Home and Auto Mansionmania Tournament: Round 1, Heat 13

**Rain Man** · 10-15-2021, 10:18 AM

Mansionmania continues. I'm going to show you the most expensive homes in every state and a few territories, with a few extras thrown in from the largest states to get the tourney up to 64. It'll be a single-elimination tournament.

You will choose among each pair of houses with the following assumptions:

The purchase price for you is $0.
All maintenance, utilities, property taxes, and cleaning is included.
You must live in the home for the rest of your life.
You can't travel more than 100 miles from home (via google maps drive time) other than 1 two-week vacation each year.
You get $250,000 per year as a living allowance
You get an additional living allowance at the cheaper home, which will be valued at 1% of any cost difference annually. I will note this amount in the poll.
You get the furnishings. If unfurnished, you get an allowance that will give you mid-grade furniture in every room.
You get any vehicles in the garage. But only the garage - nothing parked outside.

I encourage you to click on the maps in the listings to see the general location and neighborhood.

Also, I will only enter contestants if they have a sufficient number of photos to judge, as determined by me.

Your entries in this heat are:

Hawaii:

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...0_M91907-82962

Tennessee:

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...5_M85695-71159

**Rain Man** · 10-15-2021, 10:22 AM

Admin note: in both cases there was one home listed that was more expensive, but in both cases it appeared that they were multiple-home estates with no single home above 5,000 square feet.

In the case of Hawaii, this second choice is also a multi-home estate, but it's big enough that I think the primary home is probably 5,000 square feet. It was a judgment call, but I think few of us will argue that it doesn't deserve entry into the tournament.

ThaVirus · 10-15-2021, 10:24 AM

That Tennessee home is actually quite nice. I like the stone/brick motif, it's got a cute little pool, located near a major metro area, the mountains in rural Tennessee are actually pretty gorgeous, and it's got a decent little plot of land.

But the other house is in Hawaii.. I mean, come on.. lol

**wazu** · 10-15-2021, 10:25 AM

The Hawaii house wins the whole tournament.

Pablo · 10-15-2021, 10:27 AM

Hawaii baby

**Rain Man** · 10-15-2021, 10:30 AM

My thoughts:

Tennessee - darn nice house. It's huge at 20,000 square feet, and has easy access to Nashville. It's got six acres, and it's adjacent to some huge park with trails. On the downside, it's a little more castle-looking than I'd prefer, and it's got the feel of a house that was built in 1999 and is trying to look older, which I can generally spot and don't like. But all in all, it's a nice house and Nashville's not a bad place to be near.

However...

Hawaii - Oh, come on. That's just not fair. The design of the house is great and the views are amazing. It's four separate houses, but they're all tucked in together so you can use different houses for different things. The only downsides that I see are that it's not walkable to stuff, and maybe it'll get destroyed in a volcanic explosion sometime in the next 100,000 years. And in fairness, I might get a little bored without having seasons. But come on. Look at that view.

mr. tegu · 10-15-2021, 10:31 AM

The Tennessee house doesn’t even have a dungeon. And the Hawaii house is probably not the best or close to the best on the islands due to the separate units probably raising the price but it does win this heat.

**ptlyon** · 10-15-2021, 10:32 AM

You'll always have a chance at typhoon season RM

KCUnited · 10-15-2021, 10:36 AM

Tough draw for Tennessee.

I really like the home and could definitely make that area work.

Hawaii though.

DJ's left nut · 10-15-2021, 10:36 AM

I recognize how badly TN is going to get stomped here.

But forever. Remember that.

I mean think about some fairly benign stuff. For instance, the beef in Hawaii sucks. Screw being expensive because your stipend is probably fine, but even $250K/yr in living expenses is gonna dry up faster than you realize out there.

First blush is 'yeah, it's Hawaii - duh'. But I dunno man, no seasons and I just don't love the tropics after a bit. I need my cool, crisp autumn and spring mornings. Forever is just such a long time and I can't see living out there for the rest of my life.

I've known two people that lived in Hawaii, one made it 5 years, the other 3. Now they didn't live on a cliff overlooking the ocean with a $250K/yr annual stipend, but still - they got tired of it. I feel like I get it.

