Colleen Cooley, CRS - Jupiter Florida Realtor

Everyone has them. Those moments when something strikes you a certain way, alters your perception, changes the outcome.

Take Florida rains, for example. They're particularly impressive. The sheer heaviness of them. The electrical violence of lightening streaks and thunder booms that stun any new transplant. Dangerous. Dramatic. Run-for-cover rain that makes you pull off the Turnpike, duck off the golf course, head for shore in a small boat. Deluges that turn everything even greener. Refill our water supply. Refuel our ecosystems. And give everyone the chance to hide inside, snuggle up, take time out.

Rains in Florida offer a dramatic change of perspective. And if you're looking for a new home, they make you pause...and consider things like hurricane glass. Lots that won't flood. Landscaping that's safe. Not getting soaked financially. Finding a Realtor that won't leave you high and dry.

Yes, watching a Florida storm will send your thoughts racing. And if they happen to run to real estate, turn on your computer and give me a click call. That single action could be a watershed moment that alters more than your perspective.

I'm a New Jersey girl. My sole experience with fish before I moved to Florida was ordering it Sunday morning at the local deli. But, when I moved to Miami and married an honest-to-Pete Floridian, I got a crash course in everything with gills.

Five years ago, we escaped to Jupiter. Two fugitives from congestion, urban sprawl, high crime rates. Moved into a townhouse on a lake, just across from where we were building our dream house. We were home in Valencia at Abacoa.

Now, in those days, we still commuted daily to work down south. And they were long days we put in. So every night that first summer, when we got back home, we went out to the lake to unwind, kick back, fish for bass.

I learned to cast and I learned to jig. But most of all I learned to appreciate the consummate skill of my husband, the bass master. As this picture will attest, the lakes in Abacoa aren't mere decoration. They constitute an eco-system that makes fish stories like ours possible.

So how big was he? He was THAAAAAT big!

Yes, it's true. I live in Valencia at Abacoa. But even if I didn't, I'd want to. Abacoa is a pretty remarkable planned community by anyone's standards. And Valencia is by far its crown jewel. Sure, green parks, little bridges, a delightful lake, community clubhouse and pool add to its charm. But what I love about this particular little enclave is it's gated community feel and value without the yoke of an equity membership!

Valencia is the architectural product of four top builders...Frankel-Paone, Issa, The Spear Group and Delcrest. Each brings different floor plans, perspectives and personal touches to its Mediterranean style. It's a neighborhood designed with winding streets, rear-entry garages, Corinthian columns, charming front porches and lush landscaping. No cookie cutter community...it warrants those higher (high $700's to $2.2 million) price tags. And Valencia residents make sure those values are well maintained!

So if you're in the market for something that offers just the right measure of exclusivity, take a close look at Valencia at Abacoa...where every house, every street will surprise and impress you.

The address is 124 Santiago Drive in Valencia at Abacoa. The neighborhood alone should tip you off. But nothing will quite prepare you for this house. Not for the Brazilian cherry and mud set porcelain floors (that you'll probably mistake for marble). Not for the dream kitchen with two extensive islands (one a work station), two built-in stainless fridges, and the commercial gas stove. Not for the adjoining family room with the hand-coffered ceiling (the cost of which could have paid for a year away at college). Or, just past the family room, the wall of French doors the length of the house that looks onto a perfectly shaded oversized lap pool with a lion's head fountain.

Impressed yet? Guess what? The French doors end by a private staircase leading up to a separate guest apartment. And where, you may ask, are the four other bedrooms and baths in this 4000 square foot Mediterranean delight? The master sweet (and it is) is downstairs...the other three are up. And I tell you the layout, the architectural detailing, the level of taste throughout is not to be believed. It must be seen. So what are you waiting for? Even in this market, this one won't last long.

If you moved into 196 Barbados Drive, in The Island at Abacoa, you'd be happy just sitting on the big porch swing with bare toes, looking out at the lovely tree-lined drive. And you'd never get wet coming in from the car, with that portacache alongside.

Of course, you'd be equally happy lazing about in the huge screened-in backyard...big enough to add a pool, but incredibly charming as is. Looking out on a quiet lake with the view of golf beyond.

But if you did decide to wander indoors, you'd never be at a loss. Every detail of this charming 3 bedroom, 2020 square foot, single level, Cape Cod-style home is crafty, comfy, stylishly smart. From the ample laundry room filled with light to the cozy den, to the master suite with a walk-in closet large enough to store a Sex & the City wardrobe for the whole cast! But what's really great about the floor plan is the great room, with living space flowing into living space gracefully, purposefully. And the fact that both the living room and master bedroom open onto that glorious lake view.

Just listed at $469.000...this one is all charm wrapped in solid value. See it before it sells!