Yesterday was another hot day. It is June and we are in Florida, so it is supposed to be hot! That is why we live close to the shore, so we can take advantage of the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico. But yesterday was not a day for the beach, instead it was a trip to the aquarium with my granddaughter, followed by a trip to Target for a new dress for the little princess and a few odds and ends that I needed to pick up. We were both tired, hot and thirsty. So what did we do? We headed over to The Yogurt Spot at Boot Ranch, right next to Target. This is a self-service frozen yogurt cafe that lets you sample the flavors and then make your own combination. Just what we needed to cool down and relax! They offer a couple of dozen toppings as well, but we did not go for that excess. Afte... 06/16/2011

Palm Harbor Florida market report for May 2011 is as follows: There were 72 Single Family Homes Sold ranging from $775,000 for 4 bedroom 4 bath home in the Highlands of Innisbrook to $46,000 for a 2 bedroom 1 bath REO in the Lake St George South neighborhood. Average days on the market to closing was 94 days, which shows the market moving right along once again! In the category of townhomes, villas and condos there were 42 sales during May 2011: These ranged from a 3 bedroom 2 bath villa in Salem Square that sold for $163,000 to a 1 bedroom 1 bath condo located in Harbor Club Condos that was a short sale and sold for $20,500. In this group we see an average of 130 days on the market. If you are interested in purchasing or selling a home in the Palm Harobr area, give me a call today!     06/10/2011

Palm Harbor Florida market report and comparison for the first half of 2011 compared to the first half of 2010. For the sake of convenience, I have included our little town of Crystal Beach, which is surrounded on three sides by Palm Harbor (the fourth side is the Gulf of Mexico). 2010  -  304  Single Family Homes Were Sold   List Price Sold Price Sold Price/Sq Ft # Days on Market High $799,900 760,000 $346.28 699 Low $54,900 $51,025 $34.84 0 Average $254,529 $238,482 $114.35 88 2011  -  295 Single Family Homes Were Sold   List Price Sold Price Sold Price/Sq Ft # Days on Market High $1,700,000 $1,385,000 $333.24 817 Low $    29,900 $    29,900 $  37.52    0 Average $  234,879 $  215,542 $102.88 100   2010  -  173  Townhomes, Villas, Condos Were Sold   List Price Sold Price Sold Price/Sq... 05/27/2011

Local home owners, we have an awesome kitchen cabinate company right here in Palm Harbor. Visit their show room Your Home Improvement Source in Clearwater near Palm Harbor's border on US 19 and Curlew. See Danny, Rob or Bruce, tell them I sent you. They make custom kitchens and baths to your liking. Bruce comes to your home and draws up the plans. The order goes to his factory in Pinellas Park where they make your cabinates from scratch. Amazing quality, for reasonable prices. They say they are able to beat the Depot pricing and provide top of the line quality and customize to your specifications. If your thinking of upgrading your kitchen, you may want to purchase a Kangen Water system. This water is incredible, highly tested and scientifically sound. The Japanese have been buying thes... 05/02/2011

Old downtown Palm Harbor is having it's annual Citrus Festival this weekend! The festival began yesterday, March 10th and runs through Sunday, March 13th. The hours will be as follows: Carnival runs from 4-10 pm today, Friday On Saturday the carnival is 10 am -11 pm Sunday's carnival is 11 am to 6 pm The carnival event area begins right across the street from The Witch's Brew and Oaktrail Books on Florida Avenue in old downtown Palm Harbor! Miss Palm Harbor Citrus Festival Queen will be crowned on Saturday between 12 noon and 2 pm! In addition to that, there will be a bake-off on Saturday, live entertainment and great food provided by local restaurants! This weekend's temperatures are back down in the 70's after that rainstorm on Wednesday, so come on out and enjoy the festivities! Old ... 03/11/2011

The Thirsty Marlin Bar & Grill in old downtown Palm Harbor on Florida Avenue is the best place around for lobster quesadilla! That is what we had when we went there for dinner over the weekend! That and conch fritters! Nothing is better than fresh seafood! Pictured above is the lobster quesadilla! The conch fritters, achi tuna and fries were starters and then it was on to the lobster! It was so much that even sharing a plate was more than we could handle!   Slickside was playing - although Jenna was home with the kids and Billy was doing a solo number. Still, it was great music to go with wonderful food!   02/14/2011

