Mountain Lake home, Lake Hollingsworth renovation lead Polk's top home sales in August
A Lake Hollingsworth renovation and another Davenport short-term-rental property topped the list of Polk County's five most expensive home sales in August as the value of the U.S. housing market surges.
In a reversal of last year, a report from Zillow said that the U.S. housing market is not just on the rebound after a drop in value last year but surged by $2.6 trillion so far this year, Zillow reported on Tuesday (Aug. 26).
Four of the most improved real estate markets were in Florida, which has now surpassed New York as the state having the second most valuable properties nationwide.
The surge was credited to new home building, which included one of Polk's top five home sales in August.
The four most valuable metro areas nationwide have remained largely unchanged over the past five years, Zillow said. Those were New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Boston.
In Florida, Miami took the fifth spot, moving all the way from ninth as recently as May 2021 to edge Washington, D.C., out of the top five. The Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area was surrounded by metro areas with huge jumps in property values.
Of the six markets in which housing has gained the most value since the start of the pandemic, four are in Florida, Zillow said.
Tampa (+88.9%)
Miami (+86.6%)
Jacksonville (+82.4%)
Orlando (+72.3%)
Here's a look at the top 5 most expensive home sales in Polk for August.
No. 1: 2300 N. Scenic Highway, No. 103, Lake Wales
The most expensive home sale in Polk County was a Mountain Lake estate on six acres in Lake Wales, which was fully renovated in 2014 and offers views of Bok Tower. It sold for $2.1 million.
The exquisite foyer and brightly lit floor plan offers traditional and modern architectural touches, the real estate listing said.
The home has three bedrooms, three full baths and and two half-baths. It has a spacious living room and dining room with hardwood floors, tall tray ceilings with custom recessed lighting, double crown molding and 12-inch baseboards.
A multitude of windows in the formal dining room offer natural light and views of the Tower. The kitchen has professional appliances. The adjacent family room has a beamed ceiling, and beyond there is an enclosed sunroom with summer kitchen, wood beamed ceiling and chiseled travertine floors.
The owner’s suite includes a spa-inspired bathroom, complete with coffee bar, his-and-hers large walk-in closets with custom built-ins, separate marble vanities, a soaking tub, and a pass-thru shower.
A guest suite with full bath and walk-in closet has its own private den/TV room and a second complete kitchen.
Additional features include a butler’s pantry with 5x5-foot walk-in cooler, custom bar area with built-in 90 bottle wine cooler, large laundry with lots of storage, a mud room with built-in workstation, 11- and 12-inch baseboards and plantation shutters.
Outdoors, there's a custom-designed firepit and expansive lawn, as well as a three-car garage.
No. 2: 14 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland
The second most expensive home sold in August in Polk County was a 2,746-square-feet lakefront property along Lake Hollingsworth Drive in Lakeland.
It was a three-bedroom, single-family home built in 1976 that sold for $1.34 million without being listed, according to the selling Realtor Kristin Kellin. The seller of the Lake Hollingsworth Drive home was Bruce Weber.
Currently, the home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, but the investor that purchased the home plans to renovate the home and add a second floor, bringing the eventual square footage closer to 4,000, she said.
The mid-century modern architecture style of the home is expected to be maintained and elevated as part of the renovation program. The interior has an open layout in the kitchen and living room areas and floor to ceiling windows overlooking Lake Hollingsworth.
The home has an attached two-car garage and room along the lake for boat dock and a backyard large enough for a swimming pool.
Pro Buy GSN LLC purchased the home and Duggin Construction will add the square footage and renovate the nearly 50-year-old home, Kellin said. The home is similar to nine other homes along Lake Hollingsworth, including another set for luxury renovations to be completed at 426 Palmola St. by October. The Palmola Street home – the former Lodwick House – is expected to list for $2.4 million.
No. 3: 5120 Lake In The Woods Blvd., Lakeland
The third most expensive home sold during August also sold without being listed. At 5120 Lake In The Woods in Lakeland, the five bedroom and four-and-a-half bathroom sold for $1.165 million.
