Online architecture database Architizer announced the winners of their 2nd Annual A+ Awards for the most incredible new architecture around the globe today. The result was a total of 129 winners in more than 60 categories.

Some of the categories included best museums, memorials, and government buildings, as well as concepts for best interior designs and products. All entries were built or conceived in the last three years.

The winners were decided both by a jury and by popular vote, creating two separate winners for each group.

The jury was comprised of "300 industry leaders," while the popular vote was determined by public, online voting from over 100 countries.

We've highlighted some of our favorite winners here; see the full list at Architizer.com.

BEST AIRPORT (Jury/Popular): Bao'an International Airport, China, Studio Fuksas and Knippers Helbig

BEST ART GALLERY (Jury) : McGee Art Pavilion School of Art & Design, New York, ikon.5 architects

BEST ART GALLERY (Popular): Bombay Arts Society, India, SANJAY PURI ARCHITECTS

In the first three months of this year, average prices for Manhattan apartments surged by double digits, thanks in part to a supply of condos and co-ops that can't keep pace with the demand. With so few homes are on the market these days, it can seem like sellers have the upper hand, picking from a slew of offers and setting the agenda for any deal.

But at least some of those sellers are itching to unload their properties as fast as possible, giving buyers a chance to score a deal or a speedy transaction. Here's how to find them:

Pick a stale property

Your first clue to the owner's mindset: how long an apartment's been listed. A seller who's been waiting on the sidelines for months, even years, may be fed up and ready to sit at the negotiating table.

Generally speaking, a property listed for 100 days or more could indicate that a seller hasn't been realistic about his or her asking price and may be "vulnerable" to dropping it, says Jay Heydt, a senior managing director at Citi Habitats. “What it means for a buyer is that there is the opportunity to get a deal on a listing that could be on the market for a significant period of time."

A few caveats:

• The days-on-market metric changes based on whether you're looking at average versus high-end homes: the pool of buyers in the market for a sprawling Upper East Side townhouse is smaller than those looking for a one-bedroom co-op, so you can expect the townhouse to stay on the market longer. 
• Be mindful of the season, since there are fewer listings, open houses and deals signed during the cold months, notes Gea Elika, founder of Elika Real Estate. "People just don’t want to go out when it’s freezing cold," he says.
• Prolonged time on market doesn't always mean the seller is serious. It's possible the owner will only part with her home if she gets that sky-high price. (After all, she doesn't have to pay the broker until the deal closes.)
• Treat listing dates with skepticism. “The other trick that brokers use is to take it off the market and then after a few weeks or a month or two, put it back on the market because they’re trying to avoid the property looking like a stale property,” warns Jamal Syed of Coldwell Banker AC Lawrence. To subvert this subterfuge, look up the address on StreetEasy, which has listing histories for many apartments.

Once you find a truly stale apartment, Heydt advises making an offer that is 10 to 15 percent off--and in some cases even 20 percent off--the list price.

Find out why the place is for sale

Why is the seller unloading the property? Pull a Sherlock and pin down the real motivation behind the sale and you may be able to make a bargain deal. In the rare instance that a seller is present for an open house, ask them directly why they want to sell. It's fair game to inquire on the reason behind the listing. In other cases, your broker can do the asking for you.

Sometimes, an owner will be upfront as a way to ease buyers' fears that a low price is evidence of a problem, Syed says. 

“If it’s priced way below market value everyone wants to know, 'What’s wrong with it?' In that type of situation the seller is likely to say, 'Well nothing’s wrong, but I have to relocate,'” he says.

Another strategy is to hire a broker who works predominantly in one neighborhood or with a specific type of property, like Soho lofts or starter co-ops in Murray Hill. Not only will they know the all the listings in that segment through-and-through, they'll likely be familiar with the relevant buildings and their staff, either from visiting or doing deals there before.

Because they're plugged in, they may be able to glean answers--or at least clues--as to why a seller has put their home on the market, particularly in instances where a listing broker either doesn't know or won't reveal the reason.

"Being kind and a good communicator can often lead to learning what can be deal-changing information," says Elika.

Learn the language

“Desperate sellers don’t put up a sign saying, ‘I’m desperate,’” says Elika, but terms like “quick close,” "must sell,""seller relocating" or "priced to sell" included in listings signal that a seller wants things done fast.

