Real Estate Today

• http://realestatetoday.blogs.heraldtribune.com/files/2010/07/Austin-city-221x300.jpg Just last month we were reading that Texas was the new place to be, that the Lone Star State was attracting more newcomers than any other state.But if you are thinking about heading west to escape the Florida doldrums, think again. A survey by John Burns Real Estate Consulting shows that new-home sales dropped 37 [...] Texas takes a two-step backward
• http://realestatetoday.blogs.heraldtribune.com/files/2010/07/the-neals-for-web-300x216.jpg It seems like just last month — OK, two months ago — that Pat Neal was celebrating his 40th year in the home-building business.Oh, and did you hear that Neal Communities is rated among the top 2oo builders in the country by Builder magazine? Its 176 closings and $64 million in sales placed it 126th on [...] Neal not out of the spotlight for long
• Will Spates is president of Indoor Environmental Technologies (IET) in Clearwater. He consulted on the design and construction of The Edge, a spec house in Harbor Acres that is designed to be exceptionally green and healthful for its occupants.Harold Bubil: Will, what do those initials after your name stand for.Will Spates: Certified indoor air quality [...] The Edge: A conversation with its designer
• http://realestatetoday.blogs.heraldtribune.com/files/2010/07/cistern-300x225.jpg The Edge, a super-green house in Harbor Acres that is featured in today's real estate section, qualifies for all the major green-home certifications, says Drew Smith, president of Two Trails Inc., which does most of the third-party testing of green structures in the region.“It's a cool house,” said Smith. “They have overloaded it with certifications. [...] The Edge: Going for them all
• The Anna Maria real estate market doesn't get a lot of attention, but maybe it should.Realtors John and Christine van Zandt of Island Real Estate report that residential sales for the first six months of the year are up 47 percent over the same period last year, with 268 total closings this year and just 182 in the [...] Anna Maria Island sales are up strongly