First, that we have a total of 124 active condos listed, and in 2011 we sold a total of 149.

That indicates to me that by the end of this year we may have consumed most, if not all of the excess inventory that has been on Pensacola Beach for the last several years.

 I know  a lot of people think that the number of foreclosures still to come will keep inventory high, but according to the Pensacola MLS, of the current 124 condos for sale on Pensacola Beach only 9 are foreclosures or short sales, and as you can see by the chart below six of those are in Portofino,which only leaves four foreclosures or short sale starting off the year.

Portofino Pensacola Beach Real Estate

That is a far lower percentage of  foreclosures or short sales than the rest of the Pensacola Real Estate market,and far lower then we have had on Pensacola Beach for years.

To get more information on Pensacola Real Estate
call Jim Holland at 850-206-6140

or e-mail me at hollandjames@hotmail.com

To find out about new homes to be built in the Pensacola real estate market, or existing homes, anywhere in the Pensacola real estate market call Jim Holland at 850-206-6140  

Notice the great differences between 2009 and all the previous years listed. The prices in 2009 are considerably lower than all previous years listed, but Days On Market (DOM) are very high. In fact, at $231 per square foot, beach real estate is almost $80 a square foot less than it has been at any time in the past 6 years. This is likely one reason sales are picking up on the beaches.

On the date this report was written, there were 508 active Pensacola homes and condos for sale on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key.

The charts below give a graphical representation of sales per year and average sold price over the past 6 years.

The graph above shows homes, townhomes and condos sold on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key over the last 6 years. The graph below shows the average price at which beach real estate sold over those same years.

Given the price level in 2009, this could be considered the best times the past 6 years to purchase Pensacola real estate on the beaches. In an upcoming market report, I’ll look at price levels in the first quarter of 2010.

Related Articles On Pensacola Real Estate News:

The Condo Market Upswing On Pensacola’s Beaches

The good news is that it is not sewage. Pensacola Beach Safety Director, Bob West reports that the waters at the beach are tested weekly and the fecal coliform counts are actually very low. So what is the brown stuff? It is decaying organic matter washed into the Gulf by all the recent rains. As it decays it, looks and smells bad. When surfing the other day, I felt like it was making it harder to breath, sort of like the red tide on Pensacola Beach a few years ago.

Fortunately, the decaying brown junk will not hurt you and will hopefully soon be gone. Then maybe the Pensacola Beach water will start looking like this again.

Most of the time, the Pensacola Beach water is nice and clear. As  you go towards Destin, the water gets even clearer. But as you go towards Alabama, the beach water becomes more murky. Why is this?

The answer is that you can blame it on the Mississippi River (and more locally, Mobile Bay). When the Gulf of Mexico is calm and there is very little current, or an easterly current, Pensacola Beach water is usually very clear. However, when waves get larger, they tend to stir things up and the water will cloud up a little.

When the winds and currents switch to the west, all the muddy murky waters from Mobile Bay and the Mississippi river drift this direction and that is why Pensacola Beach water gets so murky sometimes. Once the waves drop and the current subsides, the water generally clears back up within a few days.

Update: As of March 28, 2010, the water on Pensacola Beach is starting to clear up. It is still a little cloudy from the wave action, but the brown stuff appears to be gone from most areas of Pensacola Beach.

Related Articles On Pensacola Real Estate News:

Pensacola Beach Water Quality Scores A Great Rating

I provided a report on the condo and beach real estate market back in mid-2008. You can check out that real estate condo report to get an idea of just how much prices have dropped and sales have increased in 2009.

Pensacola Beach’s core area has returned to its pre-hurricane Ivan condition, and actually has more to offer than ever. Most of the year there are 5 to 10 venues with live entertainment and a wide variety of restaurants including everything from fine dining at Hemmingway’s at the end of the Portofino Boardwalk, to Hooters, to Sidelines Sports bar.

The newly rebuilt Pensacola Beach fishing pier is back for fishing as well as sightseeing. The road to Fort Pickens has reopened, along with the road through the national seashore that connects Pensacola Beach with Navarre Beach. The picture below is a view of Pensacola Beach from the pier.

All of the annual events that take place on Pensacola Beach have resumed, bigger and better than ever, including the Blue Angels air show, and the world famous Pensacola Beach bushwhacker festival, as well as the huge Pensacola Beach Memorial Day celebration.

