Sherry Armstrong Daytona Beach FL real estate

Volusia County recently won a state Department of Community Affairs' Planning Excellence Award, recognizing the county's Smart Growth Initiative efforts which resulted in an Environmental Core Overlay (ECO) Map. The effort involved extensive collaboration in identifying the county's most environmentally sensitive lands, according to Frank Bruno, Volusia County chairman.

In a statement released by Volusia County, Bruno explained, "This unwavering effort has resulted in a significant step forward in the protection of a valuable interconnected system of environmentally sensitive areas, containing nearly 300,000 acres, now identified as ECO lands. Innovative planning practices are being created to manage growth in an environmentally responsible manner while respecting property rights, development interests and economic concerns."

As reported by News-Journal Online, "Communities increasingly consider smart growth, open space preservation, and habitat protection as essential quality of life components, said Greg Stubbs, director of the county's growth management department. The designation of the ECO lands is the first step in the county's efforts to implement Smart Growth."

We try hard here in Volusia County and the Daytona Beach area to maintain our quality of life. Contact me for relocation information, and to discuss real estate buying opportunities (p.s. prices are great - it's a Buyer's Market!).

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
www.sherryarmstrong.com

The Villages of Royal Palm is an award-winning, maintenance-free lifestyle community in Port Orange, Florida just east of Orlando and south of Daytona Beach on the East Coast of Florida, voted one of America's 100 Best Master Planned Communities, by Where to Retire Magazine.

The gated community offers many amenities, some of which are

Villages of Royal Palm has been developed by Winston-James, who have over 30 years of real estate development and construction experience ranging from over 3,000 residential homes to commercial shopping centers and office parks.  As a Realtor in the Port Orange area, I am very familiar with the quality of the developers.  They have been responsible for many projects in Volusia County, including Cypress Cove at Pelican Bay, Sandpiper Villas at Pelican Bay, Cypress Head Golf Villas, Beville Road Business Park, Townhomes North, Pine Trails, Hawks Landing in Pelican Bay, Fisherman's Landing, and Independence Court of Ormond Beach.

Helpful links for more information:
Village of Royal Palm
Models
Port Orange, FL

And, of course, contact me for sales statistics and to preview any home in the Villages of Royal Palm.  Use the widget below to search the properties for sale in Villages of Royal Palm.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
www.sherryarmstrong.com

The Florida Assn. of Realtors has announced the Face of Foreclosure Project, aimed at gathering as much meaningful information as possible on this monumental, complex problem.

"Florida Realtors are launching the 'Face of Foreclosure' website, www.floridafaceofforeclosure.com, in an effort to better define the true face of foreclosure in Florida," says 2009 FAR President Cynthia Shelton, CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member). "Our goal is to ask consumers - especially those who have personally experienced foreclosure - to visit the website and take a survey to help us compile this vitally needed research. We are discovering that in most cases, many victims of foreclosure believe they were never more than a loan number or a case number. They have a story to tell - a story that we all need to hear. Through this website, Florida Realtors are asking the questions that will reveal these personal experiences of foreclosure."

To assist with foreclosure prevention and promote prevention awareness, the Association recently received a $97,000 grant from the National Assn. of Realtors, so FAR purchased radio announcements, built the web site, and developed educational materials.

In conjunction with these efforts, FAR has undertaken a research project that will foster a more thorough understanding of foreclosure trends throughout the state of Florida, says John Sebree, FAR's vice president of public policy. "As part of this project, we are currently examining the past three years of Florida foreclosure data from numerous sources, which we expect will shed light on some of the reasons for disparities in foreclosure information reported in the media," he said.

FAR hopes the web site will provide factual survey data regarding foreclosure victims and their circumstances. "All of this information will provide the building blocks for strong advocacy and ultimately, good public policy as it relates to the housing market in all its facets," Sebree said. "Along with further research, this data will help us find solutions as we seek to better understand foreclosures in Florida."

