October « 2011 « Smith and Associates Blog

Davis Islands, It’s Elementary, My Dear. October 10, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

At the mouth of the Hillsborough River, you will find one of the most sought after places to build a Tampa home, Davis Island. While many now know the area for the quaint, pet-friendly business district and the reported future 7 bedroom, 9 bath waterfront home of baseball phenomenon, Derek Jeter, among other celebrities, Davis Island possesses quite the historical back drop.

In the 1920′s, at the peak of Florida’s land boom, mud was dredged from the bottom of Tampa Bay in order to build two man-made islands atop two small natural islands. What was once known as “Little Grass Key” and “Big Grass Key” (they were grassy, I would presume) would now be called Davis Islands. This project was started by Tampa native D.P. Davis (pictured below) who purchased the newly dredged land for a whopping $350K with the intentions to build an elaborate resort community consisting of several hotels, a golf course, airport and swimming pool. Right as the land boom wound down, Davis sold 306 of the original lots for $1,683,582. Quite the profit.

The story gets interesting surrounding Davis’ alleged death on October 12, 1926. The last place D.P. Davis was seen was aboard The Majestic, a sister ship to the Titanic and the largest ship in the world at her time (pictured below), en route to Europe. Some claim he was at a party when he was blown overboard through one of the ships large portholes. Others claim he was alone with his girlfriend and it couldn’t have happened without force. Few think he was looking to jump. And, as a body was never recovered, many of us believe he was a modern day Machiavelli studying the Art of War and looking to free himself of his debts.

Many of the original Mediterranean-syle homes & structures still grace Davis Island and have been nationally deemed as Historical. As for D.P. Davis, if he isn’t still walking the Islands, unbeknownst to the world, may his soul rest in peace.

(Historical Photos courtesy of www.DavisIslandCivic.com)

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Featured Friday: 636 Geneva Place October 7, 2011
By Alexis Bentivegna

Enjoy the best of urban living at 636 Geneva Pl on desirable Davis Island. This immaculate 3 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow features over 1,300 sqft of amazing details and upgrades; Sit fireside while reading a book from your built in library casings or relax by the pool with friends amidst the lush tropical setting. Tampa Realtor, Elaine Weiner shared a few more of the luxuries you will enjoy from this fabulous Tampa home for sale.

Q: What distinctive features set this home apart?

A: This stylish 1949 Florida Bungalow is a hidden treasure on Davis Islands, tucked away in a lush Florida-friendly tropical garden setting. From the portico entry to the stone circular drive- this is a wonderful waterfront pool home situated on a wide curve of Currituck Channel leading directly to the bay.

Q: Have there been any recent renovations or upgrades?

A: The home’s completely renovated and fully equipped kitchen and up to date baths allow you to move right into luxury. The living room and den feature walls of detailed built-ins with a beautiful rustic finished fireplace.

Q: What amazing views will ho be able to enjoy?

A: The contemporary glass french doors across the back of the Tampa home open to sparkling deep free form pool surrounded by travertine. Relax and enjoy the view overlooking the waterfront in your tropical garden setting.

Q: Anything else you’d like to tell us about this home?

A: The Davis Island home features a detached 8×16 “boathouse” studio with wood interior and vaulted beamed ceiling providing private respite. The 29.8 x 11.8 finished dock with davits is ideal for boating and relaxing. This urban jewel is most affordable Davis Islands waterfront at $520k.

This fabulous property at 636 Geneva Pl, Tampa, FL 33606 is nothing short of perfection. Contact Elaine today to arrange a showing!

About Elaine:

With almost 40 years of local real estate experience, Tampa realtor, Elaine Weiner has gained a vast knowledge of the area she calls home. Priding herself on her unparalleled marketing techniques and personalized service, Elaine is the top choice for any buyer or seller.

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Tampa Bay Just Got Awesome October 5, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

And we mean that in the most literal way possible. According to their website, “the Awesome Foundation for the Arts and Sciences is an ever-growing, worldwide network of people devoted to forwarding the interest of awesomeness in the universe”. What does this mean exactly?

