Cape San Blas Real Estate Blog

School’s back in session so the beaches are quieter but as far as sales are concerned it seems a lot of people have enrolled in Real Estate Investing 101 as we had a banner week with three more sales and three new contracts.  With just two new listings our inventory remains essentially unchanged, down just one, closing the week at 401, with the MLS showing 155 homes and 246 lots for sale in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market. Only six sellers decided to try lowering their prices. Let’s take a look at what people are buying.

The banks are generating most of our business lately, and two of our sales and two of our new contracts were bank-owned properties.  Our first sale takes us to one of the northernmost subdivisions on the Cape, Sunset Pointe, where this interior bank-owned lot listed for $44,500 sold for just $38,000. That’s a 10-cents on the dollar sale having last sold in September 2006 for $355,000.  The county’s going to have to start moving these assessments downward as they had it at $50,000.

  Our second sale takes us a couple hundred feet south of Scallop Cove where this high and dry first tier lot overlooking St. Joe Bay sold for $72,000, well below its list price of $99,000, and a smidgen below the assessed value of $77,000.   It’s one of four lots carved out of a 100′ wide parent tract that sold for $310,000 in early 2004.  Each of the four lot owners share an impressively well-built dock for easy access to fun on St. Joe Bay.

We’ll head on out to the C-30 Corridor for our third and final sale of the week which takes us over to a mini-subdivision called Stillwater almost all the way out to the Franklin County line. It’s our second bank-owned sale of the week which last sold in early 2005 for $118,214, just a little above the bank’s list price of $21,500, and about 5-cents on the dollar for the $6,500 it sold for on Friday.  Your read that right – no typo – $6,500.  Unbelievable. The county on this one is WAY off, having it at $55,000.

The first of our three new contracts is back on the Cape in Seagrass where this bank-owned quarter-acre first tier lot which sold in early 2004 for $225,000 goes under contract with a list price of $140,000, below the assessed value of $170,000. This is a significant listing in that another first tier lot a little bit further south in Ocean Haven sold just several months ago for $160,000.

Our second contract is on a sprawling 3,888 square foot, 6-bedroom, 4-bath home with 50′ of waterfront listed for $849,900.  That lot alone sold for $1,044,000 in late 2008. Those owners were in the process of building a home when the property went to the bank, and they sold the unfinished house in June of 2009 for a mere $303,000.  The current owners finished the home beautifully and they now have a contract on it.

Our third and final new contract finds us back out on C-30 once again at Stillwater where yet another bank-owned property went under contract with a low list price of $13,500. The lot previously sold for $113,000 but is currently assessed for $55,000. There are no contingencies to be met and the projected closing date is September 21.

Only two new listings so no Pick of the Week there, but among our six new price tags I do have a Pick of the Week, and it’s a house on the Cape with million dollar views for just a fraction of the cost.

This is a 1,073 square foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bath home with unobstructed gulf views which although it is not technically gulf front, you can see from the odd shape of the lot it’s not likely the beach will shift in such a way as to provide ample room for a home to be built in front of it.

In the spirit of full disclosure this is one of my listings, and this week we lowered the price from $399,000 to $377,000.  If you’ve thought you couldn’t afford a home on the beach this one could be just what you’ve been wishing for. The owners have never rented it, using it only as a family retreat, and they have taken very good care of it. It’s being sold completely furnished, too.

That about does it for this week. As you can see there are some terrific values out there. If you’re interested in shopping or thinking of selling, I’d love to hear from you. Try me on my cell at 850-227-5197 or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com . I love hearing from my readers. I hope you have a terrific afternoon, and thanks so much for taking a few minutes to stop by today.

