Island Insiders

Fisher Island is known for its privacy, incredible golf, pro-level grass tennis courts and beautiful waterfront condos. Palazzo del Mare is the latest addition to Fisher Islands beautiful condo community. With residences ranging from three bedroom units to six bedroom units with up to 7,025 square feet of living space and uninterrupted waterfront views. This ten-story luxury condo building in Fisher Island has beautiful architectural designs that are complimented by elegant residential features and generous amenities. Fisher Island is inaccessible by land making it a haven for avid boater and those looking for privacy and exclusivity.

Palazzo del Mare has fabulous residential features like flow through floor plans, European designed kitchens, Italian cabinetry with designer hardware, granite coutertops, stainless steel appliances, side-by-side refrigerator, ten-foot ceilings, cook top microwave and dishwasher, kitchens with waterfront views, marble vanity tops, state-of-the-art bathroom fixtures, oversized balcony, pre-wired communications and Maytag washer and dryer. Amenities for Palazzo del Mare are plentiful and include 24-hour security, heated swimming pool, state-of-the-art fitness center, spa, sauna, steam room, covered parking, media room with theatre system, state-of-the-art fitness center, high-speed elevators, full time valet and concierge services and pet friendly.

Oprah sold her beautiful two bedroom Fisher Island condo in Seaside Village for a reduced price but still saw incredible gains. While Oprah doesn’t necessarily have to worry about finances, she made an incredible real estate investment on her Fisher Island condo showing sound real estate investment practices and real estate investment savvy. She originally purchased the home in 1996 for $660,000, after keeping the condo for over ten years and maintaining it well the value of the property more than doubled to around two million dollars. It eventually sold last month for around 1.7 million and while the new owners got a great deal on this condo, Oprah came out with over one million dollars worth of profit from her initial investment.

Oprah shows the value of Fisher Island real estate and long term property ownership. Oprah not only purchased a condo well within her affordability, but she also owned it long enough for the property value to appreciate to a very nice profit. The condo is a beautiful waterfront condo with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a spacious balcony. The condo also comes with wood and marble floors, high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors, custom wood built-in flat screen TV and beautifully elegant tropical designs. Seaside Village amenities include 24-hour security, heated swimming pools, fitness center, sauna, reserved parking spaces.

The real estate market is on track for a slow but steady recovery. Right now the amount of foreclosures outnumbers the amount of sales but sales are slowly creeping into competition. The trend with low and mid-level property is that the cheapest is selling. But, the trend with high-end property is that they are achieving more success in real estate auctions. Interestingly enough the luxury market has taken their properties to the auction block. The appeal of auctions for the seller is that they can sell a home quickly, the appeal for the buyer is that they can potentially get a deal on a quality property. No minimum auctions can be risky for sellers, as they may not leave with the asking price they’d hoped for, but it also holds great potential in selling a home in a rough market.

The auction process is not all that dissimilar from traditional auctions in that the property is offered to a group of potential buyers and they bid over it. However, the bidders are usually well informed of the homes they are bidding on coming into the auction which allows them to bid at a price they want. Though auction bidders don’t necessarily have to visit all the properties on the auction block, but there are usually open houses for bidders to visit in the weeks before the auction. Luxury real estate auctions are a growing trend and have helped in the sale of Fisher Island homes and many other luxury real estate locations around the United States.

For most, Fisher Island seems like a world away with its high-profile residents and boundless luxury. While it is a very private place, its amenities are well known. Beyond its most popular, which are tennis and golf, Fisher Island has a vast array of services and locations that ensure a high-quality of living. Fisher Island has amazing shopping which is primarily located at the Fisher Island Shopping Center located in the center of the island. Another incredibly useful place is the island market, which is constantly stocked with fresh fruit, fish, vegetables and other foods. If you don’t want to cook, Fisher Island has multiple dining options like Café Porto Cervo and Café Tangier.

Other lesser know amenities that improve the quality of life for Fisher Island residents include the Fisher Island Day School which allows families to live on the island year-round sending their children to an incredible school. Another enjoyable amenity provided by Fisher Island is the marina and Sunset Bar which allows residents to have a wonderful waterfront experience whether it’s on a luxury yacht, or watching the boats pass by at the Sunset Bar. But of the lesser known amenities very few stand up to the quality of the Fisher Island Beach Club, the Fisher Island Beach Club has every possible service one could need for an incredible beachfront experience from beachfront concierge services to poolside services.

While Fisher Island provides a host of amenities and residential features none are as widely renowned as the Fisher Island Golf Course and Tennis Courts. The Fisher Island Golf Course is a Champion Golf Course, which is the highest rating, and has a breathtaking nine-hole design. Designed by famed architect P.B. Dye the course has been acclaimed by many golf enthusiasts and is known as one of the nicest courses in South Florida. South Florida is known to be a haven for golfing with its beautiful courses and year-round warm weather. Another key factor is its unique vegetation that includes palm trees, banyan trees and other exotic plant life.

Fisher Island tennis is certainly the pinnacle of the South Florida tennis experience. Many tennis players are known to live and teach at this prestigious tennis complex such as Andre Agassi and Boris Becker. With multiple grass courts, Fisher Island provides a tennis experience like no other. The tennis courts are also available to play at night and are very popular among guests and residents. But, don’t be discouraged by the popularity of these courts with the island’s small population and nearly twenty courts, there isn’t a long wait to get one, if there’s a wait at all.