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Archive for the 'Palm Harbor' Category

Ugly bathroom contest

Now, this is an ugly bathroom

Do you have an ugly bathroom?

Now, we’re not talking about a bathroom with some rust stains in the sink, or a tear or two in the flooring, or even a few rips in the shower curtain up by the curtain rod rings. No, we’re talking about a seriously nasty bathroom, one that you don’t like to go into even when you really, really have to go.

Luxury Bath Systems of Tampa Bay, which has a place of business at 33851 US19N in Palm Harbor, is looking for a really, really ugly bathroom. It has to be in Pasco, Pinellas or Hillsborough counties, but otherwise its an open field.

Here’s the good part; if your ugly bathroom is chosen as the worst of the worst, you might win a full bath remodel – a re-do that will include KraftMaid vanities from Grand Kitchen & Bath of St. Petersburg; vanity tops from Granite Plus Inc. in St. Petersburg; as well as new plumbing fixtures, toilets, lighting and doors. In other words, the works, something valued at $8,500.

Here’s what you do: submit a photo of your nasty bath at http://www.uglybathroomcontest.net/. You must submit your entry by March 31, and five finalists will be chosen and posted on the Luxury Bath Systems website between April 3 and 26.

"After" bathroom picture

Once the finalists are posted, people can visit the website and vote for their favorite. On May 1, the winner will be announced.

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPARTMENT: The really ugly bathroom in the picture at the top was an entry in the ugly bathroom contest from an earlier year (we didn’t want to influence the outcome of this year’s contest). The really pretty bathroom picture shows a bathroom done by Luxury Bath Systems, but it is NOT a makeover of the ugly bathroom above. There; we feel better!

Tags: Tampa Bay, ugly bathroom

Mortgage rates down, but bank profits up

Here’s a fact you may not have realized – interest rates on home mortgages have been coming down, but the profit margins for lenders on those mortgages have been going up.

What that means is that mortgages could come down even further, and lenders could still make a nice profit on them.

In January, the average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages fell below five percent. It was the first time that rates had dipped so low since Freddie Mac started keeping track of rates in 1971, 38 years ago.

In spite of that, bank profits on 30-year fixed mortgages have been going up. The gap between mortgage rates and 10-year U.S. Treasury yields (2.5 percent) hasn’t been so great in the past 27 years.

Enlightened home buyers aren’t very happy about that. Some officials in the federal government aren’t pleased, either. California Congresswoman Maxine Waters serves on the House Banking Committee. She believes lenders should drop their rates to benefit homebuyers.

“If the government is making sure that cost is dropping for the banks, it should be dropping just as much for consumers,” she said. “But they’re not. Banks could make loans at 4.5 percent, or even lower, and it would still be profitable.”

Some experts believe banks are reluctant to drop rates for consumers any further because of the losses they have experienced through foreclosures and a more than sluggish real estate market.

It will be interesting to see what the Obama Administration will do about home lending rates as a condition of the bailout.

Tags: interest rates

California leads the real estate value decline

All the data appears to be in, and we can now say with authority that the state with the biggest decline in real estate values for 2008 was….

(Drum roll, please….)

CALIFORNIA!

That’s right, California was the big winner (actually, loser) in the real estate downturn sweepstakes, losing 26.9 percent of its real estate value during the year. Next was Nevada, with a 22.8 percent value drop, followed by Arizona (19 percent) and then (ahem) Florida, with an 18.2 percent drop.

Values actually dropped in 35 states during 2008.

That’s the story for 2008, but what about the total drop in values since, say, the peak of real estate value in July 2006? California still leads the way with a 42 percent decline. Nevada protected its second place position with a 39 percent decline. Arizona and Florida are tied for third place at 33 percent.

If you want to look at actual metro markets rather than states, we see nine California markets leading the list, but then Miami-Dade in Florida captures the 10th spot.

Did any market actually gain value during 2008? Actually, several did. If you live in Binghampton, N.Y., you live in a place where real estate actually appreciated by 7.78%. Plattsburgh, N.Y., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Rocky Mount, N.C., Auburn, N.Y. and Florence-Mussel Shoals, AL also did pretty well.

This data comes from First American CoreLogic, which follows real estate values across the country.

Tags: california, real estate, values

Golfer’s paradise

If you like to ski or run around on snowmobiles, Pinellas County is obviously not for you. But if you love to play golf, then Pinellas County is close to paradise.

According to golfable.com, a website that keeps track of golf courses, Pinellas County has no fewer than 53 courses. And there’s even more than that available to golfers who don’t mind short drives north to Pasco County, east to Hillsborough County, or south over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Manatee County.

If you click on the golfable.com link above, it will take you to the websites of many of the golf courses that it lists.

Tags: golf, pinellas county

The light rail saga continued

Since I got all fired up recently about the new light rail system in Phoenix, and how nice such a system would be in Tampa Bay, I thought I’d share our recent experience with light rail transportation in Baltimore.

