International Real Estate Experts You will enjoy taking advantage of & benefiting from our wealth of knowledge & experience.
• Determine the price range of the home you qualify for
• Find and show you the homes that match your family's needs
• Introduce you to the community and familiarize you with its schools, shopping, and opportunities
• Inform you of the seller's requirements
• Provide the financing information you need to make a sound decision
• Provide historical sales data from our state of the art computerized real estate database
• Present your offer to sellers and negotiate the best price and terms on your behalf
• Once you buy your property, we will help you advertise, market, lease and manage your new investment
Palace Properties International Blog Client Testimoials Working with Mark was such a pleasure! He is always willing to resolve any issues and continue to have open communication with us. After working with other area Realtors, deciding to do business with Palace Properties International was an easy and smart choice! Thanks again Mark for making moving and renting an enjoyable experience!
Melissa Haynes. Melbourne, Florida, USA. August 2008 Mark is a genuine friend! He remembered our anniversary and invites Dave to go surfing and play poker! He helped us narrow down our selection based on exactly what we were looking for and wasn't pushing us to a specific house or area. He worked really well with the other Realtor and we were both very impressed at how friendly he was with everyone we came in contact with during the whole process! We got our dream house and we have Mark to thank for that! We will absolutely go to Mark for any other real estate needs that we have! We absolutely recommend him to any family and friends that need to buy or sell!
-Robin and David, Viera, Florida, USA. May 2008 Hei, hei og takk for sist! Da vil vi få lov å takke for alt du har gjort for oss Mark. Du har sannelig brukt mye av din tid på oss, noe vi setter stor pris på. Nå gleder vi oss bare til å komme tilbake til Florida og ta i bruk vår nye leilighet. Det var veldig betryggende for oss å kunne ha en kontakt som bor i nærheten og som kjenner til systemet i USA når det gjelder investering i bolig etc. Vi satte også stor pris på at du tok oss med og viste oss parker og nærmiljøet slik at vi lettere kan se hva vi går til. Håper vi også kan få ta kontakt med deg når vi kommer neste gang. Ønsker deg en god tur til Norge og riktig god sommer!!
-Grethe og Bernt, Stavanger, Norway. Mai 2008 Etter mye surfing på internett og flere kontakter med andre eiendomsmeglere, fikk vi kontakt med Mark og her fikk vi en stor positiv overraskelse. Mark engasjerte med engang og fulgte oss opp hele veien. Han var oppriktig interessert i oss og vår behov. Etter mange e-mail, telefoner, med hurtige svar på alle våre spørsmål, fikk oss til Floridas Space Coast og ble bare overbevist om at her skulle vi kjøpe. Etter 2 dager på visning fant vi vårt drømmehus, takket være Mark. Han hørte hele tiden på oss, jobbede med oss som vi var de eneste i denne verden der skulle kjøpe bolig. Etter vi fant vårt hus, stod han der stadig med utstrakt hånd og hjalp oss gjennom alt det praktiske. For en person du er Mark, pålidelig, engasjerende, en fantastisk megler, som alle vil få stor glede av. Vi kan på det varmeste anbefale Mark til alle de som ønsker seg bolig på Floridas Space Coast og andre steder i Florida. Takk Mark !
