Mr. and Mrs. Daytona Beach Home Buyer, you may be hesitating to make your purchase now because you want to see which way our current market is heading.  You may have heard through media that you should wait and see what is in store for home sale prices.   Recently the National Assocation of Realtors projected that our market will improve in 2008.  What could this possibly mean to you?  While home prices have come down and inventories have increased, you may want to ask yourself, how long will this last? Is it worth missing some really great values out there? Daytona Beach Home Buyers....Make Your Move....The Time is Now!   Existing-home prices are likely to rise 1.8 percent to a median of $222,700 in 2008 after a 1.4 percent decline this year to $218,800.  The median new-home price shou... 07/20/2007

So you want a buy a house in Daytona Beach FL! Good idea! Daytona Beach FL is a great place to live and raise children. There are great schools, restaurants, shopping, and of course the beach and wonderful weather. Where do you get started you ask. They say knowledge opens doors and that is certainly true when you are buying a home. Educate yourself about the market and ask questions...there are no stupid questions.  I‘ll try to make this simple by outlining a few important details to make your home buying experience in the Greater Daytona Beach area a positive one.First and foremost, find a lender and get pre-approved not prequalified. Pre approved will tell you the ballpark estimate of your borrowing power and it will even give you the edge over other buyers interested in the same hom... 07/12/2007

When I woke up this morning, the headline read ..."COKE MUSCLES OUT PEPSI AT DAYTONA AND OTHER TRACKS" I was so excited! I couldn't wait to blog about it!It is too bad that the fans who had just attended the recent Pepsi 400 on 7/7/07 didn't know it was to be the final Pepsi 400, I bet all the memorabilia from that race will become hot items for the NASCAR COLLECTORS.  Why am I so excited? I work at the Coca Cola Speed Experience during the Daytona 500, this will make our event bigger!There are more Coca Cola sponsored cars in NASCAR then PepsiI love Coca Cola products! But, then, just a couple hours later.. a phone call came in to the office.. A plane had crashed into a Sanford home..  At least 3 people injured.. Seeing the horrific photos I was amazed they were only injured.It wasn't ... 07/10/2007

THE Daytona Beach Real Estate & Community Event Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" Daytona Beach Florida has lured tourists from all over the country over the last 100 years. One of the biggest draws to this sunny Central Florida city is Daytona International Speedway, and the appeal of NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Automobile Racing, Inc). The founder of NASCAR is William France Sr., who moved to Daytona in 1935 to escape the Great Depression. Mr. France founded NASCAR in 1948 and now has headquarters in Daytona Beach, FL, Charlotte, NC and Manhattan, NY. Not many people realize that Daytona International Speedway holds races of one type or another, almost every month.Of course, NASCAR is only one of many reasons that tourists are drawn to Daytona Beach. We are th... 07/09/2007

I thought I'd share some of my personal research about the Daytona Beach area real estate market. (For the record, the Daytona Beach area MLS covers not only Daytona Beach, but also South Daytona, Ponce Inlet, Daytona Beach Shores, Ormond Beach, Ormond by the Sea, Wilbur by the Sea, Holly Hill, and a few other entries from neighboring cities) I've been compiling data since the beginning of 2005, reflecting how many residential listings went into the Daytona Beach area MLS each month, and how many residential sales closed each month. The results are very revealing!Bear in mind though, that the listings coming on the market each month are not all first-time listings. Many of them have expired and been re-listed, so we're seeing a combination of new listings and re-listed homes in the mont... 07/09/2007

 Every year around 4th of July holiday we have PEPSI 400 RACE events taking place here in Daytona Beach. The traffic is a bit heavier than usual since thousands of race fans come to town. If you are in the area the PEPSI 400 RACE is taking place today July 7, 2007 at 7:00 pm. (Anybody else is seeing 7-7-7-7?) Click on the link below to purchase the tickets for the event from the official Daytona International Speedway website.http://www.daytonaintlspeedway.com/We have a lot of celebrities and other famous people visiting Daytona Beach during this time of the year. Rudy Giuliani who is planning to run for a president in 2008 election is scheduled to see PEPSI 400 RACE event.  I hope it's not going to rain. Any plans for your weekend? 07/07/2007

