THE Ormond Beach Real Estate & Community Events blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" To continue my report of real estate listings and sales for the Daytona Beach area, this post will cover Ormond Beach. If you're not familiar with the layout of the cities in East Volusia County, view this map of the Daytona Beach area. As of November 16, 2007 there were 1157 active residential listings in Ormond Beach. Here's the breakdown for each type of listing... Houses 882 Condos 140Condotels 3Single Family Attached Houses (IE: Duplexes) 113Manufactured Homes with Land 15Tear Down Value Only 4For the month of October, there were 52 residential sales recorded in our MLS for the city of Ormond Beach. The breakdown is as follows...Houses 32Condos 7Single Family Attached 11Manufactured Homes 2W... 11/17/2007

Come out and join us for the inaugural Cobb's Corner Classic 10K & 5K Race/Walk Saturday November 10th at 8:00 am.  You can run or walk and enjoy the beautiful views along the river as you wind along the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop.   The run will begin at High Bridge Park at 8:00 am and wind through The Loop in Ormond Beach.  This event is presented by the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class IV.  Proceeds from the event will benefit PACE Center for Girls and the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce Leadership Program.  To register for this event call the Ormond Beach Chamber of Commerce at 386-677-6362, or at Spike's Footwear on US1 in Holly Hill or you can register online at http://www.altavistasports.com/events.html. 11/05/2007

I've been out of the loop since Sunday, brought down hard by a bug going around and it's been no fun. Today is the first day I've been back on the Rain since Saturday morning and I've got more photos and one more video to share with you.Saturday morning we rode to The Boothill North in Ormond Beach on US 1. It's basically across the highway from the Iron Horse. (The parking lot at the Iron Horse was full) Had a quick $2.00 hot dog and $3.00 fries and made our way over to the Iron Horse which was packed. No where to lean (in the shade that is) let alone sit compared to the Saturday before. The reason I made mention of the price of my "meal" is that there were a lot of folks complaining about the prices of food. Heck Friday night I had "chicken on a stick" for $7.00, I'm not talking a who... 10/24/2007

The bands have already taken the stage at the Iron Horse and are entertaining the early arrivals of this years Biketoberfest. I actually got video of this group, but I can't tranfer to the computer, sorry gang! They are awesome! Mustang Sally is the song being performed in this shot. A wedding even took place at 5PM on Sunday afternoon on this very stage! Local musician, Reuben the Lounge Lizard finally took the plunge!  Congrats Reuben! We weren't there for the wedding, otherwise I would share photo's with you. (Photo of Reuben taken during radio interview with Mickey Jones last April)    The bikes are arriving from all over the country, and I was just thrilled to find this old Flathead. It appeared to be in Mint Condition.     This Flathead and his friends came from Iowa     The Flath... 10/16/2007

Last night's announcement that the current City Commission retained ALL of their seats is a very positive step for the City of Ormond Beach. Earlier in the year, after a very confusing height limit restriction referendum, it appeared that the public had lost faith in the City Commission. The leaders of the no growth, restrictive, City Charter ammendment had nominated a candidate for each seat in which a commissioner had voted against them (four out of five). After a long battle the votes came in yesterday for all of the incumbents. The results are a very positive step in the right direction for the City and for progress. None of the candidates that were elected are the type to allow development simply for development's sake but they are also not those who would opposed it simply to oppo... 10/09/2007

Surprise! This year, October 9th is the day YOU get to vote for your Mayor! Not in Novemeber! They are throwing you off, aren't they? Please, please take today or this evening and research your vote carefully so you will be able to make an informed decision! A local paper The Hometown News recently posted an interesting letter to its readers about one of Ormond Beach's mayoral candidates, click here to read it: Hometown NewsSome scary stuff huh? Don't forget Ormond Beach! Get out and vote tomorrow, OCTOBER 9th! Where to go to vote for the City Of Ormond Beach: Zone Precinct Polling Location    Zone 1 501 Ormond Lakes Clubhouse   70 Ormond Lakes Boulevard     506 Ormond Beach Senior Center   351 Andrews Street     515 Ormond Beach Union Church   56 North Beach Street    516 Grace Luthera... 10/08/2007

