Image: via Curbed.com
Still, at least one buyer disagreed: the place sold in May for something less than its $12.5 million asking price.
This post originally appeared at Curbed.
Click here to read article
Saturday, December 31, 2011
The 10 Ugliest Home Interiors Of 2011
Still, at least one buyer disagreed: the place sold in May for something less than its $12.5 million asking price.
This post originally appeared at Curbed.
Click here to read article
Thursday, December 29, 2011
We are one of the best cities for celebrating New Year's Eve!
America's Best Cities for New Year's Eve
No. 6 Phoenix/Scottsdale
The snowbird appeal of this desert city may explain why it ranks so well for New Year’s Eve. The No. 5 city for winter visits means there’s a big audience looking for fun. Plus, there’s no need to stray far from your well-furnished base camp. The city ranks No. 2 for all-in-one resorts and No. 6 for luxury hotels.See all the America’s Favorite Cities survey results!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Mesa is Ranked No. 7 in Safety
Mesa police chief credits community for No. 7 ranking on safest U.S. cities list
2 Cities in AZ are among the Top 10 Cities Foreign Investors Are Targeting
From Chinese investors flocking to California to Canadian snowbirds heading to Arizona, international home buyers are offering a growing niche for more real estate professionals.
But which places are international investors targeting in their home search? Point2Homes.com evaluated where buyers from overseas are looking online to gauge possible current and future home-purchasing patterns.
Canadian investors have a growing appetite for U.S. real estate, Point2 finds. Canadian investors made up 91.89 percent of the overall international traffic to Arizona listings, 75.90 percent to Hawaii, 73.92 percent to Michigan, 70.55 percent to Nevada, and 65.05 percent to California.
Las Vegas had the highest overall international traffic online among U.S. cities, with Canadians serving as the leading source of traffic there at 70.47 percent, followed by 5.28 percent of the traffic coming from UK residents and 2.19 percent from France.
The top 10 cities for international traffic online by international buyers in the third quarter are:
1. Las Vegas, Nev.
2. Orlando, Fla.
3. Kissimmee, Fla.
4. Detroit, Mich.
5. Pompano-Beach, Fla.
6. Miami, Fla.
7. Mesa, Ariz.
8. Davenport, Fla.
9. Phoenix
10. Indio, Calif.
Overall, Florida emerged as the top state attracting international traffic online for the third-quarter, according to Point2.
But which places are international investors targeting in their home search? Point2Homes.com evaluated where buyers from overseas are looking online to gauge possible current and future home-purchasing patterns.
Canadian investors have a growing appetite for U.S. real estate, Point2 finds. Canadian investors made up 91.89 percent of the overall international traffic to Arizona listings, 75.90 percent to Hawaii, 73.92 percent to Michigan, 70.55 percent to Nevada, and 65.05 percent to California.
Las Vegas had the highest overall international traffic online among U.S. cities, with Canadians serving as the leading source of traffic there at 70.47 percent, followed by 5.28 percent of the traffic coming from UK residents and 2.19 percent from France.
The top 10 cities for international traffic online by international buyers in the third quarter are:
1. Las Vegas, Nev.
2. Orlando, Fla.
3. Kissimmee, Fla.
4. Detroit, Mich.
5. Pompano-Beach, Fla.
6. Miami, Fla.
7. Mesa, Ariz.
8. Davenport, Fla.
9. Phoenix
10. Indio, Calif.
Overall, Florida emerged as the top state attracting international traffic online for the third-quarter, according to Point2.
Monday, December 19, 2011
23rd Annual Insight Bowl December 30th
The Big 12 Conference’s Oklahoma Sooners, led by quarterback Landry Jones, and the Iowa Hawkeyes, featuring two of the Big Ten Conference’s top offensive threats in sophomore running back Marcus Coker and senior wide receiver/kick returner Marvin McNutt, Jr., collide in the 23rd Annual Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium on Friday, December 30.
The 7–5 Hawkeyes (4–4 Big Ten) arrive in Tempe looking to claim their fifth victory over a ranked opponent this season. The 9–3 Sooners (6–3 Big 12), tallied 40 or more points eight times, 50 or more four times, and 62 once.
Both squads will be making their second Insight Bowl appearances.