Well, there are several different chapters of the Awesome Foundation in cities all over the world including: Boston, New York, Montreal, Seattle, Sydney, DC, Berlin, San Francisco and our very own Tampa Bay. Ten different chair people local to the specific city will get together to form a board. Each month, the board members will donate $100 per person (in the name of awesomeness, of course) which makes up a $1,000 grant. Local residents will submit applications for awesome ideas they have to improve their city and the board members will vote on who gets the grant based off of the applications. Awesome, right?!

Some of the awesome ideas that have been funded in other cities are a monstrous colorful graffiti mural on the wall of a Boston school, a live re-inactment of the Indianna Jones and the Alley of Doom scene where locals get to play the role of Mr. Jones running from the gigantic boulder in DC (see photo to the right for a visual courtesy of the Awesome Foundation blog), polka-dots painted on top of San Francisco buildings to create the worlds largest game of connect the dots (picked up by Google Map satellites), and a winter Warmth project dedicated to keeping the homeless warm in Melbourne through backpacks filled with food, gloves, toothbrushes and information on assistance organizations.

The Awesome Tampa Bay chapter is brand spanking new, so they haven’t funded anything yet, however they are currently taking applications and eager to make our Tampa home more awesome than ever $1,000 at a time. For more information or to submit your ideas, visit their website at www.AwesomeTampaBay.org.

What awesome ideas do you have to improve Tampa Bay?

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Smart Phone, Smarter House October 4, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

Living in the age of smart phones, we have become accustom to having nearly everything at our fingertips. I always find myself in deep thought, wondering “what can I do with my handy little iPhone next?” Well now I know…

When driving down West Bay Way Place in Beach Park Isle, you may come across one of the most amazingly modern 3 bedroom 3.5 bath homes in the area. Not only does this fabulous Tampa home feature a 13 seat movie theater, air conditioned 1,700 sq ft garage with a 2 car lift, an elevator, and a state of the art kitchen with custom wood cabinetry and a dual sub zero refrigerator (and we are not talking about mortal combat here), but the majority of this fabulous man cave can be remotely controlled by none other than the iPhone 4 itself. Welcome to the future!

Forget to lock the doors, turn off the theater screen, shut the blinds or adjust the a/c before you left for work? No problem! And, just to be sure nothing fishy went on before you were able to lock up, you can check the footage from the 4 cameras watching the home….all from your iPhone via a special $50 app. Well worth the money.

While we haven’t found a way to beam you up to a listing appointment yet, Tampa Realtor, Larry Pollin would be happy to show you around until we do.

If controlling this Tampa rental with your iPhone is the present, what kind of stuff do you think we will see in the future? I’m seeing a viewing party…

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It’s a Hole-In-One Race for the Cure October 3, 2011
By Kortney Gentry

It’s that time of year. We are seeing Susan G Komen “3-day” banners, t-shirts, runners and walkers popping up everywhere and now we are seeing golfers too! On Sunday, October 9th, one of our very own Belleair Realtors, Ted Anderson will be sponsoring a hole and handing out goodie bags at the 6th Annual Bosom Buddies Forever Golf Classic. The event takes place at the Belleview Biltmore Golf Club in Belleair and the proceeds will be given to the Susan G Komen Foundation.

If you have a heart for both golf and charity, then this 4-person scramble is for you. Entry is only $100 per person and includes green fees, golf cart, on-course beverages, awards, lunch, dinner and participant prizes. For $100, you can also promote your business and support the cause via hole sponsorship. Or if you’re feeling confident in both your company and your golf skills, for $450, grab a couple of work buddies for a Corporate Team and hole sponsorship combo.

Various local merchants will be donating items for participant goodie bags and there will be prizes given out for competitions including: hole-in-one, putting contest, closest to the pin on all par 3s and longest drive for men & women. If you show up in this awesome breast cancer awareness themed golf cart, I vote automatic win!

The shotgun start is at noon but be sure to leave your Belleair home with enough time to get there before 11am for open registration and a light lunch. Enjoy on-course drinks throughout the day and the award dinner will begin at 5:30pm. All in all, the day should be delightful. Nothing like a fun competition for a great cause to kick off the fall weather!

We do however, know competitions can get serious, so choose your team wisely…Who will you have on your side?