Ponce Inlet, FL

The title may surprise you as Florida is famous for its golf courses, and you would expect the abundance of them, but still its true: Habour Village is the only place to play golf in Ponce Inlet.

And if you think about it, it is really not a surprise. Ponce Inlet is a small, just over 3,000 residents town on the southern tip of the barrier island, and land is scarce on the barrier island. It is too narrow for a full fledged golf course, and by the time developers put their eye on the larger scale developments, there was not much of suitable land left.

Harbour Village is by far the largest development in Ponce Inlet with its 721 condominiums and townhomes occupying 172 acres wth 104 acres set aside as a preserve. Spanning from the Intracoastal and to the Atlantic Ocean, the whole width of the island, the development is separated into 2 distinctive parts. Both are gated. One is between the Intracoastal (Halifax River) and Peninsula Avenue. It is the boaters and nature lovers paradise. It has its own 142-slip state-of-the-art Marina with floating docks for boats for up to 32' and larger boats for up to 58'.

They also have a mile-long raised boardwalk over the vegetation on the 104 acre preserve ending in a fishing deck on the Halifax River.

The other part is between Peninsula Ave and Atlantic Ave. It is across the street from the ocean, and it is very different from the other one. It consists of two cloverleaf-style 7-story buildings with a circle garage as the center and 4 wings with 2- and 3-bedroom condos. Buildings are surrounded by a 9-hole executive golf course, which features all the hallmarks of Florida golf for a par of 27. The course was designed by Gary Wentz, and it was opened in 2003 with the completion of the North Links tower. Toni Messenger manages the course as the General Manager.

If you see yourself living or vacationing in Florida just steps from the ocean and enjoying a morning game of golf, consider Harbour Village in Ponce Inlet. Actually, if you love Ponce Inlet, and golf is your best past time, this is the only place to be. Here is the address for Harbour Village Golf & Yacht Club and a link to them.

4622 Links Village Dr., Ponce Inlet, FL 32127-8062

P: (386) 760-3434, F: (386) 304-3332

Harbour Village Golf & Yacht Club

There are 68 condos currently offered for sale in Harbour Village starting from $189,900 and all the way to $795,000 (including a dock) for a 3 bdr/3 bath condo. Call me at 386-405-4408, and you may soon find yourself playing golf right around the Links South, where I live. And though I do not play myself, I enjoy watching others play.

Ponce Inlet, a quiet jewel of Greater Daytona Beach area, is a small town of just over 3 thousand residents on the southernmost tip of the barrier island.

If you think there is no such thing as a quiet place in Daytona Beach area, think Ponce Inlet. The town is past the last bridge to the mainland, so you just can't drive through on your way to Miami. It is basically a dead end town with two two-lane streets ending in 52-acre pet frinedly Lighthouse Point Park, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Ponce DeLeon Inlet, and the Halifax River (the Intracoastal). And that's what makes it so special.

Ponce Inlet is residential community first and foremost. The only businesses here are marinas, restaurants, some other waterfront commercial, a Marine Science Center, and that would be it. No hotels/motels, no high-rises, and since they upheld the height limit to 35', no more sizable residential development. There are a few dozens of scattered lots left, and then it will pretty much be like Key West - no available land. That's when in order to build, you would have to buy a home, and then raze it.

We all know that it means high prices. Sounds funny in time of the recession when properties are dirt cheap, but we know that high prices always follow. After long nights there is always day, and after winter, there is always summer (except for our area, where we do not really have any winter).

If there is one thing that makes Ponce Inlet different from Key West, it is our gorgeous and outrageously wide (500' at low tide) white sandy beaches.

Part of Ponce Inlet beach is closed for the cars, but the southern part is drivable, and provides nearly free ($5 for a day is not a killer) parking for residents and guests. On its non-driving portion lined with picturesque dunes and sea oats, if I can see more than 12 people, it is crowded.

It is summer,and there is no more fun for me to come to the beach after work and walk on the sand, enjoying endless variations of colors of the sky, and the Ocean. With water temperature at 80F, it should be a federal crime not to plunge into its inviting waves and become playful kids as we all once were.

This is a perfectplace to raise a family or to retire; to have a vacation home or condo, or just spend a week away from the cold, the routine, the pressures of everyday life. Here we face to face with the Atlantic Ocean. Its mighty beauty sets the right mood, and its rolling waves have that soothing therapeutic effect that the best doctors can only try to replicate.

Visit Ponce Inlet, enjoy Ponce Inlet, a jewel on Florida's East Coast. But be careful. You may lose your heart here. Like it happened to me.

And if it happens, call me at 386-405-4408, and we will try to help you.

To search local MLS for homes in Ponce Inlet, click HERE
To search local MLS for condos in Ponce Inlet, click HERE
To search local MLS for vacant land in Ponce Inlet, click HERE

Hello Ponce Inlet potential real estate buyers and sellers, and those of you who just like the (not so) Wordless Wednesday photo blogs (<< follow this link to the Wordless Wednesday description). As usual, I'm providing you with a brief intro to this particular blog post, without describing the photo. Not describing the photo leaves you free to let your creative juices flow, and pick what you like from the image. Although, for this one, I may provide some additional information in another post tomorrow. But today, I'm interested in your thoughts. There are quite a few details in this photo. Most Floridians are aware of some laws that come into play in this particular photo. Do you know what they are? I've blogged about them before ;-)

Enjoy the photo, and below it you'll find links to some Ponce Inlet real estate info, including the most recent market reports. You'll definitely enjoy the good news in the Ponce Inlet real estate market!

