10 Crazy Real Estate Facts from Around the World

Because everyone needs a home all over the world, real estate can feature in world events and pop culture in ways that you wouldn’t normally expect. Just to prove it to you, we’ve compiled 10 facts about real estate from around the world that will make you think, and make your friends impressed when you use them as fun facts at your next dinner party.

1. When the Eiffel Tower was constructed, the designer included a secret apartment for himself at the top
2. Monica’s apartment from the tv show “Friends” is estimated to be worth about $3.5 million
3. The Empire State Building was opened during the Great Depression, so many of its space initially was unrented. This led many New Yorkers to refer to the building as the “Empty State Building.”
4. Adolf Hitler once owned a Hollywood mansion that he never saw in person
5. In Tunisia, you can book an overnight stay in Luke Skywalker’s home from the Star Wars franchise for just $10
6. All the land in Singapore is owned by the government, and 85% of housing is provided by a government-owned housing corporation.
7. MS The World is the largest privately owned residential yacht on earth. It has 165 private residences
8. In the early half of the 20th century, Sears, Roebuck & Co. sold about 75,000 mail-order houses. They arrives as a kit, and some of them still exist.
9. In some major cities around the world, there are entire buildings that exist just to cover vent shafts and cell phone towers for the “illusion of occupation.”
10. Mike Ilitch, previous owner of the Little Caesars franchise and the Detroit Tigers, anonymously paid Rosa Parks’ rent for more than a decade after she was robbed and had to move to a safer, more expensive part of Detroit.