Yes, it’s true. I live in Valencia at Abacoa. But even if I didn’t, I’d want to. Abacoa is a pretty remarkable planned community by anyone’s standards. And Valencia is by far its crown jewel. Sure, green parks, little bridges, a delightful lake, community clubhouse and pool add to its charm. But what I love about this particular little enclave is it’s gated community feel and value without the yoke of an equity membership!

Valencia is the architectural product of four top builders…Frankel-Paone, Issa, The Spear Group and Delcrest.  Each brings different floor plans, perspectives and personal touches to its Mediterranean style. It’s a neighborhood designed with winding streets, rear-entry garages, Corinthian columns, charming front porches and lush landscaping. No cookie cutter community…it warrants those higher (high $600’s to $2 million) price tags.  And Valencia residents make sure those values are well maintained!

So if you’re in the market for something that offers just the right measure of exclusivity, take a close look at Valencia at Abacoa…where every house, every street will surprise and impress you.

More people than you know suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) … caused by the lack of sunlight that accompanies fall’s short days and winter’s long nights. Oddly, that lack of light can play havoc with you physically and emotionally. According to the Mayo Clinic, it can trigger feelings of depression, lethargy, fatigue, anxiety, social withdrawal, weight gain, even difficulty concentrating. No doubt about it … the winter blues can severely impact your daily life.

That said, treatment is really quite simple. You can spend hours a day sitting in front of a full spectrum light box. Or you can simply up and move to Jupiter, Florida, where sunlight is a cure-all … and the only blues you see are the cloudless sky and white capped water.

Is it any wonder so many New Englanders, Midwesterners and Northeasterners flock here every winter. And many never fly back. Especially now, because the only thing you’ll find depressed in South Florida this winter is real estate. So there’s more reason than ever to come buy, and stay to smile:)

One sure sign that the snowbirds are landing is the arrival of those massive auto carriers, unloading a Bentley here, a Mercedes there. And you have to wonder, why go to so much trouble every year.

A second home makes for a far smoother landing.

You can have a car garaged and ready when you get to town. Have all your own furniture and dishes, your Florida clothes, everything that makes for comfortable living in place and ready for your return.

No more renting a place or trucking a car. No packing for the season. Have all the creature comforts, a smart tax shelter, a terrific winter shelter all in one. 

What better time to buy!

N. Palm Beach County  Real Estate prices are finally bottoming out. There are lots of great homes for sale, deeply discounted … while there are actually very few rentals.  Mortgage rates are down. And the start of an upward trend is probably just another year or two away.

Your second home may very well begin to appreciate not long after you buy. But you need to catch the bottom of this bell curve before it starts to cycle back up. So why wait. Turn this economic downturn to a real advantage.

Invest in your life in South Florida.

Enjoy Florida on your own terms, your own turf. You’ll have the weather you want, the proximity you need. With direct flights to the Caribbean, Europe and Latin America. Short hops to anywhere on the East Coast. And the luxury of Palm Beach, the action of Miami, the ease of the Keys all so close by. Land in Jupiter. Buy it now!

In an area as upscale as Abacoa in Jupiter, FL., you’d expect child’s play to encompass something a bit more sophisticated. And indeed it does. No, I’m not talking about a swimming pool or home theater. I’m talking about real theater run by real thespians.

Craig Wich Studio for the Performing Arts

This nonprofit studio offers truly professional dance, voice, theatre and film acting classes for ages four on up. Tucked away in nearby Tequesta, it is quite literally a cradle of talent … nurturing students who share a true desire to learn, grow and perform. And are they ever in good hands!

Craig Wich, the Artistic Director, has taught and directed opera, musical theater and dramatic arts in hundreds of venues across the country… including the Boston Conservatory, The Boston Lyric Opera, and, more locally, the Maltz Theater. His School Director, Judy Gelman, and Acting Coach, Marc Durso, have taught students who have gone on to perform on Broadway, in touring companies, regional theatre, film, TV, and commercials.

All kids act out. But some would rather just act!

For those budding talents, this is an extraordinary opportunity. There is instruction in musical theater, choreography, you name it. And lest their parents get bored waiting in the wings, there are also acting classes and workshops for adults.

You’d expect to find this level of creative education in New York or LA. But to find it in Jupiter, FL is rather like finding the proverbial pearl in the oyster.

Performing arts are just one example.

There is, in fact, a wealth of artistic, educational and recreational opportunities for children, in the Jupiter area … where play is the thing. But don’t take my word for it. Check it out and see for yourself!

Everyone has them. Those moments when something strikes you a certain way, alters your perception, changes the outcome.

Take Florida summer rains, for example.  They’re particularly impressive. The sheer heaviness of them. The electrical violence of lightening streaks and thunder booms that stun any new transplant. Dangerous. Dramatic. Run-for-cover rain that makes you pull off the Turnpike, duck off the golf course, head for shore in a small boat. Deluges that turn everything even greener. Refill our water supply. Refuel our ecosystems. And give everyone the chance to hide inside, snuggle up, take time out.

