These Homes Were Owned By Billionaires

There are rich people, and then there are rich people. That's where billionaires come in, who most often are investors, tech moguls, media titans, and entrepreneurs who started companies that we can't imagine living a day without. But just any old mansion on the corner doesn't cut it for most billionaires. Instead, the ultra-wealthy have essentially unlimited funds to create personal compounds with multiple onsite homes, Western ranches that are far from the eyes of pesky paparazzi, or homes located in the most expensive and sought-after cities in the world.

According to Forbes, the latter is where most American billionaires choose to make their nests. The most popular state for them to live in is California, which is home to ultra-luxe cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles. Here, the combined net worth is a whopping $1 trillion. (If you have a hard time wrapping your head around a number like that, keep in mind that the United States national debt is $30 trillion, via the U.S. Treasury.) To no surprise, the second most popular state for billionaires to live is New York, where even a studio apartment is ungodly expensive. Here, the combined net worth is $673 billion. However, there are lots of other places that billionaires call home, as well. Here are where just a few of them choose to find relaxation after a long day at the office.

Believe it or not, there's a good chance that you could afford Warren Buffett's cozy home in Omaha, Nebraska. The sixth-richest person in the world has lived in the same house for more than 60 years, which he bought for what would be equivalent to about a $250,000 today. Per Velvet Ropes, the house, which is in the same town that Buffett was born in, would be worth about $650,000 if he was to put it on the market now. The 6,500 square foot abode looks much like any other house on any street with its five bedrooms, brown façade, and green lawn. The one marker that it's Buffett's? His iconic black Cadillac, which is always parked in the driveway when Buffett isn't at the office.

Inside, Buffett, who is worth $117 billion, has decorated his beloved home with lots of traditional yet lavish décor, such as marble details, oriental rugs, historic furniture, and colorful couches surrounded by seemingly endless shelves of books. However, even though Buffett has no plans to move from his primary residence, he did have other real estate more in-line with his fortune. In 2018, he offloaded a vacation pad in millionaire-hotspot Laguna Beach for a little less than $8 million. But this, too, had been a steal — Buffett paid just $150,000 for the abode and then revamped it to its current value.

Times have certainly changed since Mark Zuckerberg's days in a Harvard dorm. A little more than a decade ago, just a few years after the drastic growth of Facebook, he splurged $7 million on a 5,600 square foot abode in Palo Alto that's just 10 minutes away from Facebook's Menlo Park offices. Architectural Digest reported that though the white-façade home lacks major frills, there are still some cool details hidden behind this family home where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Those include a machine that ejects Facebook t-shirts, as well as a robot personal assistant that speaks with the voice of Morgan Freeman.

The house sits on about half an acre, and visitors are welcomed inside between brick pillars and lots of potted florals. It's also the oldest house in the city, according to the City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board, and was constructed in a colonial revival style. In addition to the saltwater pool outside, there's also lots of space for guests, as well as a firepit and barbecue pit. Inside, there are some luxe details — Zuckerberg is worth nearly $75 billion, after all — such as heated floors and a marble bathtub, perfect for winding down after those long days at Facebook headquarters. But otherwise, it's a pretty traditional pad, with wood flooring, beige furniture, big windows, and other typical family-home touches.

Money is no object when you're the world's richest person, and that seems to be what Jeff Bezos was thinking when he put a drop in the bucket to buy a historic $165 million estate in celebrity hotspot Beverly Hills. Sound like a lot? That's because it is. Fast Company said that it's the highest home price ever sold in the Golden State. The Spanish Colonial Revival that Bezos bought just weeks before the onset of the pandemic in the U.S. is known as the Warner Estate, thanks to former owner and actor Jack Warner.

The Warner Estate is spread across nine acres, which is a lot anywhere, but especially a lot in space-confined Beverly Hills. Throughout the property, amenities include a pool, tennis courts, a golf course, lots of lush gardens, a 300-foot-long driveway leading to the main 13,000 square foot house, a home for visitors, and several fountains. But all of that wasn't enough for Bezos. About one year later, he also bought the $10 million property next door, seeming to want to extend his Beverly Hills compound, said Insider. No one can be sure exactly what Bezos plans to do with the two properties, nor will it be easy to find out. The Warner Estate is surrounded by sky-high hedges and a foreboding gate, keeping Bezos safe from passersby.

