Blog Northwest Florida

Coffee Shop Hop - Even Realtors get to run away from home from time to time. This week my husband and I hit the road, flying from Pensacola, FL, to Charlotte, NC, and then driving to Burlington, VT.

We covered a lot of ground!. Since it's spring one might think we'd be smelling the flowers . . . but, well not everyone has Florida's weather. We decided a stop at some of the more colorful coffee shops would keep the chill away.

So here's a first - a combination coffee shop review and real estate update. Let me know what you think!

The Dripolator in Asheville, NC

Another Active Rain Blogger, Don Davies, tells us that although the Asheville real estate inventory is up over '07, so are the asking prices. It's a healthy market with the average selling price in the first quarter of '08 coming in at $277,792.

As for the Dripolator, my husband Jay says the tomato and provolone breakfast sandwich with pesto is THE BEST! I was impressed with the artistic coffee (see above . . . half way gone and the feather's still there!) We loved the atmosphere. Lots of local art for sale on the walls, business people (or college types) at the computers and even a reading lesson in progress.

After a fascinating drive through Virginia and the Skyline Divide, and an evening spent in Pennsylvania, we found ourselves in Hudson, New York. Hudson if full of interesting little shops, mostly on Warren Street.

The Muddy Cup in Hudson, NY

The Muddy Cup was at the top of the hill. Very eclectic, with lots of antique touches and plenty of light from the front windows. They had some great pastries as well.

This was the perfect stop prior to heading up to Olana, the gorgeous early 20th century Moorish influenced home of the great painter, Fredrick Church. We were able to stroll the grounds of Olana and the coffee kept us toasty warm.

According to Trulia, the average sales price for a home in Hudson from Jan. to March of '08 was $239,400. Contrast this to the average price of $189,750 for the same period a year earlier. Hudson is catching on!

Next stop on the Coffee Shop Hop, Stockbridge, MA, because I just had to have lunch at the Red Lion Inn. The Red Lion was founded as a stage coach stop in 1773. Of course, a lot has happened since then . . . and if the walls could talk just imagine what they would say!

After a great lunch topped off with a couple of spicy bloody marys, we needed . . . you guessed it . . . coffee. We found the Stockbridge Coffee shop just around the corner from the Red Lion.

An older couple sitting on a bench out front enjoying their coffee were perplexed as to how we road our bicycle (mounted on the top of the car) without the front wheel. When Jay explained the quick release mechanism the gentleman quipped, "Well, I guess I won't steal it since I'd have to get a front tire for it!"

But the coffee was great! We had a couple of double espressos with foam for the road and headed out of the Berkshires toward the Green Mountains.

Sperling's Best Places tells me that the median home cost in Stockbridge is $607,500 with a -2.83 rate of appreciation last year to this year. The population is under 3,000, so truly a small town.

Burlington, VT, has a lot of coffee shops, but I really enjoyed Uncommon Grounds. The place was bustling mid day, mid week, as was the town. Even though it is spring and we had a sunny day, there were snowflakes that looked a lot like glitter falling outside the coffee shop windows. There is some great people watching from the bar front windows at Uncommon Grounds.

My nonfat, decaffeinated (one can only take so much caffeine) latte was great and I would recommend the shortbread as well!

Burlington is a college town, the home of the University of Vermont. According to Active Rain contributor Chris Hurd, it's a super place to live. Trulia tells me the average list price for the week ending April 9 was $323,933.

Now, it's time to head back to Florida. This leg of the trip will be by plane so I'm not hopeful I'll find any funky coffee shops. Look out Starbucks! Hope you enjoyed my Coffee Shop Hop!

Just read Debbie Sommers post on the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club that began this week 

Here's one for the record books: three golfers from a small town in the Florida Panhandle (the Emerald Coast) will be playing in the Masters Tournament this year. By small town I'm talking only 8,500 souls, a mere blip on the map!

Bubba Watson (30), Boo Weekley (34) and Heath Slocum (34) all attended Milton High School in Santa Rosa County. The trio, all friends from childhood, will be sure to have a big hometown crowd behind them. Now, do you suppose there's something in that beautiful emerald green water?

