SARASOTA, FL – Bird Key, a barrier island located in Sarasota, Florida, set an all-time record for luxury home sales in early June when two estates sold on the exact same day for a combined total of over $20 million.
On June 1, two homes closed within mere minutes of one another, with the first one fetching $9.75 million; an impressive record for the island that was immediately eclipsed in short order by the second home’s sale, which went for $11.25 million.
Adding to the ironic timing of the record-breaking one-two punch of the sales was the fact that the two homes were right next door to each other, with both being waterfront estates located at the southern tip of the key. Both sales were also all-cash transactions and sold to anonymous buyers.
The first home is located at 622 South Owl Drive, with the former owner – award-winning author Julie McGue – deciding to sell after her husband passed away after 37 years of marriage. She and her husband had purchased the two-story, four-bedroom, four-and-a-half bath, 5,600 square-foot home – originally constructed in 2003 – in 2021 for $6 million.
The second home, located at the neighboring lot of 622 South Owl Drive, was owned by Dawn and Henry Duques – Henry is a retired chairman and chief executive of credit-card processor First Data Corp. – with the buyer reportedly planning on using it as a second home.
The Duques had purchased the plot of land and constructed their home on Owl Drive in 2021, utilizing the same architect as their neighbor. The residence comes in at 6,576 square-feet and has five bedrooms and a whopping eight bathrooms. It also boasts numerous luxury amenities, including a steam shower, self cleaning bubble spa tub, an exercise room, wine room, and Tesla chargers built into the garage.
Experts say that Sarasota’s Bird Key is especially hot now in terms of its real estate market; there are only 511 lots, 291 waterfront homes, and 220 water sites on the island, with even one of the cheapest homes on the island likely to fetch as much as approximately $1.8 million currently.
Florida Gulf Residential specializes in the areas of Sarasota, Siesta Key, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, Longboat Key, Venice, Palmer Ranch, Osprey, Anna Maria Island and other Gulf Coast communities. Feel free to give us a call at (941) 304-1975 so we can answer any questions you may have.
Christopher Boyle is an investigative journalist for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® and reports for independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher helps keep a keen-eye on what’s happening on the West Coast of Florida on behalf of FLORIDA GULF RESIDENTIAL – Your Real Estate Expert for Sarasota and Surrounding Areas.
