Home Sold in Plantation Bay of Ormond Beach

I'm pleased to announce I was able to help buyers purchase this beautiful home in Plantation Bay, Ormond Beach, on Kingsley Circle. Offering 3 bedrooms/2 baths, the property is 2083 SF interior, built in 1989, with a fireplace, large screened patio, 2-car garage, security system, and workshop. All appliances were included, ceiling fans, and leaded glass door.

The asking price was $199,900.

Plantation Bay is a premier golf community in Ormond Beach. Association dues for this home are only $306/quarter. For the serious golfer, there are three 18-hole private championship courses. For the tennis buff, there is a world-class tennis facility with 10 clay courts. There are two clubhouses, a 7,000 sq ft spa and fitness center, two restaurants, and a pool. Plantation Bay is a gated, secure community geared toward family enjoyment. The developers included nature areas, lakes, and many trees, so the enviroment hosts a variety of wildlife and residents can enjoy many acres of common grounds.

Visit the Plantation Bay page on my web site to search homes for sale and to find links to Plantation Bay resources.

Resales for attached homes in Plantation Bay range in price from $99,900 to $425,000, and single family residences from $124,900 to $1,499,990. Condos are available from the $160,000s to $250,000.

Call or email if you would like to preview a home or two in this Ormond Beach golf community.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
www.sherryarmstrong.com

www.daytonabeachscene.com

Ormond Beach Buyers - Are You Ready for April 30?

You probably know the 1st Time Buyer Tax Credit (up to $8,000) and Trade Up Credit (up to $6,500) expire April 30. That means you need to have a signed contract to purchase by that date. If you want to buy but haven't started the process, now is the time to get serious or you will lose out. The credit applies only to the purchase of a new principal residence costing $800,000 or less, and there are income restrictions and other limitations, including a requirement to close the sale before July 1.

Assuming you qualify and want to buy, how can you speed up the process so you can find your home and have an offer accepted in 30 days? Here are some suggestions.

1. Know your Market - start searching online (here's the link on my site to Search the MLS), and get a good Realtor working for you who knows the communities (me). Sign up for the free service that daily will email you listings that meet what you want, and let me know right away if you see one you want to preview. Remember, as a Buyer, you don't pay the commission. My professional experience and expertise are free to you.

2. Talk to a Lender - you must be preapproved, not just prequalified, to meet this deadline. Find how how much house you can buy and if your credit is good enough to get you a rate you can afford.

3. Narrow your Search - Ormond Beach has many communities, which vary widely in price and amenities. Decide on the ones you like the best right away.

4. Make a List of Needs vs. Wants - You can narrow the inventory easily by knowing what features you really have to have (bedrooms, baths, location) against what you'd like (fenced yard, view, family room).

5. Can you fix it up? Are you handy with repairs? Do you want to spend your free time for a few months after you move in fixing up what someone else damaged? If not, then don't look at fixer uppers.

6. Plan ahead - a contract probably won't be accepted overnight. The seller may counter, then you may counter - this takes a few days. Don't wait until April 28 to make your offer. Keep in mind that short sales take much longer, for the bank to approve an offer.

You have time, but let's get started now. If you don't know the communities or neighborhoods of Ormond Beach, or real estate sales information, just call or email. Don't lose this great opportunity for Uncle Sam to help you purchase your new home.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
www.sherryarmstrong.com
www.daytonabeachscene.com

Outdoor Trends for Ormond Beach FL Homes

Despite a weak economy, Americans are expected to continue their love affair with the world outside their doors—and perhaps spend a little more time in it this year, as indications show they plan to spend their summer vacations at home.

About 94% of residential landscape architects polled by the American Society of Landscape Architects earlier this year said that outdoor living spaces, including cooking and entertaining areas, would be popular in 2010. Improvements are expected to have few frills as homeowners stick to the basics in this cool economy.

“Homeowners want to create a sense of place for their family, friends, and neighbors to enjoy outside, but an uncertain economy means many will dial back some of the extra features we’ve seen in past years,” said Nancy Somerville, executive vice president for the group.

According to the survey results, some of the most popular features this year include: outdoor seating and dining areas, including benches and seat-walls or weatherized outdoor furniture, as well as fire pits and fireplaces, the classic outdoor grill and outdoor counter space. More lavish outdoor kitchen appliances, including refrigerators and sinks, are expected to be less popular, as are stereo systems and outdoor heaters.

Survey results found a growing interest in low-maintenance landscapes and native plants. There’s also a continued resurgence of the home garden. According to the National Gardening Association, a well-maintained food garden yields an average $500 return, considering a typical investment and the market price of produce.

When designing any outdoor area, it’s important to create a series of places that you can inhabit, whether it’s a covered space to entertain in or a vegetable bed to attend to, said Sarah Susanka, an architect and author of The Not So Big House series of books. Don’t forget your garden’s view from the inside either, she added.

And while many homeowners are making these outdoor improvements to their homes so they can enjoy them—especially in a real estate market where moving to another home is financially difficult for some families—a well-planned and maintained garden and outdoor area will serve an owner at the time of resale too.

Arbors, water features such as fountains, pergolas and decks are expected to be the most popular outdoor structures for homeowners this year, according to the architects group. And making an investment in a deck, for example, might set an existing home apart from a newly constructed one.

We in Ormond Beach and other central Florida communities have the weather to enjoy our gardens and outdoor spaces most of the year. Contact me to discuss which improvements will add the most value to your home for resale. Search other Ormond Beach homes for sale on my web site and see what your neighbors are doing.