Monday, December 12, 2011
After drop, home prices on the rise in the Valley
In August, as metro Phoenix home prices dipped to another new low, some real-estate analysts predicted the area's home values would keep falling. Other analysts disagreed, saying all the indicators, besides home prices, were heading in the right direction for values to climb before year's end.
The median price for an existing Phoenix-area home climbed to $119,900 in November, according to a new report from the Information Market. It's the region's highest median home price since November 2010.
In October, Phoenix's median home price was $115,000, which is where it had hovered most of the first half of this year. But when it fell to $112,000 in August, some market watchers thought it would drop all the way down to $100,000 by the end of this year. Of course, some panic ensued.
But the housing analysts who were watching foreclosures fall, sales climb ahead of last year's pace and listings plummet, stood firm in their opinion that home prices would begin to rise again.
During the past few months, not only short-sale prices but the prices for foreclosure resales known as REOs, or real-estate owned, have been steadily climbing. In some areas of metro Phoenix, REOs are now selling for more than houses sold through lender-approved short-sale deals. In 2008 and 2009, REOs were dragging down the area's home values as lenders took back houses through foreclosure and then resold them quickly for bargain prices to get the properties off their books.
Home prices are also climbing at foreclosure auctions, also known as trustee sales, held daily in front of the Maricopa County Courthouse. The auctions are Arizona's method for lenders to foreclose.
In 2008, when foreclosures started to climb, few properties sold at these trustee auctions. Back then, lenders weren't lowering prices beyond what was owed on a house, so investors weren't interested in purchasing a house for at least twice what it was actually worth. But once lenders started lowering prices to much less than what they were owed, bidding picked up quickly.
Competition is also driving up prices at the trustee auctions. Each month this year, more than 1,000 foreclosure homes have been bought at Maricopa County trustee auctions. That compares with 100 per month at the beginning of the crash.
The median price for an existing Phoenix-area home climbed to $119,900 in November, according to a new report from the Information Market. It's the region's highest median home price since November 2010.
In October, Phoenix's median home price was $115,000, which is where it had hovered most of the first half of this year. But when it fell to $112,000 in August, some market watchers thought it would drop all the way down to $100,000 by the end of this year. Of course, some panic ensued.
But the housing analysts who were watching foreclosures fall, sales climb ahead of last year's pace and listings plummet, stood firm in their opinion that home prices would begin to rise again.
During the past few months, not only short-sale prices but the prices for foreclosure resales known as REOs, or real-estate owned, have been steadily climbing. In some areas of metro Phoenix, REOs are now selling for more than houses sold through lender-approved short-sale deals. In 2008 and 2009, REOs were dragging down the area's home values as lenders took back houses through foreclosure and then resold them quickly for bargain prices to get the properties off their books.
Home prices are also climbing at foreclosure auctions, also known as trustee sales, held daily in front of the Maricopa County Courthouse. The auctions are Arizona's method for lenders to foreclose.
In 2008, when foreclosures started to climb, few properties sold at these trustee auctions. Back then, lenders weren't lowering prices beyond what was owed on a house, so investors weren't interested in purchasing a house for at least twice what it was actually worth. But once lenders started lowering prices to much less than what they were owed, bidding picked up quickly.
Competition is also driving up prices at the trustee auctions. Each month this year, more than 1,000 foreclosure homes have been bought at Maricopa County trustee auctions. That compares with 100 per month at the beginning of the crash.
Check out Phoestivus Market!
Only in its second year, the Phoestivus Market is already one of our favorite holiday traditions in Phoenix. This open-air holiday shopping event will feature goods from over 70 local vendors, seven food trucks, carolers, holiday activities and in true Phoestivus style there will be Feats of Strength, a Phoestivus Pole and an Airing of Grievances.
Phoestivus is a great way to get into the spirit of the season while supporting your neighbors - not to mention being able to get all of your holiday shopping done in one place! The first 100 attendees of Phoestivus on both Wednesday, December 14th and Wednesday, December 21st will receive a free Phoestivus Goodie Bag provided by Local First Arizona and event partners. Yelp will also be sponsoring a gift wrapping station on the evening of December 21st.
