$250 Million for 'Innovative Contemporary Estate'

The international press is gaga for that house at 924 Bel Air Road for its record-breaking asking price as well as the furnishings that come included in the hefty price tag. The latter consists of a deactivated helicopter that was used on TV series Airwolf, an estimated $30 million in classic cars, a dozen motorcycles, and 150 pieces of original artwork. The mansion has 12 bedrooms, 21 baths, a 40-seat movie theater, and a four-lane bowling alley.

With its asking price of $250 million, the 38,000-sf mansion equates to $6,500 per square foot. By comparison, Makowsky's most expensive sale to date was a 22,300-sf mansion in Beverly Hills going for $70 million, or approximately $3,100 per square foot. Yet as Bloomberg reports, that house was originally listed for $85 million. With a drop of 17.5% for that sale, it won't be surprising if the $250 million Bel Air mansion eventually goes for $200 million or less.

To read Makowsky's description of the house is to hear it in the voice of Donald J. Trump, such is the boastful enthusiasm of the words, complete with multiple exclamation points:

The goal with "Billionaire" was simple; every inch of the property in the home had to be innovative, flawless, and meticulously curated. ... To keep in line with my mission, I traveled the globe and secured the richest materials the world had to offer, taking it upon myself to personally organize each and every detail. ... The house succeeds in transcending the bounds of the typical home, and dually functioning as a multi-sensory, all-powerful experience for all who enter it. ... [It is] a mind-blowing voyage of all your senses, simply the best new and innovative contemporary estate in the world!!!

Curiously, the developer and none of the press coverage mentions the architect responsible for the "innovative contemporary estate." Some of the building permits for the property list Roman James Design Build, which bills itself as "the ultimate tri-fecta in the industry [that] designs and oversees all architecture, floor plans, exterior elevations, permits and engineering, interior design, pool and landscape." The firm was responsible for the design and build of Makowsky's $70 million mansion in Beverly Hills, so it's safe to assume they did the same at 924 Bel Air Road. (It's impossible to confirm from their website, though, since it has not been updated since the Beverly Hills project, but a correspondence with the firm did confirm their involvement.)

One thing the potential buyer of 924 Bel Air Road will not get much of is land. Although billed as an "estate," the house fills most of the property that is just over one acre. Such are the land prices in what Makowsky calls the "platinum triangle" of Beverly Hills, Holmby Hills, and Bel Air that is "home to the most affluent people in the world, from Captains of industry to the Hollywood elite." The triangle should be getting one more billionaire in the foreseeable future – and plenty more press when the deal is done.