Chateau Louis XIV in France, the most expensive property in the world. Photo / Patrice Diaz, Creative Commons
A Paris chateau built in honour of Louis the Great has become the most expensive property ever sold after going for a staggering NZ$444 million.
Located between Versailles and Marly-le-Roi on a 57 acre section, the Chateau Louis XIV may resemble a 17th Century estate but it was completed in 2011.
According to the Daily Mail the estate was sold to a Middle Eastern buyer.
The sale price has eclipsed a London penthouse which previously held the record after selling for $NZ326 million.
The chateau features a ballroom, nightclub, wine cellar, squash court, home cinema and underwater room.
Marble has been featured heavily throughout, used on the floors, in the bathrooms and for a statue of Louis the Great. Murals like that in the Sistine Chapel adorn the walls and ceilings.
The property considered for a wedding venue for Kim Kardashian West and her husband Kanye West last year.
With the current average house price in Auckland sitting around $765,000, you could get around 580 homes for the price of the Paris chateau.
While New Zealand might not boast properties of this value one of country's largest farms, Lochinver Station in the central North Island is a 13,843-hectare sheep and beef station and has a capital valuation of just over $70 million.
The property, situated on the Rangitaiki Plains between Taupo and Napier is a sheep and beef breeding, finishing and dairy support farm.
The station has three airstrips; 22 houses which accommodate the families of 20 permanent staff; a staff recreation centre; 91kms of pumice roads; six cattle yards; three woolsheds and multiple other farm buildings; a lake and a recreational hunting block.
New Zealanders wanting to get a slice of the opulent lifestyle can look towards the $35 million "chateau" up for grabs on Clifton Road in Takapuna.
Marketed as possibly "the finest private residence" throughout the country, it boasts a whopping nine bathrooms, five bedrooms and parking for eight cars. As well as three hidden panic rooms built-in to keep the occupants safe.
- nzherald.co.nz
Greg Flynn is the CEO of Flynn Group, one of the largest franchise operators globally.