The Phoestivus Market will take place at the Downtown Phoenix Public Market (14 E. Pierce Street, Phoenix) on Wednesday, December 14th from 4-8:30pm and on Wednesday, December 21st from 4-8:30pm.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The Evolution of the Snow Bird
by Dustin Gardiner and Lesley Wright - Dec. 3, 2011 09:16 PM
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
Thirty years ago, Arizona's snowbirds were a largely monolithic flock. They stowed months of supplies in their RVs and fled the cold Midwestern winters to soak up the sun at mobile-home parks in the East Valley.
Most were middle-class retirees who launched their migration in the fall and created their own fleeting societies, venturing into nearby communities for food and fun. By May, their trailer courts were empty.
Snowbirds, also known as seasonal residents, have since evolved into a richly diverse group. They arrive in the Phoenix area at different times, live throughout the Valley and vary by age, income, state or country of origin, housing preference, political impact and social habits.
Canadians, motivated by their suddenly strong dollar, are now descending in droves, many abandoning Florida's sunny beaches for the desert landscapes and lower property taxes of the Southwest.
Baby Boomers in their 50s or even late 40s -- at least those who can afford to buy second homes or condos -- are a newer breed of winter visitor. As the Vietnam generation eases out the World War II generation, they buy property in favorable markets and gradually spend more time in the state as they near retirement.
Modern snowbirds have become somewhat invisible, easily assimilating into the neighborhoods around them, from age-restricted communities in the northwest Valley to affluent condo complexes in Scottsdale. Many are choosing to become permanent residents by their late senior years.
Peggy Marklinger and her husband, Gerald, who are Canadians from Alberta, began driving their motor home to Arizona in the heyday of the RVers, back in 1979. The couple, now in their mid-70s, started relatively young for the era. They visited Peggy's snowbird parents, golfed, made friends and shopped. They eventually laid down their own roots and bought a place in a Mesa mobile-home park.
"It was much cheaper to go this route," Peggy said. "You get to know everybody if you want to socialize."
By the 1990s, age-restricted communities in Arizona began to draw more snowbirds into homes and condos along golf courses, luring them with amenities such as recreation centers, spas and theaters.
The trend toward home ownership accelerated over the past decade as Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, started to snatch up retirement and investment homes in the down market.
Judy Lutes, president of the Arizona Winter Visitors Association, a group that provides services to snowbirds, said the Boomers have a distinct difference in taste from their parents' generation, preferring resort-style living over the close-knit RV parks.
"Shuffleboard and stuff--that doesn't impress them," Lutes said of the Boomers. "They're into homes and condos."
Michael MacKenzie, executive director of the Toronto-based Canadian Snowbird Association, confirms that today's snowbirds are skewing younger than the generations that started coming to Arizona while in their 70s.
"It's not like that old stereotype where they lie in the sun and golf," MacKenzie said. "There is a lot of socializing. They're on vacation. They're retired. They like to spend money."
While experts say the winter visitor population has grown, no one really knows how many snowbirds are in the Valley anymore. The shift toward home-buying has made them difficult to track.
Stephen Happel, an Arizona State University economics professor who studied snowbirds for years, stopped following their numbers and spending habits after 2003-04. That year, he estimated 300,000 winter visitors pumped $1billion into the state economy.
MacKenzie counted 556,000 of his countrymen alone who migrated to Arizona last year. He expects even more this year. The Canadian dollar, which in 2002 was worth 62cents to the American dollar, now is worth closer to 95cents.
"That has a huge psychological impact on Canadians," MacKenzie said. "Food is cheaper. Clothes are cheaper. A lot of people who for years were renting are now buying. People who owned are now upgrading. Most Canadian snowbirds are driven by price and real-estate values are good."
They start ticking up the sales at Scottsdale galleries about mid-November, with the rush lasting from January through March, said Veronica Graffius, president of the Scottsdale Gallery Association. Snowbirds make up nearly half the shopping public during the high season.
Displaying strength and confidence, they remind Graffius of eagles.
"They are very smart and wise. When they know what they are looking for they just go for it," she said. "When they see something they want, they get it. They don't even negotiate."
Peter and Pat Caffaro of Edmonton, Canada, plan to join the crowd in December.
Peter Caffaro is a retired judge. He and his wife used to travel the world for vacations but now, in their 70s, they want more stability.
The couple just bought a condo in the Sage, an upscale condominium development in downtown Scottsdale.
"We do not golf," Pat Caffaro said. "I think that we'll end up reading, walking and strolling." The couple will have coffee or drinks with some of their Canadian counterparts in the building.
