News

Pre-construction oceanfront condominiums released at 1200 Hillsboro Mile

The developer of 1200 Hillsboro Mile, the new ocean-to-Intracoastal condominium residences along the prestigious “Mile” in Hillsboro Beach, Fla., announces the release of 18 residences within a planned oceanfront building. The 11-unit building bordering the Intracoastal Waterway is already completed and partially sold and occupied.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to take advantage of pre-construction pricing directly on the ocean, especially because these condominiums provide exceptional value and there is no other new condominium construction taking place in this area, which is central to Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton,” said David DePaolo, executive vice president with West Seneca N.Y.-based Marrano/Marc Equity Corporation.

Nita Summers, associate broker at Keyes Company Realtors at Mizner Park in Boca Raton, the exclusive sales agent for 1200 Hillsboro Mile, concurs. “Our buyers recognize that they will never see prices like this again for prime waterfront property. In addition, the developer has secured access to financing for qualified buyers who want it.”

The newly released oceanfront residences are offered at pre-construction price points from $1,295,000 to $1,995,000.  The five remaining residences within the Intracoastal building are available for immediate occupancy, starting from $650,000 upward to $1,149,900.

Two floor plan options are offered at 1200 Hillsboro Mile, each with three bedrooms, two and one-half baths, more than 2,000 total square feet and large, covered terraces.

1200 Hillsboro Mile has completed amenities that include an Intracoastal dock for overnight visitors’ boats; a pool, pool house and spa; a designer-furnished lobby; a club/media room with an outdoor entertainment deck; a fitness center; and private, deeded beach access.

Summers pointed out that monthly homeowners fees are very reasonable compared to fees charge in larger, full-service buildings. “This, too, is a draw for many of our buyers because they don’t want to be strapped with exorbitant fees, particularly if 1200 Hillsboro Mile is used as their vacation residence,” she explained.

She was quick to point out that some buyers are living at 1200 Hillsboro Mile year round, while others are “snowflakes” who visit frequently, as well as investors who anticipate long-term financial gains from their purchases.

1200 Hillsboro Mile is situated in the town of Hillsboro Beach, a small peninsula just over three miles long. Though it has a quaint village residential feel, it is convenient to world-class restaurants, shopping and entertainment.  In 30 minutes or less, residents can be at the Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Port Everglades, or the Boca RatonTown Center mall.

For more information, call (954) 418-8033, or visit www.1200hillsboromile.com.

World’s Premiere Boating Event Cruises into Miami

World’s Premiere Boating Event Cruises into Miami February 11-15, 2010 Showcasing Best of the Boating Industry

2010 Miami Int’l Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami makes waves with thousands of boats, deals

New features include an appearance by the star of National Geographic’s ‘Expedition Great White,’ product unveilings, Big Boat Row, and more

Miami, Fla. – February 1, 2010 – The 69th annual Miami International Boat Show & Strictly Sail Miami cruises into town February 11-15, 2010, where new and experienced boaters from throughout the world can gather in one place to view, board and buy the best the boating industry has to offer. With special deals on everything from sportfishers, sailboats and mega-yachts to engines and the newest electronics, the 2010 Miami International Boat Show is the ideal place to shop, save and enhance every boating experience.
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Porto Cupecoy Grand Opening Event

Porto Cupecoy Grand Opening Event: Friday, January 29

Porto Cupecoy, the 182-residence luxury seaside village developed by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd., will be holding a Grand Opening event on-island on Friday, January 29. The white glove marina, luxury residences, gourmet restaurants and shops will welcome the first owners in the coming weeks. Porto Cupecoy is offering special pricing and incentives on remaining residences through the January 29 Grand Opening.

For those press interested in attending Friday’s festivities, the schedule of event is as follows:
12noon – 5:00pm        Consumer open house
5:00pm                       Press tours of Porto Cupecoy
7:00pm                       Speeches by Filip Boyen, VP Operations for Orient-Express Hotels, Bernard Sarme and Commissioner William Marlin
Cocktail reception in central plaza

To RSVP for the event, please contact info@portocupecoy.com.

