Real Estate Views from St Pete

Tampa International Airport has been computer friendly for years, offering free wireless internet access.

Southwest Airlines improved on the balancing act of using your laptop with their "computer bars" where you could recharge and share a narrow flat surface.

What a pleasant surprise when we arrived at the Southwest Terminal at Tampa International Airlines to find both in the general lobby and at our gate these computer stations with 2 plugs for charging and space to spread out with paperwork, beverage, etc.

It's been a very pleasant wait at the gate with these comfortable computer stations. Thank you Southwest and TIA!

Tami and I are en route to Phoenix to Bloodhound Unchained to learn more about search engine optimization, social networking and improving our blogs and websites.

We met this week with homeowners who called us saying that they were tired of trying to sell their house on their own, and would we please come list it.

We met them, and they have a lovely, updated, comfortable waterfront home. We talked about what has been selling in the neighborhood and they said, "Well, we really don't NEED to sell."

Then, PLEASE, don't sell. We advised them that today's market would not support what they wanted/needed to get in order to sell, and since they didn't NEED to sell, to wait until the market reached their "need" level.

Should they keep their FSBO sign out? No - that's lengthening the time it will take to start the rebound. The number of homes on the market is part of the media's and the buyer's acknowledgement of how bad things are.

So, PLEASE - take your home off the market, if you don't need to sell, and aren't willing or able to meet the market prices, and wait until the market rises to your expectations.

The Renaissance Vinoy Hotel is a jewel in downtown St Petersburg. This luxury hotel was built in the Roaring 20s and has been restored to its original Mediterranean charm and style.

Guests of course enjoy all the amenities, and so do members of the Vinoy Club.

Some of the members come up to the ornate lobby after working out in the gym or playing tennis, and bring our coffee upstairs to relax and chat.

What a welcome when we have our facing couches "reserved" and newspapers ready and waiting.

Sharing conversation is a great way to start the morning - sometimes we talk about boats, sometimes politics, sometimes local events, and sometimes personal happenings.

It's a diverse group, with diverse viewpoints.

One of our buyers called me recently, concerned about the chain-linked motel near the house she had under contract.

I explained to her that the residents in Broadwater had worked long and hard to GET the motel closed! The Broadwater neighborhood worked closely with the police to monitor activity, to report and complain.

Indeed, the police did empty the former Knight's Inn on 34th Street South in St Petersburg, much to the delight of the nearby residents. Utilities had been turned off for nonpayment, so living there was a health concern.

Now we see dumpsters on the premises, and these pieces of furniture are lined up outside the rooms like soldiers standing guard.

This was once a Holiday Inn, and neighbors look forward to the property being upgraded, and a place they can recommend to their families and guests.

This is a typical morning at Kahwa. From just this small section of Kahwa you can see that it's a morning ritual for young and old, for casual and professional.

Here you can see Kahwa customers enjoying their morning beverage while reading the paper, using their computer, or taking something to go.

What you don't see here is all the conversation going on at tables inside and out. Business meetings, friends chatting before heading off to work, neighbors sharing thoughts.

I heard a speaker recently saying tht he was speaking at that organization because of a conversation he had at Kahwa ...

Kahwa roasts their own coffee at another location, and provides coffee to many of the local restaurants. You can also buy it by the pound for use at home or at your office.

Kahwa is located at the southeast corner of Fifth Avenue North and Second Street North in downtown St Petersburg. When you visit - tell them you heard about Kahwa on Sharon's blog.

New York Bagel 'n Bread Shop in south St Petersburg, Florida, is a treat for bagels and lox, espresso and cappuccino, freshly baked bread to take home, or a lunch of sandwishes, wraps and salads.

New York Bagel 'n Bread opens at 6:30 am on weekdays and 7:00 am on weekends. Len Cucinotta has owned this bagel shop for 14 years. He and his wife, Patricia, who is always smiling when they open, live "around the corner" in the Broadwater neighborhood.

