When I purchased my Emerald Dolphin condo in 2006, a good friend came over with a housewarming gift; A plaque that reads, "If You're Lucky Enough to Be at the Beach You're Lucky Enough." And every time I'm at my beach place I decidedly feel "Lucky Enough."
The Emerald Dolphin is conveniently located less than half a block from one of the most popular seafood restaurants on Pensacola Beach, Peg Leg Pete's Oyster Bar and Lafitte's Marina. You'll have to try the Grouper Supreme sandwich and visit the Under Where outdoor beach bar.
Emerald Dolphin Pensacola Beach FL
Emerald Dolphin was built in 2006, and was designed to provide spectacular Gulf of Mexico views. The building, located on Fort Pickens Road, has three floor plans; a two bedroom plan at 1245 square feet, a two bedroom plan with a "bunk room" or office at 1345 square feet and a three bedroom condo just shy of 1700 square feet. There are also five penthouse units in this 17 story tower.
The Emerald Dolphin balconies are some of the largest on the beach. The three bedroom units are located on the east and west ends of the building and wrap around the unit. Unlike most condos on Pensacola Beach, these units have balconies that overlook both the Gulf of Mexico and the Santa Rosa Sound.
Emerald Dolphin Pensacola Beach FL
Amenities include a state of the art exercise facility overlooking the Emerald Dolphin pool AND the Gulf of Mexico, a community room, a swimming pool and hot tub. There is also an area for owners and guests to temporarily park their toys like boats and travel trailers.
There is always something to do on Pensacola Beach. If you enjoy fishing, surfing or other water sports you will be in your element here. From early spring until after Labor Day there are free concerts at Casino Beach on Tuesdays and entertainment at Quietwater Beach on Thursdays. Pensacola Beach has an active music scene, is the home of numerous festivals and athletic events and also has busy fishing pier which is fun to visit even if you don't fish!
The Emerald Dolphin Pensacola Beach FL is a popular, stable condo building so sales are few and far between. If you would like information about the Emerald Dolphin condos that are currently available for sale, contact a member of the Robin Sherman Realtor team at 850-516-8185, or visit our website where you can search ALL active listings in the Pensacola area.
Monte is the poster child for why you need to sell through a full-time, experienced Realtor. I have watched sellers chase the market down as prices slipped faster than they could understand.
Professional Realtors are watching the market EVERY day. We are showing homes for sale EVERY day. Do you have the time and expertise to follow the real estate market every day? Are you willing to spend the money to properly market your home? To do it right, you will end up spending more than a professional Realtor will charge you to sell - guaranteed. There really are economies of scale and Realtors have a ready sales force of hundreds - and in most markets - thousands - of sales agents eager to bring you a qualified buyer.
I watched a friend and neighbor give up three years (anxiety, stress, maintenance and carrying costs) and $250,000 because he did not want to pay a 5% commission. There is an easier way. A professional Realtor is not out to take advantage of you. They area out to sell your home as quickly as humanly possible.
I don't mean to preach to the choir, but I think that sharing a real life experience of selling my house to you proves that it really does pay to use a REALTOR®.
Back in November 2010, my wife and I decided it was time to move. We've only been looking for about 7 years or so - trying to decide which neighborhood to settle in. We knew we wanted in the "Deer Creek" school system, because now that our kids are getting older, it's all about the school system, right? At least a really big part.
Ashlyn (my wife) and I decided to build, and not buy. Based on what we figured we could get out of our house and what we've saved, we could actually afford to get exactly what we want in the neighborhood that we fell in love with. So we put our house up FSBO back in November 2010.
Why FSBO? For a number of reasons but mainly to try to save money. Jack Pratt Signs has been supplying the local Oklahoma City Metro with yard signs since 1950, so we pretty much know everyone in town that is in real estate. So, who am I going to use? I felt that I was damned if I used a REALTOR®, and damned if I didn't. We weren't in any rush necessarily because we were building, so we gave it our best shot.
