Billy Berthiaume

Chuck,

One thing to think about is the neighborhood itself. Here in S. FL - and Olympia is one in particular, had speculators driving their sales. This means that there are a lot of short sales coming up because many of these "owners" never lived in these houses and wanted to make a buck off the quick flip. Market turned and now they can't so guess what a lot of people in Olympia are - renters. I know more people are buying in there now so you will have actual owners living there but for a long time it was renters. There are plenty there still and a lot of people don't want to spend big dollars to buy and the HOA fees to live around renters. Renters can be good or bad but if you are an owner you usually want other owners around you who have a financial risk on their homes which equates to pride and care of their homes - even with an HOA. Olympia is beautiful and has great amenities and is close to the Mall, great schools, etc... but check things out first.

I will also say that many people who own in HOA areas don't use the facilities a lot. For whatever reason. Of course that is hit and miss. I know some neighborhoods that get great use out of the pools and clubhouses and the communities actively promote community gatherings while others seem to have an HOA just so they can and many don't utilize the amenities put in by the builder that they pay to maintain! So it is always good to do your homework when looking around. There are so many nice neighborhoods in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach to consider and prices are getting very attractive now. Feel free to contact me or any of the other qualified agents here for some info and help.

Regards,
Billy Berhiaume
561-385-7962
sflreguru@yahoo.com

Proud 3rd Generation FL Native! - Mon Jul 7 2008, 15:40

Matthew,

I know this comes 4 months after you asked so I don't even know if your house has sold or if you are still thinking of selling. I will say that I am working with many buyers right now. Your home sounds beautiful and I am guessing is in the Acreage? Guest house and size give me that idea. You can spend out of pocket for an appraisal or you can hire a Realtor who is full time, active and selling! Someone like that would be familiar with your area and the activity there. Maybe a Realtor who lives in the area and knows it well enough to not only price the house right but back it up with the stats from the MLS and other sources showing recent sales and on the market competitive properties. If you are interested, give me a shout - I know this guy....

This can be difficult sometimes now due to the overload of short sale / pre foreclosures on the market but we can get through that easy enough. Just want to be able price it right and the stats speak for themselves. I can also tell you that I have recently been turning some listings down (call me crazy) but if I am going to work for a seller and spend the cash and time to market it right and get it sold, I want to make sure it has a snowflakes chance in, well you know where, of actually selling. If it is too highly priced - forget it, it will sit and you will call your Realtor up every week / month angry and wanting to know why nobody is coming to see your home. When they suggest lowering the price you will just get more upset - trust me it is not worth it to you or the agent. This can be a stressful enough time for you and your family anyway. It is my job to take some of that stress off of your shoulders and be your all knowing partner in real estate.

If you truly want to sell your home you need to price it correctly (upgrades and all) to be competitive on the market. Many buyers think "I can buy this one for $20K less (with same sq/ft) and do my own upgrades for $10K and still come out saving the $10K). I just used any figures in that example but that is how many are thinking now. Just as everyone has a relative or friend who is a real estate agent (it seems), they also have one who is a flooring guy or designer or landscaper or counter top guy or something where they can upgrade and save $. As I stated before, I am working with many buyers at this time and there are many out there buying now. But this is the thought process for a lot of them. Heck, I even have to work with my buyers to try and find a seller or a bank owned property so we don't have to go through the short sale process (I have done enough of these thank you very much!). That is unless of course you are in that unfortunate situation.

I know I did not give you a price but without seeing the property and walking the property in person and then doing the research, a price would be a shot in the dark on this forum and useless to you. Feel free to contact me or any of the other qualified professional Realtors around here for some help. You will be happy you did!!!


Best of luck,
Billy - Mon Jul 7 2008, 15:18

I am a full time Realtor living and working in Royal Palm Beach. I am a 3rd generation FL native and have lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, New Smyrna Beach, Tampa and St. Petersburg and I love Royal Palm.

I have to disagree with the first answer but will say that Wellington is a beautiful place and it is our neighboring city / Village and it is known as one of the centers of the Equine world. I work in this area and help people buy and sell homes in Wellington often. Wellington plays home to the Winter Equestrian Festival and top level Polo so it has its share of acreage too.

As far as Royal Palm Beach goes, yes, there is the Acreage and Loxahatchee which are mainly 1.25 acre parcels and larger - some with ponds. There are also dirt roads in this area as well but the people living in these areas want it that way as they ride horses and like the country living. But there are also many great family style neighborhoods. Some newer and some a little older. Some with HOA's and some without. And prices are very affordable now. For newer with HOA there are neighborhoods such as the ones listed by the above agent as well as Madison Green (300K's to 700K's+), Porto Sol which is under construction, Crestwood which is a great area and the HOA is around $20 a month there, Bella Terra and Olympia are some others that are newer and have the HOA’s. Unfortunately in some of these neighborhoods you will find that many living there are renters due to speculative buyers and some people don’t like to buy a home and have renters living all around them. Could happen in any neighborhood but seems to be a lot of this in Olympia and some others. That being said I know people who are buying there and this means more owners will be taking residence there which could be a great thing.

Then there are great neighborhoods without HOA's such as La Mancha (where I personally live), The Willows, areas of Crestwood, etc... and within walking distance to schools and parks. Willows and La Mancha actually have their own parks within the neighborhoods for the residents to enjoy – and we do! Many great sports leagues and other things for kids and parents to do and meet new friends.

There are so many parks (over 15 in this 11 sq/mile area of Royal Palm) The Village planners reserve 7.5 acres of park space per 1,000 residents so there is no lack of parks and fun things to do. They also have many celebrations, Green markets, Halloween parties, Veterans Day celebrations, 4th of July parties, etc... in these parks for families to enjoy.

The schools are excellent. A rated and full of great staff. I am currently helping a couple teachers from 2 different elementary schools find homes and my own child has been in H.L Johnson Elementary School since Kindergarten. We love the school and the staff and my child enjoys going to school and is heading into 4th grade. We can walk to the school in the AM.

So yes, Royal Palm has many great options for you and many terrific schools for you kids to learn at and parks to play in. It has the small town feel but close proximity to West Palm Beach (Downtown and City Place) and Wellington (Wellington Green Mall). Feel free to contact me is you would like help in finding the right home in the area. - Mon Jul 7 2008, 14:47