The Caffaros will likely have a lot in common with their neighbors. Brendan Mann of the Solvere Group, who brokers sales for the Sage, said about a quarter of the sales have been to Canadians. He just closed with a couple from Vancouver. They all paid cash.
"They know that the prices have been reset for our generation and the value will never be as good as it is today," Mann said.
Mann said to expect Canadians to be excessively happy while they're here.
A Canadian himself, Mann remembers when he and his wife first spent time in Las Vegas and marveled at the endless sunshine.
"We would giggle to ourselves every day when we opened the curtains," he said. "It's fantastic."
In other parts of the Phoenix area, age-restricted communities with pools, golf courses and full social calendars are the trend. Developments like Sun City Grand in Surprise, Trilogy at Vistancia in Peoria and Sun Lakes near Chandler are catering to middle and upper-middle income visitors.
Managers of such retirement communities across the Valley report that roughly 30 to 40 percent of their residents are seasonal. Most hail from the Midwest, Western states, Pacific coast and Canada.
Robert Pippett, a 76-year-old retired air-traffic controller from Chicago, moved to Sun City West last year after spending 13 winters in Florida.
The development, one of the earliest age-restricted communities in the Valley, appealed to the golfer with its seven courses.
Like many snowbirds his age, Pippett's looking to sell his condo in Chicago and make Arizona a permanent home. He'll spend the hot summer months at a home he recently bought in Prescott.
"If you're bored here, you're not going to find another place," Pippett said as he waited in line to bowl with his sister at one of the community's recreation centers on a Wednesday afternoon. "I know I'm going to stay here."
Scottsdale officials have no way of tracking how many of their winter tourists are snowbirds with second homes. They tend to assimilate deeply into their neighborhoods. But city leaders believe they have helped keep the shopping areas afloat.
Local arts groups are beginning to see an uptick in charitable contributions, but Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce President Rick Kidder believes the Valley could coax more giving from snowbirds.
"I think that constitutes an untapped resource," he said. "A lot of people breeze in and out of here and are largely unknown to the charity community."
The Sun Cities and Surprise in the West Valley depend on snowbirds to contribute cash as well as political value.
"When they come in, they add not just economically but civically," said David Moss, president of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce. "They don't just come in and stay in their own bubble. There is higher attendance at City Council meetings and even at the chamber we'll see an increase in attendance at some events."
Winter visitors have a high profile in Surprise retirement communities, which play an outsized role in electing local government leaders and shaping policy. Four of the city's seven City Council members will come from age-restricted areas when a new mayor takes office next month.
Their influence can also be seen in regional politics -- Sun City, Sun City West and Surprise traditionally vote heavily for some of the most conservative state lawmakers and county officials, such as Rep. Jack Harper and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Maricopa County allows winter visitors who are registered to vote in the state to have their early ballots forwarded to seasonal addresses provided they submit the request in writing.
Other snowbirds in the Valley engage in the local community in ways unrelated to politics.
East Valley snowbirds get involved in religious or cultural groups, and Scottsdale snowbirds stay away from politics altogether. Canadians tend to keep their distance from what can be a controversial political scene.
The Caffaros think they'll be happy just making a few friends and taking advantage of what they consider to be a uniquely American form of hospitality.
"I don't know if it's peculiar to this area, but the people have been incredibly helpful and friendly," Pat Caffaro said. "Without exception -- even in the grocery store. You should be proud to be Americans."
Most were middle-class retirees who launched their migration in the fall and created their own fleeting societies, venturing into nearby communities for food and fun. By May, their trailer courts were empty.
Snowbirds, also known as seasonal residents, have since evolved into a richly diverse group. They arrive in the Phoenix area at different times, live throughout the Valley and vary by age, income, state or country of origin, housing preference, political impact and social habits.
Canadians, motivated by their suddenly strong dollar, are now descending in droves, many abandoning Florida's sunny beaches for the desert landscapes and lower property taxes of the Southwest.
Baby Boomers in their 50s or even late 40s -- at least those who can afford to buy second homes or condos -- are a newer breed of winter visitor. As the Vietnam generation eases out the World War II generation, they buy property in favorable markets and gradually spend more time in the state as they near retirement.
