Single Family Home Sales Area Destin and Miramar Beach

Single Family Home Sales Area Santa Rosa Beach – Rosemary Beach

Condo Sales Area Destin & Miramar Beach

Condo Sales Area Santa Rosa Beach – Rosemary Beach

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Located in the heart of Sandestin, this Magnolia Bay luxury townhome features stone flooring, granite countertops and West Indies dcor. Finely appointed, this two bedroom, two and a half bath unit comes fully furnished including all window treatments. The villa comes complete with a coveted single car garage. You are within walking distance or a bike ride to the 98-slip Marina, Tennis Center (rate 6th in Florida), Jolee Island and The Village of Baytowne Wharf. The large covered patio serves as the perfect dining alfresco experience situated alongside the Tom Jackson designed Baytowne Golf Course. This address offers expansive views of both the golf course and lake with a beautiful fountain. Villa is rental ready for the season and is on the Sandestin Rental Program. Opportunities like this are unforgettable!

Technical Update on the Oil Spill

Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511
Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401

Key contact numbers

 Report oiled shoreline or request volunteer information: (866) 448-5816

Submit alternative response technology, services or products: (281) 366-5511 

Submit your vessel for the Vessel of Opportunity Program: (281) 366-5511

Submit a claim for damages: (800) 440-0858

Report oiled wildlife: (866) 557-1401

Deepwater Horizon Incident

Joint Information Center
Phone: (985) 902-5231
(985) 902-5240

 Prepared by the Joint Information Center

 UPDATED May 11, 2010 6 PM

 * For a full timeline of the Administration-wide response, visit the White House Blog.

PAST 24 HOURS

Interior Department Announces Reforms to Enhance Oil and Gas Oversight

 As part of an ongoing agenda to change the way the Department of the Interior does business, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a set of reforms that will provide federal inspectors more tools, more resources, more independence, and greater authority to enforce laws and regulations that apply to oil and gas companies operating on the Outer Continental Shelf.  

 Salazar has also enlisted the National Academy of Engineering to provide a set of fresh eyes on the issues surrounding the Deepwater Horizonincident and an independent, science-based understanding of what happened.

 NOAA Modifies Fishing Closed Areas in Gulf; 93 Percent Remains Open

 NOAA’s Fisheries Service modified the area closed to fishing in the Gulf of Mexico due to the spill, which will include federal waters seaward of Louisiana state waters in the vicinity of Timbalier Island to waters off Florida’s Choctawhatchee Bay. These changes will leave more than 93 percent of the Gulf’s federal waters open for fishing, and supporting productive fisheries and tourism.

NOAA also will expedite updates to the areas closed to fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as public notice of those changes. The closure process is being improved to cut down on the red tape necessary to modify the boundaries of the closure area. Area boundaries could be modified daily, based on where and how fast the oil spill is moving. NOAA will provide daily updates at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov by 12 p.m. EDT. 

 Scientific Assets Continue to Join the Response

 NASA mobilized its remote-sensing assets to help assess the spread and impact of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico at the request of U.S. disaster response agencies. NASA has deployed its instrumented research aircraft the Earth Resources-2 (ER-2) to the Gulf. The agency is also making extra satellite observations and conducting additional data processing to assist the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of Homeland Security in monitoring the spill.

 Top Fisheries Scientist Dispatched

As part of its ongoing efforts to protect consumers, NOAA is sending one of its top fisheries science directors to the Gulf this week to lead its effort to rapidly assess, test and report findings about risks posed to fish in the Gulf of Mexico by contaminants from the BP oil spill and clean-up activities.

 NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) Director Nancy Thompson, Ph.D, will head to Pascagoula, Miss., to lead NOAA’s response team. Thompson will work closely with Bonnie Ponwith, Ph.D., the director at the agency’s Southeast Fisheries Science Center, who is leading an intensified effort to monitor and assess the spill’s effects on important species in the Gulf of Mexico.

 Asian American and Pacific Islander Community Liaison Dispatched

 White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Advisor on Community Engagement Miya Chen is joining the Area Unified Command Center in Robert, La., to assess the immediate needs of the Asian American community.

