1. Bill Gates
Medina, Wash.
Net Worth: $53 billion
Rank: 2
Gates’ 66,000-square-foot compound is built into a hillside on the edge of Lake Washington, near Seattle. Its enviable amenities include: a 60-foot swimming pool with an underwater music system, a 2,500-square-foot gym and a 1,000-square-foot dining room, which seats 24. For a personal touch, out-of-shape visitors can skip the 84-step hike to the ground floor and opt for an elevator ride instead.
2. Warren Buffett
Omaha, Neb.
Net Worth: $47 billion
Rank: 3
The world’s third-richest man still resides in the 6,000-square-foot, five-bedroom gray stucco home he bought in 1958 for $31,500. The home has everything the 79-year-old needs, including his very own handball court that he uses to keep fit. An intruder armed with a fake gun tried to break into the
modest, ungated property in 2007 but was ultimately thwarted by security.
3. Lakshmi Mittal
London, England
Net Worth: $28.7 billion
Rank: 5
In 2004 Mittal paid $128 million for his 12-bedroom townhouse in London’s luxe Kensington district. Mittal’s mansion, tucked between Kensington Palace and the Sultan of Brunei’s spread, has an indoor pool, Turkish baths and garage space for 20 cars. The super-home is also embellished with marble taken from the same quarry that supplied the Taj Mahal.
4. Larry Ellison
Woodside, Calif.
Net Worth: $28 billion
Rank: 6
Over the last few years the Oracle co-founder has dropped $200 million by some estimates on near a dozen properties in Malibu to create a custom compound. His 23-acre estate in Woodside, pictured here, is inspired by the Japanese city of Kyoto and is reminiscent of a 16th-century imperial Japanese palace. It reportedly cost upward of $200 million to build.
5. Michael Dell
Austin, Texas
Net Worth: $13.5 billion
Rank: 37
Built in 1997, Dell’s 33,000-square-foot hilltop manse sits on a 20-acre spread close to where he founded his eponymous computer company. The eight-bedroom house equipped with a conference room and both indoor and outdoor pools is known locally as "the castle" thanks to its high walls and tight security.
6. James Packer
Sydney, Australia
Net Worth: $3.5 billion
Rank: 258
The young media heir was raised at the Packer family compound in the tony Bellevue Hill suburb of Sydney. The centerpiece of the five-property spread, which stretches nearly three acres, is Cairnton, the main house, bought by Packer’s grandfather in 1935.
10. George Lucas
Marin County, Calif.
Net Worth: $3 billion
Rank: 316
The acclaimed Star Wars filmmaker lives and works on his famed Skywalker Ranch. The 5,156-acre spread, which has its own fire brigade, houses Skywalker Sound, Lucas’ post-production company (Cast Away, Million Dollar Baby), as well as five acres of olive trees and a herd of longhorn cattle. Lucas displays his Hollywood memorabilia–the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones, Charlie Chaplin’s cane–inside the 50,000-square-foot main house.
