About Tallahassee's Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle Christmas Block Party and Golf Cart Parade is an annual event that is the most festive for the neighborhood and that’s saying a lot because Halloween Block Party is really a hoot! Golden Eagle has several neighborhood events and block parties throughout the year but this is the most anticipated. The Golden Eagle Home Association does a wonderful job decorating the gates as well as The Golden Eagle Country Club their grounds! The homes throughout Golden Eagle deck the halls and their houses with plenty of lights and decorations!

There will be a Bounce House, lots of Food, Christmas Music, lots of Prizes, Cookie Decorating, Outdoor Movies, and other cool things going on and there are rumors that Santa may visit, so bring your camera! The neighbors go all out on decorating their golf carts, as it very prestigious to be the winner of one of the Golden Eagle Golf Cart Parade prize winners. There are prizes for the Most Festive, Most Creative, and Most Outrageous golf Cart! You never know what you may see but your neighbors are knocking it out the park! Oh, and I almost forgot to mention there will also be Gingerbread House Competition. Golden Eagle also awards prizes for the Largest, Most Creative, and best Replica of Your Home! The neat thing is that the entire Gingerbread House must be entirely eatable!

The Golden Eagle Christmas Block Party and Golf Cart Parade is sponsored by Golden Eagle Homes Association, Golden Eagle Kids and Teen Clubs, and TNT of Thomasville!

The Golden Eagle Christmas Block Party and Golf Cart Parade will begin at 4:00 on Saturday , December 17^th, and last until 7:00.

Sponsors:
Golden Eagle Homes Association Website
TNT of Thomasville Website:

Below is the Golden Eagle Parade Route!

When buyers want to shop for luxury homes in Tallahassee, they get a wonderful array of quality that cannot be found in other real estate markets at comparable prices. For example, a luxury home in LA would cost several million dollars, whereas the same luxury home in Tallahassee can be found at prices starting at $400,000. Lets face it, there are not too many high end home buyers in Tallahassee, so they get a terrific assortment of homes to consider.

So let's say that you are a high end home buyer and want to know where to shop in Tallahassee. Perhaps you want to drive around the communities (in your chauffeured limousine :)) in order to get a feel for where you would like to live. With over 1,600 neighborhoods in Tallahassee, it might take you much more time than you would like. Lucky for you there is this handy guide for luxury homes in Tallahassee!

Luxury Homes In Tallahassee Neighborhoods

There are 27 Tallahassee neighborhoods that have an average home sales price exceeding $400,000 for the first 11 months of 2011. Led in activity by Golden Eagle Plantation or by Rosehill in average sales price, luxury homes in these neighborhoods are the best that Tallahassee has to offer.

As you can see by the vertical blue bars in the real estate graph above, most neighborhoods listed only had 1 home sell this year. This means that if you plan on buying a luxury home in Tallahassee, you need to work with somebody who knows all of the neighborhoods and the trends in home values. It is very easy to over-pay for a high end home in Tallahassee, and that would be a sad waste of money in this opportunity-filled buyer's market.

If you want more information on luxury homes in Tallahassee, just drop me a note (<- click the link) and I will be happy to help you.

Map Of Luxury Homes Sold In 2011

Reminder: If you subscribe to the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog by email, you will need to click-through to see the map.

Recent Luxury Homes Sold In Tallahassee

Are you somebody who has decent credit but very little cash, and you want to buy a home in Tallahassee? In the old days, there were many ways to solve this problem. During the housing boom, you would have plenty of options when it came to financing a home, but today, no money down programs are few and far between, so the cash-strapped homebuyer needs to explore all the options.

Recently, Robert Barnette of Hancock Bank, came and met with our office to discuss different loan programs and trends in the mortgage industry in Tallahassee. He addressed buying homes that need rehabilitation (How To Buy A Home That Needs Repairs) and he discussed the USDA Rural Development Loan. As we previously covered the former, today's real estate blog will focus on the latter.

The USDA Rural Development Loan Around Tallahassee

As you might suspect from its title, the rural development loan is not available in all areas. The purpose of the loan is to provide home purchasing assistance in rural areas, and you can read all about it on the USDA website. Instead of going through hundreds of pages on its website, we have provided a summary of what you need to know and a map of areas included in the USDA Rural Development Loan program for Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida.

Eligibility For The USDA Rural Development Loan (Tallahassee MSA)

There are two areas of qualification review that must be done to find out if a homebuyer in the Tallahassee area can get a USDA Rural Development Loan. First of all, the buyer must have the financial qualifications for the loan, and secondly, the property must also qualify for the buyer to take advantage of this government sponsored no-money-down loan program.

Borrower Eligibility - The USDA Rural Development Loan program is for people with household incomes below $74,050 ($97,750 for households with 5 or more people). If a homebuyer has a credit score below 640, the lender might be able to push the loan through providing the borrower has strong compensating factors. If the borrower's credit score exceeds 640, then credit scoring will not be an issue. The buyer must also qualify with debt ratios that are similar to other loan programs and he or she does not have to be a first time homebuyer. The buyer cannot own another home in the Tallahassee MSA, and the home needs to be purchased for occupancy (cannot use the USDA Rural Development Loan for purchasing investment property).

