12 minute read
REAL ESTATE
26 THE SUN REAL ESTATE
Is it worth the walk?
Many years ago, my husband and I were in Athens, Greece, and on our way down from touring the sights at the top of Acropolis Hill, someone stopped us and asked, “Was it worth the walk?” After my initial shock that this question would be asked - considering where we were - I thought, "Isn’t everything worth the walk?"
The thing that is definitely worth the walk now is every single house that comes on the market in your price range, even if it’s not exactly your dream house.
We’re in what appears to be a changing real estate market. This spring seems likely to be less competitive than last spring when homes flew off the market as buyers rushed to take advantage of ultralow interest rates in an appreciating housing market. Some buyers will have to drop out of the market if they were borderline for financing, but there will still be plenty of qualified buyers and plenty with cash. No one expects prices to go down anytime soon, but an increase in inventory is looking promising.
The increase in mortgage rates is slowing home sales. Existing home sales fell 4.5% nationally in March compared to March of last year, according to the National Associations of Realtors. Manatee County’s home sales for March decreased by a lot more than that, falling by 20.2% compared to March of last year. In the opinion of the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, the frenzy is winding down and the volume of home sales is starting to revert to prepandemic levels. That I’ll believe when I see it, especially on Anna Maria Island. There are still multiple buyers for every property that comes on the market, even if there will be more properties available.
As reported last week, Manatee County continues to ride the enormous wave of an appreciating market. Selling prices continue to break records in both Manatee and Sarasota and the entire North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton region, which is reporting a 29.9% increase in singlefamily homes from last March. Sarasota County also showed a large increase of 28.4% in the sale price for single-family homes, however, Manatee County led the pack with a 32.9% increase in singlefamily sales prices.
So where does all this great information and opinion leave potential buyers? It leaves them with the hope of more properties to see that may fit what they’re looking for. They shouldn’t expect the prices, certainly in our area, to change much, if at all, but they may get more of what they were looking for in a home.
This goes directly back to my “Is it worth the walk?” scenario and the answer is "Yes." Every house that comes on the market in your price range and in your desired area should be seriously considered. Forget about the colors on the walls or the lack of interesting landscaping or the clutter on the bathroom counters. It’s time to go back to basic house-hunting principles: If a home has good bones, it should go on your list; if you can qualify for a mortgage for this home, it should go on your list; and if the home is workable, keeping the future in mind for your family or for your investment, it should go on your list.
It's possible that, eventually, prices will level off as the pipeline of buyers waiting for new properties is gradually exhausted, but we have no idea when or if that will happen. Now is the time to take the walk up the hill. You’ll be glad you did.
Castles in the Sand
LOUISE BOLGER
DROWNING: Canadian womans drowns at Coquina Beach
FROM PAGE 1 Diana Quintana and David Gradidge saw Coughlin floating in the water and brought her ashore, according to the police department’s incident report.
Coughlin’s 64-year-old son, Henri Lanctot, accompanied her to the beach that day.
According to the incident report, “Henri advised that while he was sitting on his beach chair, approximately 30 yards from the beach, his mother told him she was going to take a walk on the shore. After approximately 30 minutes he looked up and did not see his mother. He got up and walked to the shore to see if he could locate her. He did not see her anywhere. That is when he noticed two people pulling a person out of the water unresponsive. Lanctot then realized that it was his mother they were pulling out of the water. Lanctot advised that his mother did not have any serious medical issues that he was aware of. Lanctot advised that his mother lived in Canada and had been in Florida for the past six months. Lanctot advised that they were getting ready to leave back to Canada in a couple days.”
FROM PAGE 1 it would be more beneficial for residents and visitors alike to have a local officer with jurisdiction in the city to guard the path against trespassing instead of a security guard unfamiliar with Holmes Beach. Titsworth said she felt an HBPD officer might have more compassion toward members of the public trying to use the path.
The fight between neighbors started in mid-April when Raub and Resmond closed a long-used access path which stretches along their property from the end of 78th Street to the beach. While an easement was recorded on the property for the path, Augello said that the easement language doesn’t specify who it benefits, giving the property owners the right to close the path to the public, including their neighbors, some of whom have stated they’ve used the access path for decades.
While neighbors are protesting that they have a right to use the path due to how many years it has been open to the public, city leaders say they can’t get involved in the dispute, though they are keeping up with the issue as it develops.
Resident Nancy Gilchrist, who lives on 78th Street, says she feels the issue is larger than just one street. If private property owners are allowed to close a beach access path on one street, she asked commissioners what was keeping other owners from doing the same on their streets
Looking at Holmes Beach street design records, she said 78th Street, which was platted in 1946, was shown on the plans to end at the western edge of the beachfront properties at 100 and 101 78th St. For some reason, she said the street was stopped at the eastern edge of the properties, resulting in the beach access path being on private property instead of located in a city right of way.
