Jacksonville Beach Cottage
Cute 3/3 just two blocks from the beach!
Smell the salt air, hear the ocean breakers,
the discerning executive has found her home!
Want to see some more great deals at the beach? Call Richard Newquist 904-422-5091
Showing posts with label Richard Newquist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Newquist. Show all posts
Monday, September 22, 2008
Jacksonville Beachside Cottage
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
First Time Home Buyers & Previous Owners Get Break Under Housing Recovery Act
Housing Bill Creates Great Environment for First-time Buyers, Says Richard Newquist, Real Estate Analyst in NE Florida.
The signing of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 by President Bush has opened the door to first homebuyers and previous homeowners who haven't owned for the past three years.
New benefits such as a repayable first-time home-buyer tax credit. First-time buyers are important to the health of the housing economy because their home purchases help to stimulate sales up the price points. Through the home-buyer tax credit, buyers who are purchasing for the first time or who haven’t owned a property in the last three years can now qualify for a tax credit equal to 10% of their home purchase price, up to $7,500.
The timeframe to buy is between April 9, 2008 and July 1, 2009. The credit phases out if the buyer’s income exceeds $75,000 for an individual or $150,000 for a couple filing jointly and it must be paid back over a 15 year period in equal installments. The credit can be claimed on the buyer’s 2008 tax return even if the purchase is made in 2009 (it’s important to note that this is a tax credit and not a tax deduction).
Another component of the housing bill is an FHA overhaul which allows Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to serve more home-buyers by raising loan limits in high cost areas above the standard conforming limit to 115 percent of the median house prices and up to 150 percent of the conforming loan limit.
"This Housing and Economic Recovery Act marks the beginning phase of the next ten-year housing cycle in which prices in the more affordable markets will only continue to appreciate", said Richard Newquist, long time real estate analyst now practicing in Jacksonville Florida.
Home loan proceedures have been reevaluated and some tightening has taken place especially in the area of down payment assistance by sellers which has now been ruled out as a source of funds.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Infusion Marketing
Straight advertising? Naw! It doesn't work. Advertising has lost it's credibility and, what's worse, the ads are packed full of clichés that don't work. People are sick of the clichés: "Must See" (why?), "Hurry--this one won't last" (yes it will), "Price Reduced" (for a reason), "Too Many Amenities To List" (oh really?), "42 inch cabinets and granite countertops" (good grief!), "Price Reduced" (you just cost the seller big bucks!).
Three minute video ads with jumpin music, sharp editing, great captions and some voice dubbing is the future of real estate advertising. The old 'fisheye' lens makes me motion sick. Property tours don't show any more than a bunch of still pics.
Three minute video ads are the wave of the future and this isn't a fad. It is infusion marketing that reaches all the senses of the viewer including the sense of "INTEREST".
Three minute video ads that will sell your property.
Are you a buyer who lives out of state? Want to get a better look at interesting properties? You can actually get DVD's of whatever interests you.
Check out XCELMARKETING.NET also for other marketing ideas.
Three minute video ads with jumpin music, sharp editing, great captions and some voice dubbing is the future of real estate advertising. The old 'fisheye' lens makes me motion sick. Property tours don't show any more than a bunch of still pics.
Three minute video ads are the wave of the future and this isn't a fad. It is infusion marketing that reaches all the senses of the viewer including the sense of "INTEREST".
Three minute video ads that will sell your property.
Are you a buyer who lives out of state? Want to get a better look at interesting properties? You can actually get DVD's of whatever interests you.
Check out XCELMARKETING.NET also for other marketing ideas.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Richard Newquist, Realtor PN, www.liveatthebeach.net
www.xcelmarketing.net
Experience Jacksonville Week: Your Florida Destination
CONTACT:
Lyndsay Rossman, Director of Corporate Communications
lrossman@jaxcvb.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (July 9, 2007) – Northeast Florida businesses are partnering with the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to promote tourism to local residents from August 6-11, 2007 during Experience Jacksonville: Your Florida Destination Week. The week-long event will offer residents “Destination Deals” as a chance to save on area accommodations, attractions, restaurants, retail, nightlife hotspots, sports events and transportation services.
Richard Newquist, Coral Shores realtor, is offering tours of beachside properties from $3million to $140,000 homes and condos. Reach him at newquist@liveatthebeach.net.
“No longer can kids and adults say there is nothing to do at home…Experience Jacksonville Week gives local residents the opportunity to discover their own hometown and realize why millions of visitors enjoy our destination each year,” said John Reyes, president and CEO of the CVB. “Through the generous discounts offered by CVB tourism Partners, residents won’t have to travel very far to experience a wide range of activities. What better way to end the summer before school starts?”
