Rent vs. Buy?

 Well it’s official! according to several Rent vs. Buy reports it is now cheaper to buy a home than rent one in most areas across the country.

This news has been expected for some time. Home prices continue to decrease, mortgage rates remain at all time lows and more foreclosures and short sales are expected to flood the market in the next 2+ years.

What we’re seeing in our local Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens market is a dearth of annual rental homes, especially townhomes and single family homes. Although rental prices have remained steady for several years , we are now seeing multiple offers on rentals within just a few days on market. The market is reacting quickly and rental prices are increasing fairly dramatically for the first time in many years. It’s a landlord’s market! This is a great time to consider buying investment property!

If you’re trying to decide whether to buy or rent give us a call and we’ll help you to analyze your particular situation. Call Marion at (561) 310-6120 or Ida at (561) 309-2271.

Although interest rates have increased, mortgage rates are still extremely attractive within their historical context. This, combined with a good supply of properties to choose from, could be what many prospective buyers have been waiting for.

Also, according to a Florida Realtors Report released March 21^st, 2011, Florida sales of existing single-family homes were up 13% from both February 2010 and January 2011. These two factors, along with decreasing inventory, successful short sales and more cash sales seem to be driving the increase in home sales for South Florida.

South Florida real estate seems to be a bright spot in the nationwide reports that have been released lately. Sales are increasing and prices are rebounding, especially in the Palm Beach County market. Bill Richardson, President of the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches, said “We’ve been seeing the activity increase since the beginning of the year, and March is also looking good”.

Mortgage rates should rise only modestly in the months ahead, so we’ll continue to see a favorable environment for buyers with good credit.

All of this is welcome news for anyone looking to buy or sell their home! If you have any questions or would like a free consulatation about buying or selling a home, please call Marion at 561.310.6120

Beautiful Jupiter Beach

Known as a “beach town” we often forget Jupiter also has several other wonderful local attractions. Recently we had a 17 year-old young lady, Savanna, visit us from out of state. Before she arrived I pulled together information about local events and attractions that she might enjoy during her visit. When Savanna arrived on Saturday, I was very proud to present her with the results of my research – a whole stack of brochures I’d collected (from the Chamber of Commerce) plus print-outs from the Internet about a bunch of things I’d found.

Of course one of the things high on Savanna’s list was shopping – what 17 year-old girl doesn’t want to shop?!  So, not surprisingly, one thing she selected was a visit to the Sawgrass Outlet Malls. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed it myself – incredible bargains on household goods, clothes, shoes, designer purses and so much more!

Loggerhead Turtle

Another thing Savanna selected was the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach – who wouldn’t want to see these magical, beautiful turtles being nursed back to health? And in such a beautiful setting right alongside the Atlantic Ocean.

What really surprised me though was that Savanna put the Jupiter Lighthouse tour very high on her list of things to do during her one week visit. I was delighted because it had been several years since I’d visited the lighthouse and of course the lighthouse is the symbol of Jupiter and all its history.

There were just five of us on the tour – we were lucky because the tour immediately before us was just ending and there were about twenty people in it! When you’re walking up the very narrow stairs to the top of the lighthouse you’ll understand why 5 is far more preferable!

The guide was very knowledgeable and friendly and shared a great deal of history with us, both about the lighthouse and about Jupiter. He was very patient and willing to spend as much time as we wanted in the grounds as well as inside the lighthouse itself.

The Jupiter Lighthouse is situated in the Jupiter Inlet at the mouth of the Atalantic Ocean

We had to climb several steps to get to the base of the lighthouse followed by 105 stairs to the top. You do get to stop every 25 steps or so and catch your breath if you need to so it wasn’t too bad at all. Once at the top the views are awesome! Here you are at the highest point for miles around. Look west towards the Loxahatchee River, look in front to the Intracoastal Waterway and look east to the luxury homes on Jupiter Island and the crystal blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. What an absolutely idyllic spot!

Of course we took lots of photos as we listened to the tour guide tell us about the history of the lighthouse and the new lens that’s used in the lighthouse. I must admit it was difficult to concentrate on all of the tour guide’s information because the views are so spectacular!

If you live in the Jupiter area this is something you should enjoy every year or two. If you’re visiting you absolutely shouldn’t miss the experience.

As I drive around Jupiter showing property each day, it really makes me smile every time I pass one of the Town of Jupiter signs. They all bear the symbol that we all know and love: the majestic and beautiful red Jupiter lighthouse.

