Mexico Beach Florida

The MBARA Kingfish tournament had the best turnout ever! We had 193 boats registered!
The weather was great, although the water got a little choppy. The Capt's meeting Friday at the El Gov was jammed pack----over 800 sausages were eaten!!!

Two wahoo's were weighed in, a 70 pounder and a 42 pounder!!!!! Lots of folks weighed in kings and the winners were all over 30 lbs. I think the winning king was around 38 lbs! The winning spanish was 4.85 lbs.

I think everybody had a great time! I know I did, it was great seeing ALL OF YOU!!!!

Next year's is going to be even better-----Sundance Realty is going to sponsor the fish fry for Saturday night!!!!!

Capt's meeting at the El Gov.

___

____________________________________________________

As for real estate:

The Auction at West End Harbor is in October. They are going to auction off 6 canal front condos, 3 are going absolute (no minimum reserve). If you want more information, just give me a call or email.
______________________________________

FIVE residential properties were put under contract in the last week.

>A remodeled, 1,244 sq foot home across from the Bay in Port St. Joe (Money Bayou area). Listed at $179,900. Great price, its the location that brings it down!
>A 5 bed/3 bath townhouse in Barrier Dunes out at the end of the Cape. Listed at $315,000.
Short sale.
>A 6 bed/4 bath gulf front house with over 3300 sq ft on C-30 going out towards Indian Pass.
Listed at $699,000 as a short sale.
>A gulf front 3 bd/2 bath older home on the Cape. Bank Owned and listed at $470,000.
>A 2 bed/2 bath older townhouse, very close to the beach in Mexico Beach. Listed at $175,000 as a short sale.

Amazingly, vacant lots have been getting a lot of attention.

Four lots in St. Joe Beach have been put under contract. St. Joe Beach still allows mobile homes or RV's ---an affordable way to have a beach retreat!

>Two 75 X 187 ft lots just one block from the beach, listed at $60K each. Short sales.
>Two 75 X 150 ft lots in the 2nd block from the beach, listed at $65K each. NOT short sales, just a regular old transaction!!!!!!!

>A windmark Beach, phase I lot listed at $119,900 went under contract.
>A 1st tier lot at Indian Pass listed at $159,000 under contract as well.

THE BIG ONE:
>A 21 acre tract out on the Cape that is currently divided into 51 homesites, gulf front, bay front as well as interior lots. Listed at $5 million!!!! Currently under contract!

CLOSINGS THIS WEEK:
>3 bd/2 bath townhouse in Mexico Beach, about a mile off the beach sold for $134,000
>A bay front lot with 50 fe on the bay. Bank owned, sold for $175,000.
>A gulf front lot on C30 with 65 ft on the gulf sold for $250,000.

http://www.rafsg.net/RAFSGReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=G356305509

__________________________________________

There are some good deals out there! Let me know what you are looking for and I'll find it for you!!!
___________________________________________

Have a great week and don't forget "Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. your friends and family will. Stay in touch!"

Mary
850-896-5222
www.maryblackburn.com
Sundance Realty

Mexico Beach Florida Real Estate

Our weather has been AWESOME the last couple of days! In the mid 60's in the mornings---whopee!!! Warming up nicely but really with no humidity! I'm really looking forward to fall!!

________________________________________


The MBARA kingfish tournament is this Saturday!!! I'm looking forward to seeing everybody! It is ALWAYS a good time.

The Captain's meeting will be at the El Governor----door prizes for those boats entering, free grilled sausage as well!!

I'll see all of you at the weigh-in on Saturday at Marquardt's. I'm part of the weigh in team!!!

This year, we are not going to be able to have a fish fry Saturday night. The new owner's at Toucan's didn't want to sponsor that this year and we didn't find out in enough time to arrange a Plan B!!!

Next year, however, we ARE going to have a fish fry. Sundance Realty is going to coordinate it. We are thinking about doing it at the Beacon Hill Park. We need lots of volunteers and are open to ideas. So if you can volunteer or have an idea as to where it could be or how it should be organized, please give me a call/email!!


_________________________________________________

Don't you love Mexico Beach's sidewalks???? The sidewalks and approving golf carts are the 2 best things that Mexico Beach has done in years!!!

15th Street is scheduled to get sidewalks as well. They will be 8 feet wide so you can ride your golf cart on it. This will really help homeowners on 15th Street as its really the only road in Mexico Beach that is not real walker-friendly to the beach!!
_________________________________________
On the Real estate front:

In Mexico Beach to St. Joe Beach 5 homes and 2 lots have been put under contract.

