A NASCAR driver, co-founder of a mortgage lender, interior designers, a former U.S. Senate candidate and Arizona restaurateurs were among the buyers and sellers of metro Phoenix’s priciest home sales in early April.
$10,400,000
Dark Wash LLC paid cash for a 7,375-square-foot home in north Scottsdale’s Silverleaf community. The house with four bedrooms and 6 ½ bathrooms is located on almost five acres. It comes with an office, a game room, an exercise room, a butler’s pantry, a 1,000-bottle wine cellar, a wet bar and multiple fire pits outside. The Stuart Living Trust sold it. Tracey Gray of Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty had the listing.
$6,800,000
Saguaro 65 LLC paid cash for a 7,000-square-foot Paradise Valley home with six bedrooms and 5 ½ bathrooms. The house with views of Mummy Mountain comes with rustic wood-beamed ceilings, two kitchen islands, a bar, a wine room, a state-of-the-art movie theater, an outdoor putting green and a fire pit. The John and Christina Kresevic Trust sold it. He co-founded JFQ Lending.
$6,495,000
The Lynch Family Trust paid cash for a 7,538-square-foot Paradise Valley mansion with four bedrooms and six bathrooms. The house includes a lounge bar, a wine cellar, a library, a huge movie theater, a kitchen with dual dishwashers and quartz countertops, a yoga room, and a primary suite with a fireplace and two bathrooms. James Lamon, founder of DEPCOM Power and former U.S. Senate candidate for Arizona, was the seller.
$5,983,320
Brenda and Christopher White paid cash for a Paradise Valley home near Mummy Mountain. The house wasn’t listed for sale. Baja Rosewood LLC, led by NASCAR racecar driver Casey Mears and his wife Trish, sold it.
$5,000,000
Garrett Loomis and Eric Jimenez, owners of Busted 2 Bangin Home Décor, bought a 6,938-square-foot home in north Scottsdale’s Estancia community. The European countryside-style house with four bedrooms and 5 ½ bathrooms overlooks the ninth hole of a golf course and has views of Pinnacle Peak Mountain, several patios and an outdoor fireplace. The Patricia Taylor Trust sold it.
$4,822,335
Arizona restauranteurs Mark and Lisa Shugrue paid cash for a 4,526-square-foot house in the Phoenix side of the Arcadia neighborhood. The couple owns restaurants in Sedona and Lake Havasu. Their Phoenix home has five bedrooms, 4 ½ bathrooms, views of Camelback Mountain, Italian marble countertops, a secret pantry, a gym, an office and a backyard with a heated pool and space for a sports court. Joseph and Lindsey Dies were the sellers.
Reach the reporter at catherine.reagor@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8040. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CatherineReagor.
Through the first two-and-a-half months of 2024, Volusia County has already seen the sale of at least 41 luxury homes for $1 million or more.
That number already exceeds the 38 million-dollar-plus homes sold during the first three months of last year.
Most, although not all, high-end homes in Volusia County are purchased in cash, according to Realtors. A few deals involve financing, but not as much as for homes sold for less than a million dollars. That’s why luxury home sales are not as affected by high interest rates as properties listed in lower price ranges.
Here’s a look at the top luxury home sales in Volusia County so far this year.
1. 1316 N. Peninsula Ave., New Smyrna Beach
SALE PRICE: $7.4 million
DATE SALE CLOSED: Feb. 7, 2024
DESCRIPTION: Built in 2005, this 3-story riverfront home has 5 bedrooms, 7 baths and 7,439 square feet of living space on a 0.41-acre lot. The open-concept floor plan includes floor-to-ceiling windows in the grand living area and panoramic views of the Indian River and surrounding landscape. The home includes a gourmet kitchen and a separate combination kitchen/family room. Outside, it offers an expansive terrace along with a pool, spa, covered patio and a dock and boat house with a boat lift. The property also includes an attached 2-car garage.
WHO HANDLED THE DEAL: The listing agent was Loretta Burn of Haven Waterfront Real Estate in Edgewater. The buyers were represented by G. Scott Yurchison of Collado Real Estate in New Smyrna Beach.
