Dawnmarie's Blog

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expanded the first-time homebuyer credit by increasing the credit amount to $8,000 for purchases made in 2009 before Dec. 1. However, the new Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 has extended the deadline. Now, taxpayers who have a binding contract to purchase a home before May 1, 2010, are eligible for the credit. Buyers must close on the home before July 1, 2010.

For homes purchased in 2009, the credit does not have to be paid back unless the home ceases to be the taxpayer's main residence within a three-year period following the purchase.

First-time homebuyers who purchase a home in 2009 can claim the credit on either a 2008 tax return, due April 15, 2009, or a 2009 tax return, due April 15, 2010. The credit may not be claimed before the closing date. But, if the closing occurs after April 15, 2009, a taxpayer can still claim it on a 2008 tax return by requesting an extension of time to file or by filing an amended return. News release 2009-27 has more information on these options.

Information provided from www.irs.gov. 2010

If your mortgage payments are delinquent and you have not contacted your bank, you should do so immediately. I have worked with several sellers that have the idea they can't afford the house, nor the real estate commission, to sell the house with a Realtor, so they would rather just walk away from their home and abandon the house.  What homeowners do not realize, is the mortgage that you obtained to finance that house remains attached to you even if the bank that takes over the home sells the property. The contract was between you and the bank and most likely was not transferrable.  So if you walk away from the home, you not only look at a future judgment being placed against you (if not tended to can end up costing you far more than the loan did itself) but also a lien on any other property of asset value.  It also reduces your chances in obtaining another loan and can cause damage to your credit rating.

As a homeowner in distress, contact your lender. Tell them your financial situation has changed.  If you have made your payments on time and are in good standing and still have your job, you may qualify for a loan modification so you can stay in the home.  If you have missed payments or the bank does not find you to qualify for a loan modification you may have the option of selling your home in a short sale process, which really isn't short at all.

A short sale involves a lender or investor agreeing to collect less than the balance owed on a mortgage debt out of the proceeds of a negotiated sale of the property. Often, a short sale is the last alternative to foreclosure available to distressed homeowners and banks.  If your bank agrees to accepting a short sale, you need to hire a realtor familiar with the short sale process.   Then you must wait for a buyer who has financing to close the deal and will make an acceptable offer to the bank.  If your property has a second mortgage or home-equity credit line, you also need to negotiate how much that lender will receive from the sale proceeds.  Sometimes that second mortgage lien may be worthless, but that bank has a legal power to block the short sale by refusing to sign on the deal.  And we have come to find that banks, mortgage providers and bond investors are conflicting in their requirements. 

But Homeowners may be in for some relief. Believe it or not the first choice for lenders was to keep borrowers in their homes by offering loan modifications as an alternative to foreclosure.  According to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on September 30, 2009, more than half of those modifications of delinquent mortgages re-defaulted within a year.

 Because of this, Obama's administration has now implemented a new standardized short sale plan that is scheduled to roll out in April 2010 which will require lenders to consider borrowers for a short sale on their primary residence 30 days after missing two consecutive payments on a modified loan or after a borrower requests a short sale.

With this plan, the Department of Treasury's program will pay up to $1,500 for a homeowner to relocate, $1,000 to loan servicing companies that accept a sale and a maximum of $1,000 to help settle a second mortgage or subordinate lien.  And the lender must agree to release the borrower from all liability for repayment of the mortgage.

Now if I was a Homeowner In Distress, I would think twice about abandoning my home and do whatever it took to communicate with my lender. Whether it be a loan modification or a short sale, in the end I would have saved my credit and my sanity.

For a copy of the Dept. of Treasury's Plan, Click Here. 

If you've been in the market to purchase a property in short sale, you may want to read this article (Click here) released by the Tampa Tribune concerning properties with liens pending against properties as a result of contractor non-payment to their construction vendors.   While this article shares an incident with one bay area contractor, you buyers of short sales out there need to be aware that along with those amazing prices on properties deficient in their mortgage payments, comes possible tax liens, construction liens, attorney's fees, court costs, past due Homeowner's Association Fees, delinquent Homeowner Association Assessments and more.

The market may be pleasing for buyers, but remember "Caveat Emptor" (let the buyer beware).  Examine the property and buy at your own risk, that would include not only include a full inspection of the home itself, but of its court and title records to verify what history you will be purchasing along with the home.