Had a really full day yesterday showing property to several parties all day long and into the evening hours but it ended with writing an offer and getting verbal acceptance so that always makes the day feel worthwhile. Unfortunately, overnight, my buyers suffered an early onset of buyers remorse and this morning called and said they had concluded they really aren’t ready to commit to managing a second home, and so withdrew. Better now than after the contract is signed and everyone’s headed to the closing table.  It’s the nature of this business, long hours and zero compensation unless you successfully manage a transaction all the way to closing.

Several agents did just that this week as we had a total of three closings. I had a lot of good company as far as writing new contracts as none were completed. Just a handful of new listings, seven in all, and even fewer price changes, only five. Not surprisingly, our MLS inventory of active listings remains virtually unchanged at 402, with 155 homes and 247 lots listed for sale in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market. Let’s see what generated paychecks for a few lucky folks.

The first of our three sales is a bank-owned gulf-front home on Cape San Blas, located almost directly across the street from Scallop Cove. It’s a large 4-bedroom, 4-bath, 2,475 square foot beach home built in 2001 which needed some TLC despite its relatively young age. She first sold in late 2002 for $749,000 but a mortgage for $946,000 was taken out in 2005. The owners started trying to sell it in early 2006 when they listed it for $1.89M but found no takers, and eventually the bank ended up with it. They listed for $428,868 and sold it Tuesday for $410,000 cash.  

Here’s a sale that went quickly as it was featured as my New Listing Pick of the Week just a short while ago. It’s a bank-owned interior lot in the Jubilation development on the south side of the Cape which the bank tossed on the market with a red-meat price tag of merely $39,000.  That had the predictable effect of inciting an absolute feeding frenzy and they were soon juggling mulitple offers. One lucky winner emerged from the heap victorious on Monday and took the title for $50,000 even.  Well done, especially considering it sold in mid-2004 for $273,000, and even the county thought it should go for more like $85,000.

Our third and final sale was a short sale on a lovely first tier home out along C-30 on which the price tag had been lowered to an unbelievable $300,000. This is a lot of house for that price. It is a 4-bedroom, 3 1/2 bath, 1,884 square foot high-end home with a pleasing floor plan, large decks on both levels, and wonderful gulf views as you can see in this photo.

Not too shabby. It was built as a spec home in 2008 when it debuted with a $739,900 price tag but just missed the market for attracting a buyer.  The county now has it assessed at $240,349 which is pretty darn close to the $285,000 it sold for on Friday.

There are several attractively priced lots among our seven new listings, but no one clear winner towers over the rest so I’ll move on to our price changes where I’m going with this 50′ wide gulf front lot up in Secluded Dunes as my Price Change Pick of the Week as it now touts a new price tag of just $279,000. This lot has a fascinating history in that when I went back and looked at the history of sales, I saw that between 1994 and 2005 it basically had doubled in value every three years. In ’94 it sold for $125,000. In ’97 it went for $249,000. In 2000 it sold again for $465,000, and then again in ’03 for $973,000. That’s pretty good work if you can get it, “earning” roughly $170,000 just for signing a note and making mortgage payments. No wonder people were going nuts. Its last sale in 2005 was at the two-year mark from its previous sale when it went for $$1.362M, so it was still tracking to be close to doubling in that 3-year span even then. Only problem was there was no one waiting in line to be next by the time it got to that price. If past is prelude, then this property’s now listed at 1997 prices.  The county has it at roughly 1995 prices, having it assessed at just $177,030.

That’s wrap for this week. So glad you took time to stop by. I’m enjoying hearing from so many of my readers, and if you have questions on either buying or selling coastal property, I’d love to hear from you. You can always call me on my cell, 850-227-5197 or send me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com.  Thanks for checking out my blog today.

Our summer season slows down as the kids here and in Georgia head back to school, so it was a fairly quiet week with just two sales and one new contract,  five new listings and eight price changes.

