Fit for a real-life James Bond, Carrie Mathison or Jack Ryan, the world's most spook-friendly properties look pretty unassuming from the outside, yet within their fortified walls, they hide everything from sensational secret rooms to subterranean escape tunnels and concealed shooting ranges. Take a peek inside our pick of the best and uncover their covert surprises...
This amazing loft in New York City's hip Nolita neighbourhood is so achingly stylish it was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest. Sprawling over 4,000 square feet, the contemporary condo was on sale for £6.9 million ($8.8m) via Corcoran Group. So far, so normal, but this luxury apartment is hiding much more than first meets the eye...
Aside from the main living area, two bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, the property comprises a snug sleeping loft and kitchen space containing a bespoke chef's kitchen and colossal stainless steel island. Can't you imagine Harry Palmer whipping up an omelette in here?
Perfect for the stressed-out modern spy, the condo also features a calming tatami room to relax and unwind in. Next to the tatami room, which has a curtain to separate it from the main living area, there's a bookcase concealing a pretty big secret...
Just like Indiana Jones or even Austin Powers, the regular-looking bookcase opens to reveal a curious secret room, in fact, it's mirrored cocktail lounge. The louche clandestine space resembles a VIP room in a nightclub with its mirrored walls, lap dancing pole and fancy furnishings. Martini, anyone?
Developer Guy Phoenix went all out with this 007-worthy country house in Nottinghamshire, which was on the market earlier last year for a cool £10 million ($12.8m). For starters, there are landing pads where you can park your own plane or even a futuristic flying car. Perhaps Q was involved in the design...
Inside, the swish four-storey new-build is pretty breathtaking, with seven bedroom suites that each feature a bathroom, walk-in wardrobe and private living area. No expense has been spared on the property, which is kitted out with designer fixtures and fittings.
Amenities-wise, the mega-mansion has it all, including a large gym – essential for any fitness-conscious secret agent – a gorgeous basement swimming pool, a sauna, a flashy home bar and a spacious home cinema.
Security in this pad is cutting-edge. The property has a monitored alarm system, 360-degree CCTV, a digital entrance and exit code system, and best of all, an incredible panic room to escape to should the need arise. James Bond, of course, never panics but it could serve as a bolthole to lie low for a while...
Inspired by the Acropolis of Athens, this 36,000-square-foot Greek Revival mansion in the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia has a total of eight bedrooms and nine-and-a-half bathrooms. As befitting such a huge property, it boasts everything from a home cinema and bowling alley to an infinity pool and infrared sauna.
The property's most wow-factor USPs, however, are the state-of-the-art security features. Ideal for a secret agent who requires the safest conceivable sanctuary, the impregnable estate is located within a gated community that is patrolled 24 hours a day.
Dubbed 'the safest home in America', the property includes concealed entries and exits along with a secret 100-foot tunnel that connects to a subterranean bank vault room, indoor gun range, a large car vault and underground bunker stretching over 15,000 square feet.
The bunker even has a military-style command centre as well as remote-controlled ballistic walls and doors that are strong enough to protect against a missile strike. Once listed for £13.3 million ($17m), the home was sold by Concierge Auctions last year for a bargain £1.9 million ($2.4m).
Nestled among 17 acres in the desert just outside Scottsdale in Arizona, this palatial Spanish Colonial-style property offers eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a whole lot more besides. A billionaire bolthole for a deep-pocketed buyer, it's listed with Sotheby's International Realty for a whopping £25 million ($32m).
There's also a family room, elevated dining room, gourmet kitchen and executive office in the property, which is packed to the rafters with enviable amenities including a luxe home cinema, this full-sized basketball court and a yoga studio.
The home's most spy-appropriate feature though is its below-ground range for shooting and target archery practice. The space is clad with tough textured metal wall panels and is completely soundproof. We can just imagine Ethan Hunt practising his marksmanship before heading out on a covert operation.
Built on a high bluff in Largo, Florida, this magnificent waterfront mansion is built like a fortress. Capable of withstanding a category 4 hurricane as well as an enemy attack, the property is decked out with A/V surveillance and a whole host of other security features.