Use the tax credits available now for appliances and energy efficiency to make some of those upgrades you've considered. Call or email me for ideas.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191

yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com

www.sherryarmstrong.com
www.daytonabeachscene.com

Want a Golf Lifestyle? Try Halifax Plantation in Ormond Beach, FL

Dream of living the Golf Lifestyle but prices have been too high? Not any more. Here are some great buys in Halifax Plantation of Ormond Beach which will fit your pocketbook and make your hopes of enjoying golf every day of the year come true.

A stunning home on the 6th Fairway, this home has been reduced to $474,000. Features include a heated pool and hot tub, screened lanai, outdoor kitchen, 4 bedrooms/3 baths, 3,000 SF interior, and views of the Halifax Plantation golf course through your secluded treed lot. Want creative financing? The owner will consider financing.

This gorgeous golf course home on the 2nd Fairway of Halifax Plantation offers a split floor plan of 4 bedrooms (2 master suites) and 3 baths, 2142 SF interior, 12.500 SF lot, inground heated pool, 2-tier screened patio with triple tap draft beer system, JennAir grill, media center with big-screen plasma TV and in-ground gas fire pit. Asking price is $464,900.

Also this week are price reductions on golf course homes in the Ormond and Daytona Beach communities of Pelican Bay, Plantation Bay, Tomoka Oaks Country Club Estates, LPGA, and Cypress Head. These are not my listings, but I can help you preview any golf course home in Ormond Beach or Daytona Beach, and give you real estate sales information on all of our communities and neighborhoods.

Don't let another year go by before you put a plan in place to own that golf home you dream about - the time to buy is now! If you still want proof, search golf homes on my web site and see the prices for yourself. Call or email me for details on any golf home for sale.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com

www.sherryarmstrong.com
www.daytonabeachscene.com

Animal Shelter Fundraiser in Orrmond Beach on March 30

A silent auction and cocktail party to raise funds for Rescued Hearts Animal Shelter will be Saturday, March 30, in Ormond Beach from 6-9 PM. This will be the second annual Spring Cocktail Party and Silent Auction, at the home of members Jerry and Denise Siennicki in The Trails.

Amy Wade-Carotenuto, the founder and executive director of Rescued Hearts, said, “This will help us so much in our efforts to reach our goal for 2010 of finding and buying the land to build the Rescued Hearts Animal Shelter."

Rescued Hearts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that organized in 2007 to help find homes for displaced or neglected animals in Volusia and Flagler counties, places dogs and cats in foster homes until they are adopted or until their “state-of-the-art-with-heart” shelter is built, she said.

The agency’s short-term goal is to obtain land in west Volusia and construct a facility to help decrease local government’s cost to house unwanted animals. The group’s other aims include setting up an aggressive spay/neuter program and finding ways to help animals stay at home so they won’t need to be given up.

Those attending the benefit can sample cuisine by chef Kevin Moore of Moore Fine Foods and sip cocktails from a deck overlooking the Tomoka River. The silent auction of artwork and gifts will include Walt Disney World tickets and a framed limited-edition lithograph by Thomas Kinkade.

Tickets are $25, and all proceeds will go to the group’s Property Acquisition Fund. For reservations, call Judy Thompson at 386-252-1050.

Rescued Hearts Animal Shelter
P.O. Box 731522
Ormond Beach, FL 32173
(386) 566-3734
acarotenuto@earthlink.net

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com

Oceanfront Home in Ormond Beach FL

This is a beautiful Oceanfront 2-story pool home with spectacular views. 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 3192 SF interior living space, built 1983, on a 13,300 SF lot.

The first floor includes living room, kitchenette and breakfast nook, full bath and 2 bedrooms with access to lanai (new tile flooring) and pool. A wrap-around stairway guides you to a roomy upper floor that highlights French doors opening to a wooden deck that overlooks the in-ground heated pool.

The home offers a living room with wood-burning fireplace, built-in bookcase, volume ceilings, kitchen with skylight, all appliances and breakfast nook, a formal dinning froom, master suite with jacuzzi tub.

Enjoy the glass atrium with full views of the Atlantic ocean. Located on a corner fenced lot with full access to the beach and 140 foot frontage facing ocean. Listed at $699,000.

Contact me for a private preview today, and sales statistics for the Sea Oats Terrace area of Ormond Beach. Search other Ormond Beach homes for sale on my web site. This is not my listing, but I can be your advisor and Buyer Representative on any real estate in Ormond Beach. Just imagine owning an oceanfront home in Florida for under $700,000!

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
http://www.sherryarmstrong.com/
http://www.daytonabeachscene.com/

If you have ever dreamed of owning your own Villa on the ocean, then your search stops here. This oceanfront home in Daytona Beach has been extensively remodeled but tastefully done to keep the true era of when it was built in 1966. On the first and second story decks, you can watch the traffic-free beach, which is why this is one of the most sought after locations in all of Central Florida, on Triton Beach.

As you enter the home, you find a 37 x 38 glassed atrium with growing foliage and a flowing fountain which brings you back to yesteryear. The open floor plan is truly designed for entertaining, with columns and niches throughout. The kitchen has an upgraded appliance package and features panoramic views from the nook. The master suite on the second floor has incredible ocean views from the bedroom or the oversized marble tub/shower. The home also features a detached work shop which could easily be converted to a coach house, and 3-car garage.

View the virtual tour for this Ocean Shore Blvd home.

With 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 5,013 SF living area, 21,384 SF land, fireplace, decks, patio, security system, and oceanfront location, this home is a great buy and has just been reduced to $1,500,000. Search waterfront homes for sale on my web site, and contact me for a private preview of this oceanfront property in Ormond Beach.

Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
386-679-3191
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
www.sherryarmstrong.com
www.daytonabeachscene.com