2. $5.18 million: 700 N. Peninsula Ave., New Smyrna Beach
SALE PRICE: $5.185 million
DATE SALE CLOSED: March 1
DESCRIPTION: Built in 2009, this 5-bedroom, 6-bath house along the Intracoastal Waterway offers 5,120-square-feet of living space and a 3.5-car garage. It sits on a half-acre lot with 57 feet of frontage along the river as well as a dock. The backyard includes a covered lanai and an outdoor kitchen as well as an infinity pool and spa and a view of the Ponce Inlet lighthouse located just a mile to the north.
WHO HANDLED THE DEAL: The listing agent was Realtor Terri Jackson of The Keyes Company in New Smyrna Beach. The buyers’ agent was Pat Collado, the broker/owner of Collado Real Estate in New Smyrna Beach.
More:Ormond mansion of Hawaiian Tropic’s Ron Rice finally sells for $3.6M
3. $3.6 million: 175 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach
SALE PRICE: $3.6 milllion
DATE SALE CLOSED: March 15
DESCRIPTION: Built in 1987, this 4-bedroom, 5-bath oceanfront home was the longtime home of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice, who died in May 2022 at the age of 81. The massive three-story house offers 12,400 square feet of living space and sits on a full acre that includes 200 feet along the beach.
The home includes a room that Rice used as a discotheque modeled after the famous Studio 54 in New York City. The mansion’s crowning glory is its huge indoor pool adorned with statues of winged fairy nymphs that connects to one of the property’s two outdoor pools.
WHO HANDLED THE DEAL: The listing agent was Bill Navarra, the broker/owner of Realty Pros Assured in Ormond Beach. Navarra wound up representing both the Ron Rice Estate as well as the buyers, a couple from the Carolinas whose son plans to relocate from South Florida to live in the house.
4. $3.4 million: 357 N. Beach St., Ormond Beach
SALE PRICE: $3.4 million
DATE SALE CLOSED: March 4
DESCRIPTION: Built in 2012, this 4-bedroom, 4.5-bath riverfront home offers 6,813 square feet of living space. It sits on a 0.67-acre lot that includes 150 feet along the Halifax River as well as a refurbished dock. The backyard includes a pool and spa. The view from the house includes the river as well as the Granada Bridge.
WHO HANDLED THE DEAL: The listing agent was also the property’s seller, Janelle Mertins, a Realtor and former owner of Pegasus Realty & Associates in Ocala. Mertins bought the home two years ago as a vacation getaway. The buyers’ agents were Matthew Renshaw and Ann Alexander, both with Realty Pros Assured in Ormond Beach.
5. $3 million: 1000 Sudbury Lane, Ormond Beach
SALE PRICE: $3 million
DATE SALE CLOSED: March 15
DESCRIPTION: Built in 2021, this 5-bedroom, 6.5-bath custom home in Ormond Beach’s Plantation Bay community offers 5,835 square feet of living space and includes a four-car garage. It overlooks a golf course. The 1.03-acre property includes a pool, an outdoor kitchen, and a full bath. The house includes an additional apartment suite.
WHO HANDLED THE DEAL: Realtor Debbie Spelman of Venture Development Realty (based at Plantation Bay) represented the sellers. Her colleague at Venture Development Realtor, Realtor Carol Paquette, represented the buyers.
This is a view of the Halifax River from inside the great room at the home at 357 N. Beach St. in Ormond Beach that sold on March 4, 2024 for $3.4 million.
Pegasus Realty & Associates
This riverfront home at 357 N. Beach St. in Ormond Beach sold on March 4, 2024, for $3.4 million.
Pegasus Realty & Associates
This is a view of the golf course at Plantation Bay from the screen-in pool for the 5-bedroom, 5-bath home at 1000 Sudbury Lane in Ormond Beach that sold on March 15, 2024 for $3 million. The home has 5,835 square feet of living space and includes a 4-car garage. It was built in 2021.
Venture Development Realty Inc.
This 5-bedroom, 5-bath home at 1000 Sudbury Lane in Ormond Beach’s Plantation Bay community sold on March 15, 2024 for $3 million. The 5,835-square-foot home is along a golf course and includes a screened-in pool. The listing agent was Debbie Spelman. The buyers were represented by Carol Paquette. Both are Realtors with Venture Development Realty Inc.
Venture Development Realty Inc.
This is the pool and spa at the riverfront home at 357 N. Beach St. in Ormond Beach that sold March 4, 2024 for $3.4 million.
