Whilst real estate and property investing is serious business, it’s good to remember that property can be fun. There are many unusual and very interesting properties in the world. Here we will show you a few of the most interesting properties or real estate stories that you may never have known.

Real Life Simpsons House

Yep, you read right. In 1997,  Fox and Pepsi decided to run a competition in which the winner could receive a real life replica of the Simpsons house, fitted with custom Simpsons furnishings and everything. Sadly, the owner was also given the option of $75,000 in cash and decided to take that instead.  The house can still be found in Henderson, Nevada, however the house was stripped of all memorabilia, was repainted and now looks like any other house in the street.

The Eiffel Tower has a secret apartment at the top

When Gustave Eiffel built this Parisian landmark, he maintained ownership of a secret 93 square meter apartment near the top of the Eiffel Tower. People offered to pay around $1,000 (over $25,000 today) to spend just one night in this apartment, but he never rented the space out to anyone. Only a handful of people (like Thomas Edison) were allowed to visit or stay in his apartment. Even to this day, the pied à terre is off limits to the public. You can however view the wax figurines of Gustave Eiffel, his sister and Thomas Edison amongst the paisley wall paper, wooden furniture and oil paintings left in the apartment, from the outside.

The Pyramids of Giza – Right in the Suburbs of Egypt

While most people assume that the Pyramids of Giza are a protected, mystical oasis that can only be accessed by camel over endless mountains of sand, there are in fact right on the edge of the suburbs or Cairo. This is due to the rapid growth of the suburb over the last 10 years. Sitting at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, one could actually throw a stone and possibly hit the pyramids – not that this is recommended.

Vintage homes in Tokyo do not exist

Construction in Tokyo is such a thriving business that nearly half the homes in Japan are torn down 30 years after being built. So if you have ever dreamt about owning a house with rich history and vintage feels in Tokyo, you may have to dream a new dream unfortunately.

Los Angeles is filled with hidden oil rigs

The Californian hills are famously filled with oil, and Los Angeles is no exception. However, most LA residents are not even aware of the fact that many of those notorious sky scrapers are in actual fact industrial buildings that have produced close to 20 million barrels of oil.

Hilter owner a House near Malibu

On the outskirts of Malibu in the Pacific Palisades, Hitler purchased this property as a “refuge and retreat” for his supporters in America. Whether this was the case, or he intended to use it as a personal retreat on a successful American invasion, we’ll never know. This property has however now been turned into a nature reserve, and hiking area. The house itself is considered a living art installation and a reminder of what could have been.

Red Doors of Scotland

If you live in Scotland and purchase a home, it is customary to paint the front doors of your home a red colour when you finish paying off your mortgage. This is also considered a sign of pride and that you are “out of the red” in terms of home loans. So the next time you visit Scotland, be sure to look out for the homes with the red doors.

A Meteor town

In Bavaria, there is a town called Nördlingen, which was actually built over a 15 million year old meteor. Hardly a deterrence, the locals began building a town in the actual hole of the crater. The town is in fact circular in layout due to this.

Alaska was bought from Russia

In 1876, Alaska was actually purchased by the United States from Russia at $52 per acre. At 375 million acres, it cost the USA $ 7.2 million, or around $126.5 million in today’s market. Although Russia scored at the time, the USA came out as the clear winners in this transaction, thanks to the massive oil deposits found in Alaska in 1967.

More revenue from observation deck than rent

Even before the pandemic hit, the Empire State Building  made about 70% of its revenue from ticket sales to the observation deck, as opposed to the 30% made from actual rent. This is also because the new work-from-home economy is causing rentals for commercial real estate in major cities to plummet as the demand does.

Bonus Fact

Arnold Schwarzenegger was a self-made Millionaire, before he became a movie star

Most of us know him as The Terminator or even the Governor of Callifornia, but before all this, Arnold used to compete in bodybuilding competitions. With his winnings, he invested in small multifamily properties around Madison in Wisconsin, and by the age of 22, he was a millionaire thanks to these investments.  While he was studying business and economics at the University of Wisconsin, he learned a few things about the power of investing in property and real estate and made his fortune well ahead of his acting career.

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