The Major League Baseball season is in full swing and as summer draws closer America’s pastime is taking center stage in the sporting world.

Two prominent players known to any fan currently have their luxury homes on the market, each residence a stunning representation of their success. Former New York Met and current St. Louis Cardinal Carlos Beltran - who made headlines earlier this month with a two home run, career-high 7 RBI game - is selling his home in the prestigious Long Island village of Sands Point. Currently listed at $5.8 million, Beltran’s luxury home is a 7,500 square foot South Hampton Style Colonial with 7 bedrooms, 6 full and 2 half baths, and beautifully appointed rooms throughout. The home rests on more than two park-like acres with pool, outdoor bar and kitchen.

Former Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz is selling his 22-acre estate in the affluent community of Milton, Georgia. The list of accomplishments in the pitcher’s 21-year career is a lengthy one – World Series champion, eight-time All-Star and National League Cy Young Award winner, to name a few. An inventory of features and amenities in the John Smoltz home and estate are equally as impressive. The compound is a sportsman’s paradise with full 18-hole golf course, baseball diamond, fishing pond, jogging trail, football field, basketball court and tennis court. The over 18,000 square foot home is just as grand with 10 bedrooms, 14 baths, 6 fireplaces, extensive gym, spacious movie theater and much more. The amazing property is currently listed at $7.2 million.

Happy birthday to Mr. Baird of Baird & Warner, who turned 97 earlier this week! Check out the fun interview below for some of his thoughts on this milestone and the industry.

Another esteemed real estate dignitary, the 101-year-young Ebby Halliday, posted her own video well wishes to mark the occasion.

So great to see two of our industry’s most respected leaders embracing the power of video!

  

The below is an excerpt from an article by contributing author Camilla McLaughlin that appeared in the most recent Luxury Portfolio International Magazine. See the full article here to read more on trends in value and comfort in the new design paradigm.

“Home...comfortable...reassuring...lasting value...uniquely mine” resonate with consumers today. Rather than colors or finishes, values such as these form the wellspring of design this year.

During the downturn, “new normal” became a popular catchphrase to characterize changes, particularly in values, resulting from the recent recession. Dramatic losses in equities, income and net worth stunned even the affluent and left everyone revaluing what was important, particularly regarding house, home, family and friends.

Today, the number of billionaires and millionaires worldwide exceeds pre-recession levels and spending is up. Clearly for the wealthy the much touted new normal has arrived. “Wealthy consumers are very much back into investing in their homes,” but there is more of a focus on price and value than in the past, says Robert Kaner, owner of Robert Kaner Interior Design  in New York.

“Rather than buying just to fill a space, people are buying something because it works or there is some sort of intrinsic or artistic value,” observes Matthew Smyth, owner of Matthew Patrick Smyth Interiors in New York.

Read the full article for more insights…

Recently featured in the Luxury Portfolio blog in a post on modern architecture, a stunning property has just sold, setting a benchmark for highest 2012 luxury home sale in Bel Air, the renowned affluent Los Angeles community.

The home was last listed at $29.995 million by Luxury Portfolio member Hilton & Hyland, who represented both the seller and buyer in the sale. Offering the best of luxurious contemporary living, the home features dramatic spaces with state of the art design and finishes that include marble walls and Italian fixtures. It is perfect for entertaining on a grand scale with an oversized living room, dining room, screening room and gourmet chef’s kitchen on the main level, opening to a stunning outdoor space with infinity-edge pool overlooking Los Angeles. An attached guest house is also included in the rare and remarkable property.

Often, and understandably, confused with contemporary architecture, the modern style specifically references a design informed by the modernism movement. Post World War II, modern architects began to resist more conventional practices to create comfortable homes that are sparse and spacious with minimal ornamentation.

Modern luxury homes honor an open concept and free-flowing space, while eliminating ornamentation and promoting highly functional living. Hallmarks of modern homes include:

• Vertical and horizontal lines
• Geometric shapes
• Open living spaces
• Extensive use of concrete, steel and glass.

