Entries by Toby Tobin

Boomers surveyed about retirement plans

National Association of Realtors® Surveys Boomers about retirement and housing plans November 16, 2000 – The roughly 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 were surveyed by Harris Interactive in a study commissioned by the National Association of Realtors®. According to the Associations chief economist, David Lereah, baby boomers "are living longer and are […]

Flagler real estate market softness led by Condos

Everyone has noticed how fast the Flagler County real estate market has turned around. What does the market look like now? The inventory of unsold properties has risen sharply in all property categories. The number of potential buyers has shrunk. The number of properties sold is down significantly in all categories. Properties are on the […]

Worst of the housing market slump is likely past says Alan Greenspan

The current downturn in the economy is November 7, 2006 – In a question and answer session at the annual Charles Schwab Impact conference in Washington on November 6th, Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Chairman said "The economy is obviously going through a significant slowing period, which as best I can tell is more than likely […]

Why we moved to Palm Coast

My next move will be in an urn, but not soon. Here’s why we chose Palm Coast. October 30, 2006 – I grew up in Rochester, NY. I had a chance to move south, to Charleston, S.C., in the mid 80’s. In Charleston, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. To see why anyone would want […]

Palm Coast Lot Sales as Indicator of Market

An important component in the price of a home is the value of the underlying land. Actual construction costs can rise for several reasons: General inflation in the economy Shortages of building materials Labor shortages Additional cost of upgrades in building codes Impact fees These all contributed to the run up in home value from 2001 to 2005. […]

Ginn Company buying Centex properties

Centex Destination Properties sells most of its local holdings. October 6, 2006 – Two days ago, I reported that Ginn had bought his way back into the Ocean Hammock Golf Course. Last night I heard that the deal is much bigger. The Ginn Company is purchasing the Ocean Hammock Golf Course, The Lodge at Ocean […]

A new Wal-Mart or Sam’s Club may be coming to Palm Coast

Walmart may have a contract on property along Old Kings Rd. South Folks have heard rumors about a new Wal-Mart or a Sam’s Club coming to Palm Coast for months. I heard that Wal-Mart has a contract on a parcel owned by Old Kings Interchange, Inc. Old Kings Interchange owns four parcels, totaling over 148 […]