In rare deal, buyers of Clearwater mansion listed at $12.9 million get towels and dishes, too

CLEARWATER — The buyers of one of Tampa Bay's most expensive mansions have an unusual request for the seller: Leave nearly everything inside.

The museum-quality artwork and the $250,000 dining-room table. The Mercedes convertible and the Bentley Arnage. Even the spoons, the dog crates and the Christmas nutcrackers.

Listed at $12.9 million, Christine Barsema's home in Harbor Oaks was already one of Clearwater's most opulent mansions, a 15,000-square-foot Mediterranean estate on nearly 2 acres of sweeping coast.

But the turnkey deal insisted on by the home's buyers makes the sale that much more unmatched. Included in the deal were all of the home's dishes, cooking utensils, towels and rugs; a Honda Odyssey minivan; and $2 million worth of hand-crafted furniture.

"It's probably the first time at this level that I've seen anything like this," said Sand Key Realty agent Rafal Wazio, who listed the home for Barsema, 59. "It's liberating for her, and it's a major convenience for them."

Barsema, the founder of K-9 Detectives, which provides detection dogs capable of sniffing out termites, mold and drugs, built the Druid Road mansion in 2003 and first listed it for sale in 2010. In March, she dropped the price from $14.9 million.

The marble-floored estate includes seven full bathrooms, four half bathrooms, a gym, a dog run and a "gentleman's den" paneled with rare hardwoods.

Wazio wouldn't disclose the terms of the deal, which is under contract and scheduled to close next month. Nor would he name the international buyers who were so "do or die" about keeping the home's contents.

But luxury agents say these types of deals are big among wealthy foreigners seeking to skip the delays of moving overseas. The $7 million sale last year of a Manhattan penthouse detailed in the Wall Street Journal included liquor, a toilet brush and two jars of M&Ms.

Contact Drew Harwell at (727) 893-8252 or dharwell@tampabay.com.