-Rolf Helge Christensen & Susanne Soelling, Kristiansand, Norway. Mai 2008
Mark, you truly are the Somerset Oceanfront Specialist. I really appreciate the way you have worked with me as an owner of two units. I know listing with you is the right choice as you are well connected both in the local community and to the international buyers. Each time I talk to you, it seems you have my best interest in mind. Thank you!” S. Veal, MD 03/22/08 - Dr. Steven Veal, Medical Doctor and Real Estate Investor 3/23/08 I met Mark Palace at the Curves Vibrant Womens Conference and decided to have Palace Properties help me find a place to rent or buy. He had a place within an hour and I could see it that evening after work. Mark works hard for his clients and always kept in contact with me by e-mails and phone calls when I needed to talk to him. Never had to wait long for a call back. He is very professional, courteous and respectful. There are some realtors out there that should take lessons from Mark Palace, Palace Properties. - Patricia Kane, BRPH Architects/Engineers, Inc 7/24/07
We contacted Mark on a Friday, saw houses on a Sunday, and had a new address on Monday. Mark is very dedicated to continuously searching for appropriate properties, while keeping us updated with each new finding. His efforts significantly helped us with a stressful search for a new home. - Sam and Melissa Herron-Goldman, United States Air Force 7/12/07
Mark, Good morning…It has been a sincere pleasure working with you and I greatly appreciate your business. It is so refreshing to meet someone that treats their customers with respect and puts their customer’s interests FIRST! Your work ethic and high regard for your customers are in line with mine and I look forward to a long working relationship with you…this is why I feel confident recommending you to MY customers who have homes to sell. I know that they will be in good hands with you and you will do everything to move their home quickly so they can close…Thanks again for being my #1 choice for Realtors and for truly treating your customers like Royalty! - Darlene Salmon, Mercedes Homes 2/18/07
In March 2006, we were scheduled to move out of our hurricane-damaged home into a rental house. We had looked at the house and had discussed all the terms and conditions with the landlord. However, since the landlord had to leave to out of country, they left the leasing in the hands on a local rental lease company. The local rental lease company had standard lease agreements which includes terms which we had not agreed to with the landlord, however since the landlord was unable to be reached, our lease fell through the day we had the movers packing us. Panicking, we asked the movers to take a long lunch break and we went on line looking for a new place to rent. We came across a condo on the beach and in a matter of a day we had a new place to move into. That is thanks to Mark Palace of Palace Properties for his professional, friendly and fast service in getting all the terms worked out and helping us with our last minute need to move. We have never rented any place before (well, besides college dorms), and we are happy to have had our leasing transaction with Mark since he made it a great experience. We highly recommend Mark as a Realtor and as a leasing agent. - Moji and Jordan Thompson, Harris Corporation 1/15/07 | Palace Properties International, Inc.™ Office phone: 321.441.3512 Fax number: 321.773.5344 1370 Hwy A1A, Ste E Satellite Beach, FL 32937 Florida real estate: 20 market positives
Let’s take a look at some of the opportunities and positive indicators for the future of Florida’s real estate market.
1. Long-term economic and demographic trends continue to favor Florida. By 2010 it has been forecast that Florida will be the third most populated state in the country. Florida’s population is expected to increase about 75 percent by 2030. Florida demonstrates a long history of strong growth. It has been one of the 10 fastest-growing states in the U.S. for each of the past seven decades, and often it has been in the top four, according to census data. Population growth will continue to provide a foundation for other economic growth such as new jobs and growing incomes. All of which is good for real estate.
2. People are continuing to move here. It’s estimated that 1,000 people move here every day (www.stateofflorida.com, “Florida Quick Facts”). No wonder Florida’s population has grown 13.4% since 2000, compared to only 6.4% for the rest of the country, according to census data.
3. Five of the top 15 cities in the Milken Institute’s 2007 “Best Performing Cities” survey, which looks at sustainable economic growth, are in Florida, including the No. 1 city, Ocala. A total of 13 Florida cities are in the top 50.
4. Low unemployment. Almost 120,000 jobs were created in Florida in the year between August 2006 and August 2007. Florida’s unemployment rate has hovered at or under 4% for a long time; and was 4% in August 2007, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Labor. That not only puts it well below the national unemployment average, it also is the lowest unemployment rate among all ten of the most populous states.
5. Jobs are plentiful, and that trend will continue. A recent study by Bizjournals called “Where the Jobs Are” found that 7 of the hottest 15 job markets are in Florida.
6. Let’s take a look at the weather. If you think the hurricanes we experienced are going to have long-term effects on the Florida real estate market, consider this tidbit from Fortune Magazine. It recently reported, “Economists and geographers who have studied how natural disasters affect real estate values have generally found there to be no lasting impact.” Example #1: When Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston, S. C., home values were actually higher one year later. Example #2: That same year, 1989, a huge earthquake made big news in San Francisco, and the same thing happened—house prices went up.