Listed at $29.995 million, clean lines help to define this modern masterpiece in prestigious lower Bel Air, California. A showcase of state-of-the-art design, the home has a privileged position looking over the entire Los Angeles basin beyond its expansive infinity pool. Open living flows throughout the vast 15,000 square feet with 16-foot high ceilings and a grand hallway that links all of the public living spaces. Ascending a sculptural staircase takes you up to 5 bedrooms, a gym and a luxurious master retreat.

In Miami Beach, Florida a newly constructed modern luxury home enjoys 135 feet of prime waterfront with substantial open spaces perfect for grand scale entertaining. Spectacular interiors seamlessly transition to a large, covered, open terrace with complete summer kitchen and al fresco dining areas leading to the infinity pool, spa and cabana. The 6 bedroom, 7 full and 1 partial bath home is currently listed at $16.5 million.

Fine wine is an omnipresent staple of the luxury lifestyle. One direct correlation is evident in the multitude of wine cellars and tasting rooms found in high-end luxury homes. Social revelers and true connoisseurs alike enjoy these sanctuaries for everything from simple storage to elaborate and elegant spaces fit to host several people for tastings.

Rustic barrel furniture to high-tech inventory trackers and digital sommeliers, there are wine cellars to fit every taste and style. Check out the slideshow for ten of our favorites inside luxury homes currently on the market. Click on the property information in the corner of each photo for more on the featured homes.

An article in the recently published Luxury Portfolio International™ Magazine takes a look at current trends in cutting edge technology for the home, exotic locales to discover and luxurious ways to relax. The latest in Innovation, Exploration and Relaxation include a smart thermostat that learns and adjusts its settings based on your habits, expeditions that allow unprecedented access to off-the-beaten-path destinations and a meditation pod that serves as a refreshing sanctuary in the home. See more about these and several more of our favorites in the full LuxeTrends® article.

You can also watch the trends come to life in short videos on Luxury Portfolio TV. Go to LuxuryPortfolio.com/video and click on the LuxeTrends tab.

Tall columns, symmetrical design and ornate details mark the Neoclassical design drawn from ancient Greece and Rome, and visible in such iconic homes as The White House and the fictional Tara from Gone With the Wind. With its distinguished forms, the Neoclassical home radiates a timeless beauty.

Ornate styling suggests a formal and important lifestyle, with early 20th century Neoclassical luxury homes constructed in the United States emulating the upper classes of Europe. The formality of the style is also popular in portraying revered institutions, including government and university buildings. Popular features of the style include:

• Towering columns
• Pedimented front porch
• Tall, narrow windows
• Symmetrical form
• Elaborate doorways

Neoclassical homes can be found throughout the world and still evoke a supremely luxurious aura. A Neoclassical masterpiece in Atherton, California currently on the market was recently completed (in 2009) and features six luxurious bedrooms suites plus four additional half baths. Beyond the domed entry are grand rooms with signature intricate moldings, including a library that doubles as a media and family room. Connection to the pristine grounds with pool, spa and gardens is provided by a vast loggia and terrace.

Across the United States in Bernardsville Boro, New Jersey the estate known as Claremont has a distinguished heritage to match its Neoclassical design. The mansion was designed by and became the summer home of renowned architect George Brown Post – called "the father of the tall building in New York Corinthian columns, grand proportions, exquisite moldings and elegant fireplaces showcase the grace of the style and the details commonly associate with Post. Featuring 7 bedrooms, 7 full and 1 partial bath, along with a charming guest cottage and carriage house, Claremont has been exceptionally well-maintained and is a stunning example of a respected architect’s work.

Today, Michael Jordan’s luxury home in Highland Park, Illinois, has been listed for sale. With an asking price of $29 million, the secluded compound offers over 56,000 square feet of livable space; including nine bedrooms, more than 15 baths, and five fireplaces.

The estate also features an attached three bedroom guesthouse, an indoor/outdoor entertaining and pool area, an outdoor tennis court, a putting green, a deep water pond, three separate climate-controlled multi-car garages and an extraordinary indoor basketball complex with full-size regulation court, custom sound system and competition-quality lighting.

The longtime personal residence of the NBA legend is presented for sale by Katherine Chez Malkin of Luxury Portfolio member Baird & Warner Real Estate. Read the full release.

See even more in a special sneak peek of an article appearing in the Luxury Portfolio International Magazine to be released later in March:  Michael Jordan’s Championship-Level Compound