Archive for the 'Tampa Waterfront Homes' Category

Homes “Near The Water” In Tampa, Florida

March 11th, 2008 categories: Tampa Real Estate, Tampa Waterfront Homes

Notable prospective client e-mail of the day:

“I am not familiar with Tampa and we will be relocating in about six months and we are looking to purchase something in a very good neighborhood. We would also like to be near the water. How are prices there, and taxes? Were in Miami”.

Often, when speaking to new or prospective home buyer clients, I get the “We want to be near the water” statement, Which always begs the question from me, “What do you mean”? The water treatment plant? Gulf of Mexico? Tampa Bypass Canal? Hillsborough River? Lake Roberta? Tampa Bay? Pond? Pool? I really need some clarification. Where in Florida can you be, and not be near the water?

Ok, I do realize most folks mean either the Gulf of Mexico or Tampa Bay. But people who are relocating to the Tampa Bay area usually (and most understandably) have some major geographical misconceptions. I know I did 13 years ago.

Heck, my wife and I live “near the water”. We’re a stone’s throw from Tampa Bay. I can hear it and smell it, but I can’t see it. I see the pelicans cruising over my home quite often, but I have no dock. No place to launch my boat. In fact it costs me about $900 each year just to live “near the water”, in the form of flood insurance. But the only enjoyment I get it from it is hearing it on a windy, post-frontal day, or smelling the salt occasionally (for whatever that’s worth). But it’s not bad being surrounded by multi-million dollar properties either.

So what’s so special about being “near the water”? I find that when most folks add this as a criteria, they’re looking to be close to some place where one can enjoy the Florida lifestyle. Beaches, birds, boats, rum runners, margaritas, cheese burgers in paradise, etc. And the misconception is that Tampa is surrounded by that. But the fact is that Tampa is quite far, relatively speaking, from that environment. Yeah, I know we’ve got the Ben T. Davis Beach, and a few other sandy spots where one can lay a towel and soak up some rays, but these aren’t the beaches that most folks have in mind.

The Gulf of Mexico beaches, the ones that come to mind when most people visualize beaches, are a good 30 minute drive away at least. So the Tampa metro area, is not a beachy area. The Tampa Bay area however, is quite beachy indeed. The City of Tampa has many waterfront properties. We’ve got canal frontage, direct bay frontage, and we’ve got river frontage as well, all of it having access to Tampa Bay and The Gulf of Mexico beyond. But beaches we have not.

Granted, 30 minutes is near to some, but it’s far to others. So when I hear “near the water”, I seek clarification. What’s near mean? What do you like to do in or around the water? Boating, beach stuff? Fishing? Watching sunsets? Sunrises? Metal detecting? The answers to these questions go along way in finding the perfect Tampa Bay area for each particular home buyer.

Posted by Lenny Gurvich | No Comments »

It’s All About The Grid-Tampa Luxury Home Sales

January 25th, 2008 categories: Tampa Real Estate, South Tampa, Tampa Waterfront Homes, Tampa Luxury Homes, Tampa Neighborhoods, South Tampa Neighborhoods

Doing some research this afternoon, and in looking at sales (single family homes) over and above $2.2 million dollars in Hillsborough County since 2003 we find:

There have been 83 of them.
Median size is 6114 sqft.
Biggest concentrations? Grid WL18 (South 1/2 of Davis Islands) leads the way with 15. Next up is WH17 (Culbreath Isles) with 12. WL17 (North 1/2 of Davis Islands) and WJ17 (Golfview area) each have 7 apiece. The other 42 are fairly scattered.
Average days to sell = 191.
Average Sold price per sqft: about $497

Data used is from Mid-Florida Regional MLS, all brokers/agents included. Does not include any private, non-brokered sales.

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Posted by Lenny Gurvich | No Comments »

South Tampa Waterfront Condo Choices

November 6th, 2007 categories: Tampa Real Estate, Tampa Condos, Tampa Waterfront Homes, South Tampa Neighborhoods

The south Tampa area is a peninsula that splits Hillsborough Bay to the east, and Old Tampa Bay to the west. Surrounded by water, you’d think that buyers would have many choices when considering a south Tampa waterfront condominium community. And there are many choices if one is simply looking for a highrise condominium with bay views. You’ve got the many choices on Bayshore Boulevard which fronts Hillsborough Bay, with views of downtown and Davis Islands. Bayshore Boulevard residents also have easy access to the sidewalk/recreational trail stretching from Ballast Point northward to downtown.