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The Fifth Avenue penthouse of late Seagram billionaire Edgar Bronfman Sr. was on the market for 27 days before a mystery buyer swooped with a $70 million bid this week, according to the New York Post.

That's $5 million more than the original list price, and $5 million more than another well-to-do-buyer was already offering.

The property is currently under contract with Brown Harris Stevens and if the sale is completed, it will be the most expensive co-op ever purchased in New York City, edging out the current record: the $54 million Fifth Avenue penthouse bought by music mogul David Geffen in 2012.

Bronfman, who sold his family's spirits empire for $34 billion in 2000, had lived in the prewar building for the past 40 years until he passed away in December. The full-floor residence has a major selling point in its wrap-around terrace, but the layout of its five bedrooms, eight and a half baths and library seem outdated.

One real estate source told the New York Post the new owner will likely gut the place. Take a look at the photos of the most expensive co-op as it currently stands. 

The decor in Bronfman's penthouse is somewhat outdated.

He and his family had lived there for 40 years.

The color palette in the 16-room apartment is reminiscent of the 1970s.

But the penthouse still maintains the architectural details common in a prewar building.

The formal dining room has a classical layout.

The apartment offers sprawling views of Central Park.

The wrap-around terrace got a lot of praise when the floor plan was released ahead of the interior photos.

SEE ALSO: Seagram Billionaire Charles Bronfman Sells His Fifth Avenue Flat For $19.9 Million

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Rumor has it that billionaire music producer and film studio exec David Geffen bought an East Hampton compound nestled between the beach and Georgica Pond for $67.5 million, according to real estate blogger The Real Estalker.

The waterfront compound includes four separate lots: one for the 7,500-square-foot house, one for a guest house, and two additional vacant lots. 

Other luxurious amenities of the house include seven bedrooms, two fireplaces, a fitness room, library, and a home office.

The property was listed last April for $75 million by socialite and philanthropist Courtney Sales Ross, wife of the late head of Time Warner, Steven J. Ross.

The expansive compound sits on nearly six acres of land between the beach and Georgica Pond.

The pond front is 481 feet and has a small dock for boats.

Plus, pretty amazing sunset views.

Just days after American Realty Capital’s New York Recovery REIT acquired an office building at 1440 Broadway in October for $529 million, the company’s chief investment officer made a bold proclamation.

Michael Happel said his company had a “loose target” to spend another $1 billion on commercial real estate in Manhattan over the next year.

While not everyone has a cool $1 billion to drop, there are plenty of deep-pocketed investors on both the residential and commercial fronts hungry for New York assets.

“I’ve never seen the marketplace so liquid and so deep,” said Dan Fasulo, the managing director of Real Capital Analytics.

While investors like Jeff Sutton and Thor Equities’ Joseph Sitt continue to rack up mega-acquisitions (and headlines) in a flurry of deals, a bunch of other players, from real estate investment trusts to Russian oligarchs, are also searching for assets with investment potential.

This month, The Real Deal identified some of the noteworthy companies and individuals likely to open their wallets in the coming months, whether it be for office buildings, multi-family properties, retail condos or pricey residential pads.

American Realty Capital

American Realty Capital’s New York Recovery REIT, which stunned the market with one eye-popping buy after another in 2013, is poised for another big year. It recently raised $1.7 billion from investors in preparation for a stock exchange listing later in 2014.

Nicholas Schorsch, CEO of the REIT’s parent company American Realty Capital, told TRDthat the funds will primarily be used to purchase more commercial real estate assets in New York City.

“We’re nowhere near the peak,” Schorsch said during a phone interview last month. “There’s still some leasing upside in the market.”

Formed in 2010, the New York Recovery REIT quickly exploded into one of the city’s most aggressive players. It acquired about $1.8 billion worth of New York City real estate in 2013, mostly Manhattan core office and retail properties.

Schorsch said that 80 percent of the REIT’s upcoming investments would be in Manhattan, primarily in office and retail properties with significant upside. The REIT is eyeing the Garment District, Midtown South and the Far West Side for those acquisitions.