The five-bedroom, four-full-bathroom home is currently for sale with Coldwell Banker and has been listed for just shy of £6.3 million ($8m). It's not hard to work out why the property warrants a seven-figure price tag; it pairs world-class security with luxurious interiors and opulent facilities. What spy could resist?
Brimming with impressive selling points, the home has a plethora of reception rooms, an infinity swimming pool and spa, and some very cool amenities including a lift, 50-kilowatt generator, advanced home automation and a shooting range.
Adding to its spy-worthy allure, the property has its very own private deep-water dock, which would come in very handy indeed should the new owner need to make a rapid escape via speedboat.
Just the sort of mansion a well-heeled member of Australia's intelligence agency ASIS would feel at home in, this property in the posh Brisbane suburb of Ascot, was previously listed with Sotheby's International Realty for £5.9 million ($7.5m) back in 2017. The unique home has one exceedingly spy-friendly feature...
Completed in 2009, the contemporary seven-bedroom, six-bathroom Australian mega-mansion has more than its fair share of premium amenities, in addition to that awesome secret agent-enticing feature.
They range from two stunning swimming pools, a massive gym that spans half a level and a blissful zen room for meditation and chilling out, to a home cinema, billiard room and temperature-controlled wine cellar.
Previously on the market with Keller Williams Premier Realty last year, this remarkable Tudor Revival property in Saint Paul, which is charmingly named the Goodkind residence, is a Minnesota icon and has several secret features hiding in plain sight that would delight a secret agent.
The nine-bedroom, six-and-a-half bathroom home was designed by esteemed architects Stem & Reed and built in 1910 by two brothers. The interiors, which have been lovingly maintained, feature wonderful wood panelled walls and beamed ceilings. It's the sort of place we think Bond's boss M might feel quite at home...
The highlights of the property include a resort-style swimming pool, billiard room, fine stone fireplaces and several hidden rooms. Accessed through sliding bookcases, they're the ideal spots to lay low if enemy agents breach the property's boundaries.
There's also a safe built into the wall panels, as well as a genuine 1950s fortified private bunker under the property. The blast-proof space is in pristine condition and retains many of its original features. One for a Cold War spy, perhaps?
The ultimate ultra-discreet spy bolthole, the exterior of this incredible property in Las Vegas resembles a run-of-the-mill two-storey home. Yet the unassuming property, which is on the market with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services for a hefty £14 million ($18m), is harbouring a jaw-dropping secret.
The relatively modest above-ground home has a lift and staircase that lead down to a sensational bunker 26 feet underground that spans 15,000 square feet. The perfect space to hole up in, it was built in 1979 for the property's former owner, who was a hardcore prepper.
This is no ordinary doomsday shelter. The concrete and steel-reinforced billionaire bunker contains a cosy two-bedroom, two-bathroom house kitted out with every mod con a spy could ask for, as well as a dinky guesthouse.
A tranquil garden, complete with fake trees and plants, a putting green, murals depicting picturesque landscapes, a swimming pool, fountain and even a barbecue area, surrounds the living spaces. The lighting can be adjusted to replicate different times of the day and there are twinkling lights set into the ceiling that mimic a starry night's sky.
Located in Toorak, a suburb of Melbourne in the Australian state of Victoria, this magnificent property has more than a few surprises in store. Previously on the market with Kay & Burton for around £6.7 million ($8.5m), the three-bedroom, three-bathroom home offers a plush place for a secret agent to lay low for a while. Towering walls and hedging provide optimum privacy, while the spectacular backyard, complete with a dining terrace and swimming pool, is the perfect spot for some R&R.
Encompassing just shy of 8,000 square feet, this spectacular home isn't short on space – or style for that matter. A recent refurbishment was undertaken by award-winning interior designer Fiona Lynch and by the looks of it, no expense was spared. Just look at this marble bathroom, complete with his-and-hers sinks and a vast walk-in shower. However, the mansion harbours a massive secret that goes well beyond its impeccable interior...
Lined with thick reinforced concrete walls, the tunnel opens up into an impressive six-car garage, complete with a state-of-the-art lighting system – the ultimate showcase for an agent's prized collection of supercars. Leading off from the garage, there's also a sealed wine cellar that's perfect for storing priceless vintages picked up during international assignments. This spectacular property definitely has a license to thrill!