This doesn't really fall under "US housing market"  but i thought it was worth reading....

Home prices are falling, people are getting foreclosed on. That's your world.

Then there's how the other 1/10th of one percent live. Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has reportedly just bought the world's most expensive house. The 41-year-old oil mogul has--according to The National Post--put down, gulp, $500 million for a home in the French Riviera. A half. Billion. Dollars. For a house.

The home is called La Leopolda, apparently built by Belgium's King Leopold for his mistresses, but past owners include Bill Gates (wow, that's kind of going from one extreme to another--love lair to, well, Bill Gates' house). Abramovich also owns a $30 million home nearby. La Leopolda sits on ten acres and has the best views in Southern France. The Russian, who also owns the Chelsea Football Club, reportedly decided to buy the house after a private tour he took with his 25-year-old girlfriend. IMAGINE BEING THE GIRLFRIEND!!

Sounds like Abramovich paid cash for the villa, but if he had gotten a regular 80% mortgage, monthly payments would top $3 million, though I doubt the loan could be resold to Fannie and Freddie.

Source: nationalpress.com

THE TAXES ON THIS PLACE MUST BE OUTRAGEOUS.  IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL BUT WE COULD PROBABLY ALL CHIP IN TOGETHER AND STILL COME UP SHORT.  IMAGINE THE ELECTRIC BILLS.  NOT TOO MENTION EVERYTHING ELSE.  WE PROBABLY COULDN'T PAY FOR A WEEK OF RENT IN THIS PLACE BUT I WOULD LOVE TO IF I HAD THE CHANCE.  MY GRANDKIDS COULD RUN FROM ROOM TO ROOM AND NEVER RUN OUT OF SPACE.  HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY.

wss is giving this house away as the grand prize in the next game. lets see how long it takes to collect this prize  hehehe

YOU ARE SO FUNNY PETERGUN.  HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.

and here some people are struggling to keep their 100k home, that is just crazy, beautiful place but still crazy 

 It's not so crazy for the 25 year old girl friend, boy did she ever hit the jack pot of sugar daddys.

petergun1962:

wss is giving this house away as the grand prize in the next game. lets see how long it takes to collect this prize  hehehe

LoL.. Sweet! I'll be studying the markets a lot more closely from now on!  Isn't there a guy in India with a more expensive house? Or at least isn't it being built? 

I'm looking into getting an oil well for my back yard so maybe I can get a house like that someday.

wow