The Beach Show Episode 135- We’re On The Green!

Hot Deal #1 Bay Point waterfront home with fabulous views priced at $899,000

4BD/4BA + 2 1/2 BA custom built home designed for enjoyment & entertaining
Boasts over 3800 sq ft, in-ground pool, private courtyard & hot tub, nice tile throughout
Massive outdoor covered patio & deck, enjoy award winning golf & resort living!
(Courtesy of Keller Williams Success Realty)

Hot Deal #2 The Glades home located on 15th fairway of Hombre Golf Course – $179,000

Garden home on cul-de-sac w/3BD/2BA and 1600+ sq ft, plus Florida room, double garage
In ground gunite pool w/heater & screened enclosure, windows treated with hurricane film
Home in need of repairs, but priced accordingly, mostly cosmetic in nature – great buy!
(The PCB Realty Experts, LLC)

Hot Deal #3 Original developer’s model unit in Wild Heron on Shark’s Tooth Golf Course

Features $40K in developer upgrades, new tile flooring throughout living, granite counters
SS appliances, beautiful decor and upscale furnishings, sold FULLY furnished
2BD/2BA + bonus room, spacious open living area, covered patio, 2-car garage – $328,000
(Courtesy of Beachy Beach Real Estate)

Marina Cantina Coming soon to Grand Lagoon!

There is a new, hot Mexican restaurant coming to Panama City Beach in just a few days! I am as excited as an avocado….do they get excited?

Anyhow, having a mother that makes excellent home made salsa and with myself, having the inclination to put jalapenos on anything that doesn’t move…..I could not help but jump up and down when I found out that Jeff Freidrich, a seasoned Restaurateur was opening a nice Mexican Restaurant on Grand Lagoon at Capt. Andersons Marina.

Knowing that Friedrich had ran a chain of successful, Gourmet pizza restaurants in Seattle , I posed the question, “Why Mexican?” He said that he saw the space and just knew he could do something great with it. He asked himself, “What do we like to eat?”. “What do we have a taste for that is not readily available in PCB?” “How could we bring it here?” These are the questions that lead him to the answer…….Marina Cantina, Modern Mexican Cuisine and Tequila Bar.

In the past, Friedrich mentioned he and his family had to drive into Panama City or down Highway 30A for gourmet mexican fare. He wanted to be able to bring a nice, modern restaurant for our local PCB beachgoers with a discerning taste, and yet still make it casual enough that you could enjoy one of their signature margaritas in their flip flops.

The restaurant will not only have a full bar inside, with the largest tequila selection on the beach, but Marina Cantina will also boast a full bar outside, for patrons to enjoy nightly live entertainment on the dockside patio overlooking Grand Lagoon.

From what I have learned about this upcoming, modern mecca for authentic, Mexican cookery and a good time, is that there will always be SOMETHING going on. In addition to providing a variety of live entertainment options for their customers, Marina Cantina will feature daily happy hour drink and appetizer specials. Their menu, which is said to have been inspired by South American street vendors will include fare made from scratch using fresh ingredients. Vegetarian and kid friendly options will also be available. You can get a taste of what they have to offer, starting April 30th, Monday through Saturday, from 11 am to 11 pm. They will also serve brunch on Sundays, starting at 10 am. I know where I am going to eat after church now!!

As I sat down with Jeff and listened to him talk about his new place, I could feel goose bumps inching there way up to my skins’ surface. Here was a man that was passionate about his business, who believed in it, with every inch of his being. Tableside gaucamole delicious. Live entertainment every night….too cool. But a person that is completely and wholly invested in their business with the desire to serve their community…well, that is amazing. If the enchiladas are half as intense as Friedrich’s enthusiasm, the tables at Marina Cantina will surely be full.

I will you let know about those enchiladas after I try them and touch back in next week. Until then, why not open up your Facebook and LIKE them or give them a call: 850 – 249- 5500. If you are as excited as I am and want to enter your email at a chance to win tickets to the Family and Friends Pre-Grand Opening Party THIS weekend…..go to their website, http://www.marinacantinapcb.com/ to enter!

New Series: Your Business on the Web

Anyone in business knows the web has changed and will continue to change the way they interact with customers. We live in an age where consumers are more empowered than ever, capable of searching through the fluff and using real time reviews to persuade their buying decisions. Any business that isn’t trying to keep up with technologies is getting left behind faster than ever. Question is, how do you stay up-to-date and aware of these constant changes? How do you create a brand on the web that is lasting and real? How do you use the web to create honest-to-goodness conversion? If you don’t know the answer to these, good news my friend, help is on the way.

