Delaire Country Club

    3 Bedroom, 3.5 bath pool home with a great layout overlooking the golf course.  Vaulted ceilings, nice family room, excellent location!  Master Bedroom has a built on office.

    Delaire Country Club is upscale living at its best featuring great amenities and an excellent location.  Enjoy 27 holes of championship golf, eight manicured Har-Tru tennis courts and a world class fitness center spread out over 46 acres of beautiful grounds.  Delaire has everything you could ask for in a country club community.  Call for a private showing today.  Offered at $497,000

0 commentsJoseph Santini • April 29 2008 02:58PM

Palm Beach County, Florida Market Report

Things are improving as we move along and I know here in my office in Boca Raton things are really picking up.  Many buyers are starting to feel good about buying and they should.  Many are still watching the parade go by. 

Hopefully this upward trend will continue as we go through the year and I expect many buyers will get serious in the summer months. Remember that these great buyer advantages will not last forever. The same thing that will make home prices stop falling is the same thing that will push mortgage rates higher. Below are the numbers for Palm Beach County for the month of March.

Total Closed Sales   1181

Total Pending Sales  1325

Months of Inventory 28.8

Average Days to Sell  150

0 commentsJoseph Santini • April 18 2008 10:12AM

Taking advantage of Florida's new Portability Benefits

For anyone who moved within the state of Florida in 2007 and hasn't taken advantage of the new portability benefits you can access the "Transfer of Homestead Assessment Difference" form online by clicking here. www.pbcgov.com/papa/forms/hxassessmentdiff.pdf

You can also call the property appraisers office at 561.355.3230 for more information.

I am finding that many people have no idea this benefit exists so I'm calling my past customers and letting them know and I find I have to bring it to the attention of new buyers as well.

0 commentsJoseph Santini • April 14 2008 10:21AM

The History of Boca Raton, Florida

Many of my customers, especially the ones from up North often ask me about the beginnings of Boca. The earliest known inhabitants of the Boca Raton area were the Tequesta Indians, who lived in communities near the ocean as long ago as one thousand years up until the eighteenth century.  The construction of the Florida East Coast Canal (which is todays inter-coastal waterway) and the Florida East Coast Railway in the 1890's made the area accessible to the first pioneers.  By the early 1900's Boca was a tiny farming community which specialized in growing pineapples.  These farmers were made up of a group of Japanese immigrants under the leadership of Mr. Joseph Sakai, who formed a community along what is today Yamato Road in 1904.  In 1925 the town of Boca Raton became incorporated at the peak of the Florida land boom.  The Town Council then appointed Addison Mizner to plan a world class resort community.  His top of the line hotel, which was called the Cloister Inn, was completed in 1926 and continues as a city landmark today as the Boca Raton Resort and Club.
0 commentsJoseph Santini • April 10 2008 02:58PM

Get The Address You Always Wanted - Boca Raton, Florida

I am working with alot of buyers right now and many of them are really getting great deals. Many of these people would not even be looking in the Boca Raton or Highland Beach area unless the market was like it is right now. They would not have been able to afford it.  Now is the time to live where you want to live.  Why not take advantage of a total buyers market.  Do it while you can because like all great things it won't last forever.

 

 

0 commentsJoseph Santini • April 04 2008 12:56PM

Palm Beach County, Florida Market Report

Below are the latest numbers for Palm Beach County.  Things have improved and hopefully the trend will continue.  My office has been very active and buyers seem to be more serious about taking advantage of the current market conditions. The buyers who are seeing the big picture and buying now are getting some very nice deals.

 

 

Contracts Closed in February   766

Months of Inventory             44.5

Properties Pending            1202

Average Days on the Market     159

 

     

3 commentsJoseph Santini • March 21 2008 09:40AM

Palm Beach County, Florida Market Report

Below are the latest statistics for Palm Beach County for January.  There are alot of customers out looking and more and more are realizing that now is the time to take advantage of these conditons and buy.  Many still sit on the sidelines watching.

 

Current Properties Available     33,731

Months of Inventory                  59

Sold                                       564

Pending                                  989

Average Days to Sell                153

0 commentsJoseph Santini • February 20 2008 08:01AM

Palm Beach County, Florida Market Report

Here are the current statistics for Palm Beach County.  The buyers have everything going for them with alot of inventory, low interest rates and flexible sellers.

 

There are currently 33,681 properties on the market in Palm Beach County.

There are 46 months of inventory available at this time.

734 properties closed in the month of December.

725 properties went under contract in December.

The average time it takes to sell a property is 153 days.

 

 

 

0 commentsJoseph Santini • January 18 2008 11:31AM

Florida Property Tax Reform -- Why We Should Vote Yes

    On January 29 we all have a chance to make the tax situation better in the great state of Florida by voting yes on Amendment 1. Now this may not be the relief we were expecting but it certainly is a nice first step.  After this passes we can then move toward more of what we want. 

    The politicians have certainly found a way to do absolutely nothing but again, lets take what we can get and then push for more.  These tax issues are difficult and will only be solved over time because there are so many different agendas involved.  I certainly hope the politicians keep working before more people decide to leave Florida for other destinations.  Below are the benefits we will receive if Amendment 1 passes.

1. The Homestead Exemption will go up to $50,000.  The second $25,000 will not apply to school taxes.

2.  Portability will go into effect and will allow people to move and not have a drastic change on their tax bill.  This will also be retroactive to January 1, 2007.

3.  Non-Homesteaded property will receive a 10% assessment cap for the next 10 years.

4.  Businesses will get to exempt $25,000 in taxes for tangible property such as office equipment.

 

Vote yes for Amendment One. 

For more information visit the link below.

www.co.palm-beach.fl.us/papa/index.htm

 

 

4 commentsJoseph Santini • January 11 2008 12:11PM

Buying a Condo in Boca Raton, Florida

          We have such beautiful condos here in Boca Raton so naturally we get alot of people who come from other parts of the country who are looking for a winter home.  Many of these customers are not used to buying a condo and may not be aware of some very important issues regarding condo associations.  It is very important to check the financial health of the building you are considering.

         Always check the buildings assets and liabilities to see if they are easily paying all the bills.  The building should also have a nice reserve fund.  If it is not sufficient and the building is hit with an emergency, you could be dealing with a large assessment.  Make sure that the building is being repaired and upgraded on a consistent basis.  All the little things add up if they have to be done all at the same time down the road.  This is a great indicator of how well the building is being managed.  And another good thing to do is to read through the last years condo board minutes to see if anything big is brewing like a potential lawsuit. 

         Always remember that the financial health of the building is just as important as the condition of the apartment.

       

2 commentsJoseph Santini • December 20 2007 01:24PM