>3bed/2bath older townhouse off the beach listed at$79,900
>4 bed/3 bath older duplex in the first block to the beach listed at $299,000. Short sale.
>3bed/2 bath home in quiet subdivision, easy walk to the beach, almost 2,000 sq ft, listed at $299,500. Short Sale.
>4 bed/3 bath home across from dedicated beach, so unobstructed view, listed at $550,000.
>Two 75 X 150 ft lots in the 2nd blk to the beach in St.Joe Beach, listed at $65,000 each.
http://www.rafsg.net/RAFSGReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=G356299253

As for closings this past week:
>75 X 100 ft beach side lot sold for $150,000
A small, older mobile home a couple blocks from the beach sold for $76,000.
>A beautiful, newer home, 1st. Tier, in Windmark Beach, bank owned, almost 3400 sq ft sold for $550,000.
http://www.rafsg.net/RAFSGReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=G356299256

This brings properties under contract in Mexico Beach to St. Joe beach up to 23.


However, 13 of them are short sales! Short sales are taking, on average, up to 5 months to get the seller's lender's approval.

This is a frustrating experience for all involved, requiring a lot of patience and persistence!
_______________________________________

Out on Cape San Blas 7 homes and 1 lot have been put under contract this past week.

>5bed/3 bth Barrier dunes townhome, about 2600 sq feet. Short sale, listed at $315,000
>3 bed/3 bath beautiful newer home, short walk to the beach out towards Indian pass, listed at $359,900. Bank owned.

>3bed3bath newer home with about 1700 sq feet. Gulf view. Short sale listed at $495,000.
>4bed/4.5 bath, over 3800 sq feet, gorgeous, gulf view home in a nice subdivision with pool. Short Sale listed at $499,900
>4 bed/3.5 bath Gulf front house on the cape (not far from stump hole). Bank owned and listed at $455,625.
>3 bed/2bath Bay view home listed at $199,000
>Gulf Front lot with 65 feet on the water, listed at $329,000
http://www.rafsg.net/RAFSGReports/ListitLib/show_report.aspx?ID=G356299254

There are now 34 properties under contract out on the Cape. 26 of those properties are either short sales or bank owned.
__________________________________________

Don't you think $100/sq ft is a great price for a house? There are a couple of homes that you might be able to get for just a little over $100/sq ft----yes, that's with the lot!!!!!!! You might be able to build a new house for that (no high end finishes) but that doesn't include the land!!!!!

Now, you won't be able to get water view at $100/sq ft. but....close enough to walk or take the golf cart to the beach!!

If you are interested in these good deals----send me a quick email!!!!
_________________________________________
Well, I hope to see you at the tournament!

Have a great week and don't forget..........

"Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks!"

Don't hestitate to call or email me anytime!

Mary
850-896-5222
http://www.maryblackburn.com/
Sundance Realty

Tropical Storm Claudette, Mexico Beach Florida

Well, we survived our first tropical storm of the season. And believe me (as opposed to the weather channel) it was not much more than a really good rain storm. We had some pretty good wind gusts, quite a bit of rain, the tide got a little high, and we had some good wave action, but absolutely nothing to get concerned about! Hey, we needed the rain!!!


If that's the worst we get, we are EXTREMELY BLESSED!
____________________________________


On the fishing front: Snapper season is over. We are still trolling for Kings and spanish though. (and to be honest, I'm not sure what else---ask Chip--850-527-6272)


The MBARA King tournament is the last Saturday of this month! It's a great tournament and we are expecting a good turnout!!


Let me know if you have any questions!
______________________________________



We are having another condo auction in October--West End Harbor, canal front, is auctioning off 6 of their condo's, three being absolute! If you want more information, just give me a call or email!

_____________________________________


I did a little research on gulf front that was interesting!


Gulf front single family homes in Mexico Beach/Cape San Blas have been selling on an average of $256/sq foot this year.


I could only find ONE gulf front single family home that sold in Panama City this year and it sold for $370/sq ft.



Listing prices are another story!!


Mexico Beach to Cape San Blas, gulf front single family homes are listed at an average of $473 sq ft! They are starting at $445,000 for a 1700+ sq foot home on the cape and going over $3 million. There are 60 gulf front homes for sale between Mexico Beach and the Cape.

In Panama City Beach, Gulf front homes are starting at $699,000 for an 826 sq ft fixer upper. Gulf front homes listed at PCB are at an average of $846 sq ft. Holy mackeral!

There are some absolutely fantastically gorgeous homes over there, but along with that comes the zillion other homes, neighborhoods, traffic, high rises....................

Me? I'm stuck on Mexico Beach!

__________________________________________

The market has slowed down somewhat. Typical for this time of year as school is starting and folks are concentrating on that! It will pick up again. We usually have another wave of activity in the fall.

I'm looking forward to it!!!!!

_____________________________________

Please don't hesitate to call or email me anytime with any questions about the area, whether it pertains to real estate or not.

Also, don't forget, a Realtor can sell you ANY listing in the area, it doesn't have to be just the properties with their sign. So once you contact an agent for information, stick with them----unless you don't feel comfortable with them------They can become your "go-to" person for all kinds of things!

__________________________________

Have a great week and remember .....
Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle

Mary

850-896-5222

www.maryblackburn.com

All's Well in Mexico Beach Florida

I wanted to post a couple of other pictures from the ladies fishing trip! I don't have any pictures of us catching Snapper, because it was fast and furious and there was no time to take pictures!!!!

