The Most Expensive Home In The U.S.

The home of a Saudi prince outside of Vail is on the market for $135 million, highest real estate price in U.S. history, and possibly the world.

1 minute read

July 22, 2006, 7:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen


$135 million is the asking price for the palatial compound of Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz outside Aspen. "Bandar is the former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States. His 90-acre Starwood property includes a nearly 56,000-square-foot mansion and several smaller homes and buildings."

"The price tag trumps Donald Trump, who had the previous highest offering on the national market, $125 million for a beachfront home in Florida..."

The mansion is larger than the White House and has 16 bathrooms, 15 bedrooms, a racquetball court and a snowmelt driveway.

...Bandar's main home needed special review from Pitkin County before it was approved in the late 1980s, remembered Cindy Houben, community development director. The maximum number of bedrooms allowed at the time was five, she said. Bandar was "allowed to have a lot more."

Thanks to Surreal Estate Newsletter

Wednesday, July 12, 2006 in Vail Daily

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9, 2025 - Axios

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Canadian flag in foreground with blurred Canadian Parliament building in background in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Has President Trump Met His Match?

Doug Ford, the no-nonsense premier of Canada's most populous province, Ontario, is taking on Trump where it hurts — making American energy more expensive.

March 11, 2025 - Toronto Star

Aerial view of Honolulu, Hawaii coastline at dusk.

Honolulu's Iwilei Center Plans for Redevelopment Into Mixed-Use Space

Striving to expand affordable housing options for Oahu residents, Honolulu's Department of Land Management requests to redevelop the Iwilei Center into a mixed-use space.

March 12 - Spectrum News

Orange Biketown bike share bikes parked at station on sidewalk in Portland, Oregon,

Biketown Lives

Despite public perception of its decline, Portland’s bike share system is alive and well.

March 12 - Willamette Week

Quiet tree-lined street in Stockholm, Sweden in summer.

‘Stockholm Tree Pit’ Saves Dying Urban Trees

After noticing that two-thirds of its trees were dying, Stockholm developed a new planting method to protect trees surrounded by concrete.

March 12 - Reasons to Be Cheerful