For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 33404. This zip code is is in the Riviera Beach/Singer Island section of Palm Beach County, Florida and has a median price of $2,890,000 with an appreciation rate of 563% since 1990. Singer Island was founded by Paris Singer, the Singer Sewing Machine company founder who, rumor has it, bought the island as a present for his mistress.

Much of the Singer Island area is given over to condominiums which so far don't seems to have suffered the real estate disaster that has plagued so many Florida condominiums. Perhaps this is because there is only so much of Singer Island to go around. This condo is in One Singer Island, a new complex stocked with amenities that include a private and enclosed parking garage, lobby with a grand salon, social room and Versace patio, private theater, wine room, billiard room, fitness center and a pool and spa deck. There are just 15 residences in the building. The first five floors have two residences per floor. The top five floors have one "ocean to intracoastal" penthouse each. This unique unit is the top full floor and it has a truly dramatic feature, a spiral staircase leading to your own private rooftop terrace with a lounge area and sheltered hot tub. This apartment is listed at $5,995,000.

For the next couple of weeks we will be checking out some homes in the most expensive zip codes in the United States, up today, 33480. This zip code is is in the exclusive town of Palm Beach in South Florida and has a median price of $2,910,000 with an appreciation rate of 426% since 1990.

Palm Beach has been a place for the wealthy to wait out the winter since Henry Flagler, a founder of Standard Oil, made the Atlantic coast barrier island accessible through his Florida East Coast Railway. The town was incorporated in 1911 and way by then home to many beautiful mansions. Over the years the building has continued and Palm Beach is one of the most affluent areas in the U.S. and is host to a variety of luxury events. Over the past couple of years there have been many homes in the $30-$40 million range in Palm Beach and since 2005 Donald Trump has been trying to sell a home in the area for the astronomical price of $125 million.

Today's home is nowhere near that expensive but it is still a display of Palm Beach wealth. The home is located on directly on the Atlantic and has a fantastic beachside pool and cabana. There are five bedrooms total and the scale of the home, include what looks to be a large marble art gallery, all continue the legend that is Palm Beach. This home is listed at $25.75 million.

For a while it seemed that Miami might be one part of Florida that was if not immune from the real estate slowdown, protected a bit by its size and cachet. But now prices have started to plummet and putting many real estate speculators in trouble. The Miami skyline is dotted with cranes as buildings continue to go up but thousands of condo units are waiting either unsold or in foreclosure.

The numbers in Miami are startling, According to a report in Canada's Globe and Mail, prices citywide were 17.5 per cent lower in December than a year earlier with the value of some condos down by as much as half. And as more condo projects in progress are finished up the numbers could even go lower. Condos with sexy names and alluring promotions such as Jade and Vue are now facing millions of dollars in mortgage defaults and foreclosures. It's been a disaster for both investors and developers. In fact, two prominent Miami condo developers who were facing condo problems have died of heart attacks.

The problem in Miami is just part of Florida's boom and bust cycle. Whole towns sprung up over the last few years and many have gone bust just as quickly often leaving half-built homes abandoned (for a great photo series on this check out this piece on Rotunda Sands in Mental Floss). At this point, practically the entire state of Florida is in some sort of foreclosure crisis making it easy pickings for those from across the country and around the world looking for a real estate deal. Both homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth and developers forced to sell condos at cost or in some cases for even less than it cost to build them are ready to accept all sorts of offers.

For now, the temporary bandage seems to be real estate auctions. The other day I mentioned that two prominent real estate firms in Florida are working with a major real estate auction company. And just about every day I learn of a new auction of a condo complex in Florida. Many of the auctions are absolute, meaning that bidders will take whatever they can get. The good news is that this slump cannot last forever and for those who have the means to pick up a warm weather getaway there are major bargains to be had. Maybe this is the time for Miami developers to reach out to Russian investors looking for a place to wait out the winter chill.

We visited North Bay Road in Miami Beach last month for an estate of the day but a reader, Marie, sent me the link for this one. I figured it was worth sharing with you. I'm not quite sure what sort of happy money cocktail designers are sipping along North Bay Road but it makes for some interesting decorating decisions, especially as newer owners with lots of money try to bend older homes to their will. The last estate we saw in this area was a strange amalgam of modern and absurd baroque. This one is a less obvious and more lavish case, but there are still some interesting juxtapositions here. The current owners seem to have a hankering for the modern, hence the new spare and bare contemporary kitchen and bathrooms, but this home still has the particularly Miami affliction of gold paint details on the walls. The home is over 10,000 square feet with nine bedrooms and it has a nice chunk of bay frontage with a dock. This estate is listed at $18.9 million.

When a home comes on the market for an exorbitant amount the question immediately asked is, could it possibly be worth that much? And I find myself asking that after looking at the listing for Greg Norman's Jupiter Island, Florida home. We first heard about this home a few weeks ago but now the listing is up. As for as Florida real estate goes, Jupiter Island seems to be one of the few places not in an danger of a slowdown. After all, this is the rarified spot where Tiger Woods spent around $40 million on a house he tore down.