December 2010 Tampa Bay Florida Real Estate Sales The end-of-the-year numbers are out and the real estate sales for Tampa Bay, Florida may surprise you. Sales from December 2009 to December 2010 were up 6.6%. These include single-family homes, condos, mobile homes, modular homes, etc. For pending sales up 25.4%! Who said that people are not buying homes in Tampa Bay, Florida??? :) We are home to the NEW Salvador Dali museum which opened up yesterday on January 11, 2011.   Whether buying or selling in Tampa Bay, Florida call me at (727) 376-0530 or via email at Lana@LanaRobbins.com   I offer a free one-hour consultation for buyers and for those who are thinking about selling their home I offer to you a FREE one-hour consultation for a FREE market analysis of your home.   Contact me today :) 01/12/2011

The Fresh Market in Palm Harbor Florida, A Delight for Eyes and Nose If you haven't shopped there yet, you really need to go to The Fresh Market in Palm Harbor Florida. Just stepping through the doors wafts you away on a journey to fresh flowers, vegetables, lovely lotions and candies; all kinds of oils, dressings, vinegars and anything you can imagine. Usually, there is music playing in the background-(classical with violins) and you can smell the prepared foods at the delicatessen counter. It's just a wonderland of food. We went there this morning (Christmas Eve day). Luckily, I had taken these photos on a recent visit, today it was wall-to-wall shoppers so I wouldn't have been able to. Enjoy the slide-show.   The Fresh Market in located at 25961 US Highway 19 N, Clearwater, Florida.... 12/24/2010

November in Florida is always a beautiful month! This year is no exception! Today the temperature went up to 82 degrees and I have been running around all day in shorts and barefeet! This is my favorite time of year! It is cool enough that you no longer need to run the air conditioning! All the windows are open and the ceiling fans are on. I imagine this is what the weather in heaven is like!       11/13/2010

We were driving to a Rotary club social last evening; heading south from New Port Richey on a busy road at commuting time and as we reached the Palm Harbor area the sun seemed to hit a spot that dyed some of the clouds a soft pink. The rest of the clouds stayed dark so I couldn't help wondering why some turned pink and others didn't. Anyone have any ideas?     Recent Posts by Toni Weidman Moonlight needs a home - See this wonderful dog at SPCA Suncoast Captain Wendy of Windsong Charters Goes to Jail-  See her incarceration in Gulf Harbors,New Port Richey Built in 1919-A Hurricane changes the church's direction - it's moved by a big wind in 1921 Baker House -  The Oldest Cracker House is in Centennial Park, Holiday, FL Cozy Cottage for a bargain -  Look at what I found.  History in Stark... 11/13/2010

Witchstock 2010 is where Woodstock & Halloween meet! Saturday, October 30, 2010 from 3 pm to midnight at Oak Trail Books & The Witches Brew in old downtown Palm Harbor Florida. Located on Florida Avenue, between CR 1 and 11th Street, there will be live music, vendors, costume contests with CASH prizes, beer, food, fun for the entire family (including the family pets), psychic readings and a Corona Lime Carving Contest!!! 3:30 pm is the Pet Costume Contest 4:30 - 5:30 The Defendants will perform live 5:30 pm is the Kids Costume Contest 6:30 - 7 pm is time for the Corona Lime Carving Contest 6:30 - 7 pm there will be songs from OZ with Terry Premru 7 - 7:30 Scenes from Wicked 7:30 - midnight Rumorhazzitt will perform 9 pm is the Adult Costume Contest with CASH prizes 11:30 pm Winners Anno... 10/05/2010

Ok, I admit it--I am known as a "PollyAnna"...glass-half-full, yes I am one of the happy fluffy people.  That does, not, however, mean that I stick my head in the sand, ignore the obvious, or persistently dive head-first into the you-know-what! The fact is, a big part of my business for the past year has been providing BPOs to banks--which means I have a bird's eye view (not to mention a trusted source of market info) of my local market--and I will tell you what I've been telling my clients, customers, and friends for the past 6 months:  The Market in Tampa Bay IS Stabilizing And now we have National statistics to back up my local assessment--we are long past any false upticks due to the homebuyer tax credit by now, and yet: Home prices up 1% in June WASHINGTON (AP) - Sept. 1, 2010 and:... 09/02/2010

Nine Months, Three Days and Twenty-one Hours Is the Time it Takes For Me to Finally BLOW!! (but at least I try to do it with a smile!!) (Open THIS window to hear the original Fight Song for Notre Dame--it's a classic!)     Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com Here's the story: Thinking we would expedite the process of short sale approval, my buyer went to the same bank for his loan that was also approving the short sale (guess who). Six months later we got our short sale approval. The loan officer processing the loan application took two weeks off, leaving no one in charge of the file. ...and then came back and took another week and a half off. Her supervisor didn't seem to care much that we were supposed to be closing and the loan application hadn't been touched; Two months ... 08/31/2010