Here is the schedule of events for January through March from the Pensacola Bay Area Chamber of Commerce:

January 5, 2010

January

Annual Polar Bear Dip, Flora-Bama, (850) 492-0611
Navarre Half Marathon 5K/10K, (850) 476-7434
All American Chili Cookoff, Seville Quarter, (850) 434-6211
Youth Art Focus, Pensacola Museum of Art, (850) 432-6247
Annual Antique Show & Sale, Fairgrounds

February

Pensacola News Journal Double Bridge Run, 15K/5K, (850) 434-2800
Mardi Gras Street Party, Seville Quarter, (850) 434-6211
Mardi Gras Parades
Blue Angel Marathon
Cajun Fest, Pensacola Beach, (850) 932-1500
Heart of Gold Ball, American Heart Association, (850) 473-0411
Mardi Gras Parade, Pensacola Beach, (850) 932-1500
Lust for the Arts, Seville Quarter, (850) 434-6211
Gumbo Ya-Ya, Seville Quarter, (850) 434-6211
Pensacola Children’s Chorus, (850) 434-7760

March

Beulah Sausage Festival
Business Expo at Civic Center, (850) 438-4081
McGuire’s 5K Run, (850) 433-6789
Rockabilly Festival, Seville Quarter, (850) 434-6211
Pensacola Junior League Bargain Sale, (850) 433-4421
Santa Rosa Celebrates the Arts, (850) 623-2339
Magnolias and White Linen, (850) 435-2533
Gulf Coast Renaissance Festival, (877) 429-8462
Riverwalk Fine Arts Festival, Milton, (850) 626-9567, (850) 623-8493
Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts

Related Articles On Pensacola Real Estate News:

Pensacola Real Estate Market Report On Beach Homes and Condos

You couldn’t ask for better weather to end the year. I spent some of my day of New Years Eve at Pensacola Beach. I took a few pictures which show just how beautiful the weather was. People were on the beach catching some sun, but only surfers were in the water, in full wet suits and boots. Air temps were in the upper 60’s, but water temps were in the lower 60’s.

While you don’t see too many people in these shots, there were people all up and down Pensacola Beach enjoying the beautiful weather. These pictures were taken at the beach in front of the Portofino Condos.

These guys below were glad to get out of the cold water and onto the nice warm beach.

I would love a few more days like New Years Eve, but instead we are looking at lows in the 20’s for the coming week. Brrrrrr!!!! Not very Florida-like. Hopefully the Pensacola Real Estate Market will warm up more than the weather.

But it appears what’s really hot on Pensacola Beach are the Portofino Condos. Since October 1, 2009 (the past 3 months), 27 units have sold, with an average price of $395,000. The average price per square foot was $254.

Compare these numbers to the end of 2008 when only 9 Portofino units sold in the same time frame, with an average price of $521,000  and an average price per square foot of $353. This is a huge change within a year’s time frame. More on Portofino later.

There are currently 176 active listings for condos on Pensacola Beach. That’s a lot less than the 279 active listings 2 years ago. Things are starting to normalize a little.

Related articles:

Pensacola Real Estate Market Data – October 2007

The Improving Pensacola Real Estate Market

Overall, our nation’s beaches are not doing well, but the main swimming area of Pensacola Beach known as Casino Beach received a 3-star rating. This designates it as one of the cleanest beaches in the nation, as far as pollution and bacterial content in the water.

In the photo below, you can see the crystal clear beautiful waters of Pensacola Beach, looking west from the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier.

While a 5-star rating is possible, 5-star ratings are only given to beaches where the water is tested more than once per week. Casino Beach is tested weekly. And every test showed that the water on Pensacola Beach met EPA standards.

The full report can be viewed in PDF format at the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Fortunately, there is no stormwater runoff, or sewage runoff into the waters of Pensacola Beach. Rain water generally just puddles on the beach and soaks in, or is drained from the roads into Santa Rosa Sound. This keeps the Gulf side of Pensacola Beach nice and clean.

However, Quietwater Beach wasn’t as clean as Casino Beach. There were nine weeks in 2007 when the water quality was so poor that beach advisories had to be issued.

This is unfortunate, especially for families. Many parents like to take their young children to Quietwater Beach to avoid the dangerous wave action of the gulf, hence the name Quietwater. You also see a lot more boats and jet skis around Quietwater Beach.

When comparing Pensacola to other areas of the country, we are doing quite well. The beaches on the California coast can be scary at times. I remember reading a report from local professional surfer Sterling Spencer that he was sick for days from surfing in the waters of California. We are truly blessed to have such beautiful, clean and uncrowded beaches.

Now if we could just get ECUA to get our water quality improved.

Related Articles On Pensacola Real Estate News:

Could Pensacola Beach Be Facing A Tourism Disaster?

The Crimson Tide Rolls Onto Pensacola Beach

Many thanks to the Pensacola Beach Blogger for bringing this story to my attention (along with many other great local stories)

The numbers in the table show the Pensacola real estate sales on the beaches for the first 6 months of 2008.

As of the writing of this report there are 11 Perdido Key Condo sales Pending and 6 Pensacola Beach Condo sales Pending. The total number of homes and condos for sale on the beach has not increased since January, so we are holding steady on inventory in the mid 700s.