During the course of the last two years, as the lending requirements have changed, many individuals who once qualified for a loan could not get one when trying to buy.  Those people in turn selected to either lease a home, or move into an apartment.  When you lease a home or apartment you don't usually pay for an inspector to come to the home and check for mold, mildew, dry rot, water damage or termites.

I wanted to share this with everyone because my sister just encountered a situation that almost anyone would walk into now in a renting situation. 

When you lease from a private owner, they more likely will do whatever they can to maintain the home so they can continue to keep the rent coming in.  When you live in an apartment complex you have to take into consideration how old the building is and the constant flow through of people that lease monthly they work with.  Apartment complexes are usually owned by a large corporation. While they have a maintenance person on site., it doesn't appear they are that worried about maintaining the property that well. Usually the landscaping is done to provide a great presentation and when you preview the apartment, there appear to be no flaws because new paint and new carpet make everything look fresh and new.  It isn't until you pay your security deposit and move in before you start to notice concerns. 

In my sister's case, she moved into an apartment complex that was 18-20 years old. She was placed in a ground floor corner unit. A month into living in the unit, during a heavy rain, she came home to find a wet ring on the wall in the bedroom that extended the length of the outside wall. She took pictures of it and brought them to the office and the office sent the maintenance person to her apartment. Rather than check the source of where the water came from., they pulled back the carpet, dried the floor with paper towels, and proceeded to paint the wall where the ring stained the drywall. 

Over a few days the carpet was dry and my sister thought they fixed the problem. My sister is very young and not aware of issues with caring for a home, maintenance or otherwise. Over this weekend, she received a telephone call at her job from her neighbor that a large crash sent her to her bathroom only to find that all the ceramic tiles on the wall of her shower had fallen to the shower floor and the wall baseboards were soak and wet.  This wall was attached to my sister's bathroom and walk in closet, so when she got home she immediately went into the bathroom and noticed the baseboard behind the toilet was damp - when she cleaned it dry the entire baseboard came off and what was behind it was startling.  The Drywall behind the toilet was wet and damaged along the baseboards, completely soiled in black mold, hidden by a brand new Vinyl baseboard. While on her hands and knees, she noticed the underside of the bathroom cabinetry frayed and bowed from water damage. Then she ran to the closet and found that one side of the closet was soak and wet along the wall attached to the bathroom.  A box of personal belongings on the floor was so wet it had stuck to the wall and when moved away revealed black furry mold.  There apparently is a leak in the walls but we wondered how long exactly this leak had been going on. Of Course now its Sunday so Maintenance does not work at the apartment. Leaving the entire closet wet for another day just left more room for mold and mildew, so off to CVS we went to get a box fan, bleach, gloves and baking soda.

We spent hours drying the floor by hand, vacumming up excess water, scrubing the walls with bleach and putting baking soda in the holes to stop the water bugs and spiders from coming into the bathroom and closet.  Then we ran the fan the entire night. Photos were taken of everything before the cleanup and now we are waiting to see what management plans to do.  It is unlikely that Maintenance can fix such a leak problem without tearing out the wall or finding the source of the problem.  From discussion with the management office, the leasing agent advised my sister that the last tenant had the same problem and the management broke her lease and sent her on her way.

This can not be a safe living environment for anyone ( especially in this building) . You can not just paint over the problem like this apartment complex has done and hope the next tenant doesn't notice. There is something called quiet enjoyment of living and while it appears my sister may have to move because that apparently has been breached, by contacting the county code ordinance division and OSHA we are hoping that a message can be sent to this complex.

If you are leasing or renting, this is the very reason why you should have renter's insurance with a rider to cover flood or water damage. Your lease will not protect your belongings or replace those items that are sentimental.

Florida is a breeding ground for allergens, especially during our humid season. For those of you that have environmental allergies, this time of the year is exhausting because sometimes your allergy medicine works and sometimes it doesn't.  In the last two years, Florida has experienced a vast amount of foreclosures. Many of those foreclosures were abandoned homes with pools, a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and allergens. Something some never thinkl of when showing property, was what was breeding in these homes.  You hear of sick building syndrome and mold how toxic mold can affect you. We've had Chinese Drywall situations in Florida where the drywall contained a sulphuric acid that ate away at the pipes, electrical and put off toxic fumes that could lead to respiratory distress.  But as a Realtor, sometimes we forget this when we are showing homes.

