$100 million luxury homes new threshold

WASHINGTON – The poshest of luxury homes are acquiring the cachet of a masterwork by Picasso or Matisse.

Rather than settle for garages of antique cars or a museum’s worth of paintings, billionaires are increasingly willing to pay $100 million for homes that can serve as showcases for their fortunes, according to an analysis issued Thursday by Christie’s International Real Estate.

“It tells you that there is a new class of collectible – they’re trophies now,” Dan Conn, CEO of Christie’s real estate brokerage, said of the most lavish homes being acquired.

The luxury housing market has shifted in the past year as the dollar has strengthened. Sales in Manhattan, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and other global hubs are stabilizing after having rocketed in 2013, when many buyers cashed in on stock market gains. Now, multi-millionaires and billionaires are seeking estates overseas and at resort destinations, the report said.

The dollar has appreciated 20 percent against the euro in the past year, making pied-a-terres in Paris and wineries in Bourdeaux more affordable for wealthy Americans.

Five homes sold around the world for more than $100 million in 2014, and a record 18 were listed for sale at that level, according to the Christie’s report.

This is the new top tier for billionaires scouring the globe for signature homes, a market that Conn said should continue to prosper because the world minted 200 new billionaires from 2013-14.

“You’ve got this club of billionaires who just like to have unique assets,” Conn said. “But it’s also, truthfully, that they like to entertain their friends and say, ‘This is mine.’ ”