The Star: Carlos Santana
The Splurge: A 7,785-square foot 5-bedroom, 6.25-bath home in an exclusive Las Vegas gated community
How Much: $6 million
The Home's Most Luxurious Features: A $2 million home automation system, a $400,000 home theater, and one of Sin City's largest infinity pools
Carlos Santana has made a nearly 50-year career and many millions playing the electric guitar, so it makes sense that the guy is into electronics, right? OK, so that assumption might be a stretch, but the 65-year-old 10-time Grammy winner did just buy Las Vegas-area home that's tricked out with cutting-edge technology … and we mean tricked out.
According to real estate website Redfin, Santana purchased the 7,785-square foot 5-bedroom, 6.25-bath manse located in the exclusive gated community of The Ridges for $6 million. Listing agent Gavin Ernstone of real estate firm Simply Vegas, tells omg! that the home sold for the highest dollar value per square foot in Las Vegas in the last four years and the fifth highest ever in the city. And Santana is clearly getting what he paid for. "Every single thing in the home is perfect," says Ernstone. "And it's in the top high-end community in all of Las Vegas."
The home features the most advanced Creston electronics system of any home in North America. (Creston is a New Jersey-based company that designs and manufactures home automation systems.) According to Ernstone, the previous owner spent $2 million on the system two and a half years ago.
That means Santana never has to get up to turn on a light, set the alarm, or adjust the A/C. Every single element of the home can be controlled by an iPad, one of 13 touch panels in rooms throughout the house, or 14 touch-screen remotes. And no worrying about getting any of those prized guitars stolen. The house, which sits on half an acre, comes equipped with 32 infrared security cameras that can be accessed from anywhere in the world.
And when the home's newest resident wants to watch an old concert performance on DVD, he can just step into his $400,000 home movie theater which includes a $100,000 state-of-the-art 3D projector, 12-foot curved screen, and powered theater seating (whatever that means). If he feels like watching from bed, the master suite has its own projection screen hidden in the ceiling. Every room in the house (and even the showers!) comes equipped with a surround-sound system, and each bedroom includes a 65-inch flat-screen television.
Santana isn't new to the neighborhood, and has been living literally next door since purchasing a 4-bedroom place for $3.5 million back in 2009. He just listed that home — which has just one less bedroom, two less bathrooms, and 540 less square feet — for what he bought it for. The guitarist's former home also features a Creston home technology system … though we'll assume one not quite as over-the-top given the price difference between the two places.
As for the other recreational highlights of his killer new pad, there are also two game rooms, one with pinball machines and one with an underlit pool table system that matches the color of the table lighting to the lighting of the room; a gym; a lighted putting green for a little after-dark play; a 30-foot retractable glass wall to turn the living room into an open-air space; and one of the largest infinity pools in all of Las Vegas.
We don't know if Santana's an avid cook or wine connoisseur, but if he isn't, he'll probably learn to be. The kitchen sounds like a chef's dream come true, complete with Viking appliances, a laser-cut stainless steel backsplash, and a very fancy nitrogen-controlled wine system that allows for individual pours with a touch of the button.
Kids, if you haven't already, start those guitar lessons now!
