Fay, like many other storms do not want to visit Pinellas county and that is just wonderful.     Here in St. Petersburg, we did not even get one rain drop while the rest of Florida got more rain than we could have imagined in our wildest dreams. These are pictures that I took in Sunset Beach Treasure Island on Tuesday 8/19/08 while Fay was north east of us.                 I could not help it, temptation was to big, I had to skip work for an hour and go down to the beach. The wind and the clouds were scary but at the same time, it was beautiful to feel mother nature. 08/27/2008

Or don't you dress up in the first place? Deep down, I am a Jeans and T shirt girl that sometimes feels the urge to dress up or wear fancy cloth or even a little shocking cloth. It all depends on my mood of the day. But every morning I am faced with the nasty question "What will I wear to work today?" My decision is easy, if I have appointments, showing property etc.  I will dress as a REALTOR When I have an office day, my Jeans come out. I hate all this, what kind of society do we live in that we still think cloth make people? Are we that shallow?  Shouldn't we be judged by our knowledge? I am a big believer that "first impression" is very important when it come to curb appeal of a house, but how important is it when it comes to first impression of a Realtor? Some of my friends and cli... 08/26/2008

I recently wrote a post about      Do you sometimes get "TIRED" of dressing up?  and I got o lot of response. That made me think back to the days when I started in Real Estate (I was still a wild child) and it was even more of a drama to get dressed in "Realtor cloth" in the morning. I felt like I was slipping into a different role, different person. The Rebel in me did not like or allow that and I made the decision that Yes, I will dress as a Realtor (that excluded Jeans and T shirt) but I won't give it all up. I have always loved Jewelry and I wear a lot, custom or real, gold or silver doesn't really matter. It is so over board that people say, "OH, here comes Anne, they can hear me before they see me" My broker called me in the office and asked me if this was really necessary. . . . ... 08/26/2008

Mansions by the sea in Treasure Island 1015 heated square feet on the third floor with a 37-foot balcony overlooking the Gulf of Mexico offered at 263,500 How about a unit is Ocean Sands. Direct Gulf Front in Madeira beachfor $230,000 asking price?  You want something in the lower $100,000 ok, there is a unit available in the Island Inn Treasure Island a beach front condo motel, asking price is $129,900 Seamark in St. Pete Beach sits directly in the sand and right now you can buy a condo in the great complex for under $199,000. You need a bigger unit? Well there is a condo in Starlight Towers, over 1400 heated sf. St. Pete beach direct water front for $424,000 or a unit in prestigious Silver Sands, also over 1400 heated sf. for $447,000. Not big enough? Go to Redington Shores, over 2100... 08/25/2008

Times have changed so much, the market has changed so much, everything about Real Estate and how we do business has changed so much. Buyers, Sellers they have changed their goals and attitudes, they way they search for properties has change, the way we market and advertise properties has changed. Contracts have changed, we need more addenda by the day. The number of properties you show has gone up verses the sales you make, the number of contracts you write verses the closings you actually have has gone up. The response time buyers and sellers expect to their e mails has become much shorter. The financing situation has changed by 180 degrees. Appraisers have changed their attitude. Realtor work out of their home office not the real estate office anymore. A simple cell phone is not enoug... 08/25/2008

 Sunset Beach Dunes...and what you do not see at first sight: The Sunset Beach Dunes are on West Gulf Blvd in Sunset Beach Treasure Island. It is a very different complex. Not your same old same old. 6 units altogether 2 on each floor , all of them with perfect direct water vies onto the Gulf of mexico. The building sits right in the sand and you can not get any closer to the water. it was built in 2000 and has a roof top garden with a huge swim jacuzzi. Metakaolin refined concrete structure throughoutto increase strength and durability, to protect steel from corrosion.Impact insulated floor system with epoxy finish. Solid core doors throughout the building.Interior metal stud walls are all insulated for better air and sound protection. Each unit has one garage, one parking space and ex... 08/06/2008

Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, what a wonderful little piece of the world. Sunset Beach is the most southern tip of Treasure Island. It is very narrow and long.  In Sunset Beach you have the Gulf of Mexico on the west side and Blind Pass waterway on the east side. There is a Seven Eleven on the entrance to Sunset Beach Treasure Island and beautiful gated condo community called "Land's End" on the end of Sunset Beach. In-between you have smaller condo complexes, single family homes, rental apartments, duplexes, and last but not least Mansions by the Sea, the "Two Towers" Sunset Beach is very special and diverse and therefore attracts a unique group of people. You find everything and everybody from $25,000 yearly income to Millions of yearly income. Here on Sunset beach you have the blu... 08/01/2008