Modern snowbirds have become somewhat invisible, easily assimilating into the neighborhoods around them, from age-restricted communities in the northwest Valley to affluent condo complexes in Scottsdale. Many are choosing to become permanent residents by their late senior years.
Evolving species
Winter visitors began clustering at RV and mega mobile-home parks in Mesa and Apache Junction in the late 1970s. They've since become known as snowbirds -- seasonal residents who stay for at least a month but usually most of the winter.Peggy Marklinger and her husband, Gerald, who are Canadians from Alberta, began driving their motor home to Arizona in the heyday of the RVers, back in 1979. The couple, now in their mid-70s, started relatively young for the era. They visited Peggy's snowbird parents, golfed, made friends and shopped. They eventually laid down their own roots and bought a place in a Mesa mobile-home park.
"It was much cheaper to go this route," Peggy said. "You get to know everybody if you want to socialize."
By the 1990s, age-restricted communities in Arizona began to draw more snowbirds into homes and condos along golf courses, luring them with amenities such as recreation centers, spas and theaters.
The trend toward home ownership accelerated over the past decade as Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, started to snatch up retirement and investment homes in the down market.
Judy Lutes, president of the Arizona Winter Visitors Association, a group that provides services to snowbirds, said the Boomers have a distinct difference in taste from their parents' generation, preferring resort-style living over the close-knit RV parks.
"Shuffleboard and stuff--that doesn't impress them," Lutes said of the Boomers. "They're into homes and condos."
Michael MacKenzie, executive director of the Toronto-based Canadian Snowbird Association, confirms that today's snowbirds are skewing younger than the generations that started coming to Arizona while in their 70s.
"It's not like that old stereotype where they lie in the sun and golf," MacKenzie said. "There is a lot of socializing. They're on vacation. They're retired. They like to spend money."
While experts say the winter visitor population has grown, no one really knows how many snowbirds are in the Valley anymore. The shift toward home-buying has made them difficult to track.
Stephen Happel, an Arizona State University economics professor who studied snowbirds for years, stopped following their numbers and spending habits after 2003-04. That year, he estimated 300,000 winter visitors pumped $1billion into the state economy.
MacKenzie counted 556,000 of his countrymen alone who migrated to Arizona last year. He expects even more this year. The Canadian dollar, which in 2002 was worth 62cents to the American dollar, now is worth closer to 95cents.
"That has a huge psychological impact on Canadians," MacKenzie said. "Food is cheaper. Clothes are cheaper. A lot of people who for years were renting are now buying. People who owned are now upgrading. Most Canadian snowbirds are driven by price and real-estate values are good."
Modern birds
Snowbirds have shifted their behavior and are traveling to new areas of the Valley. Many affluent retirees are landing in Scottsdale, where they buy second homes, play tennis or hike, attend the theater and filter into art galleries and shopping malls.They start ticking up the sales at Scottsdale galleries about mid-November, with the rush lasting from January through March, said Veronica Graffius, president of the Scottsdale Gallery Association. Snowbirds make up nearly half the shopping public during the high season.
Displaying strength and confidence, they remind Graffius of eagles.
"They are very smart and wise. When they know what they are looking for they just go for it," she said. "When they see something they want, they get it. They don't even negotiate."
Peter and Pat Caffaro of Edmonton, Canada, plan to join the crowd in December.
Peter Caffaro is a retired judge. He and his wife used to travel the world for vacations but now, in their 70s, they want more stability.
The couple just bought a condo in the Sage, an upscale condominium development in downtown Scottsdale.
"We do not golf," Pat Caffaro said. "I think that we'll end up reading, walking and strolling." The couple will have coffee or drinks with some of their Canadian counterparts in the building.
The Caffaros will likely have a lot in common with their neighbors. Brendan Mann of the Solvere Group, who brokers sales for the Sage, said about a quarter of the sales have been to Canadians. He just closed with a couple from Vancouver. They all paid cash.
"They know that the prices have been reset for our generation and the value will never be as good as it is today," Mann said.
Mann said to expect Canadians to be excessively happy while they're here.
A Canadian himself, Mann remembers when he and his wife first spent time in Las Vegas and marveled at the endless sunshine.
"We would giggle to ourselves every day when we opened the curtains," he said. "It's fantastic."
In other parts of the Phoenix area, age-restricted communities with pools, golf courses and full social calendars are the trend. Developments like Sun City Grand in Surprise, Trilogy at Vistancia in Peoria and Sun Lakes near Chandler are catering to middle and upper-middle income visitors.
