For most Americans, the housing market remained stubbornly sluggish in 2025. For the ultra-wealthy, it was a very different story.

According to a new report from Compass, U.S. home sales priced at $10 million and above jumped sharply last year, with 2,261 deals totaling $38.63 billion. As high mortgage rates and affordability challenges sidelined many buyers nationwide, the broader housing market slowed while the top tier, which is increasingly governed by an entirely different set of rules, accelerated.

Ultra-luxury buyers aren’t waiting on interest rates to drop. Instead, the flurry of activity at the $10 million-plus level is being fueled by historic stock market gains, major liquidity events, and generational fortunes, with wealthy buyers opting to relocate themselves—and their money. At this end of the market, home purchases say less about market conditions and more about where new wealth is being made and where it wants to live. These buyers are prioritizing privacy, space, and tax advantages, along with expectations of wellness features and a high-level security system.

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That pattern is clearest where wealth is most highly concentrated. Despite years of skepticism regarding New York’s future, demand for elite properties remains ironclad. Manhattan led the nation once again with over $7.5 billion in ultra-luxury sales—a nearly 30% year-over-year surge. This growth proves that well-heeled buyers, domestic and international alike, still view a Big Apple residence as a solid long-term asset.

On the West Coast, the Greater Los Angeles area posted some of the strongest gains in the country. Ultra-luxury transactions jumped more than 50 percent from the year before, with sales volume up a staggering 61 percent. The surge came despite the region’s mansion tax and the uncertainty that followed last January’s wildfires.

South Florida continued its post-pandemic run as well. Ultra-luxury sales climbed as financial firms, family offices, and high-net-worth buyers keep moving capital and setting down eight-figure residential roots in Palm Beach and Miami.

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What may be most telling about this trend, though, is how much the ultra-luxury market has spread out. Cities that barely registered $10 million-plus sales before the pandemic—places like San Diego and Dallas—are now seeing the amount of activity in that sector grow year after year. Houston, for example, recorded just one $10 million–plus sale in 2019 but has now posted double-digit transactions for a second straight year—a 900 percent increase since pre-pandemic levels. Scottsdale, which had no $10M-plus sales before 2020, logged 13 in 2025 alone, with more than 75 ultra-luxury homes currently under construction.

The takeaway is simple: ultra-luxury real estate no longer moves with the general market. While a slowdown hits most buyers, properties valued above $10 million are marching to their own beat. As long as vast fortunes continue to be created almost overnight—especially in technology, finance, and emerging industries—$10-plus million trophy homes won’t just be a place to post up but a place to park serious capital.