Got $2 million? Want a Cool Place to Crash?
Do you ever fake house shop for fun? We do. Some times, we want to see how much house we could have for the same price in a different town. (Nerd Wallet's Cost of Living Calculator is a really fun way to compare how you would live on the same income in two different cities.) Occasionally, we don't want to browse what we can afford, we want to see what we could have if we had a lot of cash to drop on a house. Today, we gave ourselves $2 million dollars.
Here's what we found:
- A mansion in Henderson, Nevada. This Seven Hills luxury estate home, 1356 Opal Valley Street, offered for $1,999,990, has five bedrooms and five and a half baths. Your new home boasts a breathtaking entrance, as well as spectacular views of golf, water, and the Strip, just so you don't forget you're in Vegas, baby! The master bedroom is described as a "master retreat," because it has a sitting area, a super fancy fireplace, a jetted tub and steam shower, and "stunning hardwood flooring." But we haven't mentioned the best part, worth at least $500,000 on its own...a crazy enormous two story closet! This is more than a closet, it's a private hideaway, and we want one. They call it a walk-in closet, but we call it a live-in closet, for a family of four. With pets.
- A Condo in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York. This 2,400 quare foot home in a lovely area of Brooklyn, located at 345 Carroll Street, with two bedrooms and two and a half baths, is a dream come true for someone who wants to live in a great, established neighborhood, and enjoy all the luxury amenities a newer building has to offer. There are towel warmers and radiant heat floors in the bathroom, doorman and porter services, oversized windows with operable casements, stained rift and quartered white oak floors, and nine foot ceilings, but that's not all! There's a 5,300 shared courtyard with a bocce court. So many meet-cute opportunities! Go ahead and learn how to make a perfect aperol spritz now, so you can offer one to your future partner when you accidentally hurl a bocce ball their way. Isn't meeting the person you'll spend the rest of your life with worth $2,095,000? Bocce balls may not be included, but you should be able to pick up a set for a reasonable price.
- Bigger mansion in Minnesota. If 6,400 square feet in Nevada isn't big enough for you, how about more than 11,000 square feet in Minnesota? This luxury estate in North Oaks has five bedrooms and, somewhat inexplicably, 10 baths. Living here will solve all your major problems, including, "My current rec room isn't big enough for a pool table and ping pong. And a few arcade games. And I need a movie viewing room." Solved! Or, "I hate not having a whole room for booze." You have one now! Or, the absolute worst, "I have 14 fairly large sofas, and they won't all fit in my house. Also, I'm thinking of buying two or three more." You have plenty of room now. Seriously, we'll be dreaming of this one, and all the amazing house parties and family reunions we would host there, for a good long while. Take a look at the pictures of this dream house. All that space for $1,999,000.
- Modern luxury on the water in Miami Beach. This renovated four bedroom, three and a half bath home on on Biscayne Point is exactly what we thought our place in Miami Beach would be, but all grown up. It has the sophistication of a home built in 1953 (which it was), with all the modern details we love, like walk-in closets, a sleek, airy, marble accented kitchen, and light Porcelain flooring. The master suite offers access to the backyard, with 60 feet on the water and a private dock. Where we can probably be found sunbathing with one of the guys from Miami Vice, or both of them, or their current equivalents, if they aren't available. or maybe you'll find us by the pool, popping into the kitchen every so often for a fresh cucumber juice or some cool towels. At just over 2700 square feet, this house is smaller than the others in our imaginary price range, but we don't mind, because the inside space is open and we'll be outside by the water most of the time anyway. Who wants to go shopping for swimwear? And at least one lightweight, handsewn caftan, in case we have to answer the door? You'll have cash to spare for shopping after spending just $1,925,000 on this one.
So, what would you buy with $2,000,000? As we learned, there are a lot of choices out there!