You don’t just live in Bal Harbour you reside in this exclusive and privileged community that has an international reputation. The Village’s discreet elegance is immediately evident on its broad, date palm-lined boulevard with coconut palm forest-filled medians. Everything, from the landscaping to the street furniture and canopied bus stops, is immaculate.
Premier Bal Harbour real estate for sale including new Bal Harbour condos and new home listings along with other super residential options including unique townhomes, a newly remodeled condo or beautiful Bal Harbour waterfront homes.
| Type | For Sale | Avg Price | Avg $/ Sq.Ft. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Family Residence | 7 | $22,932,142 | 5381 |
| Bedrooms | For Sale | Avg Price | Min Price | Max Price | Avg Sq. Ft. | Avg $/ Sq.Ft. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | $6,680,000 | $6,680,000 | $6,680,000 | 2,120 | 3151 |
| 3 | 1 | $27,750,000 | $27,750,000 | $27,750,000 | 2,970 | 9343 |
| 4 | 2 | $33,600,000 | $7,200,000 | $60,000,000 | 4,262 | 7884 |
| 5 | 1 | $21,000,000 | $21,000,000 | $21,000,000 | 6,323 | 3321 |
| 6 | 2 | $18,947,500 | $12,995,000 | $24,900,000 | 5,634 | 3363 |
| Bedrooms | For Sale | Avg Price | Min Price | Max Price | Avg Sq. Ft. | Avg $/ Sq.Ft. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | $7,995,000 | $7,995,000 | $7,995,000 | 3,817 | 2095 |
| 8 | 1 | $35,000,000 | $35,000,000 | $35,000,000 | 12,082 | 2897 |
The Village begins at 96th Street and reaches to the Haulover Bridge and its northern boundary at 103rd Street. Collins Avenue (State Road A1A) is the only north to south through-route, and speed limits are strictly enforced.
The beach is superb; an arc of unspoiled, golden sand delineated by dunes filled with native plants. Early morning walkers flock to the mile-long jogging path along the beach, greeting their neighbors as they enjoy the fresh air. Over the years, many VIPs, celebrities and overseas visitors have enjoyed the beach’s ideal setting for swimming, sunbathing and windsurfing. Haulover Cut, a deepwater channel linking the bay to the ocean, marks the northern end of the beach, and the weathered stone jetty offers a spray-tossed vantage point for fishing, bird watching and viewing boats gliding out to sea.
Bal Harbour’s total population of approximately 3,300 has stayed relatively stable over the past two decades, boosted by an influx of winter residents in the condominiums. The last census showed that 48.7 percent of the population is between the ages of 25 and 64, and 37.5 percent is 65 or older. The median age is 55. Speakers of English as a first language account for 58.3 percent of Bal Harbour residents, while Spanish is at 35.1 percent.
Carefully controlled growth has kept the height limit of buildings in Bal Harbour to a maximum of 20 stories, including oceanfront condominiums and hospitality landmarks such as the vintage Sea View Hotel, the One Bal Harbour Resort & Spa, (the first new hotel there in nearly 50 years) and the St. Regis Resort & Residences, which is now under construction on the oceanfront site of the Sheraton Bal Harbour.
The Bal Harbour Shops, Miami’s version of Rodeo Drive and the most upscale shopping center in the U.S. (measured in sales per square foot), adds the ultimate cachet to the Village.
The Village of Bal Harbour is governed by an elected mayor, assistant mayor and three council members who are all very vigilant in maintaining the community’s quality of life and enforcing zoning laws. The Village Hall on 96th Street houses all local government offices.
Bal Harbour Village has one of the lowest crime rates in the South Florida area, with a high ratio of police officers to residents. The 28 highly visible officers patrol in cars, or on motorcycles or bicycles, while a marine patrol and K-9 dog handler add to the strong sense of security in the community.
The beach is a Bal Harbour jewel with privileged access for residents through membership in the sprawling Beach Club. For those living in oceanfront condominiums, the beachfront pools, cabanas and water sports sweeten the classic Florida lifestyle.
Families converge on the children’s playground and ball courts in Bal Harbour Park, where admittance is only by a resident’s photo ID card or with guest passes. The new Recreation Center offers a mini-exercise room for workouts and a reading center with hundreds of books available for loan to Village residents. Other year-round programs include foreign films and documentaries, and monthly international nights.
Many waterfront homes have their own boat docks, and the privately operated Yacht Basin can accommodate large yachts.
Golf courses, tennis courts, water sports centers and deep-sea fishing boats are just a short drive away.
