Real Estate Views from St Pete

Most of the marinas here in the Tampa Bay area are no longer renting slips but are selling "dockominiums" many of which are $200,000 and up, plus the monthly maintenance fee, of course. So, for $700,000 you can buy a waterfront pool home with your own dock/slip behind your house.

Dockominiums aren't much hotter than Condominiums here at the moment, so I'm not sure why marina owners are making renters move and then leaving the slips empty. Doesn't seem to make economic sense in the short run.

Currently there are 19 waterfront homes on the market in Broadwater, ranging from $369,900 to$1,595,000. Yes, that low number is right - though no waterfront homes in the neighborhood have sold this year under the mid $500s. The low one is lender owner, has been foreclosed, and sold in 2006 for $750,000.

Two homes are currently under contract, listed at $675,000 and $1,845,000.

Fifteen waterfront homes have sold in Broadwater this year, ranging from $545,000 to $980,000.

We all get first impressions. How someone looks, a phrase or question we heard them say, the look in their eyes. Some of us make judgments based on that, and never peel the next layer of the onion.

When you read post after post, month after month, you often get deeper into the core of the onion. They either confirm or counter your first impression - but you do know more about that onion now.

When we meet someone, look them in the eye, see their mannerisms, see how their words fit into their overall being - we've peeled away yet another layer.

And if, perchance, we can sit alone with them beside the water, or in front of the fireplace, and have unrushed time to just talk with each other, away from the influences of other people - yes, there goes another layer of the onion.

Maybe I'll keep an onion on my desk to remind me not to judge prematurely. No - I'll take a picture of an onion, and put THAT on my desk. 

Learning is like peeling an onion.

We read a blog on how to blog or how to photograph, and we take something away from it. A year later we reread it, and find something else. We could only take in one layer of the onion at a time.

Go back and read a book several years later - it's almost as if it's a different book you're reading. What you get out of it is something other than the first time. We can only take in what we're ready for - which must lead to the comment that When the Student Is Ready, the Teacher will Come.

We go to seminars, and we hear some of the same things. Maybe we ignored it before, maybe we didn't try it. Maybe it's only this year that we get the AHA!

It's Friday today, and time for The Friday Boys to go out to lunch.

My husband, Captain George, has coordinated a group of neighborhood guys who dubbed themselves The Friday Boys, because they boat to lunch every Friday, and well, they're boys (despite their ages).

Most of The Friday Boys live in the neighborhood, have bought their homes through me, and are retired (ages range from 40 to 85). They alternate boats each week, and whoever is taking their boat gets to choose where to go for lunch (after all he's the one paying for the fuel) and the other guys share the cost of his lunch. Sometimes one has house guests and will bring them along - the guys, that is.

There are at least two dozen restaurants nearby where they can dock the boat and go in to eat.

This "tradition" has been going on for several years, and if a Friday Boy is away, such as one from Germany and one from England during the summer, they call in to say Hello while the boys gather for a beer before casting off.

There's just one downside - we gals can't plan anything useful for Friday nights.  (BB, TLW, Ken and Mary will understand).

Just wanted to share one of the fun things about living here in St. Petersburg, Florida, on the water. 

Do you ever go where local tourists stop? The veranda of a hotel, an outside dining/drinking/ice cream spot? Do your ears perk up and tune in whenever anyone's talking about real estate? Tune in to comments about your locale, as well, whether they be tourists or locals out and about.

What frustrations do they have? What excites them? What do they enjoy? What's been recommended to them and how do they feel about it? Their remarks are more apt to be honest when they aren't responding to questions or surveys.

The information you gather will not only be useful knowledge about your area, but many of the topic could also be Blog Fodder. 