Pegasus Realty & Associates
This is the dock behind the riverfront home at 357 N. Beach St. in Ormond Beach that sold March 4, 2024 for $3.4 million.
Pegasus Realty & Associates
This riverfront home at 357 N. Beach St. in Ormond Beach sold March 4, 2024 for $3.4 million. Built in 2012, it has 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 6,813 square feet of living space and is on a 0.67-acre property that includes a backyard pool and spa, a dock and 150 feet of frontage along the Intracoastal Waterway. The listing agent also also its seller, Realtor Janelle Mertins of Pegasus Realty in Ocala, who owned it as a vacation home.
Pegasus Realty & Associates
This is the kitchen inside the home at 700 N. Peninsula Drive, New Smyrna Beach.
The Keyes Company
The great room inside the home at 700 N. Peninsula Drive, New Smyrna Beach, offers views of the Intracoastal Waterway.
The Keyes Company
This home at 700 N. Peninsula Drive in New Smyrna Beach was sold by listing agent Terri Jackson of The Keyes Company on March 1, 2024 for $5.185 million, the most paid for a single-family home in Volusia County this year through mid-March. Built in 2009, the 5-bed, 6-bath home has 5,120 square feet of living space. The half-acre property is on the Intracoastal Waterway. It includes an infinity pool, outdoor kitchen and dock.
The Keyes Company
This home at 700 N. Peninsula Drive in New Smyrna Beach was sold by listing agent Terri Jackson of The Keyes Company on March 1, 2024 for $5.185 million, the most paid for a single-family home in Volusia County this year through mid-March. Built in 2009, the 5-bed, 6-bath home has 5,120 square feet of living space. The half-acre property is on the Intracoastal Waterway. It includes an infinity pool, outdoor kitchen and dock.
The Keyes Company
An “R” can be seen on the gate entrance to the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 in Ormond Beach.
David Tucker/News-Journal
This is an aerial view, taken in the 1990s, of the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach. The property is across the street from Oceanside Country Club (visible at the top).
Provided Image
Artwork and memorabilia fills the great room in the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Rice’s estate put the luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach up for sale on Thanksgiving Day 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
The oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach is pictured on Nov. 28, 2022. The property was recently put under contract to be sold.
David Tucker/News-Journal
Bill Navarra, the broker/owner of Reality Pros Assured, and Linda Kramer, the longtime personal assistant to the late Ron Rice, stand next to the original trash can that Rice used to mix his first batches of Hawaiian Tropic suntan lotion in the late 1960s. They are seen here on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, inside Rice’s Ormond Beach mansion at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. which his estate put up for sale on Thanksgiving Day. The asking price is $5,999,900.
David Tucker/News-Journal
This is a view of the great room in the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Rice’s estate put the luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach up for sale on Thanksgiving Day 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
Bill Navarra, the broker/owner of Realty Pros Assured, and Linda Kramer, the longtime personal assistant to the late Ron Rice, stand next to the original garbage can that the Hawaiian Tropic founder used to mix his first batches of suntan lotion back in the late 1960s. The garbage can was later plated in silver. Navarra is the listing agent for Rice’s oceanfront mansion at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach which was put up for sale on Thanksgiving Day 2022. He and Kramer are seen here in the mansion’s great room on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
This is an indoor pool at the oceanfront mansion at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach. The 12,414-square-foot four-bedroom, five-bath custom home belonged to the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice. It was put up for sale on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022 with an asking price of just under $6 million. It sits on a full acre that includes 200 feet of beach frontage.
Provided Image
This is the indoor pool inside the oceanfront mansion of the late Ron Rice, seen here on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. The pool connects to one of the property’s two outdoor pools and is adorned by statues that are giant-sized replicas of the trophies Rice used to give out to winners of his suntan lotion company’s Miss Hawaiian Tropic International pageants. The luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach was put up for sale by Rice’s estate on Thanksgiving Day 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
This outdoor pool connects to an indoor pool at the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Rice’s estate put the luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach up for sale on Thanksgiving Day 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
This is the master bedroom suite in the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice, seen here on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. The suite was redecorated by Rice’s daughter Sterling when he decided to use one of the first-floor bedrooms instead. The luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach was put up for sale by Rice’s estate on Thanksgiving Day.
