Sundown Condominium in Perdido Key, FL has something for everyone.  The complex offers tennis, an Olympic sized pool, community pier, boat slips, and storage and private deeded access to the beach.  Sundown is located on Old River and has spectacular views of the waterway, boats and, of course, dolphins.  This lovely two bedroom condo has been updated throughout and sells fully furnished with renters already booked in on the calendar.  Sundown is an excellent destination for a beach vacation, but this would also be a terrific place to live.

Perdido Key offers an abundance of water sports and golf as well as easy access to shopping, restaurants and entertainment venues.  Grand Lagoon State Park and Johnson Beach, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, are just minutes away and offer hiking, camping, and picnic venues.  The beach life is calling.

Call Emerald Coast Realty, 850-437-5618, for further details about the condominium located at 16470 Perdido Key Dr Sundown, FL 32507.

Once you reach the "serious" stage in home shopping, it can make all of the difference if you have an effective plan to view the best homes for you first. It is good to let a real estate professional help you, but as it is going to be your mortgage payment for years, a proactive approach to which homes to see first is essential.

It is likely that you will be doing much of this home viewing on the weekend, though getting into some of the best on a week day before the weekend rush could be worth some time off work. However, even for weekend viewing, the right plan can help you to get to the best homes before the competition.

Studies of home sales have shown that home listings that go active on Wednesdays are most likely to sell faster than those listed other days or on the weekend. That is because real estate agents have figured out that you need a couple of days to plan your viewings and set appointments, so they know that taking a listing active on a Wednesday is a smart move. It gives serious buyers like you a chance to get it into your schedule.

Help your real estate agent to help you by getting them to set up an automated email report of new listings from the local real estate MLS ( Multiple Listing Service) database. Once you enter your home selection criteria, a custom search gets created. You will receive email alerts as new listings or price changes get entered into the MLS.

Pay attention to all new listings, but those that come on the market in the middle of the week or just before the weekend give you time to alert your agent that you want to see them. Unless you have a unique set of criteria, you are not going to be the only buyers out there wanting to see the newest listings. Set up your list in a way that will help you to prioritize them based on which appear to meet your needs best.

It may pay off if you leave a little room in your schedule for listings that go active on the weekend while you are out looking. If this happens, you can receive that email alert on your smartphone and see if it is a home you would like to visit right away. You never know when being the first or almost-first buyer into the house can get you the perfect home.

Even in slower market areas, the very best homes are the first to sell. Do not let poor planning or a lax attitude keep you from getting the perfect home.

Belle Mer Condominium, perfectly sited on the Gulf of Mexico in beautiful Navarre Beach. This pristine beach is less than thirty minutes away from all of the shopping and restaurants that Okaloosa Island and Destin offer but is a world away from the traffic, congestion, and noise. Belle Mer residents enjoy a unique respite from the hustle and bustle of modern life. The property provides tennis courts, fitness facilities and a sparkling pool and hot tub. All of the condos at Belle Mer have sensational views of the Gulf of Mexico and are directly on the beach. Unit 1004 Belle Mer has two masters on the Gulf side, an updated kitchen and western views overlooking Santa Rosa Island, the sound and the Gulf.

This condominium is listed for sale at Emerald Coast Realty by Kim Gibbons,
850-437-5618.

Buying a home is an exciting, albeit frustrating process at times. After all, you have finally found your dream home, and you are making plans to pack up all of your possessions and move into your new place. Should you consider getting a home inspection before you finalize your purchase? Typically, this strategy is a good idea, whether you have noticed a few issues that have you concerned or not. Here is a bit more information on what a home inspection is and why you should pay the expense of getting one done.

How Does a Home Inspection Work?

Home buyers generally arrange and pay for home inspections.  Factors typically evaluated during this process are:

• The heating and cooling system
• The plumbing system
• Electrical wiring, outlets, and circuit panels
• The roof
• Windows
• The foundation and walls of the home 
• The presence of water and/or mold damage 
• Pest infestations

Why Bother with a Home Inspection?

The purpose of a home inspection is to look for flaws that are not readily visible.  If you are lucky, the home inspection you arrange finds nothing wrong with the house. More likely, a few minor issues or sometimes a major one is discovered. The goal of the inspection is to attain enough facts about the property to help you choose if you want repairs done to move forward with your purchase or you might decide to keep looking until you find a home that is almost move-in ready.