One very positive aspect of our current market is that it's a great time to remodel. Local contractors here in St Pete and Pinellas County Florida who ordinarily would be backed up for months are available, and often will do much smaller jobs than they've done in the past. Subcontractors are readily available, and material orders aren't backed up. According to the Wall St Journal today, many prices on materials have come down significantly:

• OSB (a plywood substitute) down 40%
• Drywall down 35%
• Framing lumber down 24%
  

For many years our family has enjoyed Thanksgiving on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. That started years ago when daughter Tami volunteered each Thanksgiving Thursday at Rosa Jackson's meal:

Many organizations offer free Thanksgiving dinners to those who need it. Many people volunteer their time and/or money to make this happen. What's different about Rosa Jackson's?  She believes that it's more than giving food, it's giving dignity, and abundance. 

No buffet lines for Rosa - her hundreds of guests sat down at tables, and are served their Thanksgiving dinner, and they're offered a glass of wine as well, if they choose.

 Why would we insist on celebrating on Thursday instead of Sunday, when we should be grateful we can celebrate at all?

Rosa Jackson's dinner is served today from 1 to 3 pm at the Campbell Park Recreation Center, 601 14th St S., St. Petersburg. 

 This may be the last one. Rosa Jackson started offering her free holiday dinner in 1973 - 34 years ago. At first she used her own money, but as the gathering grew she sought donations. Rosa died 11 years ago, and her daughter and grandson continued the tradition. Her daughter is now 69 and her grandson, Daryl Jones, has moved to Apopka, though he still comes back to smoke turkeys in his mother's back yard. They promised they'd keep doing it, as long as they could.

Growing up in New England, I knew all about the First Thanksgiving here in the US, where the Pilgrims gathered with the Indians. But I never knew it had to do with property, until I read this in a newspaper this morning.

Apparently things weren't going well for the Pilgrims, and Governor Bradford had suggested everyone working together in community farming. This didn't work either, so finally they were each given their own plot of land to farm, in the spring of 1623 - and lo, the harvest was greater than ever before. That's what they celebrated back in 1623.

Property rights - land ownership - that's a blessing we have in the United States and increasingly, it's a right people around the world are getting.

Happy Thanksgiving - and Happy Home Ownership! 

This evening, yet again, an agent called me saying I have a verbal offer for you on 123 Main St. It's .....

Why bother? A verbal contract for real estate is unenforceable. Why would a seller choose to negotiate against himself? Why would the seller reveal his position, when the buyer has nothing at stake - no earnest money, no legal obligation to stand behind what he offered?

If you have a low offer, or one with odd circumstances, please put it in writing. Then we can analyze it. Then we can know you're for real (accompanied by a signed pre-approval letter, of course). And if, perchance, the seller accept the offer, the seller knows that he has a contract.

Chances slim that an offer will be accepted, and you want to avoid the work of writing an offer and having it signed? Let me share with you, a verbal offer has even less chance of being accepted. How are you properly representing your buyers if you just call with a verbal?

We're not talking here about counters and counter-counters being verbal (another topic), we're talking about an initial offer. Why would you do your buyer that disservice? 

What are terrazzo floors? They are a solid, groutless floor  that's actually a blend of one part  cement and two parts marble. After pouring this floor (and before the interior walls were framed) the workers would sprinkle marble chips of varying sizes and colors are sprinkled over the floor so that about 70% of the floor is covered with marble chips. The finish can vary from a subtle matte finish to a high gloss. They need not be waxed, are easy care, and can be restored or polished.

Terrazzo floors were popular in Florida homes built in the 1950s. Unfortunately many were later covered with carpet strips and shag carpeting, usually avocado. Today the carpets are being removed and the floors redone (I'm told you shouldn't pull the nails and leave holes, you should cut the nail off at floor level and have the floors refinished. Colors can range from dull, yellowed grays to warm browns and tans to vibrant colors. Check this site for more information, including care.  

Terrazzo isn't new - it was used 2,000 years ago in Rome.  It was a type of mosaic floor, embedding small pieces of marble into mortar and then polishing. With the current trend for solid surface floors in Florida, this is becoming more popular. 