I suffer from severe idiopathic environmental rhinitis coupled with food allergies.  Mold, Mildew, and dust mites attack me the hardest especially in heavy consistency. Many of the homes last year I showed to buyers luckily were occupied and maintained well, however in working with family this year and showing as-is vacated properties., this is what I discovered:

Many of the homes that were vacated were left without appliances, damaged and soiled carpets, pet stains eminating amonia so strong it could knock you over; and heavy dust that had accumulated for the time it had been left.  Those homes listed as distressed are usually expected to be in this condition, so you are able to plan and prepare your buyer ahead of time before previewing. 

In other listings that I showed.,the listing would make mention of the property "As-Is" and photos gave the impression of the home being in brand new condition. So of course the buyer who does not want to rehab a property would want to look at this property.

In my case, I showed a buyer seven homes in one week. Out of those seven homes, three were abandoned homes in short sale or owned by the bank.  The buyer was looking for a deal and wanted to see the three abandoned homes more than once in anticipation of making an offer. They narrowed the three to one and what happened after that will be a reminder for me from hereon on what to look for.

The first time in showing this home., we did not spend more than 5-10 minutes in the homes. I left the home, with a small bit of sneezing, but nothing more. 

The second time, upon walking into the home., my eyes watered and burnt terribly that I had to leave the buyers in the home to look around. Although there was no smell in the home, something was consistently affecting me, which then in turn concerned the buyers, so we cut the appointment short and rescheduled for another day.

Thinking I was coming down with a cold., I went to see my doctor. Two nose sprays and a steroid shot cleared it up and I was ready to go for another preview.

The next day, we all walked into this home again and experienced the most horrific smell. As you walked into the home the smell of cinnamon from three aromatic hanging brooms eminated masking other odors in the home. We had visited the home prior at dusk when the heat was not so high. This time we came around 2 p.m. Both bedrooms had complete sunlight pounding on the windows which made every odor you could imagine stand out.  In one room the smell of musk rang out - that could have been from the home being closed up and no air circulation. The other room gave off not only a musk smell but a strong cat urine smell in the corner of the bedrooms. Upon the buyer taking a pen to lift the carpet, the mildew and mold was not only in the carpet, but in the wall baseboards. The smell was so strong, not only did I have trouble breathing, but my eyes watered and burnt and I could not stop sneezing.

This caused concern to the buyer because they had a daughter highly allergic to mold - mold does not have to smell to cause a reaction. It can be behind the walls., in the air ducts., in the carpet, around the windows, etc.  And for those with such sensitivety to it, it can cause respiratory distress. A call to the Seller's agent was less than helpful because she didn't know and all you really could offer to the buyer was to make an offer with a contingency for a mold inspection.  Given the Buyers did not want to chance the outcome of a larger mold problem than they really wanted., they did not make an offer and we had to continue our search.

In the meantime., I started previewing the homes before showing them to the seller. We ultimately found them a home.,but for months thereafter, I suffered with headaches, severe allergic reactions and sinus infections. My allergist sent me to an immunologist to find out that through blood testing, I somehow had a bacterial infection resulting from toxic mold exposure.

Its clear where I obtained it and while it may not occur to everyone that previews distressed homes., my word of advice to you is always keep an environmental kit with you in your car. This kit should include plastic gloves, antiseptic spray, germicidal wipes and environmental masks. Make sure you have enough in your kit to share with your buyer(s). And never hesitate to ask a buyer if they have environmental allergies or sensitivity, because if you can be exposed to a toxin., so can they.  What's also important is this kit should be with you when you show homes at all times and kept updated. Many people walk into homes to preview and touch everything in sight without realizing others before them have done the same thing. Maintaining good hygiene by washing your hands after a home preview can also prevent from other sicknesses occuring.

In Florida, we are seeing more banks handling foreclosures differently because of this reason. Banks are delaying foreclosure proceedings to allow the homeowners in hardship to stay in the home and keep it maintained until matters are resolved. This allows for the integrity of the property to remain in good condition and saves from situations such as above.

In the end, your buyer will really appreciate your concern about their health and if you are like me., the sneezing pre-warning will send them in complete laughter and they will proceed with " Okay, on to the next house!".

NEWLY RENOVATED and MOVE IN READY!

Pinellas/Pasco/Hillsborogh County, Florida MLS #7422067 ( ESTATE SALE) $179,999

(PRICE REDUCED 10-6-09 $178,000) NOW $173,999

SHADOW LAKES Subdivision - Pasco County

Newly Renovated and Freshly Painted.

Brand New Appliances, Large Home Layout,

Brand New Cabinetry in Bathrooms, New Carpet,

Paint and More. A Must See.

