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Real Estate Broker Dwight's Blog
Panama City Real Estate has been part of the philosophy of Dwight Hicks since moving to Panama City in 1971: My philosophy has always been to help business and individuals enter into Bay County, Panama City, and the surrounding cities with the ease and comfort as if they have been here for years.
Panama City recent real estate boom will give you housing choices to compliment your desired lifestyle. The wide range of available housing includes traditional as well as modern homes, country estates, apartments, villas, condominiums, and beach houses. New subdivisions and older, well-established neighborhoods can be found in almost all of Bay County's cities. Waterfront homes are also available everywhere from on the gulf to on a lagoon. |
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It's no secret that Panama City and Bay County has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. That's why it's also no surprise that an estimated seven million people visit these beaches annually.
This translates to:
$163 million in accommodation sales
$413 million in goods and services
$1.5 billion into the local economy
Over 14,000 local jobs
Of the 7 million annual visitors, it is estimated that over four million of them stay overnight. This information is based on the 16,500 total units available for tourists, a conservative occupancy rate of 56%, an average of 3.8 guests per accommodation, and an average stay of four days. These figures make tourism one of the biggest industries in Bay County.
MISSION STATEMENT
"INCREASE WEALTH AND PROSPERITY THROUGH PROPERTY OWNERSHIP, SUPPORT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AND INCREASE ACCESS TO PROPERTY OWNERSHIP FREE FROM DISCRIMINATION." |
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| About the Area |
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 Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Panama City is located in the Northwest region of Florida. Panama City averages an elevation of 13 feet above sea level. Located 98 miles southwest of Tallahassee, Panama City is a part of Bay County. Bay County boasts an average population of 150,000. About 7500 citizens reside in Panama City Beach.
Legendary worldwide for its beautiful beaches and subtropical climate, Panama City real estate is a natural draw for those seeking warmth and sunshine. Sugar white sands and emerald green waters provide a picturesque scene for vacationers to the Panama City area. Deposits of quartz crystals, which over time have been broken down, bleached, polished and deposited on the shoreline and became the sugar white sand. This natural process has made Panama City Beach home to the "World's Most Beautiful Beaches."
Although the area is best known for its white sand beaches and the emerald green waters, you'll find plenty to do off the beach. Just a few of our family attractions in Panama City Beach include water and amusement parks, a zoo, marine park, racetrack, miniature golf courses and more.
With an average of 320 days of sunshine a year here, there's plenty of time to enjoy our beaches as well as the many other outdoor activities and entertainment venues that have made Panama City Beach a popular vacation escape for more than 40 years. Pleasant year-round temperatures (an average 78 degrees) make falling in love with the town especially easy.
Located at the east end of the city, the 1,260-acres and 1.5 miles of beach and two campgrounds, St. Andrews State Park is the perfect place to familiarize yourself with all the outdoor activities available in Panama City Beach. One of the most popular outdoor recreation spots in Florida, the park has thick forests, sand dunes covered with sea oats, fresh and saltwater marshes, a lagoon swimming area, fishing jetties, and hiking trails. |
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Panama City's attributes provide a highly attractive living environment compatible with a variety of tastes and life styles. Cited most often are: pleasant climate, attractive housing opportunities, fishing and water sports, arts and entertainment, and a pleasing small town environment for raising a family. More Area Information
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Freddiemac.com
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Airport countdown: One month till opening day
WEST BAY With just a month left before the opening of the Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, officials are scurrying to meet federal agency deadlines, and they might be excused for being a bit nervous.
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A lot is riding on the airport opening on time, from airline schedules, to passenger vacation and business plans, to a public perception of the Airport Authority boards competence. But Jeff Dealy of KBR, program manager for the relocation project, is keeping his cool.
Dealy said he was involved 10 years ago with building Minute Maid Park, the 40,000-seat, $250 million baseball stadium now housing the Houston Astros. Without that experience, he might be more nervous with just a month left to open Northwest Floridas new $318 million international airport, he said.
With a month out, we had 40,000 hardcore baseball fans waiting to get in, Dealy said of his Houston experience. We made that, and we are going to make this.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials were at the airport this week, including an inspector from Atlanta, making sure the airport meets requirements for commercial service certification, airport executive director Randy Curtis said. These inspections were periodic at the old regional airport, but the new international airport near West Bay βis starting from scratch, Curtis said.
The inspections included checks of safety issues, lighting, emergency plans, fencing, taxiway markings and the dirt drop-off around the 10,000-foot runway, Dealy said.
