A five-bedroom home on a large lot in Vero Lake Estates gives a family room to work, play and grow together. The Bailey family loved the house, but one parent no longer works from home and they’re downsizing – to their fourth home in Vero Lake Estates.
The family also loves the “awesome nearby attractions,” such as the North County Aquatic Center, which has an Olympic-size pool, two water slides, shallow pool with play structures and diving boards. Next to the pool are soccer and baseball fields, biking trails and a small playground.
“The neighbors are teachers, police officers, a home-stereo technician and a mechanic, to name a few,” George Bailey said.
The house, at 8326 103rd Court, “is a double and corner lot that is almost a half-acre,” Berkshire Hathaway Home Services listing agent Ashley Harris said. “The back yard faces east and gets a lot of light.”
A 5-foot wooden fence that encloses the back and side yards will please dog owners and parents, providing their charges with safety and freedom.
The family used one of the fenced-in side yards to park a recreational vehicle. A family boat would fit in the same space. Either side yard is big enough for a pool, but the south side would get light all day. “You wouldn’t have to heat it,” Harris said. An outside shower is already in place, and one of the home’s bathrooms has a door to the outside.
Most of the 3,000 square feet of living space under air is on the first floor, which has a split floor plan, with community rooms in the middle. Three guest rooms and a bath are on the north side and a master suite is on the south side. A second master suite is on the second floor, above the garage, making it quieter and more private.
There are spacious cathedral ceilings in the open-floor-plan kitchen, living room and breakfast nook. The ceramic-tile flooring is handsome and practical. The large space lets onto a screened back porch, making it easy to keep an eye on children while preparing dinner. The kitchen has lovely – and indestructible – white Corian counters, including a long breakfast bar.
There is a formal dining room as well as a den on the first floor, which the family used as the TV room, wiring it with surround-sound.
A laundry room is off the two-car garage, both outfitted with shelving and storage.
The first-floor master suite streams with light from the south, especially the bathroom. Marble counters, soaking tub, walk-in shower and two sinks make ablutions a roomy pleasure. The bedroom has a tray ceiling, declaring the parents’ realm superior, as does the walk-in closet.
The second-floor master suite has cathedral ceilings, including the bathroom. A large lunette window adds beauty and abundant natural lighting. The bathroom has a walk-in shower, light marble counters and white ceramic-tile flooring.
The Baileys used the second floor for group study sessions, an office, yoga and sewing.
The house was built in 2004 by Mercedes Homes of Melbourne in sturdy concrete-block and stucco construction. The company suffered liquidity problems and dissolved after the economic downturn.
The required metal hurricane shutters are stored in the garage.
Vero Lakes Estates is laid out on a grid, with about 2,700 homes on mostly coquina streets, which are better for the environment than paving and slow down drivers, making for a safer neighborhood. It is a special taxing district, with $50 a year collected by the county, which first went to create better drainage and then to paving major avenues, still ongoing.
There are no homeowners’ fees, but there is a voluntary homeowners’ organization with a Facebook page and website. President Sue Kranenburg said the county re-grades streets one or two times a month.
All the homes have their own septic system and many have their own well, although some streets have opted to hook into the county’s water main. Streets can petition the county to have water lines put in, undergoing a voluntary special-assessment. The owners pay 75 percent and the county 25 percent of the cost.
The Baileys paid an average of $149 a month for electricity, Harris said, $84 in the winter and $215 in the summer.
“It’s a unique community,” Kranenburg said. “If you want curbs and gutter and sewer and water you shouldn’t think about moving here. I had all that in the city. I wanted freedom and a large lot where it’s quiet, except when my great-grandkids come and make noise. We have 13 trucks in our extended family and they can all park in my driveway – overnight if they want.”
Vital Statistics
- Address: 8326 103rd Court
- Neighborhood: Vero Lake Estates
- Year built: 2004
- Lot size: .44 acres
- Home size: 3,000 square feet
- Construction: Concrete block
- Bedrooms: 5
- Bathrooms: 3
- Additional features: Cathedral ceilings, no homeowners’ fees or restrictions, covered and screened porch, big side yards, wooden fence, two master suites, tray ceiling in first-floor master suite, ceramic-tile flooring, two-car garage, Corian counters in kitchen, marble counters in bathrooms, formal dining room, two-car garage
- Listing agency: Berkshire Hathaway Home Services
- Listing agent: Ashley Harris, 772-713-9159
- Listing price: $298,000
