I recently was introduced to the Hobe Sound Golf Club in Hobe Sound. The beautiful and private golf community is just minutes off US Highway 1 on Bridge Road. Entering the community, it was surprising to see how close in proximity the community is to town shopping and activities. It is a quiet neighborhood of approximately 90 upscale homes and estates. Beautifully designed with luscious landscaping and preserves surrounding a Joe Lee designed golf course.
A very private a secure community with a manned security entrance makes this a safe and private community for your family and guests. The clubhouse is elegant and richly designed with spectacular views making the clubhouse a grand place to dine and entertain your guests in luxury.
Community amenities include clubhouse events and activities, community pool and spa and tennis courts.
Susanne Quirk and Michael Galleher, Cobblestone Realty, are offering a gorgeous 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath cottage for $485,000 in Hobe Sound Golf Club.
For a private preview, contact Michael Galleher at (772) 285-6637.
One of the few condominiums located on the beach. No need to view the ocean from a distance or walk across the street to access the beach. Residents of this beautiful Juno Beach condominium can walk right outside to the beach. The Waterfront is a 12 story building built in 1996. There are five units per floor where the elevator opens exclusively to your unit.
The grounds are maintained beautifully throughout the property. The interior is designed for luxury and includes upscale amenities such as a fully equipped fitness center with showers, dry sauna, pool, jacuzzi, wine cellar, entertainment room with complete kitchen and bar for entertaining.
Management is on the premises throughout the day, five days a week. The building is secure with a keypad entrance and secured gate access to and from the beach. Prices begin at $1.2M.
Please contact me, Susanne Quirk, at (561) 386-0350 if you are interested in more information about The Waterfront or would like to preview one of the condominiums for sale.
Newly listed in Marina Grande is this exceptionally appointed condominium. Professionally designed in a comfortable yet sophisticated tropical design. This condominium is perfect for the executive in need of temporary living while here on business or for seasonal living anytime of the year.
The Marina Grande is one of the more recent private, waterfront condominiums built and is directly adjacent to Singer Island, the sailfish capital of the world. The community consists of 349 units within two ocean-view towers that overlook the Palm Beach Inlet and Intracoastal. A gated community with a professionally manned gatehouse entrance. The lobby entrances are elegant and impressive for greeting guests.
Here you will experience an abundance of amenities including valet service, two tennis courts, heated pool with spa and built-in grill, steam room, dry sauna complete with showers and locker rooms, billiards room, social room, fitness center.
Specifics:
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 3.1
Garage: 1
Total Living: 1,991
Ocean and intracoastal view
Extended balcony
Stainless steel appliances
Marble, tile, carpet throughout
Laundry Room in unit
Security Alarm, entry card
Contact Joe (561) 427-9326 or Susanne Quirk (561) 386-0350 for more information.
The down turn in the housing market hurt a lot of people who thought they would make it rich flipping houses. Heck, everyone was doing
it. It looked so easy. Just tap the equity in your primary home and wham! We’re raking in the money. No problem it’s easy money. Right about now is where you remember the saying, if it sounds too good to be true…it usually is too good to be true.
The clean up of all of this mess created by neophyte investors will take longer than necessary. Coupled with the finance problems in the mortgage industry and the tightening of money by most, if not all lending institutions, have created instant landlords out of flippers. I guess here is where I trow in the line with the realization that something is better than nothing. Yes my friends, we have a surplus of rental units on the market. In Abacoa alone the streets were lined with For Rent signs most of last year. The signs are starting to disappear one by one and the money from the rental market is flowing in again.
Opportunity! With every twist in the markets, there are opportunities for everyone. The way I see it, there’s good news and bad news.
First the good news…the surplus of rental units has created a price war amongst property owners. Locally, rent prices have dropped substantially in the last year. Renters now make “low ball” offers hoping to drive rents down even further knowing there are many eager (hungry) owners. Rental units that were commanding $2,000.00 per month now are renting for as low as $1,400.00. That’s a 30% decrease and a huge savings for the renter. That’s good news…for the renter.
The good news for the flipper now turned landlord, can see this as the opportunity that keeps him from foreclosing and allows him to wait out the market correction. (I know you are asking,”When is that?” It’s coming. Trust me. It’s just not this week.) The ultimate benefit to all this is that the lower housing costs and lower rents will make it more affordable for people to stay or move into the area. We have hardworking teachers, police officers, health professionals, etc. who have dedicated their lives to giving back to our community. We want to keep qualified and dedicated people as citizens of our community.
