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Clearwater, FL

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Clearwater Florida Market Report - February 2012

03-09-12
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate: Real Estate Agent in Clearwater, FL
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Clearwater Florida Market Report - February 2012

Clearwater Florida

Unlike over on the beaches, where prices are on their way back up, the city of Clearwater Florida has not started to climb as rapidly again.

Clearwater FL

In February 2012 the median list price for a single family home was $138,760, which is up 2.77% over January 2012. The median price per square foot was $116.

Clearwater FL

Looking back at November 2011 the median sale price for single family homes was down 2.29% from October 2011. So while the Clearwater Florida housing market has not started taking off as rapidly as the Clearwater Beach market, the handwriting is indeed on the wall!

Realestate.com


Serious buyers are out scooping up reasonably priced properties and the inventory is getting smaller and smaller. It is only a matter of time before prices start rising more dramatically here in Clearwater Florida.

Clearwater Florida

My suggestion? If you are considering purchasing, don't wait!


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Existing Home Sales - By Region - Nationally

03-01-12
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate: Real Estate Agent in Clearwater, FL
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  • Office: (727) 512-0910
  • Mobile: (727) 512-0910

Existing Home Sales - By Region, Nationally

We discuss what is going on in our nation and it is always interesting to break it down by region so I have done just that here:



Online Graphing

In the above chart the regions are as follows:

Northeast - red

Mid-West - green

South - blue

West - yellow

This information comes from the Economics Department of the National Association of Home Builders and puts a different perspective on things when we look by region, as shown here.

Again, I have to stress that each state, each town, each neighborhood is different. Ask your Realtor for more detailed LOCAL information for your own market.


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Florida's Shrinking New Listing Inventory

02-23-12
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate: Real Estate Agent in Clearwater, FL
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  • Office: (727) 512-0910
  • Mobile: (727) 512-0910

Florida's Shrinking New Listing Inventory really gets the point across when you compare the last three years:


Online Graphing

And while the number of new listings for single family homes has declined 7.9% in just the last year, the change is even larger when we look at condos and townhomes, which shows a 10.8% reduction in the last twelve months!


Online Graphing

It all comes back to: When is the time to buy? NOW! And along with that thought, it is a great time to get your home or condo listed since the market is picking up and getting HOT!





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Florida Home Inventory Declining

02-22-12
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate: Real Estate Agent in Clearwater, FL
  • view my blog
  • Office: (727) 512-0910
  • Mobile: (727) 512-0910

Florida Home Inventory is indeed declining. When we compare January 2011 to January 2012 in the category of single family homes we see this:



Online Graphing
Graph maker

When we compare condo and townhouse sales from January 2011 to January 2012 it is even more impressive:


Online Graphing
Graph maker

As we all know, reduced inventory generally means prices start going up. What does that mean? Simple, if you are considering purchasing, NOW is indeed the time!



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Belleview Biltmore Hotel - The White Queen Of The Gulf

02-02-12
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate
Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog - Clearwater Florida Real Estate: Real Estate Agent in Clearwater, FL
  • view my blog
  • Office: (727) 512-0910
  • Mobile: (727) 512-0910

Belleview Biltmore Hotel - The White Queen of the Gulf was built in 1896 by Henry B. Plant and his son, Morton Plant. The hotel is the world's largest occupied wooden structure. Built of pine, the structure was originally dark since it was not painted white for many years.

Barbara-Jo's Beach Blog,ClearwaterFloridaRealEstateBlog.com

This beautiful old landmark was a Winter resort to European royalty as well as the Vanderbilts, du Ponts, Thomas Edison and many other famous people.

For years I would go to this landmark hotel every Thanksgiving with my children for the most magnificent feast imaginable!

There are many stories surrounding this beautiful old hotel. One is that Morton Plant's wife, Maisie lost her necklace of double strand natural pearls that she purchased from Henri Cartier. Guests through the decades have commented that they have seen Maisie wondering the hotel, searching for her pearls. Even great hotels can have spirits wandering the halls.Belleview Biltmore Hotel, Clearwater FL

I would be searching for them as well if I had lost them! It seems that Morton did not want to pay the $1.2 million that Cartier wanted for the pearls, so Maisie traded the home that Morton Plant had built and given her for the necklace. That house, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifty-second Street in the Big Apple is home to Cartier Jewelers to this day.

In 2009 there were plans to renovate the hotel, which was the site of many high school proms. Upper floor rooms were said to suffer from roof leaks and restoration work was indeed needed. The facility was closed and an ad placed in the local newspaper that items would be sold to the public.

A wonderful couple who purchased a house with my assistance in 2009 went to a sale that was being held at the hotel. There they purchased a wonderful Belleview Biltmore Hotel chandelierchandelier and put it in their hallway after having it rewired for safety reasons. It is still in their home, which is being sold the end of this month. They have decided to leave it here, in Clearwater.

Once again, the hotel is back in the news. New owners filed paperwork in January of 2012. They want to tear most of the building down, keeping part of the hotel and lobby as a museum and building a least 120 Victorian townhomes on the sprawling 21 acres that overlooks the sparkling waters of Clearwater Harbor.

Local historical preservation groups want to save the landmark. Only time will tell the fate of this piece of local history that has always played such an important role in Clearwater's development.




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