Homes in the Grand Harbor community are available at a wide range of prices – from $139,000 to $2.4 million, according to Zillow – and no matter where you buy, you have the opportunity to take advantage of two golf courses, the tennis and bocce courts, a magnificent clubhouse, a beautiful beach club and other amenities.
In addition, the separate neighborhoods that make up Grand Harbor have their own gathering spaces and amenities available only to residents of those neighborhood. It’s that way for the condo neighborhood of Harmony Island, the first of the neighborhoods built in Grand Harbor in the 1980s.
Harmony Island has a neighborhood pool and cabana area where residents gather at least once a month for a pool party, according to Alex MacWilliam Real Estate listing agent Diane De Francisci, a longtime Grand Harbor resident who has sold many homes in the community.
Each neighborhood has its own association to coordinate activities and meet residents’ needs, while Grand Harbor has a master association overseeing the community-wide common areas, maintenance and the like.
Halley and Helen Moriyama are selling their Harmony Island condo, at 5080 Harmony Circle, Unit 106, for $265,000. They’ve already relocated elsewhere in Grand Harbor – another condo, this one on the river.
“Everybody in Grand Harbor, it seems, starts in Harmony Island,” Halley Moriyama said – to the point that it’s referred to as the “freshman quad.”
The Moriyamas came to Vero to escape Boston-area winters and Halley Moriyama’s best friend from college lived in Grand Harbor and recommended it to the couple.
“It’s such a friendly community,” Moriyama said. “Everybody waves, even if you don’t know each other.”
While living in the condo, the couple updated the kitchen with new engineered quartz countertops and installed new appliances.
“It’s very low maintenance,” Moriyama said of the engineered quartz.
The condo is larger-than-typical, De Francesci said, adding that it’s the most popular of the floorplans in the neighborhood.
“It’s a really nice space,” De Francisci said.
Entering the condo, a generous kitchen with built-in dining nook and a large pass-through window to aid in serving dinner guests is to the right. To the left is the main living space with glass sliders that open onto the screened patio, which overlooks one of the two golf courses at Grand Harbor.
The den is light and bright, having access to the patio and a large window facing out the front of the unit. De Francisci said that most residents now prefer a home office/den space rather than a third bedroom. Pocketed doors can be closed to separate the den from the living room, providing for privacy and quiet when desired.
The condo also makes use of pocket doors in closing off the guest bedroom and hall bath, converting that area into a guest suite. The guest room, too, faces the front of the unit and its large window with arched transom provides a flood of natural light.
The master suite is at the rear of the unit and has direct access to the covered patio and a window that looks out over the golf course.
The suite features two walk-in closets that flank the hall to the master bath. “It’s nicely updated,” De Francisci said of the bath. There is a soaker tub, two sinks side by side, a glass enclosed shower, and a secluded toilet – not quite a water closet as there’s no door.
De Francisci said Harmony Island’s condos were extensively renovated and brought up to current building codes following the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, with new roofs installed and other upgrades.
Living in Harmony Island gives residents the opportunity to make use of Grand Harbor’s numerous amenities without having to buy a million-dollar-plus home, De Francisci said, noting that many other large country club communities are more homogeneous in their pricing and often far more expensive.
The Grand Harbor community is well-known for its generosity, supporting nearly 40 charities last season. The clubhouse is abuzz with activity – whether it’s the 9-hole ladies golf lunch or a game of mahjong in the club room. The fitness center has three nodes – one for organized classes, another for weight training and a third for cardio. Trainers are available to give tutorials on the equipment as well as provide one-on-one instruction.
Along with its two 18-hole golf courses, Grand Harbor has an active tennis center, a bocce ball court, a gorgeous marina and an island beach club.
“It’s very much a golf club,” De Francisci said, “but there’s still so much else to do.”
Moriyama agreed.
“It’s a way of life here,” he said.
Vital Statistics
- Address: 5080 Harmony Circle Unit 106
- Neighborhood: Harmony Island in Grand Harbor
- Construction: Concrete block, stucco
- Year built: 1988 – extensively updated and renovated over years
- Size: 1,486 square feet
- Bedrooms: 2 • Bathrooms: 2
- Additional features: Large kitchen with built-in dining nook; tile through living space; large screened patio; ground floor unit; den/home office; carport; located in Grand Harbor – golf and social club memberships optional; vibrant clubhouse with dining, fitness center with trainers, golf pro shop, activity rooms and meeting space; clubhouse pool; neighborhood pool
- Listing agency: Alex MacWilliam Real Estate
- Listing agent: Diane De Francisci, 772-231-6509
- Listing price: $265,000
