August 9, 2010 around noontime
Well, this may be my last "video update" as the well is capped, most of the oil has moved offshore and is breaking down in the summer heat and sun (according to officials,) the beaches are pretty clean, and the swimming advisories have all been lifted. This video was shot from the eighth floor of the Plantation Dunes building, and only begins to show how pretty the water was today...hard to catch all those subtle hues of blue and aqua in a YouTube video, but I am sure you catch the drift. It was another blazing day, and the water was welcome relief for those at the beach. Anyway, have a look....
August 4, 2010 1130 hrs
Now that the cap is on the Macondo well, and the static kill has begun, the reports on "What happened to the Oil?" are being released.
CLICK HERE TO SEE A REPORT RELEASED TODAY ON THE "OIL BUDGET"...basically, what is believed to have happened to the oil so far.
There was also an interesting article in this week's TIME about two involved professionals' take on the ecological impact of the spill. These two fellows were the ones who disputed the Corps of Engineers' position that the levees in New Orleans were "topped" by storm surge, which led to their failure and in turn, the resulting flood. These fellows proved to the Corps that the levees failed due to design and maintenance flaws, not due to being "topped." So, it doesn't seem they are in the government's or BP's pocket.
Their take is that the spill's ecological impact has been overblown by media (to get ratings,) by environmentalists (to promote their agendae and programs) and politicians (to promote their agendae, candidates and campaigns.) Seems everybody has a dog in this hunt, eh? There is no question that there has been some sickening slickening of many marshes and wetlands, and a serious sliming of the beaches...but, what will be the ultimate impact? That, to be sure, is an empirical question, ultimately. In the meantime, this was an interesting read....but again, time will tell, I suppose, as "...the proof of the oysters is in the eating!"
July 30,2010 1130 hrs
Well, as I'm sure you sure all know by now, TS Bonnie was a non-event, dissipating over the southern Gulf. Thus, our beaches are still in good shape, and as of TODAY, the Alabama Health Department HAS REMOVED THE SWIMMING ADVISORY FOR ALL ALABAMA WATERS!!!! Here is a link to their official news release:
http://www.adph.org/news/assets/100730.pdf
It is just hotter than Hades down here these days, making the beach even more attractive. The Dragonflies are filling the air, and that is a good sign. The Dragonfly is sort of like the "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to indicators of ecosystem health. An unhealthy ecosystem will throw off the delicate balance that is required to maintain the Dragonfly population...they are among the first to disappear...so you see why it is good to see our little "helicopters" still flying around in abundance.
I may try to get a video of the beach today if I can weather a trip to the beach without being able to take a dip in the Gulf...just so much a man can take, eh?
July 23, 1700 hrs.
The skies are beginning to gray-up this afternoon, probably TS Bonnie, plus there is a low pressure system already in the gulf that will also be confounding Bonnie. That, plus it still appears as though that big dome of High Pressure sitting over top of central MS and AL, and spinning clockwise, will be enough to keep TS Bonnie (or whatever form it ends up as when it gets to these parts) well south of us before it makes its turn north and grinds ashore. In today's video, shot around 1100-1145 hrs, you can see some squalls building on the horizon...that's Bonnie's spin and more.
More importantly, I only found a couple of tarballs in the high part of the beach, near the boardwalk....they were about half the size of my little fingernail. ...and I had to look to find them. Based on that, I would have to give the cleanup crews credit for their work. Owners and guests have stopped by my office to tell me of how they "lit up the beach" when they worked the beach at night last week. Anyway, today it was HOT, with an almost non-existent NE breeze. That laid the Gulf down, but didn't stop the rollers that grew up as they approaced the sandbars and beach. That weather and surf was apparently just too strong an invitation, and again may people took to the water. Here's a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O4PzarQmPE
July 19, 1812 hrs.
