Will LeBron James Buy In Miami?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Jul 9th 2010 at 11:15AM

The announcement that LeBron James will be playing for the Miami Heat next season has some real estate agents very excited. A report in US Weekly has LeBron already planning to party in South Beach, renting out cabanas at the W Hotel. James will stay there briefly before heading to New York City for the wedding of Carmelo Anthony and Lala Vasquez.

But where will LeBron lives permanently once he heads to Miami? One rumor had him making an offer on a $49.5 million waterfront estate in Coral Gables. Coral Gables is home to many athletes but a 20,000 square-foot house would actually be a step down for James who has a 35,000 square foot palace in Akron, Ohio. Will that home hit the market? It seems unlikely. The home was built to his specifications and he'd be hard-pressed to get any decent return on his substantial investment. He also has deep ties to the community.

Another potential neighborhood for LeBron James could be Star Island, the former home of Shaquille O'Neal. But LeBron James might want to wait before putting down real estate roots. Some of the athletes we've seen try to sell their home in Florida have had a rough time including Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade who struggled to unload his Pinecrest home.

The Huffington Post has a list of ten Miami mansions for LeBron James to consider including the incredible Setai penthouse we recently had as an estate of the day.

Tags: cleveland, Cleveland Cavaliers, lebron james, miami, Miami HEAT dancers

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

DJ Jul 9th 2010 1:06PM

At some point, he will have to buy a home and establish residency in Florida to avoid state income taxes. His timing couldn't be better either, he's got bags of cash and prices are absolutely depressed. And I don't think he'll limit his search to Miami when so many awesome estates are available all the way up to Jupiter Island (including Tiger's new digs http://www.radaronline.com/photos/image/69242/2010/06/tiger-woods-new-home-jupiter-fl )

fatafati Jul 13th 2010 3:12PM

What HuffingtonPost forgot to include was this home
http://www.thekleerteam.com/miami-mls-listing/D1335658.htm
6 bed 6 bath - $8,350,000

Since Lebron is crazy about South Beach, he could buy the W Hotel (he stayed there after his announcement on CNN) penthouse which is directly on the ocean and has rooftop pool with amazing views of the city and the ocean!

However, it only has 3 bed and 3 baths - $8,000,000
http://www.thekleerteam.com/miami-mls-listing/M1344457.htm

Allan Kleer Jul 25th 2010 7:32PM

We've already seen an uptick in buyer activity due to LeBron James pending relocation to Miami. Especially here in Miami Beach, this has been a much needed shot in the arm. This man is an economic and PR powerhouse!

http://www.thekleerteam.com/blog/2010/07/The-latest-Miami-Beach-Condominium-Sales-Comparing-2009-Tax-Assessed-Values-vs-Actual-Sales-Prices.htm