Real Estate Briefs
Record-breaking residential sale marks milestone on Fort Myers Beach
A significant milestone on Fort Myers Beach has been reached with the record breaking sale of a 2023-built beachfront residence at 5940 Estero Blvd. John R. Wood Christie's International Real Estate's Grant Group listed the property, and exposure through its global luxury marketing program resulted in a successful sale with the property setting a new high for single-family home sales in the area, closing at $11,250,000 according to Southwest Florida MLS.
The sale surpasses the previous highest single-family home sale on Fort Myers Beach, a 2015-built beachfront property at 4148 Estero Blvd, which sold for $6.175 million in 2022.
"This sale reflects Fort Myers Beach's lasting allure as a destination for luxury real estate," said Doug Grant, leader of the Grant Group at John R. Wood Christie's International Real Estate. "The fact that we have achieved the highest-ever sale price for a single-family home in this area is a powerful indicator of its continued desirability."
The four-bedroom plus den, six-bath home directly overlooks the Gulf of Mexico. Built by Gary W. Lau, Inc. Custom Homes, the property features modern coastal architecture in an open floor plan with white oak and tile flooring, tray ceilings and a chef's kitchen with a butler's pantry. Additional interior features include quartz countertops, Thermador appliances, a private elevator, a Lutron lighting system and a surround sound system. Exterior features include hurricane impact windows and electric storm shutters. A spacious outdoor living area offers Southwestern exposure with a saltwater infinity pool, spa, full outdoor kitchen and fireplace. The home's prime location along a stretch of South Estero Island, offers residents convenient access to many the area's dining establishments, as well as Lovers Key and Bonita Beach.
Currently among the top 0.5% of Realtors in the country by sales volume, the Grant Group has been ranked the number one team in Southwest Florida, averaging $100 million in sales each year. The group joined John R. Wood Christie's International Real Estate in September 2022. Led by Doug Grant, a 37-year Naples resident with more than 30 years of residential real estate sales throughout Southwest Florida, the group specializes in beach and waterfront properties, as well as luxury golf community residences from Naples to Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach.
Bonita Del Sol unveils three model homes
New home sales are underway and three fully furnished model homes are now open in Bonita Del Sol, offering homebuyers a preview inside Pulte Homes' new community with a central Bonita Springs address.
Bonita Del Sol, between Imperial Parkway and Old U.S. 41, offers 248 new-construction single-family homes, private amenities and a premier location only seven miles from Gulf of Mexico beaches.
The professionally decorated models highlight craftsman architecture and 15 brand-new home designs from Pulte. New homes for sale in Bonita Del Sol offer two to seven bedrooms, priced from the low- $400,000s, low-maintenance living, personalization options and no CDD fees.
"We look forward to introducing more homebuyers to Bonita Del Sol, which is close to everything Bonita Springs and Naples have to offer," said Josh Graeve, president of PulteGroup's Southwest Florida Division. "The community's location, its lifestyle, Pulte's reputation and our innovative consumer-inspired floor plans really resonate with buyers."
The models illustrate Bonita Del Sol's three collections of homes – the Scenic, Distinctive and Echelon series – available on homesites overlooking lakes, including a 36.5-acre lake, plus landscaping.
The homes feature flexible open-concept floor plans blending gathering room, café and kitchen and elevating outdoor living on covered lanais. The home designs also include extra storage space, two-and threecar garages and professional-style kitchens with freestanding islands and spacious pantries. Owner's suites offer walk-in closets and private spa-inspired bathrooms with dual-sink vanities, glass-enclosed showers and linen closets. For more details, visit www.Pulte.com/BonitaDelSol.
Citizens insurance adds policies
After a large drop the previous week, the number of Floridians insured by Citizens Property Insurance Corp. inched up last week.
Citizens had 1,037,811 policies as of Friday, up from 1,035,534 policies a week earlier but down from 1,271,907 policies two weeks earlier, according to data posted on its website.
The large drop during the previous week coincided with nine private insurers having regulatory approval to assume Citizens policies as part of what is known as a "depopulation" program. The depopulation program is a key strategy as state leaders try to shrink Citizens, which in recent years became Florida's largest property insurer because of financial problems in the private market.
Citizens, which was created as an insurer of last resort, reached as many as 1.412 million policies last year before seeing the number reduced because of earlier depopulation rounds. State leaders want to minimize the number of policies in Citizens, at least in part because of financial risks if the state gets hit by a major hurricane or multiple hurricanes. If Citizens wouldn't have enough money to pay claims, policyholders throughout the state — including possibly non-Citizens policyholders — could have to pay what are known as "assessments" to cover the costs. ¦