Barry Smith

Fourteen of Florida's metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased existing-home sales in April and 11 MSAs also showed gains in condo sales. The national median sales price for existing single-family homes in March 2009 was $174,900, down 11.5 percent from a year earlier, according to NAR.Florida's median sales price for existing homes last month was $138,000; a year ago, it was $199,500 for a 31 percent decrease. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $106,600; in April 2008 it was $178,900 for a 40 percent decrease. According to NAR (Nat.Assoc.of Realtors), the national median existing condo price is $177,600 for March 2009.As you can see, Florida ranks below the national average in home and condo prices. Do you think it's a good time to buy ? ;-)

Good kitty litter makes all the difference ! Yes, I said kitty litter. Why do I care about kitty litter? ...because this brand of kitty litter is going to help you sell your house. How? Because a house that smells like kitty litter leaves an impression and not a good one. Smell, more than anything else, is what buyers remember. Studies have been done on memory and smell and your sense of smell is a powerful stimulant to memory. When you are old...or not...smell can trigger a memory from long ago. People remember smells longer than anything else. When a buyer leaves the house, they leave with an impression and a memory of what the house smells like. Did the house leave them with a good impression of a bad one? I wholly recommend this litter as I have used it before. I tried them all; this is "The One". The Best Kitty Litter is http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/Products/WBCL/default.aspx
It's the best because it totally arrests the smell of cat urine. It's also natural, it clumps and is very low dust. It's everything a cat lover could want ...and a Realtor !

Condo prices in St Pete Beach are holding their own. There are very few condos on the gulfside priced less than $300k. Across Gulf Blvd ( not gulf front) you could find a condo for less than $250k with most falling between $200 and $250k. A condo in a really nice highrise ( not gulf front but can see the gulf ) can be picked up for around $300. There are some real bargains for larger homes in St Pete Beach intracoastal neighborhoods. There are homes priced just over a million that are a bargain for the amount of square footage that you get. You can also pick up a 4000 sf condo on the gulf for around $800k. A decent house inland can be found in the $150 range. With great interest rates and a great selection, now is a great time to buy.

Note that The Villas of Date Palm have been taken off the market and will probably be rentals. But, you can still read about the construction of them.

I'd like to shed some light on precast concrete construction. This is also called Tilt-Up construction. In this method, buildings are constructed from cement panels that are poured either onsite or at a factory. The panels have iron loops on them for the crane to be able to lift it up and set it in place. The panels are extremely heavy as they are 5-6 inches thick. I recently watched an addition to a wine warehouse go up. It was amazing to see this crane pick up something so heavy and pivot the panel as workers guided it into place. In this case, the panels were two stories tall and about 6-8 feet wide. Panels are made to specification. Door and window openings are left open when the panel is poured. This method of construction saves a lot of time. Panels go up quickly and can cut construction time by 1/3. Once up, they are joined together with plates and bolts and the seams sealed.

There are alternative exterior options. One such option is to make it a brick pavered facade. Pavers are laid down then the wall poured on top. You can see the application via this link. http://www.tiltupnews.com/tilt-up-articles/tiltup-construction-masonry-brick-wall.asp

It's a wonderful development where the builder "did right". It's called The Villas of Date Palm. They are 3 BR / 2.5 Bath and 2 car garage. Attention to detail is obvious and a year was spent researching what buyers wanted in a townhouse such as a master on the main and a closet beyond the bathroom. There is are two laundry stations, one on each floor. Some units have elevators and thus have all the bedrooms upstairs.

The exterior walls are 6 inches thick with 3/4 inch rigid foam insulation and 5/8 inch drywall on the inside. The 3 unit building went up in four days.

The Villas of Date Palm

The end units have 2075sf, Middle unit with elevator has 2590sf.

790 LaPlaza Ave South in South Pasadena, FL 33707 ( Pasadena Ave to East on Date Palm to end of street )

The building has a wind rating of 295 mph. Let us pause and bow and say Wow. Isn't that amazing ? To "dry in" the building took half the normal time. The concrete panels make for a quiet building and provide a two hour fire rating. This type of building is also very energy efficient - R-18 to R-20 when normal is R-13. It would take more hours in the day to get the walls heated through and through by the sun...so keeping cool is easy in a concrete home. Also, you don't have to worry about termites. Yayyy ! I know when I was in the unit, it was so quiet. How nice. It is estimated that a concrete home is 5-7 percent more expensive than a block built home, but the benefits are many and would pay for itself. I'm Sold !!

If you would like to read the full article published in the St Pete Times about this project, then click on http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/13/Homes/Precast_concrete_wall.shtml

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL 727-773-6677