Where We Live: A weekly look at the homes in the Cape Fear Region
WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH — They’re the types of homes that most people can only dream of.
The latest “Where We Live” feature takes readers into the world of luxury homes with a tour of a Wrightsville Beach property that has recently been placed on the market, drawing the attention of some of the world’s elite.
More from Where We Live
Castle Hayne man’s home doubles as ‘organic artist retreat’
This home in the Forest Hills neighborhood has a secret room and a bomb shelter
This 8,061-sq. ft. beach home located at 14 E. Oxford St., is one of the most — if not the most expensive home — ever on the public market in Wrightsville Beach, according to Intracoastal Realty Agent Jeff Hovis. It’s a $6.2 million home that also comes with an undeveloped oceanfront lot.
But the Oxford Street home isn’t a typical beach-style home. While many large-scale Wrightsville Beach constructions have multiple rooms, this three-story, four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home was designed for a small family and with careful attention to detail.
Custom built in 2009 by the current property owners, Hovis said the family worked personally with an architect to design everything about the home, and even went as far as hand-picking the marble found inside. Kersting Architecture was hired and compensated for the design of the house, Hovis said.
“The focus was for a very intimate family, a very small family,” Hovis said. “It’s not like a beach house that says ‘Sleep 18.’ It’s not that. This is not a place you buy for a rental. This is a place you buy because you really want a home and you really want to get away. You really want something that is the best of the best.”
Inside the home, a unique floor-plan showcases rich Mahogany details. Some of the many features on the second-floor include a “true professional” chef’s kitchen with a large butler’s pantry, a separate wine room, a bedroom, office space and a large living area that accesses the wrap-around deck and its views of the ocean.
Take a ride up the elevator, accessible on all floors, or take a walk up the “floating” wood and steal staircase to reach the top floor. The master bedroom takes up the entire north side of the third floor. It features a bathroom with both a stand-up shower and separate tub, a his-and-her’s closet, a small living area and views of the ocean and Johnnie Mercer’s Pier.
The south side of the third-floor is a grand room, formerly used as a yoga and Pilates studio and separated by a standing spa. The room is open, with wooden arches spanning its cathedral ceilings. The eastward-facing yoga area also has views of the ocean and opens onto a small balcony.
“It is amazing, with the arches and the sunlight. It’s a really good feel,” Hovis said. “It’s designed with the way the light comes in the room and exits the room. And that was the reason for it, so that it could be peaceful and serene.”
Outdoors, there’s lots of deck space on the first floor, along with two showers/dressing areas, multiple storage rooms and a four-car garage. The home was constructed with steel and concrete pilings to withstand a category 3 hurricane, and has hurricane protectors that cover the windows with just the push of a button.
The home also comes with a 112-by 100-foot oceanfront lot at 20 E. Oxford St., which could be used to build a cabana home, install a pool or as a buffer for the main home.
“Having the lot is a great thing because you have this ability of really securing your beach spot,” Hovis said, adding that the lot could be built-out at around $200 a square foot.
The home has brought some elite clientele to the Wrightsville Beach area. Hovis said the luxury home market is up-and-coming and, at $6.2 million, the home is the “highest listing” at Wrightsville Beach on the public market, he said.
Though Figure 8, a secured island north of Wrightsville, has driven the area market when it comes to higher-priced, luxury homes, Hovis said that based on the type of response that he is getting with the Oxford Street home, he is seeing that the Wrightsville Beach housing market is growing.
“We’re starting to see the higher-end houses are getting a lot of attention, as are some of the lower-priced houses. It was the in-between that’s been taking a little bit of time, but now we’re starting to see less and less inventory,” Hovis said.
Since the East Oxford Street home has been on the market, Hovis has screened 150 calls and shown the property eight times; some to locally-based clients, and some higher-ups of domestic and international companies.
“I have interviewed CEOs of companies. I have met people that we see in newspapers, it’s been sort of cool,” Hovis said. “The people that I’ve talked to that come in and they’ve looked at the house and are just amazed with what we have. Some of these people are looking at Miami and other markets, and came and were very fascinated that we had this — that this high-end of a property exists. This isn’t the only one. There are other ones out there. It just happens to be the one on the market right now.”
What’s driving the elite to the Wrightsville Beach area? Hovis said its the private and secure feeling of the Wrightsville Beach community.
“You have people that are movie stars or politicians, or people of a high status,” Hovis said. “It’s comfortable. And that’s why some of the people have come around. They told me that’s why they want to look here. Because they like the fact that they can come here, relax, and go about their own life.”
With the eight clients so far, there’s been many talks and a lot movement with the property since it went on the market in November 2016, Hovis said.
“It’s good to see. It’s not something that happens overnight,” Hovis said. “There’s a lot that goes into a home like this.”
The home also has the potential to be marketed in a commercial capacity for large companies in need of a retreat, Hovis said.
“It could be almost like a retreat that could be purchased by a corporation, who uses it for their CEOs to come in and have a couple rooms. Or each one comes in to decompress, get away from the stress but have this thing set up,” Hovis said. “Sometimes we work and live at the same time. There’s a media room up there that can handle all the Internet sites. It has security and a static free room. So it enables you to run a company from here,” Hovis said. “This house … it’s so unique.”
But for families that might consider the home for a more permanent stay, the area is zoned for Wrightsville Beach Elementary, Noble Middle School and Hoggard High School. The home is also shown with a few development plans for the undeveloped lot.
Where We Live is a weekly feature looking at the homes and unique places to stay in the Cape Fear Region. Do you have a home, on or off the market, that our readers may be interested in seeing? Let us know at PCD@localvoicemedia.com.
For more information about this week’s home, contact Deb Hays with Intracostal Realty at 910-232-0505 or Jeff Hovis at 910-512-2205 (cell) or 910-509-1967 (office). You can also email Hovis at jhovis@intracoastalrealty.com. Visit the Intrracoastal Realty website for additional details about the property.
The East Oxford Street home is private; individuals must go through a screening process before a house showing, at the homeowner’s request. Intracoastal Realty has marketed the property with other luxury homes around the world.
