Who Pays The Most Real Estate Taxes? A Look At Homes Of Top Technology Execs
Where Living Can Reflect Earnings
Where do the tech elite kick back after a long day at the office, or crash after a long trip?
There's no place like home, and some of the visionaries and executives who run the biggest, most influential technology companies in the world have bought or built homes that reflect the wealth they have earned over the years.
So, what's home when you're a Sergey Brin, Michael Dell or Jeff Bezos? Or for legendary billionaires such as Larry Ellison and Bill Gates who have built their companies into tech behemoths?
Some of the homes of your favorite tech execs might surprise you with their glamor. But other leaders have more modest digs.
Using government and real estate websites, as well as published reports, we uncovered information on 23 properties throughout the United States that some of the biggest names in technology call home (and in one other case, used to call home). Here they are, listed in order of their real estate tax bills, from lowest to highest. The data comes from public records and real estate websites.
Ginny Rometty's Gulf Coast Home
IBM's chairwoman, president and CEO bought her home - now worth more than $1.5 million, according to Zillow.com - in Bonita Springs, Fla in 2005, placing her only about a half hour outside Cape Coral, and just southeast of Estero Island on the Gulf Coast. When she's at IBM's headquarters in Armonk, N.Y., she stays at a nearby hotel-run condominium, according to a 2012 report in Fortune.
Living area: 3,248 square feet
Purchase price and date: Rometty paid $285,000 in 2005, when she built the house, according to Zillow.com.
Details: The three-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home has a fireplace, pool and more than 800 square feet of parking space, according to Zillow.
Assessment (2016): $989,836, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $16,181, down from $16,527 in 2015; in 2011, the property's taxes were $17,223, according to public records and Zillow.
Satya Nadella's Former Mountain Home
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sold his home in Seattle last year, getting nearly double for what he paid for it 16 years earlier, according to Zillow.com.
Living area: 4,000 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to Zillow.com Nadella bought the property for $1.4 million in August 2000, eight years after he moved over to Microsoft from Sun Microsystems.
Details: The home has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, with floor-to-ceiling windows that open to stunning views of Lake Washington and the Olympic Mountains, according to published reports.
Assessment (2016): $2,370,000, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $19,757, up from $18,813 in 2015, according to county records.
Brian Roberts' Philly Mansion
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts' Philadelphia homestead in provides both space and quiet, surrounded by nature.
Living area: 9,450 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to county records, Roberts had the deed transferred under his name in September 1994 for $950,000.
Details: The home has five bedrooms, three bathrooms and five fireplaces, according to county records.
Assessed value (2016): $1,626,000, according to Zillow.
Annual taxes (2016): $22,761, up from $19,831 in 2015, but down from $28,891 in 2013, according to Zillow.
Tim Cook's Homestead
Apple CEO Tim Cook has settled down in a Palo Alto home, and has been quoted as saying that he likes to keep himself in modest surroundings to remind himself of where he came from.
Living area: 2,300 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to multiple sources, Cook moved into his new home in July 2012, buying the property for just under $2 million.
Details: The home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, according to Zilliow.com.
Assessed value (2016): $2,124,938, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $25,762, up from $24,465 in 2015, and $17,359 in 2011, according to Zillow.com and public records.
Ursula Burns' Upper East Side Penthouse
Former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns lives in a penthouse in this 20-story building on Manhattan's Upper East Side. According to the Wall Street Journal, Burns bought the site two years after taking the job in 2009. It's just a few miles from the Lower East Side housing project where Burns grew up.
Living area: 3,326 square feet
Details: According to several listings, this apartment has five bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms and a view that extends from the Empire State Building to the East River. It also includes access to the fitness club, plus a balcony in the building.
Market value (2016): $973,537, according to public records
Annual taxes (2016): $25,900, according to public records.
Meg Whitman's California Home
Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman's home, located in Atherton, Calif., has been her residence for about 18 years, since her days as president and CEO of eBay.
Living area: 3,700 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to Zillow.com, Whitman paid $2.5 million for the home in March 1999.
