Having a Record Year

Thanks to JewelrybyPam.com for the photo

It's not just Eric Church who is having a Record Year. The month of August set another record for the Cocoa Beach real estate market. The number of sales exceeded the last eleven years of same month sales including August 2005. It's the only month this year to have exceeded the same month numbers for 2005.

It's apparent now that September 2005 was the beginning of the end of the party that raged through the real estate market but we didn't know that at the time. Inflated selling prices held on here for another two years before it became obvious that the party was over.

It's been a long haul and prices are still far below 2005 numbers but, even with our current severely low inventory (less than a quarter that of ten years ago), participation is high and properties are selling. Our inventory of properties for sale is at an all-time low. This morning there are only 222 existing condos and townhomes for sale in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral. We have closed that many in the last 14 weeks. Looking for a direct ocean condo with at least two bedrooms above the ground floor for less than a half million dollars? You have ten available, two of which have compromised ocean views. The more specific the criteria the shorter the list becomes. Single family homes are in equally short supply with only 50 available. 

Interesting side-note: A search for a Cocoa Beach real estate agent on Zillow yields 250 results while a search for a Cocoa Beach condo turns up 140. Mention too loudly that you're looking for property at a restaurant or bar here and you'll become the last piece of fried chicken at a crowded table when the lights go out. 

We had a total of 72 condo and townhome units sold in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral in 2016 compared to 64 in August 2005. Let's compare selling prices of a few properties in the peak years with the prices they closed for last month.

A 2/2 Portside Villas that sold in 2006 for $174,600 closed last month for $123,500.
A River Gardens 3 BR townhome sold in 2006 for $252,500 and last month for $225,000.
A Windjammer 2/2 sold in 2004 for $424,500 and again last month for $362,500.
A Solana River 3/2 sold for $427,500 in 2005 and last month for $375,000.
A Puerto del Rio that sold for $599,000 in 2004 sold for $433,000 in August.
A Windward Apts 2/1 sold for $190,000 in 2005 and last month for $94,000.
An Aqua Sea 1/1 that sold for $154,000 in 2005 closed for $96,800 in August.
A Banana Bay townhome that sold for $235,000 in 06 closed for $172,500 last month.

I'd like to give a thank you to the listing agent who responded immediately to my message on a Saturday night of a holiday weekend to help arrange a last-minute showing the next day. This goes a long way towards repairing the bad impression left by the many who take days to respond.

We woke up this Labor Day morning to a fresh long-period north swell from the remnants of Hurricane Hermine wandering around south of Nantucket. Waves are expected to build through the next several days. With such a northerly wave source surfers need to hit beaches south of downtown Cocoa Beach to get any size. At the moment the Pier looks to be about knee-high for the contest while south Cocoa Beach was already seeing shoulder-high sets this morning on the lower tide. Get out there if you can. It'll be a goofy-footer's delight with plentiful loooong lefts.

"Squalls out on the gulf stream..." __J. Buffett