Palm Harbor Florida's Oak Trail Books and the Witch's Brew is one place that I just can't get enough of! Not only is it one of the places I use to meet client's and colleagues for a cup of tea but it is a great place to treat yourself to a cup of ice cream on a hot day after showing homes for a couple of hours! The Witch's Brew also offers wine and really wonderful sweets, many of them made from Florida's tasty Key Limes! Lesley Klein opened Oak Trail Books in 1996 in historic downtown Palm Harbor Florida and I have been going there ever since it was first opened!!! In 2007 she officially opened the Witch's Brew as a local meeting spot! Everyone loves this whimsical shop! Let your imagine run away with itself! Come by and try a fantastic slice of Key Lime pie or a glass of red wine! Bri... 08/30/2010

Florida's IBIS is a beautiful bird and this morning as I was heading to the clubhouse at East Lake Woodlands for our contract class I passed field of IBIS having their breakfast on the East Lake Woodlands golf course! Needless to say, I pulled over and started taking photos. I have never seen so many IBIS in one group as I did this morning! It was obvious that all of the rain during the last several days had brought many insects to the surface and the IBIS were taking advantage of this! This is just one more reason why I love living down here in subtropical Florida!!!!   08/26/2010

Charles Rutenberg Realty held a contract class today at East Lake Woodlands Country Club and well over 100 agents attended! We covered the new Far/Bar As-Is contract as well as the new FloridaBar-1 contract and the new Comprehensive Rider to the Residential Contract for Sale & Purchase Short Sale Addendum. Attorney Michael Heath went over these contracts, explaining the changes that have taken place and answering questions. Charles Rutenberg Realty offers continuing educational classes like this often and Michael Heath is our expert attorney. Today Stephen Kyle Hachey, P.A. was also present to cover the short sale contracts with Michael Heath. The allotted time for class flew by which is always the case! Lunch was provided during the break and then the afternoon session continued. Durin... 08/26/2010

Palm Harbor Florida homes for sale currently include 522 single family homes and 509 townhomes, condos and villas. While this looks like a large amount of properties on the market, one must also remember that Palm Harbor covers the northern Pinellas County section from the Gulf of Mexico (Ozona is part of Palm Harbor as is -depending on who you ask- Crystal Beach) all the way to the east side of Lake Tarpon to the communities along the East Lake Corridor. Of those 522 single family homes currently on the market, they range in price from $4,387,000 to $49,900. There is indeed something to fit every budget in Palm Harbor Florida! Along with probably having the only home in the area with Middle Age replica guards at the front door, Palm Harbor also has A-rated schools, including Palm Harbo... 08/25/2010

NEWS:   BIG news on the FHA front. If you have possible FHA buyers shopping around, (or if you are one!) they need to get into contract ASAP – Come Sept 7th there are some MAJOR changes happening. The govt’s way of ‘helping’ is actually ‘hurting’ …are you surprised? Example:                                          FHA TODAY:                                             FHA ON 9/7/10: Base Loan                        $150,000.00                                               $150,000.00 + FHA financed prem              $3,375.00   2.25%                                     $1,500.00   1.00% Total Loan Amount             $153,375.00                                              $151,500.00 P&I Payment                          $ 777.13                                                     $767.... 08/19/2010

Sutherland Bayou Park & Public Boat Ramp is located on Alternate 19 between Ozona and Crystal Beach. It is open to the public and for a small fee boaters can launch their boat and be in St Joseph's Sound and the Gulf of Mexico in minutes. Since I am often asked by buyers where they can launch if they don't have waterfront property I thought I would take a few photos of this local boat ramp. Sutherland Bayou separates Ozona (on the south side of the bayou) from Crystal Beach (on the north side of Sutherland Bayou). There are many homes that are right on the water, among the mangroves. The homes above are on the Crystal Beach side of the bayou while those below belong to Ozona. There are also some public docks at the boat ramp that are, as the sign says, available on a first come first se... 08/02/2010

You know--it has seemed as though things are picking up a bit, and the stats don't lie!  Sale of residential homes are at only a two-month inventory in Palm Harbor, Florida right now.  Here are some groovy numbers for ya: 241 is the number of actively marketed listings 79 is the number of listings under contract, with contingencies (likely short sales) 72 is the number for pending sales, (normally within 30 days); and 77 is the number of homes SOLD in the past 60 days This means nearly half of the Palm Harbor market was either sold and closed in the past 60 days, or is under contract to close in the next 60 days.  That's GOOD!!  Well, good if you're a seller, or waiting breathlessly for the market to start turning back upward...because the good word is: "IT IS!"  At least in Palm Harbor... 07/18/2010