Amelia Island - Home of Florida's Oldest Bar & Oldest Hotel!

Many locals may already know this. Amelia Island is home to the oldest surviving hotel in Florida, The Florida House Inn, and the Florida's oldest continuous drinking establishment, The Palace Saloon!

The Florida House Inn opened her doors in 1857, by David Yulee and served as a boarding house for railroad workers. During the Civil War, the area was seized by the North and served as a boarding house for officers. After the war ended, the Florida House was bought by Major Leddy and his wife. 


The inn proudly displays the eight flags the city has been under along the front of the building. A famous cast of characters have stayed and enjoyed the inn including General Ulysses S. Grant, Jose Marti, The Carnegies, The Rockefellers, Mary Pickford and Henry Ford just to name a few. 


Keeping with it's Southern Tradition, the hotel's guest rooms offer a nostalgic blend of antiques and period pieces selected with your comfort in mind. Romantic four-poster beds, quaint iron beds, quilts and handmade rugs are just a few of the unique touches that will bring.


If you're hungry dine at the family style southern dining room. Chef Susannah Sands, who owned and operated Susannah’s Gourmet Pantry in Avondale, plans to offer a variety of traditional southern dishes and all served as you would expect at a family table.


Visit the Florida House Inn Website for more information.

The Palace Saloon is rich with history. Louis G Hirth bought the building in 1903 and turned it into a bar. Hirth called upon his old friend Adolphus Bush, founder of Anheuser-Busch to assist him with the design of the elegant Bar, and Busch reportedly traveled from St. Louise to oversee the installation of the now famous fixture.

The saloon still has the elegant features that made it famous for over a century: inlaid mosaic floors, embossed tin ceilings, hand-carved mahogany caryatids (undraped female fixtures), a 40-foot bar lit with gas lamps, and walls painted with six commissioned murals.


If you're downtown, stop in for a sudsy brew or learn more about the bar at www.thepalacesaloon.com 

Fernandina Beach 8th Most Beautiful Beach in the World!

CNN Travel recently ranked Fernandina Beach as the 8th Most Beautiful Beach in the World, ranking Amelia Island among Beaches in Indonesia, California, Hawaii, and Chile.

This is a huge recognition for Fernandina Beach. Everyone who lives here knows how beautiful the beaches are, we were just wondering when the rest of the world would catch on.

A tourist is quoted in the Article saying, "I loved the way the sun was hitting the water. The clouds offered a perfect cover for this early morning search for shark's teeth."

Still wondering if you should move to Amelia Island? Saying you live by one of the world's most beautiful beaches doesn't sound too bad, does it?

Link to Article

Great Information For Buyers & Sellers!

National Market Report - January

National Home Sales Continue To Go Up
Sales of existing homes recorded modest gains in January, the third straight month-over-over-month increase. This pace of home sales is also higher than a year ago.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condos, and co-ops, increased 2.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.36 million in January, and are 5.3 percent above the 5.09 million level in January 2010. This is the first time in seven months that sales activity was higher than a year earlier.

*Seasonally adjusted annual rate is the amount of homes that are predicted to sell this year. 

Lawrence Yun, National Associated Realtors chief economist attributed the increase to the improvements in the "economy and jobs, which are helping consumer confidence. Yun added, "The extremely favorable housing affordability conditions are a big fact, but buyers have been contained by unnecessarily tight credit. As a result, there are abnormally high levels of all-cash purchased with rising investor activity."

Investors accounted for 23 percent of purchases in January, up from 20 percent in December and 17 percent in January 2010. All cash sales rose to 32 percent in January from 29 percent in December and 26 percent in January 2010.

All-cash purchases are at the highest level since NAR (National Association of Realtors) started measuring these purchases monthly in October 2008.

"Incrased in all-cash transaction, the investor market share and distressed home sales all go hand-in-hand. With tight credit standards, it's not surprising to see so much activity where cash is king and investors are taking advantage of conditions to purchased undervalued homes," Yun said.

Home Prices Still Going Down and Distressed Property Sales Going Up

The national average existing-home price for all housing types was $158,800 in January, down 3.7 percent from January 2010. Distressed homes edged up to 37 percent of all homes sold in January from 36 percent in December; it was 38 percent in January 2010.

Specifically in the South, existing-home sales increased 3.6 percent to an annual pace of 2.02 million in January and are 8.0 percent higher than January 2010. The median price in the South was $136,600, down 2.1 percent from a year ago.


NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I., said the median price is being dampened by unusual market factors. “Unprecedented levels of all-cash purchases, primarily of distressed homes sold at deep discounts, undoubtedly pulls the median price downward,” Phipps said.


In Summary - January

- More homes were sold than expected
- Buyers are paying with cash more than ever before
- Avg Home prices fell in January when compared to a year ago
- With more sales the total inventory of homes dropped 5.1% to 3.38 million units, the lowest inventory level in more than a year. However, there is still too much inventory for sellers to regain some of their "pricing power"

Events on Amelia Island - March 2011

Featured Event - Amelia Island Garden Show

When                      Saturday, March 5th - Sunday, March 6th

Where                     Central Park in Amelia Island, Florida

Type of Event            Community, Outdoors/Recreation

Cost                         $2 per adult; 12 and under and free

Age Range                 All Ages

Website                   www.ameliagarden.com

Description

With growers and nurseries from around the state, the Amelia Island Garden Show will feature more than 50 vendors with a full assortment of flowers and plants, fruit trees and palms, orchids, herbs, container gardens, native plants, butterfly-friendly plants, shrubs, garden accessories and more.

