Well, it was, just slowly, turtle speed. It was a mother loggerhead turtle who was just finishing up covering up her nest. She was in the process of pushing sand under and behind her, then pounding it down with her big body to pack the sand over the nest chamber she had just finished with.

I looked both ways, up and down the beach, not a soul in sight. I looked all up on the decks of the houses nearby. No one.

My cell phone was on the last dregs of its battery - I had forgotten to charge it that night.

So I quietly watched, took a few photos, and finally way in the distance I saw a figure walking my way - it was a woman I had met the previous morning on dawn patrol who was here on vacation, and happened to be an early riser and beach walker. So, she got to share the last 15 minutes or so of this remarkable sight.

The mama turtle threw sand for probably 10 minutes, flipping it up high up behind her and over her shell with her flippers - this is the last stage of the nesting process, when they throw sand, presumably to disguise the nest. We of course have no real idea of why they do anything, but they always seem to follow this same pattern of flipping sand as they are finishing up.

When she was through, she turned and started back towards the water, and we quickly took some measurements of her shell and checked her over carefully for any tags or defining scars - she had neither. Her shell was 37 inches from notch (right behind her head) to tail, and 34 inches over the highest dome of her back from side to side.

For a big animal, walking by pushing her way through the sand with flippers, not feet, she moved pretty quickly. And, when she hit the water, she was gone - flying, back in her natural element and full glory.

More pictures in the next entry...
]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=134 06/29/09 http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=135 06/29/09 Last Thursday was the morning of the birds, though. Pre-dawn, I was trudging along west, and had a small cadre of sandpipers (I think) skittering along about 10 feet in front of me, as they do - running along right at the edge of the surf, stopping to peck at something then putting on a little burst of speed to stay well ahead of me.

Anyway, when their little white breast feathers started turning pink, from the light bouncing up off the sand and surf, I knew I had to turn around. This pre-sunrise at right is what was happening. It was such a brilliant orangey pink - for just about a minute.

There must have been some type of fish nursery action happening just beyond where the waves were breaking too - first I noticed all the royal terns diving and fishing - just dozens of them, all divebombing the water, moving along with me, in front of me, and behind me - they were so intent they didn't spook at all around me.

There were also two black skimmers who flew by dragging their lower beaks in that same part of the surf. The picture at right is from yesterday morning - much closer to the edge of the surf than the ones were on Thursday, but a better photo.

And then, 3 different ospreys were fishing, doing their high-flying pause, plummet, and flight back up, shuddering to shake off the water from their wings. One came up with a very good sized fish, too, right in front of me.

And no, of course none of the pictures I took of the ospreys came out - I am just not that good....

A breakfast feast for everyone that morning. ]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=132 06/01/09 But, we got TWO short sales approved last week! They should both be closing this month.

The top one at right had been under contract last year and failed during the short sale process, but this time it made it. The asking price is $599,000, and we'll let you know the selling price once it closes. It is on the East End, has a great gulf view, and a little slice of a bay view as well, pool, on one acre. Beautiful home, almost new.

The second one at right was listed for $845,000, and the bank was working closely with the seller to close this one out at a better price. It is bay front, with a community pool and dock.

Both sets of buyers are very pleased with their contracts, and are looking forward to a successful and speedy closing from here out.

We are just thrilled to have two short sales approved by their respective banks, so that we can move these nice homes on to new owners who will enjoy them this summer.

Let me know if you have questions about buying property on St. George Island. Short sales or not, we can make it happen for you....!]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=133 06/01/09 Well, it's good to finally be able to report that we're selling vacant lots again - a very healthy sign of our market beginning to find its feet.

Vacant lots have been hard to find financing for, and the prices have finally gotten to the point that buyers are ready to pay cash - the ultimate vote of confidence in this market.

In the last couple of months our office has been involved in all three of the lot sales, with Jerry and me bringing the buyer on two of them and representing the seller on one as well:

208 Brown Street sold for $53,000 - interior, 1/3 acre
1752 Kumquat Court sold for $120,000 - interior, 1 acre
2160 Sea Fern Way sold for $241,000 - gulf view, 1/2 acre

These are all great prices for lots, back to 2001/2002 prices.

And, we've got plenty on the market for sale, still, so let me know if you want to take a closer look.

St. George also has had nine houses sell on since the beginning of April, from $90,000 (an older travel trailer on a lot on West Pine) to $765,000 (a first tier house on East Gorrie that sold via an online auction). We represented the seller on one of the sales, and the buyer for the auction house, so we were well-represented for the sales in this category as well.

If you are interested in participating in an online auction, we would be happy to show you the ropes - we have represented the successful bidder on two of the most recent auctions, with most of our service focussed on helping you get prepared with the market information you need to bid with confidence, and then carrying through all the inspections, insurance issues, etc., all the way through closing, once you land the successful bid. If you are interested in learning more, just let me know, and I'll be happy to fill you in.