Now onto our two sales, both of which are on the Cape, and we’ll start on the south side and then head north. First up is a bank-owned gulf front lot on Louisiana Lane which is in a beachfront micro-subdivision seaward of Surfside Estates on the south side of the Cape. This 50′ wide by 497′ deep half-acre lot last sold as recently as April 2007 for $400,000. The sellers lost it to the bank who put it on the market in June for $228,450, but soon after dropped that to $184,950, well below the county’s assessment of $235,000.  On Wednesday, some savvy buyer snapped it up for $165,000, exactly $3,300 per waterfront foot, which is roughly what similar lots in in the nearby South beach subdivision sold for in 1999-2000.

  Our second sale was a roadfront lot in the Ocean Haven Subdivision on the Cape. This one-third acre, 66′ by 215′ second tier lot last sold in January 2004 for $235,000 and was put back on the market four years later in January 2008 with a $250,000 price tag. Never got a taker and the listing expired with a list price of $119,000. This week a buyer went to closing with a check for just $80,000 – exactly the amount the county has it assessed for.

Our one and only new contract is on a beautiful gulf front lot in Secluded Dunes up by the State Park.  Isn’t that an amazing view?  It also has an amazing history. The sellers paid $1,362,500 for it in March 2005 and put it back on the market the following spring for $1.695M but that bus was long gone by then. Fast forward to today to find that list price has fallen back to earth to $289,900. Amazing as that seems, the county thinks that’s to high, and has it at $203,000. Wow. It’s a lovely property, with 58′ of waterfront. There are no contingencies to be met so maybe we’ll see this one going to closing pretty soon.

Compared to some of the eye-popping opportunties we’ve seen this summer, I’m not finding anything among this week’s crop of new listings or price changes worth grabbing a megaphone and shouting about, so we’ll keep the Picks of the Week on the shelf until next Saturday.   I’ll keep you posted if something surfaces in the interim that I think you need to take a look at quickly.

If you’re interested in finding out more about other properties for sale or if you’re considering selling, let’s talk. Give me a call on my cell, 850-227-5197, or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com . Have a great afternoon and thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule today to stop by.

I have great motivation to focus and get my work done quickly this morning as the sooner I finish here the sooner I can get on over to the Florida Scallop and Music Festival happening all this weeekend on the waterfront in Port St. Joe.  Always a good time. It shouldn’t take long as we don’t have a lot to cover today since it was a fairly quiet week with only one sale and one new contract, five new listings and six price changes. A lot of listings expired without being renewed, though, so our inventory took a nice healthy dip, down 14 from last week, closing at an even 400,  with 160 homes and 240 lots listed for sale in the MLS in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market.

More action at Ovation as our solo sale was this lot with unobstructed bay views which the developer had listed for $125,000, exactly what it sold for on Tuesday.  I think the county is way off on their valuation of this property with their assessed value of $65,000. This lot has gorgeous views, access to high-end amenities, bay and gulf access, tennis . . . in short, it’s a total package.

Our one new contract is a bit unusual in that it’s a bank-owned property with an unfinished 3-bedroom, 3-bath, 1,792 square foot house transported to a first tier lot in Gulf Pines out along the C-30 Corridor.  The lot alone sold for $600,000 in June 2005, and now the lot with the house-in-progress is listed by the bank for a mere $290,000. The buyers who paid that $600K put it back on the market exactly one year later in June 2006 with a $739,000 price tag but the music had long stopped by then. There are contingencies on the contract so no disclosed projected closing date yet.

I swear I have no affiliation with Ovation but I do love the place as you’ve no doubt figured out by now but there are fabulous values here on quality homesites.  When I looked at our crop of five new listings this second tier gulf side Ovation lot scored my New Listing Pick of the Week easily, entering the competition as a short sale with a give-away price tag of just $109,900, below the county’s assessed value of $115,000.  Another second tier lot on this same street sold earlier just this year for $130,000.