“The trophy buildings tend to bring sovereign money — you get the whale hunters,” Schorsch said. “That’s not necessarily for us. Do you really want to be on Park Avenue buying a 4-cap building when you can buy a 6-cap building somewhere else?”

The company’s biggest deal was in November, when it outmaneuvered RXR Realty to snag a 48.9 percent stake in the 59-story, 1.8 million-square-foot Worldwide Plaza, with a right to buy the office tower outright for a total of roughly $1.45 billion.

It has raised more funds than any other non-traded REIT, according to news reports.

The initial public offering, Schorsch said, will “allow us to lower the cost of capital” and lead to a broader availability of money to spend.

RXR Realty

Scott Rechler’s RXR Realty shows no signs of putting the brakes on its ultra-aggressive run.

“We’re going to continue to build on our successful strategy,” said Seth Pinsky, who recently joined the company after leading the city Economic Development Corporation under former Mayor Michael Bloomberg. That echoed a comment Rechler made to TRDlast year that “we think this is the time to be active.”

The company has made good on that promise, building an enviable portfolio of New York properties. It’s closed on over $2.44 billion in acquisitions since 2012, either through joint ventures or as the sole buyer, according to Real Capital Analytics data. The priciest was the 1.2 million-square-foot 237 Park Avenue, which it bought with Walton Street Capital for $800 million in October. And shortly before TRD went to press, it went into contract to buy 61 Broadway, a Financial District office building, for $330 million.

Pinsky, who heads up RXR’s investments in emerging neighborhoods in the New York City area, said the overwhelming competition from global investors in Manhattan is forcing many real estate players to look outside the borough for viable acquisitions.

RXR, for one, is allocating $1 billion to buying properties in the outer boroughs, including industrial buildings in the South Bronx, office buildings and development sites in Long Island City and retail and residential properties on Staten Island.

And it’s already gotten started on deploying that cash. In January, it struck a $195 million joint-venture deal with American Landmark Properties to buy the long-term lease of a large office building at 470 Vanderbilt Avenue, near the Barclays Center (see “Anatomy of a deal: 470 Vanderbilt Avenue”).

Pinsky declined to comment on specific acquisitions RXR is considering, but said, “We’re in active discussions on a number of different fronts” and “we’re looking at the full mix of uses.”

The firm will have little trouble replenishing its funds if need be. Rechler has connections to “big sovereign wealth money,” said a source familiar with RXR. Plus, he’s got a track record of convincing deep-pocketed investment firms to open their wallets for him.

In December, NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. announced that it was investing $340 million in RXR in exchange for a 30 percent stake in the company.

Mikhail Prokhorov

The Russian businessman, best known in New York as the majority owner of the Brooklyn Nets, has a net worth of $12 billion, according to Bloomberg.

Last month, the Moscow-based Prokhorov, who also owns a 45 percent stake in the Barclays Center, said he’s trying to relocate the Nets’ parent company, Onexim Sports & Entertainment, to Russia because of growing tensions between the United States and his native country. Prokhorov, who made his fortune in precious metals, is also thought to be close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But the potential tax consequences of relocation may force him to reconsider his decision, according to real estate lawyer Edward Mermelstein, who is unconnected to Prokhorov but works with many wealthy Russian buyers.

“For him it makes more sense to continue with his investment policy in the U.S.,” Mermelstein said, as opposed to many of the other oligarchs. “The fact is that’s he’s vetted by both the government and the NBA, and has full access to the banking system at this point.”

When in New York, Prokhorov is known to stay at the Four Seasons. So if he decides to continue investing here, it might make sense for him to invest in a pied-à-terre. A trophy buy would put him in the ranks of other oligarchs, such as Dmitry Rybolovlev and Len Blavatnik, who’ve taken a fancy to the Manhattan market.

Another Russian billionaire may hold off on spending for the time being. Roman Abramovich, the owner of British soccer powerhouse Chelsea Football Club, went into contract in January to buy a mansion at 828 Fifth Avenue for $75 million. That deal is currently in dispute, and sources said that Abramovich, a Putin crony, may want to keep a low profile for now.

“It would be politically unwise [for Abramovich] to buy now,” a source said. “There’s no reason for him to spend what’s going to be reported as Russian national funds. He would have unfavorable press very quickly.”

