The latest condo auction opportunity takes us to Charlotte, North Carolina. The Abbot is auctioning off 14 brand new condos starting with a minimum bid of $269,000 for condos valued around $500.000. The tri-level condos are located in Charlotte's South End. Each condo has a loft-style interior with the ground floor offering a live or work space with its own ½ bath, the second floor offers the main living quarters while the third floor has two bedrooms each with a full bath. Amenities include outdoor balconies, walk-in closets and modern kitchens. The majority of the auctions are sealed bid ending on October 30 but there is one furnished unit selling by online auction with a minimum bid of $329,000.

The Olympia Group has revealed their plans for the Oxford Highlands Resort- Spa-Casino in Oxford County, Maine. The project will have two phases costing $150 million total and ending up with a 300 room hotel, a large conference center, a casino featuring up to 1,500 slot machines, a wide variety of table games, fine and casual dining options, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, parking for guests and accommodations for snowmobiles, cross country skiing and numerous other year round amenities. The resort is designed to be a resort destination for Maine and one that is hoped to create jobs for up to 800 people and add revenue to Maine's economy. The specific location hasn't been chosen yet but it will take up around 25 acres. If the casino is approved by Maine voters in November then construction would begin as soon as possible.

A major piece of Hawaiian real estate has hit the market. The owners of Hana Ranch, a 4,500-acre property on Maui have listed it for $65 million. The Honolulu Star Bulletin recently reported that Hana Ranch Partners LLC, the majority shareholder of which is a part of the Getty Trust, has been looking for foreign buyers from Asia, Europe and Canada. The partners, which also include San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, have been searching for a buyer for more than a year. Hana Ranch Partners purchased the property as an investment in 2001 for about $25 million and wants to find conservationists to preserve the rural nature of Hana. A conservation easement agreement with the Maui Coastal Land Trust saves 41 oceanfront acres from development and designates 100 acres of the land for affordable housing. So far the property hasn't been marketed for residential development. The listing is here.

A few months ago, I mentioned potential plans to change the Paris skyline. Now the first project, a 50-story glass pyramid is moving into more serious planning stages. The move comes after officials voted to drop a ban on high-rise buildings. Le Projet Triangle at Porte de Versailles was designed by Swiss team Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron who designed the Olympic stadium in Beijing. The tower will have offices, a conference center, 400-bedroom hotel and restaurants and cafes. it will be surrounded by parks, gardens and shops. The building is planned to be around 590 feet high which will make the third highest building in Paris. The tower will run on solar and wind power and is set for completion in 2012.

It's hard, these days, to read or hear a sentence about Dubai that doesn't end with a staggering financial figure, usually in the many billions or at least the hundreds of millions. Sheikh Al Mahtoum's vision of Dubai's world-class aerospace center is no different, and investors the world over are trying to get in on the action since its announcement this summer that the project was now well underway.

25 miles outside of Dubai, the land on which contractors from the UAE and Europe have begun construction was slated for development 30 years ago (the equivalent of a century or two in any other developed country). The project adds up to $82 billion in cutting edge technology, aircraft, surrounding residential areas and training options.

At the heart of the plan is the $10 billion Al Maktoum International Airport, which would be twice as big as London's Heathrow and Chicago's sprawling O'Hare airports combined, or roughly double the size of Hong Kong.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming vacation destination extraordinaire, has added a new convenience for its guests and residents alike!

The new tram, currently under construction and opening December 20th, will carry 100 passengers from 6,311 feet to 10,450 feet up in the mountains in just 9 minutes.

The views from the tram promise to be astounding, as with the old tram which has been there since 1966. A beautiful, "visually inspiring" new base terminal will replace the old clock tower base.

The opening of the new tram will feature live music, fireworks, and all kinds of Jackson Hole festivities. Click here for more information.

Whether you head to Jackson Hole for the skiing, the scenery, or just to get away from it all, the new tram, 100% funded by resort ownership, will make your stay more convenient. You can book a Tram-Slam Package this winter for a stay at Teton Village and be one of the first to ride!

