HotPads Daily :: The Official Blog of HotPads.com

Own a Piece of '80s History!

Few movies epitomize the 1980s like Ferris Bueller's Day Off.  And now you can own a piece of the movie that has maintained it's cult classic status for over two dozen years!  

Cameron's house is up for sale for $2.3 million... the same one that housed the 1961 Ferrari 250GT California that Cameron's dad spent three years restoring, and Ferris Bueller spent one day destroying.

Even if it wasn't for the movie, this property designed by A. James Speyer and David Haid is noteworthy.  The simplicity of the design and the way it is fully integrated into its surroundings truly is remarkable.

Inside, the open floor plan and incredible floor-to-ceiling windows present an airiness that is unparalleled, as you are inside, while surrounded by nature.

See the whole listing in Highland Park, IL here.  

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Hot Pads: A Favorite Revisited

I've previously talked about this property in Laguna Beach and how well they showcased their magnificent ocean views.  (Here's a refresher)

Well, I just stumbled upon the listing again, and they added even more pictures of the INSIDE of the house and I fell in love with it all over again.  How cool is the decor in this house?  

Funky Kitchen: I love these chairs and the circular table with the accent rug. 

Awesome Sitting Area: Can't you imagine checking out the views on this cool sofa?

(Here's a view from the window side)

Bedroom: This is what really captured my attention.  Have you ever seen a bedroom like this?  

(Even the show on the flatscreen TV is awesome!)

See more homes for sale on HotPads!

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Hot Pad: The Star Trek Edition

I will admit it, I saw Star Trek this weekend.  It was a tough decision because I really enjoyed the fact that I had never seen a Star Trek episode or Star Wars movie in my life and didn't understand any of the references people made from them.  But, in the end, peer pressure won and I ended up going.  Surprisingly, I actually thought that the movie was awesome.  (I even put the obscure movie series called "Star Wars" on my Netflix queue.)

The only problem is that, now, everything keeps reminding me of Star Wars and outer space stations, including this house:

Case in point: living pods! 

Cool Eating and dining area: 

Bathrooms (check out the tubs)!

Even the stairs are awesome!

To see more of this futuristic mansion in Miami Beach, click here: 10 Br/ 13.5 20,000 sq ft home

Live long and prosper.

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Live in a Converted Synagogue!

There are tons of unique homes for sale on HotPads, that's no secret. But some just have the ability to really WOW you, like this one.

Now, I've seen homes on HotPads in converted churches (where the kitchen was where the altar was), but this is a first for me: a mansion in a synagogue!

This Miami Beach home, aptly named "The Temple House" is spacious beyond belief and so modern that I would never have guessed it's prior use!  Claiming to be the largest home on South Beach, this 16,000 square foot mansion is truly one of a kind!

Look how clean and modern this living room/entry room is:

There are 30 foot high ceilings throughout much of the house, and you can see how the dramatic architecture really brings out the design of this ultra contemporary mansion!

The designers of this home surely do not shy away from being unique.  Take a look at the sculpture of Buddha and the lounges!

  

Not everything is stark white though, this 6,000 square foot loft area (seen from below in the 2nd picture) even feels cozy and homey.

And when you just want to enjoy the South Beach weather, you can always enjoy the 2,500 + square foot outdoor terrace.  (And the rooftop swimming pool is currently under construction!)

Check out the rest of the listing here: 5 bedroom/ 6 bath home

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When Furniture Doesn't Stand a Chance...

Every so often, someone will email me a listing with a message that is just too perfect to change before sharing on the blog.  This is one of those times:

"Furniture really doesn't do this view justice"

Check out the rest of this 4 bedroom, 2141 square foot property set on a secluded 8 acres in Hanalei, HI.  

Can't afford this property?  That's ok.  We have some great vacation rentals in Hawaii too!

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Live Like a King!

Do you desire a home that is fit for a king?  Do you believe that you should be treated like a queen?  Are you not really royalty and must instead purchase a castle of your own?  Well, if you answered "yes" to any of those questions, do we have the property for you! The Belcourt Castle!  