Guess how many offers we got? One (1), and it sucked, real bad. One formal contract that lowballed us so bad that I was tempted to not even counter. But we did, and then got into a counter match via text messaging with the buyers agent that lasted through a weekend. It finally fizzeled away - she put a contract on another house less expensive than mine in a different area.
Though Ashlyn and I were not in any rush, summer was approaching and we found ourselves in the middle of June with nothing, nada, ziltch. Finnaly, we decided to use a friend of mine, TJ Jordan, whom I've known for 23 years. I was a little nervous using a friend, but I got exhausted trying to figure out what agent I should list with.
The first thing TJ did was remeasure the house. Guess what? We picked up an extra 80 - 100 square feet (legitimate, too). So, we were able to list the house with MLS at a higher price but at the same dollar/square foot. Basically, it went down like this:
We initally asked FSBO at $289,000. Got nothin... TJ took the listing, and recommended we ask $299,900
For 5 weeks we got more action than we ever did in the last 7 months. TJ suggested we reduce the price to $289,000. In the 6th week, we got a solid offer - we countered and they accepted!! $282,000. $7000 off our initial offer - pretty good, huh??
We closed last Friday and are now officially homeless - which I guess is better than having two mortgages.. We'll be living with my mom and dad until late October when our house is scheduled to be finished. So what have I learned?
Just because one can list a house FSBO doesn't mean it ought to be done. You can drive a car with your foot if you had to, but that doesn't make it a good idea, right??!!?
You guys don't tell me how to make signs, so I won't presume to know how to sell real estate either. That sounds pretty fair, don't you think?
Furthermore, the money paid in commission to TJ pails in comparison of what I could have saved every damn month if only I listed it with him last November!! But, that's water under the bridge. Ashlyn and I got what we "needed" and the buyer felt like he got a steal of a deal. Plus, I'm glad to help TJ as a friend and a loyal customer to my company.
I hope to stay in our new house forever and ever, however, if we do decide to move again, rest assured, I'll be calling a REALTOR®!
Pensacola School Liaison Officers for MilitaryFamilies
After more than 20 years "married to the military," I know a thing or two about military moves. And, I know how important getting accurate, reliable information on schools at the new duty station can be to military families. So I am really pleased to share some information about the School Liaison Officer Program.
The school liaison officers are tasked with helping children in military families within a 50-mile radius of the base make a smooth transition to the new school. The program has only been around for a couple of years, but there are military liaison officers available at all our local bases. Some of the issues the liaison officers can assist with include school choice, transfer of records, graduation requirements, immunization requirements and special education programs.
School liaison officers can also pair incoming students with current military family students, or local students willing to serve as peer facilitators, so that the new students have a sense of connectedness. Some local middle schools and high schools have an established program, Student 2 Student, and the school liaison officers are knowledgeable about these programs.
If you think you could benefit from the program, please contact the appropriate liaison officer at the e-mail address posted below.
Pensacola School Liaison Officers for Military Families
E-Mail Contacts:
NAS Pensacola - Carissa Bergosh - Carissa.Bergosh@navy.mil
NAS Whiting Field - Chris Hendrix - Christopher.P.Hendrix@navy.mil
If you are interested in learning more about the Pensacola area housing market, or about the markets in Navarre near Hurlburt, AFB, or Pace and Milton near NAS Whiting Field, please contact me or visit my property search website:
The Escambia County School District includes more than 107,450 students and 53,725 teachers in 51 schools throughout the Greater Pensacola Bay Area.
The Escambia County School District's Vision is to "Create a school district where parents want to send their children, students want to learn, teachers want to teach and employees want to work."
The Escambia County School District's main website is the source of plenty of great information for both newcomers and returning students and their families. Some of the information available on the site includes:
If you are considering a move to Pensacola, or any Escambia County location, you can search ALL homes available on the market at our website. We're happy to share information on the area and provide you with all the information you need to make a smooth transition to your new Pensacola home.
We're pleased to provide you with the Escambia County School District Calendar for 2011-2012.
August 23rd is the BIG DAY for Santa Rosa County families as it marks the start of the 2011 school year.