Bloomingdale's has announced their first overseas location and it will be in one of the biggest shopping centers in the world, The Dubai Mall. The Dubai Mall will have two Bloomingdale's stores, a a three-level clothing store of about 146,000 square feet and a one-level home goods store of about 54,000 square feet. The Dubai Mall, which is set to open this fall, has an aquarium/discovery center, a gaming center and an ice rink. The Bloomingdale's stores won't open until 2010. Take a look at the renderings for some of the Dubai Mall's key features in the gallery below.

If you've ever thought about having property in Montana, you can snap up a condo for pretty reasonable prices during an online auction. Deer Creek At Whitefish which is located near Glacier National Park, is selling off 14 units by online auction. Minimum bids are starting as low as $99,000 for a two-bedroom unit. The two-bedroom unit is the only one selling by open auction and is the only one that is fully furnished. The rest are being sold via sealed bid from now until October 23. All units are more than one floor: two three-bedroom units have $140,000 starting bids, four three-bedroom units have $150,000 starting bids, and seven two-bedroom units have $160,000 starting bids. The complex includes a clubhouse with a fitness center, spas, a fireplace, a wet bar and a pool table and homeowner fees are $115 per month. Twenty-nine units have been constructed as Phase One, The project originally called for 168 units at the site of the former Par 3 on 93 golf course but was later pared down.

The Southern California desert region is getting a new spa resort. Joseph DeNucci, former COO of the Miraval resort, is behind the Borrego Ranch Resort & Spa, which will open in November 2008. The $50 million resort is located in the Anza-Borrego Desert of Southern California and will offer a custom experience on 42 acres that includes a $25 million Tom Fazio-designed Signature Golf Course and Montesoro, a second home community. Borrego Ranch is located in Borrego Springs, 80 miles from San Diego and 150 miles from Los Angeles.

The ranch will feature 19 private casitas and 44 poolside rooms each with a service bar, sitting area with fireplace, marble bath with Cactus Tea bath amenities, coffee maker and private patio or balcony. The casitas range in size from one to four bedrooms and most have a wood-burning fireplace and private pool or spa and all include a wet bar, compact refrigerator and microwave. The spa offers massage, skin care, hair care, manicures and pedicures. The resort has an impressive amount of activities to keep you busy from golf and tennis to fitness classes, hikes, swimming and bicycle and horseback riding. There is also life-size chess, shuffleboard, bocce ball, a putting green, an archery range and championship croquet courses. Instead of being stuck to a strict spa schedule, guests can choose what interests them whether it's a romp through the desert or just some poolside time with a good book. Rates start around $300 per night.

Last week we reported that Russian billionaire Andrei Vavilov, who signed a $53.5 million contract sight unseen for an ultra-luxe penthouse at New York's famed Fifth Avenue hotel-turned-apartment building The Plaza (above), sued the developers claiming the finished product was an "attic-like" tenement. Now the Wall St. Journal reports that a second Plaza penthouse buyer has filed a claim on similar grounds, alleging fraud and misrepresentation on the part of the Plaza's developer El-Ad and its real estate agents. The buyer, who has not been identified, is demanding the return of a $6.5 million deposit plus legal fees of at least $350,000, according to the complaint filed in New York Supreme Court. In a statement, El-Ad dismissed the claims as vain attempts on the part of buyers with cold feet to "back out" of their deals.

UPDATE: El-Ad has now filed a counter-suit against Vavilov for libel, seeking $36 million in damages.

A new private residence club has chosen a vineyard in the Okanagan valley region of British Columbia as their first offering. Bellstar Hotels & Resorts and Olympus Resorts are creating The Reserve Collection, a club that will offer fractional ownership opportunities in vineyard locations around the world. The Calgary Herald reports that the exact spot hasn't been chosen yet but that the company is looking for a place in the south part of the valley, especially wineries in Okanagan Falls, Oliver, Penticton, Naramata, the Similkameen Valley and Osoyoos.

