• This mandate will apply to EVERY mortgage in America.
• The lender must give you a TIL (Truth in Lending) disclosure with all of your closing costs spelled out within 3 days of your initial application.  If you don’t get the disclosure, you can pull the plug.  By the way, our lender partners have always done business this way.  If you need a referral to a lender that has always played by the book, and provides the best interest rates going, contact us.
• There must be a 7 day waiting period between the date the initial TIL disclosure is provided to you and the closing occurs.  AND! …best of all ….

• Any change to the initial APR disclosed in the original TIL that exceeds 1/8% (.125) for a regular transaction or 1/4% (.25) for an irregular transaction will require a new TIL disclosure with an additional 3-day waiting period between its receipt by you and the actual closing date.
• The waiting periods will not include Sundays or federal holidays.
• No fees, other than a credit report fee, can be charged before your receive your disclosure.

Long gone are the days of last minute changes to the borrowers loan terms.  This may postpone your scheduled closing date, yet these Palm Harbor Realtors think we’d all agree that buyers of Pinellas Real Estate deserve this peace of mind.

By the way, interest rates today are at about 5.4% for a 30-year fixed conventional loan.  See what it will cost you if rates rise on Pinellas mortgages later this year, as some are predicitng.

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!

The entrees are reasonably priced. The restaurant is clean and although not dripping with ambiance, it is open and friendly. The owners are those of the Michele’s Italian Restaurant that closed some years back.

Corteo’s offers “Parties on the Patio” for up to 20 guests for birthdays, anniversary parties etc. They only require a 5-7 day advance notice. Catering Trays “To Go” are another option with only 3 days notice required from order placement. Early bird specials are featured daily from 2:30 – 5:30 offering courses from appetizer to dessert.

The absolute best bet though is calling ahead and swooping in to pick up a Sicilian pie to go! Corteo’s is located at 32922 US 19 in the shopping center by Hops. Mangiare!
 

This ideal family neighborhood features spacious lots and some even provide Eniswood Lake (really more of a large pond) or conservation views.  These homes built in the 1980’s feature vaulted ceilings, split floor plans and have a spacious feel to them.  Many offer fireplaces for those occasional cool Florida evenings.  Many have been updated with new kitchens and baths.  You can invest in a home here between the high $200’s to the mid-$500’s.   

The highly acclaimed Palm Harbor University High is a short walk from Eniswood, and it’s just a few blocks from The Pinellas Trail and Wall Springs Park.  As of this writing, a new Publix grocery store is being built in the small shopping center that borders the neighborhood.  Of course, Pinellas Beaches are only a few minutes drive away – including the famed Honeymoon Island and Caladessi Island.  If a manicured family neighborhood is what you’re after with an ideal Palm Harbor location, Eniswood is the place to call home. 

Call your Palm Harbor Realtors, Julia and Matt Fishel, at Suncoast Partners at Keller Williams Realty Palm Harbor @ (727)366-0325 for current offerings.

Just a short stroll from our Keller Williams Palm Harbor office is the site of the Palm Harbor Citrus Festival! This multi-faceted event is scheduled to run April 23^rd through the 26^th.

In the spirit of community, two organizations are joining forces to promote and produce the event, the Greater Palm Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce and Old Palm Harbor Main Street, Inc. This brand new event is a celebration of Palm Harbor heritage.  All of the activities and exhibits will focus on the staples of life in the first days of Palm Harbor in the mid 1800’s.

To commemorate those simpler times there will be juice squeezing contests, bake offs, historical skits, a horseshoe pit, equestrian exhibits, and fish tosses! The music will run the gamut from bluegrass to folk to gospel and the first official “Miss Palm Harbor Citrus Festival Queen” will be crowned!  Girls must attend Palm Harbor University High or Eastlake High, be 14 to 18 years old and live in Crystal Beach, Ozona or Palm Harbor to enter.

The sponsors are looking forward to an excellent turnout and a vehicle to bring revenue to our local economy.  And don’t miss the premier attraction: the spectacular Palm Harbor real estate that frames the celebration. Definitely a must see!  

Palm Harbor Citrus Festival

Thursday, April 23rd – Carnival Opens 5PM – 10 PM

Friday, April 24^th – Carnival Opens 4PM -10 PM

Saturday, April 25^th – Festival 10AM – 10PM

Sunday, April 26^th – Festival 10AM – 6PM

This news is so fresh the FHA hasn’t even updated its website, but The Peach is here to let you know that you can purchase your Crystal Beach FL home up to $303,000 with only a 3.5% down payment.  SWEET!  Looking for a Tampa Bay golf course home?  We’ll be expanding this section soon so stay tuned.