 The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and NIEHS are monitoring BP and its contractors to ensure that every worker receives necessary training in the worker’s language, as OSHA regulations require. 

The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is collaborating with BP to provide Vietnamese-language translators and trainers. Vietnamese, Cambodian and Taiwanese translations of the BP Vessels of Opportunity fishing contracts is being provided at the Venice Community Center. BP has hired a local Vietnamese liaison officer and is contracting additional office support and translation.

 OSHA Develops Multi-Lingual Worker Guides

 OSHA is developing pocket-sized health and safety guides for cleanup workers and volunteers. Guides available in English should be ready by this weekend and guides in Spanish and Vietnamese should be ready for distribution early next week.

 Leak Plug Tactic Approved by MMS

 MMS approved the methanol injection to prevent hydrate formation in the “top hat” structure. The top hat should be on site by mid-week after modifications are made.

 DOD Transports Boom and Equipment from Alaska

 Following approval by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates for assistance, several commercial aircraft and numerous C-17 aircraft commenced missions to transport 150,000 feet of BP pollution response boom and approximately 250 short tons of Navy salvage equipment commenced movement from Anchorage, Alaska, to New Orleans.

 By the Numbers to Date:

 Personnel were quickly deployed and approximately 13,000 are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.

 More than 460 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.

 Approximately 1.4 million feet of boom (regular and sorbent) have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 1.4 million feet are available.

 Approximately 3.6 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.

 Approximately 372,000 gallons of dispersant have been deployed. More than 180,000 gallons are available.

 14 staging areas have been set up to protect vital shoreline in all potentially affected Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Panama City, Fla., Dauphin Island, Ala., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Venice, La., Orange Beach, Al., Theodore, Al., Pass Christian, Ms., Amelia, La., and Cocodrie, La.).

Resources:

 For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

 For specific information about the federal-wide response, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/deepwater-bp-oil-spill.

 To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.

 To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found here.

 To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511.

 To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. Messages will be checked hourly.

 For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.

 For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visithttp://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.

 For daily updates on fishing closures, visit http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov. 

 To file a claim, or report spill-related damage, call BP’s helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.  More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here.  

 For information about the response effort, visit www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com.

Due to size, I will send the final local action plan developed by the emergency task force via separate e-mail. The Okaloosa county plan was revised at our recommendation to include use of the PAN machine and disking. The PAN machine can remove a layer of contaminated sand as little as 1/4″ in depth. Disking is used to invert a thin layer of stained sand. We also requested weighing all sand removed from Okaloosa Island beaches. This suggestion was incorporated, and will quantify sand volume lost.

There are no confirmed incidents of oil on Okaloosa county beaches. Please remain vigilant and report any suspected oil spotted in the water, on the beach, or affected wildlife to the appropriate hot-lines.
To report oil on shore: 1-866-448-5816
To report oil affected wildlife: 1-866-557-1401
To make spill related claims: 1-800-440-0858
To volunteer: 1-866-448-5816

Below is the latest update from senator Gaetz, and a local press article.

David Sherry
President SDOA

From Senator Don Gaetz
5:00 p.m. Central Time, May 10, 2010
Dear Neighbor,

Just a few moments ago, I talked again with DEP Secretary Mike Sole, who is Florida’s “point man” in addressing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Here are some highlights from that conversation:

1. BP will try the “dome” again.

2. At my request, Sec Sole is asking in the strongest terms that BP establish “claims centers” throughout Northwest Florida, so that persons and businesses with damages and business losses can speak face to face with decision-makers, who have the authority to make payments. More needs to be done sooner to meet the business loss realities caused by the spill. At present, BP has seven claims adjusters on the ground in Florida. They have processed 493 claims and paid out $44,000 – a small fraction of the business loss that could be documented just by walking the docks at Destin, Panama City or Pensacola.

3. Sec. Sole tells me that Escambia and Santa Rosa’s booming plans HAVE been approved.

4. Both Representative Matt Gaetz and I have strongly advised that the State of Florida should approach BP now for far more than the $25 million granted by BP for state and local government costs associated with the spill.

