By Carole Hawkins, [email protected]
Sphere of influence is one of the best ways to pick up a real estate deal.
So it doesn’t hurt when selling homes to be friends with a retired NFL football player.
It’s how Juanita Wright of Exit Real Estate Gallery listed 87 Coles Court in St. Johns County, a more than 20,000-square-foot mansion belonging to former NFL wide receiver Laveranues Coles.
Wright was also friends with the buyer, Semone Blair-Walker. The owner of Mandarin’s Meobachi Salon & Spa, Blair-Walker is a former model who’s appeared in Ebony and Jet magazines.
Putting her two friends together netted Wright both sides of the $2.95 million home’s commission and placed the deal on the list of the top home sales for July through December.
Ten of Northeast Florida’s top 11 home sales, unsurprisingly, were beach homes. Ranging from $4.7 million to $2.95 million, most were in Ponte Vedra Beach.
What is unusual, though, is two of the top sales were foreclosures — one, an old-world style home in Atlantic Beach, and the other, a 2-acre estate beach house in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Another surprise was Realtor Elizabeth Hudgins, who swept in with a beach house sale of $4.7 million in December to claim the top spot on the list. It wouldn’t be the only last-minute top sale for the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty agent.
Hudgins was the buyer’s agent for a Ponte Vedra beach house that sold in December for $3.8 million and ranked fourth on the list. And, she closed on the final day of the year on a third Ponte Vedra home for $3.475 million.
Hudgins said the three sales made her 2015 business. “I did more this month than I did all year,” she said.
High-value sales can jam into December from buyers who want to homestead their properties, Hudgins said.
The only non-waterfront home on the list was the Laveranues Coles estate. Visually it delivered the biggest wow factor.
Built for Coles in 2006, the large floorplan is necessary to accommodate its many recreation areas.
The home features a full-size indoor basketball court with stadium seating, a gym and locker rooms with a large steam shower, a two-lane bowling alley, two billiards rooms and two wet bars.
That’s in addition to more typical upscale amenities, like a home theater and a pool with a waterfall, sauna and overhead balconies.
It might seem like all those extras would narrow the pool of buyers. But Wright said they ended up being a plus.
“(Blair-Walker’s) family plays there all the time. They have a lot of parties at their home,” she said.
What sold the buyers wasn’t just the home, but the 12 acres of land surrounding it, Wright said.
Since the purchase, the Walker family has added nearly $100,000 in outdoor improvements, including a front garden, fountains, ponds and a gazebo.
“Football players don’t necessarily go for anything too froufrou,” Wright said. “(The Walkers) have totally changed it. It’s the most gorgeous looking place now.”
1075 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
8,271 square feet
5 bedrooms
6 bathrooms
3 half bathrooms
Built in 1991
Realtor
Elizabeth Hudgins, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Network Realty
The details
Oceanfront home is situated on a high bluff in a private section of Ponte Vedra Blvd. Architecturally striking, most rooms are octagonal or stylized octagonal, including the staircase, allowing for more usable space, more natural light and fuller ocean views! The one-owner custom home was totally renovated and updated between 2006 and 2008 and includes a new roof, new marble floors, new enlarged and redesigned kitchen, with two Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezers, Viking appliances, all new hurricane impact windows and an elevator.
1041 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
7,390 square feet
6 bedrooms
7 1/2 bathrooms
Built in 1984
Realtor
Eugene Monkevitch, Concord Real Estate
The details
Sitting on more than 2 acres, this oceanfront estate has all the bells and whistles including a full-size basketball court. The interior features distressed design, all-wood and tile floors, deluxe appliances such as a Sub-Zero refrigerator, a large game room on the second floor and ocean views from every room.
815 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
7,596 square feet
5 bedrooms
6 1/2 bathrooms
Built in 1992
Realtor
Missy DeKay, Watson Realty Corp. Ponte Vedra
The details
Set amidst sand dunes on a 200-foot oceanfront site, this Southern-style home was constructed on pilings to the latest structural coastal code. The first floor includes a large kitchen and gazebo-style breakfast area, guest suite, cherry wood-paneled library and second master suite. A grand stairway leads to a second floor landing and private family areas.
