OUR BEAUTIFUL VENETIAN BAY COMMUNITY WELCOMES BUILDER D.R. HORTON!

Just a few short miles from our gorgeous beach is the New Smyrna Beach community of Venetian Bay. “Dream child” of developer Jerry Johnson, this fantastic community has grown over the last two years. Sitting just a short way out on the western outskirts of our city, this community sports single family homes, townhomes, condos and a town center, complete with restaurants, Pubs, fitness center, entertainment venues, shops, many parks and nature walks, and pools.

The community also sports a gorgeous 18-hole golf course and country club. The golf course is an 18-hole Lloyd Clifton World Championship Golf Course and with its stunning Country Club makes this area truly special. Membership in the Golf Course and Country Club is optional.

Nationally know and respected builder D.R. Horton has just bought up multiple lots in Venetian Bay and plans on building many fine homes both custom built and inventory (already built) homes. At this time D.R. Horton is concentrating mainly in the Savona North and Savona South area of Venetian Bay with models available to see and inventory homes ready to buy.

Both inventory and custom homes are priced right and I am available to show you either or provide information.

Ask me about showings, information, or plans. Inventory homes start in the $140,000s and custom built homes can run in the $130,000s.

D.R. Horton has also taken over about 40 lots in Sugar Mill Gardens sitting just south of our Sugar Mill Golf and Country Club. Homes are being started there (and a model is being built) and run in the same price range as the Venetian Bay homes. Contact me for more information, plans, or showings.

No matter which subdivision you choose, New Smyrna Beach is a great place to live. I have a townhome currently listed in Venetian Bay. Call me to ask about this three bedroom, three baths, two car garage newer home today…

Do all your searches at www.jenandfredfair.com!

Call 386-576-6564!

Posted by:  Fred Fair

On the Central Florida East Coast, just south of New Smyrna Beach and Daytona Beach, is a lovely community called Edgewater.

Edgewater, Florida is the home to two fantastic communities known as Pelican Cove East and Pelican Cove West. Houses in these communities are made up of either single-family or duplex-triplex homes. These two communities offer amazing amenities such as a pool, club house, boat ramp, fishing dock, pavilion and shuffleboard court. The Home Owner Association if Voluntary though: if you want to use these amenities you pap a very small yearly rate. Otherwise you can live in these communities with no fees!

Homes are also very reasonably priced! Some as low as $60,000! See my attached listings for examples.

Many homeowners in these two communities use their homes for winter retreats from the serous winters in the rest of the country! These, with a mixture of permanent residents make this a quit, happy neighborhood! And it’s just waiting for you to join.

Contact me for more information about Pelican Cove East or West, Edgewater, or my listings. Call 386-576-6564, e-mail ,  or search www.jenandfredfair.com.

Posted by:  Fred Fair

One of the more attractive aspects of our beautiful area is our Special Events! Be it racing, motorcycles, art, or other great things to do, we literally have it ALL! In this issue let’s concentrate on racing and motorcycles.

Come the beginning of each year starting in late January, all senses turn to racing. Whether European/Indy style, NASCAR, FASCAR, and on and on, we have racing. The season starts with the late January Rolex 24-Hours of Daytona. This is a European/Indy style race of endurance that is run on the Tri-oval and infield track at Daytona International Speedway. Fans from all over the world come to this full day of racing and the almost week of ancillary racing events.

Come February, the area revs-up for major Stock Car Racing. Speed Weeks at Daytona is a spectacle of unimaginable proportions. Almost two weeks of racing for every fan capped by the Daytona 500! The area literally buzzes with fans, tourists, vendors, and international stars.

During this period, the New Smyrna Speedway sponsors ten nights of racing too! Just ten minutes from our city we have this top-notch ½ mile track that operates most of the year. There is also racing at this time in Barbarville, FL just up the road.

Racing again heats up in July at the “World Capital” of  Stock Car Racing in Daytona for the Daytona 400! This is a great time to summer vacation, do the beach and river, golf, and watch some fantastic racing under the lights!

We are also blessed with two major motorcycle events in our area and Daytona Beach. In October we have a fantastic long weekend event known as Bike-To-Ber Fest! Motorcycle aficionados come from all over to enjoy our fantastic, mild fall and cruise the area on their bikes. Of course, we have many great venues to visit for entertainment and they come alive!

In early March, our spring is here to greet thousands of Bikers for the world famous Bike Week! Ten days of cruising, partying, and seeing old friends and making new ones at this “World’s Largest” Bike event makes this the largest venue in the world for this type of activity. It is a fantastic time to visit even if you don’t own a “Hog”!