If You Didn’t Already Know Me

Most of you who read PCBDaily.com know me as it’s most handsome and debonair writer, but, I actually spend much of my time developing the web. I own a successful creative web studio, http://novelavenue.com, contribute to wordpress.com, design and develop web applications and have I have given countless seminars and workshops to businesses all across the country. I’ve won all sorts of design and development awards and receive regular client hi-fives. I have created and promoted brands, designed and developed dozens of websites locally and internationally, and work with clients and firms from places I can’t even pronounce.

Much of what I do centers around a simple web philosophy: it all works together. When I build a website or a web application, I consider more than just the build itself, but the end goal. How will this site promote itself, how will it lend itself to customer’s desires, how will we spread the brand out to make it accessible?

The reality is, a website is more than just a virtual brochure. It is your new storefront. It is, in most cases, the point of contact for your visitors and extends far beyond the pages of the site and into your social media presence, your ad campaigns and so much more.

I have seen and been contributor to incredible results and now I want to help you.

What The Series Will Discuss

This series is all about education.

Helping you understand how to leverage social media, email marketing, tips on how to engage consumers and create a web brand is the only purpose. It occurred to me during a recent seminar that, even now, many people I meet don’t know the meaning of SEO, retargeting or why having an authentic social presence can increase their business leaps and bounds. I receive questions like, “what can I do with my website to get more people”, “how can I get more fans on facebook”, “why should I be on twitter”, or “Isn’t email dead?” To me, the answers are simple, but to business owners, they neither have the time to learn or the money to pay a consultant and are left standing still while technology passes them by.

The truth is, your business on the web goes beyond traditional marketing and it’s value far greater than one-off ROI. In this series I will teach you web tricks, internet marketing techniques, give you the newest updates on technologies and answer any questions you may have about your web presence.

The first article in the series will be aimed right at the heart of the web business: Your website. What makes a website user friendly, what changes can you make on your current site for it to be more captivating and engrossing, and, most importantly, how can you get more people to your site and into a trackable conversion.

If you have any specific topics you’d like for me to discuss, feel free to drop a comment and I will see if I can make magic happen.

ZooWorld Needs Our Help This Saturday

I know you’ve been looking for some fun community service to partake in, and this is your chance. Zoo World, our local zoo is hosting a community service project this Saturday, let by the Panama City Beach Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Every year, they do a Day of Service project where they look for a ‘big’ project in the community in which they can serve however needed.

Home to over 260 animals including several exotic and endangered species, they are a non-profit zoo open daily to the public. Some of the residents include a white bengal tiger, African lioness, florida black bear, and a giraffe who frequently pokes his head to take a peek at the cars traveling on Allison Road. Annually they have a variety of programs and events that draw crowds large and small.

What we’re doing this weekend.

As mention, Zoo World is a non-profit zoo, therefore funding is light. Staffed mostly by caring volunteers, they are in dire need of help doing general grounds clean up. As you know, they are in the middle of a pine forest which results in pinecones, pine straw and other debris resting all over the place. The cleanup of this is just overwhelming. So, we’re going to help clean it all up!

This upcoming Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, we need volunteers to come out and help clean up. All you need to do is bring yourself, some gloves, some tools to help cleanup (if you have them), and water. Parents, bring your kids, but make sure they know they are here to work! 🙂

Here is what we’ll be doing.

Picking up pine cones
Raking and cleaning up pine straw
Power washing
Painting
Laying sod (if we get the sod in in-time)

Here is what you should bring.

Gloves
Rakes (if you have them)
Other cleanup tools (if you have them)
Water or something to keep hydrated

Event details.

When: 9 am to 1 pm

Where: Zoo World — — 9008 Front Beach Road

What: Zoo World Community Cleanup Project

Why: Because they need help, and you like helping.

What to bring: yourself, gloves, rakes, cleanup tools, and water

Who to contact for more information.

If you need more information, please call Zoo World directly and ask for Stephani. Their number is 850-230-1243.

Or, just comment below.

Image credit. 🙂

Free Canoe and Kayak Trips at Old Cypress Canoe Rental’s Creek Cleanup

If you have never seen the absolutely beautiful Cypress Springs on Holmes Creek, now is the best time. This weekend, Old Cypress Canoe Rentals is sponsoring a Creek Cleanup Grand Opening, an effort designed to clean up the creek while showcasing one of the area’s most incredible natural settings.

