20 movie locations you could live in
if you were super rich
Watching a film can transport you to all kinds of fantasy worlds: worlds with dragons, worlds with spaceships, and worlds where normal families can live in gigantic sprawling mansions even when both parents are underemployed. Yup, depressingly, most movie houses are way beyond our financial reach.
But just because we cant afford them doesnt mean no-one can. A lot of the iconic houses featured in movies are real homes, where real people live. Lets pretend for a moment that weve suddenly come into a lot of money and fancy moving into a swanky (and famous) house. The 20 movie locations on this list are all real places you could live, ranked from most affordable to most ridiculously unaffordable
The Jackson house from Selma (2014)
The house: The real house where Martin Luther King Jr planned his historic march was in Selma, obvs. But for the movie, 41 Rockyford Road, in Atlanta, was used instead. Built in 1930, its got five bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus a library.
The mortgage: Its on the market for a reasonable-sounding $499,000.
Katie and Micahs house from Paranormal Activity (2007)
The house: Found footage horror Paranormal Activity was shot in director Oren Pelis own home at the time: 13236 Bavarian Drive, in the Rancho Penasquitos suburb of San Diego. Its a decent sized house, with a swimming pool in the backyard and an attic youd have to be pretty brave to want to go up into.
The mortgage: The house went on the market earlier this year for $749,000, and seems to have been sold for the full asking price.
The Cherry Street Inn from Groundhog Day (1993)
The house: Phil Connors (Bill Murray) woke up every morning in the Cherry Tree Inn, and you could too if you bought the real life Royal Victorian Manor. Located in Woodstock, just outside Chicago, it was built in 1894 and was used as a family home until the movie, after which it genuinely became a bed and breakfast.
The mortgage: The last time it was up for sale, the Royal Victorian Manor was listed at $985,000.
Camerons house from Ferris Buellers Day Off (1986)
The house: The thing youll remember about this house is its garage. Its where Bueller (Matthew Broderick) and Cameron (Alan Ruck) end up accidentally launching a Ferrari into a ravine. That glass garage is still there, part of the estate at Ben Rose House, in Highland Park, Illinois.
The mortgage: Being featured in a much-loved movie mightve been more of a hindrance than a help when it came to selling this house: it went on the market for $2.3 million in 2009, and finally sold in 2014 for a little over $1 million. The constant trickle of tourists taking photos was apparently putting people off.
The McCallister house from Home Alone (1990)
The house: The sprawling family home Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) rigs with anti-burglar traps was a real family home, scouted by Chris Columbus and his crew. Its at 671 Lincoln Avenue, in Winnetka, Illinois just a stones throw from the banks of Lake Michigan.
The mortgage: The house went on the market in mid-2011 with an asking price of $2.4 million, and eventually sold nearly a year later for $1.6 million. Bargain!
The Cullens house from Twilight (2008)
The house: Despite being centuries old, Edward (Robert Pattinson) still lived at home with his parents at the beginning of the Twilight Saga. A couple of different houses were brought in to play the part of the Cullen residence as the films went on, but in the first movie it was Hoke House, an ultra-modern pad in Portland, Oregon.
The mortgage: Hoke House is valued at around $1.7 million.
Teds house from Pineapple Express (2008)
The house: The house where Dale (Seth Rogen) sees his drug dealing shooting a man to death is actually the Rodriguez House, situated at 1845 Niodrara Drive, Glendale, California. It was built for composer Jose Rodriguez by architect R. M. Schindler back in 1942, and includes built-in furniture.
The mortgage: Last sold in 2011, it went for $1.8 million.
Mias house from The Princess Diaries (2001)
The house: Before discovering she was the long-lost princess of a made-up country, Mia (Anne Hathaway) lived in a converted fire station with her mum. The real house is at 724 Brazil Avenue, San Francisco, and it really was once a fire station complete with pole. More recently, though, it was converted into flats.
The mortgage: 724 Brazil Avenue was recently sold for $1.8 million.
The DeFeo house from The Amityville Horror (2005)
The house: The original Amityville Horror house, the one where the hauntings supposedly happened for real, was at 112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville. But none of the movies were actually filmed there. The 2005 remake was shot at 27618 Silver Lake Road, Salem, Wisconsin the production crew spent around $60,000 on renovations to make it look more like the scary house were used to.
The mortgage: 27618 Silver Lake Road went on the market for $1.9 million in 2014.