Some of the more famous venues for both Speed Weeks and Bike Week are: Gilly’s Pub 44, Main Street in Daytona Beach, the Boot Hill Saloon, the Iron Horse, the Eagle’s Nest in Samsula, and the World Famous Cabbage Patch!

The New Smyrna Beach-Edgewater area is not only a great place for special events, but also a fantastic area to live in. We have so much to do here and our housing is oh so affordable.

Call me up (386/576-6564) for a search of properties or search at my website www.jenandfredfair.com.

I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

Posted by:  Fred Fair

Come down to Historic Downtown New Smyrna Beach for Classic Cars, Hot Rods, Family Fun and More.

Something to get excited about! The second Saturday of the month is the East Coast Cruisers Night car show, taking place in historic downtown New Smyrna Beach. The car show is on Canal Street, east of US1, and extends down to Riverside Drive. The next show will be August 14th, which happens to be the club’s anniversary cruise. Cake will be served at the information table, and commemorative dash plaques will be given away on a first come, first served basis. For more information and photos, check out their website.

There is always variety at this show, and it makes for a great, FREE, outdoor event taking place in a very nostalgic setting. If you are thinking of paying a visit to New Smyrna Beach and participating in some local activities, remember this monthly event, it is very popular, and people love it.

Participants come out to cruise and display their Street Rods, Antique Cars, Motorcycles and Muscle Cars, along with stock imports and domestics. Most merchants and restaurants along Canal Street are open during the show, which takes place between 4:00 and 8:00 pm. Cruisers show up early and by 4:00, the street is closed off. Hope to see you there!

Posted by:  Lester Zunk

Finding the right home can be a daunting task in these economic times! So many things to think about, so many things to look at, so many complicated terms to learn! How do you do it?

First off, find a local REALTOR®!!! We are trained to lead you through all of the twists and turns of our modern real estate market. And, hopefully make it a pleasant, successful journey to your new home. I can help you!

Decide what you are looking for. In our area we have a large selections of new and re-sale housing. So decide what you want – new construction or an established home? Each has its positives and negatives. And yes, you can use your REALTOR® to help you find and lead you through the process of buying a newly built home.

What type home do you want? Single family, condo, townhome, multi-family, or a factory built home? We have a large selection of each of these in our area. Look at your lifestyle or what you want your lifestyle to be and select accordingly. With many of these homes you must also select a community to live in. What do they have to offer? What are the costs of these amenities? What is this location close to that I like? In our series “Things to do in Beautiful New Smyrna Beach,” we cover many of these (the beach, the river, golf).

Have your REALTOR® search by your criteria! Include: size (number of bedrooms, baths, garage, pool, etc), location, style, and most importantly, price. With the technology available today it is very easy to design a search that will show offerings specifically for your wants. Don’t forget you can also search for special items such as foreclosures or short sales.

Once you have decided on 5 to 8 homes, have your REALTOR® set-up showing appointments. Go with them and see the available homes. Ask questions of your agent and ask for a Seller’s Disclosure. Line up your financing if you are using a mortgage to buy. Your agent can also help you with finding someone to give you a free “Good Faith Estimate” and to write you a pre-approval.

For any other information please don’t be afraid to ask me!!! Call 386/576-6564, e-mail , or visit my website at www.jenandfredfair.com. You can also search through my website.

I have included a few pictures from my listings in the New Smyrna Beach – Edgewater, FL area. Feel free to take a look at them.

Posted by:  Fred Fair

This is the third part of our series about things to do in the New Smyrna Beach – Edgewater, Florida area.

I have discussed our fantastic beach and river experience, now for our crowning glory: OUR GOLF COURSES!!!

We are blessed to have six fantastic golf courses right here in New Smyrna Beach, FL! Golfers from all over come here to play on our world-class courses! Golf vacations are a must in our area. And if you are looking to have a more permanent golf home, we have many golf community homes for sale here.

Most of our courses are open to the public too! Our beautifully, just remodeled Municipal Golf Course is home to the Professional Indian River Open each year. Golf enthusiasts from all over visit us to watch the pros play. This 18-hole course is open to the public seven days a week from dawn to dusk. The Clubhouse also boasts a new restaurant called Tianos complete with a singing chef.

Across the street is Hidden Lakes Golf Course at Fairgreen. This is an 18-hole executive course open to the public complete with banquet facilities.