Looking ahead, St. George has 28 homes and 4 lots currently under contract, many of them short sales that could take a while to get through the system, so stay tuned.

To summarize, ....how's the market? What can I say, other than... come on in, the water's fine... :)

--Susan]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=130 05/24/09 Well, our market in Apalachicola has been a lot quieter than on St. George, but we do have sales.

And there are nine homes and two commercial properties currently under contract, so activity looks to be picking up.

Since the beginning of 2009, six homes have sold:

300 Smith Road sold for $95,000
245 Cornelius Rizer sold for $95,000
110 Jim Davis Lane sold for $109,000
101 21st Avenue sold for $139,000
50 5th Street sold for $275,000
1130 Durham Drive sold for $457,000

The house on 50 5th Street is the only home in the south historic district that has sold this year, although we have had *lots* of people looking. A lot of buyers are still waiting for the asking prices to come down, but the way it usually works is that it's up to the buyers to make the offers, at whatever level they see the market being, and let the sellers respond.   

There is a good selection of nice entry-level homes, getaway/second homes, and early retirement homes available in Apalachicola. Vacant building lots are also available in Apalachicola, although none have sold so far this year. So, if you are in the market, talk to me, and let's see what's there for the savvy buyer... ]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=131 05/24/09 Here are some photos that Marcia (see last post) sent - thanks, Marcia! Yours are really spectacular - it looks like something you would see at Spencer Gifts or something...

]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=127 05/21/09 What a morning.

It has been blowing like a sustained tropical storm for about 3 days now. Rain the first day, then just wind with a little spattering of rain up here - just enough to make your hair curly.

I was chugging along (in jacket and long pants - unheard of for May) on my 1.5 mile stretch that I've been assigned this year, arguing with myself about walking the whole way. Since the wind was blowing so hard from my back, I knew darn well it was going to be a tough walk back into the wind.

And then, there were the tracks. Already blown over pretty well, but definitely tracks. And yes, there was the nest site, perfectly executed, just windblown.

I didn't have my poles and GPS with me, so marked the site with red flags to come back to.

I finished on down to the end of my stretch, turned around, and when I got back to the nest site, it had already deteriorated, so I went ahead and located the egg clutch and marked the corners. The sand was damp and really cool, but the eggs were easy to locate, right there towards the back of the nest site, where she had thrown the sand behind her as she was finishing up.

Those are the eggs in the egg clutch in the bottom picture - we just uncover them enough to verify that it is really a nest, and to pinpoint the exact location of the egg clutch in the much larger nest site the mother turtle leaves, so that we can mark it precisely with the poles and the yellow signs. After we find the tops of the eggs, we cover the egg clutch back up quickly, and keep the sand level around it as close to that left by the mother turtle as possible.

It was a good thing I went ahead and located the egg clutch when I did - by the time I got back home, and back down there in my car with all the poles, etc., (7:45AM by this time) the tracks were gone completely.

Anyway, YAY first turtle nest of the season - it begins again!!]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=128 05/21/09 One of the gorgeous sunrises from last week - warm and humid.

And one of the sunrise this week - blustery and "cold" at least for St. George Island...

Same beach, a week apart.

And, found my beach bean of the season, early this year.... another hamburger bean. Should be a good week to beach walk this week, with all the high waves and the wind whipping the loose sand away - it may reveal who knows what treasures...]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=129 05/21/09 It was just sitting there in the edge of the surf about 6 inches tall, splayed out like a crystal peacock's tail, refracting the dawn light through its "body."

It seemed to be filled with air, not water, and it had brilliant blue and green coloration towards the base of the bladder-like body.

The waves would pick it up and wash it around a little, but it stayed upright due to the air inside. It didn't seem to have any way to propel itself, although there a little blackish tendril things coming out of the bottom of it. They look like guts to me, or slimy plant tendrils - no clue.

It also seemed to be moving, not breathing in and out, but perceptibly changing shape and kind of slowly slowly writhing.

If you know what it is, let me know, and even better, give us a reference so I can look up more info on it.

Strange, absolutely beautiful, and a total mystery...]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=126 05/16/09 And,the price is right!! $895,000, MLS 235619. Long low deck on the beach side, and step right out onto the sand.

Let me know if this one needs to be yours... I can make it happen!!]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=123 04/26/09 And, St. George Island real estate is picking up, too, so that just means another gear and keep running!

Here's a couple of shots from the St. George Island lighthouse that I finally got to climb - it is magical.

And, a shot of the birds loafing during a spring rain over in Apalach near the bay - I had to stop and take a few shots on my way to the recycle bins under the bridge - they made such a picture!!]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=124 04/26/09 And, now, the frogs have started singing again, too, so that's usually an irresistable stop and worth turning off the engine for - if you can hear them over the road noise and the radio, you really do need to stop and listen to them for just a minute. They are good.