Many classify IBI as prestigious and exclusive, as there are many $1M+ estates on the gulf.  Yet part of the charm of the island is that there are still many of the original ranch homes here, and so it’s certainly got an eclectic and sometimes funky flair to it.  Homes here were built anywhere from 1957 to 2008, are anywhere from 1 to 4 stores, and include many architectural styles.  Most of the waterfront homes include docks, boat lifts, davits, etc. and the gulf-front homes feature unsurpassed gulf views.

Perhaps the best part of Indian Bluff living is that everyone on the island knows each other.  There are the annual Christmas, Easter and Halloween events for the children, hosted on a rotating basis amongst the residents who choose to participate (and most do).  Then there’s the annual Indian Bluff Island Summer Slam and Fishing Tournament, with a roaring barbecue with live music in recent years.  All proceeds go to support local charities.  IBI is a non-deed restricted neighborhood and there’s a voluntary $35 per year homeowners association.

Originally, Indian Bluff was a separate island from the mainland.  In 1914, Robert Guase paid $27.93 for the entire island, as homesteading records show.  It wasn’t until 1957 that the causeway was built and the island was subdivided into lots and modern home development began.  Sadly, there were discussions about building a community boat ramp, but they never came to fruition.  However, nearby there are numerous nearby public and private boat ramps for those residents not on the water.

The Pinellas trail meets the end of the short causeway to the island, and Wall Springs Park is a block to the north.  Wall Springs features playgrounds, fishing docks, trails and picnic areas.  Just across the street is the renowned Innisbrook Golf Resort.  There’s plenty of shopping, restaurants, museums and recreational activities in the area, and major sporting events and Tampa Bay cultural activities are a short drive away.   The Pinellas County schools serving the Island are highly acclaimed.  The school bus picks and drops of kids at the end of the causeway, and, to make Island living just that much sweeter, a very special island resident has lovingly sat at the bus stop supervising the kids each day for more years than any of us can remember.

Contact us here or give us a call at (727)366-0324 to schedule a tour or receive the latest offerings on Indian Bluff Island.

For those of you that know me best, you know I often speak of my magic wand, and how I wish I had one that truly worked wonders.   Lately, I’m beginning to believe my wand has hutzpah.  It’s been working magnificently as of late, particularly with finding bargains on gorgeous homes in Palm Harbor East Lake – the Ridgemoor neighborhood, as it so happens. 

Last month my wand worked for Sasha and Kim, who landed an incredible below-market investment and beauty to behold, with two other bidders nipping at the heels of our offer.  Today, my wand helped Charlie and Angela land the East Lake Palm Harbor home of their dreams, and we out-smarted THREE other bidders to land it!  Poof!  Just like that.  (Well, perhaps it was because we really stay on top of these hot new listings as they appear out of the magic hat).  These two examples of many remind us that: 

• Homes that aren’t in foreclosure are in high demand.  These homes weren’t Palm Harbor foreclosures or short sales.  They were immaculately cared for.
• Homes are selling quickly.  One of these homes was on the market 2 days before we made our bid and the other only 5 days before securing it.  Note that they were well priced.
• Bidding wars are happening all the time.  This is true for homes that are priced correctly and well-marketed, of course.

Meanwhile, on Wall Street, chaos abounds.  Poof!  401K’s, lifetime savings, gone.  Just like that.   Just accross the wires tonight, we have this AP article which may be of interest to Pinellas Home buyers.  It brilliantly discusses the topic of just where did all that money go?  Or did we ever really have it in the first place?  

The notion that we’ve lost everything when the price of our stock tanks, when in reality its value equals only the amount that a buyer is willing to pay for it on any given day, is right on the money.   This concept holds true for Pinellas real estate, too.  Hmmm….

Tonight, my magic wand reminded me that it’s probably a great time to remind all of our friends that at Suncoast Partners @ Keller Williams Realty we believe in our hearts that real estate remains the single best long-term investment. 

Sure, Palm Harbor home values rise and fall, but over the long term the gains are there – historically and yes, even if you purchased fairly recently.  Most remarkably, there’s something tangible behind the investment:  A house to call home where a lifetime of memories can be made.  And, baby, interest rates are incredible!  To me, that’s much more exciting that a stock certificate any day of the week. 

Would you like to see if the Suncoast Partners magic wand can work for you, too?  Seeing is believing, after all.