No problem selecting a Price Change Pick of the Week this week either from our six price changes - gotta love this 50′ wide gulf-front piece of paradise on Indian Pass which has been whittled all the way down from its original $249,000 to a scant $219,000.  To sweeten the temptation even more, the seller is offering generous financing terms, as in with 15-20% down the interest rate is negotiable, 5-year balloon, with 30-year amortization.  With 20% down at 5 1/2% that would be less than a thousand a month.

I told you this would be a whirlwind wrap up. Now it’s time to head out for some great music and scallops. If you’re in the area this weekend treat yourself to a good time and stop by the festival for awhile.  If you’re interested in checking out some real estate while you’re here, by all means give me a call on my cell at 850-227-5197 or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com . Love hearing from my readers and helping so many of them buy and sell property. Whatever your plans, have a great time, be safe, and thanks for taking time to stop by today.

  The big news this week is that we’re all feeling as if we may actually be out of  the woods as far as the threat from the oil spill is concerned.  The armies of BP clean up crews have disappeared and things are returning to normal. Shoppers looking for great real estate values haven’t disappeared, though, and we had another good week, with three sales and two new contracts.  Seven owners put their properties on the market, while nine others lowered their prices.  Our inventory remains virtually unchanged, down just one to 414, with 164 homes and 250 lots listed for sale in the MLS in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market.  Let’s take a look at what caught buyers’ attention.

First up is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,456 square foot first tier home in Treasure Shores listed as a short sale for $250,000,  pretty close to the countys’ assessed value of $263,904.  The bank approved that price and it sold for the full $250,000, which makes it an interesting comp as that sale price is below the $275,000 the home sold for in mid 2001.

Our second sale was a nicely wooded lot adjacent to the state park in Sunset Pointe at the north end of Cape San Blas.  This quarter-acre lot is located in the coveted “X” zone.  It was listed for $119,000, but sold for $55,000 which is in line with recent sales in this vicinity, and with the county’s assessment of $50,000. The property last sold in 2005 for $437,000.

Our third and final sale was this bank-owned 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,583 square foot first tier home in Indian Summer over at Indian Pass Listed for $225,000.  The owner had been trying to sell it since Dcember 2005 when he listed if for $725,000 but was never able to attract a buyer despite numerous price reductions, and eventually it went back to the bank.  They finally sold it on Friday for $215,000, which is almost right on the money for the county’s assessment of $210,856.

Now on to our two new contracts, the first of which is on a gulf front half-acre lot also on Indian Pass and listed for $289,900, well below its assessed value of $350,000. It’s 50′ wide, and the owners have been trying to sell it since March 2008 when they put it on the market for $500,000.  There are contingencies to be met so no note as to when the projected closing date is.

Shoppers were apparently in the mood for Indian Pass waterfront properties this week as our second new contract is on this gorgeous lagoon front lot up at Mystic Palms, not far from the boat launch.  Isn’t that a beautiful setting?  This is a bank-owned lot listed for just $79,000 which is well below the county’s assesssed value of $110,000, and way below the $450,000 it last sold for in April 2004.  Those buyers started tying to sell it as early as August 2005 when they put it back on the market for $625,000 but obviously that never worked out for them.

I’ve selected a magnificent gulf front luxury home from our seven new listings for our New Listing Pick of the Week just for it’s sheer beauty.  This is a sprawling 2,889 square foot retreat hidden away on a 1+ acre, 109′ wide gulf front property in Secluded Dunes, just a couple of hundred feet south of the state park.  The home is surrounded by porches and decks for a total square fotage of 9,735 square feet, with one of those decks feauring a lovely swimming pool overlooking the gulf.

I don’t know about you, but I could get used to that view. 

The views from the living area and bedrooms are also spectacular.

The kitchen features Viking appliances and rich, custom cabinetry.   The seller is offering this exquisite home for $1.8M.

