A new year is almost upon us—and with it, another 12 months of rising home prices, according to the Realtor.com® 2025 housing forecast.

Though properties across the country might continue to see their value soar, it remains to be seen whether any home will manage to top 2024’s most expensive sale, a record-breaking $210 million deal that saw Oakley founder James Jannard offloading his jaw-dropping 9.5-acre Malibu, CA, spread for far more than a pretty penny.

The off-market deal, which was shrouded in secrecy, its buyer hidden behind an LLC, set a new record for the priciest home ever sold in the state of California—and saw the property smash its way to the top of the year’s most expensive home sales.

Though mighty, the deal was one of four home sales to soar into the nine-digit price range during the past 12 months, while a staggering 13 properties managed to snag offers of $70 million or more, according to Realtor.com data.

Among those were a private island in Florida and a bluffside megamansion that was sold by none other than comedian-turned-property mogul Ellen DeGeneres, who made many a real estate wave this year with her incredible investments and sales.

Several of this year’s priciest home sales had some serious star power behind them, with Laurene Powell Jobs snapping up one of the properties, while Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought another—helping to make the past 12 months one of the most extravagant periods in market history.

In fact, the top 10 most expensive home sales of 2024 came in at a total of $1.2 billion, topping 2023’s figure by just hundreds of thousands of dollars.

With house prices continuing to rise and the market set for much more balance in 2025, only time will tell whether the next 12 months will manage to ascend past that sky-high figure.

With dozens of properties currently on the market for more than $100 million, there’s certainly plenty of opportunity for more record-breaking deals in the coming weeks and months.

There is a sprawling Florida mansion that is on the market for $295 million—despite sitting in a flood zone—and that home would become one of the most expensive properties to ever be sold in the U.S. if, of course, it can find a buyer willing to fork out that big chunk of change.

2024’s most expensive home sales

10. Jeff Bezos’ latest ‘billionaire bunker’ abode

Price: $87 million 

Month sold: April 

The Amazon CEO made headlines in April when he snapped up a third property on Miami’s Indian Creek island, which is widely known as the “billionaire bunker” thanks to the extraordinarily high net worths of its privileged residents.

The property, which boasts six bedrooms and nine bathrooms, sits on a 1.84-acre lot with staggering views of the Biscayne Bay.

Bezos’ purchase adds yet another mighty mansion to his extensive real estate empire, much of which is located in the ultraexclusive enclave. It is also evidence of the world’s second-richest man cementing his status as a Florida resident, months after he announced his move from his longtime Washington home.

The businessman is understood to have purchased the latest property to serve as a temporary residence for himself and his fiancee, Lauren Sanchez, while renovation work is completed on the other two homes that he owns on the island.

Those properties are believed to have cost Bezos $68 million and $79 million, respectively.

9. Coupon king offloads staggering Los Angeles spread

Price: $92.8 million 

Month sold: September 

George Ruan, founder of the online discount company Honey, earned his spot on the list when he offloaded an ultramodern Bel-Air mansion just a few months before the end of the year, proving that Los Angeles’ mansion tax has not put a stop to all of the city’s most extravagant sales.

Initially, it was reported that the anonymous buyer had paid $112 million for the nine-bedroom megamansion. However, records indicate that it was just under $100 million.

While that price is still incredibly hefty, it is a significant discount from the $150 million the property was first listed for in 2022.

And it is an even bigger markup from the $60 million Ruan paid in 2012, when it was largely unfinished. He spent the next few years transforming the property into an incredibly chic abode fit for even the most discerning of multimillionaires.

8. Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve Jobs, snaps up another Malibu estate

Price: $94 million 

Month sold: June 

Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs, has made no secret of her love for Malibu—but had there been any questions about her commitment to the celebrity-packed neighborhood, she put them to bed when she purchased her fourth home there.

This beachfront parcel in the tony enclave west of Los Angeles joins the three other adjacent properties the billionaire has purchased over the past decade, which total close to $80 million in value for the land alone.

Those earlier purchases reportedly included a 3-acre $44 million property in 2015, an adjoining home in 2017 for $16.5 million, and a $17.5 million dwelling in 2021.

Her fourth home in the area offers 6,300 square feet of living space with eight bedrooms and six bathrooms. It was originally built in 1956, and recent Google Maps imagery indicates that Powell Jobs may well be carrying out extensive renovations on the home.

Powell Jobs, 60, reportedly owns several homes as well in Los Altos, a pied-à-terre in San Francisco, and several properties in Florida. She manages the Steve Jobs Trust and is the founder and chair of the Emerson Collective.

7. Ellen DeGeneres’ Carpinteria megamansion

Price: $96 million 

Month sold: August 

DeGeneres may have ended her on-screen career—but her lucrative side hustle as a real estate investor reached new heights in 2024, when she sold a Carpinteria estate for close to $100 million. It was one of the most expensive homes she had ever sold.

The 66-year-old comedian purchased the sprawling estate in two parts in 2022.

First, she and wife Portia de Rossi, 51, snapped up the main property—a five-bedroom, eight-bathroom Tuscan-style mansion on 3.44 acres—for $41.7 million.

They then paid $28.2 million for an adjacent 6.58-acre plot to create a jaw-dropping 10-acre estate atop a bluff overlooking the ocean, according to the New York Post.

At the time, the sale was reportedly the most expensive real estate deal ever closed in Santa Barbara County.

However, as she has done with many of her property purchases over the years, DeGeneres decided to part ways with the entire spread just two years after snapping it up—perhaps in preparation for her recent relocation to the U.K. with her spouse.

According to multiple reports, DeGeneres, who has an estimated net worth of $450 million, and de Rossi have found themselves a new home in the Cotswolds, a charming region two hours from London.