But none of the Bayshore condominiums offer boating access to the Bay and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. So what choices does the buyer have on the Interbay Peninsula? There are basically 3 choices, all on the west side of the peninsula, on Old Tampa Bay.

Westshore Yacht Club

Starting furthest south, Westshore Yacht Club is a new, private, gated community of single family homes, townhomes and highrise condominiums. Castillo Tower is the highrise, set back from the bayfront, but with exceptional views to the west and east from all units. Prices begin at around $850k for a 3 bedroom, 2100sqft., 4^th floor unit. Most of what’s available now are resales with limited developer inventory remaining. Two additional towers are planned. Westshore Yacht Club has its own private 49–slip marina with ship’s store. Slip ownership begins at $170k, while the cost to lease a slip begins at $15/slip ft. Westshore Yacht Club also has club facilities (pool, fitness, spa, lounge) that all residents pay $5800 per year to use.

Browse Westshore Yacht Club For Sale

Culbreath Key Bayside

On the lower end of the price spectrum, and near the middle of the peninsula, is Culbreath Key Bayside Condominiums. Built in 1999 as apartments, Culbreath Key converted to privately owned condominiums in 2004, and has 47 private boat slips available on a small canal that accesses Tampa Bay near the Gandy Bridge. But most CK condos don’t offer any water views. The project has separate buildings, each only 4 floors up. The 2 buildings furthest west, buildings 8 and 9, have the only units that offer any decent water views. The units on the north side of building 9 offer the best water views, and are thus the highest priced within CK. The boat slips are privately owned, some are available for lease. CK condo buyers can search out a condo with a boat slip as a package, or purchase a condo and boat-slip separately. There is currently a 1/1 on the south side (canal/Gandy Blvd-view) of building 9, with a boatslip, priced at $275k, all inclusive. By contrast, there’s a 1/1 on the south side of building 8 priced at $179k, with a boat-slip available for an extra $50k. Culbreath Key is gated, has a pool and fitness center. Buildings 8 and 9 offer covered parking with an elevator.

Browse Culbreath Key Condos For Sale

Mariner Condominium

Mariner Condominiums, a 45 unit building rising 8 floors up, is situated near Kennedy Blvd, just off I-275, near Tampa International Airport. Built in 1973, Mariner Condos has very little turnover with only 5 units transferring ownership in the previous 24 months. There is a waiting list for the small group of boat slips on a small body of water adjacent to I-275. One unit is currently listed for sale, a second floor 2/1 at $469k.

Contact me for further information on these, and other south Tampa, Harbour Island and Davis Islands waterfront condominiums with Tampa Bay and Gulf of Mexico access.

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Posted by Lenny Gurvich | No Comments »

South Tampa Gated Waterfront Community Impresses

October 24th, 2007 categories: South Tampa, Tampa Waterfront Homes, New Projects (Condos), South Tampa Neighborhoods

Took the opportunity to visit Westshore Yacht Club this morning as they hosted our firm’s weekly meeting. It’s been about 18 months since I’d been over there with some clients, and what a difference.

Westshore Yacht Club is a new gated, waterfront community, with a marina, on the west side of the Interbay Peninsula just south of Gandy Blvd. The community occupies the old Westinghouse property that had long been a vacant eyesore, and is a development of WCI Communities.

The theme of the community pays homage to the history of Tampa. The street names, home and townhome names, as well as the names of the condo tower units, are all associated with names of old Tampa architects, councilmen, founding fathers, etc.

There’s not much in Tampa that compares with this community and the lifestyle it will provide, Harbour Island the possible exception. The community is very private and secure, with large concrete walls surrounding the area, and a grand entrance with 24 hour security. Don’t bother trying to get in unless you have business there or are headed for the sales center.