Home inspections are designed to identify structural problems as well as safety hazards. Arranging for a comprehensive inspection as a contingency of a home sale protects your financial interests while also providing the peace of mind you deserve when buying your next home.

The Lost Beach Club on beach in Perdido Key

Are you tired of living in your current location? Do you want a change, but are not sure where you should move to? It might be time to consider moving to an area near the beach. Beach living offers all sorts of benefits you might not have considered. Contemplate the following reasons for purchasing property near the beach, and you might be able to convince yourself to make your move to paradise.

• Beach dwellers tend to have cooler weather than those who do not live near the ocean. Temperatures can often be a few degrees cooler thanks to the proximity to ocean breezes. If the idea of cooling ocean breezes sounds like your idea of paradise, it is probably time to start looking for real estate near the ocean.
• Real estate prices near the ocean can be significantly higher than prices inland. If you are looking for real estate that will likely prove to be a smart investment, consider purchasing near the water.
• Those who live near the beach tend to have access to better scenic views than their land-locked friends and family. If you want to ensure your loved ones come to visit you more often, consider purchasing real estate near the beach.
• When you live near the Florida Gulf, you tend to walk more often. From a stroll on a sandy beach to hours spent picking seashells and taking pictures of sea creatures, beach enthusiasts find plenty of ways to pack more physical activity into their days.

These are just a few of many reasons you should consider purchasing real estate near the Florida Gulf. Not only will your property values likely increase, so too will your peace of mind and sense of tranquility. Is this the year you should consider buying beach-front property?

When investor groups get together, if the discussion turns to real estate, often the same concerns come up. These are often myths or over-exaggerated stories of money lost in real estate.

It takes a lot of money to get started:

If the first deal you want to do is to buy a rental home, then this is a correct statement. However, if you know how or want to know how to shop for discount deals on homes, you could be wholesaling to rental investors in days or weeks. The money necessary to get a deal from the purchase to the sale to your buyer is usually just a small earnest money deposit. There are also lease-to-own strategies that allow the investor to lease a home and place a tenant in it with little or no money out of pocket but these are not widely available to most renters.

If you have enough for a down payment, you can use the leverage of a mortgage to buy a rental home and start depositing positive cash flow every month right away. As a simple example, if you invest $30,000 into a $150,000 home as a down payment, if you can rent it out and clear $300/month after expenses, this equates to whopping 12% ROI. Where does an investor get this kind of return from a brokerage account?

Real estate is risky:

It is true that jumping into “fix & flip” investing as you see on the TV shows can be very risky if you do not learn a lot about your market area and how to price repairs and renovation. Those TV shows often do not mention costs that are involved since this does not make for an exciting show.

However, if you stick to wholesaling and do it right, you can sell to other investors, holding the property for very short periods, and make a nice profit along the way. The risk is highest if you do not develop your list of investor buyers first. Having these relationships and knowing what they want takes much of the risk out of this strategy.

Rental profits are not worth the landlord hassles:

First, you can farm out your management duties, though it will cut into your profits. When you can put a few hundred dollars every month into the bank after expenses, posting a double-digit return on your investment, it is worth a little hassle.

You can not do it in a retirement account:

Simply, yes you can. You will probably have to transfer to a self-directed IRA or 401k, but they are designed to give the investor a lot more options for their investing. There are a lot of rules, but a self-directed account custodian experienced with real estate can handle it. Fees are higher, but the returns on real estate easily make up for that.

Many investors do not realize the advantages the IRS provides for real estate investors that are not available to other asset classes.

•   Depreciation of the structure cuts tax exposure.

•   All expenses, taxes and insurance costs are deductible against rental income.

•   With the 1031 Tax Deferred Exchange, properties can be sold, and the profits rolled into other properties while avoiding capital gains.

Everything considered, once you get past these myths and over-stated concerns, real estate investment is perhaps the very best way to build wealth for your retirement.

Windemere Perdido Key Condominium unit 606 on Perdido Key has a breathtaking seascape on the Gulf of Mexico makes this well-appointed Florida beach paradise a "must have." For people who value their retreat from the modern world, this condo is everything. Fully updated in 2016-2017, this two bedroom, two bath unit has all the modern conveniences in a tranquil setting with stunning views. Gulf front master ensuite provides serene views of the sun shimmering on emerald waves. A coveted covered parking spot comes with this unit at a fantastic price. Building updates make a difference in luxury, aesthetics, and stability at Windemere on the Key. 