Now the bad news. With the surplus of rental units available in the Jupiter and Abacoa area, many rental properties are rented without properly screening tenants beforehand. Background investigations are not being conducted. Even worse, some owners are not requiring a security deposit, last month’s rent, or even any money at all to move in. Who are your new neighbors?
As an investor in Jupiter and Abacoa residential real estate, I personally take pride in my homes and tenants. I consider most of my tenants friends and would love to keep them as long as possible. I also require background checks, security deposits and last month’s rent. Have I ever had a problem with a tenant? You bet ya! Although, I do the best I can to protect myself, I have been caught a couple of times buy renters who”fled into the darkness.” However, we are ahead of the game and find the benefits far outweigh the bad.
If you have investment property and need to find a renter, work with a Realtor who can complete a background check for you. Know who is renting your property. We who live and work in Jupiter will applaud your efforts to keep our community safe. Protect yourself financially by always collecting a security deposit and last month’s rent from your tenants.
Donald Trump sat down Thursday night with Jim Cramer of Mad Money (see video) to discuss the current economy. Although the discussion covered a variety of economic topics, what was most appealing to me was his thoughts on real estate. For quite some time now we have been advising our clients that the time to buy is now. In his interview with Cramer, Trump confirmed our advice and said, “…now is when fortunes are made in real estate.”
Now, that is not to say that everyone is interested in making a fortune. But, everyone wants to get a good deal. Remember, getting a good deal doesn’t mean waiting until the market has bottomed out. As I have said before, no one knows when that will be. Just know when you have a good deal in front of you and take advantage of it. There are good deals out there now.
We know that Fed Chair, Bernanke, is expected to lower interest rates again at the end of the month. Yesterday, President Bush announced a $140 billion stimulus package will be formulated to ward of a recession. Both are positive signs that our economy will improve and the housing market will benefit from it. All these efforts will provide a window of opportunity for attractive housing prices before prices begin to climb again due to consumer demands. Interestingly enough, Trump, who has investments throughout the nation, sees that the only two places in the nation doing well are Manhattan and our Palm Beach. We live in a unique area that does not follow the nation when it comes to the housing market.
As Trump stated, you have to find the right deal and the right place. We mentioned in a previous posting that developers are providing great incentives to purchase a home now (see Buying a Resale Home vs. Buying a New Home). We have a strong knowledge base of residential and investment opportunities in the area. Contact Cobblestone Realty for a qualified Realtor® to help you through the buying process.
The following article is from the Town of Jupiter’s December newsletter, The Town Times. The Super Exemption is a hot topic here in Jupiter, as I’m sure it is all over Florida. For more information, you can view our previous post, Residential Homestead Property Tax Simulator for Florida. Susanne Quirk
Voters in this January’s primaries will be making important decisions impacting the future of our National Leadership. But in Florida, voters may also be determining the future of our Property Tax system – the so-called “Super Exemption” for homesteaded properties.
Recently, the super-exemption ballot language came under fire when challenged in court. The Judge ruled that as stated, it was unconstitutional and confusing to voters. However, with special sessions fast-approaching, it is likely that this language will be revised and some form of the amendment will be on the January ballot.
If passed as outlined, the super-exemption will provide tax-payers with the option to move to a new formula for determining their Homestead Exemption. Under the current program, Homesteaded properties in Florida receive a $25,000 exemption. Under the new, proposed super-exemption, the amount would not be fixed, but would be determined based on the value of the property.
In some tax-payers’ cases, this would provide additional tax savings now and for some time into the future. However, some taxpayers may find the current system is more beneficial. Because of this, the Legislature added an exception, but it carries a “no turning back” provision. Florida residents who prefer the current system can elect to stay with it, but once they register under the new, super-exemption they cannot turn back to the old.
The Town of Jupiter has created a tax calculator on its web-site to help residents understand the potential impact to the Town’s portion of their tax bill. And the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s site has information on current property values, and a program to help calculate the impacts of future changes. The Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate websites are also good resources for following the Property Tax Reform debate.
With the recent court ruling and the potential for more changes to the amendment, it is more important than ever for Florida voters to be informed when they go to the polls in January. Whether you own a Homesteaded property now, or intend to in the future, it pays to understand the potential impacts of a super-exemption on your individual household, and your local government.
Visit the Palm Beach County Appraiser’s website to calculate the impact of the homestead exemption to your property. You will need to find your current property value by doing a Records Search. Then click on the “Taxable Value Calculator”. For Property Tax Reform information, click on “Proposed Property Tax Reform” from the homepage.
