5 high-tech smart homes for the super rich

By July 2, 2012 news_and_media No Comments

By By Jerold Leslie | TheStreet.com – Tue, Jun 26, 2012

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http://realestate.yahoo.com/news/5-high-tech-smart-homes-for-the-super-rich.html?page=1

Super-luxury estates don’t just come with swimming pools and tennis courts these days, but also boast elaborate home theaters and special controls that can unlock doors or adjust thermostats even if you’re halfway around the world.

“I’ll walk into a dark house with a buyer, press one button and turn on the lights, the music and the home theater downstairs,” says Debra Johnston, an Atlanta real estate agent who specializes in high-end properties. “The whole house is ready to go — and the client can see that.”

More and more high-end properties feature such “smart-home” technologies – professional-grade audio/video systems, plus lights, thermostats, window shades and more that you can control with an Apple iPad or other smart device.
Read on for five of the poshest smart homes.

Lakefront estate, Plano, Texas

List price: $5.9 million


This six-bedroom estate’s elaborate media room features a domed ceiling that depicts thousands of twinkling stars – and even an occasional meteor streaking across the sky. There are also eight reclining chairs, as well as custom-painted murals depicting a panoramic view of Florence, Italy.
As for electronics, the media room boasts a Sony (SNE_) video projector, a 147-inch screen, a 7.1 surround-sound Super THX speaker system, four DSS satellite receivers and more. The home’s state-of-the-art electronics also include remote-controlled shades, lights and other amenities, as well as built-in wiring for audio, flat-panel TVs and high-speed Internet.

Oceanfront estate, Dana Point, CA

List price: $23 million


Located on the Pacific Ocean some 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 10 miles east of Catalina Island, this Tuscan-style estate boasts remote-controlled lights, drapes, audio/video and more. A Crestron control system runs the built-in 60-inch built-in flat-panel TV and surround-sound system in the home’s great room, as well as two flat-panel TVs and a ticker-tape display in the “sports room.”
You can also control the property’s security system/video cameras remotely, as well as a 15-zone audio system that features built-in speakers inside and out of the six-bedroom home. But the estate’s coolest feature is probably its home theater, which boasts a professional-grade video projector, a 160-inch screen and 11 reclining seats.

Clock tower penthouse, Brooklyn, NY

List price: $19 million


This three-bedroom penthouse doesn’t have the world’s most elaborate electronics, but is in one of the coolest settings around — a 98-year-old former factory’s clock tower. Spanning the top three floors of Brooklyn’s famed 1914 Clock Tower Building, the condo boasts one-of-a-kind windows carved out of the structure’s four huge clocks (which still function). As for electronics, the penthouse has 12-speed CAT wiring and a Crestron system that controls lighting, heat, air conditioning, audio/video and shades.

Tuxedo Park estate, Atlanta, GA

List price: $11.5 million


This newly built 2-acre estate features all sorts of cutting-edge technology, from a home theater that cost nearly $1 million to lights, thermostats and more that you can control remotely. Virtually every room in this seven-bedroom/13-bathroom home is connected to central music and security systems and comes prewired for CAT5 cable, PBX phones and high-speed Internet access. There’s also a high-tech geothermal heating/cooling system and super-efficient thermal-pane windows and icynene insulation. But it’s the property’s home theater that really shines. Outfitted with 12-seat German-made leather seats, the space boasts a $160,000 Digital Projections Pro-Cinema Commercial Projector, a 171-inch Stewart film screen and a $17,000 Snell surround-sound speaker/subwoofer system.

Cape Cod waterfront estate, Cotuit, MA

List price: $10.9 million


This 7.6-acre estate’s smart-home technology runs not only all systems in its four-bedroom main house, but lights, heat and the like in its one-bedroom carriage house as well. The system controls the home’s built-in audio/video, 14 flat-panel TVs — even the temperature in the estate’s massive wine cellar.

Click here to view the full article

http://realestate.yahoo.com/news/5-high-tech-smart-homes-for-the-super-rich.html?page=1

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