Boaters Attracted to McGregor Boulevard and Iona Road Communities

The most expensive and sought after real estate in Fort Myers is located along the Caloosahatchee River in South Fort Myers.  This area includes neighborhoods located off both historic McGregor Boulevard and Iona Road.  Both of these streets both run parallel to the river and are dominated by residential waterfront communities on their river-facing, west sides.

McGregor Boulevard, which is lined with majestic royal palm trees, was home in the roaring 1920s to our original snowbirds…..Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone.  Today, 90 years later, it is still home to prominent snowbirds as well as many of the movers and shakers of our community.  The McGregor Boulevard communities of Palmetto Point, Gulf Harbour and the Palms of McGregor are luxury waterfront neighborhoods.  Old Fort Myers offers history lovers a chance to own a period house from the days of Edison, many of which have been wonderfully restored.   Boating enthusiasts are drawn to the popular riverfront communities of Caloosa Yacht & Racquet Club, The Landings and Town & River.

The western side of Iona Road is also lined with riverfront communities and is a very popular area with boat and yacht owners.  This area offers very quick, unrestricted access to the open waters of the Gulf. Luxury boating communities along Iona Road include Jonathan Harbour, St. Charles Harbour and Connie Mack Island.  Upscale Iona Road communities offering outstanding boating opportunities include Catalpa Cove, Harbour Isle and Intracoastal Harbour.

Well not really, but as tonight is the Season Nine Idol finale and Simon’s swansong, it might be fun to look at where the stars of the show might live if they relocated to Fort Myers.

Simon Cowell has ended his longtime illustrious bachelorhood with an engagement to make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy.  The Captiva Gold Coast is by far the best choice for these two lovebirds as it offers the exclusivity and privacy required by a star of Cowell’s magnitude.  The home I picked out for Simon is a modern 12,000 SF  gulf front estate on Captiva Drive listed for $18M.

Despite an attire and vocabulary that never ceases to amaze, Randy Jackson is truly a man of the people.  I can’t imagine Randy living in a suburban home with a manicured front lawn.    While I initially thought of downtown luxury high-rise development High Point Place as a fit for Randy, there is nothing currently on the market designed for someone of his stature.  A good fit for Randy might be a penthouse unit at the Paramount at Gulf Harbour.  A 4,370 SF unit done up in South Beach pastels listed for $2.25M is my pick for Randy.

Wow, is Lee County really big enough to handle all these Idol stars?  For Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia De Rossi, a waterfront estate on Barefoot beach would seem to be a good fit.  With a number of pets, Ellen and Portia definitely need a single-family home.  How about an 8,030 SF contemporary European inspired Barefoot Beach home with a huge gourmet kitchen for preparing those vegan delicacies, a fitness center and salt water aquarium.  The asking price of $12.575M is a drop in the bucket for this couple.

Oozing with class and style, Kara DioGuardi and recent husband Mike McCuddy need a home to support the growing social demands of Kara’s blossoming career.  With her Italian heritage, an estate home on the shores of Lake Como at Miromar Lakes might suite Kara just fine.  My pick for Kara is a 5,032 SF waterfront home listed for $3.995M in the Isola Bella neighborhood of Miromar Lakes.

Wow, I have left the toughest for last…..just where does ubiquitous metrosexual Idol host Ryan Seacrest belong?  My first thought was Gator Greenwell’s almost finished estate in Alva, but there might be a little too much dust on the roads of Alva for Seacrest’s Bentley.  Suddenly it dawned on me that Ryan belongs on Andy Rosse Lane in Captiva.  I can visualize him holding court at the Key Lime Bistro and the Mucky Duck during the same evening.  How cool would it be to witness a chance meeting between Ryan and Simon at one of the Andy Rosse Lane establishments?  Currently, Ryan can pick from five Andy Rosse Lane homes currently for sale.

Yacht Friendly Luxury Community

Deep-water enthusiasts with a taste for large boats and yachts make their home in the South Fort Myers community of Palmetto Point.  With wide canals, deep unrestricted access and just a few minutes ride to open water, Palmetto Point is truly a boater’s paradise.