Due to extremely dry conditions and high risk of fires, some locations in Volusia and Flagler counties will not be having fireworks this July 4th, 2007. To make arrangements to change your plans, if necessary, check this list of locations where fireworks will or will not be held, in Volusia and Flagler counties.Daytona Beach News Journal, 4th of July, 2007 FireworksCheck back for rescheduling dates. If you're considering buying or selling real estate in Daytona Beach, FL, make a Smart Choice and call Lisa Hill today!  07/01/2007

On June 8th the space shuttle Atlantis took off at 7:38 pm.  The space shuttle took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, however we had a clear view from Daytona Beach Airport.  Many employees and passengers came out to view this incredible journey.                                                                                    Kennedy Space Center is approximately 74 miles from Daytona Beach, Florida.  Atlantis' solid rocket boosters have separated and fallen away from the orbiter at 7:41 pm.                  The Space shuttle will return June 21 at 1:54 pm.  May they land safe and return home to their families.  For additional information please visit the Official NASA website.    06/18/2007

   Pelican Bay Country Club is an exclusive, member-owned country club with some of the finest recreational facilities in the area.  1/2 mile for East EntranceFine Family and Casual DiningFull ServiceBanquet Facilities seats 250Restaurant and LoungeMembership RequiredMembership office 386-756-0034 These facilities, which may change from time to time, include 2 18-hole tournament golf courses, tennis courts, restaurant, lounge, meeting rooms and a swimming complex. 06/18/2007

                                                           Pelican Bay Country Club is located in Daytona's Premier Gated Community, featuring 2 championship golf courses that wind around sparkling waterways and lush foliage. 2 18-hole championship golf coursesLarge Driving AreaPutting Area and short game practice areaPro Shop PGA-Certified Golf Professional AvailableExperienced and Professional StaffGolf and Social Activities While the North course is private,  the South course welcomes any golfer at any level for an unforgettable golf experience.  To reserve your spot on the course please call 386-756-0034 06/18/2007

If you stopped by and read A Challenge To You! you know about the St. Jude Radiothon that we had here in Daytona this week. Our Bikes and Blues Committee was invited to join the DJ's in the studio this morning to talk about our St. Jude events that we held in April and how much money we raised, along with how many tireless hours we put in year long to get these events off the ground. If you know me, you know I was taking photos, but this time I got to be in a couple too!                                                     I then went to see how hard the volunteers from Embrey Riddle University were working on the phones.                  As I left, the total raised so far was around $22,000. While at work I had the show on my computer and listened to the different stories during the day... 06/15/2007

The Daytona Beach Tech Fair to me was incredible, I met a really great man.  He works for Re/Max All Pro and really understands community and teamwork. You might have met him, he joined our network and Ian Anderson has already posted.  While manning the registration table together at the fair, I really got to know him and it was instant friendship.  We had a lot in common and a lot to talk about, it was amazing, as if we were destined to meet one another. Ian and I shared something in common but not in the same capacity, you see my father, John Terwilliger has Multiple Sclerosis and Ian is riding in the MS Bike Ride.  When I heard this I knew that it is destiny for me to know him.  Two Realtors from two different companies, same cause. Same Fight....It's Destiny! Now for some time I was... 06/12/2007

Late December to early March is known as Snow-Bird Season in Florida. People that live up north most of the year spend 3 or 4 months here in Florida away from the bitter cold and snow. Some of these Snow-Birds aren't human, they are the Northern Atlantic Right Whales. They spend their summers in the Bay Of Fundy then in October pregnant females and some juvenile female & males begin their long migration to Florida. We sometimes begin hearing of sightings in Georgia around the beginning of December and start to see one or two whales here in Flagler County, FL in January. In March they begin to go back home just like the Snow-Birds, except the whales who came to give birth have their newborn calves in tow, unlike the Snow-Birds. A little Northern Atlantic Right Whale background: The North... 06/09/2007