Maybe I’m wishing I was at the beach this afternoon as gulf front homes are talking to me. I saw a couple candidates for Price Change Pick of the Week among our nine new price tags, but I’m going with this gulf front lovely located on the Cape just a lttle bit north of Scallop Cove. It’s a 4-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath, 2,690 square foot home on a 50′ wide lot, and it last sold in November 2004 for $1.178M.  It’s now being offered as a short sale, and this week the asking price went from $875,000 down to $799,000.   It has been on and off the market since June 2005 when it debuted with a $1.985M price tag.

That’s a wrap for this week. If you’re interested in finding out about any of these properties or if you’d like to talk about selling yours, give me a call and let’s talk. My cell number is 850-227-5197 or you can shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com. I’ll be glad to help you out either way. Right now, that beautiful beach is calling me to enjoy that crystal clear water.  Have a great weekend, and thanks for taking time to stop by today

If no news is good news, then we’ve had a very good week as there is still no oil and now no Bonnie. We’ve also had another good week in real estate, with two sales, four new contracts, five new listings, and eight price changes.  No change in our inventory, though,  hanging steady at 415, with 164 houses and 251 lots listed for sale in the MLS in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass, and C-30 Corridor market.

Both of our sales were on the Cape, starting with a short sale on this  4-bedroom, 4 1/2 bath, 3,789 square feet home in Seagrass built in 2005 which went under contract with a list price of $449,900.  What I don’t understand is the county having this one assessed at $498,852 which seems pretty high based on sales we’ve been seeing lately.  It appears the sellers gave $385,000 for the lot alone in October 2004.  On Monday the bank let the sellers accept $400,000 for it, just a little below the original list price in May 2006 of $1.379M. I’ve shown this house several times, so I’m familiar with it.  Even thought it’s relatively new it has had some leaking issues; the last time I was in it there was a large section of ceiling on the second level which hasd been saturated at some point, and there were water damage stains around several A/C ceiling air vents.

Our second sale was a gulf view, quarter-acre lot measuring 52′ by 160′ in Turtle Dunes subdivision about a half mile north of Scallop Cove.  This one was also a short sale having last sold in June 2004 for $390,000.  The sellers put it back on the market just nine months later in March 2005 for $625,000, but the boom had burst by then and it’s been on the market ever since. It finally went under contract in April with a list price of $150,000, and closed this week for $127,500, not too far off the county’s assessment of $140,000.

Now onto our four new contracts, also all of which are on the Cape, and we’ll start on the south side and work our way north. First up is a bank-owned gulf front lot on Louisiana Lane which is in a beachfront micro-subdivision seaward of Surfside Estates. This 50′ wide by 497′ deep half-acre lot last sold as recently as April 2007 for $400,000. The sellers lost it to the bank who put it on the market in June for $228,450, but soon after dropped that to $184,950, well below the county’s assessment of $235,000.

OK – here’s the one that caused such a feeding frenzy last week – the interior lot at Jubilation that the bank tossed out on the market with the give-away price tag of just $39,000. Almost immediately the listing agent was juggling multiple offers and this week the bank finally found one they could live with and it is now under contract with no contingencies, scheduled to close by August 4th. I’m betting this one goes for above list with that many offers in on it. This sale is going to be such a comp buster. That list price is less than half the county’s assessed value of $85,000, and just 8-cents on the dollar for the $475,000 it sold for in April 2005.

Our third new contract is a bay view lot just a couple hundred feet south of Scallop Cove,  a lovely piece of property, high and dry, good elevation and great view. It also has an attractive price tag at just $99,000 considering it includes the use of an extremely well-built dock. It’s good size, measuring 91′ by 238′.  No past sales info on this one as when it last sold it was part of a larger parcel which was subsequently subdivided. I think the county has this one a bit low at just $77,000.

Our fourth and final new contract is yet another bank-owned property, this one an interior lot on the north end of the Cape in Sunset Pointe.  The bank has this one listed for $44,500, which is 12-cents on the dollar for its previous sale price of $355,000 in September 2006. The county’s pretty close on this one, having it at an even $50,000.