Michael Bloomberg, who is worth $82 billion, isn't just in a New York state of mind. The former mayor of the Big Apple also picked up a stunning mansion in London, England for $25 million in 2015, and this is no ordinary mansion. According to The New York Times, Bloomberg's home across the pond dates back 150 years and was also the former home of famous author George Eliot. It's a huge upgrade from Bloomberg's other London apartment, which is half the size, and lacks the former celebrity neighbors that this mansion enjoyed, like James Whistler, J. M. W. Turner, and Mick Jagger. It also makes sense that Bloomberg would want a solid home here. His ex-wife hails from the area, he was named an honorary English knight by the Queen herself, and he serves as chairman for a British museum. 

But it didn't come cheap. It cost Bloomberg a whopping million pounds over the estate's market price, which was necessary as there were three other interested buyers who put offers in on the home. Just like Bloomberg's other pads around the world, this London mansion at 4 Cheyne Walk also has lots of classic, old-world details like parquet floors, a mural on the ceiling featuring artwork of Greek mythology, and a grand staircase, said The Guardian.

We're not really sure why the same man who owns NewsCorp and hundreds of news organizations around the world would need a 340,000 acre Montana ranch with 7,000 cow pairs and 25 houses. However, when you're worth $22 billion, you don't really need a reason. At least that's what Rupert Murdoch must have figured when he bought Beaverhead Ranch from fellow billionaires the Koch family. According to The Wall Street Journal, Murdoch bought the ranch, which had been in the Koch family since its founding about 70 years ago and is located near Yellowstone National Park, in late 2021. The Koch family recently unloaded other ranches that they own, too, for unknown reasons.

However, this is no ordinary ranch. It cost Murdoch about $200 million, making it the biggest ranch buy ever involved in a state transaction. Besides cows, there are also lots of other animals that call the property home, including deer, antelope, and elk, via The Guardian. For some relaxing Western fishing, there are even trout stocked in a stream that's more than two dozen miles long. Murdoch does plan to spend at least a bit of leisure time at the ranch, although he doesn't have any current plans to change anything about the property.

Not many sports stars make billionaire status, but if anyone could do it, Michael Jordan can — the basketball legend is worth $1.7 billion. However, it isn't all financial wins for Jordan. Sportscasting said that he's been stuck with an unwanted Chicago home on seven acres, as he's had it on the market for nearly 10 years. As one of the biggest homes in the city, Jordan first listed the estate for $29 million, but without any buyers, he continued to drop the price in the following years.

Perhaps the home's level of personalization is keeping the wealthy buyers at bay. Jordan's number 23 is engraved on the home's wrought iron gate, which leads to a seemingly endless driveway for optimal security and privacy. There's also a competition-sized basketball court on site, also with Jordan's name throughout. Other interesting home details include an enormous aquarium within the dining room wall and doors that were once used in the Playboy Mansion of Chicago. But don't worry, wealthy buyers, this home has lots of "normal" luxe amenities, too. Through its three floors, there are nine bedrooms, an area for playing tennis as well as golf, a resort-worthy pool, an area for storing wine, a fitness center, and even a room just for enjoying a few cigars.

With a long career in the music industry, Rihanna is one of the few singers to make it to billionaire status, clocking in at a $1.7 billion net worth. Dirt said that in early 2021, she flexed that wallet with the purchase of a $13.8 million mansion in Beverly Hills, surrounded by famous neighbors like Paul McCartney, Madonna, and Mariah Carey. The mansion dates back nearly 100 years with a few other famous accolades to its name. The home used to be owned by the daughter of the creator of "I Dream of Jeanie" and it also made it to an episode of "Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles."

The 7,600 square foot estate has lots of privacy, ideal for an A-list star like Rihanna, as well as a modern farmhouse style featuring rooms that flow into one another, white oak floors, and a black, white, and beige color palette. But there's plenty of greenery here, too, especially within one of the home's most charming features — a courtyard with a lush green lawn as well as an entertainment-friendly pool, firepit, and patio.