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You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find the perfect house in Lakewood Ranch.
Melanie Hamrick, a former ballerina with American Ballet Theatre and current girlfriend of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, has bought a home in The Lake Club. The luxury neighborhood is part of Lakewood Ranch, a master-planned community in Manatee and Sarasota counties.
Tina Ciaccio, a real estate agent with Sarasota-based Michael Saunders & Co. represented the property at 15809 Clearlake Ave. The four-bedroom estate is in a gated community on a .35-acre peninsula lot with lake views. It sold for $1.98 million on Oct. 28. Christine Spelman, of Re/Max Alliance Group in University Park represented the buyer.
Ciaccio tells Coffee Talk the property’s privacy was a key element that attracted Jagger and Hamrick. Aerial shots showcased the peninsular lot, and a security detail came over to vet the property, she says. “When they come, security is an issue,” says Ciaccio, who adds that the couple has a four-year-old boy together. “They needed the right layout and lot. This house solved both issues for them.”
The layout allows Jagger to enter and exit the property without being seen, she says. “Couple that with the privacy of the lot,” says Ciaccio. “The way it’s positioned, it’s very secure, and The Lake Club is so private.”
Another plus? There was no golf course outside their door. If there had been, golfers could peek inside the house, something Ciaccio says the couple definitely wanted to avoid.
The deal has been in the works since the fall, and since then, privacy surrounding the transaction has been paramount. “We kept this under wraps since September,” says Ciaccio. “Discretion was key.”
That changed when celebrity news website Page Six from the New York Post and other outlets reported the sale, purchased in Hamrick’s name. At that point, there was no way to keep the purchase private.
The Lakewood Ranch area is on their radar screens because Hamrick’s mother lives in Bradenton, Ciaccio says. The proximity to family was a driving force behind the buy.
During the pandemic, Ciaccio has given several potential buyers virtual tours, and this sale was no exception. “They did do a FaceTime appointment to see the home itself,” she says.
This wasn’t the first luxury home she’s sold virtually, either. In recent months, Ciaccio sold a listing in The Concession in Bradenton, without the buyers making an in-person visit. The 3D photos of the property helped seal that $1.8 million deal.
For buyers of every level, including luxury buyers and celebrity clientele, buying a house virtually isn’t necessarily a less favorable option. “I’ve been told that sometimes you get more information through the virtual,” says Ciaccio. “You can see through nooks and crannies. You can get more dialed in and specific. And it keeps everyone safe.”
According to Ciaccio, Jagger and Hamrick have already spent some time at their Lakewood Ranch home. “Lakewood Ranch definitely has a broader appeal,” she says. “It’s a nice getaway.”
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