Sugar Mill Golf and Country Club has two courses available. It is a private course with a full country club, restaurant, and banquet facilities. It is surrounded by a gorgeous community of homes, villas, and condos.

Another fantastic course is Venetian Bay Country Club. It is our newest course and is in the highly anticipated community of Venetian Bay. This is a small city complete with single family homes, townhouses, and condos. A town center is included with shopping, pool , Tiki bar, restaurants, and parks. It has a country club complete with facilities and a restaurant.

We also have a newer course at the Turnbull Bay community. This is a great course with lots of water and is surrounded by a very nice home community.

Besides the New Smyrna Beach courses there are another five golf courses within a 15 minute drive. So, as stated, this is a Golfer’s Paradise!!! Here is a list of all of our golfing facilities and contact information.

For any other information about our beautiful area, feel free to contact me at or visit my website: JenandFredFair.com

Posted by:  Fred Fair

The very local and intimate New Smyrna Beach Farmer’s Market takes place every Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is located at the corner of Sams Avenue & Canal Street in the downtown area of New Smyrna Beach landside, just west of Riverside Drive. The market has a great variety of locally grown produce, with an emphasis on in-season fruits, vegetables, assorted greens and herbs. Several vendors offer great, gourmet baked goods and coffees, making the market even more enjoyable. Participating nurseries supply a variety of native and exotic plants, favorable to our area’s growing conditions. Nearby restaurants are open for breakfast and fill up quickly. One short block away, you will find the scenic walking path along beautiful Riverside Drive and the Brannon Center.

If you are looking for properties for sale in the New Smyrna Beach, Florida area, please visit my website www.buynsb.com

Posted by:  Lester Zunk

Even in this slower Real Estate market there is still an allure in buying a larger, family home. There are many attractive four-bedroom plus homes for sale in the New Smyrna Beach – Edgewater, Florida area and at some really great prices.

Large homes are still an asset in our market! Many people move to our area from points up north or in the midwest and still have family connections. These families and friends love to come and visit our beautiful beachside area. So, having a larger home is a plus. They get to visit and you still have a connection to your old home area getting to see family and friends you might not have had a chance to see.

Larger homes tend to hold their value better. There are always customers with large families and sometimes it is harder to find those larger homes for them to fit their families into.

Many of our larger homes also come with private pools and a Jacuzzi. What a plus to be able to buy that four bedroom home with a pool! And prices here are so good!

I have attached some of my personal listings for larger homes in the area. Click here for more information on all of them. Please feel free to take a look and comment. You can contact me at or visit my website at www.jenandfredfair.com to search for any listings out there.

Posted by:  Fred Fair

The Cloverleaf Complex consists of two separate condominium towers: the Cloverleaf North building at 4 Oceans West, and the Cloverleaf South building at 3 Oceans West. The most unique feature of the Cloverleaf Complex is the ability to drive up to your floor, thanks to the circular garage in the center of the four-wing designed building. Each floor is connected via walkways that lead to the center covered parking structure, and each unit has assigned parking. This is a great advantage if you want easy access to your automobile that you would not normally find in a condominium. Both buildings offer fantastic amenities such as a spa, multiple pools, security and high quality maintenance, all set in a beautiful tropical landscape with the added feature of being located on a par 3 golf course. The Cloverleafs are located next to the Oceans Racquet and Tennis Club, and across the street from the Atlantic Ocean. Both Cloverleaf buildings offer plenty of great views regardless of which floor you are on.

Cloverleaf North at 4 Oceans West was completed in 1996 and consists of 214 units with four wings. Two wings are seven floors high, and two are eight floors high. There are currently 10 units for sale ranging in price from $169K to $300K, with no short-sales or REOs on the market presently.

Cloverleaf South at 3 Oceans West was completed in 1993 and consists of 181 units with four wings. Two wings are six floors high, and two are seven floors high. There are currently 14 units for sale ranging in price from $149K to $274K, along with a 2-story Penthouse unit with its own elevator for $695K, with no short-sales or REOs on the market presently.

To find out more about the greater Daytona Beach area, please view my website; www.buynsb.com

Posted by:  Lester Zunk

East Central Florida’s New Smyrna Beach is not only blessed with having one of the world’s most beautiful bathing beaches, but also with a gorgeous river! Our river separates the beachside from the mainland here and runs from Jacksonville to Miami with many inlets giving ocean access. It has many names as it runs down the east coast of Florida, but here it is called the Indian River.

Our river has many recreational uses such as: boating, bathing, fishing, skiing, kayaking, canoeing, oyster and clamming, camping, and on and on! Access to our river activities is allowed and encouraged throughout our area with many municipal riverfront parks. There are also five municipal boat ramp areas complete with parking that is free for the public to use.

