Ever Wondered what type of Home $1,000,000.00 can Buy around the World ?

Ever Wondered what a Million Dollars Can Buy Around the World ?

Check out these homes around the globe! An 8 bedroom mansion in Johannesburg versus a 794sqft. New York apartment, to a 6,000 foot sprawling home in New Orleans…

How would you chose to spend $1,000,000 for your home ?

San Francisco

$989,000

In addition to its trendy location, this one-bedroom converted loft offers stylish ebony floors, high ceilings and professional grade appliances. And thanks to its concrete columns and industrial warehouse-style windows, it hasn’t lost its historic appeal. What’s more, the property features both a roof deck and a one-car garage.

Rome

$1 million

Boasting beamed wooden ceilings, a living room, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, this restored apartment is on the third floor of the medieval building, pictured, in Via San Cosimato, which is close to the Piazza San Maria in Trastevere.

 

Johannesburg, South Africa

$1 million

This contemporary masterpiece boasts four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, as well as a massive chef’s kitchen and expansive, covered patio for outdoor entertaining. Health nuts will find much to keep them occupied in the gym room while the busy executive can hunker down in the home office.

 

Sydney

$1.15 million

Designed to take advantage of its position on Sydney Harbor, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment has expansive views from its north-facing balcony. Set in the Jacksons Landing waterfront, the apartment has a gourmet kitchen with marble floors and stainless steel appliances, two parking spaces, walk-in closets in all bedrooms and access to tennis courts, a pool, a gym and nearby harborside parks.

 

Tokyo

$1.1 million

This 1,700-square-foot, four-bedroom home is located in the Megoro-Ku section of the city, which offers fine dining and shopping, as well as quiet residential areas. It has parking for two cars and a traditional Tatami, or meditation, room.

 

Toronto

$1.2 million

A two-bedroom, three-bathroom condo is one of 45 custom-designed apartment in this elegant building that offers residents an indoor pool and fitness center, formal gardens, a billiards room and a library that can be used for entertaining.

 

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

$975,000

Located just a few minutes from Georgetown in the South Sound area, this punchy, 3,500-square-foot property offers four bedrooms and bathrooms, hard-wood floors, custom cabinetry and a separate, two-car garage with guest room. There is also a deck for entertaining guests and an in-ground, stone-walled pool for staying cool.

New York

$1.05 million

Though only 794 square feet, this midtown apartment has sweeping views of downtown Manhattan, the Hudson River and the Statue of Liberty through its floor-to-ceiling windows.  The one-bedroom, one-bathroom space is in the Orion building, which has a health club, 60-foot lap pool, Jacuzzis, saunas, a screening room, onsite concierge service and free breakfast for residents.

New Orleans

$995,000

Tucked away under centuries-old live oaks, the Neo-classical, seven-bedroom, six-bathroom home boasts two parlors, a formal dining room, den and kitchen with ornate plaster moldings and hardwood floors throughout. There is almost 6,000 square feet of living space, and an additional 4,728 square feet of exterior property.

Atlanta

$1.05 million

A million dollars will get you far in Atlanta. This two-story brick manse has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, three fireplaces and a gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances. The interior boasts 10-foot ceilings, and the master bathroom includes both a garden tub and whirlpool. Outside, the property rests on a third of an acre and has a three-car garage and a backyard deck. 

Buenos Aires, Argentina

$1.1 million

This 7,500-square-foot home on just over one-half acre features four bedrooms, including a master suite with a dressing room and a bathroom with a whirlpool tub. The garden boasts a large veranda, in-ground pool and covered barbeque area. 

 

Chicago

$1.095 million

Located in the historic Lakewood/Balmoral neighborhood of Chicago, this recently renovated townhome includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The large downstairs family room opens to a cedar deck and backyard with a gas barbeque hookup and a two-car garage. The kitchen has professional appliances and the entire first floor has been outfitted with radiant heat to offset those cold Windy City winters

San Jose de Pinilla, Costa Rica

$1 million

This Spanish Colonial-inspired home sits on a half-acre within the Reserva de Golf beach community in the Guanacaste region of the country. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a solarium and spacious kitchen as well as maid’s and guest rooms and an outdoor pool.

Dublin

$995,000

Close to the villages of Dundrum and Clonskeagh, as well as the University College Dublin, this three-bedroom, two-bathroom home on a cul-de-sac in Dublin 14 gets plenty of sunlight and boasts a backyard garden. The kitchen is washing machine and dishwasher-ready and features oak cabinetry. 

 

Bermuda

$975,000

Since most real estate on this Atlantic Ocean island is reserved for native Bermudans, property is a very limited commodity. But for about a million dollars, non-natives can get this 1,200-square-foot one-story house with a separate apartment in the city of Hamilton. Situated on a hill, it offers panoramic overland views of the island, which can be enjoyed from the landscaped yard or front patio.

 

London

$1 million

The dollar may be weak compared with the pound, but with a million of them, you can buy a two-bedroom, one-bathroom, second-floor apartment in this stately Victorian building in Belsize Village, a neighborhood filled with restaurants and shops just northwest of downtown London.

Los Angeles

$1.07 million

Built in 1891, this Queen Anne Victorian is a California historical cultural landmark dubbed the Ernest Wood House. Three stories, with wood-carved stairway railings, the 2,880-square-foot home has five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, hardwood floors, a formal dining room and five fireplaces. Outside, a covered wrap-around porch looks out on the landscaped yards and gardens of this 13,000-square-foot lot, which includes a backyard gazebo.

