It’s called the Grand Vizcaya.

It’s the largest model of all the homes sold in Valencia at Abacoa. Designed by Frankel Paone, it’s far more than grand. It’s grandeur with a capital EUR! European in style. Palatial in scope. And this one has a marvelous address.

Because 118 Valencia resides on a large corner lot with no home behind, and just a wide green royal palm lined median in front.

5 Bedrooms, 4.5 baths, 3 car garage & unending space!

As if this 4483 square foot home isn’t spacious enough, cathedral and recessed ceilings exponentially increase that feeling of light and air. As does the openness of kitchen leading onto family room leading out to patio & glorious freeform pool … all enclosed with a high privacy wall.

There are 4 bedrooms, three with adjacent baths, a large balcony and new wood floors upstairs. A massive living room (with a REAL wood-burning fireplace and huge window), formal dining room, breakfast nook/kitchen/family room downstairs … along with a master suite that leads directly to the pool through French doors, for a French dip.

As with most Italian-inspired palazzos, living is art.

Priced at $1,295,000, this home offers every feature you seek in an estate home… beginning with its stately exterior. And there’s more … far more. But we’re not giving anything else away. This one needs to be seen, needs to be felt, to be truly appreciated.

Clearly if John had Donne his homework, and visited this charming Divosta Abacoa neighborhood rimmed by lush green golf courses and lazy little lakes, he would have known just how beautiful that concept can be.

In The Island, well-established trees line the streets. Three, four and five bedroom homes are amply endowed with big welcoming front porches and portachaches. Houses on the outside back up to rather spectacular views of the golf course & lakes.  And even though the street names ring of Barbados and Bermuda…the architecture is far more Cape Cod than Caribbean. But don’t worry.  The net effect is pure charm.

It’s a family environment. Contiguous to the best of Abacoa, but slightly removed as its name implies. Quiet, lush and lovely. And the prices are surprising for all Divosta built in to these delightful homes. Finished in 2001 or thereabouts, still fresh enough to feel new, and incredibly well kept up…these houses will hold more than their value for many years to come. They’ll hold people who know you can live happily in an island of tranquility and still feel comfortably connected 

It’s ironic how a dream house can turn into a nightmare. I’ve heard too many horror stories. But the one I’m about to share could have easily been avoided.

It seems that a local doctor, determined to build his dream house, applied for a construction loan. Now a construction loan is a loan you draw on as needed  … and only pay interest on what you borrow. Since it was determined that the finished house would be valued at $1.7 million on completion, the bank gave him a construction loan for 80% … or $1,360,000.

A year and a half later his house was finished in more ways than one. The market had dipped severely. The completed home was now appraised at $300,000 less. And that would have been bad enough. But here’s the rub.

The doctor in question hadn’t gotten a construction-perm loan … which would have automatically converted to a permanent loan once construction was finished to pay off the construction loan. Instead, he was now faced with finding a permanent loan for 96% of the new value to pay off his construction loan…and no lending institution even in good times will make a loan that size with so little equity.

Now, the doctor in question has the option of facing foreclosure on the dream home he’d just built … or coming up with enough cash to bring the new loan down to 80% of loan-to-value. In short, he was suddenly on the hook for about a quarter of a mil just to be able to get a permanent loan!

So why am I sharing this particular horror story. Two reasons … both sadly ironic. First, I learned about it when a competitor of mine, another Realtor, called me for advice. It happens all too often …  because few Real Estate professionals are also Mortgage savvy. Second, had the doctor been properly advised to begin with, he wouldn’t have had the problem. With a construction-perm loan he’d have been covered, even with the dip in value.

Unfortunately, the end of this story has yet to be determined. But the moral is clear. Numbers don’t lie. But sometimes people do. So don’t just take anyone’s word that you’ll find the right loan when the time comes. Consult an expert up front and your dream won’t become the proverbial nightmare.

It’s simple common sense. Fix up your home and you’ll make it sell faster. But, you may be asking, where should I invest the money. In this economy, with money tight and buyers savvy, you want to be sure to get the most bang for your buck.

So go for things that create emotional appeal. Things that make a buyer fall in love. Take kitchen appliances, for example. If the fridge is white, the stove is stainless and the dishwasher is old, you want to rethink them. All one color makes a pretty, strong statement. And that’s a smart place to start.

You can always find William hard at work in Valencia. Love that green, Willy!

Yes, this is serious investment spending. But it will likely generate a 50% to 500% return…depending on the paint job, your home, and local real estate market. Given that return, it’s smart to hire a pro for the type of paint job that will color your outcome.

