A GOOD TASTE OF FLORIDA LIVING

Wishing for a getaway, nearby, with historic reminders and beautiful gardens, near a downtown area brimming with museums, theaters, interesting eateries, Antiques Row, art galleries, yachts on waterways and a new downtown waterfront area? 

You can get away from the cares of the day with a weekend or longer stay at the Casa Grandview, located in downtown West Palm Beach’s trendy Grandview Heights historic district, south of City Place and Clematis.   Here you will enjoy a 1925 historic bed and breakfast inn featuring private luxury vacation resort cottages, main house guest rooms and 1948 art deco cabana suites.  It has received the AAA Four Diamond Award.  

Accommodations are chic, warm, eclectic styles and inviting and retain the original interior architecture.  There is a cozy Caribbean-like island atmosphere with a Mediterranean flair.

Walk beneath a canopy of leafy palms and flowering trees.  Sit in the garden and enjoy the serene view.  Feel surrounded by history.  Some rooms reflect the Henry Flagler Era of 1893-1913, or the Palm Beach Boom Era of 1913-1926.  Others remind you of the Historic Neighborhood Downtown Boom Era of the 1894-1920’s.

Choose from Spanish Mission, Revival, Craftsman Bungalow, Art Deco and Key West styles, one or two bedrooms and suites.  This off-the-beaten path resort provides an authentic Florida vacation experience and gracious hospitality.  There are one bedroom units, suites with living rooms, units with kitchens.

Walk to the tennis courts, the Kravis Center, and the Convention Center.  Bike or jog the scenic route.  Have lunch at the world famous Breakers Hotel.

Some accommodations enjoy complimentary breakfasts, coffee and tea service and all have allergy blocking mattress and pillow encasements.  There is a DVD rental library, hammocks, keyless door entry, 600-thread count sheets, outdoor lounging areas, chaises, dining and grilling areas.  Cottages have washers and dryers.

For more information.

Come on over on certain Saturdays, listed below, and join the "Taste History and Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County."  Visit restaurants, eateries, cafes and markets in historic districts, areas and buildings in either Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth or Lantana, and enjoy food sampling. Learn about food history, food culture facts and foodways.

You  will be touring on a bus and walking four to six blocks for four hours, rain or shine, visiting at least two of fifteen eateries regularly on the tours, markets and urban farms.  See and hear narrative information by a live guide on historic buildings, districts and landmarks located along the tour.  Dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated but you may visit local home-grown markets, vegan restaurants, organic eateries, gourmet restaurants, soul food, visit an urban farm, and more.  Some food tasting is standing only - no sitting, so wear comfortable shoes.

Cultural Arts venues include stops at the Lake Worth Art League Gallery and the Clay, Glass, Metal, Stone Gallery in the downtown Lake Worth arts district. Cost is $35 per person, less for groups of ten, all paid in advance.   Tours being at 11 am so be there at 10:45 am.  Tours start at the Boynton Beach Mall (Macy's - Outside at East Entrance), 801 N. Congress Avenue.

The Tour is run by the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in Boynton Beach, a non-profit 501c3.  Tours are held on the 2nd (Lake Worth), 3rd and 4th Saturdays (Delray Beach and Boynton Beach) of each month, year-round. The website is http://mlfhmuseum.org/culinaryfoodtours.html.

For more information call 561-243-2662 or E-mail tour@tastehistoryculinarytours.org. Private group tours are also offered.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS REPORT APRIL 2011- MARCH 2012

IDEAS FOR LIVING LONGER, NOTHING NEW BUT YOU MAY NEED TO REFOCUS

United Healthcare’s 7^th Annual 100@100 Survey found that more than half of the 100-year olds exercise nearly every day.  Activity favored by  nearly half: walking, and almost as many do exercises to strengthen their muscles.  Some enjoy yoga, Tai Chi, riding a bike, jogging or participating in sports.  It is estimated there are 72,000 centenarians nationwide with Medicare plans.  

The survey included 300 baby boomers in their early 50’s, and 100 centenarians and answers focused on talking with a friend or family member almost every day,  attending social events, and finding reasons daily to giggle or laugh.

Asked who to invite to a family dinner from a list of 14, Betty White was number one for 78%.  Half would pick “Gone with the Wind” as the greatest movie from the  past 100 years.  Boomers picked “It’s A Wonderful Life.”

Almost 75% of the centenarians polled said they will vote in November.

"For people who have been waiting to time their home purchase close to market bottom, it's time to start shopping," said Stan Humphries, Zillow's chief economist.  Bidding wars have returned as buyers compete for a shrinking supply of homes.  Inventories of single-family homes in Palm Beach and Broward counties have fallen in the past year by 38% and 48%, respectively, local Realtor boards say.  (From loansafe.org.)


The Sun-Sentinel interviewed a dozen builders, buyers, analysts, real estate agents and other local housing observers and they agreed that the region has reached a housing floor, despite concern that another wave of bank-owned homes will hit the market.


With prices back to levels last seen in 2002, demand is strong again, particularly from foreign investors and others willing to pay cash.

THE BEST TIME TO BUY IN FLORIDA IS NOW!

“For people who have been waiting to time their home purchase close to market bottom, it’s time to start shopping,” said Stan Humphries, Zillow’s chief economist.  Bidding wars have returned as buyers compete for a shrinking supply of homes. Inventories of single-family homes in Palm Beach and Broward counties have fallen in the past year by 38 percent and 48 percent, respectively, local Realtor boards say.  From loansafe.org.