This home is centrally located between Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Hillsborough Counties. Just a hop over to the Veterans Expressway , a skip to I-75 and a Jump to I-275. Convenient to the beaches, shopping, schools and for those golf lovers, there are several golf courses close by.  For those who love the community environment without all the fees., Shadow Lakes is for you and at a price you just can't turn down.  Seller  has never lived in home, however excellent records were maintained and home has been updated and newly renovated so any interested Buyer will not have to make any repairs - they can just move in.

For Virtual Tour, Click Here

PRICE REDUCED FOR SELLER's CONVENIENCE: NOW $158,000

4.4 Acres of PRIME RESIDENTIAL LAND located in the quiet and small community of Falcon Ridge in Hernando County. Convenient to Suncoast Veterans Expressway and I-75. Property is partially fenced with private entrance,beautiful rolling hills and great views. No Homeowners Association or fees. Great Location for your horses, to build your Dream Ranch-style home or for your agricultural needs. Parcel may not be subdivided and is surrounded by other 4 and 5 acre parcels to maintain property integrity. Seller's disclosure attached. Property is in pre-foreclosure and being offered as possible short sale. Accepting all offers. Commission may be affected, third party approval required.

Directions:  Spring Lake Hwy to Powell. Take Left to Falcon Ridge Trail, Go to Lot centered between two residential homes, Tract 2 Nearest Cross Street Powell/Falcon Ridge Trail

Property Info: Property has been Greenbelt Reviewed, zoned for agricultural or residential.   Seller is very Motivated. For more information, please visit www.Hatfieldhomes.org under Featured properties.

Interested Parties, please contact (727) 772-8919 ext 149 or Dawnmarie Hatfield directly at Dawnmarie@kw.com for more information. Deed Restrictions, Road Maintenance Agreement, play survey, pre-foreclosure information all available upon request.

Its an association of leading U.S. corporation CEOs, put together to help return stability and growth to the U.S. housing market. 

Yesterday this group announced bipartisan proposals which are additional steps to jumpstart the lagging housing market in order to stimulate a broader economic recovery.  While the Congress and Administration have already made similar efforts, this group beieves it may get some where.

Of these proposals, the recommendations include expanding homebuyer tax credit incentives. Among other recommendations, the CEOs also strongly encourage the Obama Administration to keep 30-year fixed mortgage interest rates at historically low levels for the next 12 months, and to undertake a comprehensive review of existing foreclosure mitigation and loan-modification programs.

All of which are being supported by the National Association of Realtors ( NAR).

To be more specific, the Business Roundtable recommendations include:
 
1. Keeping mortgage interest rates at historically low levels for at least one year.

2. Expanding the current first-time homebuyer tax credit incentive from the lesser of 10 percent of the purchase price of the home or $8,000, to a higher limit of 10 percent or $15,000 for all homebuyers. Remove the current income restrictions and include all primary residence purchases for one full year.

3. Conduct a thorough review of current foreclosure mitigation and loan-modification programs in light of rising loan-modification re-default rates.

4. Make permanent the current temporary conforming loan limits.

5. Continue to review and strengthen government efforts already underway to review and refine mortgage lending practices.

This is something all of us in real estate should be interested in following as it will affect how we share information with our Buyers and be more informed as real estate professionals.
 
For more information about the Housing Working Group and Business Roundtable, visit its website at: http://www.businessroundtable.org

Planning a vacation this Summer?    I'm sure Clearwater Beach is a familiar spot.  But why not check out some of our areas smaller prize locations.  Safety Harbor, Dunedin and Bellair are all very close to Clearwater Beach, yet they remain the most forgotten.  So to entice your travel planning, I'd like to share with you a little about these areas, hoping you may pay a visit during your travels to Clearwater.

Named for its clean air, Bellair sits along the Gulf of Mexico South of Clearwater Beach with one of the lowest crime rates and small population of 4,097.  Bellair is more importantly famous for its hotel, The Belleview.

HISTORY OF BELLAIR

In the 1890's, railroad magnate Henry B. Plant constructed his showpiece hotel on a high bluff south of Clearwater, complete with a railroad siding for the private cars of his wealthy winter patrons. The Belleview Hotel had its grand opening in January 1897. Its location was on a peninsula west of Tampa Bay which was to become Pinellas County in 1912. Guests at the Belleview enjoyed the amenities of regal, rustic living; yachting on Clearwater Bay, horseback riding in the piney woods south of the hotel; golfing, tennis, skeet shooting and bicycling. Bicycling became the main event in Bellair bringing many visitors to the hotel for six-day bicycle races and many other national and international prominent cycling events.