Sams floating home from Sleepless In Seattle (1993)
The house: Grieving widower Sam (Tom Hanks) and his kid attempt to start their new lives in a houseboat on Lake Union, near the University of Washington. Its not really a houseboat as we know them, because it cant go anywhere plus, its huge, with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The mortgage: A couple of Sleepless In Seattle fans bought the floating home in the 90s and held onto it until very recently in 2014, it was sold for around $2 million.
1428 Elm Street from A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
The house: The distinctive green-and-white house that Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) lived in is really 142 North Genesee Avenue, Los Angeles. Over the years, the house had fallen into disrepair, much like its fictional counterpart, but it was recently given a dramatic makeover by new owners. (Inside, anyway. Outside, it still looks just like it always did.)
The mortgage: Following the facelift, the house was recently sold for $2.1 million.
Eel Marsh House from The Woman In Black (2012)
The house: The creepy home of the Woman in Black isnt really creepy at all. In reality, Eel Marsh House is Cotterstock Hall, a 17th century manor house in Northamptonshire. The property is sprawling, with seven bedrooms and a massive wine cellar. It probably isnt haunted, either.
The mortgage: Its currently on the market for just under 2 million.
The Corleone family home from The Godfather (1972)
The house: The setting of Connie Corleones (Talia Shire) wedding at the beginning of The Godfather, this house also has bloodier moments associated with it. But you cant blame the house for that. The real house, at 110 Longfellow Avenue, Staten Island, comes with a built-in gym and man cave, and has been recently redecorated to make it look more like the house in the movie.
The mortgage: Its currently on the market for $2,895,000. Gonna make them an offer they cant refuse?
Harold and Sarahs holiday home from The Big Chill (1983)
The house: The location for the impromptu college reunion in The Big Chill, Tidalholm is a sprawling Antebellum house located at 1 Hancock Street, Beaufort, South Carolina. Built in 1853, its still got many of the original fixtures and fittings. And it comes with a separate two bedroom cottage you know, for the guests you cant fit into the houses seven bedrooms.
The mortgage: Last time it was up for sale, the owners wanted $4.5 million for it.
Deckards apartment building from Blade Runner (1982)
The house: The iconic building used in Blade Runner has also been used in dozens of other films and TV shows: its Ennis House, in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. Designed by the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright and built in the 1920s, it shows up in House On Haunted Hill, Day Of The Locust, The Karate Kid, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Twin Peaks, and loads more.
The mortgage: After some pretty serious stabilisation works, the Ennis House Foundation put the house on the market in 2009. The price back then was $15 million, but when it didnt find a buyer, the asking price dropped until it was sold in 2011 for $4.5 million.
The farm from Field Of Dreams (1989)
The house: Okay, the house isnt really the attraction here. The field in Dyersville, Iowa, where Kevin Costner built a baseball pitch among the corn was recently sold, along with 193 acres of land. (There was a house on the property, along with six other farm buildings, so this isnt really a cheat.)
The mortgage: The property was on the market for $5.4 million, and sold to a company called Go The Distance Baseball LLC. Presumably theyre gonna use it for something sport-related.
The money pit mansion from The Money Pit (1986)
The house: Buying property is always a risk, as Tom Hanks and Shelley Long found out when they bought a crumbling old mansion in The Money Pit. The real mansion has now been thoroughly restored, though, so the new buyers of 199 Feeks Lane, Locust Valley probably wont be buying tickets to a real life sequel.
The mortgage: Last years asking price was $12.5 million.
Willard Whytes house from Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
The house: Another architectural marvel, the striking circular lair of Bond villain Blofeld (Charles Gray) looks like it was specifically designed for, well, a Bond villain. Actually, it was built for interior decorator Arthur Elrod. Its set into the hills above Palm Springs, and boasts amazing views over the city as well as an outdoor pool.
The mortgage: It was most recently put on the market in 2010, for just under $14 million.
Tony Montanas mansion from Scarface (1983)
The house: The mansion that stood in as Tony Montanas (Al Pacino) posh pad is El Fureidis, in Santa Barbara. Its an impossibly huge luxury home with four bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and over 10 acres of perfectly manicured gardens, fountains, and palm trees.
The mortgage: El Fureidis recently went on the market for a jaw-dropping $35 million. Crime actually does pay, apparently.
The Hamptons beach house from Somethings Gotta Give (2003)
The house: The Hamptons beach house where Harry (Jack Nicholson) and Erica (Diane Keaton) fall in love is really 576 Meadow Lane, New York. Its in an incredibly exclusive neighbourhood, right on the seafront, and according to director Nancy Meyers, its meant to look like every womans dream house.
The mortgage: Dream is right: it sold last summer for $41 million. You could buy pretty much every other house on this list for that kind of money.
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