Vadim Zolotarevskiy

Daytona Beach Shores is a home to quite a few condos in the area here and has a variety different styles, sizes and amenities in all the condos built by different developers with different ideas of conveniences, amenities and style. Largest group of condos here is a row of buildings on the Oceanfront known as the Oceans. These high rises are now home to majority of the residents of Daytona Beach Shores. Oceans are stretched along the shoreline right across from the new City Hall, Publix Plaza and Walgreens Pharmacy and continue up North to Tuscany Shores condominium. Oceans have a perfect sense of a small community nestled in the center of a very friendly small beachfront city. Immediate closeness to the beach, shopping, major highways gives it's residents and visitors tons of things to see and to do.

Older Oceans are named by numbers: from Oceans One to Oceans Ten, for some reason missing Oceans Nine, - all by one developer, Bellemead. In addition to the original nine Oceans buildings which are all direct oceanfront buildings, there are also two twelve-story Oceans Atrium and Oceans Atrium One, sitting between Oceans Three and Oceans Four, then there are two newer 21-story condo towers of Oceans West that are located on the 9-hole Golf Course between the Intracoastal and the A1A (Atlantic Avenue). The latest addition to the Oceans is Oceans Grand - a 187 unit 21-story condominium built in 2006.

Majority of them have already undergone major concrete restoration replacing rusted balconies, some have replaced elevators, and some are in the process of doing it. Rental restrictions differ and you should not be surprised that the minimum can be 3 months. Yes, you can rent it, but renting 4 times a year will not make you Rich.

There are two more buildings further North - are 7-story Cloverleaf South and Cloverleaf North named for the four wing design with circular ramp and parking spaces in the middle - you can park on your floor and this way you do not have to deal with things and carts in elevators.

There are quite a few other condos in Daytona Beach Shores designed and built by Dimucci (Towers Ten, Towers Grande and Twin Towers), Peck Development, Cook development (Palma Bella, Bella Vista, St. Maarten and St. Kits). Bella Vista & Palma Bella are Two Latest Luxury Condos built in Daytona Beach Shores.

The stretch of A1A that passes through Oceans has just been completely rewired getting rid of old light poles and hanging wires with constant problems during the storms and replacing them with underground system and new street lights giving the street brighter more modern appearance. It seems that in the tough economic times Daytona Beach Shores still care about their city's appearance.

Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Pets and Condo living is the fourth post in the series. Previous posts:
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Condo Versus Home
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Renting Your Condo
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Fees, Assessments and Reserves

In my fifth post in the series Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores I decided to take five minutes and to talk about our four legged friends and how they influence where you live and what you do. As we all know associations and boards in condos impose their rules and restrictions when it comes to numerous areas of condo living here. One of the more controversial ones seems to be the pet policy.

When it comes to pets every condo association seems to have a different take on the topic. Majority allow owners to have pets up to certain weight and up to specified quantity - most condos in Daytona Beach shores will allow you to have at least one dog up to 25 Lbs. Here is the more detailed list of the condos with pet restrictions in the Oceans:

Now for things to do with your pets here in the area:

First of all there is a pet friendly park you can walk your four legged friend right in the heart of Daytona Beach Shores: You can walk and play with your dog in the McElroy Park, is located behind the City Senior Center. It is the largest of the city's parks and offers walkways, and greens to roam.

Only a few miles to the South you can take your pet to a dog friendly beach at the Lighthouse Point Park in Ponce Inlet, one of the only two dog-friendly beaches in the Volusia County. Volusia residents can purchase a seasonal pass at a great discount.

There are two stores nearby that cater to the pets and their owners:

PetSmart Pet Store -1900 West International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach
Petco Pet Store - 2500 West International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach

This short brief should give you an idea of what condos are better suited for you and your best friend so if you are in the market for a pet friendly condo and need more information on the ones in the area do not hesitate to contact me.

Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Fees, Assessments and Reserves is the fourth post in the series. Previous posts:
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Condo Versus Home
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Renting Your Condo

Let us take a quick look at Maintenance (Association) Fees, Assessments and last but not least - the Reserves.

If you read my previous post discussing the cost of owning the vacation condo or a home here in Daytona Beach Shores area you are familiar with basic breakdown. What I would like to do here is dwell a little deeper into the things associated with actual ownership of the Condo in the area.

Maintenance fees cover day to day operations of the condo association. It includes insurance, management and maintenance of the common areas, security... In most of the buildings they also include the water and basic cable for the residents. Maintenance fees are voted on every year and amounts vary depending on the amount of reserves and the cost of insurance and upkeep of the building. Maintenance fees are set based on the budget. It, however, remains constant throughout the year.

Special Assessments is the money needed to do the job, which either was not budgeted at all, or when the amount in the budget is not sufficient to cover the cost. Buildings always need maintenance and that is usually taken care off by preventative and everyday maintenance that is paid for by the maintenance fees. But once in a while there will come a time when additional repairs are needed. Be it a new AC system for common areas, an elevator upgrade, or a decision to replace worn out doors and windows, or a more expensive concrete replacement on the balcony. Assessments are no fun by any means. As a Condo owner you should expect to have those surprise charges once in a while to pay for things that were not planned in the budget.