Details: The home has three bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a pool, sauna, spa, intercom system and an attached 900-square-foot garage, according to Zillow.
Assessed value (2016): $3,475,375, according to public records
Annual taxes (2016): $40,916, up from $39,777 in 2015, according to public records and Zillow.com.
Sergey Brin's Greenwich Village Penthouse
Google co-founder Sergey Brin owns a duplex penthouse in New York City's Greenwich Village that fills the top two floors of the building.
Living area: 3,457 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to Zillow.com, Brin bought the condo in 2008 for $8.5 million.
Details: The property includes four bedrooms with heated limestone floors in the bathroom and a wraparound balcony, according to several publishes reports.
Assessed value (2016): $2,599,096 according to public records
Annual taxes (2016): $50,985, up from $40,621 in 2015, and $21,496 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.com.
Chuck Robbins' Mansion Is The Gato's Miau
Robbins' Los Gatos, Calif., estate, located just south of San Jose, is a gorgeous mansion with a good amount of privacy, tucked away in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains with the homes of other entrepreneurs such as Steve Wozniak and WhatsApp creator Jim Goetz.
Living area: 6,650 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to public records, the home's deed was transferred to Robbins' Trust in October 2015 for $5.5 million.
Details: According to Zillow.com, Robbins' home has a fenced-in yard that encircles his 1.61-acre, five-bedroom estate. The mansion also includes 4.5 paths, a pool, sauna, basketball court, 1,092-square-foot garage and fitness center.
Assessed value (2016): $5,494,400, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $64,268, up from 48,539 in 2015 and $45,497 in 2011, according to public records.
Marissa Mayer's Palo Alto Palace
Yahoo President and CEO Marissa Mayer bought her home in Palo Alto, Calif., which has a nice play area for her twin daughters and is just a couple of towns from Yahoo's Sunnyvale headquarters.
Living area: 5,203 square feet
Purchase price and date: $4.8 million in 2007
Details: The house contains five bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, plus more than 450 square feet of parking space, according to Zillow.com.
Assessed value (2016): $6,166,100, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $71,749, up from $63,462 in 2015, and $58,577 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.
Bill McDermott's Suburban Philly Mansion
SAP Americas CEO Bill McDermott and his wife, Julie, own this gorgeous mansion, located just a 20-minute drive from his office. The Villanova, Pa., residence borders the local high school's athletic fields and boasts some athletic features of its own, including a full-sized tennis court near the far end of the property.
Living area: 11,569 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to public records, the property was bought in December 2002 for $3.35 million.
Details: The property features a full 1.97 acres of space and also has an in-ground pool, six bedrooms and 6.5 bathrooms, according to Zillow.
Assessed value (2016): $1,974,960, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $69,983, up from $64,533 in 2015, and $54,394 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.
Pat Gelsinger's Hillside Ranch/Mansion
VMWare CEO Pat Gelsinger owns a ranch-style mansion in Portola Valley - located just south of San Francisco Bay - with beautiful views of nearby hills.
Living area: 7,530 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to Zillow, the property was bought in April 2013 for $6.25 million.
Details: The ranch is equipped with six bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen and huge windows that bring the views of the hills indoors. The house also holds a home theatre system, a wine cellar and private motor court with easy access to 280 recreation trails, according to Zillow.
Assessed value (2016): $6,553,249, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $73,022, up from $70,097 in 2015, but up by just $185 over 2014, according to public records and Zillow.
Safra Catz's Los Altos Mansion
Oracle Co-CEO Safra Catz may not have the spending habits of her good friend, company founder Larry Ellison, but that hasn't stopped her from snagging a rather impressive home in Los Altos, Calif.
Living area: 6,000 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to county records, the property was sold in August 2005 for $9.2 million
Details: The mansion contains five bedrooms, six-and-a-half bathrooms, a pool, a beach volleyball court and a full-sized tennis court, along with 458 square feet of parking space, according to Zillow.com.
Assessed value (2016): $7,300,000, according to public records
Annual taxes (2016): $86,671, up from $79,357 in 2015 and $52,207 in 2011, according to Zillow.com and public records.
