Chuck Roberts

By Chuck Roberts
Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty

With just the stroke of a few keys, you can find myriad resources on the Internet to help you in your search for a new home. Besides property listings, you can find out about specific communities, schools and mortgage options. Prudential Real Estate has made three great resources - Environmental Profile, Property Profile and Value Range Estimate - available on prudential.com/realestate that provide detailed real estate information just by keying in a U.S. property address.

With this wealth of information at your disposal, do you really need a real estate professional to represent you? Absolutely.

Think of it this way, when you go to an unfamiliar place, sure you could do a self-guided tour. However, your tour is much more rewarding and enriching when you have someone who is familiar with the location to guide you along because he or she has inside knowledge on the history, culture and stories that you may not have otherwise received.

The same can be said about sales professionals. Their role is more than someone to drive you around from property to property. They can be a great resource, especially to homebuyers relocating from other communities. He or she knows the local area including home values, taxes, utility costs, and school data, and may even be knowledgeable about resources pertaining to your special interests or needs. For instance, should you require help relocating an aging parent with you, your real estate professional may be able to direct you to local services or organizations for the elderly.

A sales professional can familiarize you with the processes involved in buying a home, alert you to potential risks, help you determine how much house you can afford, explain alternative financing strategies, as well as provide tremendous moral support.

Another benefit is having a strong advocate during the negotiating process. Sales professionals can help you objectively evaluate an offer then work to negotiate a favorable contract. During the process, he or she will review the contract and obligations before you sign, explain how contingencies and release clauses work, and so on.

And something easy to overlook is our familiarity with the complexity and risks inherent in the process. In the years I have been practicing I have been continually amazed at how quickly a seemingly simple transaction can grow legally complex and risky. When complex questions arise, a sales professional can help you quickly locate an attorney or other licensed professionals whose services you may require, such as home inspectors, engineers, surveyors and lenders.

As your single point of contact, a sales professional can manage the entire transaction including coordinating inspections, keeping in touch with the other real estate professionals, managing the documentation for the loan process, monitoring deadlines associated with contingencies, providing applicable paperwork, estimating closing costs, and helping prepare for a smooth and uneventful closing.

If you're about to begin the process of buying or selling a home, consider involving a real estate professional. When the stakes are high, it's comforting to have a specialist by your side.

Chuck Roberts can be reached at 850-960-5507(cell) or 850-784-1435(office). Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty is an independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc., a Prudential Financial company. Equal Housing Opportunity.

AOL just featured "The Top Five Places to Own a Vaction Home", as rated by SmartMoney.com and beautiful Panama City Florida was #1! Here is the article, as it appeared on AOL

By Kelli B. Grant,

Reporter, SmartMoney.com

Credit-crunch-squeezed homeowners and investors are unloading second homes en masse, offering up

desirable vacation properties at some pretty steep discounts.

"When the market is down and there's blood in the streets, someone else's misfortune could work in your

favor," says Ken Kamen, president of New Jersey-based Mercadien Asset Management. Buying now entails

some risk, however. After all, prices could drop even further. But for those looking to hold a property long

term for a family vacation spot or eventual retirement retreat should feel confident that they'll recoup the

investment, he says.

Here are five places where vacation-home bargains abound:

1. Panama City Beach, Florida

There's something for everyone in this Panhandle town where white "sugar sand" beaches along the Gulf of

Mexico give way to inland attractions, including six championship golf courses and an active restaurant and

nightlife scene. Prices for beachfront property run the gamut from $100,000 for a one-bedroom condo, to $2

million-plus for single-family homes of five bedrooms or more, according to vacation rental site

HomeAway.com.

Why Buy Now: Besides the weather (temperatures rarely dip below the 60s, even in January) a New

International Airport is slated to open in the next couple of years. With it comes low-cost carriers and an

abundance of nonstop flights. (Currently, flying from New York involves at least one connection and travel

time of anywhere from 4.5 to 13 hours. In comparison, a nonstop flight from New York to Orlando takes

about two hours.) That ease of access should help boost tourism -- and property values, says Anil Pereira,

CEO of SecondSpace.com, a property-finding service. "It'll be more feasible to own a second home there,"

he says. "People will be able to fly in for the weekend."

2. Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania

Looking for a destination for all seasons? The Pocono Mountains offer skiing (winter), horseback riding

(spring), sailing (summer), and hiking (fall). (There's even a Fall Foliage Hotline to point you to the most

spectacular views and scenic driving routes.) Single-family homes range from $175,000 to $300,000, with

lakeside and mountainside properties available, according to HomeAway.com.

Why Buy Now: A popular destination in the 1950s and 60s, the Poconos is experiencing a resurgence.

"[Baby boomer] buyers are looking in their comfort zone; places they know and love -- and probably also

where they vacationed as a child," says Christine Karpinski, a spokeswoman for HomeAway.com, a vacation

rental site. During the housing boom, home prices in Pennsylvania didn't climb as high as they did in some

other parts of the country. As a result, home prices in the four-county Poconos area haven't been as hard hit

in the current slump.

3. The Crystal Coast, North Carolina

The southern part of North Carolina's Outer Banks boasts unspoiled beaches, national parks and wildlife

preserves. World-class fishing results in abundant (and excellent) seafood restaurants. There's even

something for history buffs: Civil War forts and the town of Beaufort (reportedly the home of Blackbeard). Yet

this area is far from a tourist trap. "It still has a quietness about it," says Craig Venezia, author of "Buying a

Second Home: Income, Getaway or Retirement." "It's retained a lot of its charm and beauty." Prices for

waterfront property on the island start at $100,000 for a one-bedroom condo overlooking Bogue Sound (the

waterway between the Outer Banks and the mainland). However, oceanfront properties, especially in

popular towns like Indian Beach, can easily top $2.5 million.

Why Buy Now: Property values fell 18% this year, the first decline in more than a decade, says Venezia.

Because the popular vacation destination has seen little negative impact from foreclosures or speculative

real estate investments, it should rebound quickly, he says. Property values here have historically

appreciated by about 9% a year.

4. Lake Tahoe, California

With close to 71 square miles of mountainous shoreline, almost every property in Lake Tahoe boasts a view

of the water. In the winter visitors can ski at one of a dozen ski areas. In the summer, music, wine and

Shakespeare festivals abound for those who tire of swimming and boating all day. Lakeview homes start at

$250,000, with more ostentatious lakefront properties topping $25 million.

Why Buy Now: California home prices have plunged an alarming 26% since last March, according to

DataQuick, a real estate market researcher. "You'd almost have your pick of property," says Pereira. Beyond

single-family homes, there are condos and cottages, as well as purchase shares on larger homes. Given

Lake Tahoe's popularity, there's little doubt that home values will spring back as the economy stabilizes, he

says.

5. Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee

Home to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country's most-visited national park (it gets 12

million visitors a year), this stretch of Tennessee and North Carolina sets the scene for a beautiful yearround

wildlife retreat. Rafting, hiking and camping in the summer, and skiing in the winter. There's also

plenty of the region's renowned barbecue. A two-bedroom cabin ranges from $130,000 to $250,000,

according to HomeAway.com.

Why Buy Now: Although property values have taken a hit, tourism spending remains high, says Karpinski.

High occupancy rates for vacation rentals mean buyers willing to rent out their property when they're not

using the place could handily break-even.

Read our story to learn more about taxes on vacation homes and click here for advice on insuring your

second home. View our slideshow to find out about recession-proof places to retire.

Contact Chuck Roberts of Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty, to take advantage of this great opportunity in sunny Panama City Florida. You can reach Chuck Roberts at 850-960-5507 or 866-784-1435.

As of January 2008, Panama City florida has remained one of the top three markets, in the state of Florida, while many others have struggled. I believe one of the main reasons for our strength is the expected growth from our New International Airport. This New International Airport is the first new one, to be built in America, in over 16 years. Our New Airport is under construction right now and will open up our beautiful beaches to the world. Panama City Beach has always been a strong vacation destination, but traffic was previously limited, by the diffuculty involved in getting to the city. In the past, we have always been a chosen destination for Atlanta GA and Birmingham AL and all of the southern states, because we were close enough to drive to, but the New Airport will erase that limitation. In CNN/Money Business 2.0 Magazine, economist Stephen Chocoran rated Panama City as the #1 place in the nation to invest, for projected growth, Read Article Here .