Below is link to video taken today, mid-morning. The beach has the appearance of being well-scrubbed by the clean up crews, and I could not find even a tarball on the sand...though there may have been some there. There were a few small "rashes" of what may have been tarballs in the shore surf line, but they came and went. There were two red flags flying, but they did not seem to be keeping people out of the water if they wanted to swim, surf or bathe. The weather was glorious, with a fresh, cooling sea breeze coming onshore at just the right windspeed...no sand getting whipped, no umbrellas flying off down the beach...just a nice cooler to a hot summer day at the beach.....glorious! Here's that link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD6PuwfLb_E
July 9, 2010 0815 hrs
Link below is to video taken yesteday, 7/8 at around 1:45 pm. Looks like there was another high tide/surf line from the forming TD2 in the southern gulf, now probably ground ashore in souther Texas or northern Mexico. Pretty nasty looking from the upper floors of Plantation Dunes, but when you get down to it you see it is a blend of mousse, sheen, seaweed and the usual "dirty foam" kicked up by rough surf this close to the outlet of Mobile Bay. From what I could see, there hadn't been any work done by the BP clean-up crews on that material as of this shooting. However, I am told by a phase-one owner that Eric Kohorn, their association manager, has the cellphone number of a coast guard officer he can call to get some prompt action on beach cleanup...here's hoping Eric uses that number pretty soon for this stuff. Anyway, here's the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjTZ-U6g0kw
July 5, 2010 1130 HRS
No video today...intermittent rain, pretty gray. BUT...I shot the beach yesterday and that is the video linked-to below. Very windy on the 4th, so there is mucho wind noise on the video...you may want to turn your volume down a bit so it won't grind on you. For Independence Day, the beaches were pretty sparse. There were some hardy souls out though, enjoying a beautiful, uncrowded beach day. There were also some bathers in the water, splashing and boogie-boarding in the rough surf near shore. Just before we left the house, we saw on CNN where Ft. Morgan beaches were "closed" and that the fireworks display or Gulf Shores would be shot "...from an offshore barge." Both of these news tidbits were just plain wrong....so much for the accuracy of the national news media.
Oh, BTW, I am experimenting with a new camcorder, so there are some "power-zooms" and "speed-pans" that may make you a bit dizzy...sorry about that. I hope to have it a little better under control for the next vids. It has a much better long-range zoom, tho'...check out the detail on the working boats on the horizon.
There was still a rash of weathered tarballs in the pattern of the high-water line from Alex on the beach...looks like the crews have made one pass, but I think they will be coming back after the holiday, and when the weather settles down a bit...they couldn't really work the beach last night because of Beach Club's fireworks display. Even so, the tarballs seemed to be losing their "goo" factor....the weathering and blown sand seemed to make them more solid...both Betsy and I walked back and forth thru "the line" several times and had no residue on our sandals when we arrived back at the boardwalk. This should make them easier to harvest by the cleanup crews, for sure.
The fireworks show in Gulf Shores had to shoot from the new State Park Pier area due to the high winds and rough surf near-shore, but there was still a GREAT turnout for the show. I know...we sat in the departing traffic for longer than the show lasted! LOL! Anyway...have a look at the newest video, and remember, you may wish to turn that volume down a bit....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb9mC90Szb4
This just in from the Unified Command:
New Heavy Oil Recovery Device Improves Oil Recovery Efforts in the Gulf, Brings Work to Local Shipyards and Machine Shops
Looks like they are pressing a new technology into service that can hasten the clean-up dramatically. Follow this link for the whole story:
https://www.piersystem.com/go/doc/2931/738983/
OH! ...and guess what? We're getting a BLIMP! According to Unified Command today, "The Navy’s "MZ-3A Airship" is currently en route to the Gulf Coast to be used in the Deepwater Horizon response." It can stay aloft longer and more economically, can stay in one place and can spot marine mammals in danger or distress and assist command and control to coordinate and direct skimming and oil recovery operations more efficiently. This is a good thing...every bit helps, eh?
July 2, 2010 1030 HRS
Went out this morning almost scared of what I was going to be shooting after the high tide and surf from the Hurricane Alex system. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the BP cleanup crews were staged neaby to get to work in short order. There was some oil "sheen" and "mousse" (where DO they get these terms?) which had grounded in the high-water mark from the surf, but it was pretty manageable. There may have been more earlier, which the crews may have dispatched before I got there. But when I got there, people had already set up "camp" at the beach, and there were even some bathers in the water! Have a look:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izt_mL4a8m8
Well, I no sooner got off the beach than a whoppin' big thunderstorm scared everyone off the beach, but it cleared away again and it's a great beach day. Hopefully, we will have good weather for the whole holiday weekend.
