Sunday, December 14, 2008

Frank Malowany's Latest Luxury Listing in the Old Northeast is Featured in Hollywood Film

Frank Malowany's latest multi-million dollar luxury listing in St. Petersburg's Historic Old Northeast district is the scene for Hollywood movie being shot in the Tampa Bay area. The $4.5 million dollar, Tudor style mansion is one of the most unique and best known homes in the Old Northeast and on Coffee Pot Bayou. The luxury waterfront mansion features 7 bedrooms, 8.5 baths, over 8500 square feet of living space, three docks, pool, and an adjacent lot suitable for building a guest home and/or tennis courts. The property and film were featured in this Sunday's edition of the St. Petersburg Times. The complete article by staff writer Stephanie Garry can be read below.

For more information on this property or any others. Please contact Frank Malowany directly at 727.432.1176.

ST. PETERSBURG -- St. Petersburg Times - Sunday, December 14, 2008 - by Staff Writer Stephanie Garry.

Out on the bay, two kayakers are paddling. Along Coffee Pot Boulevard, an elderly woman whirs by in a motorized scooter. Cars stream past a Tudor house, the people inside gawking at the lights and cameras and crew.

"This is the Hudson," electrician Matt Darwin, 30, jokes, nodding at the bay.
"I thought it was the East River," replies Jayson Matteucci, 32.

Yes, onlookers, it's what you think it is. These people are making a real movie, and what's more, a film set in the Northeast — theoretically, New York. Shot right here in sunny St. Petersburg.

Granted, it's a low-budget independent feature that's more likely to land at your local Blockbuster than your local theater.

But it has all the parts: a fedora-topped director yelling "Cut!", a skinny actress balancing on high-heeled boots, and a film student asking, "Have you been fed?"

"It's a big production," said producer Cliff Gephardt, 38, of St. Petersburg. "It's not two guys with a Handycam."

The film is called Prime of Your Life, a romance/comedy/drama about a woman who finds herself through a series of cons with a man she met at a friend's funeral.

Nicole Abisinio, executive producer and an actor in the movie, hatched the idea of filming in Florida after reading 200 scripts and falling in love with Prime three years ago.

Originally from Sarasota, she wanted to prove that Florida could compete with Western states as a movie-making destination. She said Florida doesn't offer the tax incentives that other states use to lure film crews.

That the film needed a New York aura didn't stop them. They've been shooting at places around Tampa Bay that have an urban feel: Bella Brava, Munch's Restaurant, the Garden restaurant and bar, Sarasota's News and Books, a Clearwater pawn shop, the bus stop by Williams Park.

For Saturday's scene, they were at Dan Richardson's $3.5-million Tudor-style mansion, a stately brick structure that evoked cold weather climes.

The cameramen tried to avoid shooting the palm trees. Abisinio wore a fluffy, fur-lined coat as the lead character alongside Ryan Donowho, formerly of The OC. Working in a chilly breeze, Abisinio said, "it still beats filming in zero degrees all the time."

Richardson, 57, snapped photos of the hubbub and showed pictures of the original house, built in 1924, to admiring neighbors.

Pausing from practicing a scene, Donowho stood still as a woman with long curly hair showered him with hair spray.

He's not quite sure what cities he's been to in the whirlwind production. They've shot for about 21/2 weeks and have another week planned.

"I just kind of wake up and go where they tell me to go," Donowho said.

He has lived in New York for a decade and figures there are enough people who know the city to spot any anomalies. The producers hope the film will be the last word to convince the skeptics.

Behind a red brick wall, director Kelly King watched the scene play out on a flat-screen monitor. The crew ducked down as filming began. Scene 65. Take 2. Snap!

The couple walks out of the house, flirting and fighting, for the umpteenth time that day. They get in the car and slam the doors.

"Cut! Thank you," the director shouted.