On-site experts will offer advice as to "greening" your home, yard and garden. "Ask the Expert booth" will offer short presentations and demonstrations from container gardening to sustainable gardening and Orchids 101. 

Featured attraction is The Raptor Experience, an up close encounter with live birds of prey.  presented by the Avian Reconditioning Center (ARC). As a center that focuses on the physical reconditioning of raptors that have been inactive for an extended period of time while recovering from illness or injury, falconry techniques are used to evaluate a bird's chances for survival in the wild after recovering from an injury and to teach nestling birds how to hunt. As master falconers, the ARC will share the training techniques used in rehabilitation so the bird can be successfully released. Visitors will also learn about the natural history of the birds at the Show and their importance to us and our environment.

The farmers and producers of the Fernandina Farmers Market will also be part of the Show with their just harvested produce, organic products, gourmet baked goods and variety of prepared foods.

Things for Buyers to Consider when Determining the Appropriate Property Value and Offer Price

Determining the value of home can be sometimes a difficult task for a buyer. Just as there are many factors that can impact a home’s value, the details and potential success of your offer also rely on several pieces of information. If you are thinking about buying a home, you may want to consider the following tips to gain a better understanding of property values. By utilizing these recommendations and discussing the findings with your agent, you might be able to not only find the best house for your money, but also a home that surpasses all of your expectations.

1. Investigate Locally
When searching for a new home, many prospective homebuyers start by checking local listings. After the search is narrowed down to a few neighborhoods of interest, walking or driving through these areas can give you a better idea of overall neighborhood quality. As you narrow your search, it might help to attend a few open houses in the local market to gain an understanding of pricing trends and witness how much interest is being paid to the homes already for sale.
In the early stages of shopping for a home, it can also be helpful to have your agent perform a Comparative Market Analysis. This report will show you the past sales prices of homes in the area and allow you to contrast those statistics with the current homes for sale.

2. Get behind the numbers
After you have compared the list prices of the homes you are interested in with other homes that have sold in the area, there are a few assessments of value you may want to consider. The most telling estimate of a home’s value will be a professional inspection.
Another statistic that will provide you an estimated value of a home is the assessed tax value. However, as the assessed tax value sometimes doesn’t take into account the amenities of a home, upgrades to the property or the nuances of the housing market, this value can vary from a professional estimate. Work with your agent to compare the details of your appraisal and the assessed tax value, taking into account all of the home’s amenities and any issues of particular importance to your family – including such factors as the quality of the neighborhood, local schools and even how the home matches up to your long-term goals.

3. Think about the market
When trying to determine the value of a home for sale, it might also help to consider the status of the overall housing market. First, take into account national trends and determine whether it is a “buyer’s market” or a “seller’s market.” Next, compare the local housing market to the national trends, considering both the neighborhood of the home for sale and a broader geographical region incorporating the surrounding city or other nearby communities. It is quite possible that a particular area may not be affected by national market trends, creating for instance a small seller’s market within a broad buyer’s market, or vice versa.

4. Pay attention to the details
Besides looking at local and national housing trends, there are a few more issues that can affect the value of a home and the details of your offer. First, you and your agent should find out how long the home has been on the market. It is believed by many that if a home has been for sale more than 30 days, sellers are often more motivated to sell and are more receptive to lower-priced offers.
In addition to the time spent on the market, you and your agent should also try to find out if there are any additional factors that could motivate the seller for a quick sale. For instance, if the seller has already purchased another home or is relocating to another state, you may receive a better response to your offer sheet.

After taking all these factors into account, you and your agent should be able to determine both the market value of the home and the right amount to bid if making an offer. Furthermore, the more you take the information you’ve gathered into account, the better you will be able to prevent potentially overbidding – which, of course, costs the buyer more money – or underbidding – an error that could discourage a seller from further negotiations.

Lastly, try to remember that the process of ascribing value to a home is not an exact science. Each time a house is sold on the open market the sales price will represent careful negotiations between the buyer and seller, with all of the factors here taken into account by each party. Therefore, above all else, the right home should not only represent a good value when analyzing appraisals and various market factors, it should also be the best value for you and your family.




The staff at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC writes select articles about important topics related to real estate. For more information about buying a home or selling your current property, visit ColdwellBanker.com today.

Fernandina Beach in Southern Living Magazine

Fernandina Beach has been rated #1 Best Small Town Getaways by Southern Living magazine. This follows being mentioned as a Best Dream Town in Coastal Living. Southern Living called the island "postcard-perfect", "unpretentious and patient".

Author James T. Black starts the article by discussing Fernandina Beach's long history, saying it's one of the most fought after towns in the history, going back to 1565 when the Spanish threw out the French. "Fernandina Beach has learned to take what comes and take it easy".

The article highlights favorite areas on the island.

Favorite Inn: The Elizabeth Pointe Lodge, located about 1.5 miles from the historic harbor, guests can ride bikes, fly kits, or just watch the waves roll in.

Best place for dinner: Le Clos, Chef Katherine Ewing opened Le Clos in a small cottage near the Fernandina Harbor in 1997. Each item on the menu brings a taste of France to Fernandina. Miss Ewing has earned degrees in pastry and cuisine from Le Cordon Blue and trained at the Ritz in Paris


Scenic Spot: Fort Clinch State Park, about two miles north of downtown, the Civil War-era for today shares the park with whire-sand beaches, 6 miles of hiking and biking trails, and campgrounds.