One of our local communities has been ranked by Links Magazine as one of their 100 Premier Properties for 2008. Not a surprise to us. Clients fall in love at first glance when visiting this upscale golf community. Frenchman’s Reserve is located in Palm Beach Gardens and is a beautiful golf club community with an abundance of amenities in an old world style setting. The homes are a beautifully designed, Mediterranean Revival, inspiration by the 20th century Palm Beach Mansions designed by architect Addison Mizner.
We are proud to have Frenchman’s Reserve as a part of our community.
Please call Joe Quirk (561) 427-9326 if you are interested in viewing homes in Frenchman’s Reserve.
Palm Beach County has been hit hard by the housing market. Foreclosures were up by 68% in November. We have a four year supply of houses on the market and the Palm Beach Post reminds us almost daily how bad our market is. All the negative talk can stall our market even longer.
Well, I am here to send some positive news your way. The December issue of Fortune magazine highlights some of their best stock picks for 2008. St. Joe, a Florida based company, was listed as one of the top "Ten Strong Stocks for '08." St. Joe Co. is the biggest private landowner in Florida. The housing market brought the stock crashing down from $82 to $28.
What is interesting is why the stock is forecasted as a top pick. As stated in the article, "The Census Bureau is projecting 33% population increase for Florida - the equivalent of six million new residents - between now and 2020." Rreaffirming our philosophy of why we began investing in Florida. Florida is unique to most other states in the nation. Our population is projected to keep increasing not decreasing. Our state is a top destination to retire for baby boomers. Our industry is expanding with the increase of businesses moving into our area. Including in our immediate area where Governor Charlie Crist just approved $94 million in state funding for the Max Plank Society to bring their German based bio-imaging center here to Jupiter.
We may be going through some tough times right now, but we have some strong signs of a promising future. What we do know is that housing prices have been the lowest they have been in years. Whether they will keep dropping is questionable. What we do know is that we will recover and prices will go back up. Making now a great buying opportunity.
We dined at Samantha's in the Jupiter Shoppes this weekend. It was our first visit there although Samantha's has been around for a couple of years. I was eager to go because close friends of ours had recently dined there and raved about the place. I don't mind saying that they are quite the critics when dining out. Their reviews carry weight with us because they dine out almost nightly and have acquired a long list of restaurant recommendations in the process. They won't hesitate to give you a detailed critique along with their recommendation!
Samantha's is quietly tucked away in the Jupiter Shoppes located next to the now defunct billiards place. Inside and outside dining is available. The restaurant is very cozy and intimate. There are not many tables and that is a nice change from the mega chain restaurants that are flooding the area and can be so difficult to get into. The seating is limited and I would advise making reservations. We did not have reservations, however the hostess was very pleasant and fortunately was able to squeeze us in.
The menu is extensive and I wanted to provide it here for you. So, I searched online and in my search I also found some great reviews consistently making claims that the calamari is to die for. We didn't have an appetizer to give you our thoughts on that, but we did have dessert. But before I get into that I'll go over our entrees first. I had the usual Filet Mignon and I was quite impressed. It wasn't my preferred Oscar style but I was pleased with all 11 ounces encrusted with Gorgonzola, Roasted Garlic Cream & Red Wine Reduction - all for $38. Great price since we've paid more than that for smaller portions. My steak was so big I didn't pay too much attention to the mashed potatoes and seasoned vegetables.
Dessert was the best part of the dinner. I perused the dessert menu and found a delicious bread pudding loaded with vanilla bean ice cream, bananas and drizzled with caramel. Pure heaven!
We enjoyed everything about Samantha's. The food was great, the service was top notch and I can't wait to go back for the dessert.
There's a great website for those who dine out frequently http://www.southfloridadines.com/. This website is packed with restaurant reviews, menus and more. They also offer gift certificates at discounted rates.
Susanne Quirk
Air conditioning
I recently was introduced to the Hobe Sound Golf Club in Hobe Sound. The beautiful and private golf community is just minutes off US Highway 1 on Bridge Road. Entering the community, it was surprising to see how close in proximity the community is to town shopping and activities. It is a quiet neighborhood of approximately 90 upscale homes and estates. Beautifully designed with luscious landscaping and preserves surrounding a Joe Lee designed golf course.
One of the few condominiums located on the beach. No need to view the ocean from a distance or walk across the street to access the beach. Residents of this beautiful Juno Beach condominium can walk right outside to the beach. The Waterfront is a 12 story building built in 1996. There are five units per floor where the elevator opens exclusively to your unit. 
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