New Pre-Construction Fort Lauderdale Real Estate
Also referred to as beautiful Ft. Lauderdale, this sister city to Miami is a booming center for new luxury real estate property developments. Vibrant, ever-expanding and resort-style city, Fort Lauderdale boasts the finest real estate projects in the nation.

Often called the “Venice of America” due to the intricate canal system, Fort Lauderdale has some of the nation’s most amazing beaches, bars, clubs and entertainment. The population of Fort Lauderdale is quite small, hovering around the 170,000 mark for the past few years. However, the transient population and the incoming travelers make Fort Lauderdale look and feel much larger.

The Property Updates in Pre-Sales and Under Construction Ft. Lauderdale Condos
Fort Lauderdale is like the Venice of North America. With waterways, riverways, waterfront and bayfront property almost every angle you look, the Fort Lauderdale real estate market is primarily made of affluent, prestigious and exclusive looking master planned communities or single family detached homes. There are also the occasional condominium pre-construction high-rise in Ft. Lauderdale as the condo market continues to heat up due to the push in densification and gentrification of older districts and neighborhoods. As the friendly neighbor to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale condo properties have increased in value almost two fold in the past two years. This is very amazing when you compare the average doubling of real estate property prices every ten years which is considered one property cycle. Fort Lauderdale is very bright and attractive to people on the higher end scale with affluence and money to spend on these mansions along the water that have their own boat slips, marina bays and much more that an average family could ever dream about owning. However, this is not to say that Ft. Lauderdale is primarily built up for this group of select people. There are certainly many new pre-sales Fort Lauderdale development properties around the entire city whether it be apartment high-rise condo suites or detached homes or even duplexes and townhomes along the waterfront. Always sunny and bright, Fort Lauderdale is however located within the storm surge areas of the Atlantic hurricane season which may be a factor when people select their waterfront homes. Bearing the brunt of the storm, many people have also opted to live more in the interior and inland communities of Ft. Lauderdale, creating a new niche real estate pre-sales market in the city. With stable growth and a constant stream of cruise ship visitors every year, Fort Lauderdale has really made a name for itself as a sunny resort with much waterfront condo hotels and real estate that will blow your mind as it is truly unique to see such a beautiful and elegant yet exclusive city in the United States. With a full time population of about one hundred and seventy thousand residents, the Ft Lauderdale population nearly doubles during the cruise ship Caribbean season as many people come here to vacation and use their waterfront condominium homes as a resort. In this section, you will find the lastest presales launches, presentation center information as well as pre-construction condominium overviews and reviews. Stay tuned for more updates.

The Economy of Fort Lauderdale
Heavily dependent on travel and tourism since the 1970s, Fort Lauderdale is a hot spot for spring break for many college students. However, the recent crackdown on illegal drinking and activities have now resulted in more of a balance of younger tourists with cruise ship business. Amazing hotels, bars and clubs dot the oceanfront coastline in Fort Lauderdale, which resembles a very vibrant and exciting community.

Real Estate Boom in Fort Lauderdale
Just like many larger cities in Florida, Fort Lauderdale has seen its share in the booming real estate markets. With many pre-construction low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise residential towers in Fort Lauderdale, the city has seen an amazing growth in population and foreign interests.

Ranging from luxury homes to Fort Lauderdale oceanfront properties to loft residences, the city is now seeing the effects of the decade long boom in new construction with the completion of some of the most dynamic and exciting residential towers in the nation. Fort Lauderdale is known for prestigious and exclusive residences, and currently, there are many luxury homes for sale as pre-construction, construction or re-sale status. Fort Lauderdale real estate will continue to boom due to it’s great location along the Florida Keys as well as its close proximity to Miami and other urban centers. In addition, we can’t forget about the huge cruise ship business that pumps almost a billion dollars into Fort Lauderdale every year. Fort Lauderdale real estate is not only for home buyers, but also for Fort Lauderdale real estate investors.

Investing in Fort Lauderale Real Estate
Sometimes called the ‘Venice of America’ due to its canal system, Fort Lauderdale is a big city with a metro population of more than 5 million and about 185,000 inner city residents. Investment deals in Fort Lauderdale real estate are still aplenty, although the city isn’t located on the northwest coast. “Undoubtedly, the biggest opportunities for Florida investment now is in the Fort Lauderdale condo market, followed by the single family houses and then the high priced houses with waterfront or water views,” says Alberto, local realtor and licensed mortgage broker at Coral Shores Realty Inc. Affluent home buyers including doctors, lawyers, executives, and foreign investors have their sighs set on Fort Lauderdale real estate coastal areas of the city, where waterfront property is readily available. Homebuyers with affordability in mind tend to stick inland. “If we take out the extremes, like mansions ont eh water with private docks and dilapidated Fort Lauderdale foreclosure properties, the average purchase price for a residential property is around US $265,000,” say sBertisch. Prior to the slowdown, these same Fort Lauderdale properties were listed fro about US $379,000, notes Bertisch. Similar to the rest of the real estate market in Florida, prices in Fort Lauderdale real estate dropped about 13.2 per cent during that period, and retnal rates decreased 3-5%. Currently, people looking to buy rent hold could acquire a rental rate of US $1,800 per month for a three bedroom, two bathroom Fort Lauderdale residence. Based on the average $265,000 residential property price, this equateds to an annual gross return of around 8%. “Even though Florida was hurt by the mortgage meltdown, it wasn’t as bad as California, Nevada and Arizona,” says Bertisch. “There are reports stating that the Fort Lauderdale real estate market in Florida is bottoming out and will start rebounding by the second quarter of 2009.” - Canadian Real Estate Magazine.

