David MacNeil, the founder of WeatherTech, has achieved a record-breaking sale by selling his newly constructed 12,700-square-foot mansion on the oceanfront of Fort Lauderdale for $40 million. The property, located at 3052 North Atlantic Boulevard, was sold at its asking price. Tim Elmes from Compass handled the listing, while Austin Baris from Miles Goldstein Real Estate represented the buyer, a local businessman who had been searching for a house in Fort Lauderdale for over a year.
In 2018, MacNeil purchased the 0.4-acre Fort Lauderdale estate for $3.2 million. The mansion boasts 100 feet of ocean frontage, seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms, seven half-bathrooms, and a pool. MacNeil included all furnishings in the sale.
Having listed the house for $40 million in July, it became one of the highest-priced listings in Broward County at the time. Elmes noted that while the market has cooled from its pandemic-driven frenzy, the upper echelons of the luxury market continue to appreciate in value. He expressed optimism for a robust upcoming season, citing an influx of buyers in the region.
This sale set a new record for residential real estate in Broward, surpassing the previous record set by David and Vicki Curtis in August of the previous year, when they acquired a waterfront spec estate in Fort Lauderdale for $32.5 million.
While not a record-breaker, another significant sale took place earlier in the summer. Robert Lewin, the founder of 1-800-411-PAIN and a chiropractor, sold his 17,000-square-foot mansion in Southwest Ranches for $22.5 million. Initially, Lewin had listed this property and the adjacent 14,500-square-foot mansion he built for his identical twin brother together for a combined asking price of $54 million.
Broward County, particularly Fort Lauderdale, is increasingly capturing the attention of real estate investors, developers, and brokerages eyeing South Florida’s luxury market. Edgardo Defortuna’s Fortune Christie’s International Real Estate recently opened its first Fort Lauderdale office, while Compass and Douglas Elliman are focusing on Weston.
Soccer superstar Lionel Messi also made headlines in Fort Lauderdale, as reports emerged earlier in the summer of his house-hunting endeavors in the area. After some speculation regarding a purchase in Sea Ranch Lakes, Messi ultimately invested $11 million in a waterfront residence in Fort Lauderdale’s Bay Colony.