Gilchrist also questioned the ownership of two westward platted lots, 98 and 99 78th St. She said she was unable to locate any records identifying who owns those lots, located fully on the sand on the beach, and asked commissioners to look into the issue.
Commissioner Carol Soustek agreed to have Augello look into the ownership of those two properties as well as the right of way issue.
While Gilchrist acknowledged that Raub and Resmond, who are not fulltime residents of Holmes Beach, have issues with vagrants and the public trespassing on their property, she said she doesn’t feel that those issues are substantial enough to warrant closing the beach access path to everyone.
Augello maintained that the city “has no dog in this fight. This truly is a dispute between private property owners.”
SUBMITTED | ROSE MARY PATTERSON Holmes Beach city workers install plants April 23 to block access to a beach path on 78th Street.
MOTE: Commission formally extends deadlines
FROM PAGE 1 DEADLINES ESTABLISHED
The one-page lease addendum includes date-specific deadlines and milestones Mote must meet.
According to the approved lease addendum, the formal design and engineering process for the Mote outreach facility must begin on or before Aug. 18. The completed plans must be submitted to the city on or before Oct. 13. The interior buildout of the city-owned pier building and the subsequent installation of the live marine exhibits must begin seven days after the city issues Mote its needed building permits. Mote must apply for a certificate of occupancy no later than 12 weeks after the city permits are issued and the grand opening is to take place no later than four weeks after the city issues Mote Marine a certificate of occupancy.
During the commission’s April 28 meeting, Mayor Dan Murphy said the agreedupon deadlines are expected to result in a March 1, 2023, grand opening for the Mote Marine outreach center.
According to the lease addendum, “Mote shall comply in all respects with the following schedule as to the design and buildout of the premises. Mote’s timely performance of the above work and schedule is required as a condition of the lease, excluding ‘unavoidable delays’ as defined in Section 28 of the lease signed September 30, 2021.”
Section 28 of the original lease pertains to “impossibility of performance” and states: “For purposes of this lease, the term ‘unavoidable delay’ shall mean any delays due to strikes, lockouts, civil commotion, war or warlike operations, acts of terrorism, acts of a public enemy, acts of bioterrorism, epidemics, quarantines, pandemics, invasion, rebellion, hostilities, military or usurped power, sabotage, government regulations or controls, inability to obtain any material, utility or service because of governmental restrictions, hurricanes, floods or other natural disasters, acts of God or any other cause beyond the direct control of the party delayed.”
The lease addendum notes: “In the event of default on the part of Mote, the Anna Maria City Commission shall have the authority to cancel the lease at the reasonable discretion of such city commission.” FUNDING
As approved by the Manatee County Commission in 2021, the county will provide the initial $500,000 for the interior buildout and exhibit installation using money from the county’s 5% tourist tax levied on lodging establishments, including vacation rentals, which operate within the county.
Mote is responsible for any initial buildout and installation costs beyond the county’s initial $500,000 investment. Mote will also provide, at its own expense, the staff members and volunteers needed to operate the outreach center. Mote will occupy the city-owned structure rent-free during the initial five-year lease period which also provides Mote with an option for a five-year extension. The city of Anna Maria will pay the utility expenses associated with Mote Marine’s use of the City Pier and pier building.
LIVE EXHIBITS
On April 22, the commission majority accepted the conceptual exhibit plans presented by Mote Marine representative Kevin Cooper.
The conceptual plans propose four separate live exhibits that include an invertebrate touch tank, a live mangrove exhibit, a live grass flats exhibit and a fourth live exhibit that will use cameras and an underwater hydrophone allowing visitors to see and hear the marine life and marine environment under the pier.
If and when the Mote Marine outreach center opens in 2023, admission will be free for the public.
MOTE MARINE | SUBMITTED The Anna Maria City Pier Marine Education Outreach Center will feature live and virtual exhibits.
Anna Maria/Mote Marine lease addendum
Chamber breakfast at AMI Beach Cafe
The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Sunrise Breakfast at AMI Beach Café on Thursday, May 5 at 7:30 a.m. This event is open to members and prospective members and is a great way to mingle and get to know other business owners and managers in the community. Food orders will be taken when seated for a fee of $10 for members and $18 for nonmembers. Bring a raffle prize and have your business recognized during the giveaway. RSVP at amichamber. org, or call 941-778-1541.
JOE HENDRICKS | SUN
The City Pier Park shade sail is being expanded to provide more shade coverage.
Farmer’s market season ends early
The city of Anna Maria’s final two farmers market events of the season have been canceled. The Tuesday, May 3 and Tuesday, May 10 cancelations were necessary due to construction work scheduled to begin this week at City Pier Park, where the shade sail structure will be expanded. A portion of the park will remain closed while the work is done. Mayor Dan Murphy told city commissioners on April 28 that the shade sail expansion will be completed before the city’s annual Memorial Day Patriotic Symphony Salute, which will feature a 70-piece symphony orchestra. The Memorial Day Salute is scheduled for Monday, May 30 from 10-11:30 a.m. at City Pier Park.
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