Other potential vineyard destinations for the club may include Argentina, New Zealand, Europe, California, Oregon and Washington. Owners will also become members of the Vintners Club which will include access to wine and food-related events such as winemakers dinners, members-only barrel tastings, viticulture, activities and culinary programs. They can participate in the winemaking process, assisting the vineyard crew in tending, pruning, picking and crushing. Cost of membership ranges from $200,000 to $1 million, plus annual homeowner association fees of $5,000 to $15,000.

The Palazzo Las Vegas officially opened earlier this year and now, like its neighbor The Wynn, it's expanding into resdiences. Las Vegas Sands has announced that the company has reached an agreement with Starwood Hotels to create The St. Regis Residences at the Venetian Palazzo,. The new project is a collection of 398 private luxury residences under construction between Las Vegas Sands' Palazzo and Venetian resorts on the Las Vegas Strip.

The residence will be available fully furnished with a choice of several different designer packages. They will range in size from 1,700 to over 10,000 square feet for a duplex villa with private pool. Prices on individual units haven't been released yet but the press release says that total sales for all units could reach as much as $2 billion which would put the average price at over $5 million. The St. Regis Residences are expected to open in March 2010. They will begin accepting VIP reservations this month and open a preview gallery in October.

Russian billionaire Andrei Vavilov, who signed a $53.5 million contract sight unseen for an ultra-luxe penthouse at New York's famed Fifth Avenue hotel-turned-apartment building The Plaza (above), is suing the developers claiming the finished product is more like a tenement. Vavilov made the purchase prior to completion of the Plaza's $500 million renovations last year based on CAD models and a video presentation, which promised the residence would be the "epitome of luxury."

However, in a just-filed lawsuit, Vavilov accuses Plaza devloper El-Ad Properties and real estate agents Stribling & Associates of pulling a "bait-and-switch" in which they secretly made "unilateral and impermissible design changes" to the plans, the London Telegraph reports. He claims they made the apartment smaller, shrank the size of its windows and lowered the ceilings turning it into an "attic-like" garret instead of an elegant aerie.

Vavilov, who reportedly made $600 million six years ago when he sold his Russian oil company, Severnaya Neft, is demanding the return of the $10.7 million deposit he has already paid out and wants at least $20 million in damages for alleged breach of contract, fraud, deceptive trading practices and negligence. A lawyer for the defendants described his claims as "baseless".

When I was in Austin last spring and snapped the picture above I was surprised by how many cranes marked the sky and how many condo projects were being built. Now another luxury project has been announced for the Texas city. The Star Luxe by Constellation Group with architects Marchese + Partners International is a collection of 18 penthouses being built on Lady Bird Lake. The Star Luxe residences have three designs: 'The Guitar', shaped by the lines of the instrument, 'The Salazar', fashioned after an imagined artist within the Art Nouveau movement, and 'The International', modeled after Marchese's signature ultra-modern designs.

The Star Luxe will be a full service complex with a 24-hour concierge. Each unit at Star Luxe includes a safe room with comprehensive surveillance, secure garage spaces, wine storage, water filtration system, and exclusive Italian kitchens with Gagganeau appliances. Moveable glass walls will blur the line between indoor and outdoor spaces. The 4,000 square foot penthouses also have large balconies overlooking the lake. Amenities include a private spa, outdoor pool with BBQ, private cinema, pet exercise area and a Zen garden. No word yet on price or when the project will be completed.

The legendary Italian design house of Salvatore Ferragamo will design the interiors of Trident International's new Dubai-based Pentominium (where expansive penthouses meet the convenience of condo living). The tower for which Ferragamo will design is slated to be the tallest residential building in the world at over 500 meters high. Each floor will comprise one penthouse unit, measuring a luxe 6,500 square feet and offering expansive ocean views.

The building itself will offer a Davidoff-inspired cigar lounge, rooftop observation deck, Swarovski-crystallized grand entrance, indoor pool and spa and fully functional business center. Not that you'd need to leave the tower, but if the need arises, Pentominium residents have use of a fleet of Rolls Royces and Azimut yachts. Residences are expected to be finished by 2012. Though standard units will start at $5.3 million, penthouse list prices have yet to be disclosed.

[via Baller]