Coupons for “Destination Deals” at over 50 local businesses are available at area visitors centers* and online at www.experiencejacksonville.org. Coupons must be presented to receive discounts and are only valid during Experience Jacksonville Week. Local news stations will also be promoting the celebration with giveaways throughout the week.
Experience Jacksonville: Your Florida Destination Week is a celebration of National Tourism Week observed nationally in May each year. Jacksonville delayed its annual concurrent celebration to avoid conflicting with THE PLAYERS Championship, held from May 10-13, 2007.
*For a listing of CVB Visitors Center locations, visit www.visitjacksonville.com.
www.xcelmarketing.net
Experience Jacksonville Week: Your Florida Destination
CONTACT:
Lyndsay Rossman, Director of Corporate Communications
lrossman@jaxcvb.com
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (July 9, 2007) – Northeast Florida businesses are partnering with the Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) to promote tourism to local residents from August 6-11, 2007 during Experience Jacksonville: Your Florida Destination Week. The week-long event will offer residents “Destination Deals” as a chance to save on area accommodations, attractions, restaurants, retail, nightlife hotspots, sports events and transportation services.
Richard Newquist, Coral Shores realtor, is offering tours of beachside properties from $3million to $140,000 homes and condos. Reach him at newquist@liveatthebeach.net.
“No longer can kids and adults say there is nothing to do at home…Experience Jacksonville Week gives local residents the opportunity to discover their own hometown and realize why millions of visitors enjoy our destination each year,” said John Reyes, president and CEO of the CVB. “Through the generous discounts offered by CVB tourism Partners, residents won’t have to travel very far to experience a wide range of activities. What better way to end the summer before school starts?”
Coupons for “Destination Deals” at over 50 local businesses are available at area visitors centers* and online at www.experiencejacksonville.org. Coupons must be presented to receive discounts and are only valid during Experience Jacksonville Week. Local news stations will also be promoting the celebration with giveaways throughout the week.
Experience Jacksonville: Your Florida Destination Week is a celebration of National Tourism Week observed nationally in May each year. Jacksonville delayed its annual concurrent celebration to avoid conflicting with THE PLAYERS Championship, held from May 10-13, 2007.
*For a listing of CVB Visitors Center locations, visit www.visitjacksonville.com.
Friday, July 13, 2007
They Done Did It Again!
My Safe Florida Home eliminates grants for most roof renovations!
Richard Newquist, Realtor Par Non (PN) Live At The Beach!
This is from www.floridarealtors.org which reprinted it from the Palm Beach Post.
This is the way it goes in Florida! The government giveth and the government taketh away. The biggest problem with hurricane protection is roof protection. The State legislature never got it together on roof repairs. They are willing to assist with window covers and garage door strengthening but not roofs! They can't agree on how to strengthen roofs against hurricanes!
Their consutant, Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, a nonprofit that helped develop the My Safe Florida Home program has taken their consulting fees but, sorry to say, can't help out in THIS case.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – July 13, 2007 – Tens of thousands of homeowners seeking financial aid from a state program to reinforce their roofs against hurricanes may be blown away by what they find.
Over the past few months, the My Safe Florida Home program has eliminated most roof retrofits from its list of improvements for which homeowners can be reimbursed up to $5,000.
Lawmakers ordered the changes to the $250 million mitigation program during the spring legislative session even though studies show roof problems were the primary cause of further damage to homes during Florida’s busy 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.
Adding to the lawmakers’ reluctance are the disagreements among roofers and local building departments as to the best way to implement suggested roof renovations. Lawmakers have ordered the Florida Building Commission to come up with statewide guidelines by Oct. 1.
State Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said eliminating most funding for roof retrofitting will prevent abuse by homeowners who try to bill the state for replacing old, leaking roofs.
“We shouldn’t be paying for routine maintenance,” said Posey, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
My Safe Florida Home has been plagued by problems since it was first funded by the legislature in May 2006. For example, it has awarded less than $1.2 million in home-hardening grants so far.
The changes mean that more than 50,000 homeowners – including about 11,000 in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties – whose residences were inspected after April 22 will have more limited options for the maximum $5,000 state grant.
About 14,000 homeowners whose homes were inspected in the initial phase of the program will not be bound by the new restrictions, state officials said. That would include more than 2,300 homeowners in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
But going forward, the state will pay mostly for exterior wall and door protections, such as hurricane shutters and hurricane-related garage doors.
