Most people will tell you that they would love to live the life of Kim Kardashian, or Billie Ellish, or Beyonce. And everyone who won’t tell you that is either lying or hiding it. It is only human to look at the glitz and glamor and desire for a life like that. They make their lives desirable, after all.
But what makes their lives look so good? If you wanted to cobble together the components of a celebrity lifestyle, what would you need to do? Well, it would not be easy, nor would it be cheap.
That’s part of the appeal though. Unnecessarily gaudy things are, in a funny sort of way, necessary. Yes, you could be a millionaire for much longer if you lived in the same apartment that you lived in before you were a millionaire. But then you wouldn’t feel like a millionaire.
So, let’s look at where celebrities live, what they drive, and how they flaunt their wealth.
Living Like a Celebrity
Many people are surprised to learn that most celebrities live pretty close to where they work. Rich hedge fund managers live in the Hamptons in New York, for instance. Movie stars of all kinds live in the Hollywood Hills or Beverly hills near Los Angeles.
Only with the explosion of social media have you started to see celebrities originate elsewhere.
But what makes a super-rich person’s home so fabulous? Well, there are a few ingredients.
Security
This is obvious when you think about it. Security can be a team of security guards, or a complex security system. In either case, most of the celebrities in the United States live in gated communities regardless. These communities vary in size, with some being small towns and others being more like the neighborhoods you imagine when you think of gated communities.
Amazing Kitchens
This is another feature that may or may not have a staff of chefs associated with it. What they will definitely have is huge pantries that contain lots of well-kept food. Unless they live in one of the gated communities with a grocery store, getting into town tends to be a drive for them.
This is to say nothing of the many high-end appliances they keep around.
Office, Bedroom, and Living Room
These are all lumped together because they have one common thread between them: They are similar to an average person’s office, bedroom, and living room, only more technologically advanced. This means powerful computers, large TVs, and self-monitoring beds.
What do beds have to monitor? Temperature, firmness, even how clean they are.
Service Staff
This is what really sets a rich person’s home apart from an average person’s home. We mentioned how security and food service might be on their properties. But cleaning staff that takes care of the refuse of meals, laundry, and the appearance of the house are always there.
Driving Like a Celebrity
The wealthy usually have two options when it comes to driving: Driving themselves or being driven by a driver. One of the advantages of being driven by a driver is that they can make use of a limo service. This means they do not have to have a car; they can essentially rent one.
Renting a limo full-time means that the limo comes with both amenities and safety features that a normal car does not have. Full bar, wireless internet service, multiple airbags, and spare parts for repairs just to name a few. The drivers will know how to use all of these for safety.
When celebrities do drive themselves, it is usually in “supercars”. These can include concept cars like Idris Elba’s Bentley Continental, as well as hybrids like Jay Leno’s EcoJet.
The funny thing about celebrity cars is that most of them have performance capabilities that will never get used. It is rare to hear about Will.I.Am pushing his DeLorean to its limits, or Shaq making the most of his Lamborghini’s handling. But that’s not the point of their cars, is it?
Their Cars are Status Symbols
Like we mentioned before, being rich is not about spending your money responsibly. It is about feeling like you are on top of the world. Psychologically, this is interesting. If you were the most talked-about celebrity in the world for a moment, how easily could you let that go?
Sure, everyone only gets fifteen minutes of fame. Even the most prestigious celebrities of fifty years ago are anything more than dust now, to say nothing of the most famous people from centuries before that. But how many celebrities refuse to be humble? It must go to their head to be in their position. Buying a reasonably priced car must be like admitting to defeat before time.
Vacationing Like a Celebrity
While many celebrities can vacation wherever they want, it is worth noting that they rarely own their vacation spots. In fact, they also rarely plan their own vacations. There exist luxury travel agencies that specialize in creating itineraries for the wealthy to go on vacation with.
Essentially, celebrities go to places like Key West in Florida, or private islands in the South Pacific because their travel agencies tell them to go there. They are told where to go and when, and then the travel agencies turn and tell those locales, “Guess who’s coming to dinner?”
The Vacation Industrial Complex
Drivers will take the celebrities from their homes to private jets, where they will be deposited and picked up by a limo driver. The driver takes them to a resort, where a concierge shows them to their rooms and gives them a schedule of the events that have been prepared for them.
Wait staffs prepare their food, maids clean their clothes and sheets, and accountants make sure that whatever they make use of gets paid for without them having to lift a finger to pay for it manually. But of course, they pay for it. It just has the appearance of all being handed to them.
Conclusion
Celebrities live the lives that many people dream of. But while it can hardly be called a “catch”, it is at least worth noting that the very systems that placed them on top of the world also seek to extract value from them, making sure every moment of their lives costs money.
If you want to live like a celebrity, check out the Teifke Real Estate Podcast, where we talk all things in luxury living.