Orient-Express Director of Global Real Estate, Phillip Gesue was recently quoted as saying “…sales volume continues to build at an unprecedented rate with more than 10 units sold over the past weeks in anticipation of our Grand Opening.”  Also fueling second-home sales are the project’s attractive price points, which range from USD $400,000 to $2.8 million per unit, thanks to pre-opening discounts and other pre-grand opening incentives such as 90% financing and two year’s complimentary homeowner’s association fees.

There are many factors contributing to the appeal and successes of Porto Cupecoy. Porto Cupecoy is the finest quality new development in the Caribbean, with tasteful European design including giant marble or travertine bathrooms, Viking stainless steel appliances, teak wood kitchens, oversized balconies and mahogany interior doors and millwork. Dutch St. Maarten offers a variety of highly-unique financial benefits for buyers, including no property taxes, no capital gains taxes, and lower than average closing costs for purchase. Additionally, non-stop flight service to St. Maarten has increased, making the destination one of the most accessible islands in the Caribbean. Finally, unlike many other condominium communities, Porto Cupecoy benefits from a large contingency of primary home buyers who are trading up to Porto Cupecoy from their primary homes elsewhere in St. Martin, St. Barts and the Caribbean, ensuring that the development will turn into a real community.

Located in the Caribbean’s Netherlands Antilles, Porto Cupecoy embodies the characteristics of a true Mediterranean village with high-end shopping, dining, services and amenities, in addition to residences and a luxury marina.  The architectural inspiration for the property is Portofino, located on the Italian Riviera, and the community is similarly anchored around a marina, the most exclusive and upscale on the island.

The marina has a unique structure in that the majority of yacht slips will be owned by the community’s residents, and rented on their behalf by the marina management when they are not in use. Prices for yacht slips, including mega yacht slips up to 200 feet in length, range from USD $150,000 to $3 million.

Homeowners will be able to enjoy a wide range of on-site amenities, including tennis courts, swimming pools, several dining options, as well as concierge and “white glove” marina services. For residents interested in renting out their home or boat slip while not in use, the community has its own dedicated professional onsite vacation rental management program, creating hassle-free rental revenue for owners.  The beach is immediately across the street, 50 yards from the community’s entrance.

For more information on Porto Cupecoy or to watch a “fly thru” preview video, please visit www.portocupecoy.com.

Cher’s Hawaiian Home Sold at Auction for $8.72 Million

Concierge Auctions Attracts High-Profile Bidders to Complete Sale of Five Luxury Properties in Kona, Hawaii on January 18

KONA, Hawaii, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire/ — Concierge Auctions (www.conciergeauctions.com), the leading luxury real estate auction company, today announced the sale of Cher’s home in the exclusive Hualalai Resort in Hawaii to a buyer from Arizona for $8.72 million. The January 18 auction included the successful sale of five properties in Kona, Hawaii, for a total of more than $19.4 million.

In addition to Cher’s home, a property at 72-3209 Ka Nehe Place in the Kuki’o Golf and Beach Club and Residences selling absolute was purchased by a buyer from Beverly Hills for $4.95 million. A second home selling absolute in Kuki’o, at 72-3205 Punaloa Place, was purchased for $3.85 million. Collectively, the prices achieved for the homes in Kuki’o were $10 per square foot higher than the average price per square foot for other homes sold in the Maniniowali section of Kuki’o over the past six months. Additionally, two home sites in Kuki’o sold for $990,000 and $962,000, respectively.

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Deal seeks to revive Buzzards Bay resort

FALMOUTH — The 266-room hotel that overlooks Old Silver Beach is under a sales agreement to a hotel company that could turn the tired resort into the Upper Cape’s version of the elegant Chatham Bars Inn, according to one of the current owners.

Rumors have swirled for weeks about the future of the Sea Crest Oceanfront Resort and Conference Center. Yesterday, Wesley Finch, chairman of the Florida-based Finch Group, which has owned a 43 percent share of the resort since 1993, confirmed a purchase-and-sale agreement had been signed. Read more…

Sarasota Florida Reports Best Real Estate Sales in 33 Months

Bucking the national trend, the Sarasota Association of Realtors reported Thursday the most closed real estate transactions since March 2007.

SARASOTA, FL, January 15, 2010 — Sarasota Florida real estate sales continue to march upward bucking the national trend. This beautiful city on the South West coast of Florida offers its residents warm weather, sunny skies, world-famous beaches, sophisticated shopping, and an… (Click for full release)

Megan Fox Splashes Out On Massive $2.9 million Home

Transformers star Megan Fox has forked out $2.9 million for a plush new pad in LA’s San Feliz.

