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A Look Inside the Most Expensive Home for Sale in Bal Harbour, Florida

Lifestyle Production Group / The Jills Zeder Group
  • Villa Magnolia has a $35 million asking price, which makes it the most expensive single-family home for sale in the exclusive Bal Harbour Village section of Miami Beach.
  • The two-story residence has eight bedrooms, 11 baths and more than 12,800 square feet of living space.
  • The listing agent, Jill Hertzberg of The Jills Zeder Group, said its location helps to make it so valuable. It was built on the northern tip of Miami Beach, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Biscayne Bay.
  • Its gated community has its own police force.

The most expensive single-family home for sale in the exclusive Bal Harbour Village section of Miami Beach is called Villa Magnolia, and it has an asking price of $35 million.

The two-story residence at 182 Bal Bay Drive includes eight bedrooms, 11 baths and more than 12,800 square feet of living space, according to listing agent Jill Hertzberg of The Jills Zeder Group.

Hertzberg told CNBC there are several reasons the property should command the top price tag in the area, "the main one being location, location, location."

Villa Magnolia's mansion gate and brick driveway.
Lifestyle Production Group / The Jills Zeder Group
Villa Magnolia's mansion gate and brick driveway.

The estate was built on the northern tip of Miami Beach, inside a gated community nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay. The exclusive neighborhood includes its own police force and a marina. 

Villa Magnolia's living room.
Photo: Luis Travieso
Villa Magnolia's living room.

Villa Magnolia's asking price puts the home's price per square foot north of $2,900. For comparison, in the fourth quarter of 2020, the average single-family home in the Miami Beach-Barrier Island area sold for about $3.79 million with an average price per square foot of $1,047, according to the Elliman Report's luxury real estate data. That places Villa Magnolia at the very top of the market with a price per square foot that's 277% above average.

Villa Magnolia's vaulted ceilings and column-filled halls.
Photo: Luis Travieso
Villa Magnolia's vaulted ceilings and column-filled halls.

Hertzberg described Villa Magnolia as "a modern neoclassical-style home." It features classical elements such as columns, coffered ceilings and hand-crafted stone throughout.

Villa Magnolia's water frontage spans 221 ft.
Lifestyle Production Group / The Jills Zeder Group
Villa Magnolia's water frontage spans 221 ft.

One of the home's biggest selling points, according to Hertzberg, is its 221 feet of water frontage in its backyard.

There you'll also find a one-story waterfall. The press of a button sends water cascading from an infinity pool on a second-floor terrace into the main pool overlooking Miami's Biscayne Bay.

182 Bal Bay, Bal Harbour, FL
Image source: Luis Travieso
182 Bal Bay, Bal Harbour, FL

Its waterfront includes 100 feet of dockage clad in white stone. 

Inside, the home is equally impressive. Here is a look:

Dining room with Fendi designed furnishings.
Photo: Luis Travieso
Dining room with Fendi designed furnishings.

The home is being sold fully furnished and much of its furniture was designed by Fendi. The Italian-made dining table, pictured here, seats 16.

Hanging at the head of the table is an image of Marilyn Monroe that can be set in motion by remote control to reveal a flat-panel TV.  

Owner's suite
Photo: Luis Travieso
Owner's suite

The owner's suite has a king-size bed with headboard and trim upholstered in white crocodile skin.

Off the owner's suite is a terrace and infinity pool.
Photo: Luis Travieso
Off the owner's suite is a terrace and infinity pool.

Off the owner's bedroom is a terrace and infinity pool.

The stunning closet has floor-to-ceiling mirrors.
Photo: Luis Travieso
The stunning closet has floor-to-ceiling mirrors.

The "her's closet" has floor-to-ceiling mirrors and includes its own terrace.

Photo: Luis Travieso
The "his" bath features a floating onyx vanity.

The "his bath" features a floating onyx vanity illuminated by lighting embedded beneath the stone.  

Villa Magnolia has a cinema with walls lined in black alpaca fleece.
Photo: Luis Travieso
Villa Magnolia has a cinema with walls lined in black alpaca fleece.

The cinema room walls are lined with black alpaca fleece. Surround-sound speakers are built into its walls and hidden behind custom-framed movie posters.

Villa Magnolia's kitchen includes a 750-gallon saltwater fish tank.
Photo: Luis Travieso
Villa Magnolia's kitchen includes a 750-gallon saltwater fish tank.

And while Villa Magnolia is the most expensive mansion for sale in Bal Harbour, it is not the most expensive property for sale in the village.

"A 1.8-acre waterfront parcel at 200 Bal Bay Drive was recently listed for $65 million," Hertzberg said.

The $65 million lot of land at 200 Bal Bay Drive does not include a home.
Lifestyle Production Group / Douglas Elliman
The $65 million lot of land at 200 Bal Bay Drive does not include a home.

The waterfront lot, listed by Douglas Elliman, is 80,000 square feet and does not include a home. It's located on the same street as Villa Magnolia and is just down the road from the most expensive home ever sold in the community at 224 Bal Bay. That property fetched $24 million in 2019.

The pool and waterfront view at 224 Bal Bay Drive.
Photo: Lifestyle Production Group
The pool and waterfront view at 224 Bal Bay Drive.

By comparison, Villa Magnolia has more square footage, a larger lot, double the water frontage, plus it's being offered turn-key with all the designer furnishings, Herzberg said.

182 Bal Bay Drive, Bal Harbour
Lifestyle Production Group / The Jills Zeder Group
182 Bal Bay Drive, Bal Harbour

Although Covid-19 prevented in-person showings of Villa Magnolia for about a month, there has been a dramatic increase in demand through the pandemic and it led to a record-breaking year, Hertzberg said.

"In 2020, our team, The Jills Zeder Group, exceeded $1 billion in sales," she said.

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