We will keep you advised of any developments as fast as possible.

Respectfully,

Senator Don Gaetz

It’s interesting that much of the conversation among us “locals” was about the current impact of the oil spill. For us in real estate, these are the rental cancellations and contract cancellations. I keep hearing about the vacation rental cancellations, but the traffic sure isn’t slacking off. I spent Saturday afternoon in bumper to bumper traffic. Traffic that I’m used to seeing in the summer, but not in May. I was also quite impressed by all the people out walking along Scenic Hwy 98 the other morning when I drove into work. In fact, I saw a couple walking along stop at one of the listings in Frangista Beach and grab a flyer. People are still curious about real estate on the beach!

More and more information is coming out about the oil spill and the recovery efforts. I’ve tried to gather links to the best sites and I’m posting them here.

The Governor’s Commission: http://www.volunteerfloridadisaster.org/

Walton County Sheriff’s office for local volunteer info: http://www.waltonso.org/

Florida CFO Alex Sink has directed the Department of Financial Services to open a Consumber HelpLine at 1-877-My-FL-CFO (1-877-693-5236) to assist business owners impacted by the oil spill. Specialists are available from 8.00am to 5.30pm Monday thru Friday. More information is available at http://www.MyFloridaCFO.com.

The vultures are circling. Beware of the scammers trying to take advantage of this. If you have a legal question or think you need legal council, go to the Florida Bar for info. Make sure a lawyer is eligible to practice in this state. You can check someone out at http://www.floridabar.org and use the “Find a Lawyer” function. You can also check someone out by calling the Florida Bar directly at 1-866-854-5050.

EPA’s Monitoring Efforts: http://www.epa.gov/bpspill/

Stay informed and please share any other information or links that I’ve not included.

Here’s to another great week in paradise, oil spill or no oil spill!

Want to stay in touch with me?  Do you use Facebook?  Well, you’re in luck.  I am now on facebook and releasing all the hidden secrets of the Destin Real Estate market.  Become a fan or like my page to stay in the know about Destin Real Estate and the ever changing market on the Emerald Coast.

Click on the following link to view my page on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Destin-FL/Cynthia-Roberson-Destin-Real-Estate/125956297414448

I f you’re putting your house on the market this spring, congratulations — you probably missed the worst of the real estate crash.

Home prices have begun to flatten or rise in some parts of the country. And the market is being stimulated by a federal tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers and $6,500 for most others. (The credit has been extended until June 30, provided that the sales contract is signed by April 30.)

But it is hardly a seller’s market and median prices remain 20% to 25% below 2006 peak levels. You need to stage, advertise and price your property much more carefully than during a boom. Steps to take…

Choose a shrewd broker. During the boom, about one-fifth of all home sellers saved themselves the 6% average sales commission by listing their properties For Sale By Owner (FSBO). That’s riskier in a down market. For example, you could lose more money by mispricing your home than you would have to pay an agent. Brokers are practiced at showing houses and playing up the qualities that buyers care about most. And many will “prequalify” anyone who makes an offer, doing a preliminary credit check.

To get the right broker, first find out which real estate firm dominates the business in your area by looking at For Sale signs and talking to neighbors. Then call the sales manager and ask for the broker in the top 10% of the office’s sales rankings. These agents generate 90% of revenues. They’re the most likely to sell your home at the best price.

Before you commit yourself to a relationship with a broker, ask him/her extensive questions to be sure that…

The person has sold several homes in your general neighborhood and that those homes sold for attractive amounts.

No more than six months passed between the first listing of a home and the contract signing in the vast majority of cases.

The broker has a marketing plan tailored to your property.