Managers of such retirement communities across the Valley report that roughly 30 to 40 percent of their residents are seasonal. Most hail from the Midwest, Western states, Pacific coast and Canada.
Robert Pippett, a 76-year-old retired air-traffic controller from Chicago, moved to Sun City West last year after spending 13 winters in Florida.
The development, one of the earliest age-restricted communities in the Valley, appealed to the golfer with its seven courses.
Like many snowbirds his age, Pippett's looking to sell his condo in Chicago and make Arizona a permanent home. He'll spend the hot summer months at a home he recently bought in Prescott.
"If you're bored here, you're not going to find another place," Pippett said as he waited in line to bowl with his sister at one of the community's recreation centers on a Wednesday afternoon. "I know I'm going to stay here."
Local impact
For year-round Valley residents, snowbirds are more than occasional visitors. They leave their economic, cultural and political stamp on the region.Scottsdale officials have no way of tracking how many of their winter tourists are snowbirds with second homes. They tend to assimilate deeply into their neighborhoods. But city leaders believe they have helped keep the shopping areas afloat.
Local arts groups are beginning to see an uptick in charitable contributions, but Scottsdale Chamber of Commerce President Rick Kidder believes the Valley could coax more giving from snowbirds.
"I think that constitutes an untapped resource," he said. "A lot of people breeze in and out of here and are largely unknown to the charity community."
The Sun Cities and Surprise in the West Valley depend on snowbirds to contribute cash as well as political value.
"When they come in, they add not just economically but civically," said David Moss, president of the Surprise Regional Chamber of Commerce. "They don't just come in and stay in their own bubble. There is higher attendance at City Council meetings and even at the chamber we'll see an increase in attendance at some events."
Winter visitors have a high profile in Surprise retirement communities, which play an outsized role in electing local government leaders and shaping policy. Four of the city's seven City Council members will come from age-restricted areas when a new mayor takes office next month.
Their influence can also be seen in regional politics -- Sun City, Sun City West and Surprise traditionally vote heavily for some of the most conservative state lawmakers and county officials, such as Rep. Jack Harper and Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Maricopa County allows winter visitors who are registered to vote in the state to have their early ballots forwarded to seasonal addresses provided they submit the request in writing.
Other snowbirds in the Valley engage in the local community in ways unrelated to politics.
East Valley snowbirds get involved in religious or cultural groups, and Scottsdale snowbirds stay away from politics altogether. Canadians tend to keep their distance from what can be a controversial political scene.
The Caffaros think they'll be happy just making a few friends and taking advantage of what they consider to be a uniquely American form of hospitality.
"I don't know if it's peculiar to this area, but the people have been incredibly helpful and friendly," Pat Caffaro said. "Without exception -- even in the grocery store. You should be proud to be Americans."
Friday, December 2, 2011
The weather is perfect! Check out the top art walks in the area.
Let's be honest. When you live in the Valley and are often battling triple-digit temperatures, stepping outside for fun probably is the last thing on your mind. But now that things have cooled down, it's a great time to venture outdoors.
Art walks are fun, educational and, as art-walk veterans can tell you, not always about the art. Music, people-watching and restaurants are part of the experience.
Art walks are fun, educational and, as art-walk veterans can tell you, not always about the art. Music, people-watching and restaurants are part of the experience.
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OK, let's divide the world into two groups: The mundane who come up with lists of the three things they'd bring to their paradise island and those of us who simply want the whole shebang. This newly listed private island -- price tag $12 million -- is the whole shebang.
Located about a quarter-mile off the shore of Marathon, Fla., the property is built onto a coral reef and sits 15 feet above the blue, blue sea, offering 360-degree views. The property is known as East Sister Rock Island and comes with a 2,500-square-foot Bahamian-style house. We won't ask what happens come hurricane season.
The property has been used as a luxury private island rental. Its house has a large veranda wrapping around it and bringing the living space to 5,000 square feet. The home has three bedrooms and an open kitchen-dining area, and no neighbors.
But my favorite part is that you can't get there from here. The island is accessible only by boat or private helicopter and there is both a boat dock and a helipad. Wind turbines and solar panels provide all the home's electricity.
Photos courtesy of Realtor.com.