These bank-bargain give-aways we’ve been seeing so many of lately make choosing picks of the week a bit of a challenge as after some of those steals it’s hard to get excited about “normal” additions and changes, and that’s the case this week. Nothing in the new listings and price changes just screams out to me so I’m going to hold off until next week.

So that’s a wrap for this week. I hope you have a chance to come on down to the beach and enjoy the Cape. The oil is nowhere in sight and Bonnie is not even on our radar screen so it looks like a decent week of sunshine shaping up. If you’re in the area stop on by my office and say hello. And if you’re interested in learning more about property whether buying or selling, give me a call at 850-227-5197 or send me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth. Have a great weekend, and thanks so much for taking time to stop by today.

It is good to see so many visitors enjoying their summer vacations here at the beach as we’ve been worried that people would stay away because of all the fear mongering from the media.  Thankfully, for now at least, our coast remains clear.  Folks weren’t all just soaking up rays, either; six of them picked up the title to their own little piece of paradise while they were here.  No new contracts this week, but we added a dozen new listings to the menu, moving our total inventory back up to 415, with 162 homes and 253 lots listed in the MLS in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 market. Only six sellers decided to try new price tags.

  All the sales action was in land as all six of our sales were lots, and four of those were in Ovation on the Cape, with three on the bayside and one gulf front. These were all four developer release sales, and apparently the developers meant it when they said they were firm on those price reductions they posted in late March as all four sold for full list. Two interior lots sold for $50,000, one bay view along the crescent overlooking the common area went for $125,000, and a gulf front sold for $299,000. Who wouldn’t want a gulf front lot like this?

Now THAT’S a vacation souvenir!

Over on the south side of the Cape in Piney Woods someone else decided they wanted some gulf front to call their own, and picked up this one-acre beauty for $250,000. The lot measures 51′ by 755′ and was listed for $265,000. Even though it last sold in mid-2004 for $675,000, it was not advertised as a short sale.   The county had valued it at $200,000.

And now for something totally mind-blowing. You are not going to believe our sixth sale. It’s located in Stillwater, a small subdivision out on C-30 almost to the Franklin County line.  It’s a bank-owned lot which sold in October 2005 for $174,000. The bank had it listed for $28,500, or roughly half the county’s assessed value of $55,000. Some savvy buyer walked away with it for just $6,500!  That is NOT a typo. That’s less than 4 cents on the dollar.  I’m still having a hard time digesting this one. Unbelievable . . .

No new contracts so we’ll jump stright to my Pick of the Week from our twelve new listings, and I have a terrific gulf front value for you.

  If you’re a fan of Indian Pass, you won’t want to miss out on this opportunity to own a beautiful gulf front lot for only $219,000. This nearly half-acre property is 48′ wide by roughly 408′ deep, and according to the MLS, plans and permits are approved for a 2 story, 2712 square foot 4-bedroom, 4 1/2-bathroom gulf front home with a private gulf front swimming pool, and will be included in the sale. It’s a short sale, so you’ll need to remember that good things come to those who are willing to wait, in this case for the bank to make up its mind.  The sellers paid $640,000 for it in October 2004; the county currently has it assessed at $200,000.

And now for my Price Change Pick of the Week from our six new price tags - I’m going with yet another gulf front, this one on the south side of Cape San Blas on Louisiana Lane.

This bank-owned 50′ wide, half-acre gulf front lot that last sold in April 2007 for $400,000. They’ve had it listed for $228,450, which is reasonable enough, but this week they dropped that to $184,900 which is well below its assessed value of $235,000.  This will probably trigger a feeding frenzy much like the one last week’s $39,000 Jubilation lot did.

That does it for this week. If you’re looking for great values, they’re out there. Let me know what you’d like to find and I’ll see what I can do. Give me a call on my cell at 850-227-5197 or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com and we can start the search. I hope you have a great weekend – stay cool and keep hydrated. It’s HOT out there! Thanks for taking time out to stop by.

