Welcome to Port St. Lucie (PSL)
Install ceramic tile in your home in Port St. Lucie Florida now!
Port St. Lucie's climate is tropical to sub-tropical. When building your new home here, it is important
to
incorporate features into your home that counter the negative effects of heat and moisture. Ceramic tile is the
ideal floor covering for all seasons through out southern Florida. During the summer months when Port St. Lucie's temperatures
are always in the 90s and humidity is high, ceramic tile and marble flooring, because of its mass, remains cool and
stabilizes room temperatures. Additionally, ceramic tile and stone flooring eliminates the health problems associated
with carpeting in a humid environment. Port St. Lucie contractors understand this and you should take advantage of
that knowledge. While I specialize in Port St. Lucie Florida residential ceramic tile installation, my affiliations
with Port St. Lucie builders and other contractors enables me to see the ingenious ways that good designers and builders
are taking advantage of ceramic tile in the news homes of Port St. Lucie and throughout Florida.
Port St. Lucie contractors are aware that electricity in Florida is not "penny cheap"! Anything that we can do to reduce electric usage is a boon to the Port St. Lucie home buyer. The use of ceramic tile on surfaces other than floors can have a major effect on Florida Power and Light electric bills. Highly reflective surfaces of ceramic tile on countertops and walls reduce the need for additional lighting as well as take advantage of greater mass for stable air conditioning. Today's tiles, combined with superior installation and design skills, can create breathtakingly beautiful kitchens when ceramic tile is used on floors and as a backslash between the counter and the cabinets.
Port St. Lucie / Ft. Pierce Area Facts
Prime Location
The PSL / Ft. Pierce area is one of the nation's fastest growing areas. Money Magazine rated it on their "Best Places to Live" listing and USA Weekend lauded The Treasure Coast as the best destination for the millennium. St. Lucie County has a great year-round climate, with an average annual temperature of 73 degrees, which varies only 16 degrees between normal winter and summer extremes. More than 8 million people live within a 100 mile radius of St. Lucie County.
Remodeling Activity Slows Slightly
With the overall housing downswing, remodeling activity slowed slightly in the second quarter of 2007, according to the National Association of Home Builders' Remodeling Market Index (RMI). The current market conditions component slipped from 46.1 to 44.8 on a seasonally adjusted basis and the future expectations measure declined to 44.1. The RMI measures remodeler perceptions of market demand for current and future residential remodeling projects. Any number over 50 indicates that the majority of remodelers view the market conditions as improving. While we have experienced some weakening in the remodeling market, activity has remained relatively steady. We may have seen a decline in the number of major remodeling projects; however the market has been buoyed by an increase in the number homeowners requesting smaller scale projects and home alterations. On the Treasure Coast, current market conditions declined from 45.9 to 42.3 and future expectations moved from 50.7 to 45.0. Not surprisingly, the remodeling market is following the downswing we are seeing in the overall housing market. Expect some further erosion in the second half of this year and in 2008, followed by a gradual recovery in 2009 and beyond."
Top Distribution & Transportation
Both the Florida Turnpike and I-95 intersect in St. Lucie County. State Road 70 transects the two and continues through the west coast of Florida. Florida East Coast Railroad maintains a rail yard in Ft. Pierce with track running north-south along U.S. Highway 1 through the county connecting to the deepwater seaport and transecting the county crossing both the Turnpike and I-95. St. Lucie County International Airport is located on 3,600 acres and offers both U.S. Customs and USDA inspections on-site.
Low Cost Of Living
The Port St. Lucie / Ft. Pierce area's cost of living index value of 97.36 is lower than all other South Florida counties. A total per capita tax rate of 14.4% or $4,550 per person ranks Florida 28th out of the 50 states. Low taxes and cost of living directly correlate to lower business costs.
Rising Fees Eroding Affordability
Even as the housing market correction continues to exert downward pressure on new home prices, localities continue to push for new fees and regulations that will further erode housing affordability. According to a new study released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) government regulation on housing shows that each $1,000 increase in the cost of a new median-priced home forces 217,000 prospective home buyers out of the marketplace. Based on the latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the report contains detailed results for more than 300 metro areas. The analysis found that every $819 rise in fees paid at the beginning of the construction process – such as an increase in the price of a construction permit, a contractors license fee, a remodeling permit or an impact fee – adds an additional $1,000 to the final price of the home. The study shows that even modest impact fees can have a dramatic effect on housing affordability. Higher regulatory costs frequently push up the price of housing beyond the means of many tile setters and other moderate-income workers.
Low Corporate and Personal Taxes
Florida has no personal income tax, no inventory tax and no tax on subchapter S corporations. Corporate tax is 5.5% with the first $5,000 of taxable income exempt. The overall Florida tax burden is 88% of the U.S. average. Property tax rates range from 2.18 to 2.88% of assessed value depending upon where the business in located in St. Lucie County.
Lots of Available Land and Facilities
The Port St. Lucie / Ft. Pierce Area has plenty of room to grow. Local developers are responding by increasing available office and warehouse space and build-to-suit options.
Treasure Coast home sales in 2008 projected to increase
Existing Treasure Coast homes sales are expected to bounce back this year and next from 2007 levels with prices remaining flat.
In St. Lucie, sales should rise slightly to 1,315 from 1,143. Sales leveled off last spring, but when subprime mortgage lenders experienced problems in August, the market fell another 10 percent. Prices leveled off in October and it is expected that month will prove to be the bottom of the downward cycle in sales, but prices likely will be flat for a number of years due to an excess of inventory and modest job growth and household formation. St. Lucie will bounce back faster than other Treasure Coast counties because new businesses are opening at a faster rate than in neighboring counties. Companies such as Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Research are moving in and they generate jobs and drives home sales.
In Martin County, the number of existing homes sold should increase to 2,331 from 1,851, but the new-home market will not fare as well. In Indian River County, new home sales are expected to decline to 699 this year from 1,058 last year. Martin County will see an upturn because it is located between St. Lucie County and Palm Beach County, which is also seeing job growth that's biotech related.
In contrast, Indian River will see sales of new and existing homes stay below 2003 levels through 2010, because the county will grow at a slower pace because of local attitudes toward economic growth and the county's distance from regional airports.
Sales of new and existing homes in Martin County should increase now through 2010. A total of 432 new homes and 1,851 existing homes were sold last year.
Martin County Sales to Rise
NEW HOMES 2008: 597
2009: 524
2010: 619
EXISTING HOMES 2008: 2,331
2009: 3,675
2010: 3,917
Attorney's Title Insurance Fund
St. Lucie Sales to Rise
Sales of new and existing homes in St. Lucie County should increase now through 2010. A total of 1,143 new homes and 4,566 existing homes were sold last year.
NEW HOMES 2008: 1,315
2009: 1,760
2010: 1,838
EXISTING HOMES 2008: 7,724
2009: 7,744
2010: 7,782
