Waterfalls, wine cellars and spas. Peek inside some of the most expensive homes in Austin

The housing market across the five-county Austin region cooled way down as mortgage interest rates began climbing in 2022.

But that doesn't mean prospective buyers aren't still shopping for high-dollar homes.

Demand is still strong for homes priced at $8 million and higher, particularly in the upscale West Lake Hills and Lake Austin areas, said Eric Moreland, a real estate broker specializing in luxury home sales.

And that demand, he said, is both for listings that are publicly marketed, as well as those that are marketed privately, that is, off the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) database. 

Off-market luxury listings have substantially higher asking prices than publicly marketed properties, real estate agents say.

For example, there's currently a luxury home on the market for $50 million on Lake Austin. Bridget Ramey, the Kuper Sotheby's agent with the listing, also has other high-priced listings. Two others on her website that sold were last listed at $28.5 million and $25 million.

The chart below shows the top five highest-priced, publicly marketed listings in Austin in 2023, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. These listings are publicly marketed — they don't reflect some of the priciest homes that are privately marketed. These are listing prices only, as Texas is one of the few states where home sales prices are not disclosed.

• 12842 Hughes Park Road. — $21.5 million
• 4009 Rivercrest Dr. — $18.88 million
• 1700 Lakeshore Dr. — $17.8 million
• 6901 Greenshores Dr. Unit 4 — $13.5 million
• 4402 Aqua Verde Dr. — $13.49 million

Peek inside each home

Hughes Park Road: Named "Villa Del Lago" and located off of RR 620, this 25-acre estate has two gated entrances; cascading waterfalls; six bedrooms; 13 bathrooms; a chef's kitchen with Viking appliances; Lake Travis and Texas Hill Country views; a rotunda foyer with a double staircase.; marble and herringbone wood floors; antique wood fireplaces; a game room; home theater; library; wine cellar; and a massage room.

Rivercrest Drive: This Lake Austin waterfront home has four bedrooms; four full bathrooms and one half-bath; a gourmet kitchen; a pool and spa; and a private boat dock.

Lakeshore Drive: This Mediterranean-style house on Lake Austin has four bedrooms and four bathrooms; a two-slip boat dock and borders Laguna Loma, an exclusive neighborhood park.

Greenshores Drive: This Lake Austin waterfront home sits on 1.7 acres in the Landing at Greenshores and has six bedrooms; eight bathrooms; a game room; a media room; a kitchen with fireplace; and a two-story boat dock.

Aqua Verde Drive: Fully renovated last year, this gated estate has five bedrooms; six bathrooms; a gourmet kitchen; a game room; and two pools.

Gary and Michelle Dolch with Compass Real Estate had the highest-priced public listing last year, for the Hughes Park Road property. The Dolches are broker associates and founding agents of Compass Real Estate Austin, and founding members of Compass' Luxury Division. Their personal company is Austin Luxury Group.

Original Article by Shonda Novak, Austin American-Statesman