Palm Beach Post

Enjoying life at Landmark at the Gardens

The Landmark isn't just any South Florida condo. It's a South Florida-style high-rise condominium that receives praise of the highest order from residents and visitors: It's both like a hotel and like a single-family home.

The resort feel comes from driving up to the 24-hour valet, stepping into the lobby with its 24-hour concierge desk or enjoying the pool, patios and views of the nearby lake.

Just ask Lisa Beers' grandkids, who hated the fact that she sold her house in Jupiter but have come to appreciate her Landmark condo. "They love it," she says. "They said, 'Oh, it's like you live in a hotel.' "

The homey feeling comes from stepping into a two- or three-bedroom condo with 1,800 to 2,500 square feet, high ceilings and top-of-the-line finishes.

Just ask Lew and Nancy Coco, who moved from Austin, Texas, after making an on-the-spot offer for their unit. "You feel like you're walking into a single-family home," Lew Coco says. Adds Nancy: "You don't get that condo feel so much."

Built in 2007, The Landmark's smaller size allows for cozy luxury. With 166 units in three towers (two are 15 stories, one is 17), residents get personal care and grow to know and truly appreciate the staff, they say.

Buyers love the concierge-style living, real estate agents say, that also allows pets, provides top amenities and sits in a central spot a short walk from Downtown at the Gardens and near The Gardens Mall.

"It draws people who like the turnkey aspect and the location," says Kelly Martin of Corcoran Realty. Martin and fellow agent Joan Masaitis are working to sell the Landmark's 22 remaining original condos.

With those units, buyers can choose from furnished models, move-in-ready models or "decorator-ready" models, which need flooring, baseboards and paint although the kitchens and bathrooms are complete.

Prices range from $389,000 for a two-bedroom, 1,870-square foot unit to $599,000 for a furnished three-bedroom, 2,300-square foot model. Two of the building's eight penthouses recently sold for $1.19 million each, bringing total sales of new units this year to 14, Martin says. The final penthouse is under contract.

Resale prices range from $319,000 to $650,000, says Laura Giambona, a Realtor with Boca Executive Realty who has lived in The Landmark since it opened in 2007.

In the past 11 months, she's seen property values rise at Landmark. Buyers like it for the same reasons she does, she says.
"The full services, the location - with Downtown and the mall, Whole Foods," she says. "You can just jump on 95 and get wherever you're going. And they think it's a beautiful building."

Aside from the well-appointed individual units with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, private terraces and gourmet kitchens, the large common areas and many amenities also entice buyers, agents say.

A putting green and bocce ball court join the more standard features, including a heated pool, fitness center, theater room, game room, outdoor barbecue area and sun deck. Residents can reserve any of the spaces, free of charge, for private gatherings.
Monthly maintenance fees are based on square footage, ranging from about $1,150 to $1,600 for most units. The large penthouses pay $1,895 to $3,115. Those fees cover the building staff, insurance, water, sewer, trash, television, association costs and reserves.

Zoned public schools for kids in the building are A-rated Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary and B-rated H.L. Watkins Middle and William T. Dwyer High.

Ultimately, buyers like it for everything it offers, agents say.

"What I wanted was a carefree luxury and lifestyle," Giambona says. "And that's what they've delivered here."

LISA BEERS

HER HOME: A 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom condo with about 2,500 square feet of living space, plus a large terrace
WHEN SHE MOVED IN: mid-May
HOW MUCH SHE PAID: $489,900
CURRENT VALUE(from Zillow.com): $481,000 (Note: Zillow numbers are estimates and do not always represent true market value.)
WHY SHE LOVES IT: Lisa remembers seeing the Landmark being built. Back then, she says she "truly gave it no thought." She and her husband had spent many happy years living in a large home in the Loxahatchee Club, a full-service golf community in Jupiter.
But after her husband died, Beers eventually decided she didn't need the big house, the pool or to live in the golf community. Because she works full time and travels often, however, she did still want 24-hour-a-day service. She didn't find many options, particularly because she didn't want to go to Palm Beach. She wanted to stay close to friends and activities at the Loxahatchee Club. Beers started visiting the Landmark and other properties before she even listed her home for sale. In the end, she kept coming back to the Landmark, she says. Her favorite thing about the building today is its location: close to her friends at the Loxahatchee Club, convenient to the airport and walking distance to Downtown at the Gardens with all its shops and restaurants.

Of course, she loves the service and amenities, too. She works out in the gym five days a week, swims laps in the pool right outside the gym and appreciates the hardworking and friendly staff who make it easy for her to travel. And she loves her home, where she converted one bedroom into her office, and enjoys a private balcony with ocean views. She even likes the view of the mall, which she worried about before she bought. "It's more than OK," she says. "At night, the lights are gorgeous."

It took three months to get her home ready to move into after she bought it. During that time, she stayed at the Loxahatchee Club. Now, she couldn't be happier, she says. "I have the best of all worlds," she says.

LEW and NANCY COCO

THEIR HOME: A 3-bedroom, 3-bath condo, with about 2,300 square feet, plus about 1,200 square feet of patio because they're on the first floor.

WHEN THEY MOVED IN: May

HOW MUCH THEY PAID: $570,000 for the sales model, which included many upgrades

CURRENT VALUE (from Zillow.com): $493,000 (Note: Zillow numbers are estimates and do not always represent true market value.)

WHY THEY LOVE IT: Lew and Nancy love the service at the Landmark. "The one thing that I've found here that far exceeded anything we've had in the past is the level of service," says Lew, referring to the 24-hour valet, security and concierge service. "The amenities, you don't really expect and when you get them they really add to a real sense of fine living."

But it isn't simply the service. It's the people providing it. "Every staff person, to a person, is always pleasant," says Nancy. "They know how to balance it, without being intrusive. They're just helpful, if you want it."

The Cocos moved to The Landmark, despite their original plans to buy a place on the water, from Austin, Texas. They started looking in Jupiter until Lew's brother, who lives in West Palm Beach, mentioned the Landmark. They stopped by, and that was it, they say.
"We walked in and walked into this unit, and we made an offer on the spot," Lew says. (They bought the former sales unit.) They knew enough about the building that they felt confident in that decision. "The total package was here," Lew says. "The value that I saw here versus some of the other locations and just the greeting you got when you walked in. It just gave you kind of a warm and fuzzy feeling." The condo gave them a great feeling, too, with its foyer that feels like a single-family home and its high ceilings and its "beautiful site lines" from the patio. The Cocos can see the lake, watch the birds, check out downtown, all without seeing other people. And Nancy, who really wanted that place on the water, doesn't mind the 10- minute drive to their favorite Jupiter beach.

"I guess I'm on the water, but it's a pond," she says, laughing. "It's beautiful." Nancy, a retired professional chef, and Lew, who owns an industrial textiles company, also enjoy their location for its access to restaurants and ingredients for Nancy's cooking, along with other activities. "It gets very active," Nancy says. "You're never bored. There's always something to do."

> View printed article