If you feel you are faced with foreclosure, can't make your mortgage payments, or need to sell but feel the value of your home is less than you owe, contact me right away. You have options! Don't become a "foreclosure victim." I'm a CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) and can help you.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
www.sherryarmstrong.com
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
386-679-3191

(source: RealEstateChannel)

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has made their database of tax data available to the public - visit their site, LincolnInstitute. The database is a comprehensive source of information about finance in every state and many municipalities.

Users can manipulate the database to compare property tax laws, rates, and assessment rules, and to identify property tax relief programs.

The institute, which is associated with The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., plans to shortly add a database of property values across the United States. They state on their site, "This online database presents data on the property tax in all 50 states. Because accurate data provide the critical foundation for sound governmental decision-making, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the George Washington Institute of Public Policy joined in a partnership to provide information and support public policy concerning the property tax, probably the most controversial tax in the United States.

"This new site provides data sets and links relating to the property tax and its role in state and local finance in all 50 states. The interface allows users to access property tax and data online in a variety of forms, including tables of the most frequently sought figures, a query system for creating new tables, and a downloadable database. This data will be of value to a wide variety of users, including journalists, public officials, and researchers."

As the real estate community of the country shrinks, and buyers and realtors want and need to compare locales nationwide, this is a great resource for realtors and investors alike.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
www.sherryarmstrong.com
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com

A recent article on RISMedia by George Mantor about the new "movement" toward sustainability was not only thought-provoking but exciting. He calls the greening trends seen now throughout the country a "great upheaval, the dawn of an entirely new economy. The new economy is about innovation that seeks to preserve rather than consume; protect rather than destroy; nurture rather than exploit; and with a sense of stewardship rather than a sense of entitlement. The truth is that none of us is entitled to anything, and we seem to be learning that lesson now."

Like Mantor, I agree we - collective we - are on an adventure. "The old economy was all about making stuff. It was about creating products for which no demand yet existed. It was about making stuff better, faster, smaller and cheaper. Technology itself is all about obsolescence, and so the products themselves weren't made to last...Technological advances create their own repeat customers, but that's only part of it. When the power source dies, the cost of replacing it is often close to the cost of the current upgrade."

We've all, as Realtors, replaced and upgraded as often as we could afford to, all the new techie gadgets and gizmos, and had fun. But, Mantor understands, "along the way we burned through a lot of natural resources and we made a mountain of regular waste, "e-waste" and toxic waste, and we recently discovered that we have no way [to dispose of] it all."

So we have now an economic slump, or downturn, and are cutting back on money spent for those gadgets, knowing eventually parts will need to be replaced. But a funny thing happened on the way to the recycle bin - the opportunities are now in sustainability. Mantor explains, "That means rethinking how we approach meeting our needs, as well as developing passive renewable energy opportunities, sustainable and reusable materials, and investing in our infrastructure.

"We should repair and maintain the great national treasures gifted to us by the sweat of our fathers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers. For decades, we have deferred maintenance. Rails, roads, wastewater treatment plants, dams, and other structures were given a D grade from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 2005. Those are our assets, bought and paid for with our taxes and then left to deteriorate...

"Across the country we have monuments crumbling, bridges collapsing, and parks that cannot be enjoyed by the people who own them-us. It makes me angry that there is always plenty of money for destruction, but no money to rebuild our own country. Now is the time. We need jobs in construction, and we have bridges to stabilize and maintain into the future and a laundry list of infrastructure issues to address. Spend a tax dollar there and everybody wins."

In our global economy, we can't ignore what other countries are doing to our world's air and water and resources. The new economy is inevitable, and although cooperation is optional, change is long overdue. Mantor concludes, "we may look back on this as the best thing that ever happened to us. If it changes our attitudes, it will at least be better for those who follow after us. We will have tried to leave them adequate resources with which to sustain themselves and perhaps created a new economy to support ourselves today."

Read his full article at RISMedia, or email GWMantor@aol.com.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
www.sherryarmstrong.com
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com