6. Casino mogul makes Aspen history with mansion purchase

Price: $108 million 

Month sold: April 

Adding to the extraordinary number of record-breaking home sales to have taken place in 2024 is a staggering Aspen mansion that was sold by former professional hockey player Patrick Dovigi for close to $110 million. It was the priciest property to have sold in the state of Colorado.

According to multiple reports, the 4.5-acre compound was purchased by Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn and financier Thomas Peterffy—although little is known about why the two decided to go in together on the deal.

The sale is a worthy feat for Aspen, a town that has exploded in popularity (and price) in recent years. The town’s picture-perfect resort attracts wealthy skiing fanatics, which drives up home prices in the process.

The mansion’s massive 22,405 square feet of living space includes 11 bedrooms and 13.5 bathrooms. It had also been recently renovated by Dovigi and his wife after they bought it for $72.5 million in 2021.

5. Sky-high New York City condo

Price: $115 million 

Month sold: June

The “masterpiece” duplex penthouse apartment in the wildly lavish Central Park Tower boasts a level of luxury that few abodes can ever hope to offer, not least its staggering views of Manhattan and beyond.

“This duplex penthouse at Central Park Tower is amongst the most stunning residences in the world,” according to the online description. “This home is spellbinding from sunrise to sunset, in every direction.

“A feat of architecture and engineering, this residence spans 12,557 square feet, features two terraces, and seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and two powder rooms.”

Spanning the 107th and 108th floors, the dwelling would certainly not be suitable for those afraid of heights—nor those without the deepest of pockets.

However, for the buyer lucky enough to have afforded the apartment, there is plenty for them to enjoy, including an observatory suite, a library, a chef’s kitchen, and a private elevator.

4. Record-breaking Manhattan penthouse

Price: $135 million 

Month sold: July 

Located in the extraordinarily extravagant Aman Hotel, this incredible five-story penthouse became the priciest property to change hands in Manhattan when it sold for $135 million in an off-market deal in July.

The 12,536-square-foot sky-high mansion was reportedly sold to the building’s developer, Vladimir Doronin, and it is understood to have been purchased by the real estate mogul as a “white box,” meaning that it effectively serves as a blank canvas for future renovations.

However, its location alone is enough to have added several million dollars to its price tag. Sitting high above the Manhattan city skyline, the penthouse occupies floors 22 through 26 in the historic Crown Building, which sits atop the main Aman Hotel.

“The $135 million sale of the Penthouse at Aman New York underscores the desirability and appeal of Aman and the iconic Crown Building,” a spokesperson for the building’s development company, OKO Group, told Mansion Global at the time of the sale.

“We continue to entertain significant demand for Aman New York’s residences, even as the building’s units are fully committed.”

3. Oceanfront escape in Florida

Price: $148 million 

Month sold: June

While the name of the property buyer—Daren Metropoulos—might not mean anything to the majority of people, the incredible trophy homes in his real estate portfolio most certainly will.

In the past 18 years, the 41-year-old son of a private equity billionaire has spent around $326 million buying up iconic, and arguably priceless, properties. They include Hugh Hefner‘s Playboy Mansion in L.A., a “hurricane-proof” bunker mansion in Miami Beach, FL, and this $148 million “architectural gem” in Palm Beach, FL.

The six-bedroom, 5.5-bathroom oceanfront dwelling known as Casa Amado is one of the most historically significant homes in the Palm Beach area. After Metropoulos’ purchase, it also became one of the neighborhood’s priciest abodes.

It was designed and built by Addison Mizner in 1919 for socialite Charles Gunn. During the Gilded Age, Gunn was widely known as “Mr. Palm Beach.”

In 2003, it changed hands for $12.1 million. It would be purchased 21 years later by Metropoulos.

2. Private island serves as a Palm Beach paradise

Price: $152 million 

Month sold: May

A private island escape in Florida may well have fallen short of the top spot on the list—but it is certainly nothing to turn your nose at.

The 2-acre property sits just off Palm Beach and is home to an incredibly lavish 11-bedroom, 15-bathroom primary residence that spans 21,400 square feet. It was meticulously renovated before its sale.

Real estate developer Todd Michael Glaser offloaded the property for quite an impressive profit, having purchased it for $85 million in 2021. Though he almost doubled his money with the sale of the ultraexclusive isle, known as Tarpon Island, he failed to achieve the lofty goal he initially set when it was first listed.

That goal? $187.5 million.

Some might say that the buyer snagged a very impressive discount, considering the many amenities that the island houses, from a lighted tennis court and cold plunge pool to two private docks and a pool with a hot tub.

A loggia with an outdoor kitchen, fireplace, and pool bar offers spectacular water views.

1. Oakley founder James Jannard’s record-breaking Malibu mansion

Price: $210 million 

Month sold: June

The sunglasses mogul managed to topple the Malibu property sale record set by JAY Z and Beyoncé in 2023 when he sold his extraordinary beachfront spread for $210 million—$10 million more than the price paid by the music legends for their own sprawling home in the area.

Jannard also pocketed quite a profit from the deal, having purchased the coastal property in 2001 for a mere $31 million.

The majestic 9.5-acre cliffside property includes a 19,340-square-foot mansion with eight bedrooms, 13 baths, a chef’s kitchen, a formal dining room, a den and library, an elevator, and a screening room.

Inside, a limestone stairway leads to a vast primary suite with a sitting room, an office, an exercise room, and three giant closets. Five more bedrooms, including two guest suites, are downstairs.

The rare offering comes with an enviable 300 feet of shoreline. The grounds feature a formal rose garden, tennis court, guesthouse, staff quarters, putting green, and covered pavilion.

Details of the off-market deal were shrouded in secrecy, with the owner completing the purchase via an LLC. But what is known is that the home sale was the priciest property purchase of the year.