Razzle Dazzle 'Em

Just in case you win the lotto this weekend, or rich old Uncle Cecil kicks and you inherit everything, here's a house for thought: a 12,000 square foot 1906 stunner in Minneapolis, Minnesota with over an acre of landscaped grounds and a carriage house. Asking $6.5 million, the totally revamped brick beauty has 7 beds/3 full/6 partial baths and swoon-inducing details like 10 fireplaces, stained and leaded glass, hand carved woodwork, and a cypress paneled sun parlor. In what was once a nursery, you'll still find the original Mother Goose tiled fireplace, and between the main house and the 2 bed/2 bath carriage house, the underground tunnel has been revamped  (so you don't have to get snow on your Prada boots in winter) and a full gym added. If Jay Gatsby had relocated a few hundred miles west, this is where he'd have hung his hat. To see more, go here

Ringling Respite

This Florida home—sort of a mashup of Spanish/mid-century—was built for a Ringling Bros. circus staffer who was also rumored to have been the agent for The Wizard of Oz Munchkins, enough to qualify it for inclusion on this site, but it's also got great style. Located just 3 blocks from the water in Sarasota's quiet, historic Bayview Heights nabe, the 1948 home has 3 beds/3 baths, plus updated plumbing and electric. Naturally, we like the vintage touches like rare Cuban tile flooring in the living area, the kind of wild green kitchen cabinets, wood ceilings, and terrazzo floors. $499K includes all the mangoes you can eat (there's a prolific trees on the large lot), and puts you in walking distance of shops, restaurants and of course the waterfront. Click here for a closer look.

A Piece of Lake

To kickstart the long weekend, we're giving you something reasonable to obsess over: a $225k cottage in the northern reaches of Vermont, along the shores of Lake Champlain. Yeah, that's not a misprint, you can get waterside for that price. We're not claiming it's luxurious or large, but it gets the job done and has charm and location on its side. Built in 1945, the 2 bed/1 bath home is in the old area known as "The Pines" and sits across the street from the community's private beach and has a front porch, back deck, and views over the lake. The landscaping's lovely, there's a matching blue detached one car garage, and the hideous northeast flooding of 2011 didn't touch this place. So hurry and snatch this one up so you can get in before Labor Day rolls around. For more info/pics, go here

Trullo Love

How's this for a dream: Imagine you're in Italy, but not any of the usual places (sorry, Tuscany Rome, and Venice). No, you've journeyed  south, into the heel, actually, smack between the Ionic and Adriatic coasts. You're in exotic Puglia and you find yourself standing in front of this sublime old stone structure, called a "trullo," that's far away from the noise and the tourist buses. Meticulously restored and updated, the $1.7 million home has 4 beds/3 baths, stone vaulted ceilings, two open fireplaces, and radiant floor heating. Outside, where you'll spend at least half of every day, are gardens, stone terraces galore, and an exquisite pool—all with views of the intoxicatingly lush Italian countryside. Oh: and the tasteful furnishings? All included. Now, don't you want to make this dream a reality? For more info/pics, go here

Story Hill Fairy Tale

Milwaukee's got a lot of charming neighborhoods, but none more than Stony Hill, developed in the 1920s for the growing middle class who wanted to be close to downtown, but didn't want an urban look. The 300 or so homes here, rather ornate and made of stone or brick, are on quiet, tree-lined streets just north of verdant Miller Park. This 1929 Tudor is one of the loveliest, with 4 beds/2.5 baths, updated baths and a granite-and-stainless steel kitchen. But it's the original details that make the $380K price such a bargain: leaded and stained glass windows, wood beamed ceilings, two fireplaces, sunken living and dining rooms, arched doorways, stucco walls, vintage light fixtures and one-of-a-kind iron work. So: scroll through the pictures here, fall in love, and start job searching in Milwaukee. Now!

Agressively Passive

Ladies and gentlemen: behold the first certified passive house in the entire state of Virginia. Brand new and located in Charlottesville—just down the road from Thomas Jefferson's grand Monticello—the 2250 square foot 3-level house should reduce your utility bills by leaps and bounds as it was built for energy efficiency. Constructed of cedar and stucco, there's air purification and fresh air recovery systems, passive solar heating, a vacuum system and touches like cork floors and surround sound. The 3 bed/2.5 bath home, which has a warm, contemporary feel with clean lines, high ceilings and non-toxic materials (of course), also has several outdoor decks and porches with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. $649K gives you a nearly invisible footprint, but the impression on your soul? Deep and meaningful. For more info/pics, go  here

Amuse-Louche

This stunning Austin, Texas, home has lived twice before: in 1890, it was a firehouse, and in 1940 it became Capitol Saddlery, where everyone who was anyone had their boots made (even Al Capone!). Now dubbed Palazzo Lavaca, the nearly 7000 square foot home has been turned into a lavish sanctuary that looks like it belongs on Venice's Grand Canal. Fortuny-esque wallpaper, vintage crystal chandeliers, high ceilings with old wood beams, a mirror-and-marble bathroom we'd happily live in forever—it's all here, wrapped in a luxe, somewhat decadent air. In addition to the 3 beds/3.5 baths plus all sorts of nooks and crannies, the $4.4 million price includes city views, terrace, parking and some ghosts, but we're sure they're friendly. And obviously they're stylish. To see more, go here immediately!

Ranch Lesson

The call of Charlotte, North Carolina, was too strong to ignore, especially as it was coming from this super sweet 1964 rehabbed ranch in the friendly Stonehaven nabe. Asking $249.5K, the 3 bed/2.5 bath has tons of upgrades—new roof, heating/air conditioning, cork floors, updated kitchen with stainless appliances, and refurbished wood floors—and has been spiffed up within an inch of its life (great paint colors, crown molding, light fixtures). There's a fireplace, two living spaces, a screen porch that overlooks the backyard, plus parking for 4 cars and fantastic curb appeal. What can we say? Charlotte's our idea of real estate heaven. To see more of this house, go here

Pilgrim Party

Hugging the Massachusetts coast, Plymouth is best known as the site of the first Thanksgiving and the place where the pilgrims landed. It's also got incredible beaches, forests and scattered ponds, and for just a smidge under $500K, this 3 bed/1 bath house there could make sure you enjoy all of it. Situated on a half acre, the 1500 square foot home sits on a hill 90 feet above sea level, overlooking Gurnet lighthouse and Saquish and Duxbury beaches from one side, and the town of Plymouth from the other. In other words, the views are to die for and you can stare at them to your heart's content from two decks in warmer months, or from the second floor, where the living/dining/kitchen are, in the winter. Just thinking about this place has us wishing for a bowl of seafood chowder and a mug of beer. See what you think here

Liberty or Death!

Uh-oh, here goes again: We had sit down with a hefty glass of white wine (Cakebread sauvignon blanc, which we highly recommend!) before we could take a closer look at this glorious deco dreamhouse. Located on Liberty Hill, right in the middle of gorgeous but seriously pricey San Francisco, the $3.15 million home, built in 1938, has 3 beds/3.5 baths and is polished and buffed to utter perfection. Glowing inside and out, it has marble counters in the gourmet kitchen, slate and hardwood floors, interior polished steel railings, open living/dining with fireplace and corner windows, curved walls, classic glass block design, and a garden with irrigation system. The added bonus? Your very own garage (a rarity in the city by the Bay, where parking is a nightmare). Now, go grab your own liquor of choice and be ready to weep over the beauty here