Hello,

I was just going through some of the postings on Trulia and noticed your question which was from December, 2008. You time frame was stated as 18 months so you're getting close. I didn't know if you were already working with a realtor so I thought I'd send a note to inquire. I, too, moved here from Mass in September of 2002. We built a home in Halifax Plantation in Ormond Beach and have been very happy there. I worked in Worcester, MA and lived in Webster, MA which is a distance from your area.

Prices have dropped considerably from the time of your note. Traffic in Ormond Beach is not severely impacted by the events as most of the traffic is centered around the particular event which is mostly the Speedway. There is, however, some real congestion on US 1 in Ormond when Bike Week arrives. I stay away from that area at that time. It lasts 10 days.

Home prices have continued to drop since your inquiry but sales have been up for 11 straight months. Of these sales, however, over 70% have been in the under $200,000 range and many under $150,000. So, some very good deals around. Prices, however, are beginning to firm up a bit. If you're not already working with a Realtor send me a note with your requirements and I'll send you a listing cart of properties that match your requirements. Then the cart will update itself automatically so you'll be kept up to date. Just let me know at rppicard@msn.com.

As far as selling your house before you search for a new one, that depends on your particular situation. If you need the funds from the sale to finance your new home then, yes, sell it before you buy as few Sellers will accept contingency contracts today. If you can purchase your new home with available funds, however, then that would be the best because the Buyers market is not going to last forever and once the prices start to go the other way, they'll likely continue for a time and you could miss a good buy.

Regards,

Dick Picard, Realtor/GRI
Exit Beach Realty, Ormond Beach

I moved down from the South Shore, MA area and was a Broker servicing the South Shore and Boston area since 1993. - traffic isn't as bad as perceived to be, especially in Ormond. There are some unbelievable deals here in FL right now. I think it's all relative as far the hit you will take on selling your home today. You will sell for less but buy for less, probably quite a bit less down here. We have our fingers crossed that the decline is over and prices are stablizing - they can only go so far. I am happy to help you in anyway that I can. I can send you some listings that meet your criteria so that you can get a feel for the market.........let me know if you are interested. Colleen Calnan 781-983-4852 or email me which ever works for you!!!!

Hi MS.
I moved to the Daytona Beach area approximately 5 years ago from Newburyport, MA. When my house on Plum Island went under contract is when I made my first serious trip to the area to begin my home search here. That was when the housing market was a sellers market and it still worked well for me. I did request a 60 day close for the home up north, however, just to give myself a little extra breathing room. Many sellers also choose to close on the property quickly and then rent back from the new buyer for a period of time.

Now, the greater Florida housing market is considered a buyers market. There are many homes on the market - giving buyers a great choice and some wonderful deals. I think you are doing well to begin your search now so that you can become familiar with the various neighborhoods and subdivisions in Ormond Beach. It will allow you to narrow your search so that you can hone in on one or two areas when the time comes to buy.

I have seen many buyers coming to the area to purchase their retirement homes now, even if they are 2 or more years away from retiring. Yesterday I had buyers from Alaska close on a condo that they will rent for the next 5 years until they are ready to move here and retire. The deals are that good!!!

I would be happy to help you in anyway that I can while you are in the planning stages of your purchase/move. Please feel free to contact me via email at kandices@cfl.rr.com or by phone at 386-852-9174 or visit my website at http://www.EverythingDaytonaBeach.com.

Good luck!
Kandi Schromm
Beach & Luxury Realty

"Me" =) I'm a Daytona Beach native. Most of our special events take place on the beachside, or the traffic is pretty centrally located in International Speedway Blvd. I live in Port Orange, which is very similar to Ormond Beach, but on the opposite side of Daytona Beach. The only time I notice any difference is when the traffic is a little bit heavier during Race Week.

I just wrote this blog post yesterday, about the 3rd quarter real estate sales for Volusia County. I included a chart with the listings and sales report for each city. You can copy and paste this link to read it http://activerain.com/blogsview/785854/Volusia-County-3rd-Qu… . In that post, there are links to the blog posts I wrote about the 1st and 2nd quarter, so you can compare it all. Also, I'll be writing a specific 3rd quarter blog post about each city in the next couple of weeks.

Whether or not you should start looking and/or buy your Ormond Beach house before you sell your house in Mass, is dependent on the market in Mass. I don't know how long that sale will take. Have you had a REALTOR do a market analysis on your house in Mass? What's the market like up there? Our market showed improvement during the 3rd quarter of this year, but it's still very slow. Most sellers are very unlikely to accept an offer to purchase their home, when it's contingent on another sale.

I hope this helps. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. I'd love to help.

There is a new program coming out January 1, 2009 called the Senior Equirt Reverse Mortgage that might warrant looking into. It is intended to assist people such as yourself that own property and want to relocate or downsize for retirement purposes.

It may be something that would benefit you. We are not involved with banking and are not associated with this program in any way but see it as a tool that people should be aware of. This product is available through Bank of America.

Let us know if you have additional interest.

Best wishes,
The "Eckler Team"
ecklerteam@comcast.net
941-408-5363