Meanwhile that TN house is awesome. It's right down the street from Nashville which may be my favorite place to go visit (I think I'd borrow Virus's approach and maintain an apartment there somewhere).

I know I'm going to get steamrolled but I'm going Tennessee.

TLO · 10-15-2021, 10:42 AM

maui wowie

**Old Dog** · 10-15-2021, 10:48 AM

Wish it was on Oahu rather than the big island but I think I'm still going with Hawaii

bdj23 · 10-15-2021, 10:49 AM

I might be in the minority here, but that house in Tennessee is my most favorite one yet.

**Rain Man** · 10-15-2021, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I recognize how badly TN is going to get stomped here.

But forever. Remember that.

I mean think about some fairly benign stuff. For instance, the beef in Hawaii sucks. Screw being expensive because your stipend is probably fine, but even $250K/yr in living expenses is gonna dry up faster than you realize out there.

First blush is 'yeah, it's Hawaii - duh'. But I dunno man, no seasons and I just don't love the tropics after a bit. I need my cool, crisp autumn and spring mornings. Forever is just such a long time and I can't see living out there for the rest of my life.

I've known two people that lived in Hawaii, one made it 5 years, the other 3. Now they didn't live on a cliff overlooking the ocean with a $250K/yr annual stipend, but still - they got tired of it. I feel like I get it.

Meanwhile that TN house is awesome. It's right down the street from Nashville which may be my favorite place to go visit (I think I'd borrow Virus's approach and maintain an apartment there somewhere).

I know I'm going to get steamrolled but I'm going Tennessee.

These are very valid points. It's easy to pick Hawaii because it's got a wow factor, but it's beatable. The Tennessee house has a lot of the right tools to beat it. The only thing that I can't abide by in the Tennessee house is that "new trying to look old" vibe.

But I think Hawaii is beatable for the reasons you mention.

mr. tegu · 10-15-2021, 10:55 AM

This is a tough draw for the Tennessee house as it’s definitely better than first round exit, but it’s too odd with the castle design to go far anyways. And I agree it looks like it’s trying to be old and that doesn’t usually work.

View Poll Results: Which one do you pick?
Hawaii + $250,000 annual stipend	42	77.78%
Tennessee + $399,910 annual stipend	12	22.22%
Gosh, I can't decide.	0	0%
Voters: 54. You may not vote on this poll

10-15-2021, 10:18 AM
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $2978491 VARSITY	Mansionmania Tournament: Round 1, Heat 13 Mansionmania continues. I'm going to show you the most expensive homes in every state and a few territories, with a few extras thrown in from the largest states to get the tourney up to 64. It'll be a single-elimination tournament. You will choose among each pair of houses with the following assumptions: The purchase price for you is $0. All maintenance, utilities, property taxes, and cleaning is included. You must live in the home for the rest of your life. You can't travel more than 100 miles from home (via google maps drive time) other than 1 two-week vacation each year. You get $250,000 per year as a living allowance You get an additional living allowance at the cheaper home, which will be valued at 1% of any cost difference annually. I will note this amount in the poll. You get the furnishings. If unfurnished, you get an allowance that will give you mid-grade furniture in every room. You get any vehicles in the garage. But only the garage - nothing parked outside. I encourage you to click on the maps in the listings to see the general location and neighborhood. Also, I will only enter contestants if they have a sufficient number of photos to judge, as determined by me. Your entries in this heat are: Hawaii: https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...0_M91907-82962 Tennessee: https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...5_M85695-71159
Posts: 141,706

10-15-2021, 10:22 AM	#2
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $2978491 VARSITY	Admin note: in both cases there was one home listed that was more expensive, but in both cases it appeared that they were multiple-home estates with no single home above 5,000 square feet. In the case of Hawaii, this second choice is also a multi-home estate, but it's big enough that I think the primary home is probably 5,000 square feet. It was a judgment call, but I think few of us will argue that it doesn't deserve entry into the tournament. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
Posts: 141,706

10-15-2021, 10:24 AM	#3
ThaVirus You gotta kill a few people Join Date: Sep 2007 Casino cash: $1742369	That Tennessee home is actually quite nice. I like the stone/brick motif, it's got a cute little pool, located near a major metro area, the mountains in rural Tennessee are actually pretty gorgeous, and it's got a decent little plot of land. But the other house is in Hawaii.. I mean, come on.. lol
Posts: 44,492

