Archive for March, 2009
The Grand Prix is coming to downtown St Petersburg Florida April 2-5, 2009
March 22nd, 2009 categories: Real Estate News
Every year some of the streets in downtown St Petersburg Florida are turned into a racetrack for the Grand Prix. The 2009 event starts with a night parade on April 2nd and culminates with the 100 lap Indy car race at 2:45 pm on Sunday, April 5th. (click the photo for an enlarged view)
Barriers have been going up along some of the streets for days, and the megayachts have started to arrive. It’s a weekend you either love or hate and Bayfront Tower condominiums are the best or worst place to be, depending on your point of view.
Race organizers promise that this year will be quieter than the last few as there’s a new design on the exhaust system, providing a “mellow” or at least “more mellow” tone with a “pretty” whine.
ALVA International, Inc’s real estate office is a short 3 block walk from the racetrack, but fortunately doesn’t have any barriers along the street.
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Dallas textile designer – Elizabeth Anyaa
March 21st, 2009 categories: Lifestyle
Elizabeth Anyaa is a warm and charming woman as well as an award winning textile designer. Tami and I were fortunate to meet her and visit her studio in Dallas while we were brainstorming at the Institute for Luxury home Marketing.
Originally from Sierra Leone, Liz studied textile design in Finland, where she received her B.A. in Fine Arts. Liz designs and creates textiles, often weaving metals , leather, straw and plastic into her weaving and felting. Some of her fabrics are for the home, and others are used in her clothing designs.
She’s a very talented lady – as well as a warm and giving woman. You can shop by Internet, but you’ll miss out on meeting her, which is a real treat. Besides, her love is creating something to order for you.
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Playa Hermosa – Guanacaste
March 20th, 2009 categories: Costa Rica
Of the varied areas in Guanacaste region, on the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, my favorite was the Playa Hermosa area, from Playa Ocotal to Playa Panama and Papagayo. This is a typical view from the hills.
Kevin Brass of the International Herald Tribune posted his analysis and market report of the area today.
Kevin was fortunate, as I was, to have Mike Simons as a guide. Before I met Mike in Playa Hermosa, he sent me enough reading material to keep me occupied for weeks. If you contact him directly, please tell him that Sharon Simms sent you!
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The future of suburbia
March 15th, 2009 categories: News and Views, Real Estate News
Michael Cannell of FastCompany.com wrote a thought provoking article called Suburbia R.I.P. in which he sees some suburbs as graveyards of homes. He blames the decline on gas prices and the economy giving people less money to spend. I don’t see St Pete’s subdivisions as the suburbia he describes, but I do see people who bought 30-45 minutes away, in Manatee County, for example, moving back to St. Pete. They bought because they could get bigger, newer homes there for less money – but the price of gas and the time on the road have taken their toll. Many homeowners who are now upside-down in their homes have moved back and are renting here in Pinellas.
The St Pete Times wrote of some new subdivisions in Hillsborough County and Pasco County where occupied homes are in the minority, and may be living among overgrown lots and deserted homes. In some areas McMansions have been divided up into multifamily dwellings (don’t know that our single family zoning would allow that).
Despite the high inventory of available condos, more people are opting for downtown living, where they can walk instead of drive, and where they’re surrounded by a wide variety of people and places.
Buying a new home? Consider whether a neighborhood has staying power.
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Red Pier over St Petersburg
March 14th, 2009 categories: Downtown St Petersburg
Tami took this photo last night and posted it, along with a couple of others, on her Facebook page. This is The Pier, which extends out from downtown St Petersburg. The colors of the lighting can change. Click on the photo for a larger view.
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Jumbo loans more difficult to obtain
March 11th, 2009 categories: Real Estate News
There are so many types of loans and such frequent changes that most lenders no longer give out rate sheets – so much depends as well on the borrower’s credit score and many individual criteria – including, often, what kind of relationship the borrower intends to have with the lender.
Yesterday I called some of my favorite lenders to see what they had to offer a client: a doctor, looking for a jumbo loan (over $417,000 but less than $500,000) with 10% down and a 30 year fixed rate. I only found one, and learned I should be happy to find that.
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Grand Bohemian Hotel St Petersburg requests extension
March 10th, 2009 categories: Downtown St Petersburg, Grand Bohemian
The Kessler Group has asked the City of St Petersburg for a 3 years extension on the start of construction of the Grand Bohemian Hotel in downtown St Petersburg.
Initially planned as luxury condominiums atop the hotel floors, the number of condos was reduced twice and finally the condo portion was eliminated. Hotel financing world-wide is difficult to obtain right now.
The St Petersburg City Council will meet on March 19th to consider this request. I think it’s in the best interest of downtown for the Council to approve this extension. Mr. Kessler has put a great deal of time and money into this project, and I expect it to be a boon to downtown St Pete.
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