As my niece likes to say, their discordant chorus sounds like a nasal rendition of "Bring the rain...raaaain...br-br-br-bring the rain...RAAAAIN"...

Anyway, I took these shots a few weeks ago. These beauties are in full bloom along the marshy fields that line US 65 as you get closer to the coast. Look how *many* of them there are.

It was worth getting my sandals muddy for these photos - we had had a ton of rain a few weeks ago, you might have heard, and the ground is saturated up in the forest - good for the forests and for the flowers in them....

I guess the chorus those frogs were singing must have reached someone else's ears, too...!]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=125 04/26/09 Another piece of excellent news is that I have partnered with Jerry Thompson, THE top realtor in this area, and we now both have our licenses with Prudential Shimmering Sands, who bought out the old Prudential company here on St. George Island the first of the year. So, changes are happening with our business as well. Jerry and I can see this big swing in the market coming, and we have joined forces to be in the best position possible to capitalize on it for our clients. He works primarily with sellers while I continue to work mainly with buyers as I always have, but we switch it up enough to keep things interesting, and we double-team the situation when needed.

Mary Agnes Stephens also works with us as licensed assistant and transaction coordinator and she keeps all the plates spinning on the ends of the sticks - she is a pro from the word go.

All that plus a little emergency laser eye surgery thrown in for good measure (I'm fine) and volunteering for Chili Cook-off and things are just rocking and rolling here.   

So, what's going on with our market? Well, we've got a lot of short sales and they are still TOUGH to get through the banks. It takes a very special brand of patience and persistence to make one work - you've got to be sure it is THE house for you, otherwise, it will be easy to lose momentum and walk away.

The bank foreclosures are trickling through the system, not flooding, and the banks are pretty hard-nosed about pricing them right on the market. They do their homework, and are willing to take small discounts to get them sold, but there's not much flexibilty once they set their price. Because they are so good at being sure they price them at some reasonble discount off market value, they are being snapped up by buyers pretty much as they come onto the market. We do not have a large inventory of bank-owned properties because of this - they sell.

The trend for banks to put their properties up for online auction is continuing as well, and the success all depends on their handling of their reserve bid. Sometimes the bank doesn't end up taking the bid of the winning bidder!

So, the true sleeper deals continue to be the properties that are owned by individual owners, bought long enough ago that there is still room for profit, and so that they can make a decision to sell independent of a looming short sale. Buyers and sellers in these situations can freely negotiate the offer and counter-offers until they agree on a terms, and proceed to closing. Everyone is happy that way.

Hope your spring is off to a great start - we've got the dedication of the lighthouse coming up next weekend, and spring break weeks are rolling by with lots of visitors in town as the various schools have their breaks. It's blue skies and light winds for the most part, still a little cool for swimming (unless you are from Canada or you can see Canada from your front porch), but just perfect for biking, walking the beach and getting a little work done in the yard...

The top picture above is by Ron Dickey, taken from the lighthouse during Chili Cookoff the first weekend of March - we had quite the crowd.

The bottom photo is right here at my house, a little geranium that seems intent on making me happy even though I've neglected it badly over the winter... ]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=122 03/29/09 I'm finding that while the first part of this decade was all about building, buying, and maybe flipping the biggest, fanciest house you could get financed, we're now back to a generation of many who just want that sweet little house at the beach that used to be what going to the beach was all about.

Ground level.

Bedrooms that weren't much bigger than the bed itself, or with 2 sets of bunkbeds crammed in.

A screened in porch with a swing.

Granite countertops? Who needs them? Formica cleans up just fine after a big spread of fresh seafood, french fries, and hushpuppies that you've cooked up for your family and friends.

And, no one even used to blink an eye if there wasn't a TV, much less a phone. You were AT THE BEACH to be AT THE BEACH. We belonged to the beach for that week, totally.

Maybe our knees are all going bad. Maybe we like the idea of the kids being able to run right out onto the beach from the house without having to worry about them tumbling down 47 stairs. Maybe it just makes for a quieter, more affordable vacation. For just us, now that the kids are gone.

I don't really know, I just know that a little kernel of demand is there, and it's growing.

We still have these houses at St. George Island - not a lot of them, but a good number. Some of them are personal second homes, some are offered for rent, and some of them are for sale. The ones at right are offered by sale by various brokers on St. George Island - call me for details or click the "Property Search" button above, MLS 106066, 201557, 234277.

If you have a feel for this movement, let me know what appeals to you, what your memories are of those houses, how you think they stack up against the more recent development of bigger and bigger box houses.

