Month: August 2009

Governor Crist Visits New Airport – Called It "Awesome"

Florida Governor Charlie Crist visited the Panama City-Bay County International airport today and upon surveying the nearly completed site, said emphatically, “This is awesome.”  With few invited to be in attendance, the energy was high in anticipation and excitement to see what the Governor thought of not only the newest airport in the state of Florida, but the first airport built from scratch in the USA in 14 years.

Hosted by the Economic Development Alliance (EDA), the Govornor was invited to tour the new airport terminal and the Naval Surface Warfare Center.

In attendance was Jerry Ray, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communication of St. Joe, Representative Jimmy Patronis, Representative Marti Coley, Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill, Airport Authority Vice Chairman Bill Cramer, TDC CEO Dan Rowe, and various other local officials, board members and the like.  Everyone was excited to show of the growing new addition to Panama City that will open in just 8 short months.

The goal of today’s get together was to show the Govornor the “economic engine” that will not only catapult our little area to the big map, but also drive jobs and economic growth to Panama City Beach.  Representative remarked today that he had “goosebumps” as he had not been up there since they broke ground.  I’m sure it was an amazing sight to see having not been there for that long.  I feel honored that the airport authority has been so gracious in allowing pcbdaily to cover the progress so closely.

Sometimes it is easy to forget just how close we are to planes landing at the new airport.  Today, Chairman Tannehill made mention to Crist that the airport will open May 18, 2010.

“We are on schedule and under budget,” said Chairman Joe Tannehill to Governor Crist during the period he had to brief the Governor on what was happening on site.  “We are all set to open May 18th, 2010.”

“I travel the state quite a bit and to see what’s happening in Bay County is nothing short of phenomenal,” remarked Gov. Crist.

On a side note, I was able to get a little time with Chairman Tannehill, Board member Rick Koehnemann, and Jerry Ray and all three agreed that a new brand and name was needed for the new airport to depict a more regional presence.  Chairman Tannehill said that this was something that would be discussed in the near future.

Suggest your names in the comments section below!

Is the New PCB Airport Still on Schedule?

Panama City-Bay County International Airport is still on time to meet its completion date. Taken from a recent article on the NEW-PFN website, here is an updated rundown of construction on the new site.

Contract 1: Heavy Civil and Airfield Lighting
Approximately 91% of contract is complete with 80% of contract time used.

Pond C grading is 99% complete.
Installing Airfield Edge Lighting Conduit and Plazas
Continuing installation of Airside underdrain pipe
Terminal Apron concrete pad is complete
Morrell and Kelly Branch restoration continues

Contract 2: Terminal Building, ATCT and Support Buildings
Approximately 47% of contract is complete with 52% of contract time used.

Terminal:

In the utility area completed form work and compaction and preparing for concrete pour.
Continuing metal framing on 1st and 2nd levels.
In the baggage handling area continuing exterior CMU walls. Work is 60% complete.

Air Traffic Control Tower:

Preparing for concrete pour of stairs and deck Levels 2,3 and 4.
Installing decking and metal stairs floors 5-9.

Terminal Support Facilities:

Air Maintenance Facility – continuing electrical rough-in walls at maintenance office and bays.
Air Cargo Facility – continuing with the installation of MR gypsum wall board.

Rental Car Facility:

Beginning the erection of the pre-engineered metal building.

Public Safety Building:

Continuing block installation at 2nd level administration area.

Manpower:

An average of 155 personnel are on site Monday through Friday and approximately three workers are on site on Saturday.

Contract 3: Utility Contract
Approximately 57% of contract work is complete with 54% of contract time used.

3W2? Power Distribution Duct Bank is 95% complete; installation of wiring by Gulf Power is ongoing.
Street Light Duct Work is 98% complete; light poles being installed (approx. 6-8 per day).
6W4? Power Distribution Duct Bank is 100% complete.
Jack and boring on Main Access Road for fire hydrant installation.
24? Water Main is 98% complete.
12? water main is 99% complete.
30? water main is 90% complete; installation continuing on the utility road.

