Avalon home with 'single best bar on Seven Mile Island' lists for $11.995M

A bayfront home in Avalon has the market for $11.995 million and is being advertised as having “the single best bar on Seven Mile Island.”

Spanning 6,200 square feet, the home on Fifth Avenue has seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a gym and a movie theater. The calling card of the Jersey Shore property, however, is its outdoor bar area and 2,600 square feet of entertaining space at the rear of the home. The location makes so the sun shines on the bar during afternoons with sunset views at dusk, listing agent Jack Binder said. It sits on one of the most exclusive clusters of Seven Mile Island, “The Fingers,” with the extravagant rear of the home overlooking the largest part of Blue Fish Harbor.

Binder said there’s an argument that it’s “the most desirable real estate in Avalon.”

The home was built in 2018 after a planning process that took about 12 months, compared to the normal three- or four-month timeframe, according to Binder. It was designed by Asher Architects and built by Brandywine Developers. The home is owned by James and Tracey Gerhart, property records show.

“Once someone buys it, you could be waiting another five years to get on Fifth Avenue,” said Binder, an agent who runs the Jack Binder Group. “My pitch to people who I’m speaking to is, even if the house isn’t exactly like you want, the location is so outrageous, and the construction quality and the architecture is so great, that it’s an opportunity you can’t punt on.”

But for some people, and for onlookers, the house is exactly what they’re looking for. Binder said boaters passing by often idle in front of the home’s bar and pool setup. He called it the “single best bar on grade level” he’s ever seen. It features two TVs, a fireplace built into marble finishes and a large fire pit, along with commercial grade appliances.

Accordion doors separate the bar and pool, creating a near swim-up experience when opened. It makes for an expansive entertaining space that “is so custom it almost goes beyond what a [commercial] entertainment venue could be,” Binder said. He added that the Gerharts have hosted a wedding in the space. Two private docks on the property can fit three boats.

“It’s built it to entertain, I haven’t been in a better house for entertaining than this house,” Binder said.

At the front of the home, a floating staircase and cheetah wallpaper greets you at the entrance leading up to the second, main floor. There, the kitchen and living room open up to second-floor decks overlooking the harbor, with outdoor lounge space and a dining area. The kitchen is outfit with Gaggenau appliances, which Binder said are reminiscent of spec houses found in Los Angeles. Also on the second floor is a full gym and three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms.

The third floor houses the primary suite, with its own private deck. The movie theater is located on the top floor, rare for a beach house, as Binder said he’s only sold one other home in his career with a similar space. The bottom floor has two bunk bed rooms with ensuite bathrooms.