Norman's golf paradise includes nine bedrooms over six structures. The home, known as Tranquility, has been anything but lately with a rather acrimonious divorce between the Normans. The estate is eight acres with a four-bedroom main house that was built in 1902 and has wine storage for 2,500 bottles. The main house overlooks the Intracoastal Waterway with 370 feet of waterfront, and a 140-foot dock that can accommodate a large yacht. A two-bedroom guest house faces the Atlantic and has an open porch for taking in the ocean views. There is also a grill house with a tennis court and a 50-foot pool. The listing says the estate comes with boast a coach house, with a four-car garage and three bedrooms and a carriage house which as a six-car garage, gym, steam room, boardroom and offices. A boat shed will also hold seven vehicles.

As the Real Estalker Mama reports, the couple bought the home in 1991 for just $4.9 million and it has been assessed at just $21 million. It's a nice place, a really nice place but $65 million? That might just be a stretch. I'd say somewhere in the $30 to $40 million range might be where this will sell at.

This home in Sanibel, Florida is the type of home you hope a friend buys so that you can can set up shop in the guest house, which is actually more appealing than the main home. The home is located on the Gulf of Mexico with 314 feet of Gulf frontage. The main house has a huge kitchen with granite countertops and an odd collection of wrought iron chandeliers hanging above them. The large home also has a great room with a fireplace and marble floors, a library, formal dining room, private elevator, 6+ car garage and tennis court. The large screened lanai features a built in grill and views of the Gulf. You could live in the master suite alone, it has a large bathroom, kitchenette, exercise room w/private bath, fireplace, laundry and sun deck. The guest suitehas a nice size bedroom, bath, sitting area and great views of the pool. But the guest house is really the place to be. It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a beamed great room and a screened porch overlooking the Gulf. This home is listed at $15.75 million.

Nearly two years ago we first learned of the $38 million home Tiger Woods bought on Jupiter Island in Florida. Now Tiger has torn down his 13-year-old mansion to create a new and more grand home. Tiger's architects have created a 10,000-square-foot two-story home with a glass elevator, a wine cellar, home theater and a games area. Tiger also bulldozed three other large houses, two swimming pools, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts and a mini-golf course on the property. These will be replaced by a boat house, golf training studio, three-car garage and guest house. There will also be a tennis court, gym, pool, lap lane and a small golf course and a pair of boat docks where Tiger can dock his 155-foot yacht, Privacy. The redevelopment is expected to cost in the $15-$20 million range. The home should be ready for Tiger, his wife Elin and their baby daughter Sam in 18 months. Meanwhile the family can enjoy their other homes, they have another one in Orlando, Florida as well as in California, Wyoming and Sweden.

This home in Montverde, Florida is a new model but is set apart from the usual Florida Mediterranean by its Moroccan touches. It is a Carmen Dominguez model which was featured in the 2006 'Street of Dreams.' Spectacular notes include the cascading fountains and pools which all have a unique stepped look and light up in different colors at night. There is a large summer kitchen, courtyard, media room and five bedrooms total. The guest suite appears to be a theme room with a round bed on a tiled dais and a matching round bathtub. The swooping arches, heavy draperies and flourished fireplaces combine to make a home that is sumptuous but skirts the line into becoming a theme park of Arabian style luxury. It is listed at $7.9 million but looks to originally have been on the market for $8.5 million.

Today's estate on John's Island on the Treasure Coast in Florida is a rather grand home which has been adapted to family life with a cottage-cozy decor that doesn't quite match the bones of the house. The oceanfront home has a rather formal entrance with a columned facade and a 75-foot lap pool. The home's balconies and lower terrace areas are accessible from all the main rooms tempting one to open the windows or wander outdoors. The main floor includes the gourmet island kitchen, family room, dining room, living room, stately office, and study. The master suite and guest bedrooms have ocean views. The second floor is also home to a large stair landing with couches and a busy mural. The home has a boardwalk over the dune to the beach. Other features include a lower level game room, elevator, pool bathroom, two half-baths, storage rooms, and an A/C 3-car garage. The home is listed at $9.25 million.

Today's home goes by the name Overjoy, appropriate for a home that seems designed for joyous entertaining. This modern Florida home is lakefront in Windermere's Reserve at Lake Butler Sound. The home has won a bunch of awards for design and landscaping and has a modern style. Details of the five-bedroom home include art deco wall sconces, a gas fireplace with glass mosaic and Swarovski crystals in the living room, and Calcutta gold marble floors in the master suite. This home is listed at $11.9 million.

Sarasota, Florida has long been an enclave of modern architecture. Today's home is a new build that carries on that tradition. The six-bedroom home is 8,300 square feet. The home is a little boxy for my taste but it does have an ideal location on the water. The master bedroom has an enviable view with large glass windows facing the sea but the kitchen leaves me cold. It is listed at $9.875 million. After the jump, I think we've seen this chair before.

