Anna Maria Island Real Estate Sales Blog

Burglars target canal vacation homes

By Nick Walter
Islander Reporter

A string of burglaries in Holmes Beach the past month has Holmes Beach Police Department officers on alert, and neighbors looking out for each other’s homes.

In the past month, according to HBPD police reports, there have been five residential burglaries between 70th and 77th streets.

HBPD Lt. Dale Stephenson said the houses were unoccupied. Some homeowners were on vacation.

“We feel these are all related,” Stephenson said. “Since the burglaries have come out of canal [homes], they’re possibly coming by water, which is why we’ve stepped up marine enforcement to identify who’s in the water and canals.”

In a Nov. 17 home burglary in the 500 block of 74th Street, an officer reported seeing a boat with its lights off in the general area. The occupants turned off their flashlights upon sight of HBPD patrol vehicles, the officer stated.

Becky Kinkaid is a homeowner in the targeted neighborhood. She said a burglar stole from her home a door mat, bath rug, mirror, three wooden bowls, a box of plastic bags and two pillow cases.

Kinkaid said she was speaking to a neighbor about the burglary, and he said some men approached in his canal after dark and asked, “You guys seen any snook?”

She said her neighbor told her that when police arrived, the boater sped away.

“It’s kind of creepy,” Kinkaid said. “My next-door neighbor said (burglars) took frozen fish from their freezer.”

In the burglaries, Stephenson said, burglars are taking some unusual items, such as plastic blinds, batteries, screwdrivers, shower heads and curtains, lighters and towels.

He said he spoke to residents in the area between 70th and 77th streets, suggesting they exchange phone numbers and watch out for each other.

“On the 500 block of 77th Street, they didn’t even know half of each other,” Stephenson said. “Some had alarms that weren’t even turned on.”

Stephenson is reminding residents that they can get officers to check their houses once a week. Those interested can visit the HBPD, 5801 Marina Drive, and fill out a request form.

In addition, Stephenson said residents can put motion detector lights in their backyards and on their docks, and items of value should not be left in plain view.

“I also told people about setting up a radio where it comes on for two hours every night,” Stephenson said.

To contact HBPD, call 941-708-5804.

Here's some news you may be able to use:

Tiny Anna Maria Island to get big makeover in 2010

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New sidewalks, resurfaced roads and updated traffic signals are among the projects slated for Anna Maria Island.

MANATEE COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- More than 20 road construction projects are planned for Anna Maria Island's one square mile of land.

Over the course of the next 18 months, a total of 22 road construction projects are slated to be finished. While some have already started, others are scheduled to begin soon.

Some of the main projects include building a sidewalk along a part of North Bay Boulevard, resurfacing roads, shoring up bridges and updating traffic signals - most of them happening at the same time.

At least one project is already done. The Florida Department of Transportation reports all sidewalk installations on Holmes Beach are finished.

Here's an interesting look at how different regions around the country have fared in loss of value from the highest amount.

Forbes put this together, and as expected, our region features prominently in the top five of the south, number nine in the US!

Forbes Names Cities With Biggest Price Drops
Cities that experienced housing recessions were affected as much by local economic factors as they were by national ones, according to a study by Local Market Monitor for Forbesmagazine.

Cities that have lost the most value are concentrated in the Midwest where unemployment has taken its toll, and in parts of California, Florida, and Nevada where the rising cost of housing encouraged home buyers to gamble on their ability to afford housing long term.

On average, housing markets on the West Coast lost the most value – 21.6 percent since their peak. Florida lost 31 percent. The Northeast lost an average of 8.6 percent, and the Midwest on average lost only 5.6 percent.

Here are the top five cities in each region that lost the most value:

West

1. Merced, Calif.: -62.11 percent
2. Stockton, Calif.: -54.29
3. Modesto, Calif.: -52.42
4. Vallejo-Fairfield, Calif.: -47.62
5. Las Vegas-Paradise, Nev.: -47.53

South

1. Port St. Lucie, Fla.: -46.43 percent
2. Cape Coral-Fort-Myers, Fla.: -46.38
3. Naples-Marco Island, Fla.: -43.63
4. Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Fla.: -41.52
5. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla. -39.93

Midwest

1. Detroit-Livonia, Mich., -30.66
2. Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, Mich., -27.95
3. Flint, Mich., -27.47
4. Ann Arbor, Mich., -20.37
5. Jackson, Mich., -17.30