Vornado Realty Trust

While Vornado, the second-biggest office landlord in the city, made some big-ticket buys in the last few years, it’s largely been in selling mode.

That may be starting to change. The REIT, headed by Steven Roth, is reportedly considering spinning off its suburban shopping centers into a separate company. Those who follow the firm said if that happens, it could free up resources and manpower for Vornado to focus more on acquiring core office and retail assets in urban markets.

“The idea behind Vornado’s divesting strategy is to eventually focus [its] resources on the underlying property portfolio in profitable areas” such as New York and Washington, according to a February report cited on the investment website Seeking Alpha.

The firm has cash to spend. At the end of 2013, the company’s cash and cash equivalents stood at $583 million, according to regulatory filings.

In addition, in June, it lost out on its bid for the office and retail tower 650 Madison Avenue. (Vornado ultimately got in on the deal with a minor $12.5 million investment after a partnership led by Crown Acquisitions and Highgate Holdings paid $1.3 billion for the 27-story building.) Nonetheless, the fact that Vornado initially vied for a bigger stake in the mega-building signals its intent to be a player in this market.

In October, it paid $300.3 million for the 57,500-square-foot 655 Fifth Avenue, which has about 20,000 square feet of retail space. It also bought a $171.2 million development site from Extell at 225 West 58th Street, where it’s planning to develop the 41-story condo 220 Central Park South.

Vornado has struggled through a rough patch in recent years, culminating with the resignation of CEO Michael Fascitelli last year. But in the past two quarters, its stock price has rebounded (see “A REIT rundown for 2014″).

Vornado made good on its promise to streamline its business and Roth “regenerated a lot of goodwill in the past two years,” said Alexander Goldfarb, an analyst with Midtown-based investment banking firm Sandler O’Neill + Partners.

HFZ Capital Group

On the residential side, Ziel Feldman’s HFZ Capital Group has been among the most active investors (see “NYC’s most active developers”). And he shows no signs of letting up. Indeed, Feldman told TRD that he will soon announce the acquisition of up to six more residential projects.

HFZ is also in the market for trophy mixed-use properties, such as 650 Madison, which it bid on but lost to the Crown-Highgate partnership in June. Sources said Feldman teamed up with wealthy Middle Eastern investors on that bid.

HFZ’s track record over the past year certainly suggests an abundance of funds.

In December, the company — which according to Real Capital Analytics, spent almost $1 billion on multi-family properties since 2012 — paid $610 million for a 743-unit, four-property rental portfolio in Manhattan. The move followed several big buys in 2012, including the $150 million purchase of the 147-unit Chatsworth Building at 344 West 72nd Street in a joint venture with BSG Real Estate.

Investment sales brokers said Feldman was actively scouting for more buys.

“We’re looking for circumstances [for deals],” Feldman told the New York Times last year. “Churches, nonprofits, synagogues, they’re starting to realize the untapped financial resources that they have in real estate.”

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Two years after former art dealer Bernard Goldberg put his 1900s beach house on the market for $40 million, he finally found a buyer.

The property's price had recently dropped to $29.95 million, according to Curbed. The East Hampton "cottage," as Sotheby's describes it in the listing, is currently under contract, though the buyer and sale price are unknown. 

The home sits on 1.25 acres, with 200 feet of direct access to the ocean. In 5,000 square feet, the home has six bedrooms and five bathrooms. There's also a 40-foot by 20-foot pool in the backyard.    

High hedges shield the property on Lily Pond Lane for maximum privacy.

The shingle style beach house still includes original features from when it was built at the turn of the 20th century.

Inside, there's plenty of wall space for a burgeoning art collector to display his wares.

With its beautiful weather and booming entertainment business, Southern California is one the most desirable places to live in the U.S. No surprise, then, that it's home to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country, from Beverly Hills to La Jolla.

Stephen Higley, a professor emeritus of urban social geography at the University of Montevallo, recently ranked the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. based on American Community Survey 2006-2010 data.

He aggregated contiguous block groups (subdivisions of Census tracts) with a mean income over $200,000. You can read his complete methodology here.

These are the wealthiest neighborhoods in Southern California, from the areas in and around Los Angeles to San Diego.

These neighborhoods, while still wealthy, generally ranked lower on an overall list of the richest neighborhoods in the U.S. than the neighborhoods in the suburbs surrounding New York City.