Summer rains in Florida offer a dramatic change of perspective. And if you’re looking for a new home, they make you pause…and consider things like hurricane glass. Lots that won’t flood. Landscaping that’s safe. Not getting soaked financially. Finding a Realtor that won’t leave you high and dry.

Yes, watching a summer storm will send your thoughts racing. And if they happen to run to real estate, turn on your computer and give me a click call. That single action could be a watershed moment that alters more than your perspective.

Where the sky’s so dark, the stars don’t just twinkle. They pop. And the moon seems to hang in mid-air, almost close enough to touch. So oversized, you expect to see the Dreamworks® logo… And the waves keep rolling gently in.

If all that sounds just a bit too picturesque, you haven’t explored the Jupiter atmosphere. Where you can live your life in flip-flops. Dine alfresco nearly every night. Sip a martini or a brew. Sail the intercoastal or bike along the beach. Scout the local art fairs that spring up on weekends. Alternate between the Food Shack and Kee Grille, depending on your mood.

Jupiter is a small town with a sophisticated soul. At any given time or place you’re just as likely to see a family outing, a retired couple, singles of any particular age. It’s easy living. Close proximity. Great shopping. Fine dining. Live music. Excellent education. And as Scripps® will attest, a smart place to do business.

And right now, thanks to factors well outside its sphere, Jupiter is a great place to buy property. The real estate market here has never been better or more accessible for all kinds of buyers, all kinds of homes. Condos. Townhouses. Estates. Gated communities. Vacation homes. Rental properties.

You can take my word for it. I’ve lived here for the past 6 years. And the only way to explore the atmosphere in Jupiter is to move here. An hour from Miami. A million miles from everything you want to leave behind. 

I have no trouble making waves now and again. That’s our right and privilege. But it always amazes me how people respond and what they respond to.

I recently developed a marketing piece aimed at people who live in Miami. It was short, but not sweet. It referenced all the problems everyone recognizes…the traffic congestion, crime rates, inadequate schools and unplanned urban sprawl. In short, it told the truth. It’s why this long-time Miami resident finally moved up and became a Jupiter Realtor/resident. Why so many people are moving north of the Broward County line. To the small-town ease and big city amenities of the Jupiter/Palm Beach Gardens area.

One response I got was particularly interesting. The woman called me four times. I think she had to work up the courage of her indignation. A self-appointed spokesperson for the Miami area, she was determined to let me know I had no right to malign her fair city. She didn’t deny what I said about it. But her anger was off the charts.

Now I ask you, is my opinion of Miami worth all that fuss.

Maybe, just maybe, if she’d come with me to the Green Market in downtown Abacoa on Saturday morning, she’d get it. That’s when a number of local organic farmers truck in the fruits of their labor. And if you haven’t been, you need to go.

Talk about fostering a real sense of community in the old-fashioned go-to-market kind of way! Everyone turns out for healthier produce, a chance to chat and mingle, to support local growers and enjoy fresh picked tastes no grocery store can offer.

There’s an info-byte for you. Emotional, physical and economic health all one tasty bit of green grocering. Who knew?

Anyone who knows Jupiter knows it’s a wonderful place to raise kids. Pretty much anywhere you go you see happy, active kids fully involved in and enjoying life… biking, skating, playing baseball, swimming, skate-boarding. So much so, I thought I’d seen it all. Then I ran across the Veggie Kids on my Saturday morning pilgrimage to the Abacoa Green Market!

 

The three oldest kids in the remarkable Shirley family— Renee 12, Josiah 10, and Katie 6 — grow and sell their own homegrown, remarkably oversized produce under the guidance of their father, Steve, an agronomist. The 7,000-square-foot garden they tend is on the family’s Jupiter Farms property. Not only do the kids produce seasonal produce (October till June)… tomatoes, eggplant, beans, squash, radishes, carrots, onions, potatoes, corn, broccoli, cauliflower and GIGANTIC cabbages… fresher and more luscious than any this blogger has yet seen. But they now also have fresh eggs year-round from 22 free-range chickens and a website filled with all sorts of smart saleables. These kids are single-handedly reviving the concept of cottage industry!

Clearly, at their house, kids rule. But don’t take my word for it. Visit their website at www.veggiekidsfarm.com and discover one more reason why buying a Jupiter home is ideal for any family who really wants to put down roots!

   

Tuscany is all about family

Picture it…a long table heaped with food, bottles of wine and la familia. That’s Under the Tuscan Sun. Under the Florida sun the picture is a bit different, but the net effect is the same.

Emphasis on family. A fneighborhood filled with Mediterranean-style homes, built safe and soundproof by DiVosta. Ranging in price from $275,000 or thereabouts (depending on today’s market) to about $650,000 … from townhouses to 5-bedroom single family in a variety of sizes and shapes.

Fresh wide streets lined with trees, front porches, bike lanes, friendly neighbors. Dads throwing baseballs, kids playing catch, mom’s walking dogs. Families headed toward the park, the clubhouse, the pool, the ice cream parlor in downtown Abacoa.

Now if all that sounds a bit more Pollyanna than Anna Maria, so be it. But the prevailing, overarching, unmistakable theme is still the same. When you talk about Tuscany, you talk about family. No better place to raise one than Tuscany at Abacoa in Jupiter, FL.