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On August 15, 2010, I noticed an unusual amount of activity for the search term, Okaloosa County Real Estate. I immediately suspended the term from my marketing campaign and filed a complaint with Yahoo requesting that they investigate the issue and credit my account for the fraudulent charges. The graph below shows the click activity for "Okaloosa County Real Estate" since January 1, 2010 through the date of suspension. Keep in mind, that my marketing parameters (budget, type, etc.) have sta... Read Full Post

To Bank of America Short Sale Department: I have a buyer that has been under contract on a short sale with your bank since October 23, 2008. Surprisingly, in spite of your lack of communication, unexplained delays, and silly bureaucratic processes, they still want to close on the home. A brief summary of events so far are: October 23, 2008 : Initial Contract Date July 30, 2009: Bank of America Approves Short Sale with a August 31, 2009 Closing Date August 25, 2009: IRS places tax lien on prop... Read Full Post

On April 20, 2010 BP's Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. For those of us who sell real estate along the Gulf Coast, the last three months have been difficult and challenging. Initially, we saw cancellations of contracts that were in escrow prior to the explosion, and lately we have seen a drop in the number of active buyers looking. "Surprises", regardless of origin, are the number one reason that contracts in escrow fall out and a towering inferno originating from 5000 ft. be... Read Full Post

Are you thinking about buying a second home in Destin, a vacation rental, or have you just decided to make Destin your permanent home? Whatever the case may be, you'll need to hire a Destin Realtor. Making a good choice will save you time, money, and frustration. With thousands of homes for sale at any given time, the right Destin realtor will listen to your needs and help you find the perfect home. Traditionally, buyers have chosen their Destin Realtor in a variety of ways. Some buyers call ... Read Full Post

Sales of Destin FL homes increased more than 25% for the first quarter of 2010 when compared to the same time period last year. The increased demand is also exerting pressure on home values as the average sales price was $435,715 or 17% higher than last year. Other key statistics are listed in the table below. Q1 2009 Q1 2010 % CHANGE Homes Sold 82 103 25.61% Average Sold Price $373,124 $435,715 16.77% Median Sold Price $297,500 $320,840 7.85% Highest Sales Price $1,300,000 $2,700,000 107.69%... Read Full Post

While there are still many Destin condos for sale, the market is showing definite signs of improvement. In fact, sales of condos in Destin increased by more than 38% for the first quarter of 2010 as compared to the same time period last year. Prices have clearly stabilized with the average selling price of a condo this year is just 1.56% lower than last years. We are starting to see some appreciation in select condo complexes and price ranges. A quick summary of key statistics are below: Q1 2... Read Full Post

Destin Home Inventory Priced at market value, Destin Foreclosures, are leading the way in reducing the number of available homes for sale in the area. Many buyers are anxiously looking at recent selling prices in an attempt to "guess" the market bottom. However, the first sign of a strengthening Destin real estate market is found by analyzing inventory trends*. As demand fell for Destin homes in 2005, 2006, and 2007 (see chart below), inventory rose dramatically. The primary reason for this w... Read Full Post

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by a reporter from the Wall Street Journal. He had read some blog entries of mine regarding Regions Bank and needed help doing research for an article that he was writing. The article was published in today's Wall Street Journal. If you have a print edition, the article is titled "Regions, and its CEO, Feel the Pain in Florida". Click here for the online version. You have to be a paid subscriber to read the article. I was happy to see that people do read what ... Read Full Post

Fall is my favorite season of the year. The temperatures are in the mid-80's, the water is still warm, and the beaches are less crowded. It's also the season of festivals. My favorite, the Destin Seafood Festival, runs from October 2 - October 4 this year. The event is held on the Harbor and features activities for everyone. Visitors can enjoy many of the arts and crafts booths or sample a wide variety of local seafood favorites prepared by the best chef's in the area. The Seafood Festival al... Read Full Post

For the past several years, I have quietly compiled a daily list (The Shark's List) of the best homes and condos that are currently for sale. Every entry on this list represents the one property that is head and shoulders above the competition in one or more aspects. This could be price, location, quality, amenities, neighborhood, or a combination of all. This is a list that I maintain privately and do not email or publish on my website. Because the list represents best of class, the content ... Read Full Post