Making Your Dream Homes Come True

When you hear the words “dream home,” everyone has a different concept that pops in their mind—attainable or not.

For some, it could be an amenity-filled Miami penthouse on the water, or maybe a 10-bedroom London estate complete with greenery and an Olympic-sized pool.

But others have something a little more eccentric in mind. In our latest special report, Mansion Global explores exclusive dream properties that are the rarest in residential real estate: vineyards, private islands, superyachts and castles.

In this series, we’ll profile these extraordinarily rare and luxurious dream properties—and more importantly, teach you how to make them your reality.

Harry Robibero fell in love with winemaking as a child, working with his Italian grandfather crushing grapes in their backyard. Then, 14 years ago, he decided to give up his Yonkers, New York, contracting and excavating business and move further upstate to the Hudson Valley to buy and run a vineyard.

“Other crops, you grow them quickly and that’s it,” he said. “This crop is grown for the future.”

“Winemaking is a very complex industry,” added Mr. Robibero, 62. “There is a lot of mystique to it...READ MORE

Unspoiled beaches, quiet and privacy aren’t just the stuff of dreams. With enough
money or initiative, buyers can get all three on their own private island.

A slice of paradise isn’t easy to get, however. Inventory is limited, and islands take years to develop or have price tags that are easily eight figures...READ MORE

Janet and John Brennan bought Barholm Castle in Scotland in 1999 (which took two years because of a complicated buying process), after stumbling across the ruined structure while driving through the county of Dumfries and Galloway.

Ms. Brennan said that they’d originally decided to buy it on a whim: “It was beautiful and we thought we could do something with it.” The couple, both retired university lecturers who are originally from Scotland but were living in Holland at the time, bought the castle for £65,000...READ MORE

With their top-deck swimming pools, private screening rooms, state-of-the-art kitchens and saloons, and on-board beach toys like jet skis and motorboats, superyachts represent the very top of luxury living.

“It’s the ultimate luxury and the ultimate independence,” giving owners the ability to instantly pull up anchor and sail or motor off to anywhere in the world that catches their fancy, said Ginger Hornaday, a broker and marketing consultant in the marine and luxury real estate industry...READ MORE

We’re looking at dream homes this week on Mansion Global, and while everyone’s pie-in-the-sky, real estate fantasy may be subjective—dependent as it is on factors like location, personal tastes and relationship statuses—we’ve discovered through our weekly column, The Insiders, that certain things are coveted by the gamut of real estate experts we’ve interviewed. Spaces that seamlessly connect indoor and outdoor living, and breathtaking views, for example, almost always top the list of “wants” no matter whom we’re asking and where they live.

Here, a look at what some of our column subjects have had to say on the matter...READ MORE