Get your marketing right. Most home buyers start their searches online. Make sure your property is listed on the five biggest Web sites for real estate sales — Yahoo, Craigslist.org, Trulia, Zillow and Homes.com. If your broker doesn’t provide this service, you can post a listing on Craigslist, Yahoo and Zillow. (If you have given the broker an exclusive listing, the broker collects the commission even if it is your Web listing that attracts the buyer.) Only real estate professionals can list on Homes.com and Trulia. Advertising costs range from nothing for a Craigslist.org or basic Yahoo listing to $300 and up for enhanced features such as first-page positioning, slide shows and videos on some sites. Besides raising your home’s visibility, Trulia, Zillow and Homes.com let you or your broker keep track of the traffic your listings generate and see what comparable properties have fetched recently.

Use professional photos. Market research shows that photos influence house hunters more than any other marketing tool. A wide-angle lens will magnify your space, and good lighting compensates for any shadows. Some brokers send a professional photographer to take the photos for a new listing — if yours does not, hire one yourself. This costs as little as $100 or as much as $500 or more depending on where you live and how big your property is.

Stage creatively. Back during the boom, home sellers spent tens of thousands of dollars on trendy appliances to lure buyers — and it worked. In fact, a Sub-Zero refrigerator was said to add twice its price to the value of a house. Today you can’t count on recovering hefty remodeling costs, because buyers want a bargain more than they want state-of-the-art decor.

So make the most of what you already have by taking these steps…

Clean out the closets. Neatness implies that you take care of things. Buyers may think a messy closet means faulty plumbing and wiring.

Throw out the clutter. Every piece of junk reduces your home’s value because people can’t see past it. Rent storage space for a few months if necessary.

Let the light in. Buyers prize brightness above everything else except location. Take down heavy drapes, wash the windows, move furniture away from windows, and trim any outdoor foliage that blocks the sun. Paint walls a creamy white.

Borrow from the pros. Attend an open house at a new development to check out the latest decorating trends. Pretentious, “Trumplike” luxury isn’t popular today. Ten years ago, buyers wanted kitchens with cherrywood cabinets, black granite countertops and black appliances. Now the preferred look is French country kitchen — white cabinets, blond countertops and stainless steel appliances. Instead of installing new kitchen cabinets, put new doors and knobs on the ones you have. And because buyers like a “spa” feeling in the bath nowadays, consider buying a “rainfall” showerhead for $200.

Price with care. Underpricing is often the smartest strategy. The market will correct a low asking price — you entice multiple buyers with a great value, then let them bid against one another. The worst thing you can do is start too high and ratchet down your asking price by degrees. Buyers will smell desperation, making low-ball offers, or they will wait to bid until your asking price reaches rock bottom.

Offer an up-front financial incentive. In today’s market, buyers are looking for value. So a cash incentive can give you a huge advantage over other sellers. Even a relatively small gesture works — anything free will make an impression.

Example: Offer to pick up all or part of the closing costs, which can run from 2% to 8% of the sale price. Don’t wait for potential buyers to ask for this perk, which has become more common lately. Advertise it in advance, and more people will want to view your property.

Or you can sweeten the deal by offering to prepay property taxes for the first year. In a buyer’s mental arithmetic, a year without property taxes sounds like a year of living gratis. It carries so much value that you may more than recoup the expense with a higher sale price. Including fixtures or furnishings that a buyer likes also can help nurture a deal.

Consider seller financing. Offering to finance the purchase of your home can be a win-win for you and your buyer. There’s no need to be skittish about this technique — about one-fifth of all home sales in the US involve whole or partial seller financing. Buyers may not be able to qualify for an institutional mortgage because, say, they are self-employed or they can’t come up with a 20% down payment in time.

If you don’t have a mortgage to pay off… aren’t buying another house… and don’t have another pressing need for the cash, you can charge 4.5% to 5% on the loan, and your collateral is a property you know and trust. The buyer gets to skip the hassle of applying for a mortgage and saves on closing costs. The down payment becomes negotiable — an advantage to the buyer that may translate into a higher sale price for you. And you may be able to spread any capital gains taxes you owe on your home over several years because you’re making an installment sale.

Important: Have your lawyer or accountant perform a credit check on the buyer, which usually costs $50 to $60, and draw up a formal promissory note. The contract should stipulate that you may take over the property if the buyer falls behind on payments by more than one or two months, depending on how tough you want to be.