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    25
    Sep
    2012
    8:36am, EDT

    Brooke Astor home auction fetches $8.7 million

    Sotheby's

    A Chinese gilt-bronze lion clock stand from the Qianlong period (1736-1795) being auctioned from the estate of Brooke Astor.

    By The Associated Press

    The first day of an auction of the contents of philanthropist Brooke Astor's two homes brought in $8.7 million, Sotheby's said.

    Sotheby's is offering the contents of both homes, 901 objects in all, including European and Asian furnishings, Old Masters, Qing Dynasty paintings, tea sets, silverware, jewelry, a porcelain menagerie, over 100 dog paintings — and even the uniforms of her domestic staff.

    The two-day auction continues Tuesday.

    Proceeds will go to institutions and charities, including the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, under a settlement negotiated by the state Attorney General's office.

    The collection had expected to fetch just $6 million to $9 million.

    The auction comes after a nasty family feud involving her only son, Anthony Marshall. The five-year dispute ended in March with a settlement that freed $100 million for her charities and cut by more than half the amount going to Marshall, who was convicted of taking advantage of his mother's dementia, partly by engineering changes to her will. He has appealed.

    The dispute had threatened to deplete the entire estate.

    Astor spent her life putting the fortune that her third husband, Vincent Astor, left to use where it would do the most to alleviate human misery. Her efforts won her a Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, in 1998.

    Astor died in 2007 at age 105.

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    70 comments

    I agree with "rockmebritney". The family had money and made money, but over the years they contributed millions to worthwhile causes that helped. They were generous in their giving. It is too bad the family feud over money is the object of any media comments.

    Show more
    Explore related topics: auction, sothebys, astor
  • 6
    Sep
    2011
    7:32am, EDT

    Listing of the Week: A Pacific Northwest palace

     

    Zillow.com

    This palace-like estate on Mercer Island is the most expensive piece of real estate in the Seattle area.

    By Zillow

    The Boulevard Estate, Mercer Island, WA
    For Sale: $28,800,000

    Not all houses that are slated for auction are foreclosures. Take, for example, an enormous, high-end estate on Mercer Island, Wash., near Seattle. The 13,000-square foot home sits on a large parcel and offers significant water and mountain views, as well as a short commute to downtown Seattle. Even with median Mercer Island home values currently $734,700, a home listed at $28.8 million has a significant price tag.

    It went up for auction August 30 through the auction site JP King, and while the home didn't sell during the auction, JP King identified four interested buyers.

    "We'll work with the bidders to get a deal that wasn't made on auction day," said Caley Newberry, communications manager at JP King.

    The home first made a splash last year when it was listed for $32 million, making it the most expensive real estate listing in the Seattle area.

    But, after a year on the MLS, the owners decided to auction the property.

    "The great thing about the auction is that there's a 90-day turnaround. The owners don't have to wait around; they buy it on their terms," said Newberry. "A property has been on the market five years, then you put it up for auction and it sells."

    High-end real estate usually takes longer to sell than a market-priced home. Using an auction site, says Newberry, speeds up the process because the auction company will market internationally to a specific group of potential buyers.

    Additionally, sometimes it's hard to tell the market value of a multimillion dollar estate like the Mercer Island home for sale.

    The owner "put a lot of money and time into this house and it's hard to tell exactly what the value is because it's so customized," explained Newberry. With an auction, "you know you're getting the market value because the market speaks up."

    The estate sits on a 1.66-acre lot and has 160 feet of beach frontage. Completed in 2010, the home has 7 bedrooms and 11.25 bathrooms. One of the bedrooms is an owner's suite, with high ceilings, granite fireplace, sitting area with lake views and access to a private terrace, as well as a deluxe master bath. Four other rooms are located in the children's wing, which has a playroom and wraparound terrace that also features lake views.

    Additionally, the home has a 200-bottle capacity wine room, movie theater, command center for lighting, security and music as well as two elevators and a basement entertainment center that features a karaoke bar, indoor pool, sauna and gym, covered lounge and snack bar.

    Wondering what it would cost you monthly to live in a palatial place like this? Even with low mortgage rates, currently at 3.986 percent for a 30-year-fixed in Washington state, if you put 20 percent down, you're looking at a payment of $128,341 a month.

    View the full listing at Zillow here.

    Zillow

    The gourmet kitchen features 14- foot ceilings, three sink stations, two Sub-Zero refrigerators with wood inlaid cabinetry panels, three ovens, and three dishwashers

    Zillow

    A premier place to enjoy the end of summer: pool, lounging area and covered BBQ.

    Zillow

    Pick your body of water to lounge by-- the pool or the lake!

     

    Comment

    Show more
    Explore related topics: real, auction, estate, seattle, expensive, featured, luxury, listing, mercer-island

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