Signals: What We're Tracking
Manhattan's ultra-wealthy are buying adjacent townhouses and combining them into a single mansion, recreating the suburban home experience inside an urban shell. These homes, noted as stealth mega-mansions, are concentrated in the city's West Village neighborhood.
Context: Constraints inspire creativity. And for builders or architects navigating your own site, budget, or project limitations, this is a line of thinking worth borrowing.
👟 Footwear isn't typically our lane, but Keen Utility is making a case for a safety shoe that looks like anything but. The company's latest work shoe looks like a vintage gym sneaker but is built like a work boot, with carbon-toe protection, and oil-, slip-, and heat-resistance baked in. This has us wondering, with "client-friendly" branded polos and caps pretty much standard on custom project sites, is footwear next?
The country's 10 most expensive ZIP Codes, ranked by median listing price, now start at $5.5 million. Newport Beach, Calif. leads at $12.5 million, followed by Fisher Island, Fla., Beverly Hills, Bridgehampton, N.Y., and LA's Bel Air enclave—markets where nearly every active listing falls in the top 1% nationally.
More: The rankings noted that page views per listing are down year-over-year across the board, a signal that even ultra-luxury demand is feeling the pinch. Full list →
💲What does a $2 million backyard look like? This $14.5 million just-listed Naples mansion is touting its 3.3-acre backyard, replete with an ultra-luxury lagoon-style saltwater pool designed by Lucas Congdon of "Insane Pools" fame, and anchored by natural stone, ringed by palms, and outfitted with a waterfall, spa, firebowl, sound and lighting system, and, of course, a full outdoor kitchen. Full listing pics here →
