St Petersburg Penthouses: Vinoy Place
January 25th, 2012 categories: Vinoy Place
Vinoy Place has four towers so it has four penthouses. Each one is the entire top floor. The sizes range from 5,013 sq ft to 5,359 sq ft plus lots of balcony space. The elevators have fobs so that each owner can have complete privacy or can allow guests to stop at their condo. Parking is covered and most of it is under the buildings. The towers at Vinoy Place are mid-rises so each of the penthouses is on the 13th floor.
The amenities at Vinoy Place include a security gate that is staffed 24/7, two pools, a conference room, a billiard room, a TV area, a catering kitchen and various gathering rooms. There is an onsite manager. Vinoy Place does not have a fitness center as the developers expected that most owners would join the Vinoy Club and use the fitness center at the adjacent Vinoy Resort. Many owners do join the Vinoy Club to also use the tennis courts, golf course and marina.
One of the penthouses at Vinoy Place is currently on the market at $3,200,000. Please contact The Simms Team at ALVA International, Inc for more information or to arrange a showing.
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The Old Northeast neighborhood
January 24th, 2012 categories: Old Northeast
The Old Northeast neighborhood in St Peterburg, Florida, is one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city. Part of this is due to its location: it’s close to downtown, it’s close to the waterfront; it’s close to parks; and it’s not far from I-275. The Old Northeast is also popular because of its feel: shady streets with sidewalks. Many of the streets are brick and many of the sidewalks have hexagonal blocks. There is a variety of architectural styles: Colonial, Mediterranean and bungalow, to name some of the most popular. The size of the homes varies as well, from small homes with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath to expansive homes with several thousand square feet
The design of the Old Northeast encourages a neighborhood. The garages are generally in the back of the houses on an alley. Most of the homes have front porches. Communication flows easily between someone walking on the sidewalk and someone sitting on their front porch, so neighbors get to know one another. With the convenience of the Old Northeast and the variety of homes, often two or three generations of a family have homes in the area. The Old Northeast is known for holiday decorations, whether Christmas, Halloween or the Fourth of July.
The disadvantages? Generally the lots are small so you are very close to your neighbors. If you want a pool, it may take up the whole back yard. Most of the homes are older which means that in addition to character you get small closets, smaller and fewer bathrooms, and the garage may not accommodate your cars. You can renovate or perhaps add-on or, if you’re lucky, you might find one that’s already renovated to your taste.
For information on homes in the Old Northeast, call 727-898-2582 or email the Simms Team at ALVA International, Inc real estate.
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EC-SAR Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team
January 23rd, 2012 categories: Boating, Lifestyle, Schools
EC-SAR, the Eckerd College Search and Rescue Team is one of the most respected rescue organizations on the west coast of Florida. They are known to many boaters, since they get more than 500 rescue calls per year, but too few people know that they work closely with the US Coast Guard, 911 medical response and other state and local agencies. Due to their location, they are often the first responders to a disaster. In 1980 EC-SAR found national prominence when they were one of the first rescue units to the Skyway Bridge disaster.
EC-SAR is a unique curriculum program at Eckerd that I don’t think is duplicated at any other college. Students go through very rigorous training in boating safety, navigation, seamanship, rescue, fire fighting, and more. The students who staff EC-SAR are dedicated professionals. They utilize four rescue boats and have an operations and communication center that is staffed 24/7. Last fall they celebrated 40 years of service, saving lives.
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Canterbury School and Costeau are partners
January 22nd, 2012 categories: Schools
Canterbury School of Florida has partnered with Cousteau Divers to be the first Cousteau Diving School in the world, according to Old Northeast Patch. Canterbury is renaming their marine center the Cousteau Marine Studies Education Center. This partnership is yet another example of the synergy stemming from The Ocean Team in St Petersburg.
Canterbury School offers pre-Kindergarten through high school education on two campuses. In addition to their marine science program, they have a SCUBA Venturing crew. Part of their international program includes teaching students in pre-kindergarten through 6th grade Mandarin Chinese as well as Spanish.
Canterbury has small classes and focuses on experiential learning. St Pete is fortunate to have Canterbury as one of its school choices.
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Parking for downtown St Pete condo residents and guests
January 21st, 2012 categories: Downtown St Petersburg
Parking is one of the questions to ask about a downtown St Petersburg condo you may be considering. Resident parking in some of the older buildings such as Bayfront Tower and Townview have just one space per unit. Actually historic buildings such as Flori de Leon, Detroit Hotel and the Snell Arcade have no parking at all. Newer buildings, such as Parkshore Plaza and 400 Beach, generally have two covered spaces for each unit. Vinoy Place not only has two covered parking spaces per condo but has several spaces allocated for guest parking.
For those condos that do not have any guest parking spaces, it’s helpful to know that downtown residents are able to get parking permits from the City of St Pete for street parking in downtown. These permits allow them not only to park free, but to ignore the time limits on parking. These permits do limit which spaces are available to each resident and the permit is good for only the downtown district of the residence. There are four. The cost is $15 per calendar year.
