Yacht Harbor Village

I was out previewing properties for one of my favorite customers last week and had the great fortune of experiencing the Yacht Harbor Village again, now that it is complete.

I had sold several pre-construction lots and condos within this community back in 2004. It was great to now revisit the property and see the completed product. I was very impressed. I must admit…unlike many developers…the GINN group definitely delivers on what they promise and then some.

From the moment you drive up to the guard gate you will notice the gorgeous extensive landscaping and resort feeling that makes you realize you have stumbled onto something special.

Through the gates you are greeted with the colorful, whimsical Admirals' Cove, an 88 unit condominium fronting the Intracoastal Waterway. It is a visual stunner and features luxurious single ownership condominiums in three different floor plans.

Part of the exclusive GINN Properties portfolio of fine resort style communities, Yacht Harbor Village is located on 76 acres on the east side of the Intracoastal Waterway just north of the Hammock Dunes Toll bridge.

Yacht Harbor Village features 184 home sites located either on a protected saltwater canal or directly fronting the Intracoastal Waterway.

The marina has 249 boat slips with a full service marina and Ship's Store.

Featuring the best of all that Palm Coast – Flagler County, FL has to offer, property owners may join the Hammock Beach Yacht Club, the Club at Hammock Beach and the Golf Course at The Conservatory.

There are some excellent values in Yacht Harbor Marina right now, and many of them have transferable memberships to the Hammock Beach Club. Please feel free to contact me anytime. I would be happy to share more information regarding this wonderful resort style community in Palm Coast– Flagler County, Florida.

I was spending some time this morning updating some listings, going through old pictures and I stumbled on some before pictures of houses that the DH & I have bought and remodeled. It is interesting to go back and look through these pictures, as I always seem to forget how much work they were…hmmm….some of them were pretty bad :-)

Here are some pictures of the home we are currently living in. The DH always laughs that the houses we live in are never completely finished until the day we move out. I love redesigning and reclaiming outdated homes, make them sparkle and shine again and it allows me to release some creative energies….although I must admit…living in a constant construction zone and sometimes without even a kitchen for months on end does get old after a while.

Here are the before pictures. I spent 2 weeks scraping all of the popcorn of the ceilings. Here is a weird quirk alert about me...I HATE POPCORN CEILINGS...they give me the creeps:-)

They say pictures are worth a thousand words...that is pretty accurate because it would take me thousands of words to list all of the changes...so just sit back and enjoy the slide show.

BEFORE

AFTER

By the way how cool is this Picasa slide show? I am also a tech geek..so it was fun putting this together. I Told the DH I will have to catalog all his masterpieces. He really is very talented...may as well show him off. The Cherry Wood mission furniture in the living room...he made all of it from scratch and I bought a sewing machine recently so he is now sewing leather cushions for the sofa.

The kitchen was also completely hand crafted from solid Cherry. I designed the columns he built to finish off the wall we tore out...they turned out better than I would have ever expected.

Please keep in mind that I am a Florida Licensed REALTOR and there are some really great deals on older waterfront and general Palm Coast homes that can be bought for a super bargain right now if you have the talent and abilities to rehab them. if you are a handy person and looking for a great opportunity in Palm Coast - Flagler County....give me a jingle or drop me an email....I have a list of the best bargain rehab properties in town.

Thanks for reading my blog...it is fun to share.

In October 2001, I started selling real estate in Palm Coast, Florida.  In October 2005, I jokingly asked my husband if he would like to take off and travel around the world.  Much to my surprise…he said yes. (Check out blog posts from our trip…coming soon)

Between October 2001 & October of 2005 I had assisted hundreds of people purchase and sell property.  During that time, the DH and I had also dabbled in pre-construction mania, bought and sold vacant land and continued to buy, rehab and manage rental properties.  When I asked my DH if we could go travel around the world…I was only partially kidding.  I never thought he would say OK. 

Many of my customers that had made significant amounts of money by buying and then selling pre-construction condos and developments were asking me about the next easy deal.  By the first part of 2005…I began telling my customers that the easy money was no longer to be made in Palm Coast and it may be time to sell. During that time, DH and I began selling out of all of our questionable assets…mainly condos and vacant land.

By the middle of 2005, just when most home buyers were getting themselves into crazy exotic mortgages, buying into pre-construction products that the builders would never complete and begging to get in on the next great money making property development…I quit selling real estate and focused on enjoying life for awhile.  You see, I know that when the taxi driver in New York is talking about making money buying and selling real estate in Florida…it was time to get-get-get-out-out-out!!!!