The Belleview's original nine-hole golf course with sand greens had grown to two, 18 hole courses with Florida's first grass greens by World War I. In 1920 the hotel was purchased from the Plant Investment Company by John McEntee Bowman, international sportsman and owner of the Biltmore chain of hotels. Hence the beginning of the new name Belleview Biltmore Hotel. Directly to the north of the hotel, a casino added zest to the life of the snowbirds and hotel guests, operating until the mid 1940s. Activity at the Belleview Biltmore enticed hotel guests to live in this pleasant place year-round resulting in some of Belleair's first homes to be constructed on North Indian Rocks Road, overlooking the Belleview's golf course. These homes still stand today.

This neighborhood developed and gradually moved south, resisting annexation moves by the City of Clearwater. In 1925 the Town of Belleair was incorporated and the noted town planner, John Nolen, was hired to lay out the streets that constitute most of Belleair today.

The grandiose plans of the early residents crashed with the stock market in 1929 and the end of the Florida Land Boom. In the early 1930's, the town defaulted on more than $1 million of improvement bonds and the beautiful streets behind the bluff on the bay were rapidly reclaimed by weeds and undergrowth.

During World War II, the Belleview Biltmore became an Army Air Corps training post and its beautiful greens were used as drill fields. World War II also claimed another lesser known Belleair landmark - Eagle's Nest Gardens. This popular attraction, which featured lovely gardens and a Japanese motif, was closed due to strong wartime public opinion.

The shallow waters below the bluff were the proving ground for then Clearwater (later Belleair) resident Donald Roebling's wartime invention - The Alligator - an amphibious, tracked landing vehicle that gained fame on the beachs of Europe and the Pacific Islands.

Following the war, most of the land south of the Belleview Biltmore, including the never finished Pelican (now Belleview Biltmore) Golf Course, was purchased by two companies owned by the late E. W. Hallett. The massive cleanup to restore the town resulted in few land sales, leaving Belleair with its constant population of 300 pioneer souls.

In 1944, Mrs. Georgine Shillard-Smith, noted patron of the arts, donated seven acres of land to create the Florida Gulf Coast Art Center, an important regional resource in the creative arts. Due to the growth of both the town and the art center, the center relocated its facility in 1999 to the middle of Pinellas County - in the midst of the new botanical gardens.

The 1950's saw the rebirth of the town with new construction bringing the population to approximately 2,200 by 1955. Young postwar professionals discovered the community and civic leaders established strong recreation programs, the sewage system, an expanded water system and the present Town Hall Building.

The next large growth in the town took place in the late 1960s to early 1970s when U.S. Steel purchased the land in front of the Hotel and the Island to the west of the hotel. A large community of condominiums was constructed and resulted in boosting the town's population to approximately 4,000.

Fortunately, land was set aside for the town's beautiful system of parks and paths, and a strong set of codes were developed to enhance and preserve the quality way of life enjoyed today.

WHAT CAN BE SEEN TODAY

Today, the Bellview Bitlmore Hotel remains active and running.  Currently under restoration with a completion date set for 2011, this historical landmark hotel will feature new landscaping, restoration oof 256 hotel rooms, five ballrooms, meeting rooms, restaurants and retail shops. In addition development plans call for a 174-room "annex hotel" to be built next to the main structure, a new one story spa with underground parking and new tennis courts.  Along with these changes, the resort's Pelican Golf Club on Indian Rocks Road will be improved as will the resorts Cabana Club Property located on Sand Key.

Off Indian Rocks Road you will find a small community of Bellair called Belleair Bluffs providing shopping and services for residents of the island communities across the Intracoastal (Belleair Beach & Sand Key), as well as the local adjacent communities of Harbor Bluffs, Belleair & Largo.  Belleair Bluffs is home to several outstanding restaurants as well as service stations, grocery, convenience, & drug stores, a variety of antiques & gift shops, in addition to nationally know celebrities like Terry Bollea ( Hulk Hogan), Kirstie Alli,

.

Bellair's community is locally centralized for easy access to beaches, whether you wish to go North or South, there is so much to do along the water line that you will never be bored.

Another great Historical landmark to vacation or visit if you come to Clearwater.

HOMES FOR SALE IN BELLAIR, BELLAIR BLUFFS

Information for this posting provided by the Town of Bellair, 2009.