Lift Station:

Lift Station is 50% complete; plumbing is being installed.

Fuel Farm:

Fuel Farm is 25% complete; electrical work is in progress.

Booster Station:

Booster Station is 40% complete; concrete roofs are poured.

Triturator:

Triturator is 10% complete; vault installation is underway.

Contract 4: Landscape/Hardscape Contract
Approximately 7% of the work is complete with 11% of the contract time used.

Construction is underway on overflow weirs on Main Access Road
Performing soil preparation on Main Access Road.
Hydro seeding of Main Access Road is underway.
Installing aquatic plants at main entrance.

Pier Park's Fall/Winter Calendar of Events on Panama City Beach

What’s Coming at Pier Park

September

-Sept. 19th- Gulf Coast Community College Commodore Sun Run 5k, 10k & Fun Run

– Sept. 24th through 27th- Thunder Beach Fall Rally. Bike display and custom bike competition in the promo area.

October

– Oct. 3rd- Woodlawn Church Family Fall Festival. Rides, bounce houses, free food and drinks, contests and entertainment for the whole family. Held at Aaron Bessant Park. Open to the public.

– Oct. 9th, 10th & 11th- Seafood Wine & Music Festival. Held at Frank Brown Park. Gates open at 4pm to 11pm on Friday, 11am to 11pm on Saturday & 11am to 6pm on Sunday. For more info. please visit http://www.panamacitybeachfest.com or call 1.800.PCBEACH

– Oct. 10th- Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Pink ribbons will be hung in the promo area in remembrance of Cancer victims and in support of Cancer survivors. Ribbons may be purchased at Unique Boutique by Irene & Co. After the ribbon hanging ceremony, there will be pink cookies, cupcakes and pink lemonade served at Unique Boutique.

– Oct. 15th- Treasa Foundation Walk. Charity walk to benefit research of still-born babies. Walk begins at 4 pm

– Oct. 16th- Heart Walk- 2.75 mile route will go through Pier Park. Registration begins at 5:30 pm. Walk begins at 6:30.

-Oct. 17th- Girls Inc. Half Marathon. Join Girls Inc. for our Inaugural Half Marathon & Relay at Pier Park in Panama City Beach. The run begins at 8:00 am. For more information contact Girls Inc. at (850) 769-6703 or girlsinc@girlsincofbaycounty.org. To register go to http://www.active.com

– Oct. 24th- Boo at the Beach. Bring the kids out to the promo/green grass area to enjoy a hay bale maze, pumpkin carving, spooky stories, arts & crafts and a pet costume contest. 11 am to 2 pm.

-Oct. 24th- Rescues & Runways. Hosted by Maurice’s this fashion show will benefit the local Humane Society.

– Oct. 31st- Malloween. Trick or Treating throughout the property, hay bale maze, and costume contests for the kids. 6 pm to 8 pm.

November

– Nov. 6th-Taste of the Beach. This venue will be an international wine tasting experience with over 300 wines to taste and food samplings from various Bay County restaurants. Proceeds from the tasting go to benefit various local charities dedicated to helping underprivileged children. 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

– Nov. 9th through 15th- Emerald Coast Cruizin. Classic car show to be held at Frank Brown Park.

– Nov. 11th- 4pm. Emerald Coast Cruizin Parade. Parade of classic cars down the Pier Park boardwalk.

-Nov. 20th-22nd- Modonarro. Italian street painting fair featuring 3-D sidewalk chalk art. Presented by the Visual Arts Center of Bay County.

-Nov. 21st- St. Jude 5K Run

– Nov. 27th- Black Friday- The busiest shopping day of the year featuring lots of special sales and door busters.

– Nov. 27th- Santa’s Arrival and Breakfast. Santa will arrive on property at 10am for cookies and hot chocolate with all the naughty and nice boys and girls. He will then be available for pictures at the Santa House located on the boardwalk.