So start by repairing those dings in your walls. Caulk gaps in the trim before you start painting. Choose neutral colors that appeal to more buyers. And make sure you paint all the trim…baseboards, door casings, window frames…with a finish that’s smooth and even. Then redo your front door in a color that draws the eye without screaming… and leads buyers right into your home.

Take the pulse of the market.  Check out which houses sold this year —the neighborhoods, locations, prices and timeframes from listing to closing. If you’re getting ready to sell your home, get a feel for what you can realistically expect. Then put yourself in my hands and watch me exceed expectations! Read the rest of this entry

I’m a New Jersey girl. My sole experience with fish before I moved to Florida was ordering it Sunday morning at the local deli. But, when I moved to Miami and married an honest-to-Pete Floridian, I got a crash course in everything with gills.

Five years ago, we escaped to Jupiter. Two fugitives from congestion, urban sprawl, high crime rates. Moved into a townhouse on a lake, just across from where we were building our dream house.  We were home in Valencia at Abacoa.

Now, in those days, we still commuted daily to work down south. And they were long days we put in. So every night that first summer, when we got back home, we went out to the lake to unwind, kick back, fish for bass.

I learned to cast and I learned to jig. But most of all I learned to appreciate the consummate skill of my husband, the bass master. As this picture will attest, the lakes in Abacoa aren’t mere decoration.  They constitute an eco-system that makes fish stories like ours possible.

So how big was he? He was THAAAAAT big!

A depressed market is always a mixed blessing. It sometimes makes the impossible possible. Take the house I just saw at 138 Cypress Cove, in the Jupiter gated community of Stonebriar. This 1994 contemporary 5-bedoom, 3 ½-bath home is really quite perfect.

Perfectly maintained and immaculate. Perfectly situated on an end lot with all kinds of room for a private pool. Perfectly designed with air, light space…archways, cutouts, vaulted ceilings and lots of nooks. Perfectly accessible to A-rated schools, churches and temples well within walking distance. Perfectly active … with a canal for kayaking and canoeing, a community pool and tennis courts to exercise and socialize. And perfectly placed along winding, tree-lined Maplewood, across from multi-million dollar homes in the Loxahatchee Club. (That alone makes it a standout!).

Yet this particular American dream is now available for only $389,000…with remarkably low HOA dues ($389 a quarter). Sound impossible. I thought so, too. I thought at this price…has to be a catch. But guess what…there isn’t. That house is a dream. Possibly perfect for one of you.

Located within the town of Jupiter, in the heart of Abacoa (the last word in master-planned communities), sits the charming neighborhood of Mallory Creek. Created with Built-Solid construction and Key West Architectural styling,  Mallory Creek is the latest jewel designed by Divosta Homes. It is set among preserves and waterways that complete its tropical feeling. And encompasses a delightful mix of villas, townhomes and single-family homes with front porches and balconies that overlook lushly landscaped, tree-lined streets. With its immediate access to downtown Abacoa amenities and  all that Life in Jupiter entails, Mallory Creek is a neighborhood not to be missed or viewed lightly. The amenities alone built into each home far exceed the norm…and, in fact, include many things other builders consider upgrades! You can get in on pre-construction pricing with builder incentives if you buy now. And if you register through Seacrest Florida Properties, you’ll also get a plasma TV!

"The Martello" starting at $595,900

"The Nautica" starting at $379,900

"The Magnolia" starting at $239,900

Every Realtor I know checks the MLS first to see what the market is doing…what’s sold, when and where. Not me!  MLS has no FSBO’s. My best barometer is Kevin Rose, President of Federal Building Inspections.  Better known to his clients as FBI.

I came across Kevin through a recommendation by the Jupiter, Tequesta, Hobe Sound Board of Realtors. That was one great recommendation…because Kevin is the absolute best at what he does. And an excellent source of knowledge for what’s going on locally.

Despite the national economic climate, as well as the Florida real estate slowdown, Kevin’s take on the local real estate market is generally optimistic. When asked how most Brokers are faring he reported, “Everyone’s in survival mode.” But, he qualified that statement with, “I’m beginning to notice a shift. Last year during all of September I did 50 home inspections. This year, during the first half of September I’ve already done 65… and there are plenty more on the books.” I would agree. Two of those inspections, happily, were mine.

Kevin’s take on the market tells me two things. In this particular buyer’s market, buyers are once again starting to get active. And clearly I’m not the only one who trusts FBI.

Some believe in the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I believe in the rainbow itself. Particularly when it’s perched outside my window, overlooking palm trees and pool. It’s one of the perks of a Florida summer…the calm after the tropical storm. I believe a view like this is pure gold…and could make anyone a Florida convert. Complain about the humid summers all you like. But I’ll take all the sun-drenched rainbows and balmy Jupiter nights I can get! That’s my view. But then, I’m partial.