01.21.09
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:55 pm by terimccall
The sweet life on stretches of ‘sugar sand’
WALTON COUNTY, Fla. – Jan. 16, 2009 – Unlike densely populated South Florida or theme-park epicenter Orlando, the western panhandle of Florida has no big cities, and trendy nightclubs are few and far between. The region is not exactly sleepy, with plenty of golf courses and resort developments, but for many years it hasn’t drawn much attention from second-home buyers beyond nearby Louisiana, Texas and Alabama.
Not so any longer. Attracted by some of the best values in Florida (not to mention some of the state’s most acclaimed beaches), buyers from all over the USA and Canada are heading to south Walton County. A new international airport scheduled for 2010 may bring them from even farther.
The main selling point is sand, so soft and white locals call it “sugar sand.” The 26-mile stretch of coastline that constitutes the beaches of south Walton County has 14 towns or communities – including Seaside, the locale for the fictional picture-perfect town in the film The Truman Show. All 26 miles have been certified “Blue Wave Beaches,” an environmental seal of approval from the Clean Beaches Council.
The entire strip is on a narrow peninsula between the Gulf of Mexico and Choctawhatchee Bay. More than 40 percent of the region is owned by the state and protected from development. There are numerous state parks and preserves, as well as an extensive network of protected sand dunes. All of it is linked by more than 200 miles of bicycle paths and hiking trails. But the landscape is not all nature: The strip has about a dozen golf courses.
The 14 communities are each distinct – some gated, some not; some planned, some evolved. The best-known are Sandestin, Seaside, WaterSound and WaterColor. Among them, they contain an array of restaurants, art galleries, shops and recreational facilities. Most have a mix of houses, townhouses and condos. Prices also are diverse, from just over $100,000 to several million dollars.
“Compared to south or central Florida, we have a huge variety of product with a large number of affordable homes,” says Joe Bracciale, director of real estate sales at Sandestin.
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10.03.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:30 am by terimccall
from Florida Realtor Magazine, October 2008 | page 31 | by Richard Westlund
Lower home prices and a weak dollar make Florida a prime location for international buyers and investors. Here’s how to get them to realize it.
Maile Aguila has been working with international buyers for more than
20 years. A broker in Miami, she’s helped hundreds of buyers from throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe buy condominiums on Brickell Key, a residential island just off Miami’s Brickell Avenue financial district.
“We’ve had many overseas repeat buyers who started as young couples without children,” she says. “Now, they have children and are buying larger units, as they spend more time in Miami with their families and nannies.”
At the other end of the state, Teri McCall, a sales associate with Compass International Real Estate in Destin, is focusing her marketing efforts on introducing international buyers to the Panhandle. She participated in a recent mission to the United Kingdom, and established a referral relationship with a London agency.
“We’re starting to get a lot of calls from the U.K., Ireland and the Netherlands,” she says. “On the other hand, there was a recent article in an Irish paper about buying in Florida, but [that] map didn’t even include the Panhandle!”
A Booming Market
Throughout Florida, international buyers constitute an increasingly important market segment. A 2007 study by the National Association of Realtors® found that Florida had 26 percent of all U.S. international real estate transactions, making it first in the nation. According to the study, 65 percent of Florida real estate professionals had foreign customers in the previous year.
With the weak U.S. dollar, Florida properties are highly attractive to buyers from Canada and Europe. “We’re seeing a large Canadian influence, and buyers from the U.K. are all over the place this year,”
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08.16.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:19 pm by terimccall
REALTORS® Report Foreigners Come to America ¿ to Buy Homes
WASHINGTON, August 07, 2008
International real estate purchases in the U.S. continue to be a significant share of business for many Realtors, according to the 2008 National Association of Realtors® Profile of International Home Buying Activity.
This new research indicates that international buying activity in the U.S. is widespread. NAR estimates that between 150,000 and 190,000 homes were sold to foreign nationals from May 2007 to May 2008. Recent foreign buyers purchased properties in every state and the District of Columbia. The most popular states where international buyers purchased homes are Florida, California and Texas. Arizona, New York, Washington and Nevada were also popular.
“As the most trusted resource for real estate information, Realtors® have long understood what this latest research confirms – the U.S. housing industry truly has no boundaries,” said NAR President Richard F. Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif.