Symphony Beach Club is the only Ormond Beach condo-hotel. Its address: 453 South Atlantic Ave., Ormond Beach, FL 32176 Built in 1990. 32 units total. Units are generally small, ranging from 297 sf, and up, with one stack of the largest studios - 417 sf. Have Murphy beds. Maintenance Fee: 285 a month Traditionally has very few sales. One sale in 2007, 1 sale in 2006, 5 sales in 2005, 6 sales in 2004, 2 sales in 2003, nothing in 2002, and 1 in 2001. On-site management. Outdoor oceanfront pool. For condo-hotel information and prices call us at  386-255-5355  or e-mail to jon@DaytonaCondoHotel.com  Jon Zolsky, your Daytona Condo Hotel Guru www.DaytonaCondoHotel.com   10/07/2007

THE Ormond Beach Real Estate & Community Events blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" From now until November 4, 2007, you might want to visit the Ormond Memorial Art Museum & Gardens and view their "Birds With An Attitude" exhibit. There are several featured artists, each with their own unique style and a range of mediums consisting of wood, wire, tile and paint.  There's something for everyone in this exhibit. If your tastes are cubist and geometric, you'll enjoy the works of Bernard Goldstein. If you like bold and tenacious, lithographs, drawings and oils in vivid color, Rick Raschke's pieces are a must-see. For more realistic work, you'll love David Monaco's wood-chiseled, life-size contribution. For the photography lovers, there's something for you. Harry Moulis has provided ... 09/23/2007

I know History is boring to some, we remember from High School all the dates we had to memorize just to past the test. Now that I don't have to remember the dates I find History interesting and exciting. I have a friend and customer who was born and raised here. When I say here I mean she was born in Holly Hill, because Ormond (Beachside) was nothing but palms, underbrush, snakes, gators, and mosquitoes when she was a baby. She was a teenager during World War II and I could listen to her stories for hours.                                  This is the Marker on A1A at the Watch Tower                                                                                                                                                                                                                ... 09/19/2007

We were winners of the Martha Stewart Deer Creek Block Party!Left to Right: Heidi Hall, Donna Fischer and Janis Gagliardi!Martha Stewart came to Ormond Beach today to celebrate the opening of Deer Creek at Hunter's Ridge! Deer Creek by the way, is the only Martha Stewart KB Home community in Florida!! There were 150 guests that won the entry to meet Martha and attend the block party. We signed in under the KB tent and received a VIP ID card along with a raffle ticket to win prizes such as cookware, books,bacis kitchen supplies and MS scrapbooking kit. Participants were chosen by raffle to participate in  a sand castle contest too!!  For security purposes, all winners met at KBHome on International Speedway Blvd.in Daytona Beach. From there we were taken via Disney Line buses to the even... 09/14/2007

Martha Stewart is coming to celebrate the upcoming opening of Deer Creek at Hunters Ridge her newest KB Home community in Ormond Beach FL. You could be one of the 150 guests at her private block party on Sept. 14th!Hurry out to any of the KB Home communities by September 9th and complete an entry or email your Name, Address and Phone # to janis@TeamGagliardi.com and we will submit your entry!!Winners will be drawn and notified on September 10th and you could be one of the lucky ticket holders! Martha wants you to be her guest.WinnersGet to see Martha Stewart!Get a sneak peek of the all-new Deer Creek community!Tour the model homes decorated by Martha and her designers!Enjoy delicious food and refreshments!Win Martha prizes!Join the interest list to be one of the first to own at Deer Cre... 09/02/2007

Ormond Beach Real Estate & Community Events. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" I’ve recently written several blogs about different things to do around the Daytona Beach area. Ormond Beach is included as part of the Daytona Beach area. In Daytona Beach, so far we've discussed the Daytona Beach Flea Market, which is now listed as one of America's Top 5 Flea Markets, Driving on Daytona Beach, baseball games at Jackie Robinson Ball Park and the Daytona Cubs, Seaside Music Theater, and several other suggestions. As I was about to write this Ormond Beach post, I decided to include some personal memories from growing up in this area. I lived all but 4 years of my life in the Daytona Beach area. One of the places my family frequented the most was Tomoka State Park, in Ormond Beach. My broth... 08/20/2007