Property Eligibility - The buyer must choose to purchase a single family detached home or an approved condominium, as mobile homes, duplexes and farms are excluded from the USDA Rural Development Loan. To verify whether or not the property is in an approved area, just use the map below to ensure that it falls within an eligible area. (Email subscribers: If you subscribe to the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog by email, you will need to click through to the internet to use the map).

Tallahassee USDA Rural Development Loan Map

Have you ever seen a home for sale in Tallahassee that you really wanted to see, like right away? Maybe you called the agent listed on the sign and asked if she could show you the home, only to find that you first had to drive to meet the agent at the real estate office, and then turn right back around and come back to the home. Doesn't seem to be the best "green" solution, does it?

I bring this up because we require prospective homebuyers to meet with us first at our office before we will show them a home. Many times, it means somebody has to drive across town in order to see a home for sale that is just blocks away from their current home. Occasionally, before we explain why we do it, we are often told that they do not want to make the drive. But we know that it is best for a home buyer to choose a real estate agent first, and once we explain, it is rare that our customers do not agree.

If you are thinking about buying a home in Tallahassee, then this might help you before you get started. Not only will you understand why all real estate agents in Tallahassee should make this a policy, you will also get an idea of why you as a future homebuyer should choose a real estate agent first before viewing properties.

Safety Tops The List When Meeting A Real Estate Agent

In today's crazy world where violent acts against strangers happen far too often, I think it is crazy that two strangers attempt to meet at an empty property. It is not safe for the buyer, and it is not safe for the real estate agent. What if an imposter of either party just happens to be at the property before the first person arrives? There have been numerous cases in the US of muggings and murders in situations where a real estate agent was supposed to meet a customer at a vacant property. This won't happen to you if you choose a real estate agent first!

Home Seller Privacy Should Be Protected

Another reason that we choose to meet with prospective homebuyers before we show them property is because we have pledged to do so for the home sellers who have entrusted us with the security of their home and the privacy of their families. While every home seller wants a high traffic of prospective buyers through their home, they have no desire and no need for people who do not have any interest in buying their property to wander throughout the home.

It does not take long with an expert buyer's agent to rule out homes that will not fit your needs, so you really do not to visit homes that do not fit your needs to find what you are looking for. If you ever have had a real estate agent show you a home that did not have enough bedrooms, then you know exactly what I mean.

Why Home Buyers Want To Choose A Real Estate Agent First

Finally, if homebuyers are smart, they will want to choose a real estate agent before viewing a property, and here's why. Imagine you call on a property and the office sends a part-time agent who has never negotiated a contract on behalf of a buyer. Imagine that you love the property and want to own it ... now guess who is going to attempt to get it for you, at the best possible price?

Smart homebuyers interview and hire a buyer's agent before they put themselves in a position to get emotionally attached to a property. You might think you are immune to falling in love with a home, but anybody who has been in the business for many years can tell you that it happens all the time. Just make sure you have the best real estate team in Tallahassee working for you first, and you will end up very happy with your real estate purchase.

If you would like to schedule an initial interview to see how we will help you save money when you buy a home, just drop me a note and we will get started as soon as you would like.

What a great time for another look at Golden Eagle home sales. Currently, this popular Northeast Tallahassee neighborhood is experiencing it's most active year since 2007, and there are 42 homes for sale in Golden Eagle Plantation in the Tallahassee MLS. As one of our favorite golf course subdivisions, Golden Eagle's core values of gated community and country club living make it a top destination for the high end homebuyer in Tallahassee.

First of all, you can get detailed information on each sale from either the map below or the table at the end of this post (people who subscribe to the Tallahassee Real Estate Blog by email will need to click through to use the Map). Just click on the red dots on the map to quickly see sale prices, home sizes, and values.

Map Of Recent Golden Eagle Home Sales

Golden Eagle Home Prices

The average sales price for homes sold in Golden Eagle Plantation in 2011 is $477K, up 2% from $466K in 2010. This is not a sign of real estate appreciation, as we will observe in the second real estate graph. It is exciting to note that Golden Eagle posted its first $1M+ sale last month, which is the first one since October 2009.

Golden Eagle Home Values

Home values are still on the decline in Golden Eagle Plantation, as the $135 per square foot average this year is 7% lower than the $144 average recorded in 2010. The abundance of supply of high end homes in the Tallahassee MLS will continue to exert pressures on home prices in Golden Eagle for quite some time.

If you want to sell a home in Golden Eagle Plantation, take a look at our targeted home selling plan. There is no reason why your home cannot sell, even with the abundance of inventory that will exist for several more years. Remember, it does not take luck to sell a home, rather it takes the right marketing plan combined with the right asking price to produce a buyer in today's competitive real estate market.

Recent Home Sales In Golden Eagle Plantation