The Santa Rosa County School District has long been a well respected district and lives up to it's Vision Statement, "Quality Education, It's My Responsibility!" The District's mission is to be the best school system in the nation.
With 92 National Board Certified teachers and over 25,000 students, over 10,189 volunteers who devoted 162,849 documented volunteer hours in 2010, and numerous business partnerships, this well supported school district is on it's way to achieving that lofty mission.
If you are a family moving to the area with children you will appreciate the Santa Rosa County Schools Newcomer's Page section. The Santa Roas County School District has anticipated the needs of newcomers and has included the following useful information:
Zoning and Maps
Transportation
Health Requirements
List of Schools
Volunteer Information
Lunches
Documents and Forms
If you are considering a move to Santa Rosa County I'm sure you will find my team's property search website useful. You can search ALL Santa Rosa County homes as well as save your favorite listings, receive weekly - or daily - e-mails with new listings and price changes and learn more about the Pensacola area and Northwest Florida.
Finding a condo on Pensacola Beach for under $200,000 has not - at least for the 10 years that I have been selling condos on Pensacola Beach - been an easy thing to do. And even with the slump in our beach real estate market, it's still not an easy thing to do. But, it's not impossible!
Pensacola Beach Condos Under $200,000 - Today there are 13 Pensacola Beach condos actively listed on the Pensacola MLS that are priced at under $2000. They range in price from $119,500 for a two bedroom-one bath 914 square foot unit built in 1973, to $198,900 for a two bedroom-two bath unit at 1,000 square feet built in 2007.
I've just put a condo priced below $200,000 under contract for a buyer client so I have prepared a quick raw video to give you a better idea of just what you can buy at this price point.
As you can see from the video, you won't get a tremendous amount of space at this price point and your beach views from the unit may not be stellar, but you know the saying, "If you're lucky enough to be on the beach you're lucky enough!" Some of the other things that may be missing at this lower price point are convenience items like elevators and amenities like work out facilities.
Another thing to consider when looking at Pensacola Beach Condos Under $200,000 - or beach condos at any price range for that matter - are just what are the additional costs associated with beach condo ownership. Very often I have calls from potential buyers for these lower priced condos that are surprised to learn of the additional costs they will incur in the form of homeowner association dues.
A condominium is a collective ownership model, meaning you jointly own the condominium common areas with all the other owners in your complex. As a co-owner you have a share in the responsibility of maintaining the common areas and amenities as well as the exterior of all the condominium areas. If the condo has extensive landscaping it must be maintained and watered, the same for pools, hot tubs, play areas, boat docks, work out facilities and so forth. You will additionally have a share in the cost of insuring the property and beach properties do have higher insurance costs than properties in most other areas. The fees for these shared costs are covered by monthly dues to a condo homeowner's association.
When considering Pensacola Beach Condos Under $200,000 it is important to inquire about the homeowner association dues. My practice is to always request three months of board meeting minutes for my buyer clients so that they have the opportunity to review the way the board is run and also ask additional questions based on any information they read in the minutes.
Pensacola Beach Condos Under $200,000 - For detailed information on ALL condos for sale on Pensacola Beach, visit our property search site:
Sales for Portofino condos have been pretty brisk the first seven months of the year. Forty Portofino Resort and Spa condos priced between $280,000 and $600,000 changed hands between Jan. 1, 2011, and July 31, 2011.
What's so special about Portofino? Well for one thing this project, made up of five Italian Mediterranean inspired towers, is one of the largest and most well-appointed condominiums on Pensacola Beach. Another strong selling point for Portofino is simply it's amazing location on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. From the balcony of any Portofino condominium you have spectacular views of the sugar white beach sand that Santa Rosa Island is well known for.
Portofino Condos Pensacola Beach FL are amenity packed. Each of the five Portofino towers has it's own swimming pool and there is an Olympic sized covered pool as well as a gorgeous infinity pool located at the spa. You can enjoy a full range of spa services at Portofino, in addition to enjoying the state-of-the-art work out facilities with a full schedule of classes. The spa incudes a whirlpool hot tub, wet and dry saunas, treament facilities, a juice bar, library and restaurant.
