Luxury Home + Design

Realty Check
What Your Money Will Buy

$5 Million
This Port Royal home is situated on a lot-and-a-half on Rum Row and sold in January for $5.2 million, unfurnished. Built in 1988 and located on Man of War Cove with bridge-free access to the Gulf, the four-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath residence provides 5,817 square feet and 6,338 total square feet. Selling agent Jackie May, of Prudential Florida Realty, says the heated pool, two docks and 167 feet of water frontage are among the outside amenities, while the marble floors and view-rich, circular family room are among the many interior assets.

$1 Million
This high-in-the-sky, top-floor Pelican Bay penthouse in St. Maarten sold for $1 million, unfurnished. The two-story home, with oh-so-private second-floor bedrooms, has 2,484 air-conditioned square feet, 3,000 total square feet and impressive views of the surrounding area.  According to selling agent Ginny Lee, president of America’s Best Agents, the unit has many upgrades, and the building, built in 1988 and located 1,800 feet from the beach, has a new roof, an updated party room and library. The furniture package sold for $50,000.

$500,000
The convenience of living next to restaurants, movie theaters, shops and restaurants and in close proximity to the beach can be had for well under seven figures at The Strada at Mercato in Naples. Unit 5201, on the second floor of a five-story building, sold for $550,000, unfurnished. The two-bedroom, two-bath home, with 1,548 air-conditioned square feet and 1,724 total square feet, has cherry cabinets and a tumbled marble backsplash in the kitchen and Jerusalem limestone in the bathrooms. Inlaid granite in the entry hallway’s wood floor adds to the richness of the design. The furniture package, featuring a color palette of tangerine, ivory and graphite, was $77,400.

NEIGHBORHOOD  WATCH
BAREFOOT BEACH CLUB

Perched on the gulf of mexico in northwestern Collier County, the Barefoot Beach Club is a 12-building enclave of 348 units that began construction in 1991. Eight of the seven-story buildings are on the beach. The property’s neighbor is Collier County’s Barefoot Beach and 342-acre Barefoot Beach Preserve. Accessed via Bonita Beach Road, the complex provides two pools and a clubhouse. Floor plans range from 1,600 to 2,200 square feet.

Total number of properties: 348
Total MLS sales, February 2009 to
February 2010: 10
Price range, February 2009 to February 2010:
$532,500 to $1,475,000
Total MLS sales, February 2008 to February 2009: 13
Price range, February 2008 to February 2009:
$550,000 to $1.6 million 

On the market: This three-bedroom, three-bath end unit enjoys lots of sunlight with south and west views. Located at 255 Barefoot Beach Blvd. in a building 255 feet closer to the beach than others, the unit provides 2,003 air-conditioned square feet. Barry DiNicola Jr., broker at Barry DeNicola Realty, says the unit is for sale at $1,550,000, furnished.  

Recent sale: Nick Fontana, broker at Barefoot Beach Club Realty, says the wonderful views and distinctive floor plan were among the outstanding assets of a two-bedroom, two-bath, Gulf-front unit he sold for $1,298,000, unfurnished, in July. Built in 1991, this unit, with 1,604 air-conditioned square feet and 1,847 total square feet, sold in 2005 for $855,000.    

MARKET TALK
TRAFFIC UP AT PARADES OF HOMES

The economy remains sluggish, but some participants in the parades of homes presented by local building industry associations say the annual new-home showcases drew plenty of visitors and generated more excitement than expected.

“Before the LBIA Parade got under way, there was a feeling in the industry that the tough economic times might put a damper on the event,” says Laura Straus, marketing director of Realmark Development in Cape Coral.

“Our experience with our new Funky Fish Houses at the Marina at Cape Harbour surpassed our most optimistic expectations. I’ve participated in these parades for at least 10 years, and, other than one peak year, this was the best traffic I’ve seen. We were seeing 600 to 800 visitors on each of the Saturdays and Sundays.” 

The Lee Building Industry Parade of Homes, a multi-site event throughout Lee County, ran the first three weekends in February.

The Collier Building Industry Parade of Homes, held over two weekends in February, was at Lely Resort, with Stock Development hosting and providing 25 of the 29 parade entries. 

Stock’s vice president of sales and marketing, Claudine Leger-Wetzel, says the company also showed its homes in the Lee parade, and both events drew many out-of-staters who seemed focused on purchasing. “We saw more French Canadians than ever before,” she says. “Some visitors who liked our communities are waiting for a quieter time to buy and will be back.”

JoAnn Orr, LBIA’s assistant executive director, says builders were surprised by the traffic and loved the new weekend format that gave visitors time to see more homes.

“Not everyone wants to buy a foreclosure or short sale,” Orr says. “There’s a pent-up demand for new homes that’s starting to move the market upward. It may be six to 18 months away, but the parade activity demonstrates it’s on the way.”