Paris

$1 million

Located in the 20th arrondissement of Nation, this three-level townhouse on a quiet lane features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, living and dining rooms and a study, which faces a 260-square-foot private garden. There is also a wine cellar for oenophiles to store their Loire Valley bottles.

 

Calgary

$1 million

Located just outside of Calgary in Cochrane Lakes, this 5 bedroom, 5 bathroom home backing directly onto the lake, features a custom kitchen complete with granite, custom cabinetry, top of the line appliances as well as a walkout basement featuring a theatre room, exercise room, entertainment area and roughed in wet bar. 

Hardwood floors throughout the main level & up the feature set of stairs, leads you into the spectacular oversized home office overlooking the lake and mountains from the second story.

For sale now by appointment, 403 970 5397.

10 Reasons to Care About Affordable Housing

Even if you can afford your own housing, the lack of affordable housing in the city affects you. Here’s how...

• Without enough affordable housing, those in the non-profit sector, education, healthcare, childcare and the arts become the working poor.

“High prices lock out teachers, nurses, mechanics, social workers and many others who are essential to a successful, vibrant city,” says Sharon McCormick, executive director of Attainable Homes Calgary Corporation.

• High housing prices make entrepreneurs risk-averse — taking away from innovation and competition in our small businesses.

Any successful entrepreneur is aware of the financial challenges associated with getting a business up and off the ground, says Carolyn Davis, associated manager of development at Momentum, a local organization working with Calgarians to develop productive futures.

“Without affordable housing options, many of these would-be entrepreneurs are forced to stick to safe choices,” she says. “And that means we miss out on the tremendous economic value that would be created over time. Because rent is so high, making ends meet today is too much of a burden, so [those businesses] never happen.”

• Without affordable housing, newcomers are deterred from coming to Calgary.

“[Housing costs] impact our ability to attract people from different parts of the country, as well as people from other parts of the world,” says Elsbeth Mehrer, manager of Workforce Development with Calgary Economic Development. “If we have people looking to settle here, we want to make sure that there is a continuum of housing available.” The goal is to ensure that there is housing in the city that is affordable at all the available wages offered.

• When housing prices are too high, society’s most vulnerable are forced to choose between basic necessities like food, security, shelter and transportation.

“When housing is expensive, it takes a higher percentage of income or earnings and, as a result, people are left with really tough choices,” says Dan Meades, executive director of Vibrant Communities Calgary. “Because they are spending so much on housing, they can’t afford all basic needs and, as a result, face some unfair choices between, for example, food for the kids and transportation to work.”

• An insufficient amount of affordable housing encourages people to accumulate debt, which can spiral quickly out of control.

Davis relates this point to the bigger issue of financial literacy. “Consumer debt levels are at a record high, but the majority of Albertans don’t have a budget,” she says. “When the bumps in the road arrive, families are not equipped with the skills to budget and refinance … And that puts our entire population potentially at risk for homelessness.”

• Without affordable housing options across the city, people are further from social resources, community support and work.

While some areas of the city are more affordable than others, not having affordable housing options across the city means that the cost is shifted from shelter to transportation — which is both expensive and time-consuming.

“You want to have that mix within communities so people have an opportunity to live and work in the same community. Or, so that someone who may be renting now and has developed support and social networks can remain in or near that community when they purchase a home,” says McCormick.

• Without access to affordable housing, women in abusive relationships are forced to stay in them for shelter.

“The lack of affordable housing or housing options for women is a huge barrier,” says Cynthia Wild, associate director of quality assurance at the YWCA of Calgary. “Women get paid less than men and many women, those who are not working, or those who are immigrants and who are maybe sponsored … they’re just so economically vulnerable that they do return [to abusive relationships] for shelter.”

While emergency shelters provide some time for women to get their feet under them, often it is not enough time and there is not enough room. The YWCA Mary Dover House is an 86-bed facility that provides emergency shelter and transitional housing for women and children. Last year, it served 339 women, but turned away 778 because there wasn’t enough space. If they can’t stay at shelters, women will couch-surf with friends and family until they aren’t welcome any more. Without a network of friends and family they will then choose to stay in or return to an abusive relationship because they have nowhere else to go.

• Without affordable housing, low-income earners are one paycheck away from being homeless.

“People are getting by, but because their housing is eating up such a large part of their income, they are not able to save for a rainy day,” says Michael Classens, strategy lead for the Poverty Reduction Coalition with the United Way. “Basically, it’s difficult to build stability and resiliency against their brushes with poverty.”

• The cost to society for affordable housing is less than the cost of homelessness.

“If we are making the choice of having a family move from being in stable housing to being homeless, the cost of that to society is huge. The other side of that coin is families that are living in safe, stable housing are much better able to contribute to society,” says Davis. In addition, the average homeless person uses $135,000 of public and private funding in health care and judicial and correctional services, while the average housed person uses $2,571 of health care and very little if any judicial or correctional services.

• Affordable housing is a major piece of the complex jigsaw puzzle of poverty

“Affordable housing is one piece of this really big thing,” says Meades. “Poverty is really a complex problem that naturally requires a complex solution. Our efforts will never be completely successful unless we’re looking at solving the whole puzzle, of which housing is one among many pieces.”

Avenue Calgary Magazine