July 1, 2010 0935 HRS
Sorry, but there'll be no video with this entry...it's just raining cats and frogs out there today, and what's there will wait 'til it stops. You may have already heard by now: Last night at LuLu's mini-music festival featuring Sonny Landreth and Anders Osbourne, Lucy Buffett announced that Sonny's schedule got messed up and he couldn't make the gig, but that she had dug up another act that she thought the crowd would enjoy. 'bout that time, brother Jimmy and his "small band" (7-piece Coral Reefers with Mac Macanally and Peter Mayer) rolled onto the stage...best kept secret in this small town, I'm telling you. About half way through the set, Jimmy shouted a question to the audience: "How many of you heard the bad news (about the postponed concert) and came anyway?" The crowd roared. Then he asked, "Aren't you glad you did?" and the place went wild.
Y'all have been hearing a lot of bad news comin' out of here lately. But I am bettin'...if you came down anyway, you'd be glad you did.
June 30, 2010 11:00 am CST
Well, the gulf was sure roaring today, and the wind was up, too. Watch out for the wind noise in the video below...I tried to keep the cam pointed away from directly into the wind, but it was kickin' around quite a bit, so some of it was just unavoidable. The tide line was WAY north today, with the surf at 3-6 feet just offshore and a full moon scheduled. Makes it a little easier to understand why the Buffett beach concert was postponed...this kind of tide and surf could definitely undermine a stage of that size and weight. Lots of seaweed, debris, tarballs of all sizes...no big gloobs or sheets of crude noticed. Looked like the beach above the surf line had been cleaned last night. But, with the surf like it is, they will probably be back at it as soon as that surf from Hurricane Alex settles down a bit. Here's the link to today's video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCjw4YDWTjE
June 28, 2010 3:45 pm
A grey, dreary day...spittin' rain, sense and smell of a storm somewhere out on the Gulf...and the ocean's in motion, for sure. But, I guess you have to have these days to appreciate the sunny ones. Today's beach was pretty typical of these days, save for the tarballs that were washing up along with the seaweed, flotsam, jetsam and seafoam residue. It was hard to tell whether the residue left in the surflines was this oil "sheen" they talk about, or just the usual stuff you see when the gulf gets to roarin' like this. I imagine they beach cleaning crews won't make a distinction, and will clean anything they come upon. Here is a link to a video of my beach inspection:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX65Yv3E1ac
Walking back to my office was pretty eery, I have to say. Given the time of year, this place is usually packed-out, but that was not what was presenting itself to me....check this out....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOauByiYkxg
Interesting, eh? I am hoping that this grey day was one that many decided to use to go shopping or visit the Zoo or hit the amusement parks...when it's overcast, you can be outside, and not at the beach, and not "melt."
Back in a bit....
Well, by now you've probably heard....the Buffett and Friends concert has been postponed to 7/11 due to surf conditions. If you have tickets, or you have a reservation, just change it. 7/11 is a Sunday, so you can check in on Saturday, and do the Sunday Concert. No...I don't have any tickets, so don't even ask. BUT, if you buy a three-night stay at GSP in a 2BR unit, you get 4 tickets...first come, first served...limited supply! Last I heard, there were still some available! The last I heard, a basic Buffett concert ticket in bloody VIRGINIA at JIFFY LUBE LIVE was running $136 each...IF YOU COULD GET IT! Do the math. As my friends used to say in high school..."be there, or be square."
June 26, 2010; noon
Went out to the beach again today to see what's up...yesterday late afternoon I was showing a unit on the eighth floor of Plantation Dunes and I saw people back in the water, and could see no sign of oil or tar in the surf or waterline, so I was anxious to check it out close-up today. Here is the link to today's video, taken at noon today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_xgYMwxPN4
As you can see, it appears the clean up crews have done an admirable job on the beach, with only an occasional tarball showing up. There were sporadic "rashes" of tarballs in the water line right at the beach and the red flag was flying. However, it did not appear that there were any slicks or sheen on the water immediately beyond. There were several swimmers, bathing, throwing the football and body-surfing (one guy gets CRUSHED in the video...he's gotta be pickin' sand outa his whiskers after that one!)
GOOD NEWS! Alabama has re-opened state waters to recreational catch-and-release fishing. State waters go out three miles from the shore, after that, they are Federal waters. That also means the Pier at the State Park has reopened to "catch-and-release," too...and LOTS of fish have been reported around that pier.
