House Talk with Silvia Dukes

... a windmill?  I found this listing advertised in my hometown in Germany where I'm currently vacationing and visiting with family and friends.

On a stroll through town, I came across the local real estate ads and could not resist to take a look!

This was a working windmill until just a few years ago.  The new owner can  choose to either continue operating it as a windmill or change it into living space.  

It's offered at 150,000 Euros which is $210,175.14 at todays current exchange rate!

At any rate, it's an interesting piece of real estate that would make a great place to live!

If you are thinking about buying a home or land for personal or investment use, or you are thinking about selling in Hernando County, Florida, including the communities and neighborhoods of Hernando Beach, Pine Island, Weeki Wachee, Brooksville and Spring Hill, Glen Lakes, Timber Pines, Silverthorn, Seven Hills, Sterling Hill, Pristine Place, and Southern Hills Plantation and you want to work with a local area Realtor who knows these neighborhoods please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

Walking through the backyard the other day, I heard a noise that made me turn around.  Seeing the Egret standing there did not surprise me as that happens quite often, what made me look twice was what was on his menu that day!

If you are thinking about buying a home or land for personal or investment use, or you are thinking about selling in Hernando County, Florida, including the communities and neighborhoods of Hernando Beach, Pine Island, Weeki Wachee, Brooksville and Spring Hill, Glen Lakes, Timber Pines, Silverthorn, Seven Hills, Sterling Hill, Pristine Place, and Southern Hills Plantation and you want to work with a local area Realtor who knows these neighborhoods please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

Hernando Beach, Florida, is a residential boating and fishing community with neighborhoods that are located on saltwater canals with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico or neighborhoods located on freshwater canals requiring the use of a boatlift to gain access to the saltwater canals and the Gulf of Mexico.  The latter are therefore also identified as "indirect access". 

Direct or indirect, Hernando Beach has much to offer for the boater, fishing or watersports enthusiast.  The community is located in central Florida, north of Tampa and west of Orlando on the West Coast of Florida with easy access to international airports and many Florida attractions.

The following market report covers the two "indirect access" areas of Hernando Beach:  Hernando Beach Central and Hernando Beach South.  Please also read the market reports for the direct access areas of Hernando Beach.

Hernando Beach Central:  While the number of active listings has decreased so have list prices and thus average and median prices.  However, here too, there is an increase in activity evidenced in the increased number of homes under contract. 

Of the five properties that are currently under contract, three are under contingency contracts and three homes have pending contracts.  Three properties are foreclosed bank-owned homes and three properties are sold as short sales.

Active Listings:  7

Price Range: $134,777 - $499,000

Median:  $189,500

Average:  $254,854

Sold April 2009:  0

Currently under Contract:  6

Price Range:  $170,000 - $300,000

Hernando Beach South:

Hernando Beach South is the only deed-restricted neighborhood in Hernando Beach.  Active listing inventory increased by one with the price remaining the same although median and average prices have decreased indicating that some price reductions have taken place.

Active Listings:  14

Price Range: $189,900 - $550,000

Median:  $340,000

Average:  $358,036,062

Average Days on Market:  151

Sold April 2009:  One home sold in April in this neighborhood.  It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home of stilt construction built in 2204 with 2708 square foot living and 4926 total square foot.  Listed originally at $535,000 it was on the market for 760 days and reduced in price several times to a final list price of $449,000.  It sold for $410,000.

Currently Under Contract: None

Data derived from the Hernando County MLS as of 5/15/09, presumed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

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 If you are looking for waterfront property for personal or investment in Hernando and Pasco Counties including the communities of Hernando Beach, Weeki Wachee, Pine Island and Hudson Beach and want to work with a local Realtor who knows these areas, please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

The waterfront community of Hernando Beach has seen some increase in activity in the last months which continued in April 2009 with three homes sold and ten homes currently under contract in the "direct access" neighborhoods of the area.

This waterfront community along the Gulf Coast of Florida is a residential boating and fishing community with most homes built along man-made canals and a few more homes built inland near the public boat ramp.