Pensacola Property Investing in Gulfront and Portofino Real Estate
Located in the Florida panhandle, Pensacola is another Fort Lauderdale real estate hot property market and is a trnasportatio hub for the northwest coast with major airlines serving the Pensacola Regional Airport. The southern hospitality of residents, downtown charm of the inner city and natural beauty of Pensacola beaches all attract home buyers and real estate investors. Gary Michaels, manager at Resort Realty, Pensacola, notes that one of the best aspects of the beaches is they are capped property developments and thus will never become a row of condo towers. “Our Pensacola beach is a quaint mixtures of condos, hotels, private beach homes and commercial district that makes us unique.” Many Pensacola real estate developments are solid concrete and steel with some gypsum board and foam. This makes them more durable so they can withstand harsh weather conditions. “Newer Pensacola property construction meets current hurricane and wind codes,” says Michaels. “These homes and condominium sky homes, like Portofino and Beach club, do extremely well with minimal damage.” He says one of his clients, whoc purchased recently, spent more than a week looking at buildings before coming back to Pensacola reale state. Portofino, a resort in Pensacola, had three bedroom units priced as high as US $1.7 M in 2005 before the mortgage meltdown. Currently, the listing price of the same Portfino Pensacola is US $700,000 and US $875,000 says Michaels. Another area in Pensacola, Gulfront, featured units peaking at US $900,000 in 2005. These Pensacola properties are now selling from US $425,000 to US $525,000. Many baby boomers and retirees who are interested in waterfront property and lifestyle are taking advantage of these deals. Yearly rental income for a three bedroom property in Pensacola real estate is approximately US $50,000 and for a two bedroom, US $35,000. “I believe the recovery will begi mid-2009,” says Michae. “We have sen an increase in foreign investors because they not only et the benefit of the market downturn but also the dollar value.”

Port St. Joe Real Estate Investment
Part of the Gulf Country and situated ont eh northwestern coast, Port St. Joe covers 8.6 square km. The region includes Mexico Beach, Beacon Hill and Cape Can Blas. Real estate devleopmetn is under way for the Port St. Joe area. There are currently 13 communities being built by the St. Joe Company, which owns thousands of acres of land in northwest Florida. Additionally, a new interntiaonal airport in Panama City, which is about 35 miles away, is due to open in 2010. Port St. Joe property prices in this prestigious area can range from US $500,000 to more than US $ 1million, depending on your proximity to water. In August 2008, there were 387 single family homes, and about 196 condos, town houses and duplexes for sale in Port St. Joe real estate market, according to Meg Brown, local realtor at Keller Williams. “One has the opportunity to buy waterfront or water view at affordable prices,” says Brown. “Buying in these Port St. Joe waterfront communities is a good investment, as prices are lower than two years ago.” Rentals in Port St. Joe waterfront condos and real estate during the summer and winter seasons rnage from US $650 to US $2,500 per week. “this area attracts Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee families during the summer, and snowbirds and retirees from Canada, Michigan and the northeast during the winter months,” Brown notes. Rex and Anne purchased several properties in Port St. Joe real estate market between 2000 and 2005 and they agree that there are many property opportunities available in Port St. Joe. Each rental property brings in US $60,000 to US $80,000 per year in gross rental income. “My best Port St. Joe real etate investment advice for the neophyte property investor would still be to buy a vacation rental home with all the right amenities, and reap the rewards of a high occupancy rental mode,” says Rex Anderson. Port St. Joe real estate typically offers short term rentals, with property management fees around 30%. The few long term rental sthat are available have slightly lower property management fees of about 20%. As locatl realtors at Coastl Realty Group, the Andersons note the Beach Restoration real estate Port St. Joe project in Cape Can Blas is about 50% comlete. Historically, these projects result in 35% appreciation the year after completion. “By this metric and coupled with an expected market resurgence, 2009 should see some specatcaular investment performance on the northern portions of Cape San Blas that will spill over into all of south Gulf Country, Rex says.