Today's estate I chose purely for selfish purposes. You see, I am staying in Boca Raton, Florida while my mother recovers from major surgery and this house is right on the route I take her dog for a walk everyday. I've been quite curious about what lurks beyond the column entry. The home sits on a waterway with 95 feet of yacht dockage and is just a few blocks from the beach. The neighborhood is one where older modest two- or three-bedroom homes sit next to huge newer homes such as this one. Like many in the area it has a Tuscan theme.

Inside it has a pillared gallery, formal living room with a cast stone fireplace, family room, an outdoor entertaining area with a wraparound loggia and dramatic infinity-edge pool with spillover spa, elevator and six bedroom suites. The master suite has a wraparound balcony, sitting room and his and her baths. It is listed at $4.5 million. After the jump, the perils of the waterway view are that your neighbor is just a slice of water away.

From the NY Post's Gimme Shelter:
--Naomi Campbell has finally sold her Park Avenue apartment for below last asking price of $4.95 million. Campbell has bought a one-bedroom in the Cipriani Residences and is about to go to contract on a large two-bedroom in the high $2 million range.
-- J. Christopher Flowers, a former Goldman Sachs executive, has spent $89 million on multiple Upper East Side residences in just the past two months. First he paid a record New York price of $53 million for a 25-room townhouse, then he spent $19 million last month for a duplex co-op and finally he closed on a 21-room townhouse at 12 E. 73rd St.
--A $65 million state is listed for sale in Sagaponack in the Hamptons. The15-acre oceanfront/pond-front estate consists of six contiguous parcels, with more than 500 feet of direct oceanfront. The property has a public road going through it which makes it better for a developer than for someone looking for a single estate. The property also includes a five-bedroom house with a pool. The listing is here.
--In South Florida, the residents of Briny Breezes Mobile Home Park will be become millionaires if they agree to sell a 43-acre tract of oceanfront land where their trailer homes are parked. The board of the park has approved the sale pending ratification by the residents. The buyers, Boca Raton-based Ocean Land Investments, Inc. are offering $510 million for the property which will be split among the 488 owners.

From the LA Times Hot Property:
--Matthew McConaughey has put his Sunset Strip hideaway, behind gates, for nearly $3.3 million. The five-bedroom home which was built in the 1970s is already in escrow. An adjacent property that the actor owns is for sale for t $1.6 million.
--Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has purchased a four-bedroom Malibu home listed at close to $10.5 million. The property also has a two-bedroom guesthouse and guest apartment.
--A Hollywood Hills home that once belonged to Rock Hudson is on the market for $1.989 million. The two-bedroom home was built in 1949. It's our estate of the day this afternoon.
--Dago Gonzalez, a video director who has worked with Madonna has purchased a West Hollywood home from interior designer James Magni for $1.3 million.

From the NY Observer's Manhattan Transfers:
-- All-Star third baseman David Wright has gone to contract for a 4,109-square-foot penthouse at Infinity Flats, a condo development on 21st Street. The full-floor apartment was listed for $6.5 million but Wright apparently paid less. Tom Brady has also been spotted checking out the building.
-- Lawyer Marc Bern paid $8.75 million for an eight-room setup at 944 Park.
--Ad man Martin Puris sold his 79th Street duplex to billionaire Christopher Flowers for a reported $19 million. Puris paid $5.8 million for a two-bedroom apartment at the 160 East 72nd Street co-op.

From the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties:
--Fiber-optics pioneer David Huber has paid $14.9 million for a home in Naples, Fla. and has put his house in Glenwood, Maryland for $1.3 million.The listing for the five-bedroom brick Maryland home is here.
--Seattle Seahawk Deion Branch has purchased a four-bedroom home in Kirkland, Washington for $1.7 million.
--The founder of the defunct online retailer Cyberian Outpost, Darryl Peck, has sold his Connecticut home for $3.125 million, which is nearly $2 million less than its 2003 asking price. Peck and his wife, Anne, bought the property in 1993 for $625,000 and added on to it. expanded the existing 3,000-square-foot house.

Today's estate is not one, not two, not three but four Palm Beach, Florida homes. They all belong to Roxanne Quimby, the co-founder of Burt's Bees. As reported in The Wall Street Journal's Private Properties, Ms. Quimby can't decide which of her Palm Beach homes to keep and so she is putting all four on the market and plans to keep the last one still for sale.

Let's check out the contestants to be Ms. Quimby's only Palm Beach home. Check them all out and let me know in the comments which one you think she should hold on to.

First up: Angler Ave., Ms. Quimby bought the 3,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home built in 1954 two years ago for around $1.8 million. She has added a gourmet kitchen, hurricane impact windows by Pella and a new 15' x 33' pebble tech pool as well as tropical landscaping that includes a gazebo that was imported from Italy. It is listed at $2.85 million