Ponce Inlet real estate market info, First Quarter Sales and Listings for 2009. (Data provided by the Daytona Beach Area REALTOR® Association.)

Ponce Inlet Real Estate Sales History, 2000-2009 (Year-to-Date)

Click here if you're interested in Buying Ponce Inlet Real Estate

Click here if you're interested in Selling Ponce Inlet Real Estate

How about living in exclusive Harbour Village in Ponce Inlet? Choose your views... Golf Course, Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway!

Now for some fun things to do, and interesting facts about Ponce Inlet =)

• Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest in Ponce Inlet FL
• Visit the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet Florida
• Ponce Inlet Lighthouse: The 2nd Tallest Lighthouse in the U.S.
• Turtle Day! Release a Rehabilitated Sea Turtle
  
• Ponce Inlet Historic Landmarks
• Inlet Harbor Marina in Ponce Inlet FL

If you're interested in buying or selling real estate in Ponce Inlet FL, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co REALTORS®.

For Ponce Inlet real estate sellers: I believe you'll appreciate this information, which will help you determine the value of your house, townhouse, duplex, or condo, based on this years' total sales-to-date, compared to previous years' sales for the same time frame. This can help you determine your asking price. (Data is from Jan 1 to July 1)

For Ponce Inlet real estate buyers: I believe you'll appreciate this information, which will help you determine the value of your next potential home, and how much to offer and/or invest, whether it's a house, townhouse, duplex or condo. The following chart contains data from the Daytona Beach REALTOR® Association, and shows the total sales-to-date for the city of Ponce Inlet. (As of July 1)

As you can see, 2009 is showing an increase in the number of properties sold in Ponce Inlet, over 2008. To be exact, so far, 2009 shows 11 more homes sold, over last year. We'll continue to watch these numbers throughout the year, and hope that Ponce Inlet real estate sales continue to improve! So far, each city I've researched has shown continued improvement this year.

Brief synopsis for Ponce Inlet real estate: For the city of Ponce Inlet, from 2003 to 2004, the number of real estate sales leapt upward, with 2004 being by far, the most productive year! 2005 took a relatively significant drop in Ponce Inlet real estate sales, with 2006 dropping even more, then even more of a drop in 2007! But 2008 showed a bit of improvement, and thankfully, 2009 has shown an even greater sales increase. The only down side now is that while 2008 & 2009 have shown improvement in the real estate market, these totals are well below my starting years for ths report, which as you see, began as far back as the year 2000.

To see the 2009, 1st Quarter Listings and Sales Report for Ponce Inlet, with a differential between segmented price ranges, just follow the preceding embedded link. And for the data I described above, just view the chart below.

To buy or sell real estate in Ponce Inlet FL, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs. << (Click to contact Lisa)

www.LisaHillRealtor.com

Summer came with noticeable heat and the temperatures quickly climbed to the near record high with heat index hitting 107F. Channel 13 is showing a map of Florida all in red with only a thin orange line along the Atlantic Ocean. Red is over 100F. Orange is over 90F. This is only along the waters of Atlantic. And that's where I am.

I live in Ponce Inlet, in a condo across the street from the Ocean.

I got up too late to go to the beach in the morning, the sun was already unforgiving, and I had what to do in the cool comfort of my condo. I had to do some work and sitting at the computer I was glancng in the window to see the ocean, which was unusually calm on Sunday.

My time comes at about 6 P.M. You walk out of the door into a balmy air. Here on the island the temperatures in summer are usually a few degrees lower than on the mainland, and a few degrees higher in winter, which works fine for me.

But all it takes is to cross State Road A1A (Atlantic Ave), and take the walkway to the ocean, and you feel the cool breeze. That is the beauty of the Ocean. The sun is low and tender on your skin. The ocean is very calm, water is 80F, you walk into the gently rolling waves, the water is clean and you see the bottom. A big crab is running away bit I still manage to bother another one a few feet farther, and I scream taken aback when it gets me by the toe. A few steps later I step on a small fish, that slips from under my foot.

I like that time of the day. All colors are more dramatic and pronounced. Setting sun changes the colors every 5 to 10 minutes. The Ocean is always fascinating and different. It depends on the sky, and with all the variations in the clouds, their shape and color and height and speed, it never stops to surprise you.

Where the waives break, the white is turning pink in the last rays of the sinking sun. The beach is dotted by crab holes. You only see crabs when they move. Otherwise they blend with the sand perfectly and you would walk by and not notice them.

Sandpipers are busy following the waive and finding something that only they can see. Pelicans patrol the waters graciously gliding on top of the waives without touching the water.

Sunday is Fathers Day and there are many people on the beach. Of course, by our standards. And when we can see 12 people on the beach, that's a lot. That is many for us.

If you can picture yourself on this quiet and secluded beach, give me a call at FUN (386)-255-5355.