South Florida Housing Market Data is Insightful for 2017

A summary of July 2017 existing home sales in South Florida  indicates sales data showing that housing market activity this July fell from last month, but improved from last year. 

Sales of homes on the market slipped to their lowest level of the year in July 2017. As the conversant undercurrents of "lean supply and enthusiastic demand lingers. It continues to strain the housing market, although it reached 5.44 million,” according to Association of Realtors  The Association of Realtors also noted “that it was down 1.3% from a downwardly-revised June pace. While July’s pace was 2.1% higher than a year ago, it was the lowest since last August”. 

NAR Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun stated in July, that “homes are selling fast, strong demand meant…

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Tour Jupiter on a Kayak or Paddleboard

Over 10,000 years ago Native American tribes began migrating into Florida. The tribes settling in modern-day Palm Beach  Florida. Juan Ponce de León, who led a European expedition in 1613 discovered Florida. He was the first non-Native American recorded to land modern day Jupiter area.

Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida,  and  a fascinating community.  It has been chiseled by it’s the abounding coastal culture and plentiful waterways.  

Paddleboard  with sea turtles, manatees, dolphins and catch a glimpse of a multitude of birds on any given day.  Kayak or paddle your way through the mangrove estuaries and spot osprey, nesting pelicans, great blue heron, and a variety of other bird species.  Take the opportunity go…

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June is National Homeownership Month

President Donald J. Trump proclaimed June 2017 as National Homeownership Month. The President stated, During National Homeownership Month, “We recognize the many benefits of homeownership to our families, our communities, and our Nation.  For generations of Americans, owning a home has been an essential element in achieving the American Dream.  Homeownership is often the foundation of security and prosperity for families and communities and an enduring symbol of American freedom.  This month, we recommit to ensuring that hard-working Americans enjoy a fair chance at becoming homeowners.”

It is a time to encourage the American Dream of owning a home.  Homeownership is an unsurpassed investment an individual can make to build their personal wealth.…

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Declutter your South Florida Closet

A jumbled, jam-packed closet will stress you out every time you get dressed.  It’s important to constantly manage your closet so that you only keep the things you love.  Instead of having a ton of things you don’t like or won’t wear.  Having less in your closet means having more, because when you only have good-quality pieces that you know how to put together you will always have something to wear. Decluttering can be daunting.

If you are trying to sell your house, an organized closet, not one overstuffed with junk, is important. If you have a home in Jupiter may be time to bring out caftans and beach cover-ups and store the wintry weather clothing days.  Although if you live in Palm Beach County you know we only get a handful of sweater days…

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Sailfish Point, Stuart - Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course

Sailfish Point, 1648 SE Sailfish Point Blvd., Stuart is truly an exceptional country club and golfing community! Ranked 3rd of Residential Courses in South Florida and 47th Nationwide by Golf Week Magazine 2017. This 7,088-yard, par 72 course, stretches along ocean and river, it is 18 holes of a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course. Of the many private Florida golf club communities, Sailfish Point is truly a special lifestyle. 

Water and wind are the distinctive aspects at Sailfish Point. This private course, originally designed by Jack Nicklaus in 1981, is surrounded by three bodies of water.  The Atlantic Ocean, the St. Lucie Inlet and the Indian River are on three sides of the course.  Each hole boasts stunning water views, which makes it both…

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Feed Flamingos at the Palm Beach Zoo

Have you ever been up close and personal with a long legged pink bird?  If not, the opportunity exists at the Palm Beach Zoo.  The impressive Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society,1301 Summit Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33405 has made the opportunity to feed flamingos a reality!

Each afternoon the 'Flamingo Experience' at the Palm Beach Zoo offers clientele an intimate encounter for just $35 a person.  A maximum of eight guests are escorted into a sequestered feeding area where the Chilean Flamingos come out to meet their fans. Touching the elegant birds is not encouraged, but the flamingos can touch you with their nares. Obviously, they don't have hands so they check out the everything with their mouths.

The flamingo snack/meal is on the menu…

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Jupiter Island $72 Million Mansion Sold at Drastically Reduced Price

Jupiter Island mansion sold for a drastically reduced price after nearly four years on the market.  International icon, Céline Dion, has finally found the perfect buyer for her multimillion-dollar home.  After trying to sell her Florida estate for $72.5 million for years it will now finally close for $38.5 million.

Dion and her husband, René Angélil, built the stunning oceanfront mansion in 2010.  Sadly, Angélil, died of cancer last year.

A Canadian real estate broker helped sell the property, along with a real estate broker in Florida. The identify the new owner has not been disclosed but said the American buyer wanted the property as a vacation home. The $38.5 million transaction finalized last week.

For more information on other homes…

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The Crowning Glory of your South Florida Property

When I grew up, Saturday entailed us mowing and weeding.  Not quite my American dream, or that of my brothers as young teens, but we had a lush green lawn and it was every suburbanites dream. To some, a lawn is the crowning glory of their South Florida home. Yet to others it is a tremendous hit on their checkbook.

Everyone loves the appearance of an impeccable lawn.  Don’t you enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass and the feel of it under bare feet.  The cost to maintain it, mowing, edger’s, mowers, aerators, chemicals and fertilizers.  This is the bare minimum to achieve a beautiful lawn or hiring a lawn service.

Lawn service can be a tremendous hit on the checkbook. Studies show that well maintained landscaping can add 15% to the value of a home. …

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Attracting Butterflies to your South Florida Garden

Gardens are beautiful and butterflies seemingly bring the garden to “life” with fluttery movement from plant to plant. South Florida is a great area to have a butterfly garden. Butterfly gardens come in all shapes and sizes. It can begin in a single pot or a plot of land. It is possible to add a few plants to a couple of beds or a window box or transform an existing garden.

A garden full of butterflies requires a good mix of butterfly nectar and select plants so that butterflies will not only be attracted to your shrubbery for a drink, but they will also lay eggs. This provides a place for the entire butterfly life cycle to ensue.

The butterfly life cycle includes various stages: eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis and finally, butterflies. All the…

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Staging a Home for Sale

When staging your Palm Beach County home for sale, your furniture placement will be adjusted to invite buyers into the property and allow them to walk freely in the room and then pass to the next.  It may not be the layout you prefer or use, but it is to facilitate the sale of your house.

 Ideally, a home stager can be your ace in the hole to sell quickly. The home stager will suggest to you what stays and goes, what to put away and what needs to be upgraded.  According to the National Association of Realtors, home stagers start with an “evaluation in which they’ll review your home from curbside to back fence offering a list of instructions and suggested enhancements, changes and upgrades for you to get done.”

The goal of staging is to showcase…

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