It will pay for limited roofing work in homes with gabled roofs. Those homes will be eligible for bracing gable ends because they provide additional support, Posey said.
In South Florida, however, most homes don’t have gabled roofs. Gone are grants for upgrading roof shingles, reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, creating a secondary roof covering or barrier to prevent water intrusion, and improving the strength of roof deck attachments.
Officials at the state Department of Financial Services, which runs the My Safe Florida Home program, had no choice but to follow the mandate of the legislature in restricting the program, spokeswoman Tara Klimek said.
But the changes were not publicly announced by Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who just last week made an appearance in Pensacola to award a grant to a homeowner.
On Tuesday, the state’s Web site, www.mysafefloridahome.com, had conflicting information about which home modifications are covered under the program. Both the new and old requirements are listed.
Klimek said homeowners on a waiting list to obtain the program’s free home inspections were notified of the changes by e-mail if the state had their addresses on file.
Lawmakers had cited the popular home modification program as the long-term solution to Florida’s high homeowners’ insurance rates. Hardened homes will cause fewer losses for insurers during hurricanes, allowing rates to stabilize, they said. Insurers also offer discounts for homeowners who make modifications.
Klimek said more funding for the program should be released quickly. She said more than 5,000 residents have been approved for grants and will receive the money once they show they have finished recommended renovations.
The latest challenge may be reaching an agreement on how to implement roof retrofits and what should be covered by the grants.
“Roofing is the last frontier of mitigation,” said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, a nonprofit that helped develop the My Safe Florida Home program.
That’s important because 90 percent of homes sustaining damage during Florida’s most recent hurricanes had roof damage, said Wanda Edwards, an engineer who serves as director of code development for the insurance industry-funded Institute for Business and Home Safety.
She said the amount of damage due to broken windows without hurricane shutters would be small by comparison.
Posey said legislators can expand the My Safe Florida Home program to include more roof work if the building commission can come up with cost-effective ways to perform roof rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, Klimek said homeowners are free to use their own money to do roof modifications. She said the free reports by state-certified inspectors will specify what roofing work needs to be done.
Copyright © 2007 The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Randy Diamond. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Richard Newquist, Realtor Par Non (PN) Live At The Beach!
This is from www.floridarealtors.org which reprinted it from the Palm Beach Post.
This is the way it goes in Florida! The government giveth and the government taketh away. The biggest problem with hurricane protection is roof protection. The State legislature never got it together on roof repairs. They are willing to assist with window covers and garage door strengthening but not roofs! They can't agree on how to strengthen roofs against hurricanes!
Their consutant, Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, a nonprofit that helped develop the My Safe Florida Home program has taken their consulting fees but, sorry to say, can't help out in THIS case.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – July 13, 2007 – Tens of thousands of homeowners seeking financial aid from a state program to reinforce their roofs against hurricanes may be blown away by what they find.
Over the past few months, the My Safe Florida Home program has eliminated most roof retrofits from its list of improvements for which homeowners can be reimbursed up to $5,000.
Lawmakers ordered the changes to the $250 million mitigation program during the spring legislative session even though studies show roof problems were the primary cause of further damage to homes during Florida’s busy 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.
Adding to the lawmakers’ reluctance are the disagreements among roofers and local building departments as to the best way to implement suggested roof renovations. Lawmakers have ordered the Florida Building Commission to come up with statewide guidelines by Oct. 1.
State Sen. Bill Posey, R-Rockledge, said eliminating most funding for roof retrofitting will prevent abuse by homeowners who try to bill the state for replacing old, leaking roofs.
“We shouldn’t be paying for routine maintenance,” said Posey, chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee.
My Safe Florida Home has been plagued by problems since it was first funded by the legislature in May 2006. For example, it has awarded less than $1.2 million in home-hardening grants so far.
The changes mean that more than 50,000 homeowners – including about 11,000 in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties – whose residences were inspected after April 22 will have more limited options for the maximum $5,000 state grant.
About 14,000 homeowners whose homes were inspected in the initial phase of the program will not be bound by the new restrictions, state officials said. That would include more than 2,300 homeowners in Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties.
But going forward, the state will pay mostly for exterior wall and door protections, such as hurricane shutters and hurricane-related garage doors.
It will pay for limited roofing work in homes with gabled roofs. Those homes will be eligible for bracing gable ends because they provide additional support, Posey said.
In South Florida, however, most homes don’t have gabled roofs. Gone are grants for upgrading roof shingles, reinforcing roof-to-wall connections, creating a secondary roof covering or barrier to prevent water intrusion, and improving the strength of roof deck attachments.