KB Homes, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders in the nation has partnered with Martha Stewart. They have partnered with Martha Stewart in designing a line of houses with her name on homes that KB builds and markets! Ormond Beach residents are excited about the new community at Deer Creek in Hunter’s Ridge. The community will include 48 three to six bedroom homes and 3 models ranging from 2532 square feet to 3794 square feet! Martha’s special touches include wainscoting, picture fram molding, open shelving and recessed lighting! Rose lovers can enjoy her signature Rose Garden which will be a feature of every Martha Stewart Community! Thinking of living in a first class neighborhood in OrmondBeach? Contact Marty or Janis for details regarding the Intents List for Deer Creek at Hunter... 08/20/2007

THE Ormond Beach Real Estate & Community Event Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" Here's another interesting historical fact about the Daytona Beach area. Located in Ormond Beach, just 10 minutes north of Daytona Beach, is the former winter home of John D. Rockefeller.This home named The Casements, for the many casement windows that adorn the building, was built in 1910 and purchased by John D. Rockefeller in 1918. Mr. Rockefeller also died in the home in May of 1937. The family sold it in 1939.  This beautiful piece of history is on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a cultural center for Ormond Beach with creative experiences for all ages, including classes, exhibits, events, gift shop and meeting spaces. You can also take a guided tour and see John D.... 08/17/2007

Marketing a home for sellers was once exciting! I now celebrate a showing! Where are the buyers? Waiting for the best deals? Well, buyers there are some excellent buys available and the smart money people are out making offers. Jump in the market. Ask an agent to assist you! You will be happy you did! 08/08/2007

 The current property tax situation in the state of Florida has to be fixed now.  With a reduction in property taxes it will open our real estate market back up and improve our economy.  Our legislatures are in special session this week trying to fix our broken property tax system.  Email your legislatures now and encourage significant reduction in our taxes for this tax year.What a carnival it has been.  The state government is saying that city governments must reduce their budgets and cap spending.  The city governments are saying that if they reduce their budgets they will have to eliminate thousands of jobs.  Aren't there already tens of thousands of jobs affected and loss of income due to the real estate market being down?  Real estate affects the whole state's economy from the Rea... 06/14/2007

With all the talk that our local schools aren't making the grades, I have to challenge that.  My daughter just had a bonus word for her spelling test, supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.  She is in first grade!  There aren't too many people that can say it let alone spell it.  I have to tell you that she spelled it correctly.  I think that kids today are expected to do so much more.  As technology advances, so do their expectations.  We are able to do so much more in less time with technology.  Children start using computers in school in pre-school sometimes.  I didn't learn how to use a computer until I was in high school.  Children are so much smarter and exposed to so much more than we were in the past.  There was just an article this week in the News Journal stating that our scores ... 06/11/2007

I was shocked to hear that Florida is second in the nation for tech jobs.  You wouldn't think of Florida as a state with such a large high tech job market.  Why aren't we attracting more of these employers to our area?  We need to draw more business to the area to build our local economy and provide higher paying jobs in the area.  The rapid appreciation of real estate in the area has pushed home prices up into the middle to upper-middle income ranges.  We need to bring jobs to the area to support those prices.Take a look at these stats. "On a state-by-state basis, Cyberstates 2007 shows that tech employment gains occurred in 40 cyberstates in 2005, the most recent data available.  The last year that so many states saw this much tech job growth was in 2000.  While it is no surprise that... 06/11/2007

Governor Christ signed the state's $71.5 billion state budget but.....he vetoed almost $460 million.  He is making a statement by making our government live within out means.  I know that there are some local projects that weren't approved but there were also a great number of projects that were approved.  He approved a $1.2 billion increase in the day to day spending of public schools.  Read more of this News Journal article.There was a great concern with the local property tax issues that there would be cutbacks in the school system.  I have two children in school and the last thing I want cut are programs in our school system.  Children are our future and we need to provide all of the resources we can.  It is good to see that they are trying to stay away from school cutbacks.I have b... 06/11/2007

Did you think we were on vacation from our St. Jude Fund Raising? Nope! We've already begun meetings for next years events! We need more sponsors and more ideas. We won't get that by taking time off. We did run into a snag with one vendor and had to wait to get our money back from the vendor before signing the official check to St. Jude. This is why it has taken so long for me to bring the official total to you.Before I tell you just how much the check was that we sent in to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from our events, please, take a moment to watch this video by Kayla LoCicero. Kayla is only 19 years old by the way. If this doesn't give you chills, nothing will.Halls Of St. JudeThe following is what my father and I came up with for our local papers and biker maganzines:  (I a... 06/10/2007