There is a public park at the inlet in New Smyrna Beach with bathing, fishing, dog park, walkways to the river, the ocean, and the jetties complete with pavilions, picnic and cook-out areas, restrooms and changing area, fishing pier and both river and ocean bathing. There is a $5.00 parking charge.

Riverfront Park in New Smyrna Beach is a fantastic area with playgrounds, riverfront boardwalks, fishing piers, boat docks, facilities for cooking out and picnics, restrooms and parking. And it is all free!!! There is also a City Marina with both short and long term dockage.

The National Seashore Park also has wonderful facilities for the river enthusiast! The Park offers beachfront and riverfront parks, fishing piers, facilities, parking, and boat ramps and kayak launches.

Our river also offers championship salt water fishing, oysters, shrimp, crabs, and clams all the way from the Inlet to El Dora in the Seashore Park, to Oak Hill! Many tournaments are held here yearly, but the chance to fish is here everyday!

Our river also sports beautiful areas to just stop and relax! Our many river islands are a great place to stop the boat, cook-out, camp or have a party. Many islands in the Seashore Park are set up specifically for camping. And, our favorite “Disappearing Island” just behind the inlet is a place where everybody meets for a party!

We also have many restaurants along our river with some of the best seafood offerings in the nation. Stop by Dolphin View, JB’s Fish Camp, Riverview Charlie’s, Goodrich’s in Oak Hill, and Inlet Harbor in the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse area. We also offer a low cost Water Taxi through the Marine Discovery Center that travels throughout the day from the Riverfront Park to Inlet Harbor. So come and enjoy our fantastic river life!

For more information about things to do in the New Smyrna Beach area check out my website at www.jenandfredfair.com

Posted by:  Fred Fair

This is the first in a series of articles on what there is to do in the New Smyrna Beach – Edgewater area.

You cannot talk about the New Smyrna Beach area without beginning with our beautiful, natural beach! New Smyrna Beach, Florida is on the East Central Florida Atlantic Coast. All of our beaches are open to the public! We are blessed with over eight miles of gorgeous white sand beach in the city limits and continuing to Port Canaveral with access through the Canaveral National Seashore Park.

New Smyrna Beach is unique in that we have both a drivable and a no-drive beach available to the public. Access to the drivable beach is by way of four beach ramps. Two of these ramps have parking areas complete with dressing rooms, bathrooms, shower facilities, picnic and cook-out areas, pavilions, and recreation areas.

At the northern boundary of the beach area is the Ponce de Leon Inlet which gives us river access to the Atlantic Ocean. At this Inlet area is another city park complete with parking, restroom and changing facilities, pavilions, picnic and cook-out areas, and over 1.5 miles of walkways over the dunes with both river and beach access. Fishing and a dog park are also available here! There are also many other public parks available on our beachside as are multiple public parking areas.

The drivable beach stretches from the Inlet to the beach park at 27th Ave. From there it stretches south all the way through the County beach with access at Hiles Ave. and through the Canaveral National Seashore Park to Port Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center. This is approximately 50 miles of beautiful beach! The Canaveral Seashore Park is administered by the National Park Service and there are eight public parking areas, restroom and changing facilities, picnic and cook-out areas, and beach walk-overs for your use.

What to do at the beach? The list runs on forever!!! Sun and sand, layout, tan, swim, surf, walk, jog, run, bike, drive, fish, kite, parasail, boat, sleep, romance!!! The list is endless. Just enjoy our beautiful beach! There are many vendors available for food, drink, float, bike, and scooter rentals. And we have a great group of public lifeguards on duty everyday!

For more information about things to do in the New Smyrna Beach area, take a look at my website: www.jenandfredfair.com

Posted by:  Fred Fair

Buyers frequently ask if their earnest money deposit held in escrow and presented with their offer for the sale and purchase of a property is open to dispute and could be forfeited. Yes, the earnest money deposit is subject to time constraints, proper notification and performance requirements and could be forfeited by the buyer. Florida Realtor® contracts contain verbiage that clearly states that certain activities such as inspections, mortgage acceptance, property disclosures, receipt of homeowner or condominium documents, and other agreed upon items are to be either supplied to the buyer, or performed by the buyer, within specific time periods.

