Today I had something happen that has never happened before. A listing agent called to find out what my clients thought of the house they saw yesterday. They loved it, but it was one of 3 that they loved and not the one they were putting an offer on. I had written the contract but they had not signed the offer yet.

About an hour later the same listing agent called back. Her listing was a 'short sale' but only at the beginning phases. She told me if my client would offer 203k it would be enough to pay it off and we could circumvent the short sale process.

This is the first time that this has happened to me! Needless to say, I left a message for my client with this information and am wondering which one they will decide to put the offer in on with this new information (the other home is NOT a short sale and listed at 220k).

The market is picking up and agents are doing their best to make sure homes are moving!

Crystal Beach, Florida is indeed Paradise in the Sun! I love living here and want to show you another one of the unbelievable homes currently on the market here in fantastic Crystal Beach, Florida!

Located in Point Seaside, Crystal Beach, this home has 9,000 sq feet of living area under the roof. Of that 4,248 sq ft is heated area!

Located at 1062 Point Seaside this 5 bedroom, 5 full bath home is on three floors and has an elevator to make life easier!

Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, this home is made for living the Florida lifestyle! Featuring wood flooring that sparkles and plenty of windows and doors so you can enjoy the breathtaking views of the Gulf!

The kitchen floors are polished granite! Imagine yourself preparing a meal in this kitchen!!!

And of course, no Florida home could be complete without a pool!

Priced at only $1,400,000. this house is a bargin in any market!

To see this fantastic home or one of the other homes located here in Crystal Beach, Florida give me a call today! You can reach me direct at 727-512-0910 or e-mail me at barbarajo@barbarajo.com.

Fantastic Crystal Beach florida does indeed have many wonderful homes! Here are two more of the higher end homes that are currently available here in Crystal Beach.

This magestic home on Mayo St in Point Seaside, Crystal Beach was built in 2009 and is a real work of art! Boasting 12,000 sq ft under the roof - of which 6,950 is heated - this 5 bedroom, 5 bath home has two additional half baths too!

Plenty of room for all of your needs! Naturally there is a wonderful pool and let us not forget the 7 car garage for all of your toys!!!

The views of the Gulf of Mexico are unbelievable as you can see here from the spacious kitchen!

Listed at $3,249,900. this is a home worth every penny of the listing price!

I would love to show you this home or one of the other beautiful homes located here in Crystal Beach, Florida where the sun always shines and the sky is always blue!!!

You can reach me direct at 727-512-0910 or drop an e-mail to barbarajo@barbarajo.com.

Condo, townhome, house - what to purchase? That is my buyer's problem. This is a young couple, first time homeowners and looking for a good deal. We have been out looking at condos and townhomes for the last three weeks. They have found a couple they like, but when they look at the monthly association fees they start to worry about the ability to make ends meet down the road. If everyone thought like this the market would be in a much better place today, without all the short sales and REOs we are seeing!

I am pleased that I just got a phone call saying that they have decided to go for a single family home! I think they will be happy with that decision and choosing a home that is NOT in an association that is going to have monthly fees to use a pool or tennis courts or whatever else.

As the young lady put it,"I would rather have a little extra money to put into my house". Good decision! Why can't they all be this practical???

So tomorrow we will be seeing half a dozen homes! I will let you know how things proceed~!

You really gotta love E-Bay! My granddaughter has a birthday coming up. She is going to be three years old! And like all little girls, she likes to play 'dress up'. So for her birthday I decided to get her some Disney dress-up clothing. Not wanting to pay Disney Store prices, I turned to E-Bay.

For under 40 dollars, including shipping, I was able to procure a Cindarella gown, an Auroa gown (I have no idea what character that is supposed to be), a Belle gown and a Sleeping Beauty gown!!! She will be one pleased little girl!

In addition to that, I have a Cindarella crown and light up wand coming to go with the rest of it!!!

When you are looking for something specific and don't want to pay mall prices, check out E-Bay! It is well worth it!