Palmetto Point is located in South Fort Myers along venerable royal palm lined Mcgregor Boulevard.  Located directly to the west is prestigious Gulf Harbour Yacht and Country Club and to the east is a protected Conservation 20/20 Preserve. Palmetto Cove residents can join Gulf Harbour as a non-resident member and enjoy all the amenities of this community.

Homes at Palmetto Point range from majestic estates with over 8,000 SF to modest 3 BR single-family ranch homes.  In the last year, 5 homes have sold in Palmetto Point ranging in price from $476,000 to $2.5M.  There are currently 22 homes available for sale at Palmetto Point ranging in price from $549,900 to 14.9M.

View active Palmetto Point Listings.

Prestigious South Fort Myers community with first-class amenities

Gulf Harbour, located along famed McGregor Boulevard in South Fort Myers continues to be a very popular Southwest Florida community.  Already in the first 15 weeks of 2010, 24 properties have been sold at Gulf Harbour.  Condos sales have dominated the Gulf Harbour transactions in 2010 with 20 of the 24 sales.  Affordability has been a key driver with 11/24 transactions at or below $220,000.

Four Gulf Harbour single-family homes have sold in 2010 ranging in price from $705,000 ($213 / SF) for a 3,315 SF Seaside Estates home to $5.12M ($387/SF) for a 13,233 SF estate home on Longwater Chase in the Edgewater neighborhood.  This transaction was notable as it involved former WCI Chairman and Ambassador to Portugal Al Hoffman selling to AC/DC member Cliff Williams.

Casa Del Rio, the Gulf Harbour estate home of former WCI Chairman and former Ambassador to Portugal, was recently purchased by AC/DC Bassist Cliff Williams for $5.12M.  Casa Del Rio had previously been listed for as much as $17M during the real estate boom period.  Hoffman, a notable Republican party leader, has hosted fund raising events at Casa Del Rio for party dignitaries including then President George W. Bush.

Williams is upgrading from another luxury home in the Gulf Harbour community, which is now on the market for $1.375M.  It is great to see a Williams staying put a Gulf Harbour.  I am ready to go if fellow AC/DC band members Malcolm or Angus Young want to join him in the neighborhood!

Casa Del Rio, the home of former WCI Chairman and former Ambassador to Portugal Al Hoffman, is on the auction block.  Hoffman was also Chairman of the Republican Nation Committee and his Gulf Harbour riverfront home has hosted fundraisers and been visited by presidential candidates including George W. Bush and John McCain.

Many consider Casa Del Rio to be the finest home in Fort Myers, but is it just too much house for this town?  Casa Del Rio has been on the market since November 2005 when it was originally listed for $17M.  The price was been reduced twice to $14.9M but no takers over a four plus years it was on the market.

The auction is scheduled for March 13, 2010 and will be conducted by Daniel DeCaro Real Estate Auctions.  It is an absolute auction, so the house will be sold.  If you are interested, the 2009 property tax bill on this home was $56,085.73 and HOA fees totaled $2,668/month.

No speculation on a buyer, but my money is on Tom Werner, the Chairman of the Boston Red Sox.  If this does come to fruition, I called it in 2006!

The other day one of my colleagues used the words “affordable” and “Gulf Harbour” in the same sentence. Yes, we are talking about that Gulf Harbour along McGregor Boulevard in Fort Myers.

Today there are 182 properties for sale in Gulf Harbour’s 18 distinct neighborhoods. A whopping twenty Gulf Harbour properties are currently listed at asking prices below $200,000. These twenty sub $200K listings include condos at: Long Pond Village; Rivers Edge 1; Rivers Edge 2; Rivers Edge 3 and Rivers Edge 4.

If you looked at Gulf Harbour in the past (and who hasn’t???) and thought owning in this great community was a major stretch, maybe its time to take another peek…..

Ambassador to Portugal lists Ft Myers waterfront home

Al Hoffman who has recently been appointed as Ambassador to Portugal has list his Ft Myers riverfront home for $17M. This is believed to be the highest listing ever in Lee County. Hoffman is the former CEO of Bonita Springs development company, WCI Communities.

Not sure if marketing the home with the tagline “W ate here” will help much these days, but my money is on a deep pocketed conservative republican type stepping up for this property. Ft. Myers just doesn’t seem to have enough action to attract a Clinton Hollywood type.

Home’s yours for $17 million [News-Press]