I’ve seen a lot of homes for sale in Brevard County, but I haven’t been too impressed. Either they were overpriced, substandard, or in areas that I wouldn’t want to live in.

But, I noticed recently that a friend of mine lowered the price on his newly-built (never been lived in) home in Riviera Key.

I’m usually not a fan of the newer neighborhoods, but Riviera Key is a nice exception. The homes are nicely painted in a warm Florida style. My friend didn’t take the cheap route; he and his wife opted for some very nice upgrades when they had the home built.

It’s also a great-size for a young family or even a retired couple who would like an extra room for guests or an office. 1704 square feet. The problem with so many new homes is they are huge. Granted, I have six children, so I’m looking forward to buying a huge home one day, but most people with 2 or 3 children (or less!) hardly need more than 2000 square feet (living) - not unless they love to spend all day with the vacuum and the mop.

Another great thing is that the home is in a quiet area and is in a gated community. Again, I’m no fan of gated communities, but Riviera Key does it right. They are very humble in their approach. So many gated communities have such grandiose entrances to try and give their residents a sense of inflated importance, while at the same time giving visitors and passersby the feeling they are pond scum. I like Riviera Key’s approach; you have to visit it to see how low key and friendly the community is, while at the same time providing the security and comfort you would expect from a gated community.

You can literally walk right to nearby shopping, but not so close that you can hear trucks unloading freight (maybe a half-mile). There’s a great new elementary school right up the road that your elementary children can walk or bicycle to (that is, if you send your children to public school, which of course you know I would recommend against, but if you have to, it is one of the better public schools in the area). There is also a nice new park, Riviera Park, built by the city about a year ago right nearby as well, and includes a basketball court, a jogging trail, volleyball court, tennis court, and picnic tables and a pavilion, as well as a nice playground for children (no arsenic in the wood).

The home has been on the market for a few months at least, and although I know the real estate market has been stagnant lately, I’ve been surprised that this one hasn’t sold yet. My friend has had a few less-than-stellar offers (from people who couldn’t get financed and such), but nothing solid. With a nice little canal and woods behind the home, I don’t see how you could lose by buying the home - even as an investment! If I had the cash, I would have bought it yesterday.

See the home and construction pictures at:

http://www.melbourne-palm-bay-living.com/home-for-sale-in-florida.html

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