Officials at the state Department of Financial Services, which runs the My Safe Florida Home program, had no choice but to follow the mandate of the legislature in restricting the program, spokeswoman Tara Klimek said.
But the changes were not publicly announced by Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, who just last week made an appearance in Pensacola to award a grant to a homeowner.
On Tuesday, the state’s Web site, www.mysafefloridahome.com, had conflicting information about which home modifications are covered under the program. Both the new and old requirements are listed.
Klimek said homeowners on a waiting list to obtain the program’s free home inspections were notified of the changes by e-mail if the state had their addresses on file.
Lawmakers had cited the popular home modification program as the long-term solution to Florida’s high homeowners’ insurance rates. Hardened homes will cause fewer losses for insurers during hurricanes, allowing rates to stabilize, they said. Insurers also offer discounts for homeowners who make modifications.
Klimek said more funding for the program should be released quickly. She said more than 5,000 residents have been approved for grants and will receive the money once they show they have finished recommended renovations.
The latest challenge may be reaching an agreement on how to implement roof retrofits and what should be covered by the grants.
“Roofing is the last frontier of mitigation,” said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, a nonprofit that helped develop the My Safe Florida Home program.
That’s important because 90 percent of homes sustaining damage during Florida’s most recent hurricanes had roof damage, said Wanda Edwards, an engineer who serves as director of code development for the insurance industry-funded Institute for Business and Home Safety.
She said the amount of damage due to broken windows without hurricane shutters would be small by comparison.
Posey said legislators can expand the My Safe Florida Home program to include more roof work if the building commission can come up with cost-effective ways to perform roof rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, Klimek said homeowners are free to use their own money to do roof modifications. She said the free reports by state-certified inspectors will specify what roofing work needs to be done.
Copyright © 2007 The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Randy Diamond. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Palm Beach Post
Richard Newquist Realtor
Live At The Beach.net
Here's an article that takes a slightly different approach to explaining Florida Real Estate:
By Linda Rawls
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 14, 2007
Who's going to blink first?
The region's once-sizzling housing market - which for nearly five years lured investors with double-digit gains, easy credit and 40-year-low interest rates - has simmered to a showdown.
South Floridareal estate
Take a look at housing in our area, which has become one of the U.S.' most volatile markets.• Blogs, property listings, more A look at the effects of a volatile housing market on homeowners and builders. Post reporters' blog serves up latest updates and chat on South Florida real estate. Chat about the maddening twists of homeowners insurance on our blog.
More Business
Latest news, columnists, stocks, market tools• Mortgage rates
Indeed, some market watchers believe home prices are the object of a high-stakes tug of war between home buyers in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast armed with low interest rates, and home sellers who refuse to budge from boom-time home prices despite rising inventory, surging foreclosures and tightened credit standards.
"Even to this day we still have stubborn sellers who aren't being realistic," said Mike Larson, a real estate analyst with Weiss Research in Jupiter. "Some won't accept that the market has changed, and lower their prices." The result has been a painful slowdown with a ripple effect that has even local retailers crying foul as they see their sales dip. As the song says, "Something's gotta give," and experts are betting that sellers will blink first.
And when they do, they'll see a buyer's market.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach County teacher Stephen Luzinski wonders why prices have not already come down more.
"I am still waiting for prices to fall," said Luzinski, who's looking to buy his first home.
"I am out in this housing market almost every single day, but there does not seem to be a whole lot of budging by the owners," he said, eyes wide open. "It seems that most sellers are still looking to double, triple or quadruple what they paid for their house."
Flood of foreclosures
Such seller attitudes are unlikely to last, according to real estate forecasters. Primarily because there are just too many homes on the market. Nationwide, the number of vacant unsold units in the first quarter of this year set a record, the U.S. Commerce Department said recently, continuing a sharp upward trend that started last year.
David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, puts the number at an "excess of about 1.4 million." Swelling inventory caused the National Association of Realtors to create a mini-stir last week when it revised its forecast to predict that existing-home prices would fall this year for the first time since the Great Depression. The 1 percent predicted drop - to $219,800 - is not as earth-shaking as it sounds, given that home prices in 38 of the 50 states declined in 2006, local real estate consultant Jack McCabe said.
Local home prices already have started their downward march, Realtors say, though they're not moving as fast as some would like.
The median price of an existing single-family home in Palm Beach County fell from $388,000 in January to $375,100 in March. In the Treasure Coast, however, prices have barely budged since the first of the year, remaining at a median of $239,700 in March. (April home sales figures come out next week.)