Stephanie Garry can be reached at (727) 892-2374 or sgarry@sptimes.com.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Island Profile for the Island Reporter, Frank Malowany Group

ISLAND PROFILE, By Isabel Caruso

The Real Estate market has faced challenging times in the last few years, but you would never know it when talking to Frank Malowany of Smith and Associates Real Estate. In 2008 he made national news by selling the most expensive property ever sold in Pinellas County, a multi-million dollar estate in Belleair. Since 1983, Frank has specialized in representing clients in the purchase and sale of waterfront estates everywhere from Snell Isle, the Old Northeast, Tierra Verde, and Belleair Bluffs, to new multi-million dollar luxury condominiums in downtown St. Petersburg, Clearwater and St. Pete Beach. As one of Tampa Bay's leading Realtors®, Frank Malowany continually focuses on results, enabling his clients to make sound business decisions and achieve their desired goals.

Originally from New Jersey, Frank graduated from University of South Florida, with a degree in accounting. He founded Snell Isle Realty and later incorporated St. Petersburg Realty. Following the sale of Snell Isle Realty, he helped launch the Smith & Associates office in St. Petersburg. Between his list of contacts, vast knowledge of the Tampa Bay market and affiliations with numerous clubs and charitable organizations, he is unsurpassed locally.

This year Malowany decided it was time to expand and enhance his services by inviting two other Realtors, Rebecca Lemmon and Isabel Caruso to join him in creating The Frank Malowany Group. “The Group’s goals”, Frank states, “are to continue providing Luxury marketing and up to date trend analysis in our challenging times in order to educate and encourage the clients who are on the fence about purchasing. Trends point to the Tampa Bay area as being one of the best situated locations nationally for a turnaround. We are prepping for that in different ways, such as beefing up our Internet presence, instituting a blog (Tampa Bay Wealth and Luxury Real Estate) and being the leading experts in this market.”

Rebecca Lemmon is a resident of St. Petersburg and is licensed in both Florida and Virginia. She is a graduate of Florida State University and earned her Master's Degree from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Her background is in the sale of luxury waterfront homes, historic estates, land development, and property management. Rebecca’s focus is on the development and management of web based marketing for all of the Malowany Group’s clients. She covers the areas of Northeast and downtown St. Petersburg as well as Tampa. Rebecca has received numerous awards for sales excellence over the years. She is involved in various charitable and arts organizations and is an avid triathlete.

A Philly native, Isabel Caruso has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. After many years as a clinician, she wanted to do something different. At the urging of a good friend and top producing Realtor, Isabel joined an extremely successful Real Estate office in Philadelphia. It didn’t take long to see the similarities with psychology, as she continues to help people solve problems and reach their goals. In 2005, Isabel moved to Tierra Verde and joined Smith and Associates Real Estate, where in 2007, she received the Mary Smith Conover Award, given in recognition for outstanding client service. Isabel specializes in the Gulf Beach areas and downtown St. Petersburg.

From luxury to traditional homes, the Frank Malowany Group can meet every consumer’s needs and now has the ability to be in more than one place at a time! Go to the website:
www.Tampa-BayRealty.com, or call 727-772-3997 to get more information.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Tampa Bay's Top 20 Luxury Listings

Top 20 Luxury Home Listings in Tampa Bay for October 18, 2008.

Pinellas County:
  1. 220 Gulf Boulevard, Belleair Beach, FL: $10,500,000
  2. 774 Nina Drive, Tierra Verde, FL: $10,000,000
  3. 950 Park Street N, Jungle Shores, St. Petersburg, FL: $9,400,000
  4. 2187 Oceanview Drive, Tierra Verde, FL: $8,500,000
  5. 3702 El Centro Street, Don Ce Sar Place, St. Pete Beach, FL: $6,900,000
  6. 1154 Mandalay Point Road, Mandalay Point, Clearwater, FL: $6,490,000
  7. 415 Saint Andrews Drive, Belleview Island, Belleair, FL: $5,990,000
  8. 1100 Druid Road W, Harbor Oaks, Clearwater, FL: $5,950,000
  9. 850 Pinellas Point Drive, Pinellas Point/Skyway, St. Petersburg, FL: $5,850,000
  10. 308 Harbor View Lane, Harbor Bluffs, Largo, FL: $5,605,000