Below is a picture of Carol from "The Grove" catching a beautiful Mahi-mahi, and Dolores from "The Prickly Pear" catching a spanish.

________________________________________

Snapper season is over the 15th of August. The kings and spanish are plentiful though!!!

The MBARA is sponsoring their annual Kingfish Tournament the last Saturday of this month. It is a great tournament and we usually have an awesome tournament and LOTS OF FUN!!!

Feel free to give me a call/email if you need specific information!
__________________________________________

The real estate market continues to be pretty active. About 16 residential properties have been put under contract just in the last week between Mexico Beach and Cape San Blas.

The majority of them are short sales-------UGH----these transactions are really no different than any other transaction for the buyer, except they usually take FOREVER. The seller's lender has to approve the offer and unfortunately, the banks are not obligated to respond in a timely manner.

Short sales can take anywhere from 60 days to 6 months for approval.

We just had a short sale offer declined the other day. The seller's bank would NOT approve the offer (which was right about market value) and therefore they are going to foreclose instead!
Very frustrating for all involved!!!!

____________________________________________

Properties that are on the market at a reasonable (market value) price are selling. It is more important than ever for seller's to listen to their Realtor's as to what the market value is. The majority of buyers are financing and therefore the property must appraise-------it is disappointing for everybody to get an accepted offer and then the appraisal comes in low and the buyers back out.

Sellers must decide as to whether they want to sell in the next 6 months and price it appropriately or if they want to hold on for the value to appreciate, which could be several more years.

Every seller is in a different circumstance and the final decision as to pricing is ultimately their decision!!!

It is never good for a home to be on the market for 8-18 months without selling. This was okay when there were no buyers---but the buyers are here!
_________________________________________

There is going to be another condo auction in Mexico Beach. I just sent out a flyer with some information, so if you didn't get it let me know.

It is West End Harbor---which is right beside Marquardt's Marina, if you are familiar with the area.

All of the terms and conditions are not available from the auction company yet, but I'll stay on top of it and update everybody as that information becomes available.

I can certainly show the property anytime if you are coming into the area, just give me at least 24 hours notice!
________________________________________

If you are in the market to purchase a primary home here, your financing terms are probably about 90-95% at right around 5%. If you are a first time homebuyer, you can qualify for an $8,000 tax credit.

If you are looking to purchase a 2nd home or investment property you are going to have to put 20% down and are looking at 6% interest.

Vacant lots require more money down, sometimes 25-40% down and the interest rates are about 2% more.

Let me know what you are looking for and I'll do a constant search and send you properties as I find them!!!!
___________________________________

Have a great week and don't forget " Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere!"

Don't hesitate to call me with any questions/concerns!
Mary
850-896-5222
www.maryblackburn.com
Sundance Realty

The fishing is GREAT in Mexico Beach

Well, we finally did it! I went snapper fishing! I took along 5 other ladies and we caught our limit of snapper in no time + 2 beautiful mahi-mahi! We caught a handful of spanish as well. It was a great trip! We left at 6Am. the temperature was perfect!


I'll post more pictures next week!

Snapper season ends August 15th. I believe Chip still has a few days open...................www.charterboat-missmary.com 850-527-6272.

___________________________________________

The real estate activity continues! Lots and lots of buyers looking! Taking their time to find just the right thing though. Low offers are being thrown out all the time, some being worked out, some too low to work. I know the market is bad, but honestly, when you offer 50% of the listing price and the listing price is not too far from market value.........................that's just a little bit much!!!

15-20% off the list price is an okay offer to start if the list price is a little high. Some of the listing prices are being reduced to what we feel they will appraise, leaving little room for negotiation.

We are back to 2003-2004 pricing. I don't think we are going to go much lower! As much as people would like, I just don't have that crystal ball!!!_________________________________________

My monthly newsletter is coming out tomorrow. If you don't receive it and you want it, just send me your email and I'll put you on the database!

I also have an updated list of the foreclosures and short sales in the beaches area. Let me know and I can send that to you as well.

____________________________________________________

The MBARA kingfish tournament is the last Saturday in August! Captain's party is Friday night, fishing Saturday, weigh-in Saturday afternoon, Fish fry and awards ceremony Saturday night. It is a GREAT TIME! The captains party is becoming quite the annual event---check it out!!________________________________________

The scalloping has been pretty good in the bay-----from what I'm hearing they aren't real big, but plentiful.

Fred Buskens is making these little fiberglass boats, he calls them Seabiscuits. They weigh practically nothing and are great for pulling around the bay while scalloping. They are just for one person (maybe two) and are a wider than a kayak. You can throw them in the back of a truck for easy transport! I think they are about $800. They'd be great for just paddling around the creeks, inlets, rivers, bay! You can put a small motor on them if you want. He pretty much custom makes all his boats so you can have him design it the way you want. He sold all he had at the Scallop Festival this past weekend. Let me know if you want his number!!_______________________________________

Have a great week and remember:

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
they just make the best of everything they have".

Mary

850-896-5222

http://www.maryblackburn.com/

Sundance Realty