http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ7h4Krrvs4

Yes, I am one of the Palm Harbor Realtors who loves the Palm Harbor school district but who also has a child that is already bored of summer vacation!

While I am happy I am not personally bored because the summer is one of our busiest times to show and list Pinellas homes, I really don’t want my child to be!  I think we’re all caught up on the summer movies at the AMC Theatres Woodlands 20 on Tampa Road in Oldsmar and we’re a good way through the summer reading list, and then I hear there’s a new Sprayground in town!

We’ve had a nice rush of needed rain in Pinellas County these past two weeks but under sunny Florida skies, crazy water jets, mushroom and spinning sprayers, and water canons sounded like the perfect summer vacation cure.  The Highlander Pool  just officially opened this new edition to the ever-diversified Dunedin.  It is called the Kiwanis Sprayground replete with a Loch Ness Monster theme. It is located at (more…)

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These Palm Harbor Realtors were once again pleased to see the latest sales numbers for Pinellas homes just released from the Pinellas Realtor Organization (PRO).  The number of Pinellas condos and Pinellas homes actively on the market continues to decline at a good clip, whereas the total number of properties sold is up for the FOURTH month in a row.  WOW!

The absorption rate (A/R on the above chart) is the quick indicator that’s shown above that Tampa Bay Realtors use.  As you’ll note, the absorption rate for single family home sales is higher than it was in August of 2006!

Note that the average sales price of Pinellas condos was up significantly from March 2009, which made no sense to us at first glace, because the condo sales prices we’re seeing are dropping like stones due to tough financing issues specific to condos (a topic for another day).   But we dove much deeper into the stats (so much for watching that Boston Legal rerun tonight), and discovered that there was a huge surge in high-end condo sales between $400K and over $1M, which explains the delta.  It’s going to be interesting to see if that trend continues, and we’ll keep you posted.   So,  if you’re ready to dive in and buy that $1M+ Clearwater Beach condo, the getting is good.

By the way, click the “Submit Your E-Mail” button below to subscribe to The Pinellas Peach.  We’ve got some really interesting sales stats for Pinellas Foreclosures vs. Pinellas Short Sales vs. “regular” sales coming your way as fast as we can write ‘em!

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Clearwater Celebrates America
Coachman Park- 301 Drew St. - Clearwater
July 4th 4PM - 10PM
Family activities, Mostly Pops Orchestra, fireworks display

Crystal Beach (Palm Harbor) Annual 4th Celebration
Crystal Beach Pier- take Crystal Beach Ave West to Gulf Drive - turn North (right) .. you can’t miss it!
July 4th Sunset to - 10PM
Informal gatherining with all the locals, many driving their golf carts, fireworks display

Dunedin Hometown USA
Knology Park - 373 Douglas Ave - Dunedin
July 3rd 9:30 PM firworks display

City of Gulfport Celebrates
Gulfport downtown waterfront district- 2401 53rd St. S - Gulfport
July 4th fireworks display  

Safety Harbor’s July 4 Celebration
Safety Harbor Marina Park - 110 Veterans Memorial Ln - Safety Harbor
July 4th  5 PM - 9:30PM Events and fireworks

Madeira Beach Fireworks
Maderia Beach 
July 4th fireworks

Redington Shores Fireworks
County Beach Park- Gulf Blvd & 182nd Ave W - Redington Shores
July 4th shortly after dusk 

St. Pete - Fireworks at the Pier
St. Petersburg Pier- 800 Second Ave. N.E. - St. Petersburg
July 4th events and fireworks from 1 PM - 11 PM at the Waterside Courtyard & The Pier 

Independence Day Channelside
615 Channelside Dr. - Tampa
July 4th events starting at 2 PM and fireworks after dark

Pasco County Fairgrounds- 36722 State Road 52 - Dade City
July 4th fireworks at 9:15 PM Gates open at 4PM
Fireworks and entertainment 

Marina Jack Restaurant - 2 Marina Plaza - Sarasota
July 4th 8 PM - The 4th of July Fireworks in Sarasota starts at dusk over Sarasota Bay at Bayfont Park.