The actual start of the real estate crash began in Palm Coast about the middle of 2005.  The writing on the wall would not become evident to most until the middle of 2006…nearly a year later. I feel very bad for people who got caught up in the greed, the lure of exotic mortgages and the promise of a quick buck. But, I am comfortable in knowing that I did not participate in the frenzy…even though I had customers calling me to ask my opinion on developments like “Tidelands”, “The Palm Coast Resort”, “The Conservatory” as well as the new condos being built in “Grand Haven”  & “Hammock Dunes”.  I would not sell those properties…I had a gut feeling it would be a huge mistake to purchase in those projects and I cost myself alot of money in sales commissions….but I am happy that I did not get anyone in over their heads. 

Some of my customers did not heed my advice and chose to buy into those developments anyway through other agents…they are now becoming statistics. I had made a vow to myself when I began selling real estate that I never wanted to sell a piece of property and then worry about having to duck and cover if I saw my customer in the local grocery store…that mind-set has served me well in this business. 

It may come as a surprise to many people that a REALTOR would be telling them “Now may not be the time to buy”.  But that is exactly what I am saying “Now may not be time to buy”. 

Stay tuned and I will tell you why…..

I just made another post“Calling All Merritt Island REALTORS…” regarding an article about the loss of 350 jobs in Merritt Island, Florida.  Looks as if Searay is shutting down one of their local plants in Merritt Island and transferring up to 140 employees to their location  here in Flagler County – Palm Coast, FL.

Now, I feel bad for any community that loses jobs, but I see a huge opportunity for a smart REALTOR in Merritt island to turn this into a positive.  So, I am going to share with you what I would be doing if I lived in that area to make sure I was getting a piece of the listing and selling pie.

Check you database:  If you are a seasoned agent and have been working with buyers and sellers that are employees of Searay in the past…now is the time to make contact and let them know that you are there to help them during this stressful time.  Your past customers will appreciate it and they will probably also tell their fellow employees…pay it forward.

Call the Human Resources Department:  Most respected companies have departments that are set up to assist transferring employees with information they need regarding the relocation to another area. Make sure you are on the top of their list as the person to contact that can assist with getting the employees homes sold.  The Human Resources Department will have their hands full with this and will appreciate having an expert to call for answers. You be that expert. Keep in mind that many companies buy out the homes of the tranferees and then contact a REALTOR to list them for sale…especially with higher level employees.  That is the person you want to track down…put on your detective hat.

Put out some advertising and direct marketing:  Target Searay employees….there are 350 of them that may need to sell….that adds up to a good number of listings…and they in most cases “Must Sell”.  Transferring sellers are some of the best customers to have….they must act quickly.

Contact Friends and Family: You may know a friend or family member that either works for Searay or knows of someone that works for Searay.  Let them know that you are available to assist any employees needing to sell their homes during this stressful time.  Word will get around about you…just need to put the ticklers out there.

Have a GO TO person in the New Community: Be a one stop shop for your customer.  You can get their house listed and sold and put them in contact with a professional , local REALTOR in the area that they are transferring to.  Someone like ME  Kristi Ross “The Palm Coast/Flagler County Real Estate Expert” **Shamless Plug**

Offer an incentive:  Give back.  Offer incentives to Searay Transferees in exchanges for choosing you to list and sell their home.  It does not have to be a reduction of your commission…but could be. Or you could give some other type of value added service such as a coupon towards the rental of a U-haul or moving company,  offer free lawn mowing services since they will be vacating the home soon etc.  Be creative…put your thinking cap on.

I wrote this post specifically regarding the Merrit Island Searay situation, but these tips should assist anyone who is aware of an upcoming plant closure or the laying off of several employees from a company.  Be the first person they hear from and it will pay off.

And ps  I am a Florida Licensed REALTOR with Hawk Beach Realty in Palm Coast/Flagler FL.  I have assisted hundreds of customers buy and sell property in this area for over 7 years.  Let my experience and professional contacts work for you…I love referrals.

Good luck Merritt Island REALTORS…Get those listings!!!

Looks like a loss in Merritt Island, Florida will be a gain for Palm Coast, Florida. The following article was put out by the Daytona Beach News Journal on March 20th, 2008.

"Brunswick Corp., parent company of Sea Ray Boats, has announced plans to close one of its Merritt Island facilities and eliminate 350 jobs. About 140 of those jobs could be moved to the company's Flagler County manufacturing facility, said Dan Kubera, Brunswick director of media relations and corporate communications." read full article here

So, Merritt Island REALTORS, put on your detective hats to track these folks down to get their houses listed. They are obviously going to have to sell in most cases. With homes starting under $100K all the way up to $8 Million....there is something here for everyone. If you would like to refer these customers to a professional, local, Palm Coast Real Estate expert...feel free to contact me anytime.