5. Elena Franchuk's Victorian Villa

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London's Kensington district, where the Franchuk villa is located.

Elena Franchuk, a businesswoman and AIDS philanthropist from Ukraine, is reported to be the undisclosed buyer who purchased a newly upgraded home in southwest London for 80 million pounds (approximately $161 million). The home is a freestanding, five-story, 10-bedroom Victorian villa, and has recently undergone 10 million pounds (approximately $20 million) worth of upgrades, including the additions of an underground indoor swimming pool, movie theater, panic room, sauna and gym [source: Daily Mail].

The home served as a girl's prep school until 1997. In 2006, developers purchased the property for 20 million pounds. They put in the upgrades and reputedly sold it to Franchuk for 80 million pounds. The selling price breaks the former English record for home sales of 67 million pounds (approximately $135 million) [source: Evening Standard].

If you've seen "The Godfather," you're already familiar with the next house.