It’s getting more crowded at the top.

Owning a piece of a skyscraper’s top floor — where your closest neighbors have feathers — is the pinnacle of real estate. Penthouses make up less than 1 percent of real estate listings, but their average price a square foot is 84 percent higher than that of similar, nonpenthouse units, according to an analysis by real estate website Zillow.

The word itself will cost you. Simply having the designation of “penthouse” in the listing can result in a sale premium of 5 percent to 10 percent, says Jonathan Miller, a New York City-based appraiser and president of Miller Samuel Inc.

Now, the word “penthouse” is being applied to all sorts of condos — even those on lower floors — and it’s not uncommon to see multiple penthouses stacked on top of one another. Echo Aventura, a new development in Miami by Property Markets Group and JDS Development, will sport 18 penthouse units when it is completed in 2015, and Trump Place at 120 Riverside Blvd. in Manhattan has 44 penthouses.

Here’s a look inside homes around the globe that feel like they’re on top of the world.

 

read more….

http://realestate.msn.com/panoramic-penthouse-views-from-around-the-globe