Light rail in Baltimore

This past week, we spent a few days with family in Connecticut, and then went on to Baltimore for two more days. If you’ve ever flow into Baltimore, you know that the Baltimore-Washington Airport is not very close to the downtown area – it’s located at a central point between Baltimore and Washington, DC.

When I was making arrangements for the trip, I found a shuttle service that could take us from the airport to downtown Baltimore. I don’t remember the cost exactly, but it was around $15 per person each way, or around $60 for the two of us round-trip.

A little later, we discovered that Baltimore has a light rail system that runs from Hunt Valley, north of the city, then right through downtown Baltimore and then on to Glen Burnie in Anne Arundel County. One leg of the rail line down near the Glen Burnie end shoots off and goes directly to the airport.

So that’s what we did.

There was a little bit of a walk through the airport terminal to get to the train boarding area, but once through the terminal doors the train was sitting right there waiting for us. The fare was a measly $1.60 per person (and it could have been just $.55 if I had read down a little further and found the special 55-plus fare). Once on board, the train made about 10 stops before delivering us to the Baltimore Convention Center right downtown.

We had decided to stay in the colorful Fells Point area, and that was still a fair distance away, so we flagged down a cab for the last leg of the trip.

Here are the best parts of the light rail train ride; it was really cheap as well as hugely convenient, and it only took 30 minutes to get from the airport to the heart of downtown Baltimore. It also made us feel like we were doing the right thing, environmentally speaking.

Here was the worst part: On the return trip from downtown to the airport, we just missed the Airport train and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one. That wouldn’t have been so bad, but it was cold. No, actually, it was worse than just cold. It was REALLY cold, around 24 degrees, and we had to stand outside for a half-hour. For thin-blooded Floridians, it was torture.

Still, we loved it. One of the light rail stops is Camden Yards, and we’re thinking about flying up there next summer for a Tampa Bay Rays – Baltimore Orioles game. I’m still dreaming about a Pinellas County light rail system, something that could serve Tarpon Springs, Palm Harbor, Dunedin, Clearwater and other North Pinellas communities as well as St. Petersburg and Tampa.

If you want to learn more about Baltimore’s light rail system, go to www.mtamaryland.com/

Tags: baltimore, light rail, pinellas

Don’t pack your bags just yet

Looking at those shiny new light rail cars in the previous post, you may be thinking that a move to that part of the world wouldn’t be such a bad idea. But before you start packing, consider this little tidbit.
Standard & Poor’s puts out a monthly report on home values through its Case/Shiller Home Price Indices, a fancy term for something that S&P calls “the leading measure of U.S. home prices.” It looks at home values in 20 different markets around the nation.
So guess which market has lost the most value during the past year? That’s right, Phoenix. Home prices in that area have slipped more than 32 per cent, more than anywhere else in the country.
Where is Tampa Bay in all of that? Homes in this area have dropped a little under 20 per cent — a good-sized drop, but well below the crash-and-burn experience in Phoenix. Or, for that matter, in Las Vegas, which was second on the S&P list at 31.7 per cent; or Miami, which lost 29 per cent of its real estate value (and led the Florida lost-value sweepstakes).
There’s more, if you’d like to look it over. Just visit www.standardandpoors.com/indices.

Tags: home values

Phoenix’s new light rail system would look good here

Phoenix's light rail: A model for Tampa Bay?

Good question. Let me answer that question with another question: What is the single most obvious lack in the Tampa Bay region, which is the 19th largest metro area in the U.S.?

ANSWER: Light rail transportation.

There are lots of wonderful things to talk about when it comes to Tampa Bay – the beaches, the great airport, the Bucs and the Rays and the Lightning, to name just a few.

But one thing we don’t like to talk about very much is transportation. Getting around here can be tough – the roads are clogged with traffic, especially during the winter “Snow Bird” season. There are just three bridges (well, two bridges and a causeway) that connect the Pinellas side of the bay with the Tampa side.

What we need is some sort of light rail system. It will no doubt happen some day, but so far we have lacked the political will (and the financing) to get it done.

And that brings me to Phoenix.

Just like Tampa, Phoenix used to have street cars, but they went away sometime around 1950. Since then it has been cars, cars and more cars on the region’s streets. Like Tampa Bay, Phoenix has undergone huge growth in the past 50 or 60 years, and local transportation has failed to keep up with the demand.

Until now.

On Saturday (that’s Dec. 27, 2008) Phoenix unveiled its new light rail system with a big party that included everything from free train rides to live music (by, among others, Grand Funk Railroad). Nearly 100,000 residents turned out for the region-wide shindig.

The new system cost $1.4 billion and, for now, only runs the 20 miles between central Phoenix and Mesa. But the system will expand and grow to include many other areas in the coming years.