The community club, known as The Bay Club, is waterfront, and features 19,000sqft of space with a spa, fitness center, waterfront dining, tiki bar, pool, billiards room, etc. All residents of Westshore Yacht Club are required to pay $5800 annually as club dues. It’s all about the lifestyle! This building is beautiful. The 806 Lounge, on the second floor, is cozy, and has excellent water views. That would be my late evening choice for relaxing with a cocktail.

We also looked at a representative sample of the residences, including 2 of the single family homes, a townhome, and a couple of the condos in Castillo Tower, the lone highrise building in the community (3 towers are planned).

Castillo Tower is comparable to The Bellamy on Bayshore and The Plaza Harbour Island, but the views at Castillo Tower are hard to beat. All units have views both westward and eastward, much like the Bellamy does. The terraces on the west side are all spacious, providing great waterfront views of Old Tampa Bay and downtown St. Petersburg. Sunsets, I’m sure, are spectacular. Castillo Tower also has its own clubhouse and pool as well. Condo fees are $.36 cents per square foot, considerably lower than some other new Tampa highrises. Here’s a neat video tour of a WCI condo tower.

And yes, it truly is a Yacht Club. There is a 149 slip private marina, with slips from 40’ to 100’+, accommodating vessels with drafts of up to 8’. The slips can purchased or leased. The 40’ slips are priced starting at $170k. There is a ship’s store on site, and the marina provides 24 hour video monitoring for security.

If you know the Tampa area, you can see that this is something that Tampa has previously not been able to offer. And now that Newport Tampa Bay, just to the north, has been put on hold, this really is a one of a kind Tampa community.

Feel free to contact me for more information regarding Westshore Yacht Club or other Tampa waterfront opportunities.

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Posted by Lenny Gurvich | No Comments »

Plaza At Harbour Island Nearing Completion

September 28th, 2007 categories: Tampa Real Estate, Tampa Condos, Tampa Waterfront Homes, Tampa MLS, New Projects (Condos), Downtown Tampa, Tampa Neighborhoods

Now closing in and around downtown Tampa:

• Skypoint Condominiums
• The Place at Channelside Condominiums
• Grand Central at Kennedy Condominiums
• Towers at (of) Channelside Condominiums
• Ventana Condominiums

All of these projects are in the process of transferring ownership to the many pre-construction buyers who were in the market back in 2004–2005. I’ve had the chance to visit most of the new buildings. Some are meeting pre-construction expectations, while others are not. I’m referring to my expectations as well as the expectations of many others with whom I’ve spoken recently.

And now Harbour Island’s newest project, the Plaza at Harbour Island, should begin closings within the next 4–6 weeks. I’m representing some buyers at The Plaza, and yesterday I attended the initial pre-closing walk-thru of their unit with them. The Plaza certainly meets, and maybe exceeds my expectations based on what we saw and what we were told in the sales center back in 2005.

The Plaza is situated at the north end of Harbour Island, a small residential island adjacent to downtown Tampa and the Channel District. Views on the north side are of downtown and Channelside, etc., while on the south side, views are of Harbour Island, Tampa Bay, the Interbay Peninsula, etc. Check out The Plaza Harbour Island’s location on Google Earth (if you don’t have it, get it!).

The Patrinely Group is the developer and I can tell you that everything they have done has been first class. The sales process, the sales team, the cocktail parties, the walk-thru process, all very professional and first class.

So what about the building? The Plaza is 21 stories with about 138 units total. The common elements, especially the zero edge pool and clubhouse areas, are impressive, similar to what I’ve seen at The Bellamy on Bayshore. The floor plans are designed with respect to the location of the building, and offer large terraces that wrap around the corners of the building providing 180 degree views.

But Harbour Island’s neighbor the the east is Hooker’s Point, a very industrial peninsula, home to the Port of Tampa. Palm trees and beaches are not part of the plan there. But hey, this is urban Tampa. Storage elevators are what you’ll see here, along with the occasional cruise ship heading up or down the channel.

Other amenities include a large fitness center, full-time concierge, and valet parking for residences. There are also 4 guest suites, 3 of which will be sold to members of the association (condo owners).

All in all The Plaza at Harbour Island has certainly met or exceeded my expectations as well as those of my clients. If you’re considering a condo near downtown Tampa, and are looking for luxury, The Plaza is definitely worth a good look.

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Posted by Lenny Gurvich | 2 Comments »

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