#27 The Pinnacle-The Woods-The Forest, Coto de Caza, Orange County

Mean household income: $302,335

318th richest neighborhood in the U.S.

The Pinnacle, The Woods and The Forest are exclusive gated communities in Coto de Caza, Orange County.

The suburb is home to a lot of married couples with kids. Many of the homes are custom-built, with tracts of land still routinely sold for further development.  

The Pinnacle-The Woods-The Forest is 84.4% white, 4.8% Asian, 5.3% Latino, 0.7% black

Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com

#26 Crystal Cove, Newport Beach, Orange County

Mean household income: $302,384

317th richest neighborhood in the U.S.

Crystal Cove is on the National Register of Historic Places thanks to 48 cottages that were built between 1920 and 1930. They're examples of Southern California coastal development in the early 20th century.

The cottages have been open to the public since restoration, which is a great tourist spot, along with the area's state park. 

Crystal Cove is 64.4% white, 21.3% Asian, 5.5% Latino, 1.3% black

Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com

#25 Lunada Bay-Honeymoon Cove, Palos Verdes Estates, Los Angeles County

Mean household income: $304,404

300th richest neighborhood in the U.S.

Located in the Palos Verdes Estates suburb of L.A., Lunada Bay has sprawling views of the Pacific Ocean and a reputation as a surfing hotspot.   

Most of the homes in the area are single-family, built between 1940 and 1969. Almost two-thirds of the population is married. 

Lunada Bay-Honeymoon Cove is 75.8% white, 13.5% Asian, 5.2% Latino, 0.6% black

Sources: Higley 1000, city-data.com, neighborhoodscout.com

Barbara Corcoran built her fortune in real estate – she tells us what makes a great salesperson. The "Shark Tank" investor also reveals what her pitch would have been if she were seeking financing on the hit show.

Produced by Justin Gmoser. Originally published in November 2013.

SEE ALSO: Here's How Much Juice You Have To Drink To Make It Worth Buying Your Own $450 Vitamix Blender

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The floor plan of one of the most desirable penthouses on Manhattan's famed Billionaire Row has finally been revealed, and it looks phenomenal.

Real estate firm Douglas Elliman released the sketch of the $79.5 million penthouse on the 92nd floor at 432 Park Avenue. The floor plan includes 8,255 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms (including separate "his" and "hers" for the master bedroom), a private elevator landing, an "entrance gallery," and a library. 

We've previously reported that Deborah Berke is designing the luxurious pad, which will have double-height ceilings, oak flooring, and huge square windows throughout for unparalleled views of the city.

The amenities in the building will also be incredible. 432 Park will have its own private restaurant, an outdoor garden to host events, a 75-foot indoor swimming pool, a fitness center and spa with massage rooms, a library, a billiards room, a screening/performance venue, and even a yoga studio. 

432 Park is just one in a series of super-tall buildings rising on the southern end of Central Park, an area known fondly as Billionaire's Row. And at 1,396 feet and 96 stories, 432 Park will not only be the tallest residential building in the neighborhood, but in the Western Hemisphere.

The tower is set to be completed in 2015. Here's a sneak peak of what the final place could look like:

SEE ALSO: California's Legendary Hearst Mansion Can Be Yours For $135 Million

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Here's an incredible photo of London taken by FT ace Izabella Kaminska from outside the FT towers.

Pretty sure there are at least 11 cranes in this picture. Possibly 12.

It's a nice visual description of a phenomenon taking place around the world: In major international cities, money is flooding into real estate as the global super-wealthy park more of their assets into real estate. And since prices are going ballistic in London, it only makes sense that tons more supply is hitting the market.

UPDATE: Izabella has kindly sent over an even crazier panoramic photo with more cranes. Check out how many there are on the left.

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Earlier we posted an image, posted by Izabella Kaminska, of the crazy cranes that are going up in London.

But it's not just London where cranes are going up.

In major cities around the world (New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Frankfurt, etc.) the wealthy are pouring their money into real estate, and developers are trying to meet the demand as fast as they can.

So what's the craziest crane photo there is?

Send us yours at jweisenthal@businessinsider.com and we'll see where the construction activity has gone insane.