The fear-mongers have been at it again, sensationalizing the newly named Tropical Storm Alex as something that can further "rain on our parade" (pun intended.) But, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) seems to think it is headed towards Tampico, MX area, not northward towards the site of Deepwater Horizon relief efforts. Here are a couple of great links:
Skeetobite Weather: This is a "spaghetti Plot" of the major computer models used to predict storm path:
http://www.skeetobiteweather.com/picservice.asp?t=m&m=01&av=4
National Hurricane Center: These are the guys that make the call based on the different models. You can also click on the "Discussion" button to see what these guys have on their minds.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/graphics_at1.shtml?5-daynl?large#contents
Yes, anything can happen, but I guess you can "...sell more newspapers..." with histrionics than a reasoned discussion of the possiblities and probabilities. Stay tuned.
June 25, 2010...
Well, a fair amount of the slick ground ashore in these parts yesterday about mid-day. The Unified Command was notified and the crews started late yesterday afternoon, and seem to have worked through the night. There are very few remnants of the "gloobs" that were beached, and only the occasional small tarball appears to remain. There is a "rash" of tarballs in the waterline, right at the beach, and these can be seen in the video linked to below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifeoDiAtNTk
Hopefully, the cleanup crews will have some sort of method for removing these tarballs, too, now that they have come in so close. Stay tuned!
June 21, 2010
Well, Betsy and I went down to the Beach yesterday and had a great time. The water was multiple shades of aqua and blue, and as clear as could be. We "threw caution to the wind" ;-) and jumped in to cool off. In neck-deep water, we could see our toes and the little Jack Cravalle's nipping at my leg hairs. We even picked up about a dozen SAND DOLLARS from nickel- to quarter-size! Again, there was the occasional tarball up on a high-tide line, which the clean-up crews may have missed, and only one "rash" of tarballs at the water line. It can change each day, but the rule today and for about the last week hereabouts was mostly clear, clean water. What oil or tarballs were present was not enough to stop people (and us) from enjoying the water and the beach, even with the red flag flying...it was just too pretty...and the water temperature seemed around 85 degrees....comfortable, but refreshing. Here is a link to the video I shot then...judge for yourself...what would you do?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XVDSoCTMms
See what I mean?
June 20, 2010; 10:00 am....
This news just out from the Convention and Visitors Bureau!"Last night, fans, friends, followers, Fins and Parrotheads lit up the social networking websites with chatter about an announcement on the margaritaville website:
Jimmy Announces Free Gulf Concert
Jimmy Buffett announced a free concert on July 1, 2010 in Gulf Shores, AL to promote awareness and tourism in the Gulf area. Special guests will include Sonny Landreth, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint. A special souvenir tee shirt will also be designed for the concert and sold onlne and at the show. More info coming soon!
Also released, from CMT news:
CMT to Air Jimmy Buffett's Free Concert With Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown
To demonstrate support for the people, businesses and culture of the Gulf Coast, CMT will telecast a free musical celebration live from the beach at Gulf Shores, Ala. CMT Presents Jimmy Buffett & Friends Live from the Gulf Coast will air on CMT on Thursday, July 1, from 8-9:30 p.m. ET/PT. Buffett and his Coral Reefer Band will be joined in the concert by his friends Zac Brown, Kenny Chesney and Sonny Landreth. Other performers will be announced as additional plans develop. Stay linked to CMT.com for further details and for ticketing information. For information on how to help the Gulf Coast, visit cmtonecountry.com or margaritaville.com.
The concert will be at the Gulf Shores Public Beach, July 1st. Details should be finalized Monday night and will be released Tuesday from the CVB."
Well, if anybody can fill this place up, Jimmy & Friends oughta be able do it! Jimmy and Zac recently did a "Crossroads" special for the music cable channel Palladia and it was particularly delightful, with Jimmy and Zac trading licks and lyrics. ...and Allen Toussaint from NOLA is no stranger to recovery and renewal...his post-Katrina album with Elvis Costello was a landmark. ...and who knows who else will be showing up "...to be announced?!"
Tell your neighbors and friends, email your family....bring your own self down here....it's gonna be a whale of a good show!
June 18, 2010...