Begins This Saturday at 8am

The Cleanup is this Saturday, April 28th with free standup paddleboards (provided by http://www.wowpaddleboards.com/)and Sunday the 29th. Sunday will include free kayaks, free canoes, free food and prizes.

Attire: Swimsuit or equivalent
Bring: Sunscreen, bugspray, dip nets, cameras and a great attitude.

Call 850-388-2072 To Reserve

The Creek Cleanup will begin at the headquarters of Old Cypress at 2728 Traverse Drive Vernon, FL 32462
To reserve your free trip, call 850-388-2072 or head over to their website at http://oldcypresscanoe.com

We’re Looking for Aqua, Splash and Majestic Owners [RENTALS]

Our vacation rental business is growing leaps and bounds and we’re gearing up for summer! We are looking to bring on some fantastic condos in a few fabulous resorts, specifically Aqua, Splash and Majestic Beach Resort.

There are a variety of reasons we love these resorts, including the fact they are all very nice, tend to rent extremely well and guests love to return to them year after year.

A little about who we are.

As you have come to know, one of our sister companies (my company to be specific 😉 ) is a short term vacation rental company. We manage 30+ amazing rental condos on the beach in a variety of resort locations. Our successful management program is unique in many ways and we’re looking to expand. We offer complete and full service management, handling everything from rentals, maintenance, upkeep and cleaning.

There are a lot of things that set us apart from our competition, but a few of the major differences between us and many other management companies are:

We charge a low, flat rate management fee of $397 per month, regardless of size and revenue
Our marketing is second to none, innovative and always on the cutting edge

You can read more about who we are and why our marketing is awesome on our Owner’s page.

What about our marketing that’s so awesome.

You’ve heard the success stories of property owners managing their condos themselves. They list it on VRBO, give their property tons of TLC, follow up rigorously with their rental leads and they book their condo extremely well.

As you may (or may not) know, this is all a ton of work and it’s something for which we have an extremely good system and work that system full time. The reason why our program is so successful is that we combine all the great things of managing a property individually with the scalability of a great system found in larger companies. The result is more bookings, higher revenue, better care for your property and less costs.

Each of our properties are marketed individually. This is done several ways and ensures that the condo that you’ve worked so hard to make awesome is rewarded for that hard work.

Each property on our vacation rental program gets:

Their own page on our website
An HD video tour
High resolution photos
An exclusive email database (created from inquiries)
VRBO listing (paid for by owner)
Album on our Facebook page

This individual attention creates a ton of work when bringing on new properties but translates to higher bookings and, of course, higher revenue than you’ve seen before. In most cases, we command a higher price than the competition because we pack so much value into a guest’s stay!

Plus we own PCBDaily and use it to leverage all sorts of opportunities for our guests.

Why We’re looking to expand in Aqua, Splash and Majestic.

We work hard to look for properties in great destinations. Each of these three resorts have characteristics that lend perfectly to performing well for vacation rentals.

When it comes to sophisticated luxury, Aqua is second to none in Panama City Beach. When you walk in, you’re greeted with a refined style that just isn’t found anywhere else. The surfaces, colors, accents and modern amenities make this resort an attractive, complete package.

Splash Resort is extremely well-known for being family-friendly and a blast for kids of all ages. The large-resort feel, tons of water play areas and quiet location in Panama City Beach make it perfect for families to vacation and property owners to enjoy fantastic rental performance.

Majestic Beach Resort is just huge. The amenity list seems to go on forever, and guests that stay at Majestic talk about it for weeks when they get home. Majestic is one of those resorts guests ask for year after year and condos in this resort perform well for owners, their management companies and the companies that service them.

Why we are a great fit for you.

The flat-rate fee does a couple of wonderful things for us and our owner-clients.

It saves our owner clients money almost 100% of the time
It gives us a projectable business model that works year round (you know we aren’t going anywhere)

And don’t worry about it not giving us the motivation to book your condo. If we don’t book you’re condo, you’re not going to be happy, then you’ll leave us. Unhappy owner-clients make an unhappy Jason. 😦

Our goal is to book 100% during peak season times. And so far, we’ve almost always achieved that. Now that’s cause for a smiley face. 🙂

How to find out more information.

So we’ve piqued your interest. Great. For more information, hop on over to our rentals website, or give us a shout at 850-238-6250.

Top 10 States for Panama City Beach

As I was looking through some stats for our past guests for Panama City Beach Luxury Properties and visitation stats on PCBDaily.com, I found it fascinating the top interested states in our little beach town. I always love looking at these types of stats, don’t you?