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Pacifico preparing Lifestyles Building 6
January 20th, 2012 categories: Real Estate News
Pacifico in Playas del Coco is preparing Building 6. We’d heard they were going to start construction in February. This morning we saw workers removing the green screen fences that had surrounded the gray buildings. Gray buildings, which are not uncommon in Costa Rica, are buildings that have foundation, structure and walls and may or may not have a roof. There are no windows or doors and no interior finishing. They are named from the color of the concrete building blocks that form the walls.
4 of the 13 Lifestyles condo buildings are gray buildings. When they are finished there will be another pool as well. Building 6 is a three story building that will have 14 condominium residences. Preconstruction prices are as follows:
- Two 1 bedroom units from $195,000 to $197,500.
- Six 2 bedroom units from $227,500 to $232,500.
- Six 3 bedroom units from $270,000 to $275,000.
1/24/12. The green screens are back and new.
Email for more information on pre-construction and resale Pacifico condominiums.
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Schools in Pinellas County
January 20th, 2012 categories: Schools
The public schools in Pinellas County offer a wide variety of choices. There are zoned schools, fundamental schools, magnet schools and magnet programs, career academies and technical programs. International Baccalaureate programs are among these, as are programs for the arts, technology, marine science and more. The application period is generally in January for the school year starting in August. For more information on these school choices, visit the Pinellas County School Board website.
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How many condos in your building are rented?
January 19th, 2012 categories: Buying a condo, Condos, Downtown Condos
Does it matter how many condos in your building are rented? Yes,it does. Almost all the condos in downtown St Petersburg have some renters, so the question is really “What percentage of condos in the building (or complex) are rented?”
From a value perspective, it matters because the percentage of rented units matters to a lender. If you’re buying a unit, you won’t be able to get a conventional mortgage on the property if there is a higher % of rentals than the lender will allow. If you own a unit and may be selling it, if prospective buyers can’t get a mortgage, then the number of potential buyers decreases and the value of the unit decreases.
From a lifestyle perspective, it matters because there’s a different feel to a building that is primarily owner occupied and one that is primarily renter occupied. There is no magic number. It will also affect the feel if the renters are mostly short term or whether they stay a year or more.
From another financial perspective, it matters because owners living in the building and absentee owners who are renting the unit out often have different view – and votes – on issues from building reserves to rental policies.
Your real estate agent should be able to give you a general idea of how many are rented. You can also check with the Pinellas County property appraiser and see what percentage of units have a Homestead Exemption.That’s not an exact determination, but is a gauge. Your relationship with your real estate agent shouldn’t end with the sale. Call your agent when you have questions, whether it’s about rentals in the building, changes to make to your home, or even where to find a pet psychoanalyst.
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Golf course communities in St Petersburg Florida
January 18th, 2012 categories: Lifestyle
Looking for golf course communities in St Petersburg Florida?
If you’re looking for a “traditional” golf course community that’s gated and has a private course inside the gate, consider Pasadena Yacht and Country Club. Like most of these golf courses, you can join the club even if you live outside the neighborhood. Though not officially in St Petersburg, many people would also choose the Bayou Club in Largo.
You may like living on the Vinoy golf course on Snell Isle. It’s not a gated community and the private golf course winds through the Snell Isle neighborhood. The course is actually owned by the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and can be used by hotel guests or by members of The Vinoy Club. Another private golf course intersperced in a neighborhood is St Petersburg Country Club, formerly known as Lakewood. Isla del Sol Yacht and Country Club is in the center of an island, which is ringed with condominiums.
Feather Sound Country Club in the Feather Sound neighborhood is another course that is just outside of official St Petersburg. The golf course winds through the ungated neighborhood.
Another choice is to live somewhere else and join one of the club above, or play on one of the St Petersburg public golf courses, Mangrove Bay or Twin Brooks.
St Petersburg is one of the few places where you can be in a community with both golf and waterfront properties. Contact The Simms Team for more information on homes in golf course communities.
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Higher education in St Petersburg Florida
January 17th, 2012 categories: Schools
Having a thriving higher education community in St Petersburg Florida contributes to its vibrancy, liveability and quality of life. Look what St Petersburg has to offer:
Eckerd College was nominated one of the 10 most innovative colleges in the country, has a renowned Marine Sciences program and a unique International Business program. It has 1,817 residential students and 1,000 students in the PEL program for experienced learners. Its EC-SAR waterfront program is very unique. Eckerd attracts students from many countries.
St Petersburg College has 10 locations throughout Pinellas County. More than 64,000 students are enrolled annually. The downtown St Petersburg campus serves over 3,000 students per semester.
University of South Florida St Petersburg is located on Bayboro Harbor in downtown St Petersburg. Once a “commuter school” it has built some dormitories in downtown. It has varous undergraduate and graduate programs.
Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport is very much a part of the St Petersburg community. Stetson has earned a national reputation for excellence in trial advocacy.
ASPEC is the Academy of Senior Professionals at Eckerd College. This is a community of interesting individuals who have excelled in many careers. They share knowledge through dozens of interest groups and have social events as well.
College of Marine Science Univerity of South Florida is a renowned graduate research program that has been very involved in real solutions all around the world. It is an integral part of creating and sustaining The Ocean Team.
The Poynter Institute is a school for journalists that attracts participants from all over the world.
St Pete has some unique institutions and some unique programs. Come to St Pete and get involved.
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