While the house sits on less than half an acre, the interior is 4,659 square feet. The two-story, single-family residence was built in 1994. The interior contains a fireplace and crown molding with high ceilings. The master bedroom is located upstairs.
The kitchen contains solid-surface counters and solid-wood cabinets. The exterior is constructed of red bricks, and the roof is shingled and the windows paired with green shutters. The roof also has three dormer windows.
The exterior also features awnings, irrigation system, lighting and rain gutters. The pool is accessible via four sets of French doors is made with gunite and concrete in ground. A diving board and spa are incorporated into the pool.
The circular driveway is accented with red brick walls and leads to a two-car garage.
Polk's top home sales for July They stayed on the market longer, but still drew up to $2M
No. 4: 3008 Mahalo Drive, Davenport
The fourth most expensive home sale in Polk County was a 4,400-square-foot home in the Windsor Island Resort in Davenport that is suitable for short-term rentals.
It sold for $1.15 million and was a fully furnished vacation home that can sleep 20 people.
It has a spacious gathering room, a oversized open kitchen and luxury lighting and flooring. The dining room table seats up to 14 people. The home at Windsor at Westside has 10 Bedrooms and eight bathrooms for hosting multiple guests. The owner’s suite is located on the first floor.
Many of the rooms within the home are decorated in family movie themes, including "Minions," "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" bedrooms.
Upstairs, there is a 675-square-feet game room decorated with an astronaut theme and loft space in addition to six more bedrooms and another bedroom suite.
The exterior has a private pool with built-in spa, a child safety fence and a covered lanai. The homeowner's association cuts the grass and maintains the landscape and fertilizes the plantings, which are irrigated.
The home’s owner and their guests have access to the Aloha Clubhouse with amenities such as a pool, small water park and splash pad, miniature golf and basketball courts. There is daily trash pickup and exterior painting and roofing is also maintained as needed.
No. 5: 949 Hamilton Circle, Haines City
Of the top five most expensive home sales in August, the fifth a 4,938-square-foot, single-family residence in Haines City with views of Lake Hamilton and annual glimpses of migratory birds.
It had been on the market since May 2 and had been listed for $1.2 million. It sold in August for $965,000.
This lakefront, luxury home at 949 Hamilton Circle sits on 7.69 acres and has five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms.
The front porch is tiled and oversized with twin columns. At the door, there is an arched leaded glass window.
“Inside, the great room features 15-foot ceilings, built-in bookshelves, and a beautiful stone, floor-to-ceiling, wood-burning fireplace with double French doors at the far end of the great room provide stunning views of Lake Hamilton,” the listing said.
The rooms are generous in proportions with extra tall cathedral ceilings and crown molding, and three exterior-interior courtyards. Near the entrance, the home features a lengthy 90-foot porch.
“The enclosed courtyard off the entry foyer is a peaceful retreat with a remote-controlled awning, and double French doors leading to the dining room or the great room,” the listing said.
The first-floor primary suite has high ceilings, a two-sided fireplace facing the sleeping area and the jetted tub and French doors that lead to a screened porch facing the lake. There is a walled, private courtyard off the bedroom and bathroom areas that have a separate water closet containing a toilet and a bidet, a double sink vanity and two walk-in closets.
The kitchen has a massive eating and cooking area, which features an induction cooktop, a double wall oven, a microwave, two sinks, a desk, a breakfast bar and window seats with storage.
There is a large walk-in pantry and an oversized laundry room with built-in cabinets, a utility sink and two closets.
A large two-car garage is connected by the laundry room and contains a work room. The whole house can be powered with a backup electric generator fueled via a buried propane tank. And the generator ensures uninterrupted air conditioning from all four AC units.
The property is getting a new bronze metal roof. The lakefront has a concrete seawall and the irrigation system is fed from lake water. The property borders 400 feet of Lake Hamilton and ahs views of a conservation peninsula.
The home exterior has wide wood plantation shutters visible on approaching the estate along its long circular driveway, mature trees and landscape lighting. And in the back it has a private heated pool.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Mountain Lake and Lake Hollingsworth homes are Polk's top August sales