– Nov. 27th-2nd Annual Mayors Tree Lighting. The PCB Mayor will light the 20ft. Christmas tree located in Town Center at 6 pm. Holiday carolers will also perform to help ring in the holiday season.

– Nov. 28th- Rescue Mission Festival of Trees. Christmas trees that have been decorated by local businesses will be on display and auctioned off in the promo area. All proceeds go to benefit the Rescue Mission.

December

– Dec. 5th & 12th- 5pm to 7pm. Pet Photos with Santa. Bring your furry friends out to have their picture made with Santa at the Santa house on the boardwalk.

– Dec. 5th & 6th- Run for Redfish Half-Marathon

– Dec. 12th- 4pm. Panama City Beach Christmas Parade. Parade will begin in Town Center and travel throughout Pier Park down the Boardwalk to Front Beach Road.

Massage Envy hosts Massage for the Cure benefitting Susan G. Komen

Massage Envy at Pier Park hosts Massage for the Cure benefitting Susan G. Komen for the Cure on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

During this one-day event, Massage Envy will offer $35 one-hour therapeutic massage sessions, with $10 from each massage being donated directly to the Panama City Beach, FL affiliates of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The event is open to the public, but does require an appointment with Massage Envy.

Since the first Massage for the Cure event in 2005, Massage Envy has raised more than $800,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Appointments can be made by contacting the Pier Park Massage Envy at (850) 563-0070, or visit www.MassageEnvy.com.

Panama City Beach TDC: Y Partnership is O-U-T

On Thursday morning the TDC Marketing Committee met to decide on three potential agencies to run Panama City Beach future campaigns. While there were nearly two dozen requests for qualifications, only the top three would be chosen. Among those top chosen, there was one glaring omission: Y Partnership. The agency that has handled all of Panama City Beach’s Creative/Media Campaigns as well as Public Relations is, unofficially, out.

The top three agencies, broken into two disciplines, were chosen by the committee to give a presentation to the board for a final decision. The agencies broke down as follows:

Creative/Media

1. Fahlgren

2. Beber Silverstein

3. LKM

Public Relations

1. Hayworth

2. Lou Hammond

3. Fahlgren

Although the committee initially thought to have separate agencies for each discipline, Fahlgren proved itself to be capable of doing both after being the chosen Agency at VisitFlorida for 10 years. No contracts talks have started but the length of contracts could be 2-3 years with an extension clause. The chosen agencies will give presentations to the board the week of September 7th, where the board will rank the three and try to ink a deal with the top agency.

Panama City Beach TDC will continue to use Y Partnership through September 30th.

Rowland Publishing Awarded From The Florida Magazine Association

Rowland Publishing, the premier publisher of upscale lifestyle magazines in Northwest Florida, brought home five prestigious awards from the Florida Magazine Association’s Charlie Awards banquet at the conclusion of their annual conference on Friday night. The awards included top state honors for its newest title, 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida.

“We are honored to have our work recognized by the Florida Magazine Association after being evaluated by top professionals in the industry; it reinforces that our team is achieving the excellence we strive for each and every day,” said Brian Rowland, President of Rowland Publishing and publisher of the magazines. “We are particularly
proud of the top wins we achieved for 850, our newest magazine covering business in the Northwest Florida region, which was launched in the midst of an economic downturn.”

The wins included:

1st Place Gold “Charlie” Award: Best Overall Magazine (Consumer, less than 20,000 circulation), 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida

1st Place Gold “Charlie” Award: Best Written Magazine (Consumer, less than 50,000 circulation), 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida

1st Place Gold “Charlie” Award: “Best Humor” for the “Toilet Squirrel” column in Tallahassee Magazine by staffer Beth Nabi (November/December 2008 issue)

2nd Place Silver Award: Best Feature (Consumer, less than 20,000 circulation) for “Sculpting Seaside” about Seaside founders Robert and Daryl Davis by Linda Kleindienst in Emerald Coast Magazine (April/May 2009 issue)

