“Developers can find more lots for subdivisions,
but you just can’t go out and create waterfront property. There is only
so much water and a select number of homes available. When you are looking for
dock access, that limits your selection even further.”
Down the street from away from Muhlbauer’s home, Nichola Lynch has made her home along
the Intracoastal for a number of years – enjoying the easy canal access to the Intracoastal and living in a boating
community. Her two-story house, which she has on the market now for $899,999,
is complete with an outside porch, pool and spa, and a beautiful flower-laden arbor gate that leads to an outdoor grill and
the dock area, which has a combination permanent and floating dock.
“It’s a boaters dream,” she said. “The
dock can accommodate three boats and has a Jet Ski lift.”
The thing she enjoys most is the camaraderie.
“This is a really family-oriented neighborhood and a very tight-knit community, something
you don’t see much these days,” she said. “We would have outdoor
barbeques and I know nearly everyone in the neighborhood on a first-name basis.”
While these Jacksonville homes, located a few blocks from San Pablo Road, make great abodes for
families who favor outdoor entertaining and jaunts along the waterways, there are a wide variety of homes in the Jacksonville
area that can capture the excitement – or the quiet solitude – that comes with dockside living.
When it comes to a more laid-back location, you would have to say the home of Ken and Sandy Sivalich
fits the bill nicely. Located in southwest St. Johns County in the Riverdale
section, about five miles south of Green Cove Springs, their 2,750-square-foot
ranch style home faces a quiet two-lane county road that leads to a 400-foot-long dock that stretches out into the St. Johns
River.
“We love the lifestyle here…it’s very friendly, very casual,” Sandy
said. “It’s just fun to sit back and watch the tidal river boats
coming, especially during shrimping season in late summer. You come out late
in the evening and you can see all the boats lit up on the water. And the shrimp’s
not bad either. One summer I must have bought 60 pounds of shrimp.”
To live closer to her mother, now 91 years old, Sandy
says they are selling the home they hoped would be their last.
“We just love the serenity, the peacefulness, and the beautiful sunsets we’ve shared
here,” she said.
“While the pace is different here than in the city, Sandy
says it isn’t as far from the bustle as you would expect – only 45 minutes from downtown Jacksonville
and about 20 minutes from St. Augustine.
“In addition to the dock access, which is great, it has a detached room that can be used
for an office, as a guest room or a mother-in-law suite,” she said.
Priced at $749,000, the country style home features a wrap-around front porch and is located
on a half-acre lot.
Having visited the dock houses near the beaches and the quiet, secluded dock home in the country,
a turn toward Jacksonville and a $3.985 million home in Admirals Inlet illustrates the wide range of lifestyles can be accommodated
along the water in the First Coast.
Located just southwest of I-295 near San Jose Boulevard
this custom-built luxury home sits upon a 2.71 acre lot that features 200 feet of riverfront access along the St.
Johns River. From its two-story boat house, located at the end of
the dock about 460 feet from shore, you have a great view of one of the widest points along the river and the skyline of downtown
Jacksonville. The
boat house, built in 2003, has a 25,000-pound boat lift -- and the 34-foot custom built boat, named Sunset, that is part of
the home’s purchase price.
The main house has more than 4,100 square feet and it also has a guest house attached by an outside
breezeway that is about 900 square feet in size and a cottage that is 650 square feet in size.
A veranda deck surrounds nearly the entire house, which also has an in-ground pool between the main home and the river.
“If you have a home near the water, a dock can
help you get more out of the location, whether you are having a party out over the water or just sitting back and enjoying
the view,” Pierce said.
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. 
