We've all been told that money can't buy you everything in life – but it can certainly buy some serious real estate. If you've ever wanted to know the house-hunting wishlists of multi-millionaires and how they spend their spare time in the lap of luxury then you've come to the right place. 

From extraordinary amenities to amazing collections, lavish basements and covert bunkers, we've uncovered the real estate secrets of the super-rich.

Click or scroll on and prepare to be amazed and just a tiny bit envious...

Have you ever considered taking a tour of a celebrity-owned home that's just hit the market? Well, you might be out of luck. According to real estate executive Dolly Lenz, who has been in the luxury market for 30 years, people have to prove their wealth before viewing certain homes.

"We are the gatekeepers, so we have to be very careful who we let into a home,” Lenz told fashion and entertainment magazine Cosmopolitan in 2016. Unless your name is Jennifer Lopez, a reference letter or bank statement is usually required.

Before a VIP even takes a look inside a property, they'll likely have a long list of requests that their patient real estate agent must meet. It could be as straightforward as a pink baby grand piano like this house once owned by YouTuber and cosmetics mogul Jeffree Star, but Lenz revealed to Cosmopolitan that over the years her clients have requested everything from perfume refrigerators to rooftop beehives and bedroom kitchens.

Celebrities and ultra-wealthy buyers usually see a house last. Instead, their team is given the job of looking so they don't have to. "We've had celebrities buy homes they've never seen," Lenz confirmed.

Some stars are happy to have their name in the newspapers but privacy is a top priority for many. Often members of the VIP club prefer to keep their house purchases out of the public eye and there are numerous ways they achieve it.

While child stars like Daniel Radcliffe set up trusts to handle property acquisitions, other low-key celebs like Jennifer Aniston organise limited liability companies before purchasing their homes. By doing this, ultra-private A-listers can avoid signing their names on real estate documents, thus keeping their new digs a secret.

This incredible mansion once belonged to singer Cher and was initially listed for £34.1 million ($42.5m), according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com. It sold in November 2023 for £28.5 million ($35.4m). 

In 2017, we spoke to Martin Bikhit, MD of luxury property agents Kay & Co. He revealed some of the surprising extras that have come with high-end house deals over the years.

One of Martin's clients offered his £350,000 ($435k) Rolls-Royce Phantom as a sweetener when selling his home, plus everything from helicopters to club memberships have been used as sales incentives, too.

Meanwhile, buy your home from a property flipper like Scott Disick and you'll also gain everything from the furniture to the art on the walls.

Once a purchase has been made, a VIP buyer will spend time customising every inch to suit their own unique needs – sparing no expense.

It's well-documented that celebrity buyers in particular enjoy adding a personal touch to their properties. When transforming his mansion in Calabasas, rapper French Montana turned a dusty old lounge into a £108,700 ($135k) jungle-themed movie theatre.

Perfect for a discerning buyer with a need for speed, this sprawling Bel Air mansion was custom-built with gold fixtures, a chandelier with 50,000 crystals and an entertaining space with a car viewing gallery, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

While some celebrities and high-profile buyers also happen to be fantastic interior designers, others call in the experts to finish their homes off to perfection.

Interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard has decorated the homes of Elton John, Cher and the Kardashian clan, while Kelly Wearstler names Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller and Gwen Stefani among her clients. Kris Jenner even calls in florist-to-the-stars Jeff Leatham to help her deck the halls every Christmas.

Pictured here, this extraordinary kitchen in an eclectic Parisian residence is part of a scheme designed by luxury furniture brand Boca do Lobo for its art dealer client.

From gilded champagne vaults to shoe closets, the mega-rich like having somewhere spectacular to store their favourite things. Back in 2020, following the renovation of her Hollywood Hills home, Kylie Jenner took to her YouTube channel to show off her new glam room. The sleek space features row upon row of backlit shelves to display the reality star's impressive collection of shoes and handbags. 

Other celebs with enviable mega-closets include Khloe Kardashian and Reese Witherspoon, who both turned to organisation experts The Home Edit to beautify their storage. 

Of course, there are plenty of other ways the wealthy spend their cash. From extensive handbag hoards to fine art, many VIPs are known for their enviable collections.

Music mogul Simon Cowell reportedly owns an array of luxury cars, singer Elton John has a closet of sunglasses, actor Tom Hanks collects typewriters and Leonardo DiCaprio has an action figure collection. Meanwhile, entrepreneur and Bling Empire star Kane Lim has a staggering shoe collection that he regularly shares snaps of on Instagram. Displayed on special illuminated shelving, it's said to be worth £241,400 ($300k).

When you own such important and pricey collections, you may want somewhere to store them securely. While some opt for regular safes that can fit into their wardrobes, others go all out.

This remarkable Millionaire Safe from Boca do Lobo makes a statement with its gold skin and velvet-lined interior. Designed to protect prized possessions in style, it features a combination dial lock, while each compartment inside is secured by an additional lock mechanism.