I will be sure to post photos of the granddaughter in her new outfits in a couple of weeks!!!

This year my little granddaughter decided to dress up as Tinker Bell for Halloween. She is going to be three years old this month and is as cute as a button! I just had to share with all of my friends here in ActiveRain!

I don't think any little angel could be cuter than this, but then it is my granddaughter, so perhaps I am prejudice just a little.

This is such a good time for all of us, watching her grow up!

Homes are flying off the market, or at least that is how it seems right now to some of my clients! They have been waiting to purchase even though I have repeatedly said the market is picking up here in the Clearwater area - now they are finding slim pickings on the homes that meet their specifications -

You would think that it is Christmas in November, homes are moving so fast. Once you take all of the short sales and REOs out of the search the number is drastically reduced and now that more and more people are deciding to purchase, these homes are not staying on the market as long as they used to.

Of course the ones that have been vacant for the last year and are in disrepair are not 'flying off the shelf' but all of those homes that are priced reasonably and in good showing condition are moving.

This is a good thing! We have been waiting for this to happen and now it is here! Christmas in November for all of us in real estate - what could be better?

The USGA is changing the rules on golf clubs, but unless you are one of those professionals we watch on Sunday afternoons on tv, you DON'T need to worry about it!!!

As most of you know, my partner has a golf club business and played in the mini-tour years ago. Well, it seems that the USGA is changing the rules on golf clubs and a lot of golfers are worried about the up-coming changes. Here is what Ron is putting on the website for his business Nomad Golf WRX (www.nomadgolfwrx.com):

"Our pre 2010 wedges will be legal for 99.99% of all golfers. This will be in effect until at least 2014 and may be extended until 2024. Only the Elite Tour Pros will be required to play the 2010 model clubs with the new 2010 "V" grooves. The new 2010 model irons (down to the 5 iron) & wedges may have a reduced spin rate by as much as 50%. For the non-Elite our wedges will become 'State of the Art" as older "U" & Square groove model wedges will not be produced. Watch for more up-dates and links on our web site. This is the first time in golfing history that two sets of USGA and R&A rules will be applied."

So there you have the upcoming changes cut down to a paragraph that at least golfers can understand! For more information be sure to check out Ron's website at www.nomadgolfwrx.com.

I started blogging again after a long break this past week and was impressed at how quickly ActiveRain is now downloading to my computer - it was one reason I stopped coming, it was just too frustrating. Well, this morning none of the photos associated with the blogs are downloading! Am I the only one having this problem??

If anyone else out there is having trouble downloading blog photos, please let me know so I don't drop kick my poor laptop!!!

Crystal Beach Florida is fabulous indeed and not just because I live there! This wonderful community located directly on the Gulf of Mexico in north Pinellas County has no traffic lights, congestion or mail delivery! Yes, I did say no mail delivery! There are NO mailboxes in front of any of the homes in Crystal Beach! Every household has a PO Box in our little post office where we go to get our mail!!!

But don't underestimate Crystal Beach! We have some fantastic homes here too! Like this on:

Located at 511 North Mayo Street, this wonderful Key West style home has 3,444 sq ft. With 5 bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms on three floors, this lovely home has a Gulf front view and a great spa and pool where you can lounge around all day!

If you would like more information on this home, which is currently on the market for $2,300,000. just give me a call at 727-512-0910! I would love to show it to you!!!

Or, if you prefer something like this one:

Located at 1050 Point Seaside in Crystal Beach, this home is 5,004 sq ft and has 4 bedrooms with 5.5 bathrooms. Built in 1992, this home boasts wood flooring, a wrought iron staircase and a chef kitchen to die for!!! This is listed in the MLS for $1,785,000.

If you would like more information on fabulous Crystal Beach Florida, give me a call today at 727-512-0910! Crystal Beach is one of the best kept secrets in the area! Just across Alt 19 from Palm Harbor and a little north of Clearwater, you are minutes from schools, stores and shopping and yet in a little bit of paradise!!!