Just back from the beach out front of RCC again. Below is link to a brief video of the beach at the Resort Conference Centre at the Gulf Shores Plantation on the Ft. Morgan Peninsula in Alabama. It was kinda early for beach vacationers here in Margaritaville, so the beach was not very crowded. There was a clean up crew and heavy equipment that was working cleaning the beach of tarballs and debris. It appeared they were working their way from east to west, as they had been at Martinique for two days earlier in the week. They are staged at Manzy Ewing's old place down around the 10 mile marker, and had initially been deployed at Bon Secour Refuge beach at the end of Mobile Street. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTrpoa6OQi4 Again, apologies for the speed-pans and the shakes, but I am only using a Flip Mino (c) camcorder, and it is a pretty basic model. ...and, of course, I am no Spielberg. There are occasional tarballs and tarball "rashes" that will wash ashore, but they are becoming fewer and further between as the main body of the spill seems to be moving generally eastward towards Florida. But, anything can happen anytime until the slick is fully skimmed and removed. The appearance of the clean up crew and equipment is uplifting, as it shows that BP is not discriminating between public and private in its cleanup activities. Fact is, most of the residue is on public land...all land up to 12 feet north of the mean high tide line is state land. That is why people can walk along the water's edge in front of great big private beach houses...those homeowners can't own the strip of state land that is from the water to 12 feet north of the mean high tide line. June 14, 2010.... Well, just back from the beach out front of Resort Conference Center and Plantation PUD, looking west towards Kiva's beach and east toward Royal Gulf Beach & Racquet Club. Actually seem to be fewer and smaller tar balls than yesterday, but a bit more seaweed. The wind is relatively calm, and the Gulf has "laid down" as they say...just a small ripple-wave near the shore. A beautiful, HOT day..glad I wore my Crocs loafers today...burned my feet on the sand yesterday. Anyway....here is the latest video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8cswySBhyI
~~CLICK HERE FOR PUBLIC NOTICE FOR DAMAGES CLAIMS FOR DEEPWATER HORIZON EVENT~~
June 6, 2010. Well, as I am certain you all know by now, both Alabama and Florida beaches were visited by tar balls and orange crude over the past couple of days. It appears that this will be the way this will stuff will likely come ashore when it does...in fits and starts. There has been a greater commitment from the "Unified Command" to boom and clean the Alabama coastline, after Gov Riley met with Pres Obama and Cmmdr. Allen. We'll be watching that...lots of tall words and big commitments...but, like I said...we'll all be watchin'.
CNN has provided some interesting viewing...yesterday, they interviewed a couple of ol' boys at the Gulf Shores (Pensacola?) beach who had a "carbon dioxide product" for making the oil cleanup quicker and complete. They demonstrated....the sprinkled some granulated DRY ICE on a couple of big ol' goobs of orange crude and some tarballs and VOILA! froze those bad boys right up so you could just scoop 'em up and drop 'em in a bucket...no muss, no fuss...left the sand behind just pretty as you please. "...carbon dioxide product" my butt....and dry ice is pretty cheap, too! There are all sorts of ideas coming out of the woodwork...just a matter of putting the good ones to use. The beaches will be an easy clean compared to marsh and wetlands, just time consuming.
Clark Howard, CNN's personal finance guru, talked to a caller named "Bob" on today's show. Seems Bob had a contract on some Gulf Coast beach home, and he was asking Clark if he should go through with it. Clark suggested that if he could find a legal way to withdraw from the contract, that he may be able to come back in a month or two and get a better price. Bob, a sensible sort, conveyed that he already had himself a bodacious deal on a foreclosure, and went on to say that he already had a nice home with a pool and all, but was concerned that if the beach "...went away..." that a gulf beach home would be a real white elephant. At that point, Clark informed Bob that "...the beaches are not going to go away..." and that they would take some cleaning, but that they would still be there afterwards, providing the value they always have. Clark further pointed out that if you now went to Prince William Sound (site of Exxon Valdez fiasco,) you would be hard put to tell there was ever such a catastrophe there. Reclamation and remediation won't come easy, but it will come.
There truly are some whoppin' good deals around here, and many were around even before the leak. Heck, some of them are so low, a price any lower would barely buy the land they are sitting on.
As I have said before...the oil will come....we will clean it...life will go on in one form or another. Despair paralyzes, and you can't address your adversities if you are paralyzed. Adversity comes into every life...it is how one responds to it that determines the quality of their life.
By making its presence known, the oil is now giving us something to act on, and much of the "unknown" that has been so frightening is dissipating and we are able to begin to grapple with the problem. Freezing, scooping, scraping, skimming....whatever we must do, we simply must do, and will do....period.
I'll be back with how BP and the Unified Command are handling our coastline.