The buyer has until the final date of the stated time period to either withdraw from the purchase, acknowledge acceptance of the property and move forward, or attempt to renegotiate their offer. Deadlines for performance and buyer response vary from a few days in the case of reviewing Condominium Documents or performing Home Inspections, to longer time periods, like the buyer’s acceptance of title or receipt of the buyer’s financing and loan commitment acknowledgement. Correctly withdrawing the offer under the conditions of the contract will release the earnest money deposit back to the buyer. Money held in escrow can also be in dispute if the buyer is unable to or does not perform and neglects to withdraw their offer prior to a deadline, most commonly in the buyer’s loan commitment exceeding the time period resulting in the buyer not withdrawing soon enough, or asking for an extension.

The most common time concern facing a buyer involved in a Sale and Purchase Contract, is often for Home Inspections. The buyer is given a deadline to perform a property inspection, examine the results and come to a decision on whether to move forward, or withdraw their offer. In the event that the seller is providing repair liability up to a percentage of the purchase price, or a dollar amount, the buyer must give the seller notice of these findings and make a request for remedies. In the event that the seller is selling the property AS-IS, and not accepting liability, the buyer must either accept or reject the property or attempt to renegotiate their offer.

If you have any other questions about Florida Real Estate, please contact me: www.buynsb.com

Posted by:  Lester Zunk

The New Smyrna Beach, Florida arts community is very fortunate to have the ACA (Atlantic Center for the Arts). Located at the north end of New Smyrna Beach mainland, just off US1 (Dixie Hwy) on Art Center Avenue, a guest’s first impression of the ACA may be its integration into the native landscape through use of raw, natural materials, which provide visual interest and variety. The ACA hosts artists of all disciplines for intensive workshops several times a year led by guest artists of notoriety. Public presentations by artists attending workshops follow each three week residency period and are open to the public.

The ACA was the vision of professional artist, Doris “Doc” Leeper (1929-2000), a sculptor who realized the beginnings of her dream in 1979. Since that time the ACA has grown to include 69 acres of wild, Old Florida vegetation, punctuated by modern, dynamic architecture by well-known local architect Will Miller. On-site buildings include a variety of studios, artist housing, administrative offices and the stunning Mark and Margery Pabst Visitor Center and Gallery, completed in 2007.

The ACA holds an annual outdoor art show, “Images,” a juried outdoor fine arts festival every winter on Riverside Drive in downtown New Smyrna Beach, next to ACA’s satellite art center, Harris House, located at 214 Riverside Drive. The included photos offer a taste of what the ACA has to offer.

Pabst Visitor Center and Harris House Hours: Tue.-Fri. 10-4, Sat. 10-2. Located at 1414 Art Center Ave, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32168. Here is a link to the ACA.

If you would like to learn more about New Smyrna Beach, please visit my website: www.buynsb.com

Posted by:  Lester Zunk

In these days of economic twinges towards economic growth there are still many foreclosure and pre-foreclosure (“short sales”) properties on the market. Foreclosure properties being owned by the financial institution and “short sales’’ being where the sellers have an agreement with the financial institution to allow them to sell the property for less than the mortgage amount. Buyers must be prepared for the long haul when making offers on “Short Sales”!

Many buyers and their Real Estate Agents are attempting to close the sale on a short sale home without knowing the pitfalls. Here are some things you should know:

• In a short sale the contract is between you and the owner, not the bank! The bank is simply a third party contingency;
• You may not simply “walk away” from the contract! You are obligated to perform under the contract until the lender disapproves or counters your offer;
• The lender is under no obligation to consider, respond to, approve or disapprove your contract in any given time period;
• It is possible the lender will not approve even a full price offer;
• The seller and their agent may not have been informed of an acceptable price by the lender;
• A short sale purchase can take time, even as long as 6 – 8 months. Be prepared!

For more information on foreclosures or “short sales” contact me at my website: www.JenandFredFair.com and if you would like a list e-mailed to you send me your criteria to FredFair@watsonrealtycorp.com.

Check out this short sale property I have listed right now.

Posted by:  Fred Fair

Currently the NFIP (National Flood Insurance Program) has expired. As property owners and Realtors®, this is very significant and is causing closings to be delayed until this is resolved. At this moment a buyer involved in a purchase contract and waiting to close on a residential or commercial property that is being purchased with standard financing CANNOT get a mortgage if the property is in a Flood Zone other than Flood Zone X. This applies to a considerable number of properties, and effects Florida especially. This reality is creating more problems in the real estate market and it needs to be resolved soon.

I have attached a link that will connect you to your congressperson via email, and express your concern for having this matter resolved.

http://tinyurl.com/NFIP-petition

Posted by:  Lester Zunk