Single Family Home Sales Up in Palm Beach

According to the The Evans Report, compiled by Palm Beach real estate attorney Leslie Evans, single family home sales in Town are up. In the report, Evans analyzes closing documents filed in Palm Beach County as well as private sales not recorded by the MLS.

Also included in the report is that average and median prices are up for the most part, and sales totaled more than $1 billion, an increase of $124 million. Single-family home prices are up by $618,369; median sales prices are up by $400,000, and the total sales for single-family homes came to $725.75 million.

According to many players in the Palm Beach real estate market, prices on the Island are not dropping, which goes against the negative market trends in other parts of the country. In 2007, there were 93 single-family home sales in 2007 and 83 in 2006 – a 12 percent increase. The increase in sales price was also 12 percent for that time period.

Another Palm Beach broker points out that there were 7 sales in the month of December and 11 in January, information he gathered from the Palm Beach MLS. Although this data is not a concrete indicator, since not all of the contracts have officially closed, he is confident that a high number of pending sales is still good news for the market.

Scott Gordon Realty Launches New Websites

Scott Gordon Realty and Exclusive Estates, a division of Scott Gordon Realty and Jeffrey Ray, has announced the debut of three new Web sites: ScottGordonRealty.com, ExclusiveEstates.info and PalmBeachCondos.com.

With more than 70 percent of home buyers and sellers looking to the Internet to do their initial research for properties, Gordon and Ray say they have redesigned a user-friendly Web platform to ensure that buyers and sellers have a positive interactive experience in accessing the information they need.

The new sites incorporate rotating graphics and a dynamic menu of interactive features for re-sale properties as well as new construction. The sites feature an extensive nventory of listings for Scott Gordon Realty and Exclusive Estates, with the main focus targeting properties for sale in Palm Beach, Manalapan, Point Manalapan and Hypoluxo Island as well as the nrthern end of Palm Beach County with numerous listings in Mirasol and Ibis Country Club.

Gordon and Ray are also incorporating and IDX (Internet Data Exchange) “intelligent link” to let users easily search properties in surrounding towns and communities. Detailed data for each listing can be printed out, and appointments to see a particular property can be arranged via the Internet.

As Ray explains it, property information will be downloaded daily from the Multiple Listing Service and will include virtual tours, photographs and descriptions of each property. A “Home Update” feature will alllow registered users to save properties, save searches and receive automatic e-mail updates with new properties that match their criteria.

Gordon and Ray say that to make the Web platform a success, it will be closely monitored to prevent it from being dropped off search engines or removed for “spamming” or over-submission. Adjusting keywords and adding new content will help optimize the exposure of the site via search engines, they note.

Gordon and Ray are excited about this new project, which they say is part of their overall marketing plan for each listing. It reflects a proactive approach between the property owner and the real estate consultants to foster a “win-win” relationship for buyers and sellers, in person and on the Web.

Scott Gordon Realty is at 255 S. Ocean Blvd in Manalapan, Florida 33462 call (561)533-5888. Exclusive Estates is at 230 South Couonty Road, suite B in Palm Beach; call (561) 296-0550.