4 photos were used in article

Filed in Jupiter Area Attractions & Dining, Marion Suro
Tagged With homes in jupiter, jupiter attractions, jupiter homes, jupiter island, jupiter lighthouse, jupiter real estate, loggerhead marine life center, sawgrass outlet mall, shopping in jupiter and things to do in jupiter

Then, about a year ago, some friends recommended we try the then new Hog Snappers Shack & Sushi restaurant in Tequesta. We kept putting it off because it was “too far to go” – about a 10-15 minute drive – it’s only about 7 miles but lots of stop lights along the way! Since our friends kept raving about Hog Snappers we eventually decided to give it a try one evening and see what all the fuss was about. Well, let me tell you, they were not exaggerating! We are now totally addicted to this wonderful restaurant: the food, the ambiance, the servers and the owners dedication to their dreams!

A great little restaurant

It’s a small, casual restaurant but very inviting with its tropical theme and island music. They serve a good selection of reasonably priced wines and beer and the menu is huge! So many appetizers, salads (7), soups (8), sandwiches, entrees (fish and meat) and sushi to choose from. You’ll never be bored with this menu! Hog Snappers has a great menu – everything is so fresh plus it’s very reasonably priced and the atmosphere is great. You don’t come here to dine, you come here to eat!

On our first visit we ordered a salad to share, a sushi dish (JC Lopez roll) to share and then two entrees. We quickly realized this was way too much food for two people but it didn’t stop us trying to finish everything – it was so incredibly delicious! The salad, the Mixed Salad, has become one of our favorite salads and it’s hard to visit the restaurant and not order (and share!) it. The first main course I tried at Hog Snappers was the Crab Crusted Hog Snapper ($23) – it was absolutely delicious! The generous portion of lump meat crab, topping the freshest, tastiest piece of hog snapper I’ve ever eaten, sat atop a very generous portion of lobster mashed potatoes and perfectly sautéed asparagus – totally awesome! The sauce is delicate and not at all overpowering as many sauces served with fish can be.  I’m not a fan of heavy, rich sauces and this is just perfect – you can taste all the individual flavors of the fish, crab, lobster and vegetables – just as it should be!

Since our first visit to Hog Snappers I’ve totally fallen in love with the Bouillabaisse soup – order a “cup” for just $8 – a very generous portion. Try everything: the crispy fried Hog Snapper ($23), the huge Hog Snapper Sandwich ($10), the ceviche (which is unbelievable!), several of the sushi dishes. Oh, and by the way, don’t think this is just a “fish” restaurant. Hog Snappers serves great burgers, the best Argentinian Churrasco and awesome Rack o Ribs – I’m not a big meat eater but all my friends and family are and they love these dishes, especially the Churrasco.

Other entrees include Whole Key West Hog Snapper, Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna, Cedar Plank Salmon, Paella, Delmonico Steak and an unbelievable dish, Tequesta Seafood Feast, that includes crab legs, lobster, clams, mussels, dolphin, soft shell crabs, scallops, squid, red skin potatoes, corn on the Cobb – the menu warns “be ready to get durty”! and they mean it – the dish is enormous!

Of course it’s not just us that love Hog Snappers – the place is jammed with people of all ages at all times of the day. They are open 7 days a week. Of course being so popular has its drawbacks … at dinner time, you may have to wait 20-30 minutes since, being such a small restaurant, they can’t take reservations. Like a lot of other people, we’ve become smart and will either go for a late lunch around 2pm or an early dinner at 5pm or just be ready to hang out and wait outside – after all, it’s so worth it and we meet such interesting people all the time. There are plans to expand the restaurant into the bay next door but, in the meantime, be patient if you go at the most popular hours.

Owner/chef, Arthur Rivaldo, has been in the restaurant business for many years in New York, Washington, DC and now in Florida. He wanted to open a restaurant that featured food that most people enjoy hence the snapper and sushi combination. There’s definitely a Latin/Caribbean twist. His partner and fiancee, Melanie Varquez, opened Hog Snappers in August 2009 and they haven’t rested since! But they came to have fun and provide good food and something different for the community and that’s exactly what they’re doing!

Now of course a weekly trip to Tequesta is a must – don’t be surprised if you see us there much more frequently – we can’t get enough!

Feb 2011

Filed in Jupiter Area Attractions & Dining, Marion Suro
Tagged With dining in tequesta, hog snappers shack & sushi, homes in jupiter, jupiter restaurants, marion suro, palm beach county restaurants, palm beach county sushi restaurants and tequesta restaurants