David Tucker/News-Journal
The indoor pool connects to the large outdoor pool in the oceanfront mansion of the late Ron Rice, seen here on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. The luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach was put up for sale by Rice’s estate on Thanksgiving Day 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
Artwork and a dart board adorn the walls inside the dining room in the oceanfront mansion of the late Hawaiian Tropic founder Ron Rice on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022. Rice’s estate put the luxury home at 175 Ocean Shore Blvd. in Ormond Beach up for sale on Thanksgiving Day 2022.
David Tucker/News-Journal
A compound in Naples, Florida has hit the market for a whopping $295 million, reportedly the most expensive house on the market in America.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the 9-acre gated compound in the Port Royal neighborhood with three houses and a private yacht-basin would shatter home sale records for the state if the owners get the asking price.
Though Naples Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported there are other pricy plots for sale in the area that could match it once the ink is dry.
The property known as Gordon Pointe has been growing under the ownership of the John “Jack” F. Donahue, a well-known Naples philanthropist, and his family since the 1980s. It is listed by the Coldwell Banker Realty’s Dawn McKenna Group, in partnership with The Leighton Candler Team of Corcoran and Rory McMullen of Savills.
Nick Saban:See retired Alabama football coach’s $17.5 million Florida home
Gordon Pointe: 9 acres, 3 houses, 1 yacht basin
Known as Gordon Pointe, the gated compound stretches a little over 9 acres. It includes about 708 feet of beachfront and Gulf of Mexico views, 952 feet of bay views, an “exclusive and extremely rare” yacht basin, measuring 231 feet, and a T-shaped dock for up to six boats.
There is not just one, but three houses on the property, built over time. There is also the potential to redevelop the site, with a larger family compound, or with a “subdivided community for a lucky few,” with at least six houses, according to the selling agents.
Home of Donahue’s more than 80 grandchildren
The property is owned by the Donahue family. A well-known Naples philanthropist, John “Jack” F. Donahue made his fortune running Pittsburgh-based Federated Investors, which he co-founded in 1955. He died in 2017, and his wife Rhodora died about five years later, in 2022. High school sweethearts, they started amassing the land in the 1980s, which is now in the hands of their many heirs. They had 13 children, and more than 80 grandchildren.
In 2017, the Donahue family made headlines when they began exploring the sale of 70 acres of beachfront property on Gordon Pointe and nearby Keewaydin Island, sending out a 62-page confidential offering memo to prospects worldwide. The offering was unpriced, and it included only a portion of what the family owned on Gordon Pointe, with Jack and Rhodora still alive and wanting to keep and enjoy two of their residences at the time.
Robert McEwan, one of two CBRE agents marketing that property, said parts of the listing sold for more than $45 million in 2019. Several lots that didn’t go the last time around are part of the new offering, he said.
Asked how long he thought it might take to sell the new listing, based on his own experience, McEwan said: “You never know with uber luxury things. A guy can see an article on it and come down and buy it right away.”
He commented that he wouldn’t be surprised if the eventual sale shatters records in Naples, and elsewhere in the country.
Most expensive listing in lux corner of Naples
Port Royal has long been known as a playground for the rich.
Nearly a year ago, a waterfront estate in the neighborhood came to market for more than $174 million. A price that was unheard of then. It’s still for sale.
The beachfront property, overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, is expansive, stretching more than 8.5 acres, making it a rarity, too.
More of a rarity: Neighboring property is up for sale on both sides, with the potential to carve out an even larger one-of-kind estate on Naples’ highly coveted Gordon Drive. Combined, they would cost $295 million, for more than 15 acres, with 812 linear feet of beach frontage.
Top selling homes in Florida
The most expensive home sold in the area last year fetched $46.8 million – also in Port Royal. The county record home sale price is $62 million, set in 2022.
On Florida’s other coast, a home sold for $173 million in 2022, which Palm Beach Daily News reported is a record high for the state. It was reportedly bought by software billionaire Larry Ellison of Oracle Corp.
A couple of other heavy hitter sales tailed behind it, like the $155 million sale for Rush Limbaugh’s compound, and the off-market deal for another Palm Beach County that came in at $170 million around the same time.
Contributing: Kimberly Miller and Darrell Hofheinz, USA TODAY Network