Wealth Guru Pam Sowder Lists Her Florida Dream Home for $13 Million—After Breaking Ground on Custom Mansion Next Door

Author and podcaster Pam Sowder has carved out a career for herself by teaching others to amass the same kind of multimillion-dollar fortune that she has accrued over the last 30 years—and now, she's giving her most dedicated followers the chance to use that wealth by purchasing her "dream" Florida home for just under $13 million.

Those who have read Sowder's 2021 book, "Rich Girl, Poor Girl," or listened to her podcast will no doubt be familiar with the sprawling Sarasota dwelling, where the wealth expert has been living "unapologetically" for the last 12 years.

However, Sowder and her husband now have the opportunity to live out another dream—by building a custom megamansion right next door to their longtime dwelling, an experience that was too good for them to pass up, according to co-listing agents Montana Taplinger and Katy McBrayer with Premier Sotheby's International Realty.

“They love it so much that they are building a home next door,” Taplinger reveals. “The lot became available and they've never built a home from the ground up, so they wanted to have that experience, but they loved this spot, the view, the lifestyle so much that they're building right next door.”

Now that work is well underway on their custom abode, Sowder, who is the co-founder of network marketing company It Works!, and her spouse have put their other dwelling, which spans nearly 8,000 square feet, on the market for $12.99 million.

Taplinger notes that the property offers every kind of luxury that a budding "rich girl" could hope for, including soaring ceilings, top-of-the-line materials, and beautiful waterfront views—which were one of the many reasons Sowder decided to build her custom home right next door so as not to lose access to those vistas.

“Every little detail is so high quality in this home, from the paneling to the coffered ceilings, all the built-ins. You get this feeling of just true quality when you walk in the door,” Taplinger says. “It's grand and beautiful, but you feel that all the materials are of top quality as well.”

The move in-ready home was built in 2009 and Sowder and her husband, David, bought it in 2014.

“The current owners have done such a beautiful job in every single room of selecting finishes and upgrading,” Taplinger says. “All of the details have been thought out and done.”

In total, the dwelling offers five bedrooms and five bathrooms, including a guesthouse that serves as its own separate abode.

“It's like a studio apartment. You walk up and you have a little kitchenette and a sitting area, a bedroom, and a full bathroom," Taplinger continues. "I just think that space is so nice to have where your guests have their own privacy. They're on the property with you, but they have their own space.”

The primary bedroom is on the main floor and in addition to large closets and bathroom, it has an outdoor shower and more.

“The primary bedroom feels so calming and relaxing. You feel like you're at a resort,” Taplinger says, adding an office space is right off the primary. “You have views out to the water and the pool. I love it. I feel like it's a very cozy, luxurious primary suite.”

Another office space in the house is something atypical for Florida homes, a wood-paneled two-floor space with a spiral staircase leading up to bookshelves. 

“It's definitely a space that somebody that has a beautiful book collection or has a true appreciation for reading and for library space. I've never seen a library quite like it,” she says. “It has a really cozy feeling to it.”

What is more typical of a Florida home is the emphasis on indoor/outdoor living. The main living space opens directly to the outdoor areas.

“There's an outdoor kitchen that [the sellers] use all the time and there's an outdoor fireplace with a cozy seating area,” she says. “If I lived there I could imagine having that [slider] open all the time.”

The pool is a highlight of the property.

“You have a pool up on the first level and then a waterfall that goes down into a second pool where you can sunbathe down closer to the dock area,” she says. “When you first walk in the home, your eye goes straight out to the pool so it looks like an infinity pool where it just continues on into the bay.”

The bottom pool is close to the boat dock that has deep-water access. It all has a view of the Sarasota skyline as well as private beach access.

There is also a large wellness area, something Taplinger says today’s buyers want.

“You have a full gym and then you have a steam room and you have a sauna as well.  In most private homes, you have one or the other. This has both.”

The home also has a chef’s kitchen, wine cellar, theater room, wet and dry bars, and game space.

It is that high-end lifestyle that Taplinger says should attract the buyer for this .4 acre property in the gated Lido Shores neighborhood.

“You are minutes from downtown, but I'll tell you that once you get in behind the gates and you go into the home, you feel like you're in your own retreat,” she says. “You have all the conveniences of being close to the restaurants, the shopping, and really the center of downtown, but you feel like you're in kind of your own oasis when you're there.”

It’s the same lifestyle that is keeping the Sowders next door.

“They have a vested interest in hand selecting their neighbors. I think it speaks greatly about the lifestyle of that area,” Taplinger says. “You don't see that very often. Typically, people sell and move on to something different, so I think it really gives the buyer confidence that this is going to be a place they're going to love to live.”