Linda Cullen

Not every company uses one. In Florida it's not necessary for a seller to fill one out (although Florida law requires them to disclose defects not readily observable). If they won't, I'm always suspicious. The sellers that I've worked with over the years are generally more than willing to fill it out; often they ask "should I mention the little roof leak of a year ago that was fixed?" Yes is the answer! The more specific a seller is the better. It's not our job, as agents, to confirm information. But as the listing progresses, if a new issue is addressed with a repair, we should try to remember to have them update their seller's disclosure. Another good policy, when an agent asks to see the seller's disclosure,is to quickly have the Seller review the form to make sure the information is current.

I've kept a chart of average sales prices in Flamingo Park, West Palm Beach, FL dating back to 1989 - a very interesting 20 year picture. In 1989 the average sales price was $59,889. In 1999 it was $145,156. In 2009 the number came in at $199,166. Of course that average is lower than before the unprecedented rise in the bubble years - but the 2009 average is half way between the average numbers for 2001 and 2002. If we've only gone back that far - I think that's a real decent sign!

In the beginning of SE Florida there was swamp. And Henry Flagler (and others) saw that it was good. And he created a railroad. And initially the roadroads were pretty much all the transortation there was. And then came the car... and then fast-forward to the suburbs and then .... a terrible void in public transportation in Florida and severe road congestion that we can't keep ahead of. The CSX track does carry Amtrak and some commuter trains from Miami up to West Palm Beach. The FEC track carries only cargo.

I attended a great meeting this morning put on by the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council which has been working with cities, counties, institutions and the public to see how we can progress into a future of South Florida with large-scale rail commuter traffic - and exciting, vibrant areas around new stations. The old historic areas along the eastern edge would become every more sought-after and interesting and great places to live and get to work. And a regional hub, probably in West Palm Beach would actually tie together the FEC and CSX tracks allowing Amtrak to be able to go from West Palm Beach directly up the coast to Jacksonville and north. This is the short version of course. Want to know more?

I keep a chart of all unit sales in my area of downtown West Palm Beach, FL by month starting with 1999 - We're back to 2006 sales numbers, but the totals by year of very interesting.....

1999 - 396

2000 - 394

2001 - 332

2002 - 410

2003 - 500

2004 - 551

2005 - 471

2006 - 241

2007 - 172

2008 - 160

2009 - 242

Now let's see how long it takes to get back up to the 1999-2001 levels!

A few days ago I was at a meeting with another Realtor who used to live in, and still owns property in one of West Palm Beach's historic districts --- I do as well and would never even have thought about getting into real estate 17 years ago had not been for the historic districts here. My Realtor buddy made a statement that he didn't think that historic districts had the same cache as they used to have! It didn't take long for my hackles to go up! Anathema! Sacrilege! The emotion aside, I decided not to outwardly react. After all, if he thinks the cache is gone and doesn't promote and extol historic districts in his career - the more for me! While there isn't any area that hasn't taken the rollercoaster whammy - in the long run, especially in Florida where there isn't much "old" and one subdivision looks like the next - the historic districts will always have a cache! Touche!