Reserves are not the cost, this a way of minimizing Special Assessments by having money for the jobs like replacing the roof, replacing elevators, painting the building, etc. They are voted on at the annual meeting. In Daytona Beach Shores like anywhere else in Florida, Associations may choose not to carry any reserves and with that comes a risk for as there are always things that need to be fixed, replaced or installed and there may not be enough money at hand at that time to do the work. If there is not enough money, than the money will have to come from Special Assessment.

When choosing a condo to buy, you may want to look into the things like parking garages, elevators, windows, doors, balconies, roofs, and AC systems to see if the reserves are sufficient. Otherwise you should be prepared for a possibility of the assessments coming up when things need to be fixed or replaced. Some of the assessments are brought by legal actions and the latest example is refurbishing of the elevators in older buildings to comply with requirement for accessibility for the persons with disabilities. Associations do not have a control over laws. Not all Associations are prepared to face such scenarios with sufficient reserves in the bank.
If you are considering buying a condo, do not hesitate to contact me. Let me help you choose the right vacation condo in Daytona Beach Shores. Have a pro in your corner when you are ready.

Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Renting Your Condo is the third post in the series. Previous posts: Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores
Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Condo Versus Home

Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Renting Your Condo is my third blog post in Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shoes series and it discusses renting a condo.

With majority of the condos on the Beachside of Daytona Beach Area being a vacation or second properties it is only natural that a lot of owners seek rentals to help them pay for the maintenance fees and the taxes for the condo. I want to look at the specifics of renting a condo in the Daytona Beach Shores as I do manage some units here and have a first hand experience of working with the landlord and the tenant.

There are two types of rentals: long term and short term (or vacation rentals). Depending on the restrictions set in the Rules and Regulations you may have little choice in the manner you are going to rent your condo when you are not using it. Most of the Condos on the beach have 2 or 3-month minimum period for rental. That limits the owners to 4 or 6 times a year when they can rent their units out. With Daytona Beach Shores being very seasonal you have to know when tourists are coming here so you know the times when your unit is going to be in demand. There are also special events to consider for they draw large crowds.

If you are planningon having your unit rented for a short term and Condo Rules allow for it you may want to set your condo as a vacation rental and have it marketed as a week-long or 2 - week long rental. You would also want to make sure that you have special events like races and bike weeks open for rentals for that is a good chunk of your income. It seems that shorter periods are popular among tourists in the Summer and longer periods of 2-4 months are very popular with the snowbirds in the winter. Vacation rental condo has to be set up as a getaway place with everything ready for the tenant, from towels and linens to dishes and silverware. Condo has to be complete and ready to just walk in and start your vacation.

With long term rentals you really do not have to do much except making the condo unit presentable, clean and functional. 99% of long term renters will bring their own furniture. The drawback - you do not get to enjoy your property for your own vacation.

Management fees that agnets charge vary depending on the length of the rent and whether it is a short term or a long term rental and they also depend on the company policy, where some companies charge upfront fees, etc. Management companies charge initial set up fee for advertising and the set up in a lot of instances. In short term rentals guests are charged the sales tax and cleaning fee.

This is a synopsis of the rental process and slight intricacies of the vacation rentals and long term rentals of the Beachside Condos. There are other issues like pet policy, noise ordinances or even whether tenants are allowed to use some of the facilities in the condominium. Different condos have different policies in place.

If you plan on vacation in Daytona Beach Shores or you already own a condo in Daytona Beach Shores and would like us to find you tenants, contact me at any time and I will gladly help you.

Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores - Condo Versus Home is a second post in the series. Previous posts: Condo Living in Daytona Beach Shores

What would make a better vacation property: condo or a home? The only way anyone can really answer it if they look at all of the components and weigh all the pros and cons. A lot of it has to do with your lifestyle and what is the most important criteria when you are considering the purchase.

There are no Oceanfront homes in Daytona Beach Shores and in the greater Daytona Beach area for $200,000 or so but there are Condos in Oceanfront buildings that start from around $150,000 and offer direct vies of the ocean. Oceanfront homes on the other hand start from around a million dollars and that is a huge difference right from the start.

Let's look at fees associated with owning a condo or a home in Daytona Beach area and hope that I didn't miss anything.

In Condominiums the maintenance fee includes Blanket insurance for the whole building which also covers common areas. Maintenance fee in the condminium building generally includes the pool, water, cable, lawn service, maintenance and management of the building, common areas and usually include the reserves for the future.

Now lets take a look at the bills associated with owning a condo and a home.

There is one more aspect of ownership here that people tend to forget. If you are absent and something happens to your house or a condo there are drastically different outcomes. In the condo your neighbors will notice the leak, smell or any other type of disaster that may happen while you are away and management will take action while in the home there is no one to notice anything. You can always use the service that checks in from time to time and that adds an extra bucks for monthly inspection. Florida has it's own specifics when it comes to the property that is left vacant. You have to have the power on with AC running at least once or twice a day so you do not have the mold growing in your home or in your condo.

These are the things that you should put down on paper when considering purchasing a vacation property in Daytona Beach Shores. How often am I going to use it, what are the benefits of the condo and what are the cons... and the same for the home. I hope this blog helps you in making your decision when it comes time to buy one.