And if you want to be at the beach to - well - enjoy the beach, Portofino is perfectly located. The Gulf of Mexico is right out your front door and the Santa Rosa Sound (Intracoastal Waterway) is at your back door. Portofino owners and guests have quick access to surfing, beachcombing, and sun bathing on the Gulf of Mexico and water skiing, jet skiing and fishing on the Santa Rosa Sound. A wonderful paved trail running almost the entire length of Santa Rosa Island runs right in front of Portofino and you will find that bicycles are a favored mode of transportation on the island.
Portofino Condos Pensacola Beach FL individual units are all beautifully appointed with upscale kitchens, large balconies and lovely bathrooms. Available condo floorplans are two and three bedrooms as well as terrace and penthouse units. Most units are sold furnished and many owners take advantage of the onsite management services for vacation rental opportunities.
We're happy to share our knowledge about these popular condominiums. We can give you information about available condos, recent sales and days on the market for any Portofino condominium. You can learn more about Portofino Condos Pensacola Beach FL at our website.
Nature Trail Pensacola FL is a new gated community located on 750 acres in Northwest Pensacola. We've just represented several buyers who are now happy Nature Trail residents!
And who wouldn't be happy? This lovely community boasts over 450 acres of land that is set aside as common area space; space that contains both trails and raw buffer land. Not only does this lend the community a tranquil feel and give plenty of separation from adjoining properties, it also assures the preservation of much needed vegetation and wetlands areas and gives residents - particularly children - abundant educational opportunites.
Nature Trail Pensacola FL, also includes some pretty sporty amenities. The community owns a 6,000 square foot rustic lodge which houses meeting rooms, a full size kitchen for events, and a state-of-the-art exercise facility. There is a playground area complete with the latest kid-friendly equipment and separate swimming pools for adults and children. Nature Trail also has a barbeque area and tennis courts.
There are several community parks within the Nature Trail Subdivision as well as numerous great walking trails. Street lights and sidewalks give the neighborhood a finished look and a true comfortable community feeling.
One thing that has spurred the community's popularity is it's location. Nature Trail Pensacola FL, is in the growing Northwest area of Penacola; Beulah. In just minutes you can be on Interstate 10 and it's a very quick drive to downtown Pensacola or out to the beautiful Gulf Coast beaches. NAS Pensacola is also a staight shot down Blue Angel Parkway. The Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport is a short drive as is shopping and entertainment. Navy Federal Credit Union has recently chosen Beulah as home to their corporate headquarters.
Several builders have new homes under construction in Nature Trail now. Paragon Homes and DR Horton are currently building and there are also local custom home builders who have lots in the Nature Trail subdivision.
You can learn more about homes in the community by clicking here: Nature Trail Pensacola FL We regularly post videos and other neighborhood information on Nature Trail Penacola FL, and other Pensacola neighborhoods. We're happy to answer your questions and to set up home showings in this growing Pensacola neighborhood.
Looking to Sell Your Pensacola Home in this Challenging Real Estate Market?
It's far from impossible. Homes are selling everyday. I acutally just represented a buyer in a multipe offer situation.
What do these sellers - and their Realtors - know that others don't? My collegue Karen Kruschka from VA has done a great job of answering this question. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I thought I would share Karen's blog post - The "Big Six" Home Selling Factors.
Although they can be stated in different ways there are only six factors that affect the sale of a home.
It is important for you, as the seller, to understand who or what has control over them and how they impact on each other.
You control 3 of the 6
The Market controls 2 of the 6
Your REALTOR® controls 1 of the 6
YOU Control
1. Price - You determine list price for your home. However, a list price above the market for homes similar to yours will impact negatively on buyer interest in making an offer. Your REALTOR® will review price history with you to assist you in making a list price determination.
2. Terms - Buyers have requirements just as sellers do. Your willingness to respect them and be willing to negotiate which terms will be acceptable to both parties can have a very positive impact. Price and Terms will usually be negotiated at the same time.
