Luxe Living

When it comes to high-priced New Jersey real estate, it’s getting real. Just this morning,  The Real Housewives of New Jersey‘s very own Joe and Melissa Gorga re-listed their stunning European-influenced mansion for $3,800,000, according to US Weekly. This is not the first time this very home has hit the market. In 2010, before they first appeared on the reality show (and shortly after completing construction of the home), they listed it for an optimistic $4,100,000.

When talking about why they’re moving, Joe Gorga told US Weekly, ”I’m a builder. I custom-built the houses we have lived in and will do the same with our next one. We tried Montville, but it just wasn’t for us. We want to go back to Franklin Lakes, which is closer to where I work, and we’re looking at a couple of properties now.”

Built in 2009, the home features six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, four fireplaces and a three-car garage. The Gorga’s for-sale house features rich, thematic detail and is set in a prestigious yet tranquil and private location near major highways to New York City. Upgrades to the home include an extra-thick English slate roof with copper gutters and leaders, custom stone and a Florida stucco facade, Italian marble foyer with inlays, dual marble stairways, custom tray ceilings, high-end kitchen and baths, rounded-cedar French doors and cedar windows, gorgeous wood paneling, arched hallways with thick, continental-inspired moldings, delicately curved built-in bookcases, luxurious fireplace mantles and gleaming hardwood floors in rich hues. The home also has additional luxury details, such as domed ceilings and a circular wrought-iron banisters.

Devotees of the New Jersey version of the “Real Housewives” franchise will remember that Joe Gorga installed a $50,000 recording studio for wife Melissa in the basement of this very home. The listing makes no mention of the studio, which means that it probably goes with the family (in pieces, of course) when they move into their next stunning home.

The Gorgas also have their vacation home in Toms River, New Jersey on the market for $520,000.

This week, the biggest names in tech have gathered together in Las Vegas for one of the largest tech conferences in the world: The International Consumer Electronics Show. From checking out new eye-tracking technology to watching Justin Timberlake announce what’s next with Myspace, the biggest and baddest tech developers are in Sin City to debut the latest tech toys that the rest of us hope to play with tomorrow.

To feed our need to be constantly plugged in, today’s real estate world has responded by building hundreds of “smart homes” that are equipped with high-tech, state of the art security, appliances and more. (Check out the “2011 Smart Home” with automated high-tech media mirrors, solar panels and self-watering plants featured on Gizmodo.)

So what’s the most awesome smart home on the market? How about the largest, pricest, most fabulous tech palace located just 8 miles of New York City in Alpine, New Jersey.

Listed at $56 million, this 30,000 square foot estate sits in one of the wealthiest zip codes in the country and has 12 bedrooms, 15 full and 4 partial baths. According to the listing, the home features a state of the art security system, heated driveway, high-tech appliances, gated motor court with six garages, generator and fire compressions system – all with the capability to be remotely controlled via smart phone from anywhere in the world.

The lavishly fancy digs has twelve foot high ceilings throughout, along with a heated 65-foot pool, separate pool house with kitchen and two baths, a theater room, basketball court, and full tennis court.

Forbes magazine has just published their annual “Most Expensive Zip Codes in America” list, and Alpine, New Jersey tops the list. Home to Chris Rock, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Stevie Wonder and others, Alpine is located just 8 miles from New York City, making it the perfect big-city escape for those with big bank accounts.

In Alpine, real estate is the real deal – the average listing price is an eye-popping $7,310,140. So, what does the most expensive for-sale home in the most expensive zip code look like? One word: impressive.

Located on the only gated street in Northern New Jersey, never before has a home of this grandeur been available. Measuring in at thirty thousand square feet, the sprawling home has 12 bedrooms and bathrooms galore. Perfect for the ultimate entertainer, reception rooms and a ballroom were built with grand scale proportions. Rare woods, stone, marble and twelve foot high ceilings are found throughout. The pool house includes a kitchen and two baths, a sixty five foot pool and tennis court. For the cold New Jersey winters, the property boasts a heated driveway and gated motor court with six garages. A generator, fire compression system and the most advanced security system are just the start of  the state-of-the-art amenities. This massive estate is a “smart house” which can be operated anywhere in the world from an iPhone. Nothing like it exists in any other zip code.

Here at Trulia, we seem to have a curious fascination with The Real Housewives. Whether they’re in Beverly Hills, Orange County, New York, Atlanta, or New Jersey, we love peeking into these ladies’ homes and lives every week. Last night we bid adeui to the most recent season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, so today, let’s peek inside a home in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, the town made famous by the show.

While not actually owned by a “Real Housewife,” we can only anticipate that any of the New Jersey women would love to call this place home. This magnificant Colonial Manor was custom built in 2003. The extraordinary attention to detail, design and construction is evident throughout this home. This home sits majestically on a lovely large lot on one of Franklin Lakes most prestigious streets. The two story dramatic entry foyer has an ultra wide sweeping staircase a formal living and dining room. The stunning kitchen is by Bilotta with wood mode cherry glazed cabinets and every feature imaginable.. The great room has a two story fireplace flanked by two story Palladian windows and a sensational cherry bar. The lower level allows you to walk out to a pool, spa, and a playing field. A stone outdoor kitchen is an elegant and grand addition to the outdoor entertainment space. This home is warm and inviting, offering a richly appointed sophisticated lifestyle in a country setting.

Diddy, (in)famous for changing his moniker like some people change clothes, has also decided to make another change in his life. He’s listed his palatial home in Alpine, NJ on the open market. Listed at $13.5M, the home doesn’t come cheap, but it does come equipped. 3+ acres, 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, an indoor squash court, full-size gymnasium, movie theater, 6 car garage and 3 master suites make this home worthy of the eye-popping price tag. For those not well-versed on their New Jersey knowledge, Alpine is a celebrity enclave within driving distance to the bright lights and big city of Manhattan. Diddy’s famous current and former neighbors include Kimora Lee Simmons, Lil’ Kim, Chris Rock, Stevie Wonder and others. Alpine’s zip code, 07620, is consistently listed in the top 10 most affluent in America, making it a no-brainer that celebrities would be shacking up in the mega-homes that line the lanes.