Carol Clawson

The number of homes on the market in Palm Beach Gardens is seeing a slight increase as snowbirds return to south Florida and put their homes up for sale.

This is a normal occurrance come November, December and January as our seasonal residents decide to downsize, upsize or just change communities.

In mid-November there are more than 1550 homes for sale in Palm Beach Gardens with wonderful opportunities available to buyers. More than a third of the homes are listed as short sales, meaning the seller has priced the home at a price less than what he owes on his mortgage.

And more than half of the 1550 homes for sale are priced at or below $300,000, with more than one-third priced at or below $200,000. You can view all of these homes and many more with the search feature on our website.

The Weiss-Clawson Team does research on the home sales market in Palm Beach Gardens and throughout Palm Beach County to ensure that our clients have the most recent information about sales in the communities of interest to them.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in the Palm Beach Gardens area or anywhere in Palm Beach County, contact The Weiss-Clawson Team directly. We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.

The Palm Beach Gardens area country club community of Ironhorse has more than 40 homes on the market today, with great deals available to savvy buyers.

Ironhorse Country Club is located on the fringe of Palm Beach Gardens with 324 homes surrounding a championship Arthur Hills golf course and the beautiful Loxahatchee Nature Preserve.

The homes for sale range from a three bedroom, three bath, 2092 square foot dwelling, with a pool for just $254,500 to a massive 7897 square foot, seven bedroom, nine bath estate home backing onto the golf course. And there are many between these two in both size and price.

Views from your back lanai can be breathtaking as you overlook lakes and fairways along the golf course, or look upon the pristine preserve with unspoiled vistas.

Ironhorse Country Club is a small, intimate community where all residents are members of the club and many have elected to become golf members for an additional charge. The club boasts all of the amenities of larger facilities -- restaurant, social events, specialized clubs, fitness center, tennis courts and swimming pool, plus the challenging golf course -- without the larger price tag.

The Weiss-Clawson Team includes a resident expert in Ironhorse. During 2009 we have been instrumental in selling more than 70 percent of the homes that closed in the community.

Please contact The Weiss-Clawson Team directly if you are interested in Ironhorse or in any other community throughout Palm Beach Gardens. We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.

Homes in Palm Beach Gardens' high end country club communities are selling in 2009 after a dismal year in 2008, according to Multiple Listing Service (MLS) statistics.

Two exclusive clubs, Old Marsh and Old Palm saw just two sales during the first 10 months of 2008. Both of those sales were in Old Marsh. There were no sales in Old Palm reported through MLS for the first 10 months of 2008.

In Old Marsh the two homes sold through October 2008 averaged $458 per square foot. Both homes had more than 4000 square feet. In 2009 there have been seven homes sold during the first 10 months of the year. Prices are down 15 percent in 2009 compared with 2008 with the seven homes sold averaging $385 per square foot.

Old Marsh is one of Palm Beach Gardens' finest country club communities with fewer than 200 homes surrounding a beautiful golf course. There are currently 11 homes on the market in Old Marsh, ranging in price from $1,350,000 to $2,995,000.

Old Palm is a newer community than Old Marsh. For the first 10 months of 2008 there were no homes reported sold through MLS. During the first 10 months of 2009 however, there were eight homes sold in Old Palm. The average price per square foot of those homes is $363.

Today there are 34 homes on the market in Old Palm ranging in price from $1 million up to $7.9 million.

The Weiss-Clawson Team is familiar with both Old Marsh and Old Palm and can provide interested buyers with additional information about either community, or about any other country club community in the Palm Beach Gardens area. You can contact The Weiss-Clawson Team directly.

We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.

Most country club communities in and around Palm Beach Gardens are experiencing sluggish sales and declining prices according to statistics from the Regional Multiple Listing Service.

Mirasol, Ibis Country Club and Ballenisles have all seen fewer sales during the first eight months of 2009 than occurred during the first eight months of 2008. And prices in each community have declined as much as 30 percent.

In Ballenisles, for example, the number of sale dropped 12 percent comparing January through August 2009 with the same period of 2008. And the numbers are not large. Only 34 homes sold in Ballenisles during the first eight months of 2008 and just 30 homes sold in the upscale community during the same period of 2009.

In 2008 just nine of the 34 homes sold went for $500,000 or below while in 2009, fully half of the 30 homes that closed were bought for $500,000 or less.

Prices in Ballenisles declined about 20 percent in 2009 compared with 2008. Looking at dollars per square foot in Ballenisles, the homes sold between January and August 2008 averaged $240/SF while a year later, homes sold from January through August 2009 averaged $191/SF. And in 2009 just five of the 30 homes sold went for more than $1 million, while a year earlier 11 of the 34 homes sold closed at or above $1 million.

Today there are about 100 homes on the market in Ballenisles, 35 of them priced at or under $500,000. There are some very good deals available to the savvy buyer.

The Weiss-Clawson Team researches home prices in communities throughout Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach County to provide the most up to date information to our clients. If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Palm Beach County, we would like to work with you. You can contact The Weiss-Clawson Team directly. We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.

The number of homes sold in many Palm Beach Gardens country club communities are fewer in the first eight months of 2008 than they were for the same period in 2009 and prices in many of the communities continue to decline, according to statistics from the Regional Multiple Listing Service

It makes it a great opportunity for buyers to find that perfect new home at a price that is often less than the seller paid.

In Mirasol, for example homes sales are down 30 percent for the period January 1, 2009 through August 31, 2009 compared to the first eight months of 2008. In 2008 53 homes sold through August while in 2009 just 37 closed during the same period.

Averaging the closing price of each Mirasol home sold in the first eight months of 2008 shows a value of $261 per square foot. That number declined 12 percent in 2009 with an average of $232 per square foot for the 37 homes closed through August.

Today there are 117 homes for sale in Mirasol with 41 of them priced at or below $750,000 and 16 homes price at or below $600,000.

While sales figures throughout the Palm Beach Gardens area show hightened activity overall, most of the homes sold were priced at or below $350,000 with many taking advantage of the first time homebuyers $8000 tax credit.

The Weiss-Clawson Team keeps up to date on real estate market trends and prices throughout Palm Beach Gardens and Palm Beach County to provide the most up to date information to our clients.

If you are interested in homes in Mirasol or in any Palm Beach Gardens community, please contact The Weiss Clawson Team directly. We look forward to hearing from you and to working with you.