The Sun Sentinel interviewed a dozen builders, buyers, analysts, real estate agents and other local housing observers, and 10 agreed that the region has reached a housing floor, despite concern that another wave of bank-owned homes will hit the market.  With prices back to levels last seen in 2002, demand is strong again, particularly from foreign investors and others willing to pay cash. 

YES, AT LONG LAST THINGS ARE LOOKING UP!

Palm Beach County Appraiser, Gary Nikolits, says that after three years of falling property values, they are likely to be up “in the single low digits,” in an article in the Palm Beach Post.  This year they are positive by less than 1% (at least heading up).  

The long-term budget plan assumes a 1% climb in fiscal 2012, 2% in fiscal 2014 and 3% each following year during the next decade. In the last three years, there were drops of nearly 1%, 12.4% and 3.4%.  He said, “Two years ago we were at or near the bottom of the market.”

Property tax revenues account for just under $40MM of the town’s $57.8MM operating budget for this fiscal year. 

RIS MEDIA: HOUSING MARKET MAY BE ON THE RISE

The key word is MAY.

Many economists see the easing of foreclosures as the key reason the market may be on the rise.  However, they note, “Banks still retain many foreclosed properties on their books and some analysts have predicted that housing prices could weaken again if lenders dump these properties into the recovering market.”

Lowe’s Daily Real Estate Report for first three months of 2012 says, “Foreclosure filings up in most markets.” This was for more than half of the markets tracked by RealtyTrac, “an early sign that long-dormant foreclosures are coming out of hibernation in many local markets.”

The foreclosures referred to above are only part of the shadow inventory, and more people who are “underwater” may do short sales or be foreclosed on in the near future.  Ris Media points out that one of several factors holding back a major turnaround in the housing market is, “the huge number of homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth leaving them essentially stuck in their properties.” 

One good sign is that Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index of 20 US cities shows the steady shrinking in recent months of a year-over-year decline in home values.  Ris Media says, “analysts note that prices have stablizied and sales volume has been gaining.

DataQuick of San Diego reported that, “statewide the notices of default had a 17.6% drop from the same period last year.”  One of the early callers of the housing crash, Christopher Thornberg of Beacon Economics said, “What are important are sales and inventory, and those are pointing in the right direction… I would say that by the end of the year, they should translate into better prices.”  As reported in this blog recently, NAR Chief Economist said that by the end of the year prices might rise by 10%.  Zillow predicts a 5%+ price rise by the end of  the year.

Some promising factors for home sales include low interest rates and the availability of bargain-priced properties, and a prevalence of investors buying up, fixing up and renting out former foreclosures.  New home sales, with last year being their worst on record, are up 16% for the first three months compared to 2011.  Now we will wait to see what happens to some or all those shadow inventory foreclosures.

VITA SERENA - A BEAUTIFUL MARION SYMS WYETH 1926 HOME

Beautiful Old World exquisitely proportioned details mix with modern conveniences in the ivy-covered Marion Syms Wyeth 1926 grand Italian Palladian-style historic villa on about 2.79 acres in Palm Beach with 268’  of oceanfront and a private tunnel from the house to the beach.  Details included are cornices, moldings arches, pecky cypress and 12’ ceilings.  Interior spaces are well proportioned.

Landmarked in 1959, the Landmarks Preservation commission noted that the simple, balanced design helped mark the beginning of the toning down the architectural excesses seen on much of the Island in the 1920’s. The hipped-roof structure, as the report described it, is symmetrical, has projecting facades with pediments and cast-stone decorative details.  There is an interior courtyard.

 There are 7 bedrooms, six bathrooms, three powder rooms.  Some bedrooms open onto sleeping porches. 

The dramatic entry foyer is covered in imported marble.

 The palatial living room has a hand-painted coffered ceiling and marble columns.

 The deep-red library boasts gold-applied molding details.

The formal dining room has a tray ceiling, a trumeau over the mantle and the fireplace is connected to the molding.  The walls are finished in Venetian plaster that has “mellowed with age.”  Throughout the house are many wood-burning fireplaces.

Originally a family room combined with original garage is now a combination media and family room that opens to the inner courtyard, beautifully landscaped and a perfect party setting.  

 A covered lanai connects the main house to a 2-story “tennis house” with a 2^nd floor loft-like bedroom overlooking the courts.

The pool is 60’ long next to an expansive lawn with views of the pretty back exterior of the Villa.  There is an oceanfront cabana, five car garage and full house generator.  The foyer floor is Cuban marble and there are original restored floors.  The house has a grand staircase and jewel-like library.  Ceilings are interesting, some coffered, some painted.  

There are two cabanas on the ocean, one Italiate, the other Moroccan. 

The house is located on a prominent corner where South County Road meets South Ocean Boulevard.  The house was originally built for a New York City banker.  Another former owner was Jean Flagler Matthews, who founded the Henry M. Flagler Museum in 1959 as a tribute to her grandfather, thereby preserving the lavish 1902 Museum for future generations.

Current owners renovated the house and made additions and improvements – now with 270’ of oceanfront and 17,000+ square feet inside and out.  It now measures about 3 acres and includes a second smaller guest house with 6131 sq ft inside and out, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and powder room, pool and staff quarters.

List price is $34,000,000.

Call Marilyn at 561-302-3388 for more details.