Stop in at their bagel shop at 4801 34th Street South in St Petersburg Florida and tell them that you heard about their bagel shop by reading Sharon's blog.

Defective drywall in Florida homes is something I wrote about two months ago. Primarily from 2004-2006 some defective drywall from China was used in building homes, and has destroyed some electrical systems, some plumbing, some air conditioning systems - and can be a HUGE problem to correct. Naturally consumer fears lead to opportunists, and it seems that some people are offering bogus tests to determine if your drywall is defective.

Anyone experiencing this scam should contact the Florida attorney general's office at (866) 966-7226 or file a complaint online.

The Withlacoochee State Forest in Florida is a wonderful place to escape. Our landlord, Tom Bell, was in the Green Swamp portion recently and took this photograph, which he sent to us in an Easter greeting, as the closest shot he had of an Easter "chick". I was so delighted with the photo that I asked him if I could share it on my blog, and he agreed.

Thanks, Tom, for sharing this wonderful part of Florida and nature with all of us.

A metal working company moved into this old building with an ugly, nondescript door. Hardly a good front for their company.

So - they covered the old door with this artistic one. Now that shows what the company could do for you.

Doesn't that let your imagination start to soar about your entry door, or a gate at the end of your drive?

You see the closed work at the bottom, the elaborate open scrollwork above.

Yes, that invites me in to see what's inside.

Do you know where in downtown St Petersburg this is?

I hadn't let myself be enticed by a small, handy netbook ... until I saw one of my clients with his Asus netbook.

3.2 pounds, with wireless and bluetooth connections.

9-1/2 hour battery life!

small enough for the tray on a plane.

1.66GHz processor, 10" display, workable keyboard.160 GB internal hard drive.

It will easily fit on a bar - a coffee bar, a cocktail bar, your own kitchen bar.

It will fit in your purse or briefcase with room to space.

iPhone like touchpad to zoom in and out.

It's $389 from amazon.

More than one waterfront homeowner here in Broadwater bought their home a couple of years ago for $500,000 to $700,000 and then gutted it and totally renovated it, planning to spend many years there, or planning to retire or slow down and move to their waterfront paradise. So, they spent upwards of $100,000 on these renovations - opening up the small rooms, improving the flow, adding amenities and pizazz - new kitchen suited to their taste, new bathrooms...  Then the economy struck and now they need to sell their piece of Paradise. A few years ago getting $750,000 or even $850,000 for these would not have been a problem.  But that was then, and now is now.

So far this year there has been one closed waterfront sale in Broadwater - a bank sale at $275,000. Hmmm, how do we combat that in an appraisal?  So, there are currently six waterfront homes under contract in Broadwater, with list prices from $399,000 to $475,000. That's a disaster for the above homeowners. Even if you add $100,000 for the renovations, they don't come up to their costs.

The lucky ones don't have to sell right now. Sadly, some unlucky ones do.

Most of the purchasers of condominiums in Signature Place, an architecturally unique highrise in downtown St Petersburg Florida bought their units back in 2006. Prices have certainly dropped since then, which had led to much speculation.

For months Joel Cantor, the developer, has been working with the lenders to jointly offer a significant price reduction. The Tampa Bay Business Journal announced weeks ago that this was "in the wind" so there's been a lot of speculation on how deep and how wide the "significant" price reduction would be.

To his credit, Joel did not just reduce the prices of the unsold units, as many developers are inclined to do. To reward and repay those that believed in his project early on, these price cuts apply to all existing contracts. As of Monday, they'll also apply to the unsold units.

This isn't a 5% or 10% token reduction - it's a whopping 25%. Both the developer and the lender are sharing in the hit. Cantor reports that this means that the purchasers are getting their condos at less than the cost to build them!

Signature Place is a striking building from wherever you look at it in downtown St Pete. At 36 stories it makes an impression, as does its unique design. There are 244 condos in the building, with 19 different floor plans.