We talk to guests all the time that drive for literally12 hours or more to come to our beautiful beaches. I know that with airfare prices the way they are, flying with several kids just isn’t always economical.

Top 10 states visiting Panama City Beach

In Panama City Beach, we see people come here from all over the world, but it should come as no surprise that the majority of the folks that come here are fed to us through close-proximity drive-to markets. Over the last year (including last summer), here is a breakdown of where all our guests have come from.

1	Georgia	31%
2	Alabama	24%
3	Tennessee	13%
4	Florida	6%
5	Indiana	5%
6	Kentucky	4%
7	Texas	3%
8	Illinois	2%
9	Ohio	2%
10	Ontario	2%

Panama City Beach Mayor Election – Oberst Wins!

In what I would consider a landslide win, Mayor Oberst takes the election grabbing over 54% of the entire voting turn-out. The elections were today, and issues involved ranged from future development to spring break.

The Mayoral election results.

Sharon Hagstrom	19	(0.901%)
Ken Nelson	808	(38.34%)
Gayle F. Oberst	1,158	(54.95%)
Travis Schofer	122	(5.790%)

Panama City Beach City Council results.

Council Member, Ward 2

Phil Chester	878	(43.25%)
Rick Russell	1,152	(56.74%)

Council Member, Ward 4

Ed Benjamin	389	(19.01%)
Keith Curry	891	(43.54%)
Debbie Sasser	766	(37.43%)

Didn’t Win Jazz Fest Tix? Here’s Another Chance!

Our Seabreeze Jazz Festival ticket giveaway went extremely well. We had hundreds of impressions across the social webs and awarded the two free 4-day passes to one lucky winner!

But, many of you wanted the Jazz Fest tickets, but didn’t get them. So, we have another way to get your jazzy hands on some free tickets!

For our guests that stay with us at Panama City Beach Luxury Properties, on a 3 night minimum, we have 2 free four-day passes for you!

Here are some of the properties available.

Below are the places we have available. The prices include all taxes and fees and is based on a 3 night minimum. The rates are actually lower on a nightly basis the longer you stay. 🙂 We have a limited supply of tickets, so first come first serve.

Seahaven 909 (or 909 or 905) — Studio — $120/nt — — Click to view

Seahaven 716 — 1 bedroom — $140/nt — — Click to view

Claire’s Beach Cottage — 4 bedroom House — $300/nt — — Click to view

Summertowne 15 — 2 bedroom House — $170/nt — — Click to view (literally right next door to the jazz fest, walk in minutes)

Emerald Beach 1929 — 1 bedroom — $160/nt — — Click to view

Emerald Beach 1936 — 2 bedroom — $178/nt — — Click to view

Emerald Beach 2025 — 2 bedroom — $178/nt — — Click to view

Emerald Beach 930 — 2 bedroom — $178/nt — — Click to view

Majestic 1402 — 4 bedroom — $293/nt — — Click to view

How to book.

If you’re ready to book, just click on the links above or give us a call at 850-238-6250.

Great Homes on The Beach Show!

Hot Deal #1 Great Caribbean style home with short stroll to the beach priced at $289,000

Very well maintained home constructed in 2004, reverse floor plan, tile & wood flooring
3BD/2-1/2BA, SS appliances, large breakfast bar & open design, large decks
Hurricane shutters, 16X32 gunite salt water pool w/fenced yard perfect for entertaining
(Courtesy of Beachy Beach Real Estate)

Hot Deal #2 Sweet nearly new Laguna Beach home just 2 blocks to beach listed at $219,000

Built in 2010, like new block and concrete home with metal roof, oversized 1-car garage
Open floor plan, 2BD/2BA design, nice screened porch in back, fully furnished/rental ready
Very close to Laguna’s dedicated beach access, great west end location!
(Courtesy of Beachy Beach Real Estate)

Hot Deal #3 Head North to enjoy this lovely home on over an acre lot – $172,000

3BD/2BA home with over 1500 sq ft, split floor plan, cathedral ceilings & fireplace in den
Bright & airy kitchen with functional island, large master BD w/nice walk-in closet
2-car garage w/extra storage shed, covered patio to watch the beautiful sunsets from
(Courtesy of Beachy Beach Real Estate)

1	Florida	37.39%
2	Georgia	14.53%
3	Alabama	7.07%
4	Tennessee	4.61%
5	Texas	3.58%
6	Illinois	3.00%
7	Ohio	2.87%
8	Kentucky	2.40%
9	California	2.10%
10	Indiana	1.79%

Month: April 2012