Windemere Gulf front community offers exclusive use of the state of the art exercise room, meeting room, elevated L-shaped pool, hot tub, beach walkway and an elegant, welcoming lobby for guests. Perdido Key boasts pristine beaches and innate beauty on the Gulf of Mexico.  Play, live, vacation, and more at the Windemere in Perdido Key, FL.

This unit sold; to learn more about this sale call Emerald Coast Realty, 850-437-5618.

Enjoy Sweeping Gulf views from your balcony in Pensacola Beach at Regency Towers Condominium. Everything about this building says fantastic opportunity from the panoramic vistas to the amenities; this is the best offer on Pensacola Beach. This waterfront condominium has one bedroom, one bathroom, and features dazzling sunsets over the Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound for an unbeatable price. The living space continues outside for fun in the sun on the 184-square-foot balcony. Tile floors set off this fully furnished and well-appointed condo that also has a washer and dryer.

Activities include Pool fun, tennis game, work out in the gym, or play in the Gulf - Regency West 606 has everything you need. Concrete construction, impact resistant doors, and windows afford a sturdy exterior. No convenience is overlooked; amenities incorporate a gulf front pool, two tennis courts, a recreational with a workout room and a cozy community room. This complex offers in-house management, maintenance and Home Owners Association dues include Internet, cable, water, garbage and exterior insurance. Regency Towers is in a great location directly on Pensacola Beach; once you get here, you will never want to leave.

Contact Emerald Coast Realty to learn more about Regency Towers, 606 West that is now under contract.

Having a well-staged property is essential no matter what time of year it is, but getting your home ready for showings during the spring season is vital if you want to stay on top of the competition. The demand for new homes is usually expected to rise in the spring, and last year's sales were the highest they have ever been. In April 2017 CNBC reported that the demand from buyers was creating the "strongest seller's market ever". Here are a few ways to catch potential buyers' interest and make sure your home is in perfect shape this spring season.

Touch up cabinets and outdoor patios

Be sure to search for cracks in your foundation that may have formed over the winter season. Although it may be tedious to repair, it can save you from long-term damage and is more cost-effective in the long run. Also, look out for imperfections in the paint on your walls and cabinets and touch it up when necessary for a cleaner, more presentable aesthetic.

Refresh your space with brightly colored decor

Whether they are in your bathroom or kitchen, replacing worn-out floor rugs with bright or light pastel colors can instantly rejuvenate a room in your home. To complete the look, choose light-colored bedding and blankets as well.

Declutter and clean thoroughly

Everyone knows that springtime cleaning is a must. Clean windows and glass tables with a streak-free solution for sparkling results. Try to get rid of the clutter from areas that you might've forgotten about in the winter that might make your home look unmaintained, like overcrowded bookshelves or outdoor sheds.

Get Your Gardening Gloves Out

Outdoor staging is especially crucial in the springtime. Maintain a trimmed and watered lawn and healthy flowerbeds to impress a buyer before they even walk inside. Taking the time to plant flowers that are popular in the springtime, like lilacs, peonies, and sweet peas, will make for a gorgeous garden.

Staging a house that draws in endless buyers is not as difficult as you think. Keep your home in tip-top shape and ready to show at any time with these simple pointers, and do not forget to stay up-to-date with the latest trends for optimal marketing power.

The impressive dual panoramic views of Pensacola Beach, The Gulf of Mexico and Santa Rosa Sound are the best on the beach and unique to this impeccable Portofino Resort unit with Gulf front majestic sunset views.

This condominium has two bedrooms with two full baths and an extra powder room, which is fantastic for visiting guests. Both bedrooms have access to a grand balcony with exquisite views.

Recent upgrades in this unit include coastal furnishings, Golden River Granite from India, and all hi-end stainless kitchen appliances.  

The convenience of owning this unit extends to the parking. There are two covered parking places with more onsite overflow parking available.

This condo offers all the remarkable benefits of the Portofino Resort including the cutting-edge amenities at the Spa Portofino, Portofino Adventures, a professional state of the art training facility, grand indoor and outdoor pools, and six separate dining experiences. Portofino also offers "Chef-to-You," a gourmet service where culinary professionals prepare a meal in the privacy of your residence.

To learn more about this fabulous resort condominium call Emerald Coast Realty, 850-437-5618.

Portofino 902 Tower One is under contract.