The table above just gives a snapshot of the market at this time, which does not really tell a story. The table below is much more interesting.

Pensacola Market Data For Beach Homes and Condos
On Pensacola Beach And Perdido Key
For the First 6 Months Of Each Year

Be aware that the numbers showin in the table are only for the 1st 6 months of each of the years listed. This was the only way to make a good comparison to 2008. At the end of 2008 I can give you a full years worth of data on the beach real estate report.

What we can see in this table is the way the real estate markets on the beaches have moved since 2000. Here are some observations:

• If you purchased beach real estate from 2000 to 2004, you are doing well as far as the value of your investment

• 2002-2004 were the hottest years as far as beach real estate sales volume. During this period, the beach homes and condos were much more affordable and we saw sales from 180 to almost 300 units.

• 2005-2007 saw decreasing sales and increasing days on market as prices rose sharply.

Now in 2008 we see sales up just a little above the 2007 levels and prices holding steady. Many Pensacola real estate agents believe that prices on the beaches have pretty much bottomed out. I will provide future reports on the beaches and we’ll see if that is indeed true.

- The table shows real estate market data for Pensacola condos and residential homes on the beaches.
- Vacant land or lots are not included.
- The numbers above are created using data from the Pensacola MLS and are deemed reliable but not guaranteed

Click on Pensacola Real Estate News for a list of articles indexed by category.

Tags: pensacola+beaches, pensacola+condos, real+estate+market+data

Apparently before the Blue Angels performed at Casino Beach, a very special event was taking place down on the east end of Pensacola Beach.

Check out the pictures taken by the Barrier Island Girl on her blog; Manatee Pictures

 I don’t think I would have had the patience to take pictures. I would have been running for the water just to see how close I could get.

Click on Pensacola Real Estate News for a list of articles indexed by category.

This real estate agent was smart enough to know that the Portofino condos helped block some of that hard cold northerly wind. Notice how rough the Gulf Of Mexico looks in the background. 

The Portofino Condos have 107 units listed for sale in the Pensacola MLS. Prices range from $455K up to $1.85 million. The average days on market for these condos is 290.

Properties on Pensacola Beach are moving slowly these days.  There are currently 74 vacant lots for sale on Pensacola Beach. The average price per acre is $3.9 million. The average days on market is 391.

Obviously this down real estate market is having an effect on beach properties in Pensacola. That makes now the time to get some good bargains on properties on Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. If you are interested in purchasing any properties in Pensacola Florida, including beach condos, Contact Me . I will answer any questions you may have and help you in any way I can.  Hey, if I will go out in these types of conditions (Yes, that is me in the pictures), imagine how hard I will work for you in helping you find just the right home or condo in Pensacola.

Visit my Pensacola Market Update archives to get information on the Pensacola Real Estate Market, including condo and home sales on the beaches.  OR, click on Pensacola Real Estate News for a list of articles indexed by category.

According to the ICF industry, ICF is the wave of the future in building, both commercial and residential. It has been used in other countries for over 40 years, but is only now gaining popularity in the United States. Some of the benefits associated with ICF homes are especially applicable to Pensacola and the Gulf Coast. Here is a short list of some of the benefits:

Energy Efficiency: I’ve seen different claims on the energy savings ranging from 30% up to 70%. Even the low end of the range can amount to significant savings during the hot Pensacola summers.

Termites Don’t Eat Concrete: ICF homes are highly pest resistant. If you have paid the price of termite treatment, you know this feature alone can save you a few thousand dollars. We all know termites love to feast on our Pensacola homes.

Peace and Quiet: The material is more insulating, so it results not only in energy savings, but also in a more sound proof home

Mold Is History: You are much less likely to have mold growth on concrete. After hurricane Ivan hit Pensacola, we could have all used more ICF and less mold growth.

Lower Home Insurance Premiums: ICF homes generally have lower premiums due to the fact they are more resistant to fire and storm elements. Speak to your homeowners insurance agent first if you are considering building an ICF home.

Thanks to one of my favorite real estate bloggers, Sellsius, for his great article. You can check it out at the Sellsius blog.

And since I didn’t have a picture of an ICF building, I included a picture of the Dome Home on Pensacola Beach. The owner weathered hurricane Ivan in this home. I wouldn’t have done that.  

Here are more references for information about ICF homes.
Sources of ICF Information: ICFA, BuildersWebsource; ICF Builder; PCA;

Other Articles of Interest:

Concrete Homes are Energy Efficient (The San Diego Union Tribune)
How to Build a Fireproof House (This Old House)
Enlisting a Fortress to Battle the Elements (The New York Times)

For information on ICF Builders in the Florida Panhandle and Alabama, go to the ICF Builders web site.

Click on Pensacola Real Estate News for a list of articles indexed by category.