Jackie Cross

In past years the average number of foreclosures in St Lucie County, Florida was 45 -50. In January the numbers rose to an all time high of 715 foreclosure filed. The Circuit Court is adding an additional evening shift to handle the work load. Per the Clerk of the Courts, Edward Fry Jr. "The case load has just become horrendous..."

Attempts to just work Saturdays to keep up proved futile so the additional evening shift was added. The current employees will work the extended evening hours with overtime pay which is said to be less expensive than hiring and training new employees.

I wonder if this will be true....guess it depends on how much longer this foreclosure market lasts.

Anyone from Port St Lucie who was invited and missed the special viewing of the new model homes at Vizcaya Falls last evening missed an event of a lifetime. Sponsored by the builder, Kolter Homes, it was a first class affair. The clubhouse is now open and was the main attraction for the evening. I counted at least 4 food stations serving a wide selection from salads to pasta, meats to deserts. There was an open bar as well as a specialty coffee bar. A nice caribbean band played in the background. The clubhouse itself sits on a 20 acres lake and has a mediterranean atmosphere and design. There is a resort style pool, an aqua park, a sandy beach, tot lot, barbecue pavilion, a state of the art fitness center and so much more.

The models were a short walk or you could ride in the builders golf cart. All the models were wide open with lake views. The evening was cool with a beautiful breeze adding to the topical flair with another band plying in the background as well. More food, cheese platters, fruit, shrimp, h'orderves... were served at each model as well as having wine and beer offerings.

The models themselves were great. They were not overly dressed up but designed in a style that would fit the normal family or couple. The layouts were spacious for the size of the homes. There are many floor plans both 1 and 2 story from which to choose. Prices start at $169,900 for the single family homes. Also a new active adult section is awaiting permits and will feature one story villas starting at $139,900.

The turnout I know was a disappointment to the builder who put on this magnificent affair. But for those who missed it there is another chance to at least tour the community and the models. A grand opening is scheduled tomorrow, February 23rd for the public. Here is hoping that they will turn out in much larger numbers than the realtors and associates did.

Anyone wanting more information about this great community please feel free to call me, Jackie Cross, All Florida GMAC Real Estate, 772-971-8543

All who live in St Lucie County may want to know that the service dept. at the Wallace car dealership is again open. Many of you may have read my blog yesterday in regards to my canceled appointment due to a fire in the service department there. Well I successfully was able to get my car in and serviced today. The service writer, Kelly, was very friendly and helpful. Below you will find some pictures of the damaged area. It affects less than half the service section of the building but is said to have about $300,000 in damage.

I've been trying for a month to get my car in for an oil change. Scheduling is a real problem with my local dealership as an appointment is required. With a realtors schedule constantly changing I keep missing the times they had available. I even tried going a fast change oil business only to find that a special filter is required, not one of the norm. They would not even order the filter and do the work.

Anyway I decided that even though I had 2 appointments so far today that I could keep my scheduled oil change. My first appointment ran over so I was running a bit late and tried to call the dealership, no answer. Peculiar to say the least. Anyway I was only a few minutes late so I continued on my way. When I got to the dealership I missed the first driveway so tried to get into the second. No way...The police had it blocked off and I could see firetrucks. I thought, oh they had had an accident and were there for that. I turned around and went back to the first driveway and noticed more fire-hoses were run along it. As I approached the building there were countless fire and rescue vehicles. I parked and then could see that the service building was covered in smoke. Now I was really glad that I been a bit late for my appointment as my car could have been inside where the fire had took place. So maybe it was my day to say the least.

PS: Anyone wanting to visit the local Cadillac dealership in Ft Pierce, Fl may want to wait till Friday.