A sky-scraping penthouse, a Hong Kong hillside home, and the Playboy Mansion: These are the most expensive homes of 2016
One palatial home sold for an amazing £221 million - and you'll need a few hundred million to think about any of the others

It's not easy to get on the property ladder in Britain, but if you've got a few hundred million lying around, you could be in luck.
2016 saw some stonkingly pricey real estate deals, from beautiful hillside homes, to terrifyingly tall towers, to the famous Playboy Mansion.
'Taohuayuan' is the most expensive house ever sold in mainland China. It's a 32-bedroom, 32-bathroom home in the Chinese city of Suzhou, west of Shanghai.
Its name means 'utopia' - and you'd have to believe in it to meet its price tag. The beautiful home went on the market for a whopping £124million. It was known as the 'one billion yuan luxury home' after its cost in the local currency.
Though it was narrowly beaten to the title of most expensive property of the year by a luxury residence in Hong Kong, which went for £221million.
Meanwhile, Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores paid $100million for a property in Holmby Hills, California.
The impressive property once belonged to singer and actress Barbra Streisand, famous for star turns in Funny Girl, Yentl, and A Star Is Born.
The 38,000 square foot property has an impressive ten bedrooms, and TWENTY baths. It also has a fully equipped entertainment complex and a wine bar.
And its master suite with a private patio is the very definition of extravagance.
Luxury mansions were understandably popular in 2016. Beal Bank founder Andrew Beal shelled out $100million for a slightly smaller 28,000 square foot mansion in Dallas, Texas.
It was formerly owned by Liverpool FC owner Tom Hicks.
Last year also saw famed lothario Hugh Hefner sell his iconic Playboy Mansion to his next-door neighbour.
New owner Daren Metropuolos, 32, owns a private equity firm and is heir to a billion dollar fortune which includes sweet-makers Hostess Brand which peddles cream-filled snack Twinkies.
The mega-rich buyer bought the house next door from the pipe-smoking pornographer in 2009 for £12million.
He collected the set for an extra £77million ($100million) which is half Hefner's initial asking price.
The 90-year-old millionaire is unlikely to mind, however, as he and his bevy of busty blonde beauties will remain in the notorious party pad until he finally kicks the bucket.
He bought the sprawling mansion in 1971. The property, which sits amid 5 acres (2 hectares) in Holmby Hills, west of Los Angeles, boasts 29 rooms, a tennis court and a free-form swimming pool – and has a zoo licence.
After Hefner’s tenancy concludes, Metropoulos plans to reconnect the Playboy Mansion property with his own neighbouring estate, combining the two for a 7.3 acre compound as his own private residence.
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If you're looking for something a bit cheaper than the Playboy Mansion, there's always the option of taking a room in the tallest residential building in the world.
You'll only need £71million in the bank to bag yourself the penthouse apartment at 432 Park Avenue in New York.
Not a bad deal when you'll have unrivalled views of the Big Apple.