April 2014

Realtor.com recently released its National Housing Trend Report for March 2014.  Data suggests year over year growth in inventory and days on the market.   These indicators are welcome signs for spring homebuyers.  These trends indicate that the real estate market is more balanced now than the 2013 housing market.

Last year the shortage of inventory led to bidding wars on property.  The additional burden created another barrier to new home ownership and elevating offer prices.

Housing prices are anticipated to rise this coming year but at a slower, steadier stride compared to past trends.  According to the Home Buying Institute, one of eight housing predictors, “Florida’s real estate market will move into the media spotlight…housing demand is rising across…

Now that the sun is warming up the northeast, the south Florida ‘season’ for tourism begins to wind down. Our winter season (which isn’t super wintery) has just been bustling and as it ended it set records. Across the nation hotels and resorts boasted 90 percent occupancy in February. This astonishingly high percentage rendered $5.1 million in bed taxes, as documented by the Tourist Development Council. March’s numbers clocked in at 87 percent. A few percentage points in occupancy can mean a gain of 10 percent in revenue because hotel owners can charge harder rates. 

The chief marketing officer for Visit Florida, the tourism agency for the state, Paul Phipps, noted that Florida’s hotel occupancy was 80 percent in March of 2014.  This is 20 percent

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Palm Beach County Commissioners gave approval this week for the old Burt Reynolds Ranch to become a development of 30 homes.  

The property located at 16133 Jupiter Farms Road in Jupiter has a long and interesting history.  It is rumored to have been a gangster hideout in the 1920’s.  Notorious gangster Al Capone is said to have built the original home on the property in 1923.  Capone mostly hung out in Miami, but he did not particularly like it there.  A news report places Capone in Palm Beach County in 1930.  At the time, West Jupiter and West Palatka were the moonshine capitals of the world. Capone also took the name of Al Brown and lived in a summer cottage in West Jupiter off Italian Farms Road (now Jupiter Farms Road, SR#3).  There are foundations of…

Gardening is a favorite pastime for many people.  If your have a green thumb but unfortunately have no room to grow.  Grow your own organic fruits and vegetables in Jupiter’s first community garden.  The outdoor community garden will give you the opportunity get your hands dirty.  It contains 28 plots including a children’s garden and all organic – organic fertilizer and compost, organic seeds when available, organic pesticides!  Plots are only $35 a year.

The Abacoa Community Garden, which grows fruits and vegetables using organic and sustainable gardening principles, features a Sharing Garden, Individual Plots and a Children’s Garden. Everyone is welcome to join - residency in Abacoa/Jupiter is not required. The garden is nestled within the Abacoa…

The Tom Fazio II designed Tequesta Country Club golf course will play host to the Hannah's Home Charity Golf Classic May 16th and 17th.

The event, which is being put on by Hannah's Home of South Florida, will feature a dinner and auction by the sea at the Marriot on Singer Island on Friday night May 16th, and the Golf Classic at Tequesta Country Club and Saturday the 17th.

The dinner and auction will be held at 6pm on the 16th and auction items include a President's Cup Collage autographed by Greg Norman and several international players, a signed NASCAR helmet of Greg Biffle, and a 7 night stay in a two-bedroom townhouse at the Divi Beach Resort in Aruba.

The Golf event will be held the following morning with a 9am shotgun start and will feature

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1. Jimmy Buffett comes to the Cruzan

Palm Beach resident Jimmy Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band are sure to please the legions of Parrot heads Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the Cruzan Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach.  Buffett, whose Margaritaville state of mind was inspired by Key West, most likely include hits like “Margaritaville,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise”, “Fins”, “5 o’clock Somewhere”, and the new album entitled “Songs from St. Somewhere”.  Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets start at $36. Please visit www.cruzanamphitheatre.net for tickets and information.

2. Register for Turtle Trot Run

The Town of Jupiter is inviting all runners to join the 24th Annual Turtle Trot 5K Run. The 3.1-mile run will take place at a new location – Ocean Cay Park, Jupiter along…

Next Tuesday, April 29 a rare, solar eclipse will transform the sun into a ‘ring of fire. This unique solar eclipse occurs when the moon gradually passes between Earth and the sun, which is called a new moon 

This ‘ring of fire’ occurs during an ‘annular eclipse’. The annual eclipse is as rare a ‘total solar eclipse’, which can only be observed during the new moon period. They can only be observed during New Moon, when:

• The Sun is near one of the nodes of the lunar orbit. (When the Earth, Sun and Moon form a straight line). 
• The Moon is at apogee (the point of the moon’s orbit where the moon is farthest away from Earth). 
• The observer is located in the path of the Moon's antumbra (part of the moon’s shadow). 

There are many different

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Photo courtesy of LuxuryRealEstate.com.

Congratulations to our respected associates within the Luxury Real Estate network for handling the biggest single-family home sale in U.S. history!  An undisclosed buyer, through the “Conservation Institute, LLC”, purchased the $190 million (asking price) Cooper Beech Farm in Greenwich, Connecticut.  Cooper Beech Farm first came to the market in May with an unprecedented asking price of $190 million.   Built in the late 1890's, Cooper Beech Farm became the most expensive home for sale in the United States. By September the staggering asking price was reduced to $140 million.

According to listing Realtor, David Ogilvy & Associates, “the home has been a landmark in Greenwich for generations. Originally built in 1896 by

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Abacoa is known for its family friendly atmosphere and this is reflected in its kid-friendly events. For example, Kids Eat Free Monday and Tuesday with the purchase of an adult entrée at Copacabana Cuban Cuisine, Monday through Thursday with the purchase of an adult entree at Jumby Bay Island Grill, and Fridays with the purchase of an adult meal at JJ Muggs Stadium Grill. In addition, on April 5 to April 6, there was a Star Wars Night at Roger Dean Stadium, in which the 501st Everglades Squad was welcomed. Children and adults alike were able to take pictures with their favorite Star Wars characters, as well as play trivia games and contests, and gain exposure to special Star Wars promotions.

From March to April, The 11 time World Champion St. Luis

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There are a number of musicians that perform in the establishments in Abacoa Town Center. On any given night you can hear these live acts blasting out of Jumby Bay, Rooneys, or the main stage at the West End of Town Center Dr.

Every Thursday from 8pm to 2am at Jumby Bay Island Grill, one can find live music from Mike Sanchez, a singer-songwriter who is currently promoting his album, Stars and Hotel Bars. Having opened for acts such as Daughtry, Sanchez’ music is primarily classified as R&B and soul, and his album boasts high reviews on iTunes. He started out collaborating with artists such as Eric Clapton and Mick Fleetwood and eventually decided to pursue a solo career. He is also known as part of Big Town Playboys and Bill Wymen’s Rhythm Kings.

On

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