Hillsborough County:
  1. 706 Guisando de Avila, Avila, Tampa, FL - $25,000,000
  2. 3850 Knights Griffin Road, Plant City, FL - $11,000,000
  3. 6208 Bayshore Boulevard, Tampa, FL - $10,000,000
  4. 5138 Longfellow Avenue W, Sunset Park Isles, Tampa, FL - $8,900,000
  5. 332 Blanca Avenue, Davis Island, Tampa, FL- $6,200,000
  6. 100 Martinique Avenue, Avila, Tampa, FL - $5,900,000
  7. 901 Palacio de Avila Avenue, Avila, Tampa, FL- $5,850,000
  8. 1901 Oakmont Avenue South, St. Andrews Park, Tampa, FL - $5,785,000
  9. 5225 Nichol Street S, Jules Verne Park, Tampa, FL - $5,700,000
  10. 310 Blanca Lane, Davis Island, Tampa, FL - $5,250,000




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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Making a Big Splash, 18,000 Square Foot Waterfront Home Open for Public Tours

Saturday's edition of the St. Petersburg Times published the following article on the unveilling of Villa Terranova, the newest edition to St. Pete's prestigious Brightwaters Boulevard, one of the most coveted neighborhoods in all of Tampa Bay.

The spectacular 18,000 square foot, custom built, waterfront masterpiece boasts 6 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, 380' of waterfrontage, & a 1,800 square foot master suite. Built by Tampa Bay's premier builder and Frank Malowany Group client, Windstar Homes (www.windstarhomes.com), Villa Terranova ushers in a new era of luxury custom building in downtown St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay area.

ST. PETERSBURG

Let's get the obvious thing about Villa Terranova out there first: It is big.

At 18,000 square feet, it's the new star in a waterfront neighborhood full of dazzling properties. The master bedroom suite alone, which accounts for one-tenth of the space, is more spacious than many single-family homes in the Tampa Bay area.

Why so big? Owners Jon and Suzanne Clements, who will soon move in with their 10-year-old son, Jack, say a house of this scale is what the property itself demands.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,'' Jon said of acquiring two lots with 380 feet of waterfront on Snell Isle Harbor. "We felt it was really important to put the right project on it. To do the job only 60 or 70 percent of the way would have been a dreadful mistake.''

Yes, the scale is grand. But Villa Terranova holds lots of inspiration for far smaller homes. You can check it out for yourself at the public tours being held for three weekends to benefit All Children's Hospital.

There is no show-stopper like a ballroom, a bowling alley, a putting green or even a home theater. What you will see is top-notch workmanship and expansive living areas with great water views from almost every room.

The Clementses have used text messages to find each other and Jack in the huge space, but figure that will pass.

"We've been here almost every day watching the process, and by now it really doesn't seem super large to us,'' Suzanne said this week amid a swarm of workers applying final touches.
"A lot of customers want a more formal look. We're very casual,'' she said, dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, her white-blond hair a spiky tousle. "We wanted a warm, inviting and friendly home.''

The couple, who are both 48, are discreet about the house's value, which is not yet public record. But the property appraiser says the land alone has a comparable sales value of $2.4-million. Several nearby (much smaller) houses are on the market; their average asking price per square foot is more than $650.

So much for the math. On to the lessons of Villa Terranova.

For information on Windstar Homes, visit windstarhomes.com or call (813) 349-2755.

To read the story in full please click here.

Reprint of Story by Charlotte Sutton, Arts and Homes Editor
St. Petersburg Times
Charlotte Sutton can be reached at sutton@sptimes.com, (727) 893-8425.