Ines - this is an architectural topic and a Florida one, so please add your education comments.

The Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association in St Petersburg (just north of downtown) is holding its 10th annual Candlelight Tour of Homes on Sunday, December 9th. Since the homes are open from 3-8 pm, you can really decide whether to look by candlelight or daylight. It's really beautiful in this historic neighborhood to see the luminaria lining both sides of  the sidewalks and walkways by the featured homes. Check for more information. Tickets $15 in advance, $20 on day of tour. This year there are 8 homes open.

Saturday, December 1st is a Twilight Tour of Homes across many neighborhoods, sponsored by St Pete Catholic High School. 11 homes will be open from 4-8 pm. Tickets $15.  727-393-1907. 

Dunedin tour of homes, also Saturday, December 1st, from 11 am - 4 pm (see - you can attend both tours, one after the other. Six homes open, $15 in advance, $18 day of tour,727-734-0394. 

One more on that popular Saturday, December 1st, this one from 10 am - 3 pm. The Old Clearwater Bay Home and Garden Tour has more than a dozen homes open, north of downtown Clearwater, along the bay. Tickets $10.  727-298-0084

I'll save the annual Boat Parade schedule for another post. 

Lennar is still offering lots of bargains for their Florida properties, but even they are beginning to change tactics. They were developing a project in Orange County, California, and decided to take the homes off the market and wait for better prices. In stopping all of their development there, they refunded deposits they had already taken from some buyers.

I wonder what recourse those buyers have ... especially if they've been waiting for their home completion and losing other opportunities. Time is money. Any California agents have comments on your contracts out there, and what happens in this situation? 

Auction signs are now as common as For Sale signs used to be (in this market they still way outnumber the auction signs). Sotheby's in Sarasota held an auction Friday with 79 homes. Some sold - some didn't get a bid, despite 400 buyers from 18 states and 4 countries. Price is still King. Trophy homes and those with celebrity connections are usually the successful ones.

The success of the day was a Casey Key mansion that sold for $14 million .setting a record for a single family home in Sarasota. With 200 feet of beach and a mansion built with imported coral, and a guesthouse - it was listed at $20 million, so it was still 30% below list. As we know, and as sellers are finding out, asking doesn't necessarily equal value, and it's not what a home cost or "is worth", it's worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it.

At the other end of the scale, a home in gated MiraBay in Apollo Beach, originally listed for $1.25 million, couldn't even get a bid at $400,000.

A St. Pete home met the same fate - a 5,2090 sq ft home on the water in gated Bayway Isles, originally listed at $2.4 Million, didn't get any bids at $800,000.

Sotheby's reported that 30 of the 79 homes sold - some required a minimum bid (see the last two mentioned) and others were Absolute sales - best offer gets the property. Some of the buyers weren't interested in paying more than 40 cents on the dollar.

"They" say that you shouldn't carry a computer is what is obviously a computer case and shouldn't carry a camera in what is obviously a camera case - too easy a theft target in an airport, coffee shop, etc. Someone once suggested disguising it by carrying it in a diaper bag!  I'm not that crazy, but

since I like Vera Bradley bags, it wasn't a far stretch when I saw the Vera Bradley luggage line to buy this rolling 17" travel tote. And if someone takes off with you - you'd know it's yours, unlike the ubiquitous black case (though this one comes in plain black - defeats the disguise purpose - or a blue and brown pattern.

You certainly wouldn't expect a computer here - but it's very convenient with all the pockets and dividers for everything that you carry. Telescoping handle and in-line skate wheels save your back from carrying a heavy load. Meets carry-on requirements.

Not for everyone's taste, of course - but it suits me and it's fun. 

Currently I'm reading a book PEAK by Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hospitality, a large boutique hotel company in San Francisco. He talks about creating an experience, the unexpected WOW for the customer. He mentions the obvious - Apple stores, Harley motorcycles.