Mark Zuckerberg: From Harvard Dorm to Menlo Park Mansion
Zuckerberg, famous for launching Facebook out of a Harvard dormitory, and notorious for having rented previous living spaces month to month, purchased his first home in Menlo Park, Calif., in 2011.
Living area: 5,617 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to multiple sources, Zuckerberg bought the home for $7 million in May 2011.
Details: The estate has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, and is only a few blocks from Facebook's headquarters. The property also has a gazebo, a wood-burning fireplace, salt-water swimming pool, spa and carport, according to Zillow.com and published reports.
After purchasing the home, according to an article on Zillow.com, the Facebook founder bought surrounding homes for a combined $30 million to ensure his privacy. But he then leased the properties back to their former owners.
Assessed value (2016): $7,631,889, according to public records
Annual taxes (2016): $90,349 up from $87,943, in 2015 and $49,261 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.
Mark Hurd's California Home
According to sf.blockshopper.com, Oracle co-president Mark Hurd bought this Atherton, Calif., mansion in 2005, when he was CEO of Hewlett-Packard.
Living area: 6,410 square feet
Purchase price: According to county records, Hurd paid $7.2 million.
Details: It holds six bedrooms, six bathrooms and a half-bath. The site also includes a pool and pool house, which has its own bathroom and kitchen, according to published data.
Assessed value (2016): $8,276,116, according to public records
Annual taxes (2016): $93,808, up from $91,506 in 2015, and $87,394 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.
Larry Page's Neighborhood
Google co-founder Larry Page has brought a lot of attention with him to the Palo Alto, Calif., neighborhood of Waverley Oaks. According to multiple sources, Page has scooped up multiple lots on the same cul-de-sac, leaving some unchanged, demolishing others and building up one into a new, eco-friendly "green" mansion. His first home on the street is pictured here.
Living area: 8,000 square feet
Assessment (2016): $8,090,199 according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016) $95,723, up from $93,181 in 2015 and $85,091 in 2011, according to public records and according to Zillow.
Jack Dorsey's Touch Of Glamor
Twitter tycoon Jack Dorsey's home in San Francisco is the kind of mansion that looks like Hollywood designed it rather than an architect. And, in fact - according to sf.curbed.com - the house sits on a site that Frank Lloyd Wright was commissioned to design a home for, although it was never built.
Purchase price and date: $9.9 million in February 2012.
Details: The house has a 20-foot retractable ceiling, which makes for a decent sun roof.
Living area: 3,734 square feet
Assessment (2016): $10,599,794, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016) $124,993, up from $120,592 in 2015, and $46,526 in 2012, when he bought the property, according to public records and Zillow.
Randall Stephenson's Sprawling Dallas Estate
According to the Dallas Central Appraisal District, AT&T CEO Randall L. Stephenson resides in this Dallas mansion right next to the Dallas North Tollway. He also owns an adjacent 5,000-square-foot home he bought for his daughter and a small guesthouse with an exercise area. All are surrounded by a stone wall to shield the properties form the noise of a busy road right in front of the house, according to published reports.
Living area: 11,939 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to county records, Stephenson assumed ownership in in April 2009.
Details: The sprawl contains six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, three wet bars, four fireplaces and an outdoor pool with adjacent cabana, according to data on Zillow.com and the blog Celebrity Homes.
Assessed value (2016): $5.581,210, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $151,769, up from $139,774 in 2015 and $128,979 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.com.
Casa de la Schmidt
Google's executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, has a Spanish-style mansion in Santa Barbara, Calif., that hosted Kim Kardashian's wedding to basketball player Kris Humphries in August 2011.
Living area: 7,056 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to Zillow.com, the property was bought in 2007 for $20 million.
Details: The home includes 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, a tennis court, pool, and a huge manicured lawn adorned with a tiled fountain, according to Zillow.
Assessed value (2016): $22,191,656, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $231,830, up from $225,308 in 2015 and $214,222 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.com.