3. Condition - How well you have maintained the home will influence both your price and length of time to sell. The pool of buyers who are willing to make major repairs is much smaller than the pool of buyers who want a home that has been well maintained.
THE MARKET Controls
4. Timing - Economic conditions operate independently of price, terms and property condition. Similarly, seasons and weather factors can affect the time it takes to sell a home.
5. Competition - The number of homes on the market most certainly bears heavily on your ability to sell your home on a timely basis.
YOUR REALTOR® Controls
6. Promotion - From entry into the Multiple Listing System, to internet marketing and any other programs your agent will have an impact on your home sale.
CONCLUSION
No one of the six factors alone controls the timely sale of your home. Your agent should provide you with
Feedback from prospects who have visited your home
Changes in market conditions
Your willingness or ability to make adjustments in price, terms or condition based on the information provided will be the final determinant as to how quickly your home will sell.
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My Team has 35 years experience in Woodbridge, Dumfries, Manassas, Bristow, Gainesville, Haymarket Prince William County
”Experience Isn’t Expensive – It’s PRICELESS”
If you plan to buy or sell a Woodbridge or other Prince William County home or property contact Karen and Art by Email or call us at 703-690-6569. Put our record of customer service, real estate experience and state-of-the-art technology to work for you in Alexandria, Arlington County, Fairfax County, Prince William County, Stafford County or the entire Northern Virginia Area.
Fall weather blew into Northwest Florida this week and with it TONS of wonder fall events.
Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival
First up, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival which kicked off Friday morning with over 200 fine arts exhibitors from all around the country. This event is one that locals look forward to for months and an event which attracts visitors from around the Southeast.
Lucky me - and members of my team at Grand Points Realty - our office is only two and a half blocks from the site of the event; Seville Square in historic downtown Pensacola. We couldn't help but play a little hookie and visit the event on Friday.
An estimated 150,000 people attend the festival every year and I can attest to the fact that it was hard to concentrate on work with all the colorful arts and crafts surrounding us!
This year's event was exceptional - great weather, fabulous arts and crafts, amazing food and entertainment.
Garden Gate in Gulf Breeze
Not that I'm all work and no play . . . Saturday morning found me in Gulf Breeze at the Garden Gate getting a kick out of their eclectic group of employees, customers, chickens (yes, I said chickens) and row after row of gorgeous native plants and plenty of garden objet de arts.
Most Saturday mornings the Garden Gate hosts classes ranging from herb gardening to shell crafts. This week the crew at the Garden Gate were tackling Mosaics.
Since I had visited Pensacola's Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival yesterday, I was inspired to try my hand at some art work. The class started at 9:30 and before noon I had turned out several stunning pieces (just ask me!). And I still had time to make it home to catch the opening kick of the Gator game!
I was thinking about what good fortune I had to live in the Greater Pensacola Bay Area when I received some photos from my friend Captain Jack showing just fhow he spent his Northwest Florida weekend.
Best of all, he stopped by with samples of his work which made for a fabulous redfish dinner.
Interested in knowing more about Northwest Florida? I work with an exceptional team of full time Realtors and we are always available to answer your questions about life in Paradise.
Have questions about the local lifestyle, taxes, insurance, rental returns, homes for sale or rent? Real estate is our business. Just ask us!
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Why FSBO? For a number of reasons but mainly to try to save money. Jack Pratt Signs has been supplying the local Oklahoma City Metro with yard signs since 1950, so we pretty much know everyone in town that is in real estate. So, who am I going to use? I felt that I was damned if I used a REALTOR®, and damned if I didn't. We weren't in any rush necessarily because we were building, so we gave it our best shot.
Greater Pensacola Bay Area.
Santa Rosa County School Calendar
Another thing to consider when looking at 
between $280,000 and $600,000 changed hands between Jan. 1, 2011, and July 31, 2011.
several buyers who are now happy Nature Trail residents!
customers, chickens (yes, I said chickens) and row after row of gorgeous native plants and plenty of garden objet de arts.
Best of all, he stopped by with samples of his work which made for a fabulous redfish dinner.
;)
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