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    Paradise For Sale

    Buying a piece of paradise: A Mexican penthouse brings a $1.2 million price tag and tropical wows

    Barbara Kuntz
    Barbara Kuntz
    Mar 29, 2014 | 4:01 pm

    Editor's Note: Houston, the surrounding areas and beyond are loaded with must-have houses for sale in all shapes, sizes and price ranges. In this continuing series, CultureMap snoops through some of the best and gives you the lowdown on what's hot on the market.

    Are you ready to pack your bags? A luxurious penthouse in the planned residential resort community of Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, is ready to whisk adventurous home buyers away with open-air architecture, sweeping beachfront views and tropical charm.

    The price to stop being a tourist and become an owner of a piece of paradise? A cool $1.2 million.

    At least, you can always dream about it.

    About Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico
    Located a scenic 15-minute drive from Puerto Vallarta's international airport, Nuevo Vallarta is home to luxury villas, condos and estates, many with canals leading to private docking piers. The marina development features a 3,000-slip, state-of-the-art facility. Many malls, stores and eateries in the area are popular for day and evening excursions.

    The white sand not only attracts sun worshippers and beachcombers, but endangered Caguama turtles as well.

    The white sand not only attracts sun worshippers and beachcombers, but endangered Caguama turtles as well, who lay their eggs each winter on the beaches of Nuevo Vallarta.

    Walk through
    Winding down Nuevo Vallarta's boulevards lined with palm trees and exotic vegetation, owners turn into the drive at 1143 Nayarit nearby The Grand Mayan Nuevo Vallarta. Residents of the mid-rise have assigned parking, so it's time to leave the car — and worries — behind and head up to the penthouse.

    A dramatic two-story-tall entry seamlessly becomes the main room, where ocean breezes from the back terrace flow throughout the first floor. Dining is always al fresco here, with designer all-weather dining table and chairs located on the oversized balcony. The panoramic view from this vantage point seems endless, and below, a private pool and sandy beaches await.

    Back inside, the chef's kitchen opens to the lofty great room. The master bedroom is tucked away on the first floor, complete with private access to a secluded sitting area on the terrace. Tropical wood, exposed wood beams, locally sourced stones and tiled floors found throughout the penthouse find balance with the contemporary architecture. A modern stairwell takes visitors upstairs to a formal living room and casual dining room, and a catwalk connects one end of the second floor of the house to the other.

    In addition to the master bedroom, the penthouse includes three other bedrooms with full en suite baths and a full bath off the great room. An working elevator is available, as are an exercise room and large outdoor whirlpool tub for soaking under the stars.

    Step outside
    Ah, Mexico.

    Square footage: 4,801

    Asking price: $1.2 million

    Listing agent: Colleen Phalen, John Daugherty, Realtors

    Find two queen-sized beds in this bedroom, another space that catches a great breeze - and view.

    On the Market 1143 Nayarit Nuevo Vallarta Mexico March 2014
    Photo by © Ruben Hidalgo
    Find two queen-sized beds in this bedroom, another space that catches a great breeze - and view.
    unspecified
    news/real-estate

    Royal Flip

    Chip and Joanna Gaines finally sell $2.7M Fixer Upper castle in Waco

    John Egan
    Sep 24, 2026 | 5:00 pm
    Fixer Upper castle Waco
    Photo courtesy of Magnolia
    The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot Waco castle at nearly $2.7 million.

    Texas' king and queen of home renovations, Chip and Joanna Gaines, are done lording over their 136-year-old castle in Waco. The stars of TV’s Fixer Upper have found a buyer for Cottonland Castle, Mansion Global reported. The sale is pending.

    The Gaineses listed the 6,176-square-foot castle, in Waco's historic and affluent Castle Heights neighborhood, at nearly $2.7 million. They bought the property in 2019, when it carried a $425,000 price tag.

    The castle, with a sandstone and limestone facade, is modeled after a German castle along the Rhine River.

    Chip and Joanna Gaines, Fixer Upper Chip and Joanna Gaines are preparing to hand over the keys to their castle. Facebook Magnolia Network

    The duo spent several years restoring the castle to revive its original character. That work became the foundation for their six-part 2022 series Fixer Upper: Welcome Home – The Castle. They opened it to the public for guided tours and introduced Magnolia brand tie-ins, like a “Colors of the Castle” paint collection.

    “People love things that are nostalgic. They love things that are antique-looking, and I want this place to feel like it did in 1915,” Joanna said during an episode of Fixer Upper. “Whether you walked into the space in 1915 or today, it has that same feeling of history and love and beauty and castle-ship.”

    A year after the series aired, the castle failed to sell at auction, according to Mansion Global. It went on the market in June. Amanda Nesbitt of Magnolia Realty, the real estate brokerage founded by the Gaineses, has the listing.

    The three-story castle offers “a seamless blend of historic grandeur and modern functionality,” according to the listing.

    That grandeur includes millwork, antique tile floors, diamond-paned windows and seven ornate fireplaces. The four-bedroom property features three-and-a-half bathrooms, a formal dining room, a great room, a card room, a library and a conservatory.

    All furnishings, accessories and decor “have been thoughtfully curated to complement the home’s design,” the listing says, and are included in the sale.

    The castle has a rocky modern history.

    Jack Schwan bought the property in 1969 for $50,000, according to the Waco Welcome Center.

    Over the years, the Schwan family made many repairs and renovations. The family tried to sell the castle in 1982; they thought it was worth close to $1.25 million following the overhaul. In 1991, the property sold only after a drastic price cut.

    “Over the next two decades, the home passed through various owners’ hands and fell into disrepair. Many owners found the castle too large and in need of too much maintenance to be a financially feasible home,” according to the Waco Welcome Center.

    The castle sold again in 2014, and a group led by Oxford scholar Dirk Obbink tackled renovation work. The Gaineses bought it five years later, after it had been neglected and abandoned.

    castlecelebritieschip and joannafixer uppergaineshome for salewacoluxury
    news/real-estate

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