It took about 15 years to plan the system, and then another four years to build it. Financing it was tricky, just as it will be here if light rail ever comes to Tampa Bay. Still, the Phoenixites (Phoenixers? Phoenicians?) got it done with a special transportation tax along with federal grants and sales taxes.

Planners in Phoenix say the system should have a huge positive effect on downtown business, should lighten auto traffic significantly, and should encourage housing near the rail line and discourage sprawl. In other words, it will be more than just a transportation system; it should also change the face of the overall Phoenix community for the better.

Fares are $1.25 per ride, or you can get an all-day pass for $2.50.

If you compare the new Phoenix system with what could take place here in Tampa Bay, keep in mind the 20-mile range of the Phoenix light rail system; that’s about that same distance as downtown St. Petersburg to downtown Tampa. That image may disappoint those of us who live in North Pinellas County. But if they built a St. Pete-to-Tampa track and started service there, it would be only a matter of time before the service reached north into our part of the county.

Imagine a big circular route from St. Pete over to Tampa, out through New Tampa and then west to North Pinellas or even South Pasco, then down to South Pinellas again. Wouldn’t that be great?

If you want to learn more about the Phoenix system, go to http://www.raillife.com/.

Tags: light rail, phoenix

November home sales in Tampa Bay

According to the Florida Association of Realtors, homes sales in the Tampa Bay area during November totaled 1,701. The number in November 2007 was 1,644. Pretty darn close to one another.
You might take that as an indication that things are leveling off sales-wise in this part of the world, but that might be a premature assumption. The wild card is home sale prices — the median price of a home in Tampa Bay during November was just $149,800, the first time median prices have dropped into the 140s since the second quarter of 2004. Foreclosed properties selling at rock-bottom prices account for the big price drop.
What the statewide figures show is that foreclosures-equal-lower-prices-equal-more sales. No big surprise there.
Nationwide, home values dropped 13 percent from November 2007 to November 2008. That’s the biggerst one-year price decline in 40 years. Compared to the national figures, Tampa Bay is looking comparatively good.

Tags: home sale prices, pinellas county

One more story from the Palm Harbor arts show…

 John Mascoll is a native of Barbados and a trained engineer, but what he really loves is turning wood. And his wood working is so beautiful that it takes your breath away. It’s so good, in fact, that he won Best in Show at the recent Palm Harbor arts show.

We don’t really know John, but we have a connection to him — my husband Bill works with John’s wife, Jannice, at St. Petersburg College. Bill spotted John as we walked through the arts show last weekend, and he managed to get a couple of pictures, which I’ve posted here.

John, who lives in Safety Harbor, does very precise wood turnings, producing vases and vessels of all kinds as well as smaller works. He likes to use exotic woods that offer gorgeous grains and shades.

Jannice says that John’s father worked in wood back in Barbados. Once he moved to the U.S. and settled in Georgia, he started going to meetings of woodworkers and learned the craft.

John Mascoll exhibits his work at a lot of arts shows around the area. If you see him, stop by for a minute and take a look.

Tags: art show, Palm Harbor

Carol Elder Napoli’s art

Carol Elder Napoli

About three or four years ago (when the real estate market was really good!) I was looking for some art — we had just bought a new house and we were interested in doing some decorating.
This is never easy for us; both of us are of the Lyndon Johnson School of Art. He once had his presidential portrait done, and he didn’t like it at all. When someone challenged his opinion, he said, “I may not know much about art, but I know what I like.”
That sort of describes our collective art knowledge. However, we do usually have pretty strong opinions about the art we see. We both like abstract paintings, and we both tend to like bold colors.
So, several years ago, we went to the annual Palm Harbor art show with an eye for the right abstract painting. We had pretty much seen everything without much success when we came upon a booth that displayed a number of paintings that we liked immediately. We spent some time looking them over, and then we realized that the artist, Carol Elder Napoli, was the same artist whose work we had admired several months previously at another art show in Sanibel.
One painting really appealed to us; we bought it and took it home, and it has really stood the test of time for us. We like it more the longer we have it.
So two days ago we were walking through the Palm Harbor art show when Bill spotted a painting in one of the booths. He realized right away that it was one of Carol’s paintings, and it turned out he was right.
Carol remembered us, and we spent some time talking to her and her husband.
Carol’s work carries strong spiritual and emotional messages. She works in bold acrylic colors, which you may be able to tell from the picture above.
Here’s a little bit from her website:
“While painting, the work and I enter into a dialog adding to the mystery of how the work will be completed. Much of the result depends on an emotional, intuitive response to the paint and various images, color and marks that together form a composition. My paintings fit into the “abstract” genre, but they are not to be considered non-objective works. I paint with a purpose and desire to touch the viewer at a place of recognition, perhaps even within a narrative.”
You can learn more about her at her website, http://www.napoliarts.com/ . Carol Elder Napoli lives and works in New Smyrna Beach, and she attends many art shows around Florida.

Tags: art, art show, Palm Harbor