There have been lots of posts about customer service (mine included) but what about THE Experience? Where's the unexpected delight? The experience that makes customers evangelists who tell everyone. What a fantastic way to increase business without increased cost.

• What is the best service experience you've ever had as a customer in any field or service?

• What's the best service experience you've given or received in a real estate transaction?
  

Downtown St Petersburg Florida

is one of the largest - and in my opinion also one of the most beautiful - public waterfronts in the U.S. Nearly five miles of parkland keep the waterfront open and visible to the public. Yes, there are wonderful indoor and outdoor restaurants and shops and museums and residences - but they don't block the view. There are over 350 events a year in these waterfront parks, from art shows to music concerts, as well as all the daily uses, for walking or sitting or playing soccer or exercising your dog.

What's really unique is that this waterfront parkland is truly protected. Since 1903 when the land was given to the city, any sale or long-term lease must be approved by the voters in the city - a very protective group, I'll add.

Al Lang Field (now known as Progress Energy Park) has been the site of spring training for years. The Tampa Bay Rays (once known as the Devil Rays) announced this week that they'd like to have a new stadium right here by the water - with occasional home runs going out into the bay.

I wonder how the voters will vote.

For me, I've always enjoyed being out in the open, looking beyond the ball field to Tampa Bay, watching the games, eating hot dogs and enjoying the weather. I haven't enjoyed being "cooped up" in Tropicana Field. And what a wonderful way to show off our wonderful home to the entire world.

On the other hand, I also deeply treasure our waterfront parks. How much more intrusive would a new stadium be? Hopefully we wouldn't lose our continuous miles of sidewalk along the bay, nor part of the track for the Grand Prix when it races here in the spring.

I wonder how the voters will vote. 

Today's business section of the St Petersburg Times revealed that the owners of 100 Bay Central (first known as South Core, then as the headquarters of Progress Energy) are ready for a tenant or two in their building at 100 Central Ave in downtown St Petersburg. With 63,000 sq ft on the ground floor and 72,000 sq ft on the second floor, and several floors of parking garage above. The article suggested a Fresh Market or a Crate and Barrel. What I've been hearing from lots of downtown residents, though is that they want a Trader Joe's. 

From its limestore-arched entryway to its copper-domed Mediterranean towers, this landmark is visible from everywhere in downtown - and it's beautiful at Christmas time, too.

So, Trader Joe's, click on 100 Bay Central to find out more about what's here and why you should come. You're already on the west coast of the US, so why not come to the west coast of Florida? Nearby condo dwellers can come to you but you might want to start a Deliver-To-Your-Yacht service to the nearby marinas.

One Colliers Arnold agent is reported to have said (in comparison to condos in downtown Tampa) that "St. Petersburg's condos are actually lived in." and the Saturday Morning Market is right outside the entrance. 

Downtown St Pete is vibrant and alive - and contrary to myth, the actual average age is 39. 

I often hear "I treat people like I want to be treated." That's good insofar as it brings out the best in you, but it only really works if people are like you. An engineer may not want to be treated like an artist ...

We use the DISC personalities, and try to determine how to modify our style to be more compatible with the client's style. We even  mark our impression in our ACT contact record, to alert the other team members.

Most important, though, is to ASK. Perhaps not specifically, how would you like to be treated? but  how often they like us to communicate with them, when and by what means? To they want demonstrations and explanations, or would they prefer silence to process things themselves first? Tony Alessandra wrote The Platinum Rule about this theory.

Treat people the way they want to be treated. 

It's November, and the time when many of our friends are coming back to spend their half year in Florida. November through April is pretty typical, and gives them part of both fall and spring, both my favorite seasons here in St. Petersburg.

Some are driving down from Up North, and others are flying "across the pond" from Europe. More lights shine out from the building windows at night, and the restaurants fill faster.

It's like a family reunion.  Welcome Back!