Only a few weeks ago I listed this great home on Isle of Capri in Treasure Island. The price of $529,000 was supported by recent sold homes in the same area. It is a great home and it is huge, 5 bed rooms 3 bath, split floor plan, two stories, and separate entrance for the mother in law or home office, not on the water but house has water views and it is walking distance to the beach. It is a lot of house and that is our biggest selling point. Here in Treasure Island you do not find too many big home, most of them have 2 or 3 bedroom 4 is already rare but this home has 5. Anyway, we had a few inquiries and a few showings, in the first couple of weeks, but no bite. The owner's motivation has changed and he really wants to sell, so major price reduction of $130,000. this bring the home to... 07/28/2008

Are you moving to Treasure Island or coming on vacation? Here are some places you might want to check out. For breakfast all the locals go to Foxy's, it is on 107th Ave in Treasure Island on the north side on the shopping centre. Café Berlin, on 107 Ave also east side of shopping centre serves German food and has very reasonable prices. Or you can go to Sloppy Joes on Gulf BLVD, the food is great and it is right on the beach. Another choice is Caddys on Sunset beach, I am not too fond of their food, but the location is fantastic, it sits right in the sand. If you are in the mood for Mexican food, the VIP bar on Gulf blvd corner of 107Ave is a good place. We also have a waffle house on Treasure Island on Gulf Blvd and a little restaurant called Grouper in the Thunderbird resort. For dinn... 07/19/2008

Today, let's talk about the Amadeus in Treasure Island well, I guess the name gives it away, it was designed by an Austrian architect. He came here on vacation, fell in love witht he area and decided to start a little project. The condo complex is about 10 years old by now and it sits right on the water in Treasure Island on 104th Ave across the street from the Treasure Island public park. Altogether Amadeus has 10 units, which is considered a small condo building here in Treasure Island. 6 of the units have a direct water view 4 of them have a view from the balcony. Like all of the newer condo buildings, the ground floor is covered parking. Amadeus has a nice size community dock and a swimming pool right on the water. A friend of mine lived there for a few years and we had a great time... 07/10/2008

When people hear Treasure Island, they think beach, sun, water, fishing, sunsets, cocktails and vacation Well, living in Treasure Island Florida is all of the above, but, we are not just a vacation spot; we are a real city with real people, with real needs and a real life. So, if you are a snowbird, or think about moving to Treasure Island, here is a little "shopping guide' for Treasure Island. Let's start with the most important items (not it is not alcohol) it is food. Right now, it doesn't matter where you live in Treasure Island; food shopping is about 10 to 15 minutes away. Unfortunately we do not have a grocery store right now, BUT a brand new beautiful Publix will open in August 2008 and it will be on the corner of 104th Ave and Gulf blvd. That means, food shopping doesn't matter... 07/10/2008

Isle of Capri is a really nice subdivision with lots of waterfront homes, condos town houses and rental apartments. A great mixture of everything. There is only one road that leads to Isle on Capri. You have to take Gulf Blvd and make a turn into 116 Ave. You go over a little bridge and you are on Isle of Capri. To your left you will find a lot of town home complexes like the Sun Ketch units. If you follow the road and go east on Capri Blvd you will find that almost every home is waterfront, these are all single family homes ranging from the $500,000 to a few millions. If you would just stay on the road and keep going till the very end you will see Key Capri, two huge condo complexes, The waterfront units overlook famous John's Pass. Isle of Capri is a very residential neighborhood and... 07/07/2008

Treasure Island was packed with people; I have never so many folks here in our little town of Treasure Island. It is a different crowd than usual, not many snowbirds or Europeans, but a lot of people from Tampa and inland. I talked to a few business owners and they all said, people do not travel very far right now. Because of the high gas prices people from Tampa that used to go to the keys for the holidays, now stay closer to home. I took my jet ski out yesterday and I was surprised to see the waterways "empty" don't get me wrong there were still a lot of boats and jet skies out, but by far not as many as usual. Than again, driving up and down the Treasure Island and Madeira beach I saw a lot of people on the beach with their coolers and their own food and drinks. Later on that night I... 07/06/2008

