Waterfront living spotlighted on tour
What chemical substance that is composed of hydrogen and oxygen does Anna Maria Island have the most of? You don’t have to be Stephen Hawking to know that the answer is water, water, water, and it was out in full force on March 20.
Saturday, March 20, was the annual Anna Maria Island Tour of Homes and it was a spectacular weather day. Come to think of it, for the more than the 10 years I’ve been attending the tour I can’t remember a day when the weather wasn’t spectacular, but for some reason this particular day was positively glistening.
This year four of the five homes featured on the tour were waterfront. The properties in Holmes Beach were either on Bimini Bay or canals with good water access to Tampa Bay or direct waterfront on Tampa Bay in Anna Maria. The homes were, of course, all lovely and I could have moved into any one of them the next day, but what really enhanced the appeal of these four was their location.
One of the best things about waterfront living on the Island is the variety of options you have. Because there is so much waterfront property on the Island it doesn’t matter in which one of the three cities you prefer to live, you can find something that fits your lifestyle.
Boaters who want to have access to their vessel in their back yard will find protected canals all over the Island and of course the magnificent Bimini Bay. There is enough sailboat water property available – no bridges to the bay or Gulf, to make the most enthusiastic sailor happy. If boating isn’t your thing but sunsets are, there’s a house for you somewhere along the Gulf beaches. And if you’re in love with the Skyway Bridge and Egmont Key, stretch out on Bean Point or Bay Boulevard and focus on the sun reflecting off the white Egmont Key lighthouse like it was the day of the tour.
When you have access to the water every day it’s easy to forget just how beautiful and profuse it is on this little Island. It sometimes takes an event like the tour of homes to remind you and the opportunity to see it through the eyes of visitors.
As far as real estate values are concerned, how much more value does waterfront property have? When I was in real estate sales on Long Island, N.Y., another island with a fabulous waterfront, we spent a lot of time trying to attach a number to this. However, it always seemed to be a futile exercise since living on the water is more than just an advantageous real estate investment; it’s a state of mind which is priceless.
I would be neglectful not to mention the wonderful non-waterfront home that was also on the tour. It showcased great Island living, on the water décor without actuall – being on the water, and like every non-waterfront home on the Island you don’t have to go far to find it.
Anna Maria Island represents waterfront living at its best – the best shimmering water, the best sunsets, the best views and now the best values. Water supports all living matter; it also supports and surrounds the most desirable real estate on earth, and guess what some of the best of it borders?