May 21, 2010 The water is snap clear today, and the sand bars are visible and the beach is white and hot...it's summertime down here now. We have the sandpipers and plovers and gulls running around, the ghost crabs diggin' in, and waves lapping at the shore. It is still beautiful. We had the National Guard on Ft. Morgan nosin' around, but nothing of substance has really rolled in yet. Of course, the one national news photo that made it was a bunch of FEMA workers in white HAZMAT suits and orange boots out patrolling a stretch of beach lookin' for tarballs....can you just get any more sensational?! One of the Orange Beach City Councilmen reported a strong petroleum odor a couple of days ago, but we have not detected any odors out here on the peninsula yet. There is a lot of boom out at the mouths of the bays and bayous to try to protect those areas, and BP has hired many of the "Dolphin Cruise" captains and boats to stand-by ready to assist in cleanup efforts if/when something comes ashore. Now it looks like part of the slick is making its way to the Loop Current, which feeds the Gulf Stream, which goes eash and passes into the Atlantic through the Florida Strait, up the east coast to around the Grand Banks, and with the help of its cousin, the North Atlantic Drift, crosses the Atlantic over to the North Sea. WOW! Looks like a lot of people besides us have some skin in this game. Sure hope BP gets its act together, or half of the world will be spoilin' for 'em.
We have had some cancellations here at Plantation, but we have also had more reservations...we still just don't know what is coming, when or how much. We've even had one guest say that if the oil came during his stay, he would be here to help clean it up if need be!
The HANGOUT BEACH AND MUSIC FESTIVAL was a great success, with music types for all and a great venue--THE BEACH. This event was managed extremely well, with three HUGE stages (the likes of which may be seen at the MAIN stage at New Orleans' JazzFest) and a couple of smaller stages. There were two GREAT days, and on Sunday, when the rain fell, it turned into a FREE CONCERT after it got back under way following the two-hr rain delay. No oil, no tar, no "odors"...just great music on a great beach. Shaoul Zislin--local developer, HANGOUT owner and festival sponsor--announced that profits from the festival would be donated to the effort to manage/clean-up effects of the BP Rig leaks. Sure hope that Music Festival becomes a regular attraction. Well, that's all for now.....Joe
May 12, 2010
I've gotten numerous inquiries about the effects of the Deepwater Horizon event on real estate and on the area in general, it only seemed fitting to begin a blog which would endeavor to objectively speak to the situation. So many of the major media news outlets have turned from hard news to "infotainment" that often (over)sensationalizes a topic in order to garner improved ratings and viewers. We have seen this increasingly in the way the various national news organizations on television have sensationalized approaching tropical storms...you would think a nuclear bomb was going to turn the whole area in a "dead zone." That does not mean this blog will dilute or downplay the seriousness of the current situation in the Gulf; however, I don't have to satisfy advertisers, and I live here, so I can see and hear what is actually happening locally.
As to the current coastal real estate environment, here is my take:
I have been getting many drop-ins and phone calls from owners and others asking about how the Deepwater Horizon oil leak is effecting real estate sales and values. Frankly, it is just too early to tell….we don’t know where it will come ashore, how it will come ashore, how much of it will come ashore, what form it will take when it comes ashore---as of this writing, there are just so many unknowns. But, deal with it we must, just like a hurricane or anything else we have no control over…such is the price of paradise.
So far, this office has not had anyone “back out” of any pending deals over the oil spill, but there are a few reports here and there of such activity elsewhere in the area. By and large, though, most buyers are staying true to their deal. In fact, sales at Plantation are outpacing last years by a 2:1 ratio….from 1/1/2009 to 5/11/2009, there had only been 7 sales across the development; for the same period this year, there have been 14 sales, and there are at least 11 more units “under contract” or “pending sale” as of this writing. This improvement in sales volume over last year has also been reported by other local brokerages, so it is not just a "Plantation" thing.
The area is also beginning to see the appearance of the “Disaster Deal-Seeker”--an opportunistic buyer who senses that the situation may present some unique opportunities...that sellers may become more flexible under the current situation….but prices are already at an all-time low for many properties, so there just may be nowhere for them to go on the downside. There may be some buyers who have been scared off by the oil leak, but there are still lots of lookers who keep me hopping both on the weekend and during the week, and who are writing offers…they seem to know that the oil will come and we will deal with it, just like we have always done with our other adversities, and then we’ll get on with “…being at the beach.”
That's it for now...stay tuned for more news, photos and videos...
Joe
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