And I was disappointed again, dinning in Treasure Island Florida Sometimes I just do not understand myself. . .  this was the forth or fifth time I ate at Middle grounds grill in Treasure Island Florida. And again, it was not bad, but it was not good either. I had the Prince Edward Mussels, they arrived before the bread and they were like warm at the best. The taste and the presentation was good but the Mussels themselves were small and not too tasty. Guess it was my own fault, I ordered them again my own better judgment, should never have Mussels in a month without an R. My main course was their Special, the sea bass, I love sea bass but the portion was really really small (around $30) and the sauce was way too overwhelming for the delicate fish. My desert, I have to say, it was fantas... 06/29/2008

Great Places, Great food in Treasure Island One of them is "The Pearl" Fine dining in Treasure Island I really like  the place; the food is great and very creative with a Moroccan - Mediterranean touch. Located in  downtown Treasure Island on the south site of 107th Ave, near the clock tower. Open at 4 pm Monday - Saturday. They might change their hours in the season. You can reach them at  727 360 9151, they are usually very busy, so it might be good to call and make reservations. They also have a few tables outside which is really nice. Appetizers are between $7 and $10 and entrees are $16 to $28. My favorite soup is the Lobster bisque, made fresh daily. My favorite entrée is the ½ duck with orange sauce. Also, they have some daily specials that you do not want to miss. The food is fa... 06/02/2008

For those who do not know Paradise Island, it is a community in Treasure Island Pinellas County Florida. One of the Barrier Islands south of Clearwater and north of the Skyway Bridge. Paradise Island is south of Central Ave. minutes to the beach, shopping and restaurants. Paradise Island has a public 9 hole golf course and public tennis courts. About 40 minutes to Tampa airport and 15 minutes to St Petersburg downtown. Paradise Island here in Treasure Island is a very residential community. Most people live here year around. So, hope you considered this great location when making plans to move to Florida. It is a great place to live. Right now prices start at $155,000 and go to $1,500,000 It is a buyer's market, Paradise Island has a huge inventory of real estate for sale, and people ca... 03/22/2008

Paradise Island is a communitiy in Treasure Island , Pinellas County Florida.Just south of Tampa and north of Sarasota.Like everywhere else in Florida the house and condo inventory is huge.Prices have dropped and some owners are very motivated to sell their property.Below please find a short summery of the real estate inventory on Paradise Island Florida.Active listings on Paradise Island3/16/08As of today we have 14 single family homes for sale on Paradise IslandStarting at $344,900 up to $1,599,900Also on the market 6 town homes starting at $ 260,000 up to $ 525,000And 12, yes, that is right 12 units in La Costa Brava asking somewhere between $155,000 and $ 298,000This is only data from the MLS system and does not include for sale by owners on Paradise Island.And last but not least 4 ... 03/22/2008

10112 Paradise Blvd and 10127 Paradise BlvdBoth house were fantastic deals in sold in a matter of day10112 Paradise Blvd is a  3 bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage 1816 heated square feet with a pool and it sold for $ 250,00010127 Paradise Blvd is a nice 4 bedroom 2 bath 2 car garage 1932 heated square feet with a pool on the water and it sold for $532,000These two sales might affect our property values dramatically.They both sold this month (March 08)A few years ago appraisers assumed that the property values are going up and up by the day and we saw appraisals coming in on the high site rather than the low end.This is different today, what I see is the opposite, appraisals come in on the low site and short sales and foreclosures and distressed sales are taken into consideration.Nowadays some... 03/22/2008

I showed 4 units in Treasure Island today.They are on Isle of Capri and the subdivision is Sun Ketch.I personally like the Sun ketch units a lot. They are small townhomes in a residential area and walking distance to the beach. You have about 920 heated square feet on the first floor and a huge huge garage the same size on the ground floor.This development has a good combination of people who actually live here year around and snow birds that use it for a winter retreat.The units are all the same give or take 50 square feet, same age, same floor plan same . . . . . Currently there are 5 units for sale.The first one we saw was prices at $199,900. This unit was clean but not updated at all. Formica countertops, old kitchen, old metal closet doors, old appliances etc.So, it was pretty much... 03/06/2008

Real Estate updates Treasure Island Florida As of today 2/2/08 we have a total of 416 active residential listings (not including for sale By Owners) in Treasure Island. Starting with an asking price of  $122,900 for a small condo on Gulf Blvd and it goes all the way up to $3,999,000 for a new construction condo right on the beach. So far this year 5 units have been sold and 13 are under contract supposed to close in the next few weeks in Treasure Island In Treasure island 17 of the 416 listings are single family homes off the water; they range from $257,000 to $699,900. 62 single family homes are on the water asking prices range From $474,900 to $3,499,000. The average asking price in Treasure Island per square foot for single family homes on the water is $417. Sold prices for the last ... 02/03/2008