4th of July Rock ‘n Wings Concert
Albert Whitted Airport- 107 8th Avenue SE - St Petersburg
July 4th 4 PM - 10 PM Gates open at 3 p.m. 

Largo 4th of July Celebration
Largo Central Park - 101 Central Park Drive - Largo
July 4th 7 PM - 10 PM Fireworks display at 9 p.m. 

St Pete Beach fireworks
St. Pete Beach Access Park- 4700 Gulf Blvd. - St. Petersburg beach
July 4th starting at dusk 

Treasure Island fireworks
Treasure Island- Treasure Island
July 3rd
Enjoy some great BBQ, live music, and you can even park right on the beach.

Siesta Key 4th of July Fireworks
Siesta Key Beach
July 4th 9:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Fireworks can be seen from Midnight Pass to the Siesta Key Village

The Florida Aquarium- 701 Channelside Drive Tampa, Florida (813) 273-4000 Fireworks at 9PM 

Happy 4th of July everyone!!

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The FHA was created in 1934 after the Great Depression, and was widely popular until recent years when subprime lenders offered something seemingly better:  artificially low interest rates, no-interest payments and a false dream.  Daily, lender requirements are becoming more and more stringent, and, as a result, FHA loans are once again commonplace and the only vehicle for many to own their Duendin homes.

Advantages of an FHA loan include:

• low 3.5% down payment and closing costs
• gifts from family members, employers or charitable organizations are welcomed
• minimum credit scores are lower than for conventional loans
• lenders will consider payment of rent, utility bills and auto insurance premiums when evaluating the applicant

But Whoa! Hold on, there’s a tiny downside …. (more…)

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Main Street in Dunedin Florida is the hub of this town and is the location of this popular annual craft festival and the destination of lovers of pottery, photography, glass-work and woodworking.

The merchants of the famous Dunedin Green Market will also be making a most welcome appearance with platters bearing a wide array of cheeses and fruits and crepes and salsas and teas.

This celebration still boasts free admission and is slated this year for Saturday and Sunday June 27th and 28th from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM.

So set your GPS for:
271 Main St
Dunedin, FL 34698

After sampling the local fare, a great side trip is a hop over to award-winning Caladesi Island State Park  or sparkling Clearwater Beach. With a refreshing 88 degrees predicted for the weekend, take a break from the Florida air conditioning and take it to the Dunedin streets!

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For the summer vacation months there are classes for kids of all ages in a setting that will release their artistic talents and provide affordable entertainment and skill building; especially for all those kids that are “already bored” with summer vacation.

Instilling an appreciation of fine art is the center’s focus by providing exhibitions, lectures, studio classes and workshops that can strengthen abstract understanding and inspire creativity. And year round the Dunedin Fine Art Center can host your parties in a venue that is out of the ordinary!

If Dunedin real estate is on your short list of places to live in Florida, then count this community hub on the “pro” side of your list.   Call us with questions at (727)366-0324 with questions.  We’re here to help.

Dunedin Fine Art Center
1143 Michigan Blvd.
Dunedin, FL 34698
PHONE: 727.298.3322

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If it’s waterfront and affordability you’re after, then the world is your oyster right now. 

Currently in North Pinellas including Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor (including Ozona and Crystal Beach), Dunedin and Clearwater, there are only 109 homes for sale on the Pinellas MLS.  They vary in price from $189,000 to $6,500,000.  Of the 109 available, 39 of them are above $1M and 21 are gloriously under $400K!  

By the way, 7 of these North Pinellas waterfront homes closed in the last 30 days, and another 6 sales are pending.  That’s 13 out of 110 homes - stellar absorption rate numbers for waterfront!  The spectacular rear deck view pictured here is of an Ozona home we helped some more happy buyers close on today. 