Just about an hours drive north of Tampa and about 1 1/2 hours drive west of Orlando, Hernando Beach offers affordable waterfront living with easy access to two international airports and many area attractions.

Neighborhoods in Hernando Beach are identified by their access to the Gulf of Mexico: direct and indirect access via a boatlift.  Property values can be influenced by this factor. 

Active Listings:  61

Price Range:  $99,999 - $899,000 (whereas the lowest priced home is not a waterfront home but is located just one block away from the public ramp and the highest priced home is located in a Gulf front location)

Median:  $333,900       Average:  $386,028

Sold April 2009:  3

Price Range:  $109,000 - $173,000   Of these sold homes, two were foreclosure properties and the lowest priced home was one of the few non-waterfront properties in Hernando Beach.  

Median:  $165,000       Average:  $149,000

Currently under Contract:  10

Price Range: $65,000 - $349,900

Of these are four properties with contingency contracts and six with pending contracts.  The lowest priced home again is one of the few non-waterfront properties in Hernando Beach but with convenient access to the public boat ramp.

Five of the homes currently under contract are short sales, one is a foreclosed property, and the remaining four are market sales.

This market report covers the areas with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.  Please also read the market report for the indirect access neighborhoods, Hernando Beach Central and South. 

Data derived from the Hernando County MLS system as of 5/15/09, presumed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

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 If you are looking for waterfront property for personal or investment in Hernando and Pasco Counties including the communities of Hernando Beach, Weeki Wachee, Pine Island, and Hudson Beach and want to work with a local Realtor who knows these areas, please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

Toady I went to inspect a property that I took as a new listing and to take the listing photos.  Just doing my job. I removed a few dead bugs from the vacant home whose owners live out-of-state, I swept a little dirt away from the front door. 

I took my photos, put up the lockbox and the sign.  As I proceeded around the house, a sound got my attention and caused me to look up. 

To my big surprise, there is someone who is calling this house a home already!  Should I call him a tenant? Should I call him a squatter? 

A little owl had made his home in the exterior molding which consists of some sort of foam and in absence of hollow trees or caves is apparently quite suitable for nest building!

He peaked at me, I peaked at him, we didn't seem too threatening to each other. 

But wait.. the house is for sale!  Do I need to disclose the feathered occupant? Do I just not say anything and hope once he is discovered, the new owners will allow him to stay?  What I probably will do is to find a wildlife rescue organization and ask for advice.  I'd rather see him moved than evicted!

If you are thinking about buying a home or land for personal or investment use, or you are thinking about selling in Hernando County, Florida, including the communities and neighborhoods of Hernando Beach, Pine Island, Weeki Wachee, Brooksville and Spring Hill, Glen Lakes, Timber Pines, Silverthorn, Seven Hills, Sterling Hill, Pristine Place, and Southern Hills Plantation and you want to work with a local area Realtor who knows these neighborhoods please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

Finally, Hernando Beach residents will have access to fresh fruits and vegetables right at their doorstep!  The first Hernando Beach Farmer's Market will open this Saturday, May 16th and it is planned to have it every weekend from then on. 

Located along the main road through the area, the market will not only benefit people by bringing fresh produce closer to home but could give them a reason and an opportunity stop into some of our other businesses and restaurants as well. 

So, let's get your neighbors, kids, and friends and bring them out this weekend to support this new market in our community! 

See you there!

 If you are looking for waterfront property for personal or investment in Hernando and Pasco Counties including the communities of Hernando Beach, Weeki Wachee, Pine Island, and Hudson Beach and want to work with a local Realtor who knows these areas, please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

Early morning in Hernando Beach, Florida.  The sun has just risen above the horizon as some ducks swim into its reflection.  And a new day has begun...

 If you are looking for waterfront property for personal or investment in Hernando and Pasco Counties including the communities of Hernando Beach, Weeki Wachee, Pine Island, and Hudson Beach and want to work with a local Realtor who knows these areas, please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

Sunday is Mother's Day!  We all have one to cherish, remember, and appreciate.  I found this little poem that I liked for its simplicity. So here it is...

To My Mother

You too, my mother, read my rhymes
For love of unforgotten times,
And you may chance to hear once more
The little feet along the floor.