There was a great editorial published in the Wall St Journal this morning on response to the piracy off Somalia. The United States has laws about response, retaliation, human rights, and prisoners of war.

This article reflects back to a distinction made by the Romans "between bellum (war against legitimus hostis, a legitimate enemy) and guerra (war against latrunculi, pirates, robbers, brigands and outlaws).

I like the sound of that word - latrunculi.

In my opinion, it's one thing to have rights for those who patriotically go and fight for their country in a war, and another for those who take things into their own hands.

Am I alone in thinking this?

Signature Place condominiums in downtown St Petersburg - the cranes are gone, the shrouds have been removed, and you can now see this high landmark condo in all its glory. Notice all the walls of glass and imagine the views from within.

Most of the units in Signature Place are small, less than 2,400 sq ft. All have views of the water, most from inside the unit, some just from the balconies.

The building is complete, and closings are scheduled for June. Most of the purchasers are anxious to get inside the building and look at the views they purchased.

Signature Place looks different from different locations in downtown St Pete, and from different heights and angles. It's narrow face is to the waterfront, allowing more views to McNulty Lofts, in the block behind it.

The three models in the tower probably won't open until June, but there are two models in the lower west building so that you can see the finishes that will appear in the tower units.

Though not a waterfront condo, this has wonderful waterfront views.

Bayfront Tower in downtown St Petersburg has condos with great views, a convenient location, and a wide variety of amenities. This southeast corner balcony is the perfect place to watch not only boating activities but aerial activities. This 21st floor corner unit is owned by a former pilot who enjoy watching the takeoffs and landings at Albert Whitted Airport in downtown St Pete.Albert Whitted airport was the site of the first scheduled airline flight in history on January 1, 1914.

Though this isn't my listing, I've shown this condo several times, and think it's the best buy in the building. With 2,200 sq ft, 3 bedrooms and 3 baths, it's priced at $529,000 - and the amenities of Bayfront Tower go on and on.

It's the only building in downtown St Petersburg wih valet parking included, and with all the amenities at the TOP of the building, for the best views. All of the 28th floor, which is surrounded by a covered walkway, is common areas, and the 29th floor is the swimming pool, with an uncovered running track around the edge.

This style, typical in the 1910s in downtown St Petersburg and the Old Northeast, has much in common with the later bungalow neighborhoods such as Kenwood, but it typically larger, and has a higher roof pitch than the later bungalows.

The palm trees in the front add a Florida flair to the landscaping - just so you'll know where the house is.

The wide porch is typical of the Old Northeast, and is very conducive to neighborhood conversations - it's easier to chat between porch and sidewalk than behind closed doors - and sometimes you'll be invited to come and sit a spell.

Find our some of the typical characteristics of a St Petersburg bungalow. Once inside, you'll find other typical elements, but that's a subject for a future post on bungalows.

This is a rare single family home in the Downtown Historic District of Saint Petersburg - primarily downtown is commercial and condo. This old home is two blocks from the downtown waterfront.

Since our new ALVA International office is located in the heart of downtown St Petersburg Florida on Beach Drive, we get people stopping in to inquire about condo rentals in downtown.

For those who are looking for a rental for a week or a month - sorry, we can't help. Nearly all of the condos are residential, not vacation, and most have minimum rental periods of one year. If you want a vacation rental, you'll generally have to look on the beaches, and then drive 15 minutes to downtown St Petersburg.

You can rent a condo for $800 per month or for $5,000 per month - depends on size, view, and degree of luxury.

I've just posted a current market report on downtown St Petersburg condo rentals. I've even started using charts that show availability and leasing activity in particular condos.

Most of our luxury condo rentals have water views. Our downtown St Petersburg area is wonderful for walking. Just park your car in the garage and walk to work (or if you're retired, forget about the work part), to shops, restaurants, museums, parks and marinas. Choose from many festivals, music concerts, gallery walks, and a wide variety of activities.

To me, St Petersburg has the best of all worlds - lots to do, but leisurely. Enjoy life - come to St Pete.