The preliminary airfield inspection went well, he said. Thats looking good.
FAA officials also were at the airport this week installing equipment in the control tower and conducting additional flight checks of the airports instrument navigation system, an electronic road map that allows pilots to fly and land in low visibility, Dealy said. FAA controllers were expected to begin tower training on May 8, he added.
The instruments are still going in, he said. But there are no big issues there. The tower is basically finished. Everything is on go for that.
No show-stoppers
The airport is counting down to a May 23 opening when passengers first begin arriving on Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
Overall it has been very positive, Curtis said. No show-stoppers.
Airport Authority board Chairman Joe Tannehill said he met this week with Southwest Airlines officials working to install their equipment in time for eight non-stop flights a day from four different cities Houston, Nashville, Tenn., Orlando and Baltimore/Washington totaling about 2,000 passengers per day. Delta Air Lines, via Delta Connection carriers Atlantic Southeast Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines, and rental car companies also were beginning to pull cable for their equipment.
This is the 59th airport for Southwest, Tannehill said, but the first completely new airport for the low-cost carrier.
This is new for them, too,he said.
In addition, Delta, which operated out of the old airport, has announced it will add two flights per day with larger McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft, which have a seating capacity of 142.
The airport terminal is in the last stages of construction but is expected to be substantially | completed by May 23, Curtis said.
The outlying buildings, including the safety building for fire and police crews, also are nearing completion, Dealy said. Security badges are expected to be issued the first week of May and training will then begin on the biometric badge security system, he said. The fingerprint bioreaders will be used in certain sections and gates of the new airport instead of traditional card readers.
During the final couple of weeks before the opening, security personnel will have a presence at both the old and new airports, Dealy said.
In addition, officials with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) were in the last stages this week of testing the new $4 million state-of-the-art baggage-handling system, Dealy said. Thats good news, he said.
Dealy said the first passengers into the airport still might see some minor construction, what he called finishing touches or minor changes requested by the Airport Authority.
But our priority has been security and the things you have to have for the airport to open, he said. |
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Southwest leads the way to economic growth
SANDESTIN Capturing Southwest Airlines as the low-cost carrier at the new international airport is just the beginning of boosting Northwest Florida's economy, local leaders said Thursday.
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Tax Credit Expands Home Buyer, Economic Opportunities
November 17, 2009 - The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is spreading the word to consumers about an important new law that extends and expands an attractive tax incentive for potential home buyers. The Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, signed into law by President Obama on Nov. 6, extends the deadline for the first-time home buyer tax credit and gives a larger group of home buyers the chance to take advantage of this government program.
The tax credit has already proven to be an effective means of boosting economic activity, said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder from Tulsa, Okla. We hope that the governments action to enhance it will have the intended additional stimulative effect that will help get housing and the economy back on solid ground.
The new law extends the $8,000 first-time home buyer credit through April 30, 2010, giving buyers who have signed a sales contract by that deadline until June 30 to close their deal. A new credit of up to $6,500 was created for repeat home buyers who buy a principal residence if they have been residing in the home they currently own (or previously owned) for five consecutive years out of the eight years preceding the purchase of the new home.
Its not just a first-time buyer tax credit anymore,Robson said. Move-up buyers, move-down buyers, and others who have previously owned a home can now qualify as well. In fact, close to 70 percent of all potential home buyers should now qualify for some form of the credit.
Income limits for eligible buyers have also been increased to allow more consumers to qualify, particularly those in markets with a higher cost of living. Now single taxpayers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples earning up to $225,000 may be eligible. Partial credits are available to home buyers who earn up to $20,000 more than the limits.
A leading source of consumer information on the tax credit is NAHBs Web site at www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com, which saw a huge increase in visits in the days after the new law was signed. It provides basic information about the first-time and repeat buyer credits, detailed question and answer sections, and links to additional home-buying resources for consumers.
The federalhousingtaxcredit.com Web site had more than 70,000 visits on the Monday after the President enacted the law, said Robson. Since the site was established in mid-2008, there have been more than 6 million visits by people seeking information about the home buyer tax credits. That tells you how hungry consumers are for easy-to-understand information on this great opportunity that has been opened to them.
NAHB estimates that the home buyer tax credit will create 211,000 jobs and generate 180,000 additional home sales in the coming year. It is also expected to generate $9.6 billion in wage income and $6.9 billion in federal, state and local taxes. |
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