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Brown-Waite Among Sellers Waiting For Bite

By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: August 13, 2008

SPRING LAKE - U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite and her husband Harvey Waite are among the Hernando County residents hoping for a buyer in a depressed real estate market.
The couple listed their three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on 13 acres in Spring Lake about six months ago. They're asking $529,000, substantially less than the $600,000 they paid for it in August 2005.
"They understand they have to price it at what the market will bear," said Ana Trinque, a real estate agent with the Spring Hill firm Novo Group who is working with her husband Art to sell Brown-Waite's property. Ana Trinque also is chairwoman of the Hernando County Republican Party and friends with Brown-Waite and her husband.
Ana Trinque took over for another agent a few months ago. At that time it was listed at $549,000. To sweeten the deal, the purchaser gets $10,000 toward closing costs.
The couple made the decision to sell the property earlier this year after Harvey Waite was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, said Charlie Keller, Brown-Waite's spokesman. Waite is still undergoing treatment, he said.
The Florida-style ranch house, built in 2001, is a manageable 1,700 square feet. But the property, located off Spring Lake Highway south of Halsey Road, also features a two-story, 900-square-foot barn and acres of hayfields that Harvey Waite can no longer care for.
"They realized she couldn't handle 13 acres," Keller said. "Doing all that is just not feasible for her."
At least a couple of would-be buyers have shown interest, Trinque said. The property, which features a heated pool and a pond, is set back from Spring Lake Highway and offers a secluded spot for someone looking for privacy, she said.
The barn, built by the previous owner, features an unfinished second floor that could be made into a recreation or guest room.
Keller said Brown-Waite, who is up for re-election this year, and her husband are not actively looking for their next home. The couple plans to remain in the 5th Congressional District and "most likely in Hernando County," he said.
"That's where her support network and family is," Keller said.