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Mother's Day!

The month of April brought a mixed bag to Timber Pines as far as sales transactions are concerned in the community. 

Sales for single family homes saw a slight decline over those for March 2009.  Both average and median sales prices declined and the marketing time increased.  On a better note, the number of homes under contract remained stable. 

Sales for Villas in Timber Pines offering maintenance-free living were a different story in April.  Number of closed transactions increased as well as the overall price range and with it the average sales price.  Active listings decreased but so did average and median prices. 

With a total of 174 active listings, available homes decreased again over those from March. 

Timber Pines is located off US 19 in Spring Hill, West Central Florida on the Gulf Coast of Florida, also called the "Nature Coast".  Tampa International Airport is just a 45 min drive via the new Suncoast Parkway.   The community is a 55+ Country Club community offering several golf courses, two community pools, Activities Center, Clubhouse, Performing Arts Center, as well as many social clubs and events.

1. Single Family Homes:

Sold April 2009:  7

Price Range:  $108,000 - $229,950

Average: $151,421

Median: $142,000

Average Days on Market: 190

Currently Active Listings Single Family Homes:   105

Price Range:  $74,900 - $399,000

Average:  $164,768

Median:  $153,900

Under Contract:  9

Pending: 7, Contingency Contracts: 2

Price Range: $127,500 - $250,000

2. Villas:

Sold April 2009:  8

Price Range:  $110,000 - $153,000

Average: $128,669

Median: $125,000

Average Days on Market: 241

Currently Active Listings Villas:  69

Price Range:  $72,900 - $215,000

Average:  $129,000

Median:  $129,546

Under Contract: 9

Pending: 7, Contingency Contracts: 2, Price Range: $83,000 - $169,000

The Lodge:  Timber Pines Activity Center

Data derived from Hernando County MLS as of 5/8/09 and believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

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If you are thinking about buying a home or land for personal or investment use, or you are thinking about selling in Hernando County, Florida, including the communities and neighborhoods of Hernando Beach, Weeki Wachee, Brooksville and Spring Hill, Glen Lakes, Timber Pines, Silverthorn, Seven Hills, Sterling Hill, Pristine Place, and Southern Hills Plantation and you want to work with a local area Realtor who knows these neighborhoods please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

April saw a slight upturn for sales in the Glen Lakes community.  There were two closed transactions and the number of homes under contract doubled over March.   

Offered for Sale:  79

Price Range:  $99,900 - 600,000

SOLD IN APRIL 2009:

Property 1:  $87,900 Cash bought a bank-owned 3/2/2 built in 1991 with 1836 sf living and 2550 sf total, no pool.  The home was on the market for 33 days.

Property 2:  $340,000 was the sales price in cash for a 3/2/3 Pool home, built in 1997 with 3191 sf living and 4277 sf total.  This home was offered as a short sale and on the market for 196 days.

Under Contract:  6  

Of these three are contingency contracts, and the remaining three are pending contracts. 

The Glen Lakes community offers homes in a variety of styles and sizes.  "Maintenance-free" homes, such as the one pictured on right include outside maintenance for an additional fee. 

Villa by Palmwood, Courtyard-style featuring two bedrooms each with private bath plus one half bath. The layout of this home combines total privacy with the opportunity to enjoy outdoor life Florida-style! 

Glen Lakes is an upscale Country Club Community located on the west coast of Central Florida just north of Tampa and west of Orlando.  This gated community offers 24-hour security, an elegant clubhouse with restaurant, fitness facilities, tennis courts, a beautiful community pool, and more. 

 Sales Data derived from Hernando County MLS as of 5/8/09, believed to be accurate but not guaranteed.

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For more information about Glen Lakes or the country club communities of Silverthorn, Timber Pines, Seven Hills, or Southern Hills Plantation in Hernando County, Spring Hill, and Brooksville, please contact me.

Let me help you find your place in the Sun!

All content, is the exclusive property of Silvia Dukes, P.A., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of Silvia Dukes, P.A., Tropic Shores Realty, Spring Hill, Florida. Copyright 2009.