Laura & Tana new
Laura Cole & Tana Gaskill
   561.758.8625             561.389.6838
      Illustrated Properties
 
              
Newsletter                            March, 2019

,

Spring has sprung, the birds are nesting and the orchids are in full bloom. The new Clubhouse is fantastic and we are enjoying the variety of dining venues and expanded facilities.  Especially popular is the live music Friday nights in Harry's Bar for dancing or just listening. 

Once again we feature another mouth-watering review from our favorite resident gourmet critic, Vicki Slotnick.  Be sure to read her marvelous review of Pho 16, her new special dining find!
 
And of course, don't forget to keep up with Real Estate Trends and property news in BallenIsles.  This month we reprint information on The Investor Program for renovating and flipping older properties.  It is a win-win-win for investors, buyers and the community.  Read all about it below. 

Regards from us, 
Laura & Tana


Featured Property
 
     
105 Orchid Cay Drive     
Enjoy golf views from this immaculate 3 bedroom plus library, 3 full bath home. A spacious foyer leads on to a large library with French doors. There is a separate formal dining room, a kitchen with tall white cabinetry and breakfast bar and a Great Room overlooking the patio and pool. The large master bedroom suite has 2 generous walk-in closets and a master bath with dual vanities, separate shower and bath.   Outside the open paver patio with heated pool and spa invite. Additional features include a golf cart garage and a water filtration system. Enjoy all the luxurious BallenIsles country club amenities including the fabulous newly opened Clubhouse with a required purchase of a sports equity ($95,000) membership! 
See all properties for Sale 


Restaurant Review
Pho 16 [Authentic Vietmanese Cuisine] - by Vicki Slotnick
 
Please don't let the 'cuisine' word in the name fool you. It does not connote fancy. What it will do is tell you that this is really good Vietnamese food, though far away from its geographical roots, and in an unfancy location. The atmosphere is really utilitarian, but clean, you can get away with wearing almost anything you want here, the service is fast, and most importantly, the food is great. Vietnamese cuisine employs fresh whole herbs, noodles [both wheat and rice], at least five kinds of proteins, and generous portions; read, you'll be full long before you will ever go broke. I have a lot of favorites here...the egg rolls [that may be called spring rolls elsewhere] are far superior, in my book, to typical Chinese egg rolls. These are delicate in taste and texture, with a thin, crispy wrapping, and it doesn't need to be dunked in sauce to make them taste just perfect. The spring rolls, [often called summer rolls elsewhere], are chock full of shrimp, cucumber, mint, mung bean sprouts [much tastier and sweeter than soybean sprouts] and thin rice noodles in a soft rice paper wrapper. YUM! And oh, the Vietnamese pancake! It is a crispy very thin omelet/turnover, hard to describe but very easy and delicious to eat. Oh, I almost forgot, do leave room for the Korean BBQ short ribs, for sure! The Pho in the restaurant's name refers to a soup that has a beef base broth and then is filled up with goodies such as the aforementioned proteins, herbs, veggies and such. Everything but the kitchen sink can be had in there, so choose wisely...there may be a few things you would pass on. Personally, I prefer the chicken based broth with my choice of throw-ins. Move on to the rice vermicelli noodle bowl with such veggies as: mung bean sprouts, mint, pickled carrot, peanuts, and scallions. I love the pork or the shrimp in my vermicelli bowl as well. Then I dump the entire bowl of sweet "fish" sauce over the entire noodle mix, and toss well, and then...we all just dig in our chopsticks and knock ourselves out! I hope you like PHO 16 as much as I do. Your feedback is always welcome.
 
Pho 16
2905 North Military Trail, Suite E
West Palm Beach, FL
561-471-0901

REAL ESTATE TRENDS BI moongate
BallenIsles Sales

The BallenIsles Country Club board of directors instituted a plan for investors to move forward with renovations and resale under attractive conditions. It encourages updating of our aging housing inventory and Buyers love to find a home that is "move-in" ready.  We would be happy to share details; give us a call. 
 
Recent Sales have been boosted with a new tax code for 2019 , the interest from Northern buyers is strong.  We believe that for quality properties, in the most desirable locations, with limited repairs or renovations necessary, and sellers who are prepared to "right price" their properties and ready to move quickly if a reasonable offer is proffered, this is an excellent time to take action.  

 
BALLENISLES SALES YTD*   
 
#
ADDRESS
BR
BA
    SOLD $
    ORIG. $
   DATE
MKT TIME
1
19 BERMUDA LAKE DRIVE
4
4
   $712,000
   $795,000
01/03/2019
89
2
164 WINDWARD DRIVE
3
2.5
   $607,500
   $649,000
01/04/2019
52
3
1108 CRYSTAL DSRIVE
3
3.0
   $490,000
   $575,000
01/09/2019
37
4
167 ORCHID CAY DRIVE
3
4.0
   $362,500
   $475,000
01/24/2019
630
5
119 EMERALD KEY LANE
4
4.0
   $775,000
   $797,000
01/28/2019
8
6
285 ISLE DRIVE
3
3.0
   $349,000
   $349,000
01/30/2019
17
7
313 GRAND KEY TERRACE
7
7.5
$2,300,000
$2,695,000
02/15/2019
40
8
132 ISLE DRIVE
3
3.0
   $250,000
   $329,000
02/22/2019
152
9
121B PALM BAY TERRACE
3
2.0
$350,000
   $389,000
02.22.2019
451
10
29 SAINT GEORGE PLACE
5
5.5
$1,400,000
$1,599,000
02/28/2019
285
11
122 SUNSET BAY DRIVE
3
2.5
   $525,000
   $549,000
02/28/2019
27
  
*This representation is based on data supplied by the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches or its Multiple Listing Services thru 03/07/2019.    
Laura Cole & Tana Gaskill
561.758.8625      561.389.6838

Real Service... Real Results