Northeast

1. Providence-New Bedford, R.I., -17.30
2. Worcester, Mass., -16.17
3. Atlantic City, N.J., -16.15
4. Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, N.Y., -14.60
5. Barnstable Town, Mass., -14.48

Source: Forbes, Francesca, Levy (12/21/2009)

Pier demolished at Manatee public beach

By Nick Walter
Islander Reporter

Forristall Demolition’s Komat'su excavator driver exits the vehicle after the makeshift roadbed of rubble collapsed, sending him and the excavator into the water. Islander Photo: Courtesy Rolph Huband

Through a window from her Cafe on the Beach office, Dee Schaefer has a view of beachgoers, the Manatee Public Beach pier and the seemingly endless Gulf waters.

But in the past month, demolition vehicles have obstructed that view as they crumbled and removed the pier.

“It was fun to watch them work,” said Schaefer, who along with husband Gene, holds the lease for the Manatee beach concessions, a beach shop and restaurant. “They don’t waste time it seems.”

The shop and cafe are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., seven days a week.

Charlie Hunsicker, director of the county’s natural resources department, said the demolition crew has until mid-January to complete the work.

“They were to remove all material above the water line to approximately a foot and a half below the water line,” Hunsicker said.

Some decking at the end of the pier remained Monday when the makeshift roadbed of rubble that leads to the pier end in the Gulf, collapsed and sent the driver and the excavator into about 5-feet of water. At presstime Monday, the operator was awaiting a crane to remove the excavator.

Hunsicker has said the pier will be replaced by a new one, but whether that pier is 300 feet long, 700 feet long, or has a T-style end, is still to be determined. A funding source also has not been determined.

The Manatee County Tourist Development Council, which has discussed funding the pier, will meet at 9 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14 at Holmes Beach City Hall. TDC director and County Commissioner Carol Whitmore said reconstruction of the pier could be part of the list of capital improvements funded by the TDC that will be discussed at the meeting.

Holmes Beach city commissioners have discussed what they would like to see done with the footprint of the pier. All on the dais but commissioner John Monetti said they would like to see a 300-foot pier with a T-end that would give added space to fishers.

Monetti is in favor of a 700-foot pier.

Bobby Remp, a musical entertainer who plays twice a week at the cafe, said he wasn’t distracted by the demolition.

“I can drown it out,” he said. “Just turn the volume up.”

There are new rules designed to make short sales easier and more predictable for borrowers, sellers and real estate agents, according to this article penned by the folks at the Florida Association of Realtors.

Of course, this will mean good news for those few folks who have found themselves 'underwater' here on Anna Maria Island. Luckily, in comparison to many mainland neighborhoods, we have a lot less in the way of distressed properties to market.

Here's the article:

Fed housing program encourages short sales

WASHINGTON – Dec. 1, 2009 – The Obama Administration, through the Treasury Department, announced new housing guidelines yesterday. While a series of announcements highlighted different programs, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) focused on changes that will make it easier for real estate associates to deal with short sales and “deeds in lieu of foreclosure.”

The program’s official name is the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives Program (HAFA), and it’s part of an existing initiative, the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP). HAFA applies to loans not owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, which cover over half of all U.S. mortgages; however, Fannie and Freddie will issue their own versions of HAFA in coming weeks.

While HAFA’s goal is simple – increase the number of short sales and “deeds in lieu of foreclosure” by simplifying the process – the rules are complex, and it comes with 43 pages of guidelines and forms. Among other things, HAFA:

• Allows borrowers to receive pre-approved short sales terms before listing the property (including the minimum acceptable net proceeds).

• Prohibits servicers from requiring a reduction in the real estate commission agreed upon in the listing agreement (up to 6 percent).

• Requires borrowers to be fully released from future liability for the first mortgage debt (no cash contribution, promissory note, or deficiency judgment is allowed.)

• Provides financial incentives: $1,500 for borrower relocation assistance; $1,000 for servicers to cover administrative and processing costs; and up to $1,000 for investors.

The program does not take effect until April 5, 2010, but servicers may implement it before then if they meet certain requirements. The program sunsets on Dec. 31, 2012.

For more information, read the Nov. 30 HAMP news release: https://www.hmpadmin.com/portal/docs/news/hampupdate113009.pdf

To read the complete 43-page short sale guidelines, go to: https://www.hmpadmin.com/portal/docs/hamp_servicer/sd0909.pdf

© 2009 Florida Realtors®