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Brooklyn's Barclays Center is going green. Developer Forest City Ratner Cos. is planning to cover the arena's blue and white roof with 130,000 square feet of "small plants and a soil-like cover," according to The Wall Street Journal. 

The reasons for the greenification are two-fold: it will make the view for the nearby Atlantic Yards residential tower a whole lot nicer, and it will help muffle loud noise from concerts.

Construction on the first tower of Atlantic Yards' 6,400-apartment complex has already started, and Forest City is banking on the view of the new, aesthetic roof as a selling point. Three of the 15 residential buildings will be right next to the Brooklyn venue.

SEE ALSO: 30 Amazing Before-And-After Snapshots That Show How New York Has Transformed Over Time

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After failing to sell her 11-acre estate in the Hollywood Hills for $16 million, singer Sheryl Crow has relisted the sprawling property for a discounted $12 million, according to Trulia.

Crow first listed the house a year and half ago, then pulled it from the market in December 2013.

The gated estate has three homes. The main house is a Spanish Revival built in 1924, with four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms.

The listing agent for the Los Angeles estate is Myra Nourmand of Nourmand & Associates.

Meredith Galante contributed to this story.

Welcome to Vista Canyon Estate, Sheryl Crow's Hollywood Hills compound.

Crow purchased the main home in 1997, according to a 2012 spread in Architectural Digest.

The two-story entry features a wrought iron staircase, Spanish tiles, and beamed ceilings.

Home inventory is low moving into the spring buying season, which has pushed prices up in a lot of places.

But you can still find a good deal if you know what to look for, like an area with a good cost of living.

Our friends at real estate listing site Point2Homes wanted to find the biggest bargains in the U.S., and came up with 14 listings in its extensive database that were $21 per square foot or less. Some were as low as $3 per square foot. (By comparison the average per-square-foot cost of new, single family homes in the U.S. in 2010 was $84.41).

Most of the properties are fixer-uppers, but some are move-in ready. 

This single-story home's in a safe neighborhood.

Address: 3137 N Sherman, Indianapolis, IN 46218

Price: $29,899 for 1,660 square feet ($18 per square foot)

You can pick up this quaint home in a low-crime neighborhood of Indianapolis for a small price. Built in 1930, the two-bedroom home is move-in ready.

Buy a budget home in a gated community.

Address: 1006 Via Grande, Cathedral City, CA 92234

Price: $25,000 for 1,828 square feet ($14 per square feet)

This two-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Southern California sits in a gated community with a clubhouse, pool, gym and tennis court. Although it's small, the property includes an office with built-in shelves and a large back patio. There's also a double attached garage with laundry and extra storage space.  

Look into a small, but well-kept home.

Address: 2340 Brokaw Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45225

Price: $20,000 for 975 square feet ($21 per square foot)

Built in 1950, this home is a piece of quintessential Americana. It has three bedrooms and one bathroom, plus easy highway access to the amenities of downtown Cincinnati. There's also a rear deck in the backyard and an attached one-car garage.  

There are plenty of legendary addresses in New York City, but 15 Central Park West stands out.

The ultra-luxury condominium on the corner of West 61st St. and Central Park West has been home to a long list of bankers, celebrities, and assorted bold-faced names, including Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein and Sting.

Author Michael Gross, who recently released a history of the condo called "House of Outrageous Fortune,"calls it the world's most powerful address.

Unlike many of New York's history-filled apartment buildings — especially its main rival across the park — 15 Central Park West is a relative newcomer.

Completed in 2008 by developers Arthur and William Lie Zeckendorf, it offers a ridiculous array of amenities to New York's moneyed elite, including an in-house chef, a skylighted lap pool, and a private screening room.

15 Central Park West took three years and about $1 billion to construct, including the land. It was an immediate success, ringing up $2 billion in sales. Even today, the building continues to break real-estate sales records.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross 

15 CPW architect Robert A.M Stern was inspired by the great New York apartments of the 1920s, not today's glassy towers. The building has two sections with 201 units total, as well as a formal driveway.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Other amenities include a library, private restaurant, three-lane lap pool, and health club with private massage rooms and yoga area.

Source: "House of Outrageous Fortune" by Michael Gross

Soon-to-be -married "Modern Family" actress Sofia Vergara just dropped $10.6 million on a villa in the heart of Beverly Hills, according to Trulia.

