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Northwest Florida: a Great Area to Invest in Real Estate

We have vacationed in Northwest Florida, Walton County in particular, for twenty years â??- and love it! World-class beaches â??- reasonable prices â??- great restaurants â??- beautiful beach homes to visit! So we are sold on the area â??- but what about the financial realities of investing in Florida — at this time?

The Florida panhandle has a vibrant and steady tourist economy, with low unemployment. The brand new Panama City International Airport, which is planned to open in March 2010, will make the region quickly accessible from everywhere in the country and Europe. The airport will provide a substantial boost to the areaâ??s economy, and will enhance demand for real estate.

We believe Northwest Florida is an excellent place to invest in real estate, and that real estate values, though flat right now (January 2008) are likely to move sharply upward, particularly for oceanfront and Gulf view vacation homes. But thatâ??s our opinion! Here are some other folksâ?? opinions on the area.

CNN Money.com (Feb. 12, 2007) selected Panama City, Florida as the #1 place to invest in real estate in the United States.

American Express says that Northwest Florida is one of its Top Ten tourist destinations in the United States. The Florida panhandle is second only to the Orlando area in Florida tourism. Northwest Florida beaches are world-class, pulling in over seven million tourists each year â??- more than any other East Coast vacation area.

Real estate professionals in Walton County say that prices are lower than during the boom year of 2005. But they are expecting closings to increase, as more deals come on the market. Many vacation homes are priced below the cost of constructing a replacement. “If you are looking for an investment to hang on to for the next five years, the time to buy is today. We are still very undervalued compared to other parts of Florida.”

The St. Joe Company (NYSE:JOE), whose headquarters are in Jacksonville, FL, is the largest landowner in Northwest Florida, owning over 718,000 acres of prime development land -â?? half of it within ten miles of the coast. St. Joe has been a major player in the Florida panhandle for many years, beginning as a timber company but realizing in recent decades that the value of its landholdings was much greater as investment property. So now St. Joe is in the vacation home development business, with major activity centered on Walton County.

According to St. Joe’s Investor Relations Department the long term outlook for Northwest Florida real estate is quite upbeat.

Long-term financial and population trends continue to favor Florida, whose economy is fundamentally solid and diverse. The state’s population is forecasted to increase by three-fourths (to 28.6 million) by 2030. Its population growth rate regularly outperforms that of the rest of the United States: over the past forty years, Florida’s yearly rate of growth has outpaced the national average by 100%. By 2010 Florida will move past New York to become the country’s third most populous state.

Florida’s solid, diverse economy regularly outpaces the U.S. mean, with a strong tourism industry, lots of high-tech jobs and a rapidly growing high-tech manufacturing sector. A strong military presence with a number of active and expanding bases provides a stabilizing effect to the area’s economy. Within Northwest Florida, Walton County has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Florida and the United States.

Florida is the commercial center of the Americas. Geographic location, as well as financial and political stability, places the State at the heart of trade and commerce throughout the region. Vacation residence sales to retiring persons remain robust, and Florida is a preferred spot for retirement relocation.

Northwest Floridaâ??s beaches are the stateâ??s second most popular tourist destination, behind only Orlando. Northwest Florida’s beaches draw over seven million tourists each year, more than any other stretch of beach on the East Coast.

Beaches in Northwest Florida rate as some of the most spectacular in the country and the world. Beaches in Walton, Bay and Gulf Counties have been picked for the number one ranking by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman, an expert on beach quality and author of America’s Best Beaches.

The Florida panhandle enjoys a temperate climate, with mild winters, lots of sunshine and blue skies. The Florida panhandle is located in U.S. Climate Zone 8, the same climate zone as famed vacation areas such as Hilton Head (SC), Amelia Island (FL), Kiawah Island (SC) and St. Simons and Sea Island (GA). Floridaâ??s beauty and diversity is well-known. Northwest Florida has a distinctive geography, culture and cuisine that is unique.

The Florida panhandle attracts approximately seven million visitors each year. According to Visit Florida, the stateâ??s tourism and visitor agency, 33 percent of these tourists are from families with incomes over $75,000 and 16 percent are from families with annual incomes over $100,000.

The number of fashionable resort developments in Northwest Florida is increasing. At resorts like Seaside, Rosemary Beach, WaterColor and WaterSound Beach, beachfront lots have sold for $40,000 per linear beachfront foot to high net worth families who have chosen Northwest Florida.

The new Panama City airport now under construction is expected to be in operation by March 2010. It will be a large international airport, thus opening the area to easy access from the East and West coasts, the Midwest, Canada and Europe. Previously, access to the area by air was limited to regional airports.

Economists expect that the new airport is very likely to become a powerful economic development engine for the region. Throughout history airports have a strong track record for increasing economic development activity.

The new Panama City airport will be the first major airport constructed in the country in over 15 years. As a large-scale greenfield airport development, it offers new opportunities and unmatched flexibility for businesses dependent on aviation and logistics infrastructure.

There are strong analogs for the development of this airport in Huntsville, AL, Savannah, GA, Jacksonville, FL, Fort Myers, FL and Northwest Arkansas. All of these airports have stimulated significant adjacent development.

The State of Florida forecasts that over its first decade, the new airport would create 8,000 new jobs and at completion a total of 13,000 jobs. A parallel is the construction of the new Southwest Regional Airport in the Ft. Myers/Naples area in 1983, which had a large impact on real estate values. Since the opening of the airport in 1983, total residential real estate values in the region have increased an average of eleven percent per year.

Fortune Magazine (October 14, 2007) selected the St. Joe Company as one of the â??Ten Best Stocks for 2008â?, citing the long-term potential of the corporation and its vacation home development business situated in Northwest Florida. Hereâ??s part of what they have to say: “When Florida real estate does rebound, investors will be kicking themselves for not recognizing today’s $28 stock price for St. Joe Co (JOE) — Florida’s largest private landowner — as a rare opportunity.”