Bal Harbour’s fame rests also on its shopping center, the Bal Harbour Shops. This is no ordinary open-air retail center, but an upscale haven for luxury shopping in a garden setting swathed in scarlet and purple bougainvillea. Sparkling golden and silver koi fish frolic in reflective ponds framed by tropical vegetation, sculptures and fountains.
Against this backdrop, a collection of internationally renowned boutiques and stores offer the latest designer fashions and accessories, precious gems and fine decorative objects. A stroll along the plazas between anchor stores Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue takes shoppers past such elite brands as Cartier, Christian Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Hermes, George Jensen, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Prada, Pratesi and many more.
For more everyday shopping, the neighboring Surfside business district on Harding Avenue offers an array of stores, including a Publix supermarket, pharmacies, bakeries, florists, restaurants and cafes, jewelry, clothing and much more. A branch of SunTrust Bank is located in Bal Harbour itself, and several other financial institutions have offices in Surfside. For shopping further afield, the Village offers residents its own bus to neighboring Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside, Sunny Isles and Aventura.
Unlimited dining options abound in surrounding areas, but for those who want to stay close to home, the Bal Harbour Shops and the Village’s two resorts offer an array of great places to eat. Varied cuisine is served in elegant dining rooms, on terraces overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and al fresco in Mediterranean-style garden cafés and bistros.
In the Bal Harbour Shops, Carpaccio, a cozy yet sophisticated Italian eatery, specializes in homemade pastas, salads and carpaccios, served indoors or out. La Goulue Christian Delouvrier is an elegant, breezy and sophisticated Parisian-style bistro serving traditional French dishes of abundant seafood and fresh produce. Lea's Tea Room & Bistro evokes traditional European tea salons with fresh, light fare and an assortment of decadent Parisian desserts in an intimate and inviting atmosphere. Santa Fe News & Espresso offers casual eating such as sandwiches, soups, salads, desserts and beverages. The Zodiac Café at Neiman Marcus is popular for light lunches and dinners.
At 1 Bleu, the signature restaurant in the sparkling new One Bal Harbour Resort, acclaimed chef Mark Militello showcases his spectacular contemporary American cuisine with menus featuring local seafood, high-quality chops and steaks, organic chicken and local sustainable produce. The resort’s The View Bar features the chef’s exciting small and shared plates, to be enjoyed indoors or outdoors on the oceanfront patio overlooking Haulover Inlet. Themed afternoon teas and a scrumptious Sunday jazz brunch buffet add to the appeal.
In the venerable Sea View Hotel, The Terrace Restaurant offers international cuisine in a setting decorated with antique crystal chandeliers and an expansive outdoor terrace with views of the Atlantic Ocean. The Emerald Lounge’s sophisticated ambience and live piano entertainment forms a soothing backdrop for cocktails and conversation. The Sea View Coffee Shop near the hotel pool serves traditional milk shakes, tuna melts, hamburgers and homemade soups.
Beginning in 1929, Miami Beach Heights, a Detroit-based real estate development corporation, purchased raw sandy barrier land and a mangrove swamp for a "dream village" and lovely place to live. Bal Harbour was conceived by founder Robert C. Graham, an industrialist, together with associates Carl Fisher and Walter O. Briggs. One of the leading urban planning firms of the twentieth century Harland Bartholomew & Associates was hired to design the Village.
They originally planned to call it Bay Harbour, but the design committee wanted to highlight the beach location. They invented the name Bal Harbour by taking the "b" from “bay” and the "a" and "l" from “Atlantic.”
Development slowed during World War II, when Bal Harbour beach became a military training center, complete with barracks and a rifle range, on land rented to the U.S. Air Corps for a symbolic $1 per year. A prisoner-of-war camp went up on the oceanfront. Those buildings were demolished, but the barracks were left and converted by Graham into apartments to boost the resident population to more than the 25 males required by the state of Florida for incorporation. By 1946, Bal Harbour was incorporated, and the first Council was elected.
Stanley Whitman, who moved to the Village in 1945 with his family, went on to build the Bal Harbour Shops in 1964. Like all of South Florida’s early shopping malls, the Bal Harbour Shops were designed as an open-air development. This is the only shopping center in the area that’s still open-air, with its common spaces a veritable botanical garden appointed with fountains, water features and fine contemporary art.
As Bal Harbour became even more upscale, some of the original oceanfront hotels and motels were demolished to make way for lavish new condominiums and condo-hotels.
Ashton Coleman
ONE Sotheby's International Realty
#305.978.7704 #888.38.DREAM
119 Washington Avenue-Suite 102
Miami Beach, Florida 33139
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