Justin Verlander and Kate Upton Put Down Waterfront Roots in Jupiter

They’ve been shacked up for a while in a rented Caribbean-inspired waterfront contemporary home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and last year they shelled out nearly $3.5 million for a vacant two-plus-acre acre waterfront lot about seven miles north, on the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter, where word on the street is they plan to build their dream house.

Of course, custom building a dream house from scratch is a long, sometimes years-long process. Rather than toss money down the proverbial drain on rent, veteran “Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue” cover model and actress Kate Upton and 2017 World Series winning pitcher Justin Verlander, the latter currently signed to a two-year contract with the Houston Astros valued at a nose-bleedy $66 million, have splashed out $6.55 million for another waterfront property in Jupiter.

Tucked down a private lane, the 1.25-acre spread’s spacious though hardly huge Bahamian traditional ranch house is hidden behind a high wall and secured entry gates at the end of a sinuous palm-lined driveway. Beyond the paver-tiled motor court and side-facing three-car garage, the just over 4,600-square-foot single-story sprawler has four bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms, including a homeowner’s suite with panoramic water views and a glitzy bathroom complete with a jazzy tile accents, a sculptural soaking tub, and a multi-head shower behind a sheet of glass.

The main living and dining room space flank the double-island kitchen and spill out to a long dining and lounging loggia complete with built-in barbecue. A separate family room includes a large wet bar, and a library/office just off the living room sports a giant granite topped desk that matches the jet-black built-ins that line the room.

Out back, there’s a turquoise swimming pool with fiber-optic lighting that’s surrounded by hand-set travertine tile terracing, a faux-grass putting green between swaying palms, and a lengthy dock with both boat and jet ski lifts and water and electricity.

The property was listed with Brad Ball and Shannon Ball of Frankel Ball Realty, while Upton and Verlander were repped by Ashley Kaplan at Premiere Properties of South Florida.

Married in 2017, the couple maintain several homes across the country. In addition to their home base in South Florida, they reportedly lease a stately 8,000-square foot mansion in Houston and they own an East Coast traditional in Beverly Hills that was previously owned by a succession of high-profile people. Once owned by “I Love Lucy” director William Asher, it was later the home of “Charlie’s Angels” star Kate Jackson, musician Kenny G and tennis great Pete Sampras, who added the estate’s sunken tennis court. More recently it was owned by Mindy Peters, ex-wife of super-producer Jon Peters, who sold it to Upton and Verlander in 2016 for $5.25 million.