...this one really is!

As a Commercial Agent, I usually do not take residential listings.  I refer them to Residential agents, but not this time.  This is for real, a one of a kind house!  Willing to stack my reputation on that comment!

The homeowners designed and built this 4412 total square foot house with a large number of surprises at each turn.  The large kitchen has plenty of storage with a huge tiled island.  The island has a cook top and plenty of seating for entertaining or family dining.  The one of a kind element in the kitchen is a 1 1/2 story tall working waterfall.

The stair rails were designed and installed by Bob Rauschenberg, a local artist with a world reknown reputation.  The Art Gallery at the local college is dedicated to this famous artist.  There are two railings, one going to the upstairs bedrooms and the other off the back deck.

Wait, speaking of the back deck....On the second floor there are several sliding doors that open to a decorative walkway.  The walkway leads to several different private patio tiers.  Each patio can be used for entertaining, relaxing or rooftop gardens.  Each have their own privacy walls.  What makes this possible?  The entire house is made from poured concrete!  This adds strength, stability and if needed, hurricane protection.  BTW, hurricanes are just a rumor to keep people from moving here!

The house surrounds a courtyard with plenty of room for a pool.  As a matter of fact, a pool was part of the original plan so all the water and electrical components are in place.  One of the bathrooms is also designed to become the pool bath.

The Master bedroom is on the first floor and the other two bedrooms are upstairs.  The Master is huge with plenty of storage, a walk-in closet, a soaking tub and a Romanesque sink.  The sink is specially designed after a sink the owner saw while traveling overseas.  

The garage has two overhead doors, one on each side, making it a drive through garage.  Water hook-ups are in the garage to add a bathroom and shower for the person wanting to turn this area into a workshop.

This home has many more extras that need to be experienced.  It is located in the very desirable McGregor Boulevard area of Fort Myers, just down the street from the Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates in the Historical District.  Close to shopping and Downtown entertainment, but still in a very quiet neighborhood.  Perfect for any professional who can appreciate a home that is also a sculpture with surprises around every turn.

I have plenty of pictures to show this house off, but the best way to get the true feel of this house is to come experience it for yourself!  Call me or send me an email with the subject - "Truly Unique Home".

It has been almost 100 years since Thomas Edison decided to make Fort Myers his own winter retreat and build a classical Florida home along McGregor:

Thomas Edison & Ford Winter Estates . Since then this renowned area near 2350 McGregor Boulevard, Fort Myers 33901 is known as the Edison Park and part of The Historical District of Fort Myers.And yes living in such an area is affordable. prices start in the low to mid $100’s.

Fort Myers owes much to Edison and Ford. Among a few: he was the first to have a swimming pool in 1910, electric light bulbs of course, the beautifying of Fort Myers with the majestic royal palms along our boulevards, ergo the name the City Of Palms,exotic and glorious plants, ….and above all with Ford they put Fort Myers on the map for good.Surprisingly living next to Thomas Edison’s home cost much less then one would think:   Historic District homes

   Since then many are drawn to this Historical area of Fort Myers which includes also such subdivision as Dean Park with its rich mix of different European architecture and Downtown Fort Myers or The River District:

The River District 

Below is a link of homes for sale in  Historic Edison Park and Dean Park:

Edison and Dean Park homes .

This link will be available for 30 days only. If for some reason you missed the dead line contact LLoyd at realtorlloydn@aol.com .This area is worth a closer look.

Happy Hunting!

LLoyd Nichols
Right Choice Realty LLC
cell: 239-810-2980
office: 239-463-5217
Activerain Local Blog: http://localism.com/neighbor/lloydn
Active Rain Blog: http://activerain.com/lloydn
Website: http://www.mlsouthwestfloridahomes.com
Search the MLS in Southwest Florida
Listingbook: http://lloydnswfloridahomes.listingbook.com/

Located in one of the prime area of the Fort Myers Historic District near the homes of Edison and Ford, this vintage historic home build in 1925 offers quality of craftsmanship within a classic Cape Code architectural design and an Old  Florida flair.