BTW, I'm not advocating that we try to change our building codes or anything - it's definitely safer to be up on pilings at the coast. And, those high-end finishes do pamper you in a way that nothing else does.

But, for those homes that have stood the test of dozens of hurricanes as well hundreds of sandy feet, and are still just fine, doesn't it have a certain appeal???

]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=121 01/27/09 I can tell you, it's been a while.

One of my listings sold mid- last year that qualified. A sale price of $660K, bringing in $72K in GRI (gross rental income). Heck yeah!! It was a short sale, so was a bear to get through the system, but the seller had done just an exquisite job managing the property herself, and beefed up the income to make it a very attractive investment.

It was definitely worth the struggle through the short sale for this buyer.

There is nothing like marketing your own property, if you enjoy it and have that talent - absolutely no one can promote your rental property like you can. We do have several excellent professional management companies on St. George Island, too, and I have links to them on this website, under "Business Links" above.

One if them is currently managing this property shown at right, listed for sale by another brokerage in this area. This seller just reduced his asking price to $899K, and they report that it brought in $91K+ in GRI in both 2007 and 2008 - that's a great track record.

It is a short sale, so again, you would need to be patient, but take a look - this one is worth a second and third look on cash flow, I'm telling you...

Email me for more information.
]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=120 01/19/09 Seems folks like that sense of Old Florida charm, and typically the location of these homes is excellent - on or just across the street from the beach.

They've been there forever, weathered all the storms, must be doing something right, right?

So, if this strikes a chord with you, please post a response to this blog, and let me know what it is that you like about them... The old-fashioned class? The lack of pretension? Safety? Your aching knees? What?

And, to get your juices flowing, I've posted the MLS photos of a selection of these type houses that are currently offered for sale on St. George Island by various brokers on the island.

The top one is right across the street from the beach, asking $549,000, and reporting a yearly rental income of over $31,000. Hard to beat the view...

The second one is right on the bay, with good deep water,asking $449,000, and open to offers. If fishing is your thing, this one should ring a few bells.

The bottom one is beach front, and looks like something from Columbus GA instead of St. George, but the views are phenomenal - you have to walk into it to believe it. Situated on one of the highest lots on the island, it has huge glass windows all along the front, with as good a view as anything on pilings, I'm telling you. This one is a sleeper for sure. And, it has a basement - the only one on the island, never been wet, doesn't smell musty a bit - hard to believe, but true. They are also open to offers.

So, if I need to start a post just on these ground-level classic Florida bungalow houses, let me know, would you??

Post your reply below - it's easy, as long as you can read the little wavy letters....

Thanks! ]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=119 01/13/09 This is the home, called "Coastal Cottage," offered for sale via another brokerage on the island. They just lowered the asking price to $999,000.   

It is a short sale, and you can read about what a short sale is on the Newsletter section of this website, or just call me to explain.

Ready to take a shot at this one? Email me and let's get started...]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=118 01/06/09 Black's Island is a privately owned and developed island out in the bay off Port St. Joe. It is only accessible by boat, and at the invitation of the owner.

We went out with the decidedly non-glamorous goal of taking a closer look at his advanced technology wastewater treatment facility, which took him years to get approved and installed, but is very leading edge - we're exploring doing something like this on St. George.

Anyway, as a bonus, the day turned gorgeous, and we got to visit a beautiful colony of white pelicans (our usual population is brown pelicans, much smaller). We did not get close enough to disturb them, of course, so the pictures are a little distant, but I think you can see the magic in these glorious birds even from this angle. ]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=117 01/05/09 1) Sparkling clean two bedroom, two and a half bath townhome with a master suite upstairs looking straight down the boardwalk to the beach, and the main living area walking right out to the beautifully landscaped pool area - it's where living right brings you if you are lucky.

Just reduced to $309,000, $20K below the next lowest offering, and with *the* prime location in the compex.

2) This building lot on Brown Street is high and dry, bargain basement priced at $90,000. It's just a 5 minute walk to the beach *or* bay, or take your golf cart to get there even quicker.

Golf cart living on St. George has become quite the fashion, since we got our ordinance in place last year to make it legal on all streets except Gulf Beach Drive.

3) And, here's a beachfront building lot on Dog Island, one of the last great undeveloped beaches in Florida, and destined to stay that way for some time to come - it's gorgeous just as it is.

Residents of Dog Island like it deserted, quiet, and full of nature's beauty - sand, sea, shelling, and fishing.

Now listed at $295,000, this offering is the best on the beachfront on Dog Island, almost rivaling bayfront prices! It's time to sell it in 2009, the owner says, so they are going to make it happen.

So, for all of you shopping online, waiting for the best prices, the best mortgage rates, and the best offerings for sale, it's getting time to get off the bench!   ]]> http://www.stgeorgewired.com/blog.cfm?id=114 01/01/09