3rd Place Bronze Award: Best Feature (Consumer, less than 20,000 circulation) for “Cat Ranching” about Caboodle Ranch in Madison County by Rosanne Dunkelberger in Tallahassee Magazine (January/February 2009 issue)

According to the Florida Magazine Association, the coveted annual Charlie Awards “represent the pinnacle of achievement in Florida magazine publishing.” The 2009 entries, representing work from May 2008 to April 2009, were judged by an independent panel of 26 top industry professionals – from writers and editors to photographers and
designers – from outside the state of Florida. Founded in 1954, the Florida Magazine Association is the largest state magazine association in the nation. Rowland Publishing has five city/regional magazines in Northwest Florida: Tallahassee Magazine, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year (bimonthly); Emerald Coast
Magazine (bimonthly), covering the Destin/Fort Walton Beach/South Walton area; Bay Life Magazine (quarterly), covering the Panama City/Panama City Beach/Lynn Haven area; and Forgotten Coast Magazine (annual), covering Wakulla, Franklin, and Gulf counties. Its newest title, which is beginning its second year of publishing by increasing
frequency to bimonthly, is 850 – The Business Magazine of Northwest Florida, which covers the 16-county region from Pensacola to Monticello that largely reflects the area code for which it is named. In addition, Rowland Publishing produces high-end publications for a select group of clients in Northwest Florida, including Sandestin Golf
and Beach Resort, the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, the Panama City Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau, The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach, the Tallahassee Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, and more.

Episode #20 – Huge Home with Gulf Views only $182k

This week’s features:

  • Deal 1 – 4 Bed 2.5 Bath Gulf-view home $182k
  • Deal 2 – 3 Bed Gulf-front condo at Majestic less than $300k
  • Deal 3 – Huge NICE Newer home with screened in pool $125/foot

The Beach Show is your ONLY internet TV show all about Real Estate on Panama City Beach.

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Remember, it doesn’t cost anything to work with us if you are a buyer.

Click the “more” tag for show notes and pictures.

Call us at 850-527-5651 to see these properties or for anything else you need regarding real estate in Panama City Beach.

Show Notes

Deal 1 – 4 Bed 2.5 Bath Gulf-view home $181k

  • List Price: $181,800
  • Square Feet: 1,935
  • Price/SqFt: $93.95
  • 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Bath
  • Built in 2006
  • This huge home is right on Beach Drive on the East end of Panama City Beach. This is an Attached Single Family home that is three stories with tons of square footage. From the second floor balcony you have a peek of the gulf, but that peek turns into more of a view the higher up you are. Off the third floor balcony is a staircase that takes you up to a roof terrace that offers remarkable views of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. This townhome has new carpet and is in great shape.

Deal 2 – 3 Bed Gulf-front condo at Majestic less than $300k

  • List Price: $289,000
  • Square Feet: 1,185
  • Price/SqFt: $243.88
  • 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bath
  • Built in 2005
  • 3 bedroom 2 bath gulf-front condos that are less than $300k are a rare find in Panama City Beach, much less in a great resort such as Majestic Beach Resort. This property has tons of larger than life amenities and was actually recently featured on SeePCB.com. This condo comes with a home warranty and is rental ready. The furniture is not included with the price, but we’ve been told that is negotiable with a good offer.

Deal 3 – Huge NICE Newer home with screened in pool $125/foot

  • List Price: $242,000
  • Square Feet: 1,936
  • Price/SqFt: 125.00
  • 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bath
  • Built in 2002
  • This amazing home is very spacious with huge 20 foot ceilings in the main living area and awesome wrap around porches on the first and second floors. The pool is in perfect shape screened in to keep the bugs out. If you are looking for someone to take care of that pool, call James Watson with WatsonPoolCare.com. This home is situated on a double lot that measures 80 x 120 feet and is in a quite west end neighborhood.

Call us at 850-527-5651 to see these properties or for anything else you need regarding real estate in Panama City Beach.