It has an oversized lot of over a third of an acre, with a depth of around 160 feet.Don't let the age fool you. It has a full modern bathroom and kitchen and a separate cottage which could be used for visitors or income. Perfect for an investor or a new homesteader.

The wood floors are original and it boots a fireplace, granite counter tops, crown molding an a Jacuzzi tub. It has all the comfort of a modern home within a historic home.

This home is my one of pick for one of the more interesting foreclosures along the historic district of Fort Myers.This Fort Myers foreclosure 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.At an asking price of $258,000 I wouldn't think that it would stay long on this market.Remember we are talking about over 2100 square feet in a prime area.

For more information about this beautiful home contact me at 239-810-2980 or e-mail me at realtorlloyd@aol.com. I'll be glad to get you more data or show you this beauty.

Happy Hunting!

LLoyd Nichols
Right Choice Realty LLC
cell: 239-810-2980
office: 239-463-5217
Active Rain Blog: http://activerain.com/lloydn
Website: http://www.mlsouthwestfloridahomes.com
Website Blog: http://ftmyershomesandgardens.blogspot.com/
Search the MLS in Southwest Florida

   It was past due time. I have been living in Florida since 1990, have seen countless palms and still can name only a hand full.Well maybe a few more. I should care. After all I live in the "City of Palms" the nickname for Fort Myers. To be fair in the XIX century it was then known as "cow town" before Edison and Ford put it more on the map in the 1880's. Much nicer name.  So I should know a few names of palm trees. I don't know that many and haven't lost any sleep over it, but lately I had an epiphany.  

                  Coconut Palm - my favorite - Hemingway loved to mix the milk with rum. Many do. I like it straight. 

Calling palm trees "coochie coo" and any other palm tree simply..palm... is not very satisfying. I could make up latin words, as the figusclaremia palmus and probably get away with it because I took Latin. Actually was forced to learn it. Very painful to learn a dead language when you are a kid. But that does not work ethically, I have this thing about truth and honesty and all that stuff. Very annoying. Moving on. Lets focus on Palms. on the "City of Palms".

cabbage palm, palmetto  

Maybe I figured that the saying by that dude Aristotle:" the more you know, the less you know" is a good reason to learn less. By deduction I know more because Aristotle said so.I know the royal palm, the Cabbage palm tree,which can be found all over the nurseries of Pine Island and is also called Palmetto palm is Florida State Tree, Sabal tree, Royal Palmof course, The Queen Palm because I found them kinda fugly unless you trim them regularly, The areca palm I know because its a lovely fluffy  mess of intertwining palms and has these bamboo like stems. It is actually very attractive.  

Royal Palms near famed Mcgregor Blvd.     

    But where did we get the name "City of Palms" from? I knew it had to do with the Edison family. What the heck, as a Fort Myers RealtorI had to take the tour of the Edison Estate and found out. Anyway I like homes and landscaping, which is a good thing in my profession.So it all made sense. In the late 1880's Thomas and Tootie Edison imported the great Royal Palm which can go as high as 75 feet and started planting them along Riverside Drive later called Mcgregor Blvd.It is now one of the most beautiful boulevard I have ever seen.  Don't ask me to learn the Latin version of the palm trees. There are probably 100's of different palms.   

  LLoyd Nichols
Right Choice Realty LLC
6360 Presidential Court, Suite 4
Fort Myers, FL 33919

cell: 239-810-2980
Fax: 239-463-4826
home office: 239-463-5217

Active Rain Blog: http://activerain.com/lloydn
Website: http://www.mlsouthwestfloridahomes.com
Website Blog:http://ftmyershomesandgardens.blogspot.com/

There was a rumor floating around the last few weeks, that the Boston Red Sox were going to change their spring training home from Fort Myers to Sarasota.  As I lived in Massachusetts for several years and my wife is from the Salem area of Massachusetts, I have become a big Red Sox fan over the past few years, even the lean years when it looked like they were never going to win it all. 

