RETURN TO HOME
A conversation with Colleen McConnell, Advanced Realty Group, Tallahassee, Florida.
Tallahassee is a multifaceted community rich in history, natural beauty, culture and arts, advanced education, and ongoing scientific pursuits. It’s the state capitol & home of the Florida legislature, nine universities and colleges, historic landmarks, numerous museums, parks, and natural wonders, yet it maintains a small town atmosphere.
It’s not your typical Florida city – there are few palm trees and the beach is 45 minutes away, but its rolling hills and live oak trees draped with Spanish moss give it a charm all its own… it’s a great place to get an education, build a career, raise a family, and/or retire.
The People
Tallahassee residents believe in higher education – 49% of the population has a bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctorate degree; Florida average is 22%; national average is 24%.
Like most college towns, young people make up a large part of the population – 30% are between 18-24 yrs. They help keep the atmosphere hip and vibrant and lend their energy and talent to the many cultural programs offered through the local universities.
Our Town
Tallahassee is located in the FL panhandle in Leon County, with a population of 187,316 (up 20% since 2000). The outlying counties, Gadsden, Wakulla, and Jefferson are part of the Tallahassee Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), with a total population of 367,413 (2010 census).
Tallahassee city limits are bounded on the north by I-10, a major highway linking America’s east and west coasts, which gives easy access into and out of the city.
Florida State University (FSU) and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University (FAMU) are located in Tallahassee along with Tallahassee Community College (TCC) and six other colleges and universities.
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Magnet Lab), which resides in Tallahassee’s Innovation Park, has the highest magnetic fields in the world. The Lab is a collaborative effort for the National Science Foundation between FSU, the University of Florida, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Magnetic research with high magnet fields is important to many scientific disciplines; over 700 scientists from all over the world visit the lab each year and may stay for weeks or months to conduct their research. More information and a description of research projects can be found at http://www.magnet.fsu.edu/.
The Downtown Cultural District is 10 blocks of culture and history with exhibits of interest to all ages. The Mary Brogan Museum of Art and Science, for example, is a resource for visual arts, hands-on science exploration, and humanities education.
You could visit a live butterfly rainforest at the FL Museum of Natural History, participate in a simulated space mission at the Challenger Learning Center, explore the beauty and natural wonders of the ocean in the Imax 3D theater, or visit the Knott House, where the Proclamation of Emancipation was read at the close of the Civil War.
These examples only scratch the surface. There’s much more to satisfy many types of interests including historic landmarks, art shows, ballet, plays, symphony, lectures by renowned authors and other speakers through the programs at FSU and FAMU, and of course, well-attended football games in season.
Preserving its natural beauty is a high priority in Tallahassee as shown by the many well-maintained parks, forests, and canopy roads.
There are nine official canopy roads in Tallahassee and they are what the name suggests – live oaks, sweet gums, hickory trees and pines trees on either side of the road whose branches reach across and form a canopy. It gives the feeling of being in a type of cocoon and is a peaceful alternative to busy city streets.
Schools and Taxes
Leon County Schools (LCS) is home to more than 33,000 students and 5,000 employees. LCS has an overall rating of 9 (out of 10) for the state and 7 (out of 10) for the nation.
Florida doesn’t have state income tax which is a boon to individuals and businesses alike. Sales tax is 8% and once a year, Tallahassee has a No-Sales-Tax day to help parents buy school supplies for their children.
Property taxes are used for the county’s general fund, schools, emergency services, and storm water management. Homeowners are given various exemptions to lower taxable value. Once homestead exemption is established, there is an annual cap of 3% or CPI (whichever is lower) in an attempt to keep property taxes from becoming too burdensome.
Future
Tallahassee is growing and city planners are always thinking ahead for ways to keep the city running smoothly and accommodate an ever-increasing population. Several collaborative projects between city planners and residents are underway in various areas of town utilizing the concept of Placemaking.
Placemaking (www.pps.org) is an approach to building public spaces that encourages collaboration between city planners and residents to ensure that the end result meets common needs and will be welcomed and used by residents. Each public space is designed to be interesting, comfortable & safe, attractive, and easily accessible.
Lake Ella, for example, a popular lakeside retreat in Midtown, will be will be enhanced with public transportation options, bike paths, and other solutions to make it more pedestrian friendly and reduce parking problems.
Another Placemaking project underway is the Gaines street revitalization, which will create a destination district near downtown, between FAMU and FSU, with restaurants, residences and shops.
A huge improvement to public transportation was implemented on July 1, 2011 that increased bus riders by 12%. The StarMetro system was streamlined to reduce travel time and make connections easier. Additional features such as internet access on selected buses, online purchase of passes, and texting to determine when the next bus will arrive has made it a big success.
Realtors and Technology
Realtors in Tallahassee have embraced technology that will make it easier for their customers to buy and sell a home. Tallahassee Board of Realtors (TBR) utilizes keyless lock boxes, online MLS services for Tallahassee and surrounding counties, automatic listing syndication from MLS to many popular home search sites, and Tallahassee-specific transaction documents that are tailored by TBR attorneys for ease of use and updated regularly to comply with the latest laws and regulations.
In addition, Florida Association of Realtors provides tools such as FormSimplicity which works with Docusign to allow online transactions that are secure and mobile.
Words of Wisdom
It’s still a buyer’s market in Tallahassee with short sales and foreclosures accounting for over 20% of total sales. Values have fallen to pre-boom prices and there is way too much inventory – over 12 months in most areas and more in outlying counties. This makes it a bonanza for buyers and investors since there are many homes in fairly good condition at greatly reduced prices.
About Colleen
Colleen grew up in a military family with deep roots in upstate New York, short-tem residences in eight states, and one delicious year in Paris, France. She has a BS degree in Computer Science and was a software development manager for many years before beginning a real estate career. Colleen has been in Tallahassee since 2000, and has been a Realtor since 2006.
Contact Colleen:
Colleen McConnell, Broker-Associate, CRS
Advanced Realty Group, LLC.
2344 Centerville Rd, Suite 105 Tallahassee, FL 32308
O: 850.894.3944
M: 850.445.4673
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This guest post is part of our Realtor Thursday Series. We invite realtors from towns and cities all over the country, big or small, to participate. Our goal is to “travel” to as many towns as we can in every state. Every town is unique and wonderful to our readers. If you would like to showcase your town, your neighbors and your talents as a realtor, please contact us at liz@dalesiegel.com