The 5,200 square foot Mediterranean-style house was built in 1935 and boasts four bedrooms and five bathrooms.

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Charter Richard Branson’s yacht

The British billionaire and Virgin Group chairman is renting out his ultra-luxe sea retreat — for $88,000 per week.

While the entrepreneur has his eye on space, his 105-foot catamaran, named Necker Belle, will be available to charter in the Caribbean next month for $88,000 a week.

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Luma Opens - Mexico’s first active adult beach community

LUMA OPENS, Mexico’s FIRST active adult beachfront community

First homeowners move in to this award-winning community

BURBANK, Calif., Jan. 12, 2010 – Luma, the first full-ownership, active adult beachfront community in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico, announced the opening of Tower One, featuring ocean views, well-appointed homes and extensive resort-style amenities.

Located on the beach of the Bay of Banderas in Nuevo Vallarta, 15 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta Airport, Luma is a resort-living community for those 50 years old and over. Its design received the 2009 Silver Award from the National Association of Home Builders 50+ Housing Council in the “Best Active Adult Community On the Boards” category.
“It is very exciting to see Luma’s first residents move into the community,” said Bill Jennings, president of Burbank-based Front Porch Development Company. “Today’s fifty-plus buyers are sophisticated and want the world-class amenities and adventure of a top resort with the wellbeing focus and community spirit of an active adult community. Luma represents a new model designed specifically to fulfill the growing demand.”

Luma’s Tower One showcases bold contemporary Mexican architecture and features sweeping ocean and mountain views. Each beachfront condo has an open-concept floor plan with a foyer, living room with a natural stonewall, dining area, floor-to-ceiling glass walls and wrap-around terraces. The community features a saltwater infinity pool, meditation gardens, art gallery, enrichment classrooms, fitness and wellbeing center, sports lounge, oceanfront dining, Internet café, Personal Lifestyle Concierge Program, and much more.

Luma’s location, within the master-planned resort community of Paradise Village, provides residents with privileged access to a challenging 18-hole golf course, sports club, spas, restaurants and bars, and nearby shopping. Add to this American-quality health care, high-speed Internet and an English-speaking staff, and Luma is an idyllic coastal community.

The surrounding area has much to offer, including the rich culture of Puerto Vallarta: its restaurants, history, markets, galleries and more. It’s this lifestyle, combined with the cost of beachfront homes — which is generally lower than comparable options in the U.S. — that continues to attract baby boomers south of the border. New residents Pat and Lynn Lane moved into Tower One recently and commented, “[Luma] has unbelievable ocean views. What sets it apart is the appeal of easy adaptation to Mexico for older Americans who want access to the weather, waterfront living and an opportunity to experience Mexican culture.”

Pricing on remaining condos begins at USD $537,000 for a one bedroom plus den floor plan. Tower Two is scheduled to open in March 2010. For more information, call the Luma sales team toll-free at 1-866-554-LUMA (866-554-5862) from the U.S. and Canada or 322-226-7290 from within Mexico; go to www.LumaLiving.com; or visit the sales studio and model home.

Luma was developed through a partnership between two established companies known for high-end product: U.S.-based Front Porch Development Company and Mexico-based Grupo Krone. Luma meets the highest construction standards, comparable to top-rated buildings in the U.S. A live webcam on Luma’s site offers a front-row seat to the first images of the completed Tower One and progress on Tower Two.

Front Porch is dedicated to enhancing the lives and lifestyles of active adults by offering resort-style communities with a broad range of amenities and services that ‘celebrate the art of the individual.’

Grupo Krone is a housing and land development company with 21 years of experience and a diverse portfolio of award-winning developments throughout Mexico and the U.S.

As partners, Front Porch and Grupo Krone believe in the importance of developing communities that are economically sound, environmentally responsible and supportive of a community spirit.

Former Astor Mansion in Newport Sells for $10.5M

A mansion that was once the Newport summer home of the Astor family and in recent years has served as a museum has been sold to a group with ties to software mogul Larry Ellison, whom Forbes lists as the world’s fourth-richest person.

Click here for the entire story.

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