What do rapper Rick Ross, muscle man The Rock and Fleck Seal CEO Phil Swift have in common? All are involved in a low-key South Florida real estate game: Southwest Ranches.
Located just 22 miles outside of Miami and 25 miles from Fort Lauderdale in Broward County, Southwest Ranches is a low-density equestrian community that’s far easier on the gas tank than the hour-long, traffic-filled drive to Wellington.
But you don’t have to be a trick driver to appreciate the wide open spaces.
In August, Bill Weiland, owner of the nation’s largest natural foods brokerage, bought a property in Southwest Ranches for $15.4 million, a city record.
That same month, a pair of side-by-side mansions at 13000 and 13001 Levin Lane in the area hit the market asking a combined $54 million.
Owned by chiropractor Robert Levine and his twin brother Harley, the larger mansion is 17,000 square feet and includes seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, while the smaller home has 14,485 square feet, five bedrooms and six bathrooms.
Both are loaded with amenities and conveniences, and are being marketed by Jill Eber, Jon Mann and Jill Hertzberg of Coldwell Banker Realty, along with Kyle Sorrell of No Limit Real Estate.
“Southwest Ranches is a value proposition for extremely high net worth individuals,” said Miguel Serrano of Douglas Elliman, noting that despite the area’s rural character, it is close to three major international airports. “It’s Hamptons lifestyle in a little-known location, and thanks to strict preservation rules that prevent future overdevelopment, it’s going to stay that way.” The motto of the city is ‘The pavement stops here!’ ”
Serrano is currently selling the last available properties in Landmark Ranch Estates, the only private gated community in the area.
Developed by Landmark Custom Homes, it consists of 44 properties, ranging from 2 to 5 acres, featuring architectural plans by designers including Affinity Architects, Yates Associates Architecture, Maurice Menasche, Danni Sorogon and others.
Only five properties remain on the market, starting at $7.9 million and going up to… well, the sky’s the limit.
“A community like this will never be created in the ranches of the Southwest again,” says Rick Bell, owner of Landmark Custom Homes, which purchased the 150 acres of land nearly two decades ago, before the town’s incorporation (which allowed for the now-forbidden gated-style community where is a grandfather).
It’s pony time.