The Mystery of The Right Price – How to sell your home

Here comes that PRICE word again!!!

Forgive me for coming back to an old topic at the risk of repeating myself. . . I will because it is oh so important. It is a perplexing and exciting time in Real Estate right now. Comparative Market Analysis are pumped out over the computer and printer more than ever to determine the value of a sellers home and also to determine what your buyer should reasonably offer on a property. I know many of you are tired of hearing it, but PRICE is everything today and getting it right to start with is even more important.

When I go to a listing presentation I come armed with a stack of statistics that point out what the market is with valid accurate data as well as common knowledge of the market. I do this because it is my job to the best of my ability to lead my seller into making an accurate pricing decision. Even with all that information and the News blaring the facts, it is very difficult for a seller to believe that his property is really worth so much less than he paid for it. People are still holding on to what they paid for it which has NOTHING to do with the value. Bottom line, trust your Realtor she really does want to give you value service by giving you accurate information that will help you.

Before I even go see my customers I call some of my trusted Realtor cronies to see what they have to say about the value of a home. Most of the time we are very close and mostly because we have all watched deals come and go because of failure to appraise. It makes sense to clear these issues up before you get to the bargaining table so I still suggest that the seller get an appraisal from a professional so the price is right to start with.

My main push for the importance of this is the same as it was half a year ago when I brought it up. IF you have decided to sell your home then the best time to price it right is when you list it and not after it has languished on the market for several months. While your home is priced wrong all the qualified buyers are walking right past your home to the next one down the street. The right price is also a protection to the Seller to make sure he gets the maximum dollar for his home. And again the really good news is if you are selling low then you get to buy low.

I hear the arguments already brewing: But Karen, what about style, quality, location and all those things that buyers look for. Your right, buyers still want a beautiful home in a nice area with great amenities and they can have that but they are not willing to pay more than the market value for all of that. It may sound at first that us Realtors are not on the side of the sellers but we really are and we want to sell your property for the best price that we can get. We put great energy, enthusiasm and professionalism in doing so and remember the higher your sale price the higher our pay check too. The fact remains we need to price it right and do it correctly right off the bat to make a successful timely sale.

Good news abounds for there are many buyers out there that are qualified and ready to buy and they are looking for just the right deal. Most of my Realtor buddies are busier than they have been in years. Great interest rates, quality inventory and New Buyer tax credits to entice the fence straddlers are keeping the phone lines hot. Time is also running out for the New buyer Tax Credit (must close by end of November) so get those houses PRICED RIGHT NOW so they can fly off the shelf!!!!

Home Prices Post GAIN

We have received more good news on the housing market this past week beginning with Last Friday’s report from the National Association of Realtors’ report on July existing home sales which showed a jump of 7.2% over June and up 5% from July of 2008. It was the biggest month-over-month increase in existing home sales since NAR began tracking the statistic in 1999.

On Tuesday, the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed home prices increased 2.9% in the three months ending June 30th. This was the first quarter-over-quarter increase in three years providing further evidence that the housing market has since bottomed and is on the road to recovery. Late breaking news on new home sales came in this morning which showed a jump of 9.6% in July, the highest level since September 2008.

Mortgage rates have stayed in a range over the past week with only mild daily fluctuations in contrast to the increased volatility we had seen in the week prior. The Fannie Mae/ Freddie Mac conforming fixed-rate for single-family purchases stands at 5.375% with no points and the fifteen year stands at 4.625%. Rates have been helped by tame inflation reports and a well received government bond auction last week.

Rates have even managed to brush off a better than expected 4.9% increase in durable goods orders reported today with bonds actually a hair higher after the report. I expect rates will remain in their current range over the next week as they have for the past month or so. In the longer term, we will have to see if there are further signs of an improving economy and, if so, will those signs be strong enough to bring some inflationary fears back into the market. So far all indications are that though we are in the beginnings of a recovery, it will be very slow and take some time to fully rebound.