The typical international buyer purchased a single-family vacation home costing $297,400. Four in 10 paid for their U.S. property with cash, compared with 7 percent for all domestic buyers. The typical international owner stayed at his or her U.S. property for 2.6 months during the year, according to the NAR findings.
Foreign exchange rates have helped make U.S. homes more affordable for international buyers. The euro, for example, has strengthened 24 percent versus the U.S. dollar over the past two years. Home prices are also now more affordable in places such as Florida and Arizona, contributing to those states’ popularity among foreign buyers.
“Many international buyers recognize that real estate is an excellent investment and are drawn today by abundant inventory, low interest rates and a softer dollar. These conditions allow them to own their own a piece of the American dream,” Gaylord said.
International buyers are distinct from domestic buyers. International buyers tend to purchase more expensive properties, which cost an average of 36 percent more than the typical domestic buyer’s home purchase. In fact, more than 14 percent of properties sold to international buyers sold in excess of $750,000. Foreign buyers also show a greater preference for condos and townhouses compared to domestic buyers.
People from North America, Europe and Asia accounted for more than 85 percent of recent foreign home buying transactions. The top six countries of origin for foreign home buyers, in rank order, were Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, China, India and Germany. This year, Canada replaced Mexico as the country with the largest share of foreign buyers in the U.S. The percentage of Canadian buyers doubled from last year, from 11 percent to 23.5 percent.
“This survey confirms a pattern that we have observed for some years in Florida and other markets that are attracting buyers from overseas,” said Tony Macaluso, 2008 chair of NAR’s international business group. “This latest research enhances our understanding of this audience and provides insight for the increasing number of Realtors® with international clients.”
Of the Realtors® surveyed, 26 percent served international clients in the past year and about half of those clients ended up purchasing a home. The primary reasons some clients did not eventually buy a house were home price concerns, immigration laws, and property taxes. “If visa regulations that favor longer stays for overseas buyers such as retirees from abroad were in place, these sales levels would be even higher,” Macaluso said.
Realtors® who have sold homes to international clients reported that their transactions with these clients accounted for about 16 percent of their entire business. For about 8 percent of Realtors® who work with foreign buyers, more than half of their transactions were international sales.
The 2008 NAR Profile of International Home Buying Activity is based on responses from approximately 4,000 Realtors® who serve foreign buyers. It describes international home buying activity in the U.S. over the 12-month period from May 2007 to May 2008 and updates information from the 2007 survey. The full report is available from NAR’s Research Division or at www.realtor.org/research/research/reportsintl.
NAR at a Glance
Economic & Housing Indicators
NAR Fact Sheet
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06.14.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:46 pm by terimccall
| Change your thinking and change your life.With real estate markets costantly changing we have to be able to change as well.There are many distressed developers with great product for Investors.We have a limited amount of new beautiful condos gulf front that can be purchased right mow for 52 cents on the dollar.These will go fast so if you have interested clients contact me as soon as possible. Best Regards,Teri |
- More Opportunities…
- Branded Name High End Resort on Gulf
Asisted living community in prime area close to hospital and resort facilities Great location in Florida with approved Marina and Condo Hotel Island off coast of Panama with plans ready to go including retail and residential
|
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06.04.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:46 pm by terimccall
Hello Friends,
I just wanted to share with you the new report out on Panama City Beach, Florida. More Great News - the new International Airport is reporting that they are 3 months ahead of deadline on Construction
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05.03.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:30 pm by terimccall
There are 77 million baby boomers and many retiring in the next few years.They are retiring with money and for the first time ever moving with their wealth and relocating south of the Mason Dixon line.The majority are choosing Florida and the coastal areas. Northwest Florida with 4 seasons, new infrastructure,and still unknown to the rest of the world will be a no brainer.The new international airport,now under construction,will also make travel to here much easier .
| |
Where Americans Retire
What state is your ideal retirement place?
Below are the top 10 states where retirees 60+ relocate. The data comes from Dr. Mark Fagan at Jacksonville State University in Alabama and his report called “Retirement Development and Job Creation.”
STATE NUMBER
1. Florida 394,254
2. Arizona 134,583
3. California 127,757
4. Texas 100,700
5. North Carolina 74,937
6. Nevada 61,627
7. Pennsylvania 60,430
8. Virginia 59,976
9. Georgia 57,992 |
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04.24.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:16 pm by terimccall
Foreign Buyers Snap up U.S. Real Estate; Falling Prices, Weak Dollar Aid Purchases — USA Today
USA Today, By Stephanie Armour
April 24, 2008
Real estate agents are increasingly courting foreigners to buy homes in the USA — hiring agents fluent in other languages, marketing to foreign buyers and in some cases, offering to pay the airfare and hotel bills of foreign shoppers who buy a home.