The 11,400-square-foot home has seven bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, including a master suite with separate his and hers closets and a balcony terrace. The estate grounds include a pool, spa and room for two maids to live. 

The Colombian-born beauty is the highest-paid actress on television for the second year in a row, according to Forbes, bringing in $30 million between June 2012 and June 2013. Her fiance is businessman Nick Loeb who is related to the founders of Lehman Brothers and his uncle is the late Canadian Billionaire Edgar Bronfman, Sr.  

Sofia Vergara's new villa sits in Beverly Hills.

It includes a sprawling entryway.

The home spans 11,400 square feet.

Living in your car has a whole new meaning. 

Students, faculty, and alumni from Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) recently created a series of tiny homes that fit neatly in a typical supermarket parking space.

According to the university, "SCADpad" is described as a "unique micro housing and adaptive re-use experiment that proposes an answer to the world’s growing urban housing challenges."

Essentially, they're cool, millennial-style minitrailers. The SCAD team built the three 135-square-foot units inside a midtown Atlanta parking garage. The homes are equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, and living space, and are decorated in Asian, European, and North American themes. 

"They’re entirely self-sufficient—it’s small living with no compromises,"said Christian Sottile, dean of the School of Building Arts at SCAD. And why focus on parking lots? "Parking structures are a unique and very recent building type," Sottile said. "It’s not a structure that cities, architects and designers have examined as opportunities for urban living."

According to SCAD, about half of all parking garages are actually vacant, allowing for potential residential space in increasingly populated cities. 

The thrifty homes have been approved for temporary occupancy and will house students and guests starting April 15. 

SEE ALSO: $21-PER-SQUARE-FOOT OR LESS: The 14 Cheapest Homes You Can Buy Right Now

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Grimy, slum-packed and astonishingly crowded, Bangladesh's capital rarely comes out on top in comparisons with global cities like New York or London. Except, it seems, when it comes to real estate.

Along Gulshan Avenue in the city's central business district, the price of an acre of land is equivalent to $75 million, said Ahsan Mansur, a housing analyst at the Policy Research Institute.

That's approximately $1,700 per square foot. By comparison, land in Manhattan averaged $400 per square foot at the end of last year, according to New York brokerage firms.

SEE ALSO: What It's Like To Live On London's Most Expensive Street

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Fashion designer Reed Krakoff and his wife have purchased the New Canaan, Conn. mansion of the late reclusive heiress Huguette Clark for $14.3 million, Bill Dedman at NBC News reports.

The mansion, which had stood unused for six decades, was initially listed for $34 million in 2006, and later relisted for $25 million in 2008. It later reappeared on the market for $19.8 million last March, shortly after Clark died in a New York hospital.

Clark bought the house in 1951, but never furnished it and never moved in, though it's been impeccably maintained. The 12,766-square-foot, French-chateau-style mansion features nine bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and three half-baths. It sits on a 52-acre piece of land.

Meredith Galante contributed to this story.

Welcome to 104 Dan's Highway in New Canaan, Conn.

From the wooded driveway, it's hard to imagine there's a house back there.

The home was built in 1937 by noted New York architectural firm Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker—designers of the art deco–styled Times Square Building and One Wall Street.

A massive private island in the Bahamas — which comes with its own airport code and 2,700-foot landing strip — will be auctioned off next month in New York City.

Innocence Island, part of the exclusive Exuma chain in the Bahamas, was first listed for $55 million in 2009, but the owner, who recently became ill, wants to auction the property for a quicker transaction, CNBC reports.

It shouldn't be hard to attract a luxury buyer. The 681-acre island has a 3,000-square-foot main house overlooking the entire island, plus a second hillside bungalow with a gym and meditation deck. Innocence Island also includes 15 miles of nature trails, six white sand beaches and flourishing tomato vines as well as mango, guava, and lemon trees growing on the island for your use.

It will be sold by luxury real estate firm Concierge Auctions with Damianos Sotheby's International Realty, and has a reserve price of $10 million.

Innocence Island is part of the Exuma chain of islands in the Bahamas.

It has 681 acres, making it one of the largest private islands in the Bahamas.

Here's a look at the wildlife on the island.