If this rumor was true, not only it be personally disappionting for me, but the City of Fort Myers, Lee County, would most certainly lose significant revenue.  The Red Sox have become a big ticket item, partifually since their winning the World Series in 2004 and then again last year.

Now it appers that the Red Sox will stay in Fort Myers.  Good news for everybody. 

Below is a link of homes of interest located within easy driving distance of the City of Palms Park, the Spring Home of the Boston Red Sox, ranging from $134K to $300K, around and near the Fort Myers Historic District Area and Mc Gregor Blvd, a beautiful area. 

 View Listings

      $259K 4/2 with 2,558 SF located between McGregor Blvd and Caloosahatchee River.Great location. Check View listins Link below.

View Listings

 1952 Traditional home near Mc Gregor Blvd with extensive remodeling with 2540 square feet and 100 x 114 decent size lot. Great area. Look also for details in the link below. Have any questions regarding Fort Myers homes,  homes in Historical Fort Myers and Lee County in general? I am listening.Some are Fort Myers short sales.

View Listings

 LLoyd Nichols
Right Choice Realty LLC
6360 Presidential Court, Suite 4
Fort Myers, FL 33919

cell: 239-810-2980
Fax: 239-463-4826
home office: 239-463-5217

Active Rain Blog: http://activerain.com/lloydn
Website: http://www.mlsouthwestfloridahomes.com
Website Blog: http://ftmyershomesandgardens.blogspot.com/

   While driving along the Historic District in Fort Myers, Lee County,  a few mailboxes caught my eye. Compare to the ones in Fort Myers Beach or along the famed Hickory blvd in Bonita Springs, where you might see a dolphin mailbox and next to it a formal black box with gold numbers on it, the Historic District has its own tune.

  This red brick mail box with the slick steel opening stands out.But is it the right mailbox for that home?Luckily its home is quite grandiose and does not look out of proportion. Its solid for sure and says: "now you have entered a unique and expensive home" but it also gives an impression of strength and timeless decorum.It remind me of that town I used to live in MA called Manchester-by-the-Sea, where some of the estates had brick mailboxes. Perhaps the ideal would be the same design but less wide. To each his own.

Perhaps this one is less grandiose but the simplicity of the lines may work better.The problem? The house is nothing special, Its a decent home mind you, but a ranch type home.So is it the wrong box? Probably. Nice looking though.

The house of this mailbox is quite large and a sort of modern Key West frame home.Elegant. Would cement balusters make sense with a Old Florida style home? I like the imagination. I like the box itself but "what where they thinking?" " does it matter?" You have to gave them an A for effort.It has an odd elegance that has nothing to do with the style of the home.We do know that the sun is strong in Florida and may affect one's judgement. Perhaps its ugly pretty.

The flowers are a nice touch but does it look like an heron with a box on top or does it work? I am not sure about the skinny legs. Its not bad looking.Simple and in need of a juicy burger.

 The local purple flowers are great.The box is made of aluminium but the rest is made of plastic. Would you think that a 4 x 4 treated wood or teak would be better and warmer? Well lets not be picky, its looks pretty good.

The home at 1386 in the Historic District has a Mediterranean architecture and its quite appealing.Sometimes some rust has some appeal but this one is odd, they seem to have the fancy number sign and green steel post and clashing against it is the rust bucket.Was it done on purpose and is their lucky charm?

  There is no question that mail boxes have an important role in the curb appeal of a property. Do they matter? I think they do. They are also a way for the owners to demonstrate a facet of their personality, how proud they are of their home or they may just say " this is what I like and I don't care what you think"

LLoyd Nichols
Real Estate Network Services
6360 Presidential Court, suite 4
Fort Myers , Florida 33919
cell: 239-810-2980
fax: 239-463-4826


web site: http://www.mlsouthwestfloridahomes.com/
Real Estate Blog: http://activerain.com/lloydn