7. Grant Thrall, a professor of what’s called Economic Geography, explains this phenomenon this way—residents move away and home prices fall only when natural disasters start becoming regular occurrences in an area, not when they happen periodically. And while the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 may still be fresh in our minds, the fact is, historically it was a fluke. Eight storms hit the Florida mainland in those two years. But if you look back at the 50 years prior, only six Category 3 or higher storms hit the Florida mainland in half a century.
8. Gov. Charlie Crist, state lawmakers and business groups are committed to finding real solutions to the escalating costs and shortage of property insurance in Florida, as well as much-needed property tax reform. Florida Realtors will continue working closely with lawmakers to help resolve these complicated issues and keep the state’s economy moving forward. For example, 2007 FAR President Nancy Riley sits on the governor’s property tax reform commission, and 2005 FAR President Frank Kowalski served on the governor’s insurance reform commission.
9. Interests rates currently are still low, on a par with interest rates in the 1960s. And thanks to the Fed’s recent rate cut, we’re already seeing lower rates on home equity and mortgage loans, including jumbo loans. The Fed’s action effectively increases the number of homebuyers able to make a purchase, which should increase demand, and also help support home prices. Home prices continue to stabilize, inventory is plentiful and homebuyers have lots of options. 10. Homeownership has value: Realtors believe… and research supports that belief … that homeownership provides a variety of benefits, tangible and intangible, to the community as well as the individual homeowner.
11. Studies show that home equity is still the largest single source of household wealth, both for the individual homeowner and for homeowners as a group. Home value is the most important single aspect for homeowners.
12. Owning a home leads to increased personal well-being. Research shows that people who own their own homes tend to show higher levels of personal esteem and life satisfaction, which in turn helps to make homeowners and their children more productive members of society.
13. Studies show that children raised in homes owned by their families are more likely to stay in school and more likely to graduate high school. They’re also shown to have a higher lifetime annual income.
14. People who own homes have a strong financial stake in what happens to their community and tend to become more involved in community and civic affairs. Studies show that homeowners also interact with their neighbors to gain wider influence over their neighborhoods and communities.
15. Homeowners join up to 41 percent more civic and/or nonprofessional organizations than renters, such as the PTA or Scouts; vote in local elections 15 percent more often; enhance their neighborhoods with gardens 12 percent more often; attend church about 10 percent more often; and have a 3 percent greater chance of being interested in public affairs.
16. 2007 Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR) President Nancy Riley says, “Florida Realtors know buying a home is a very personal investment – an investment in a family’s future. Although research shows it is the largest single investment most families make and helps to provide security for the future, owning a home isn't just a financial investment. Ownership is about having a place to call home: a place where families build a future and become part of a community.”
17. Over the past five years, the average homeowner has seen an increase of 50 percent in value, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR). Here in Florida, the statewide median home price has shown an increase of 52.5 percent from November 2002 to November 2007, according to FAR records. NAR housing industry analysts project that prices will rise about 2 percent next year, and in coming years, average home price appreciation should return to historical averages of around 6 percent.
18. Florida is a great place to live and work. According to Enterprise Florida Inc., the Sunshine State has one of the nation's strongest tourism industries; it is fourth in the nation in high-tech jobs; is the third largest exporter of high-tech goods and services; and is ranked as one of the best states in the nation to be an entrepreneur.
19. Orlando-based economist Dr. Hank Fishkind recently said in several media reports he believes that “the worst of the so-called housing crisis has probably been mitigated by the actions of the Fed. Recovery will take a while, but it has begun.” Another economist, Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors, predicts that the Florida housing market will get stronger in 2008 and will be booming again by 2010.
20. And let’s not forget the things that brought people to Florida in the first place, and will continue to attract them – beautiful beaches, fabulous weather and a friendly business climate, with no state income tax. It’s no wonder that Florida’s combination of temperate climate, outstanding recreational amenities and economic opportunity has consistently put us at the top of Harris Poll’s “most desirable places to live” survey. |