In the quickly shifting economic climate, it is important to research and ask questions before making any investment choice. Yet the truth is that Northwest Florida is a rarity, with a mild climate and gorgeous, mostly empty beaches. As you sit on the pristine, white sand with your feet in the emerald clear Gulf water, with pelicans and gulls wheeling overhead and dolphins cruising by â?? you can see that there are some very important intangibles here. The Emerald Coast is a very special place â??- and they’re not creating any more beach property!

Real estate is real need for Memphis charter schools

Real estate is real need for Memphis charter schools
For the nearly dozen people opening or expanding charter schools in Memphis, the throbbing headache is real estate.When Memphis Business Academy principals decided to buy an abandoned Kmart in Frayser late last year, several administrative hearts sank.”The board (of education) approved seven new charters. They are all looking for the same property we are,” said Curtis Weathers, head of Memphis …

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Global Real Estate Investment

The real estate industry, the world over, is a volatile one. The fluctuations in property values are largely attributed to the scarcity of this precious resource. The growing world population has resulted in a subsequent growth in the demand for land and property. People all over the world are investing heavily in real estate, both land and built up properties. Inspite of some slow real estate markets in certain regions, the value of land and property only appreciates. 

The global real estate investment scenario is run by extensive networking and an unspoken understanding between the management gurus within the industry â?? the brokers and agents and the buyers and sellers of the land and properties. The international scenario of this highly profitable investment market is run along the paradigms set by the management gurus of the industry over a period of time. There is no other investment avenue that offers more flexibility and a more international scope for appreciation. 

The roles of each of the industry components is well defined and played along the same lines the world over. The global real estate investment scenario has the same rules and regulations everywhere, except of course in the case of certain legal paradigms set by certain jurisdictions, being peculiar to that region. The buying and selling within the global real estate investment market is handled either individually or by the versatile agents and brokers who assist the transactions in return for a commission. 

The extensive networking makes it possible for buyers and sellers to identify potential investments across the globe. The global real estate investment appreciations are largely influenced by the urbanization of the region, the facilities, utilities and amenities available in and around the land or property and the fiscal policies that rule the transactions. The industry components, the buyers, sellers and the agents and brokers, all play their roles in upgrading the factors that influence the value of real estate in a region. 

The main aim of the buyer, anywhere in the world, is to ensure that he or she is able to bag a good investment within the pre determined budget and a property that is in a safe and facilitated neighborhood. Similarly, the seller primarily targets selling the property, post renovation, for a price that beats the original cost price and offers a profit. The agents and the brokers on the other hand are more focused on enabling the seller and buyer to reach an understanding and close a deal that benefits both and enables the agency to earn a decent commission. 

The commission of the agents and brokers are pre determined in nature or a percentage of the final transaction. The agents and brokers take care of all the civic and legal nuances involved in each transaction. They also ensure that the party they represent is satisfied with the final deal by guiding them with the desired changes in the property to boost the deal and even raising the required finances. Each component of this system plays its role individually and within a network. 

The final aim of any real estate investment anywhere in the world is to ensure that a property is bought at the best negotiable price and either re-invested in for sale or used to the optimum.  

Written by: GB
Date Written: 07/07/2008
Reviewer Assigned by: David
Reviewed by: VO
Quality Control: AG
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Quality Control Completed on: 08/07/2008

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Real Estate Rout of 2009 — How Low Did It Go?

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The recession of 2009 delivered a vicious blow to a local real estate market already struggling to regain its balance from the building excesses of prior years.

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New Real Estate Trends Shape the Industry, Realtors, Prices and the Home Buying and Selling Process

The Swanepoel TRENDS Report, the most anticipated publication detailing the Top 10 trends shaping the real estate industry every year, is once again nearing its final stages of research. This year The 2008 Swanepoel TRENDS Report is expected to exceed last yearâ??s 159 pages and should weigh in around 170 pages according to a spokesperson for The Report.

This Report is widely accepted as the leading compendium of real estate strategic knowledge that objectively monitors shifts in thinking, evaluates innovation and tracks existing trends. Information for The Report is based on: Origin of the concept or trend, the driving force behind it, its lifecycle and maturity, the industry demand or need for the result, its growth pattern and its potential impact on the Industry.

In 2007 the Top 10 trends were:

1. The Impact of New Real Estate Business Models such as Internet Real Estate, Multi-level Marketing, Flat-fee MLS and Annuity Brokerages.

2. The Democratization and Standardization of Real Estate Information including the changes in Multiple Listing Services.

3. The Importance of Competing, Combating or Collaborating with Web 2.0.

4. Finding New and Better Ways to Work with the New Consumer / Generation X.

5. Dealing with the Growing Poor Image of Real Estate Real Estate Brokers and Agents.

6. The Changing Consumer and Realtor Demographics.

7. Understanding the Race for Brand Recognition and Critical Mass

8. The Opportunities of Globalization, Immigration and Minority Markets.

9. The Changing Role of Realtor Associations.

10. The Legacy of the Housing Bubble, Foreclosures, Fraud and Declining Commissions

â??Buy this Report, it is a must-read,â? says Harley Rouda, CEO of Real Living, the 7th largest real estate brokerage company in the nation. Terry Penza, CEO of the North Shore Barrington Association of Realtors®, says that â??I always look forward to reading the next Swanepoel Trends Report. It provides a concise and understandable vision into the future.â?

For more information about the trends impact the real estate industry visit http://www.RealEstateTrendsReport.com or to purchase a copy of the 2008 Trends the Report visit http://www.RealEstateBooks.org