Another great week here on the Cape with clear skies, clean beaches, happy vacationers and folks shopping for real estate. We had one person go to closing, two new contracts, thirteen new listings, and seven price changes.  Our inventory shot up over three per cent, unfortunately, gaining 13 over last week, with 405 active MLS listings in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market, with 161 homes and 244 lots. Let’s see what buyers are up to.

Our solo sale of the week is a gulf-front home on the Cape in Tucker Shores which is that micro-subdivision of six homes just past the rocks at Stumphole.  This one’s a bit unusual in that it last sold just this past January for $433,000, and they then put it back on the market several months later with a list price of $699,000, or a 63% mark up. It’s a nice home, 2,642 square foot with 5 bedrooms, 5 baths and an in-ground pool. On Thursday our savy sellers pocketed a nice profit when they picked up a check for $550,000 at the closing table.  $117,000 in just six months. Nicely done.

The first of our two contracts is also on the Cape, this one an interior home in San Blas Plantation on the south side.   It’s a bank-owned 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, 1,620 square foot home with a list price of just $149,900, way below the county’s assessed value of $228,490.  It last sold in February 2005 for $490,000 and the sellers put it back on the market just six months later with a $695,000 price tag but that bus had been long gone by that time and they eventually lost it to the bank.

It’s all happening on the Cape this week as our second contract is in Sunset Pointe up alongside the entrance to the state park. It’s a quarter acre lot with a list price of $119,000.  The county has a different opinion and has it assessed at $50,000. This one sold in February 2003 for $200,000 and then more than double that for $437,000 in mid-2005. Ouch.

It’s Picks of the Week time and this week we have thirteen new listings from which to choose and folks, we have a winner.

In Jubilation, also on the south side of the Cape, RBC bank put this interior lot up for sale with a price tag of just $39,000 which is a terrific value for property in such a nice subdivision. Jubilation has a lovely gulf front community pool and walkway to the beach. This is another community done by Ashwood Development who also did Ovation on the north end of the Cape. The lot measures 50′ by 80′ and it’s also “X” zone.  This lot last sold in the summer of 2004 for $273,000. That $39K price tag is far less than half the county’s assessed value of $70,000.

Secluded Dunes is one of the most aptly named neighborhoods ever, tucked away as it is at the end of the road so to speak as the northern-most community on the Cape, and this week it’s the location of my price change Pick of the Week. I like this gulf front lot which moves just a smidgen in price from $299,000 down to $295,000 but for gulf front in such a lovely area I think it’s a good value.

That’s a wrap for this week. If any of those new listings or price changes caught your eye, give me a call. My cell number is 850-227-781 and my email address is sherri@sherridodsworth.com . There are terrific values to be had.  I hope you have a great weekend, and I really appreciate your taking a few minutes out  to stop by today.

The watching and waiting continue as we still remain mercifully untouched by the oil. There are small armies of BP contractors patroling the beaches daily even though the nearest oil reported is all the way over on the western edge of Panama City Beach. So our beaches are still beautiful and property managers are very nearly sold out for the holiday weekend.  On the sale side we had a bit busier week this week and managed to have three sales and one new contract,  five new listings and two price changes. A number of listings expired on the 30th so our inventory takes a nice dip, coming in below 400 at 392, down a healthy 15 from last week, with 157 homes and 235 lots listed for sale in the MLS in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market.  Let’s see what changed hands at the closing table.

The first of our three sales is a spacious 3,368 square foot, 6-bedroom, 4-bath first tier home on Cabo San Lucas, about a quarter mile north of Scallop Cove. Since it was built in 2002 it and the two gulf front homes in front of it have been a very popular set of rentals for weddings.  Originally listed in early 2009 for $999,999, the county currently has it assessed at $351,762 and it went under contract with a list price of $499,000.  On Thursday they went to closing and the buyers picked it up for $465,000.  That’s a lot of house in a good location for a great price.