Planning a vacation this Summer?    I'm sure Clearwater Beach is a familiar spot.  But why not check out some of our areas smaller prize locations.  Safety Harbor, Dunedin and Bellair are all very close to Clearwater Beach, yet they remain the most forgotten.  So to entice your travel planning, I'd like to share with you a little about these areas, hoping you may pay a visit during your travels to Clearwater.

SAFETY HARBOR has been inhabited since the Stone Age. In June 2008, a 6,000 year old spearhead was found at Marshall Street Park. The inhabitants of the area at the time of Spanish exploration were the Tocobaga Indians, who lived in villages around Tampa Bay. They were known for constructing various ceremonial and communal mounds, one of which is still visible in Safety Harbor's Phillippe Park. In 1528 Spanish explorer Panfilo de Narvaez landed in the area followed by Hernando De Soto in 1539. Safety Harbor(formerly known as Worth's Harbor) was first homesteaded by Count Odet Philippe, a Frenchman who is credited with introducing the grapefruit to Florida in 1823.

Safety Harbor is also the home of the historic Espiritu Santo Springs, or "Springs of the Holy Spirit", a natural mineral spring. Its waters were given this name in 1539 by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, who was supposedly searching for the mythical "Fountain of Youth". Prior to the Spanish exploration of Florida, the Tocobaga and Timucuan Indian tribes are believed to have fished and bathed in the spring's waters.

In the twentieth century, Espiritu Santo water was bottled and sold commercially and, later, a health spa and hotel were built over the springs. The Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, as it is now known, continues to be a prominent visitor attraction in Pinellas County. 

The  freshwater spring, which boiled-up on the fringe of Tampa Bay, no longer exists due to urban water-table pressures and saltwater intrusion, but the Safety Harbor Resort has a long history as a therapeutic spa. As National Historic Landmark, it differs from other spas in having natural mineral springs. Indian shell mound builders settled here as long ago as 2,000 years, probably attracted by the waters which flow from five springs on the property.  Not until Dr. Salem Baranoff purchased it in 1944, however, did Safety Harbor take on the mantle of "health spa" by combining the therapeutic waters with body and skin treatments and overnight accommodations.  See Safety Harbor HIstory.   In 1964, the site was designated a Historical Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior and, in 1997, a Florida Heritage Landmark.

Safety Harbor Resort and Spa is located on 22 acres of pristine Florida Waterfront overlooking Tampa Bay, in the quaint Historic town of Safety Harbor. Just 15 minutes from the Tampa International and St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airports, the resort boasts 193 rooms, a 50,000 square foot spa with more than 60 spa and salon treatment & fitness center, 3 Pools, 2 Restaurants, Tiki Bar, 9 Tennis Courts (7 clay & 2 hard), golf practice range & instruction & 30,000 square feet of meeting space with Amphitheatre.

Spa prices vary on the type of treatment you are interested in and you can select them via ala carte or by package. Irregardless, the experence is what matters. The spa is open to hotel guests and to the public To schedule a treatment, call 1-888-723-8559. Room rates start at $209 for a standard room; that rate falls to $139 during "low" season, from May through September.

Safety Harbor Resort and Spa consistently offers getaway packages so if vacation for you means relaxing and tranqility, keep your eyes on the Safety Harbor Spa for your vacation information.  For more information on the resort and spa, call 1-800-458-5409 or 727-726-1161 on the Web, check www.safetyharborspa.com.

Now while Safety Harbor is known for its history and nationally known resort, this town is very much like Dunedin.  it is filled with Music and Arts. This community houses some of the largest area events year round. From local musician concerts every 3rd Friday of the month, to the weekly Farmer's Market every Saturday morning, to the Annual Dock of the Bay Wine and Seafood Festival.  Safety Harbor also participates in local regattas, fundraising events, Triathalon and Diatholon, oneof the largest 4th of July Fireworks events and much more that wuld keep your entire family busy. 

Everything a small town could offer for its vistors is in Safety Harbor.

SAFETY HARBOR FL LINKS OF INTEREST

City of Safety Harbor, FL
Safety Harbor Museum of Regional Histoy
Philippe Park
Safety Harbor Public Library
Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce
Safety Harbor Merchants
Safety Harbor Residential Communities
Safety Harbor Resort and Spa
Safety Harbor Tennis Club
Safety Harbor Churches
 Historical Timeline of Events for Safety Harbor 
Safety Harbor Schools

 Safety Harbor Real Estate for Sale