Sleepy Lagoon home sells for $2.4 million

The largest transaction on the Key the first week of August was the $2.4 million sale of the Gulf-front home on the north-end beach at 6429 Gulfside Road by Settlers Hill Limited Partnership, of North Chatham, Mass., and 444 Gulf of Mexico Drive.

Purchasing the two-bedroom, two-bath home with 3,247 square feet of living area were Jayne and Robert Berman, as trustees of the Jayne Berman Family Trust, of Toronto.

The original house was constructed in 1971 and expanded and refurbished in 1990. The property includes a 100-foot beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico with a 300-foot lot to the accreted sands, encompassing a .792-acre home site (Lot 24 of Sleepy Lagoon subdivision). Signing the deed of sale for Settlers Hill was general partner Mary Holmes.

Five of 15 sales top $1 million
Key real-estate sales rebounded from just seven for the last week of July to 15 in the first week in August, including five exceeding $1 million. The last four weeks saw 52 sales recordings on the keys, which is unusual during the normally slow off-season summer months.

One could only conclude that lower sales prices have lured a growing number of bargain-seekers despite the season. One wonders what effect the coming winter tourist season will have on the keys’ market if this trend continues.

Lido Beach
The largest sale of the week was the $2.5 million that Joy and Darryl Snyder paid to Judith and Frank Kerney Sr., of Watchung, N.J., for their 42-year-old home at 130 N. Polk Drive on Lido Beach. The three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath residence has a swimming pool and 3,553 square feet of living area.

The Kerneys purchased the property for $1.2 million in May 1996.

Lido Beach Club
At the 13-story, 106-unit Lido Beach Club at 1212 Ben Franklin Drive, Karen Bailis Saef, of Sarasota, sold her Unit 1106 to Peggy Hite, of Bloomington, Ind., for $485,000. Saef bought the condo for $430,000 in May 2001.

The two-bedroom, two-bath apartment was built in 1974 and has 1,421 square feet of air-conditioned living space.

Water Club II
Michelle and Thomas Katz, of Burlington, Mass., sold their Unit 707 at the 86-unit Water Club II tower to Sheila Forrest, from Chappaqua, N.Y., for $1.9 million. The three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath condominium at 1281 Gulf of Mexico Drive was constructed in 1999 and has 3,273 square feet of living area.

The Katzes bought the condominium new for $1,238,500 in August 1999.

Longboat Club Road
A 21-year-old home on the Islandside golf course at 961 Longboat Club Road has been purchased by Craig Wright and his wife, Sherry Dominick, of New Haven, Conn., for $1.58 million.

Chloee Poag, of Memphis, Tenn., sold the 4,676-square-foot residence July 31. Poag and her husband, Dan Poag, bought the home for $1.05 million in January 1996.

The four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath home includes a study, three-car garage and a swimming pool.

Country Club Shores, Unit V
For a total $1.4 million, Keith Sieber, of Henderson, Nev., signed quit-claim deeds surrendering his interest in the Country Club Shores Unit V home at 610 Yardarm Lane to Troy Dolan, of Blairsville, Pa., and
Bradley Hanson, of Hotchkiss, Colo. Dolan and Hanson each paid Sieber $700,000.

According to court records, Sieber bought the home near the end of the recent real-estate boom for $2.8 million in December 2005. The property offers a view of Sarasota Bay and contains five bedrooms, five baths, a swimming pool and 4,138 square feet of air-conditioned living area.
Inn on the Beach

Lillian and Anthony Lanese Jr., from Cliffside Park, N.J., bought Unit 601 in Building 4 of the 221-unit Inn on the Beach from Marvista I, a Delaware limited-liability company based in Riverside, Conn., for $800,000.
Signing the sales deed was Marvista manager Jeffrey Cianci.

Beachplace I
Elaine and Donald Turek, of Indian Head Park, Ill., sold their condominium Unit 402 in Building 3 at Beachplace I to Petro Property Ltd., of Causewayhead, Scotland, for $535,000. The two-bedroom, two-bath condo was constructed in 1979 and has 1,392 square feet of living area.

Sea Gate Club
Unit 9-E at the towering 15-story, 90-unit Sea Gate Club was purchased by Hava and Jack Simkhay, of Larchmont, N.Y., from Fay and Philip Spergel, 2425 Gulf of Mexico Drive, for $525,000. The Spergels bought the condominium for $275,000 in April 1998.

Aquarius Club
William Rothbard, of Santa Monica, Calif., sold Unit 2-J at the 59-unit Aquarius Club, 1701 Gulf of Mexico Drive, as successor trustee of the late Rosalie Rothbard Trust, to Linda and David Van Howe, from Vernon Hills, Ill., for $516,500.

Seaplace II
Two Quebec City-based companies each purchased a 50% interest in Unit M1-109H at Seaplace II from Amy and Robert Burnett, of Naperville, Ill., for $450,000. The purchasing firms were Gestion Danielle Luc Inc. and Les Placement Bussey Inc.

The three-bedroom, two-bath condo at 2045 Gulf of Mexico Drive was built in 1974 and has 1,265 square feet of living space. The Burnetts bought the condo for $290,000 in March 2000.

Winding Oaks
Henry Lehne, of Sarasota, sold his Unit 47 at 3430 Winding Oaks Drive for $415,000 to Melanie DeCarlo, from Winterset, Iowa. The two-bedroom, two-bath condo was built in 1988 and has 2,073 square feet of living space.

The Lehnes bought the residence 12 years ago for $305,000.

Whitney Beach
Barbara and John Thurston, from Orillia, Ontario, purchased Unit 101 on the bay side of Whitney Beach condominium from Lynn and John Redd II, of Wilmington, Vt., for $310,000.

The two-bedroom, two-bath condo at 6700 Gulf of Mexico Drive was constructed in 1969. The condo has 1,361 square feet of living area. The Redds paid $195,000 for the apartment in April 1999.

Spanish Main Yacht Club
Marilyn Jackman, of North Olmsted, Ohio, sold her Unit 112 at 626 S. Spanish Drive in the 212-unit Spanish Main Yacht Club for $220,500 to Peter Salm. The two-bedroom, two-bath condo was constructed in 1969 and has 1,399 square feet of living area.

Jackman bought the unit for $83,000 in November 1991.

Beach Harbor Club
Alma and John Popa, from Wilton, Conn., bought Unit C-209 at Beach Harbor condominium from Russell Abrahms and Kenneth Abrahms, as co-trustees of the Joseph and Ellen Abrahms Family Trust, of Fairfield, Conn., for $202,600.

The two-bedroom, two-bath apartment at 3806 Gulf of Mexico Drive contains 1,046 square feet of living space.

Kent Chetlain is a veteran Florida journalist and historian, a former Manatee County commissioner and a holder of a Florida real-estate license. He has chronicled real-estate activity in this area since 1957.