What Is a Mansion?

There are also certain architectural styles which immediately comes to mind such as the château, Contemporary, Federal Colonial, Greek Revival and French Provincial. But do not forget that we live in the 21st century and the concept of a mansion in terms of real estate has now changed. Quite often, size of a property is the first indicator on what makes a house a mansion. But other than size, for a house to be labeled a mansion, it must indicate a level of grandeur throughout the number of specially designed rooms meant to accommodate the unique leisure activities of its owner. As you can see there is no clear definition for such kind of property by size but what is obvious is that a 5,000-square-foot house in the center of New York is considered a mansion, as well as in some suburbs the same size costs less. The term is relative. Today we will try to figure out what a mansion is in the current property interpretation.

What is considered a mansion?

Such houses were always an indicator of the level of income and impeccable taste of their owners. There are homes with 30 bedrooms which are certainly mansions, but there can also be big houses with just 12 bedrooms and many amenities that most would call mansions. There is no clear standard now. It’s really a subjective thing. Historically we had homes that were kind of the seat of power for a community, like the house in Downton Abby represented. It’s not all about size, though admittedly that is the main criteria most often nowadays.

In comparison with ordinary private houses such property looks more expensive and large-scale. As a rule, they are distinguished by complex and unusual elements of decoration, huge residential and non-residential areas, the high cost of materials used for construction. Mansions are distinguished among other types of private real estate by the following signs:

• It occupies huge areas for living. In addition to the house itself, the owner of the property owns a huge land area, on which other buildings and objects like swimming pools, guest houses, tennis courts, parks, squares, artificial ponds can be located. 
• It is intended for permanent residence. The owner does not live in the house seasonally, but all year round. This is his main place of residence. The mansion should have spacious rooms with several bedrooms and living rooms, a large parking lot for guests coming to social events. It should be located only in the most fashionable area of the city, often by the sea or the best mountain resorts. It is surrounded by a huge fence, the distance from which to the house itself can reach several kilometers. Security in such a structure should be provided at a high level.
• As a rule, all the most interesting things in such houses remain away from the eyes of ordinary people. The internal structure is often even more expensive than the real estate object itself. The owners often decorate the house with antiques, the most expensive interior items, buy paintings and sculptures of famous masters of art at multimillion-dollar prices.

Of course, the mansion stands out among all real estate objects and its value. The cost of a such a house is usually several million dollars.

What’s the difference between estates and mansions?

An estate is a property in land, of any size but usually including more than one residential building and / or some farmland. 

A mansion is a large, posh residence standing alone in its own grounds. Many of them were originally manor houses, but there are also plenty that never were. A manor was, historically, a patch of land big enough to support a knight and his family on the profits of farming it. Obviously a manor in poor land would be bigger than one in rich fertile land, but most manors included a village and a church.

Who are mansions best for?

Mansions are the most elite real estate, are built according to individual projects, cover hundreds or thousands of square meters and cost millions of dollars. Only wealthy people can afford to buy and maintain a mansion.

Mansions - Pros and Cons

A mansion, like other types of real estate, has its advantages and disadvantages. And not only in comparison with an apartment and houses of a different type, but also by itself.

Advantages of the mansion

• Individual design of the house. It can be either bought ready-made or built according to your own project. When building from scratch, there is a wide scope for a flight of imagination, there is an opportunity to make the most comfortable and ergonomic layouts.
• Ecology. For many, this is one of the decisive factors. As a rule, they are located in ecologically favorable areas with a close proximity of forests and alleys and the absence of harmful industries.
• Land plot. The owner of the mansion owns land that is sufficient for the breakdown of a lounge area with a swimming pool, barbecue area, etc. You can use the plot for the breakdown of flower beds or a vegetable garden, then you will always have organic fruits and vegetables on the table.
• Neighbors. If apartment residents have neighbors associated with the inevitable noise and inconvenience, then the owners of mansions are different. The relative distance of houses from each other blocks any noise from neighbors and allows people to stay on good terms.
• Parking space. There is enough space in front of the house for parking a car and even building your own garage.
• Safety. This kind of property is to some extent safer than apartment houses and block buildings. First, you can't be flooded by neighbors. Second, in the event of a fire in a neighboring house, the chances of getting hurt are minimized.

Disadvantages of the mansion

• Expenses for the maintenance of the house territory. It completely lies on the owner of the property, it is not necessary to wait for a kind uncle from the management company to come and trim the bushes in front of the house, sweep, clear the snow, etc. It is necessary to take everything into your own hands.
• Repair. It is also a rather painful topic: unlike an apartment, where the main thing is to hand over money for capital repairs, in a mansion it is necessary to set aside funds for repairs in a larger amount, to find a competent repair team, which also needs to be paid. You can, of course, do everything yourself, but not everyone can do it.
• Transport accessibility. Public transport stops can be located at a great distance from the house.

How to find a mansion?

The pandemic, which caused unprecedented demand for suburban housing, seems to have receded. Nevertheless, many people still want to live in their private home, interest in suburban real estate remains. If you have decided that a mansion house is exactly what you need and have found suitable options, prepare to view the houses you like. Special attention should be paid to three important aspects: territorial, technical and legal. If you need some qualified advice don’t be shy to ask for a professional realty advisor help to avoid any pitfalls.