June 2013

Not everyone loves hitting the links. And, as relaxing as surf sounds can be, even they become commonplace after awhile.

Active retirees and seniors, many blessed with longer life expectancies than their parents, want a combination of recreation, socialization and intellectual stimulation in their golden years.
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Solar orientation. “My parents were looking at a lot on a pond in Florida,” said Hirsch. “I told them if they bought on the other side of the pond, they could have the sun at their backs while they sat on their porch, instead of glare from the pond.”

Solar orientation varies by climate, he added. “In a warm climate, you want your living area in the shade. In a cold climate, you welcome the sun,” Hirsch said.
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Although cheaper prices and record-low mortgage rates have made homebuying increasingly attractive, tight lending standards continue to keep consumers on the sidelines. And while a beefed-up FICO score and documentation requirements may have slowed the process, it’s the pile of cash needed to secure financing that prevents many would-be buyers from becoming homeowners.
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Home sales in May jumped more than 19 percent in Volusia County compared with a year ago, while sales dipped 3 percent in Flagler County.
Both, area Realtors say, are signs the local housing market has heated up.

Carole Keller, sales manager for Weichert Realtors Hallmark Properties in Palm Coast, said the slight decline in Flagler County is the result of the shrinking inventory of available existing homes, which in May declined 36.5 percent, and overall price increases.
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Orlando-area home-resale prices have risen more in the past 12 months than they would typically increase during five years of steady appreciation.

Existing-home prices in the core Orlando market during May hit a median of $148,000 — up 23 percent from a year ago and up 3.1 percent from just a month earlier, according to a report released Monday by the Orlando Regional Realtors Association.
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