10-15-2021, 10:25 AM	#4
wazu ... Join Date: May 2002 Location: Kansas City, MO Casino cash: $1862295 VARSITY	The Hawaii house wins the whole tournament.
Posts: 27,945

10-15-2021, 10:27 AM	#5
Pablo Ultrabanned Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $1679356	Hawaii baby
Posts: 40,622

10-15-2021, 10:30 AM	#6
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $2978491 VARSITY	My thoughts: Tennessee - darn nice house. It's huge at 20,000 square feet, and has easy access to Nashville. It's got six acres, and it's adjacent to some huge park with trails. On the downside, it's a little more castle-looking than I'd prefer, and it's got the feel of a house that was built in 1999 and is trying to look older, which I can generally spot and don't like. But all in all, it's a nice house and Nashville's not a bad place to be near. However... Hawaii - Oh, come on. That's just not fair. The design of the house is great and the views are amazing. It's four separate houses, but they're all tucked in together so you can use different houses for different things. The only downsides that I see are that it's not walkable to stuff, and maybe it'll get destroyed in a volcanic explosion sometime in the next 100,000 years. And in fairness, I might get a little bored without having seasons. But come on. Look at that view. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
Posts: 141,706

10-15-2021, 10:31 AM	#7
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $1631300	Mansionmania Tournament: Round 1, Heat 13 The Tennessee house doesn’t even have a dungeon. And the Hawaii house is probably not the best or close to the best on the islands due to the separate units probably raising the price but it does win this heat.
Posts: 24,159

10-15-2021, 10:32 AM	#8
ptlyon Bono & Grbac wasn't enough Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sioux City, IA Casino cash: $12763829	You'll always have a chance at typhoon season RM __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Advertise here: $19.99 a month
Posts: 33,990

10-15-2021, 10:36 AM	#9
KCUnited Cheat Death Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Land of Drincoln Casino cash: $1948244	Tough draw for Tennessee. I really like the home and could definitely make that area work. Hawaii though.
Posts: 34,107

10-15-2021, 10:36 AM	#10
DJ's left nut Sauntering Vaguely Downwards Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Columbia, Mo Casino cash: $2669099	I recognize how badly TN is going to get stomped here. But forever. Remember that. I mean think about some fairly benign stuff. For instance, the beef in Hawaii sucks. Screw being expensive because your stipend is probably fine, but even $250K/yr in living expenses is gonna dry up faster than you realize out there. First blush is 'yeah, it's Hawaii - duh'. But I dunno man, no seasons and I just don't love the tropics after a bit. I need my cool, crisp autumn and spring mornings. Forever is just such a long time and I can't see living out there for the rest of my life. I've known two people that lived in Hawaii, one made it 5 years, the other 3. Now they didn't live on a cliff overlooking the ocean with a $250K/yr annual stipend, but still - they got tired of it. I feel like I get it. Meanwhile that TN house is awesome. It's right down the street from Nashville which may be my favorite place to go visit (I think I'd borrow Virus's approach and maintain an apartment there somewhere). I know I'm going to get steamrolled but I'm going Tennessee. __________________ "If there's a god, he's laughing at us.....and our football team..." "When you look at something through rose colored glasses, all the red flags just look like flags."
Posts: 60,806

10-15-2021, 10:42 AM	#11
TLO Life is changing.. Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NW Missouri Casino cash: $1574900	maui wowie
Posts: 39,130

10-15-2021, 10:48 AM	#12
Old Dog Supporter Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Central Kansas Casino cash: $4535131	Wish it was on Oahu rather than the big island but I think I'm still going with Hawaii
Posts: 10,676

10-15-2021, 10:49 AM	#13
bdj23 In my youth i pray to keep Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Clown World Casino cash: $2599850	I might be in the minority here, but that house in Tennessee is my most favorite one yet.
Posts: 15,769

10-15-2021, 10:55 AM	#15
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $1631300	This is a tough draw for the Tennessee house as it’s definitely better than first round exit, but it’s too odd with the castle design to go far anyways. And I agree it looks like it’s trying to be old and that doesn’t usually work.
Posts: 24,159