Lots of beach buying opportunities on the nation's most beautiful beach! Today there are 276 condominiums actively listed on the Pensacola Multiple Listing Service. Prices range from $179,999 to $2,274,925. The average list price is $653,875 with the median price being $599,000.

Super buy? A 1691 square foot 3 bedroom/3 bath condo built in 2006 that is listed for $625,000. This beach condo features gorgeous views of both the Gulf of Mexico and the Santa Rosa Sound, a state-of-the-art exercise facility, pool and hot tub and a front row seat for the July 12th Navy Blue Angel's Air Show. You don't have to look far for beach buying opportunities in today's market!

One of the very best things about being a Realtor is the people you collect along the way. And I've collected some "doozies." From the hip New York socialite to the Laird O' Tha Haggis, I love my clients and their stories.

Jim Walters, aka the Laird, is one of my more colorful clients and he has an unfolding story that needs telling. Jim grew up on the family farm in Bon Secour, AL, and spent his formative years stomping around Gulf Shores and Foley. He remembers doing "beer excursions" to the WORLD FAMOUS Flora-Bama.

For those of you not familiar with the Flora-Bama it's a combination roadhouse, oyster bar, lounge and liquor store straddling the Florida-Alabama border. The Flora-Bama has watched the condo towers sprout up around its gorgeous foothold on the Gulf of Mexico, but has held tight to it's little square of the Redneck Riveria.

Back to Jim . . . he's currently working on plans for a Scottish Festival at the Flora-Bama in the fall. And why not? His "Bagpipes on the Beach" makes every bit as much sense as the Flora-Bama's other well known events; the Mullet Toss, Polar Bear Dip and the Mullet Man Triathlon. Jim tells me he has selected the Flora-Bama for his festival as it is the "Cultural Epicenter of the Redneck Riveria."

If you'd like to learn more about Jim's festival I'm sure he'd love to share information. He's already gotten the Scottish Society of Mobile to agree to provide some manpower and Scottish musicians from Texas are ready to march into lower Alabama in support of this noble cause.

You can reach Jim through his website www.CaledonianKitchen.com where, by the way, you can pick up a pungent can of lamb haggis or a much more appetizing (in my book) Barbados rum cake.

Look who hit the Jackpot! What Fun - It's Arthur and Colbert!

I was invited to participate on a Super Star Panel at the Coldwell Banker 2008 Gulf Coast Rally April 2/3 in Bay St. Louis, MS, and I thought this would be the highlight of the trip for me. But . . . after our presentation several of us wandered over to the slot machines and who would have guessed . . . Arthur Banker and Colbert Coldwell at the slots!

               Arthur wasn't much of a gambling man                         Colbert was the one who took risks

More than 300 Coldwell Banker Associates from Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana attended the Rally where we heard a "State of the Market" address by Jim Gillespie, President of Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation and were able to participate in break out sessions on topics ranging from "New Technology" to "Legal Insights."

The Rally provided a super opportunity for networking and some new tools and techniques for better representing our clients. A little bit of fun and shenanigans were thrown in to boot . . .

Pensacola is poised for growth. Underscoring that sentiment, a $100 million expansion to the Pensacola Regional Airport has just begun. The expansion includes a state-of-the-art in-line baggage screening, four more passenger loading gates, an enlarged ticketing area and a 1,300-space addition to the covered parking garage. Once completed, the project will be the most expensive single public works project ever undertaken by the City of Pensacola. The work, which is scheduled to be completed by late 2010, should not impact travelers as it is being phased and is an addition to the existing facility.

Love my job as I do, I sometimes wonder if I could have possibly chosen a more stressful field of work. And love my clients as I do, there are days I have to take a REALLY, REALLY deep breath and say, "It's the stress he/she is under, not the person doing this (or saying this)."

I have a range of clients because I work in a fairly small town/beach market and sell the gamut, from first time home buyers purchasing a starter home to buyers of luxury second homes or beach condominiums. For the most part, the first time home buyers and military buyers are a joy to work with. Their excitement is palatable when they realize they can really afford to own that home they've had their eye on for the past year or so. I get a thrill just being part of that transaction! And my affluent customers are great for my business; they are my biggest source of referral business! What fun to run into them on the beach and hear about how much they are enjoying that beach condo we negotiated for so fiercely.