Just picture a day in this historic home in Newport, RI

Sitting on 3.2 acres, this 50,000 square foot castle leaves little to be desired, so you invite a few close friends over to enjoy the beautifully manicured lawn area.

Then, when you and your guests are done enjoying the great outdoors, you retire to your living room to enjoy some cocktails and hors d'oeuvres by the massive fireplace.

And then the dinner bell rings, so you convene in the formal dining room, where there is enough seating for...well, everyone!

After a great dinner, you say goodbye to your guests and are just so exhausted you fall into bed without even bothering to turn off your gold-plated chandelier.

If this sounds like the place for you, check out the full listing of this 10 bedroom, 11 bathroom home for sale.

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HotPads Wins People's Voice Webby!

We here at HotPads are thrilled to hear that we won the Webby People's Voice Award in the Real Estate category for the 13th Annual Webby Awards!

According to their site, more than 500,000 votes were cast in the People's Voice Awards, making this year the biggest year for the Webbies!  Thank you to everyone who took the time to share the love for HotPads by voting!  Just being nominated is a huge honor, so we'd obviously like to congratulate the rest of the category:

*Big congrats to Trulia for getting the nod and taking home the Webby Award for Real Estate!  

If you have any suggestions for our 5 word acceptance speech, leave them in the comments section!

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CoRe #140- The Pirate Edition

Arrr, hello and welcome to this week's edition o' the Carnival of Real Estate- the Pirate Edition.  Aye. (For no real reason).  We had a great time hostin' & it was certainly a challenge whittlin' over 40 entries down and selectin' these top winners.  Aye.  But, take a look at the articles below, the best o' the best, off the starboard bow! 

Blackbeard:  GeekMBA360 presents Real Estate Options 101 - For the Unemployed posted at GeekMBA360.  This is a timely piece on what to do in the unfortunate event that you find yourself unemployed and having trouble paying your mortgage.

Mary Read: Madison presents Closing on Our First Rental Property posted at My Dollar Plan. This is an interesting article by someone who is just getting into Real Estate investing. It will be great to hear the progress and experiences later on.

Calico Rackham Jack: Joshua Dorkin's article, How To Find The Time To Do These 10 Crucial Real Estate Marketing Activities posted at Real Estate Dispatch. I like his "stop making excuses" mentality.

Anne Bonny:  Verna Morris presents The Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Using Twitter + 10 Essential Resources posted at Real Estate Agent Database Blog.  This is a great beginners guide for using Twitter as a real estate professional.  (Follow HotPads on Twitter!)

Bartholomew Roberts: Luke presents The 5 Don'ts of Home Buying posted at Frugal Real Estate.  This is a nice article for those without much experience at looking at homes and also great advice for real estate professionals to share with their clients when showing them new homes for sale.

Samuel Bellamy: Patrick Duffy presents The future of new housing is green posted at Housing Chronicles, saying, "With increasing consumer sensitivity towards sustainability and a higher awareness among home builders that energy-efficient homes can boost both absorption rates and profits, building green homes will likely become the most important trend this industry has seen in a generation."

Jack Sparrow:  Silicon Valley Blogger presents Trade Your Home Through A Home Swapping Service posted at The Digerati Life.  This is a new one for us here at HotPads... I've heard of housing swaps for vacations, but never straight up home trades!

Captain Hook: Ken Brand presents I Quit. You Should Quit Too. Addition By Subtraction. posted at Real Estate Magazine - Real Estate Opinion Column - AgentGenius, pointing out some times when quitting is actually the best thing you can do for your business.

Flora Burn: Claudia Gonella presents 16 insider tips to investing in real estate in Central America posted at Real estate investing in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize.  Many of her tips carry over from just Central America to be relevant to all those investing in international real estate.

Arr, thanks for stopping by HotPads Daily!  If you warn't featured this week, don't worry, you can always submit your blog article t' the next edition of carnival of real estate usin' our carnival submission form!

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