When you're rich, one car simply doesn't suffice. So, when you have an entourage of vehicles to accommodate, you need to create a special place to store them.

Pictured here courtesy of Compass and TopTenRealEstateDeals.com, social media star Jeffree Star once had a 10+ car garage under his £13.4 million ($16.7m) estate where his pink supercar collection, including a pink Ferrari, took pride of place.

And it's not just their possessions that affluent homeowners want to keep safe. Luxury panic rooms, bunkers and high-end security systems are now considered mega-mansion essentials.

Pictured here, Swiss company Oppidum's line of L'Heritage luxury bunkers is aimed at the ultra-wealthy. The 10,760-square-foot (999sqm) structures are designed to be installed 49 feet (15m) below existing mansions to offer residents a lavish living space to retreat to should the worst happen. Each bunker is built to NATO-standard ballistic and blast protection levels.

While many exclusive homes lie inside gated communities or behind secure gates with 24-hour guards, some wealthy homeowners have gone to entirely new extremes.

Security expert Al Corbi is pictured here back in 2002 below the helipad he installed on the rooftop of his former Hollywood mansion. Dubbed America's safest home, Corbi's dream was to create an impenetrable property – and he succeeded. The LA estate offers bullet-proof windows, an underground bunker, two panic rooms, ballistics-proof bedrooms and a fog system designed to disorientate intruders.

Most people have junk, dust and a whole lot of nothing in their basements, but the rich and famous know how to turn redundant space into something magical.

This magnificent mansion in Montana puts its lower levels to good use with this remarkable two-lane bowling alley. The residence was most recently on the market for £11.2 million ($14m), according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

It's far from the only mega-mansion with hidden depths. Basketball legend Lebron James has his very own subterranean sports bar, complete with pool tables, a movie theatre and a bowling alley, while rapper 50 Cent is said to have once had a basement nightclub and casino.

When money is no object, why not bring your supercars up to your penthouse? Pictured here is one of the car elevators in Porsche Design Tower Miami, a luxury residential building in Sunny Isles Beach. Vehicles are transported up the tower's 60 storeys and stored in a unit's private 'sky garage'. 

Other extraordinary home features we've seen include quartz bathtubs, carat gold finishes, Bentley throw cushions and Louis Vuitton fire extinguishers. 

Having a seemingly endless budget means there's plenty of cash going to spare for art. There are ample celebs out there with vast – and expensive – collections, including the likes of Pharrell Williams, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z and Beyoncé.

It's unlikely that you'll see your favourite A-lister at the local auction house, though. Many have a team dealing with their acquisitions, such as celebrity art dealers like Jean David-Malat.

This lavish dining space designed by Oksana Salberg features sculptural furnishings from Boca do Lobo that complement the scheme's bold artwork. 

From the latest smart tech to high-end kitchenware, celebrities are gifted plenty of items to decorate their homes with. In fact, according to Shopify's 2025 report, brands will pay around £80 ($100) per 10,000 followers for a sponsored social media post on Instagram.

After noticing the influencer gift trend, Australian comedian Andy Lee set up a PO Box for freebies and took to social media to highlight the mind-boggling extent of promotional gifting. 

Many mega-mansions also come with escape routes or secret tunnels hiding in plain sight, allowing the occupier to flee their home at short notice – and entirely undetected.

In fact, in 2015, US magazine Playboy revealed that in the 1970s the likes of actors Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Kirk Douglas may have had secret underground tunnels that led from their front doors straight to the Playboy Mansion.

Since security and privacy go hand-in-hand, it's no wonder that the mega-rich are keen to separate themselves from others – including their VIP neighbours.

Talk show legend Oprah Winfrey is perhaps the queen of keeping the outside world at a distance. In 2001, the talk show star bought an estate in Montecito for £41.9 million ($52m) and set about buying up the surrounding properties, including actor Jeff Bridges' former home. Today the property encompasses an enormous 70 acres (28ha).

Why buy any old house when you can buy one with a celebrity endorsement? When it comes to VIP house swapping, you’d be amazed by who has shared the same four walls. Notable swappers include Vince Vaughn and Kate Bosworth, Eva Longoria and Tom Cruise, and Khloe Kardashian and Justin Bieber.

Luxury real estate agent Dolly Lenz told Cosmopolitan that Mariah Carey once specifically wanted to buy Barbra Streisand's penthouse. "Barbra Streisand was her idol. It does happen – even celebs are starstruck," she said. 

This incredible mansion was the home of rock icon Rod Stewart, which was recently for sale for £60 million ($74m), according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com.

Some celebrities are known for taking care of their household and estate employees. Oprah Winfrey, for example, is said to be a generous giver and once paid for a Mediterranean cruise for her staff, while singer and actress Jennifer Hudson once reportedly bought her assistant a house for Christmas. Popstar Rihanna also took to social media to show the display her staff had created for Boss Appreciation Day, proving that not all multi-millionaires are demanding.

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