In the South Pinellas Beach areas, there are 376 Pinellas waterfront homes for sale from the area from Sand Key and Belleair all the way to Maderia Beach and St. Pete Beach.   Of these, 16 have sold in the past 30 days and a whopping 46 sales are pending.  They are priced between $199K and $11M. 

Whether you’re dream home is a simple rancher with canal access to the gulf, or something more palatial with a sprawling balcony directly on the Gulf of Mexico, you’ll be reving up the boat for your trip to Caladessi Island and laughing all the way to the bank.

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Pinellas Trail Bike Rental is located in Dunedin, Florida right on the trail itself!  They’re open:

Tuesday through Sunday
10 AM - 6:30 PM

and are located at 357 Scotland St in Dunedin, FL and can be reached at (727) 734-5976.

If you’re on the Palm Harbor end of The Pinellas Trail then your must stop is SunWest Cyclery.  The back of the shop faces mile marker 27 on the Pinellas Trail and they are open six days a week:

10am-6pm Mon-Fri
10am-4pm Sat
Closed Sundays

Their storefront is at 625 Palm Harbor Blvd. (Alternate 19 N) which is south of Alderman Ave & north of Tampa Road and their number is 727-785-0110.

There’s tons of info on The Pinellas Trail but I found a great map created by the brilliant bloggers at Spoke’n'word.  So leave the car at home and take a stroll to Pinellas Trail Bike Rental or SunWest Cyclery and rent some wheels!   Better yet, find yourself a new slice of Pinellas Real Estate right by the Trail so you can enjoy this shade and sun dappled jewel of Pinellas County!

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There’s great news, however, if you’re in the market to purchase Pinellas Real Estate!  Buyers may now use the credit upfront as extra down payment money, to lower payments, pay discount points (reducing their interest rates), or to supplement closing costs.

The big “BUT” here is that buyers  CANNOT use the first time home-buyer tax credit toward the 3.5% minimum that is required of FHA insured loans.  The buyer still has to present those down payment funds, yet they can be a gift from a relative. 

The Truth About the Misinformation Currently Being Circulated Amongst the Mis-Informed: 

There’s a lot of misinformation out there saying that the $8,000 can be used for your down payment, but that’s just not the case!  It’s a convoluted mess because HUD originally released this Mortgagee Letter 2009-15, later rescineded it (the details as to why are unclear other than they realized they made a mistake), and now it’s up for public speculation as to what’s going to happen with that aspect of it.  For crying out loud, we reported last October that the FHA had just done away with all seller-funded closing costs - now they want to essentially reverse that?!  For the real facts, keep checking back, or better yet subscribe to The Pinellas Peach and you’ll be notified automatically.

Eligibility for the $8000 tax credit can be found (more…)

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A)  What are the 3 types of Property Values are as Determined by The Pinellas Property Appraiser’s office (reported in Part 1 of this 3 part series)

B)  How the Pinellas County Property Appraiser determines the Just or Market value of your home (reported here); and

C)  How to estimate how much you’ll actually pay to the Pinellas County Property Tax Collector (coming soon!).

In this Part 2 of this series, we’ll review ….

HOW THE PINELLAS PROPERTY TAX APPRAISER DETERMINES VALUE

The Market (or Just) Value is the ‘meat and bones’ value that is set by Pinellas County appraisers.   County appraisers use the same three methods (or a combination of the three) to determine value that ‘regular’ appraisers do:

1)  The sales comparison approach (what similar homes have sold for);

2)  the cost replacement approach (cost to rebuild on top of your land value); and

3)  the income approach (won’t be used unless you’re investing in Pinellas commercial properties or multi-family homes).

So, it’s not so much that your new home will be taxed based on the new sales price, it’s that your new market/just assessed value will be based upon the price that other similar homes have recently sold for.  This is the basis of the sales comparison and is the is almost always the primary indicator of a residential home’s value.

When in a shifting market as we are now, most of us are probably safe in assuming that market values will decrease a bit from their prior year’s levels.  However, we NEVER (more…)

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