But then there's the stress factor. After a client meltdown the other day that almost had me spinning out of control (3 minute phone call fixed the problem) I thought I would do a little research on stress and the affluent buyer. Not surprising what I found:

According to 2004 APD Research, more than 75% of all affluent business owners and self-employed professionals work in excess of 60 hours a week - many a lot more hours than that (Sounds like us Real Estate professionals, right?). People working this hard are used to obstacles in their day to day work life, but they would like their high-end purchase experience to be as close to stress free as possible. That's my goal - making it stress free. Unfortunately, we all know a real estate transaction is a complicated affair given the best of circumstances so there are occasional hiccups . . . like the one my client experienced the other day.

Working to anticipate possible problems in advance and rectifying any issues as quickly as possible has long been my game plan, but I sometimes wonder if there isn't something more I could be doing to pro-actively head off what I see as unnecessary "stress reactions." Or at least deal with them more gracefully in the moment.

So, any ideas out there?

Check out my big catch from last year!

This one was a fighter. He just about pulled me overboard and I was working hard to make sure he was my dinner instead of feeding the toothy Barricuda that was in hot pursuit! 

Gulf Red Snapper season is just around the corner - the Florida season opens April 15, and you can bet the anglers will be out in force. I know several friends are preping their boats in anticipation of the big day. 

If you plan to fish for these bright red guys, be aware that there are some new rules this year. While there are no changes to Florida's rules, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissions cautions that new limits appy in federal waters (Federal waters begin 9 nautical miles off the coast.). The Federal season does not begin until April 21, and the 4 per day bag limit will only apply from April 21 to May1. May 2nd you will only be allowed two of these tasty guys.

Now, GO FISH!

Beautiful spring days in Florida make staying inside tough! Lucky for me, my office overlooks the white sands of Pensacola Beach and the Gulf of Mexico and every now and then I kick off my shoes and steal away for a stroll down the beach . . . don't tell my broker . . .

Wednesday afternoon was one of those days. I ran into Rachel (pictured here) along with her mom Cathy and brother Erin. Well a beach stroll turned into margaritas at the Tiki Bar (for Cathy and me) and of course the converstation turned to real estate. Cathy and her family are frequent visitors to Pensacola Beach from their home near New Orleans. She was surprised to learn that our condo prices on Pensacola Beach are down as much as 40% from the '05/'06 market high. Great window of opportunity for second home buyers who thought they were priced out of the market.

Well, I pride myself in being a "full service" Realtor. Tell me what you need and I'll get it done. I just received an Easter photo from two of my very best clients which reminded me of the importance of match-making . . . and I'm not just talking matching the client with the home.

About five years ago I met a young pilot living in Atlanta whose dream was to buy a Pensacola Beach condo on the water. Unfortunately, the prices had been escalating and even the most modest condo was out of his price range. I encouraged him not to give up and that I would keep my eyes open for him.

As sometimes happens, a few months later an opportunity came up. Due to divorce, a couple needed to sell their beach condo quickly. Unfortunately, the husband - a do-it-yourself kind of guy - had torn the master bath out of the condo in an ill fated attempt to renovate. Well, we all know what that means for financing! Since I remembered this young pilot telling me that he had some construction experience and wasn't afraid of a "fixer" I called him and we quickly worked out an arrangement where he would finish the renovation in return for a deep discount on the condo. I called him and he flew down from Atlanta that evening. It was a bit stressful for all of us, but in the end he got a great price and the sellers were able to move on with their lives.

This client really made an impression on me. So much so that I began talking him up every chance I got. I happened to be at lunch with another Realtor one day when she said something on the order of, "Wow, you really think a lot of this guy. When am I going to meet him?" Well, HELLO Robin . . .

Fast forward five years and meet the family - two children and five (COUNT THEM - FIVE) real estate transactions later (Yes, my friend is no longer practicing real estate as I am their Realtor. Anyway, she's much too busy raising their beautiful daughters and managing their growing real estate holdings.) This, my friends, is why I LOVE MY JOB. (For the record, my friend tells a much funnier version of this story on her blog StrivingForDevineLove@blogspot.com )

Are you a full service Realtor? Let's hear your stories!

Robin Sherman, MA, Broker Associate, CRS

Coldwell Banker United, Pensacola Beach, FL