Homes Sold in the bay area
$284,500
638 Charles Court S 2 bedrooms, 1½ baths St. Petersburg in Key West Cottages: This bungalow, built in 2005, has a spacious, open floor plan, high vaulted ceilings, trendy flooring, plantation shutters, kitchen with stainless-steel appliances, vessel sink in the first-floor half bath, second-floor master with built-in closet space and en-suite Jack and Jill bath to second bedroom, private courtyard and one parking spot. The 1,050-square-foot townhome was listed at $295,000 and sold in August. Northstar Realty, Kirby Bryan and Georgia Naruns Janas
Waterfront with seclusion is a bonus find in Pasco County, with the best opportunities along the perimeters of canal communities, which sometimes face protected wetlands, like this land managed by the Southwest Water Management District.
Waterfront in Pasco is more wallet friendly than most $182,000
13233 Lauren Drive 3 bedrooms, 2 baths Spring Hill in Village Van Gogh: Built in 2004 on a half-acre parcel, this updated home features a double-door entry, great-room floor plan, plant shelves, pendant lighting, carpet and ceramic tile flooring, large dining area and breakfast nook, laundry room with full-size washer and dryer, master bath with snail shower and updated cabinets, covered screened lanai and irrigation system on a well. The 1,780-square-foot house was listed at $185,000 and sold in August. Keller Williams Realty Elite Partners, Susan Garrett
$845,000
3514 W Vasconia St. 4 bedrooms, 2½ baths Tampa in Palma Ceia: This luxury home, built on a corner lot in 2006, features Brazilian cherry hardwood floors, stone counters, high-end appliances, walk-in pantry, gas fireplace, wet bar, main-floor master with large floor-to-ceiling tiled en-suite, walk-in closet and walkout to deck, Pebble Tec saltwater pool with free-fall fountains, second-floor theater room, tankless water heater, Nest thermostat and detectors, and monitored alarm system. Listed at $874,999, the 2,926-square-foot home sold in September. Jack Keller Inc., Realtors, Steven Segrete TO SUBMIT YOUR SALE for consideration in this column, please send us a photo of the home plus the address, sale price, listed price, month sold, number of bedrooms and baths, and short description. Submissions may be emailed to bmoch@tampabay.com (put HOUSE VALUES in the subject line).
BY NICK STUBBS Times Correspondent
For many, waterfront living is what Florida living is all about, but it comes at a price — in dollars and in certain risks. Along Pasco County’s coast, the risk of storms is no higher than along any stretch of the west coast, but the dollars it takes to secure a spot on the water can be significantly lower, perhaps making the trade off a little easier to swallow for some. Sherre Landreth, of Berkshire Hathaway Homes Services, sells Pasco waterfront, and recently held an open house at one of her waterfront listings. The price advantage over neighboring counties was apparent. “Most of the people who came were from Tampa or Pinellas,” she said. “They came because they couldn’t afford it (waterfront) there.” Tina Osthus, broker at Hen-
drick Marie Real Estate Services, agrees. She thinks Pasco County is one of the remaining places along the mid-west coast that offers waterfront at a price most would consider affordable, particularly when Pasco’s lower property taxes are factored. “It’s (Pasco) the last great place to buy waterfront,” said Osthus. “Where else are you going to find these prices? Not Pinellas.” Osthus said it’s possible to find canal homes in northwest Pasco starting at around $126 a square foot. Most of the waterfront available in Pasco is on canals in dredge-and-fill communities that date to the 1960s, when canals were dredged and the spoils used to build up lots for ground-level homes common before flood regulations. With the exception of a few lots, these communities don’t offer expansive water views, but they have the waterways to those views. “It’s about access to the Gulf,” said Landreth, who said most of her clients looking for waterfront in the county are boaters who want to be able to depart from their back yards to sightsee, fish
This three-story waterfront home sits near the Gulf beach at Gulf Harbors in New Port Richey. The boats in the foreground are docked on a wide, deep canal typical of the community, where many large boats are kept.
and dive. That market has ballooned in recent years with the boom in kayaking and paddleboarding, she said. It’s also made properties with shallow canals and
creeks unable to support larger boats more viable, as it doesn’t take much water to support the small personal watercraft.
See Waterfront, 2H