The number of unsold homes on the market from Boca Raton to Vero Beach has been steadily rising, surging to a record 24,028 homes for sale in March, according to Illustrated Properties Real Estate. That's a 27-month supply at the March sales pace. The same month a year ago, there were 18,178 unsold homes.
Unfortunately, this surge in inventory will be swelled soon by foreclosures, which are reaching record numbers across the nation and locally. "The biggest problem for single-family medium-priced homes is the beginning of this flood of foreclosures," Delray Beach developer Frank McKinney said. "If you're an optimist, it's a buying opportunity."
Not surprisingly, Realtors agree.
"What billionaire said, 'If you want to make money, do the opposite of what everyone else is doing'?" asked Realtor Bob Graeve of Illustrated Properties. "If everyone is selling," he added, "it's time to buy. If everyone is buying, that's the time to sell."
Live At The Beach.net
Here's an article that takes a slightly different approach to explaining Florida Real Estate:
By Linda Rawls
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 14, 2007
Who's going to blink first?
The region's once-sizzling housing market - which for nearly five years lured investors with double-digit gains, easy credit and 40-year-low interest rates - has simmered to a showdown.
South Floridareal estate
Take a look at housing in our area, which has become one of the U.S.' most volatile markets.• Blogs, property listings, more A look at the effects of a volatile housing market on homeowners and builders. Post reporters' blog serves up latest updates and chat on South Florida real estate. Chat about the maddening twists of homeowners insurance on our blog.
More Business
Latest news, columnists, stocks, market tools• Mortgage rates
Indeed, some market watchers believe home prices are the object of a high-stakes tug of war between home buyers in Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast armed with low interest rates, and home sellers who refuse to budge from boom-time home prices despite rising inventory, surging foreclosures and tightened credit standards.
"Even to this day we still have stubborn sellers who aren't being realistic," said Mike Larson, a real estate analyst with Weiss Research in Jupiter. "Some won't accept that the market has changed, and lower their prices." The result has been a painful slowdown with a ripple effect that has even local retailers crying foul as they see their sales dip. As the song says, "Something's gotta give," and experts are betting that sellers will blink first.
And when they do, they'll see a buyer's market.
Meanwhile, Palm Beach County teacher Stephen Luzinski wonders why prices have not already come down more.
"I am still waiting for prices to fall," said Luzinski, who's looking to buy his first home.
"I am out in this housing market almost every single day, but there does not seem to be a whole lot of budging by the owners," he said, eyes wide open. "It seems that most sellers are still looking to double, triple or quadruple what they paid for their house."
Flood of foreclosures
Such seller attitudes are unlikely to last, according to real estate forecasters. Primarily because there are just too many homes on the market. Nationwide, the number of vacant unsold units in the first quarter of this year set a record, the U.S. Commerce Department said recently, continuing a sharp upward trend that started last year.
David Seiders, chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders, puts the number at an "excess of about 1.4 million." Swelling inventory caused the National Association of Realtors to create a mini-stir last week when it revised its forecast to predict that existing-home prices would fall this year for the first time since the Great Depression. The 1 percent predicted drop - to $219,800 - is not as earth-shaking as it sounds, given that home prices in 38 of the 50 states declined in 2006, local real estate consultant Jack McCabe said.
Local home prices already have started their downward march, Realtors say, though they're not moving as fast as some would like.
The median price of an existing single-family home in Palm Beach County fell from $388,000 in January to $375,100 in March. In the Treasure Coast, however, prices have barely budged since the first of the year, remaining at a median of $239,700 in March. (April home sales figures come out next week.)
The number of unsold homes on the market from Boca Raton to Vero Beach has been steadily rising, surging to a record 24,028 homes for sale in March, according to Illustrated Properties Real Estate. That's a 27-month supply at the March sales pace. The same month a year ago, there were 18,178 unsold homes.
Unfortunately, this surge in inventory will be swelled soon by foreclosures, which are reaching record numbers across the nation and locally. "The biggest problem for single-family medium-priced homes is the beginning of this flood of foreclosures," Delray Beach developer Frank McKinney said. "If you're an optimist, it's a buying opportunity."
Not surprisingly, Realtors agree.
"What billionaire said, 'If you want to make money, do the opposite of what everyone else is doing'?" asked Realtor Bob Graeve of Illustrated Properties. "If everyone is selling," he added, "it's time to buy. If everyone is buying, that's the time to sell."
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