The agents are eager to win the business of foreign investors who are swooping in to buy property in the USA as home prices plummet and the dollar’s weak value produces eye-popping deals for international buyers.
Because of the sinking value of the U.S. dollar relative to other currencies, a home bought by a foreigner comes with a discount averaging 30%, the National Association of Realtors estimates.
Between April 2006 and April 2007, about 30% of foreign buyers came from Europe, according to an NAR survey.
Nearly one-third of Realtors reported in that survey having had business with foreign buyers.
Activity is especially busy in affluent cities such as New York and in warm-weather vacation destinations such as Miami and San Diego. Many of these investors, Realtors say, are buying homes as vacation retreats.
“With these prices, you can’t say no,” says Monique Burger of Belgium, who’s buying a Miami Beach vacation condo for $270,000. “With the low dollar against the euro, it helps. And the low housing prices made us want to buy.”
Agents are seizing the opportunity:
*In New York, real estate agent Jacky Teplitzky’s firm has staff lawyers who specialize in foreign buyers.
Sales to foreigners jumped from 10% of her business to nearly 25% in the past year or so.
Teplitzky says she’s seeing a surge in interest, especially from Britain, Italy, Spain and Russia. In April, an Italian buyer in town for Easter took just 48 hours to buy a $3.8 million two-bedroom condo. Teplitzky recently sold $30 million worth of property to Russians who are using the homes as pieds-a-terre.
“We’re a bargain right now for foreign buyers,” she says. “A lot of them looked two or three years ago and found themselves in too crazy a market.”
*Jenny Pruitt & Associates, Atlanta-based Realtors, is wooing foreign clients by maintaining agents who speak such languages as Dutch, Korean, Farsi and Arabic. A search function on its website can help locate a foreign-language-speaking agent. Recently, the agency sold a $2.2 million listing to a British couple who were amazed at the value for the price. The couple had upgraded from a 2,000-square-foot flat in London to a 9,000-square-foot home in Atlanta.
*At Wohlfarth & Associates, a New York firm, Rick Wohlfarth is traveling regularly to Brazil to help link buyers with properties, often ranging in price from $5 million to $15 million. Foreign buyers make up about 20% of sales.
“People are looking to diversify their investments,” Wohlfarth says. “Buying power has increased tremendously.”
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03.14.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 5:33 pm by terimccall
The Real Estate Cycle
Real estate markets, cities large and small are subject to the simple economics of supply and demand. Every city goes through a natural ‘heating up’ and ‘cooling off’ period. Historically, the real estate cycle is approximately seven (7) years long, peak to peak.
Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted in Uncategorized at 3:58 pm by terimccall
photography by Jody Felder
Teri leaves in March to present Northwest Florida to Ireland. She will be in Dublin and Belfast conducting meetings and presentations with her annual visit. The Irish are very savy investors. They realize the potential of this part of Florida and NOW is the time to buy.The International airport has created “the buzz” in the European markets. We are like on “half price” for their dollar when they purchase here.After a week in Ireland she will join up with a Trade Mission Group from south Florida from Realtor Assn. of Palm Beach. The 10 realtors will travel througout England networking with Estate Agents from NAEA. and private interests. The mission is all about referrals and increase revenues from abroad. Teri will be promoting the N.W. area plus other attractive upcoming resorts in exotic locations. One program designed for investor groups will allow preferred clients to be able to know about certain elite properties early and take advantage prior to the general public.
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03.10.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:19 pm by terimccall
Favorite ‘new’ place on the Florida Panhandle: It’s been around since 2002, but my first stay on the bayside of Sandestin was in February. There was so much to do I never even walked on the beach. They celebrate Mardi Gras there, and Baytown Wharf — the shopping, eating and clubbing area around a manmade lake — has so many restaurants with New Orleans connections that at times I felt as if I were in a crime-free, sanitized New Orleans — maybe a movie set of the city, which is appealing in many ways, I have to confess.
Po-boys at Acme Oyster House in Sandestin’s Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin, Florida, are served on Leidenheimer bread trucked in from New Orleans.
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