I went out to feed the Pelican Bay critters when I arrived at work on Wednesday and was greeted by an old friend, the Great Blue Heron. She looked a bit frazzled and hungry. She nailed two fish rather quickly, but my camera was in the office.     I looked across the water and saw two ducks swimming my way, at first I thought they were young Muscovy's, but as they got closer I realized they were too pretty.         They came right out of the water, walked around me, then stood behind me looking up towards me like a puppy begging for food. I handed one a cracker and he took it from me, gently. The smaller one was a bit more shy and wouldn't come up to me, I just tossed crackers her way. Meanwhile the Red-winged blackbirds are flying around in a craze, they don't like all these birds aroun... 06/09/2007

On Saturday Cyndee Haydon posted In Clearwater, Florida ~ Who left that Fowl Trail? then I followed her lead with My Photos Of Some Florida Birds, I showed you a photo of a Brown Thrasher nesting. Monday morning I arrived at work to find a young man cutting the hedges, right where the nest was. My heart dropped! He was using good old fashioned manual hedge trimmers but I was panicked. I unlocked the office, dropped my purse, camera and lunch and told him "STOP, there's a nest!" I think I scared him... I ran to the other side of the bushes where the nest was, found it covered in leaves, no mama, took a deep breath and moved the leaves. Three newly hatched baby birds lay in the nest very, very still. I carefully touched each baby and made sure they were breathing, then I began breathing a... 06/05/2007

Cyndee Haydon just wrote a great post Who left that Fowl Trail? about our wonderful "Birding Trails" here in Florida. I thought I would follow up on her blog with some photo's I've taken of some of the beautiful birds that you might see when you come to Florida. Our Century 21 Sundance Daytona office is located just outside the gated golf community of Pelican Bay, which is home to several different species of birds (but no pelicans). I often take my camera outside when I take a break and go feed the fish and turtles.   This is a pair of Sandhill Cranes that appeared during Speed Week. People pulling into our parking lot would stop and stare at them because of their size & beautiful red heads. They stand about 4 feet tall, with a average wing span of about 6 feet! I took over 200 photos ... 06/02/2007

If you never seen strong rip currents of the Atlantic Ocean, it's quite a view.  Click on the You-tube video to hear the wind from the ocean and see the waves level. It is quiet something. Every now and then we get it here in Daytona Beach, where the winds get as strong as 30mph. We may be experiencing this weather until the end of the week. Then, it's back to normal.Click here to view Weather Forecast for the rest of the week. 05/24/2007

OK, some of you may not know, but since the beginning of the year Midori Miller, trainer-manager in our Century 21 Pelican Bay office, organized the WOW team aka "Special Forces" of Century 21 Sundance Realty. We used to meet every Monday for 3 months. It is an accountability program that enhances our business using advanced marketing strategies. Currently we meet once a month to evaluate our progress and to receive tons of homework for the entire month.  Everybody likes that............Right................  We get together to discuss current market changes, real estate strategies and updates on our marketing and advertising. It helps us to stay on track and increases our productivity.  Well, last week we met outside of the office at the coffee shop called Hot Spot. It's not too far aw... 05/23/2007

What Makes a House a Home? That may seem like an easy question to answer, but for me it was always a touching subject. When I left Russia to study in Settle during school breaks, I would always go back "home"to see my family in Russia. The places where I lived in Seattle were just "Placement Stations", they were never my homes. Don't get me wrong, I loved Seattle. Its beauty and metropolitan lifestyle are fun, but there is nothing like Daytona Beach, Florida. Life in Daytona Beach is very different and I truly feel at home here. You ask how the home I live in right now differs from all other place I've visited? Well a number of reasons. I am only 15 minutes away from the world's most famous beach. Let's face it not everybody gets to see this everyday!  I am only 5 minutes away from my r... 05/22/2007

Real Estate...... Let's see we need brokers to be able to sell real estate, but hey we are independent contractors, we have the choice of being good Realtors or bad Realtors. We do create our own little Real Estate Worlds.  I love the business and I loved selling real estate.  Yes I took some training here and there.  I didn't want to join a network group or be active in my board.  No way, I hate the politics, way to cliquey, I was too busy with my own life and I wasn't going to waste my time.  Oh, yes, I sold lots of real estate but there were things happening in my real estate world that I did not like. Maybe I made the wrong decision.  Where are the company policies that I was accustomed to that Corporate America had in place?  Dealing with unethical Realtors, mls rules I didn't care... 05/19/2007