Let's be honest, we will (almost certainly) never set foot inside the homes of Katy Perry or Brad Pitt. So realtor.com offers the next best thing: the deep, inside scoop on celebrity housing! With 2015 coming to a close, we thought we'd take a look at celebs who made winning real estate moves this year, as well as those who foundered.
Winner: Taylor Swift
Country music-turned-pop star Taylor Swift is also a budding property mogul with an ever-expanding portfolio of properties. With massive crash pads in her hometown of Nashville, TN; Beverly Hills, CA; Manhattan, NY (Peter Jackson's old penthouse); and other places, her holdings reportedly total $70 million. Not bad for a 25-year-old!
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Loser: 50 Cent
In July, rapper 50 Cent filed for bankruptcy; but two months later, he was flaunting new digs in Africa. Meanwhile he's been trying to unload a 21-bedroom, 25-bathroom behemoth in Farmington, CT, since 2007. Initial asking price: $18.5 million. List price this year? $8.5 million. And still no takers. We've asked this before, but could it be the stripper poles?
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Winner: Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian has racked up quite the real estate miniature empire. Even her 9,000-square-foot "starter home" with Kanye West in Beverly Hills was extraordinary -- and renovated to even greater heights with four now-infamous gold-plated toilets. Bought for $10.75 million, the home went on the market in November for $20 million. That's quite a markup, so if they get even close to that they'll be doubling their money.
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Loser: Michael Jordan
NBA legend Michael Jordan's 56,000-square-foot mansion in Highland Park, IL, has languished on the market since 2012, which may explain his bold (and some say risky) new game plan to sell: In October, he released a series of six Hollywood-style videos putting down other people's homes while also daring them to upgrade to his own.
"Think you're big? I'm bigger," says the video's booming narrator. "You say you're great at entertaining? Have you seen my pool pavilion? Putting greens? Game rooms?" Even the asking price reflects Jordan's glory: $14,855,000. Those digits add up to 23, his famous jersey number.
The update since we last reported on this: The listing is still active, which suggests no buyer has stepped forward. Maybe it's because the home is just too intimidating … or too Michael Jordan.
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Winner: David & Victoria Beckham
After being caught strolling through the sleepy town of Gloucestershire, England, David and Victoria Beckham were rumored to be looking to buy an $8 million estate that was dubbed "Beckingham Palace." While reports of this purchase remain unconfirmed, it shed light on their ever-expanding list of residences, from their $49 million, 9,000-square-foot flat in London to a $20 million mansion in Beverly Hills. Clearly, they've got some posh properties under their belt.
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Loser: Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner
In August, Bennifer announced they were getting a divorce after 10 years of marriage, which is sad. But here's where we question their sanity: They decided to continue living together on the same property in Pacific Palisades, CA, with Ben Affleck holing up in a separate man cave a stone's throw from the main house. Fine, so maybe it's better for their kids that dad still lives nearby. Or is it? Guess it depends on what the nanny looks like. They are trying to sell the place, although at a whopping $45 million asking price, it could be awhile before someone bites.
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Winner: Snooki
Nicole " Snooki" Polizzi of MTV's "Jersey Shore" fame has really grown up. In November, we learned that she'll be flipping houses with her husband, and filming the whole process in a new docuseries, "Nicole & Jionni's Shore Flip." Word has it her husband will do the heavy lifting of construction while she'll handle home decor. We are oddly optimistic about her potential. After all, we all know one of the keys to a great flip is a major aesthetic transformation. Case in point: The reality TV regular successfully transitioned from stumbling party girl to respectable C-list star Nicole Polizzi. If she can do that, imagine how "gawgeous" those countertops will be!