Our second sale is a little bit further north on the Cape to this 51′ wide gulf front lot on Clipper Way in Feather Sound which was priced to sell at $220,000,  real close to the county’s assessed value of $200,000.  It was Christmas in July for some savvy buyer as they picked it up this week for an unbelievable $150,000.  Amazing considering it last sold in May of 2004 for $550,000.

We’re heading off the Cape and over onto the C-30 Corridor to Simmons Bayou for our third sale. This is a modest 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,300 square foot home with some what of a distant bay view which was listed for $165,000, well above the county’s estimate of $112,795.  The sellers got nearly asking price for it, closing on Wednesday for $155,000. 

Only one new contract this week, and it’s a foreclosed gulf front home at Brighton by the Sea also out  along C-30. This is a 3-bedroom, 4-bath, 2,475 square foot Key West style home built in 1998.  The homes at Brighton share a gulf front pool and a wide, stable stretch of beach. Federal flood insurance is available in this area as it is outside the CBRA zone. The sellers bought it at the market peak in August 2004 for $689,000 and it went under contract on Wednesday with a list price less than half that, $325,900. That hurts.  Anyway, there aren’t any contingencies in the contract to be fulfilled, and the parties plan to close by July 29th.

I am booked solid today showing property and am out of time for blogging so I will post this much and if I get back in at a reasonable time this afternoon I’ll revise it to add the Picks of the Week from our five new listings and two price changes. Busy is good! I hope you have a great holiday weekend – be safe and try to make it here to the beach this weekend if you can. The only thing more gorgeous than our beaches right now is the weather. If you need any  info on our beauiful real estate, give me a call on my cell at 850-227-5197 or shoot me an email to sherri@sherridodsworth.com.  Thanks so much for stopping by today.

.What a difference a week makes – much quieter this week, with somewhat slower sales activity compared with what we’ve been seeing recently, with only one sale and one new contract, and just four new listings and three price changes. As a result, our inventory is virtually unchanged, up just three to 407 with 158 homes and 249 lots for sale  in the Cape San Blas, Indian Pass and C-30 Corridor market. Before we get started,  I know the first thing everyone wants to know is how are the beaches?  I’m happy to report our beaches are still clean and gorgeous and open for fun in the sun.  Here’s a shot from my neighborhod yesterday afternoon.

And that’s where you’ll find me later this afternoon. OK, now down to business.

Our solo sale of the week was the quartershare 3-bedroom, 3 1/2 bath townhouse at Barrier Dunes that went under contract just last week. With this ownership, the four owners rotate weeks where each has one week to use the home every four weeks. This owner had their share listed for $60,000 and it was just what my buyers were in the market for, and on Monday they picked it up for just $50,000.

Our one new contract is on this bank-owned fixer-upper over in Indian Summer near Turtle Beach Inn at Indian Pass. It’s a 3-bedroom, 2-bath, 1,583 square foot first tier home in real need of some TLC. The bank has it listed for $225,000 which is pretty close to the $210,856 county assessment. There are contingencies to be met so don’t know yet when they hope to close.

Quick week this week as I’m not seeing anything knock-my-socks-off exceptional among our four new listings to merit Pick of the Week Status. There may be a gem among the three price changes, but before I recommend this gulf front lot reduced from $279,000 to $150,000 as a Price Change Pick of the Week, I want to do some more research and make sure it’s a lot you can actually do something worthwhile with. If it is, I’ll write it up and feature it as a mid-week special. Here’s a photo.

If you have plans to come to the beach right now there doesn’t seem to be any reason to change those plans at least for the next couple weeks. I will keep you posted as I hear updates, and don’t hesitate to call or write for the latest info. My cell phone is 850-227-5197 and my email is sherri@sherridodsworth.com . Have a wonderful summer weekend and thanks so much for stopping by today.