Tag Archives: developer

How Developer to the Stars Uses ‘WOW’ Factor To Sell Beverly Hills’ Most Expensive Homes

Another interesting realty article from our friends at toptenrealestatedeals.com.

Developer to the stars, Ramtin “Ray” Nosrati, was born in Iran and moved to the United States as a child. Attributing his talents for home building and design, he credits his parents’ Sunday drives exploring Los Angeles area open houses and his childhood LEGO collection for sparking his early interest in the business.

Ray began his career in the cell phone business, a success that he sold in 2002, using the profits to jump into real estate.

Beginning with some chicken ranches, he used the land to build tract homes for middle-class buyers. Following his dream, he then began buying tear-downs in the Los Angeles area to build more expensive custom homes. Ray parlayed that success to the top of the home-building business and became the go-to builder for celebrities and rich clients in LA’s most upscale neighborhoods.

Ray’s signature style blends traditional elegance with sleek contemporary lines, creating homes that feel both timeless and modern.

His projects emphasize seamless indoor-outdoor living, innovative amenities, and dramatic “wow” moments while remaining comfortable and family-oriented. His stunning homes command record prices, take home prestigious awards, and attract celebrity clients across the globe, frequently selling before completion. He has built and sold over 100 homes, including his trophy estate, Brentwood Oasis, which he sold to DBL Partners founder Jeffrey Feinberg for $44 million usd, while his latest home, a Beverly Hills mansion, sold to Fashion Nova CEO Richard Saghian for $32 million usd. 

Ray’s newest showpiece home is Opal, a spectacular Beverly Hills chateau, listed for $53 million usd/ $74.8 million cad. Opal combines contemporary architecture with resort-style amenities across multiple levels. The palatial home spans 19,100 square feet and includes custom European furnishings. 

Opal’s interiors feature expansive glass walls with gorgeous views of downtown LA and the Pacific Ocean, a double-height foyer, a two-story dining room with skylights, and a travertine-clad kitchen with custom appliances, an oversized island, and a separate catering kitchen with a commercial-grade walk-in refrigerator. A glass elevator connects all four floors.

The primary suite includes a private terrace, an espresso bar, a sauna, a spa-style bath, and one of the largest residential dressing rooms ever permitted in Los Angeles. Entertainment spaces occupy the lower level, where amenities include a temperature-controlled wine-tasting room, a theater with a snack bar and celestial ceiling, billiards and card areas, a wellness gym, reading lounges, and a media room with a nine-screen video wall.

Outdoor features include two infinity pools, one incorporating a glass-bottom design with Baja shelves, multiple terraces, and a rooftop deck with panoramic views of the city, mountains, and ocean. The rooftop also includes a pickleball court, outdoor dining areas, and fire tables. A barbecue pavilion on the main level is equipped with a pizza oven, wet bar, serving counter, and a 116-inch television. Set behind a gated entrance and surrounded by mature olive trees, palms, and ficus hedges, the property includes a motor court accommodating up to 12 vehicles and an eight-car garage.

Beverly Hills remains one of the world’s most recognizable luxury enclaves, known for its palm-lined streets, grand estates, and concentration of high-end shopping, dining, and entertainment. Located between West Hollywood and LA’s Westside, the city is home to iconic destinations including Rodeo Drive, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and numerous acclaimed restaurants and private clubs. Despite its international reputation, Beverly Hills maintains a largely residential character, with quiet neighborhoods tucked behind manicured hedges and winding streets. Its proximity to major studios, business centers, and the beaches of Santa Monica has long made it a preferred address for entertainers, executives, entrepreneurs, and public figures. The city has been associated with Hollywood glamour for decades and continues to attract prominent residents from film, music, television and sports. Notable Beverly Hills residents include Adele, Jennifer Aniston, Sylvester Stallone, and Justin Bieber.

For the Silo, Kimberly Ridley.

The listing is held by Sally Forster Jones of Compass, Tomer Fridman of Christie’s International Real Estate Southern California, and Jonathan Nash of Carolwood.

Photo Credit: Andrew Bramasco and Clutch Visuals MediaSource: www.compass.com

VR Sailing At Night

Back in February we wrote about the superb Oculus Rift virtual reality sailing app MarineVerse Cup. This fully immersive and accurate simulation surprised us with its physics based playset and incredibly realistic sense of actually sailing. (Add a fan moving air into your face and body for an even more visceral experience.) It is a most welcome virtual reality experience.

MarineVerse started development with a focus on regattas while aiming to create what the developers called “a chill sailing game”. Like all robust apps, the developments and updates continued and I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we might see knot tying or rigging etc. as part of their sailing school.

Night Sailing!

The latest update allows VR mariners to try night sailing & boating and experience relaxing sailing under the stars at Akalana Island while testing navigation skills like never before.

Night Navigation Practice

Have you ever sailed at night? Can you distinguish safe water from an isolated danger mark by just looking at its lights? Often a feared outing for a novice sailor in the real world, you can learn safely, at your own pace, and without the fear of grounding your boat and risking your life.

Test your skills in MarineVerse Cup:

( The video doesn’t do it full justice; make sure to try it in VR yourself. )

To access – visit NauticEd Training Room in the MarineVerse Cup and select Navigation Rules. ( If you need a general refresher on Nav Rules, don’t miss this free NauticEd course )

Are you a MV VR skipper or a real world sailor interested in joining MarineVerse? Let them know via Discord.  https://discord.gg/marineverse

VR Sailing On Oculus Now More Real With Wave Motions

Ahoy! VR Mateys! Aaargghh!

Ever wished the MarineVerse Cup felt just a bit more like the real thing?

What is MarineVerse?

MarineVerse mission is to inspire, train and connect sailors, and share the feeling of this amazing sport with a wide global audience all via the virtual reality wonder of the Oculus Quest 2 (& the newer Quest 3) headset and hand controllers.

Through our VR sailing projects we bring entertainment and education together through virtual reality (VR). We create experiences to enable more people to sail through the creation of games, training experiences and more.

We’ve been busy over the last few weeks, rolling out some cool updates to the MarineVerse Cup simulation. 

One of the first new features you can dive into is “visual waves.”

Check out what people from our Discord chat said after giving it a try:

“Waves are awesome!” 

“Wave motion is great! doesn’t make me feel sick 🙂 it’s kind of calming, and it feels a little more like I’m in a real boat”“Strange to say I found it great in free sailing but when I raced with it I felt a bit sweaty.”

“I love the wave action. Adds realism.”

Want to try it out? Just go to the Main Menu, hit Settings -> Boat -> Enable Waves Motion. You can find more details here: 

After you’ve had a chance to test it out, I’d really like to hear your thoughts. Did you enjoy it? Please leave your comments below at the end of my article.

PS – By popular demand, you can now adjust the wind speed in Free Sail mode, giving you control over your sailing conditions like never before: 

For the Silo, Greg Dziemidowicz  Director & Lead Developer @ MarineVerse – Virtual Reality Sailing