1065 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
3,858 square feet
3 bedrooms
4 1/2 bathrooms
Built in 1973
Realtor
Norma Rea, Re/Max Unlimited
The details
Completely renovated in 2009, this home has all the finishes you would expect of a Ponte Vedra estate. A combination of hardwood and Saturnia floors and tongue-and-groove ceilings complement the chef’s kitchen with butler pantry. All bedrooms are located on the second floor and include en suite bathrooms. The home is equipped with a solar system, reducing utility bills by about half. Pilings are in place to add 700 square feet to the first floor.
559 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
2,945 square feet
3 bedrooms
4 1/2 bathrooms
Built in 1957
Realtor
Phil Pierce, Keller Williams Realty Atlantic
The details
Three years ago the owner gutted this home to the studs and completely remodeled it. Custom lighting and speakers are included throughout. The master bedroom overlooks the pool and the Atlantic Ocean. Retreat to an ocean-side stone patio or a private heated pool in the center of the home.
311 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
3,898 square feet
4 bedrooms
4 1/2 bathrooms
Built in 1940
Realtor
Tami Glover, Re/Max WaterMarke
The details
This classic coastal oceanfront cottage has been updated with a new roof, hurricane grade windows, bathrooms, flooring and much more. The first floor includes two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The second floor has a master suite with an office, balcony access, laundry room and a private bedroom suite.
2055 Beach Ave., Atlantic Beach
The numbers
6,119 square feet
5 bedrooms
7 bathrooms
Built in 2004
Realtor
Full House Realty
The details
Oceanfront home nestled among the dunes includes a private walkway to the beach. The home features a three-level elevator, four wood-burning fireplaces, a three-car garage, a separate first -floor apartment and terraces throughout the house. The main kitchen includes amazing amounts of open counter space.
1087 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
8,467 square feet
5 bedrooms
5 bathrooms
3 half bathrooms
Built in 1993
Realtor
Elizabeth Hudgins, Berkshire Hathaway
The details
Private, gated home is on a wooded high dune lot on a highly desired section of Ponte Vedra Boulevard, between Sawgrass Country Club and Mickler’s Beach. Contemporary custom design features walls of glass for expansive views from all living areas including the master bedroom. Multiple oceanfront seating areas, private dune walk over to beach, oceanfront pool and complete indoor summer kitchen next to pool with built in grill.
313 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
2,428 square feet
3 bedrooms
2 bathrooms
Built in 1934
Realtor
Missy Dekay, Watson Realty Corp.
The details
One of the few remaining classic Ponte Vedra cottages, this home is located just seven houses from the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club. The three-bedroom, two-bathroom bungalow offers the original washed wood walls, wood floors, wood shake shingled exterior, old brick pavers and fireplace. Systems, structure and roof have been well maintained. A new roof was added in 2011, some new Anderson windows in 2009 and two new HVAC units in 2015.
352 Ponte Vedra Blvd., Ponte Vedra Beach
The numbers
5,866 square feet
5 bedrooms
5 bathrooms
Built in 1994
Realtor
Kim Martin-Fisher, Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty
The details
A private corner lot located less than one block from the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, with beach access directly across the street. Home includes an expansive front porch, circular drive and a three-car side entry garage. The floor plan features a private pool area, master suite with ocean views, poolside balcony, large his-and-hers walk-in closets and a guest suite with a kitchen, laundry closet and deck overlooking the club’s ocean course and gardens. All five bedrooms are en suite. Home includes an office/den/family room and a large great room for entertaining and dining. New roof in 2013, pool resurfaced in 2013 and the list goes on.
87 Coles Ct., St. Johns
The numbers
20,359 square feet
5 bedrooms
7 bathrooms
2 half-bathrooms
Built in 2006
Realtor
Juanita Wright, Exit Real Estate Gallery
The details
The more than 20,000 square-foot gated home was built in 2006 by retired football player Laveranues Coles. It features a marble foyer, grand sweeping staircase, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen, breakfast room, family room, two-story great room and a four-car garage. There’s also a billiards room with wet bar, home theater, gym, an enclosed swimming pool with a spa and waterfall and balconies overlooking the pool area, and a covered patio with barbeque area. A massive boxy rear section of the home features a full size indoor basketball court, stadium style viewing area, second wet bar, two-lane bowling alley, gym, a second billiards room, and locker rooms with a large steam shower.