Michael Dell's Texas 'Castle'
According to county records, Dell Inc. founder and CEO Michael Dell owns a home and 20-acre estate in Austin, Texas, known locally as "the castle." It's well hidden from the public atop a hill in the center of a five-level terraced lawn, behind gates, walls and at least two long, winding driveways.
Living area: 33,000 square feet
Date of construction: 1997
Details: The home, which Dell built, is a short commute from the Dell headquarters in Round Rock, and according to Zillow.com, features eight bedrooms and bathrooms, 13 half-baths, a conference room, exercise room, indoor and outdoor pools and a full-sized outdoor basketball court.
Assessed value (2016): $17,361,321, according to Redfin.
Annual taxes (2016): $316,208 according to Redfin.
Jeff Bezos' Beverly Hills Mansion
Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos – who ranks sixth on the Forbes' 2016 Billionaires list – has made his home in a Beverly Hills mansion just outside the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
Living area: 11,891 square feet
Date of sale: County records indicate that the home was bought in April 2007.
Details: According to Zillow.com, the estate contains seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms with two private suites for the housekeeping staff. It also features a huge pool, a sunken tennis court, separate guest house and a 6-car garage, all wrapped within the estate's 2.03 acres.
Assessed value (2016): $27,739,355, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $321,899, up from $297,627 in 2015 and $284,872 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.com.
Marc Benioff's San Francisco Pad
Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff's San Francisco home sits in the affluent Presidio Heights neighborhood. The house has hosted several Benioff parties, including one reportedly attended by former president Barack Obama.
Living area: 15,858 square feet
Details: The house has six bedrooms and five bathrooms according to Zillow.com and sits right in front of another property Benioff owns in the neighborhood, an $8.4 million mansion.
Assessed value (2016): $29,065,882, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $343,097, up from $338,915 in 2015, according to Realtor.com.
Michael Dell's Hawaiian Getaway
Dell also likes the sun, so, after building his home in Austin in 1997, he bought a second vacation home in Hawaii.
Living area: 18,500 square feet
Purchase price and date: According to county records, Dell bought this home in 2002 for $32 million.
Details: Known as the "Raptor Residence" after its owner of record, Raptor Residence LLC, the house is located on Hawaii's Kona coast. According to Zillow.com, it features seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, a pool, sunroom, home theater and basketball court.
Assessed value (2016): $73,925,900, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $742,955, up from $683,563 in 2015, according to public records.
Larry Ellison's 23-Acre Shogunate
Former Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, aka the Silicon Samurai, is certainly known for his love of excess.
He owns a lot of stuff, including a constantly growing collection of jets, yachts, artwork, sailboats and ex-wives. However, this famous Japanophile owns a home in Woodside, Calif., that puts both his nickname and his love of spending in perspective.
Living area: 8,000 square feet (main house)
Purchase and construction dates: According to multiple sources, Ellison bought the 23-acre site in 1995 and finished construction in 2004.
Details: The feudal Japanese-style manse, includes a 5-acre manmade lake, two waterfalls, a guest house, three cottages, an 1,150-square-foot parking garage and a gymnasium, according to published reports.
Assessed value (2016): $76,157,157, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $830,252, up from $804,210 in 2015 and $757,442 in 2011, according to public records and Zillow.
Bill Gates's Xanadu 2.0
The Microsoft founder's mansion sits on a plot of land in Clyde Hill, Wash., that he bought in 1988 for a mere $2 million.
Living area: 77,000 square feet
Date of construction: 1994.
Details: According to published accounts, the 22-bedroom, 34-bathroom estate has a trampoline room with a 20-foot celling, a reception hall that can accommodate nearly 200 guests, six kitchens, a huge library that houses the Codex Leicester - a DaVinci manuscript Gates bought in 1994 - a home theatre, guest house, a 23-car garage, and an underwater sound system that plays in a pool encased inside its own 3,900-square-foot structure.
The house itself is built into the ground to help prevent heat loss and keep the home warm.
Assessed value (2016): $124,994,000, according to public records.
Annual taxes (2016): $1,080,443, up from $1,077,127 in 2015, but down from $1,167,316 in 2012, according to public records and Zillow.com.