mansion on 5.24 acres features 200 feet of direct Intracoastal frontage and a private yacht dock.
After the family turned their attention to Wellington, this mansion came on the market for AUD $10.6 million in 2012. It eventually sold in 2013 for AUD $8 million.
Never done with horsing around, Gates purchased another equestrian estate in 2014 for AUD $28 million. Once owned by the weight-loss guru Jenny Craig, the massive horse facility, called Rancho Paseana, totals 229 acres.
Gates intended to turn the compound into a hunting and jumping training facility for his daughter.
“The family has enjoyed visiting the San Diego area with friends and family for many years, and has purchased the Rancho Paseana property in Rancho Santa Fe,” a spokesman for the Gates family told Forbes in a statement at the time.
It looks as if the Gates’ love for the area has blossomed, with the family’s recent purchase of the Del Mar beach retreat.
The property is close to the Del Mar Race Track. Craig, the weight-loss queen, and her husband, Sid Craig, owned the ranch and an adjoining luxury estate for decades, before it made it onto the market in 2010, after Sid Craig passed away.
After initially offering it for AUD $48 million, Craig reduced the price to AUD $40 million before taking it off the market in 2012. She opted to quietly shop the property in search of a buyer who would continue to use it for horses, rather than develop the land for housing or a golf course.
The expansive space contains a main house, a three-quarter-mile racetrack, as well as four 30-stall barns and a fifth barn with 21 stalls, a veterinarian’s area, two staff apartments, and an olive orchard.
As you might imagine, when Gates hits the slopes, he prefers privacy, security, and exclusivity. He can find that at the Yellowstone Mountain Club near Big Sky, MT.
The swanky ski club just north of Yellowstone National Park includes a members-only mountain, no lines at the ski lift, and pristine powder.
To become a member (and Gates reportedly is one) requires a AUD $481,000 initiation fee and upward of AUD $59,000 a year in dues. Oh, and you must buy a home within the community.
Prices start at AUD $6.4 million for a condo and range from AUD $8 million to AUD $40 million for a single-family home.
The ski-in, ski-out dwellings include high-end features like “ski rooms with individual lockers, heated driveways, bunk rooms and AUD $8000 boot dryers,” according to The New York Times. Only members, their families, and guests can access the club, which adjoins the Gallatin National Forest.
Michael Bloomberg: Net worth (per WSJ): AUD $165 billion
Over the years, former New York City Mayor Bloomberg has amassed an incredible portfolio of wealth, including an array of lavish properties dotting the globe, from New York City to London.
A review of his properties from 2020 by Business Insider concluded that he held an approximate AUD $160 million worth of real estate. Should he still own all those same homes, the value of many of his holdings have most likely increased since then.
Bloomberg picked up a 7,000-square-foot, five-story townhouse in 1986, paying AUD $5.6 million. He then proceeded to pour another AUD $2.73 million in renovations, according to a story in the New York Times.
Built in 1899, the expansive space on the Upper East Side, close to Central Park, now has an estimated value of AUD $22 million, according to Realtor.com. While mayor, from 2002 to 2013, he opted to stay in his own swanky digs rather than relocate to Gracie Mansion.
Over the years, Bloomberg has also expanded his space: In 2016, he bought the townhouse next door for AUD $22 million, according to the New York Times. The triplex offers an additional two bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and 2,200 square feet.
However, he didn’t stop there, and has continued to buy up apartments next door as they become available in the building, in order to take down walls and expand horizontally in order to create a “double-wide” townhouse. An estimate provided by the Wall Street Journal in 2020 valued the combined townhouses somewhere north of AUD $80 million.
Now a Democrat, the public figure also picked up a condo in a Trump-owned building on Park Avenue. Known as the Mayfair Hotel, the 1925-era, 15-floor building was converted into condo units in 1997 before Bloomberg swooped in and purchased one for AUD $6 million in 2000, according to Crain’s.
The 2,200-square-foot pad is now estimated to be worth slightly more, at AUD $6.7 million.
Nearby, on East 78th Street, the philanthropist picked up yet another townhouse — this one to house his charity, Bloomberg Philanthropies. He paid AUD $72 million for the Beaux Arts building in 2006, by check, according to the New York Times.
In 2011, the former mayor reportedly picked up a 33-acre estate in Westchester County’s North Salem, in addition to a 20-acre adjacent spread.
His daughter, Georgina Bloomberg, is a professional horse jumper, philanthropist, and the owner of the equestrian team New York Empire. She keeps horses there in Westchester County and in Wellington, FL, according to her website. Her father also owns property in Wellington.
Nearby, Bloomberg also has owned property in Armonk, NY, according to the Journal — although it’s unclear if he still owns this. He purchased the place in 1993 for AUD $602,000. If he does, it’s most likely worth much more today.
Bloomberg has collected quite a few homes in New York State, including a very lavish property in the Hamptons.
According to Vanity Fair, the wheeler dealer picked up a 22,000-square-foot Georgian mansion in Southampton, NY, paying a staggering AUD $32 million in 2011.
Known as Ballyshear, the historic brick build dates to 1910. It was designed by architect F. Burrall Hoffman, who built the mansion for Charles Blair Macdonald, known for building the country’s first 18-hole course, according to the New York Post.
The 35-acre spread boasts an 11-bedroom main house, a pool, tennis court, equestrian facilities, and a golf course.
Overseas, Bloomberg has also made inroads. He is reported to own an apartment in London, along with a AUD $40 million mansion in the tony area of Chelsea. He purchased the pad in 2015, the New York Times reported at the time.
The elegant, seven-bedroom, 18th-century estate was once the home of famed novelist George Eliot and is located on a street where Mick Jagger once called home. The elaborate brick abode includes a 91-foot-long rear garden, three-car garage, and views of the Thames River.
The Anglophile was once married to Susan Brown, who is British. The two, who have two children together, divorced in 1993.
However, the former New York City mayor has spent time in London and was even made an honorary knight by Queen Elizabeth II.
And when he wants to hit the slopes, Bloomberg can head to his four-bedroom, top-floor unit at the Mountain Haus ski resort in Vail, CO, a hotel-like condo with perks that include maid service and mountain views.
The former mayor also used to jet down to his island escape in Bermuda on weekends.
According to Vanity Fair, the tycoon bought a waterfront property in Tucker’s Town in the late 1990s and tore down the existing home, replacing it with a AUD $16 million megamansion and pool, near a golf course. It’s said to have its own beach.
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