They’ve got all sorts of bells and whistles, like solaria and elevators. God knows they’re big enough, with the largest topping out at a whopping 30,000 square feet. Even the market is in their favor: Sales of million-dollar-plus homes are surging, up 14 percent in the first half of the year compared with 2016, according to Midwest Real Estate Data. And yet these three mansions just can’t catch a break.

7 Fox Hunt Rd.

7 Fox Hunt Rd., Barrington

Photo: Jason Adrian

List price:$14.9 million
Time on market:34 months

A replica of an English pub, a dedicated dog bath, and “ample room for a helipad,” according to the listing, weren’t enough to justify the original $20 million price. It’s gotten a significant trim every year since.

 

1336 N. State Pkwy.

1336 N. State Pkwy., Gold Coast

Photo: Scott Shigley

List price:$12.5 million
Time on market:20 months

The sellers took the renovated 9,000-square-foot 19th-century mansion off the market after six months, only to put it back on six months later for $2 million less—plenty of saved cash for the eventual new owner to outfit the theater, library, and billiard room!

 

700 Arbor Dr.

700 Arbor Dr., Lake Bluff

Photo: John S. Eckert

List price:$10.7 million
Time on market:23 months

Wherever you go, whatever you do, singer Richard Marx’s David Adler–designed estate will be right here waiting for you … with 19 fireplaces, a private beach, and an 8,000-square-foot recording studio (with its own kitchen).