South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Factors that might hurt a home’s value
Florida’s historic river has tree-lined banks, abundant wildlife and stories to tell
Nowadays, homeowners looking to sell their homes know it’s not as easy to do so as it might have been a few years ago. A struggling economy has made it difficult for many homeowners to sell their homes for a price they’re comfortable with.
But the sagging economy is not the only thing can make it difficult to sell a home. In fact, a host of other things, some obvious but some not so obvious, can hurt a home’s value as well.
Location: A home’s location is arguably its best or worst selling point. A home in a great location won’t be as difficult to sell as a home in a bad neighborhood. But location goes beyond a neighborhood’s reputation, especially in recent years. Homeowners who live in a neighborhood or development with many foreclosures might find those foreclosed properties are hurting their own home’s value. Lots of foreclosures could negatively affect a neighborhood’s reputation, which might make a home within that neighborhood less attractive to prospective buyers.
INSIGHT
Appearance: A home’s appearance is another obvious variable that might affect its resale value. Homeowners might want their home to reflect their own individuality, but that’s not going to help when the time comes to sell the home. If the exterior paint is out of the ordinary, then it might be wise to choose a more traditional or conservative color before erecting the “For Sale” sign out front. The same goes for a home’s interior. If the interior design is especially unique, a more traditional interior decor might help the home sell faster.
Size and style: Another thing to consider when selling a home is its size and style. A home that stands out on the block might be an attention-grabber, but that’s not always attractive to prospective buyers. For instance, a colonial sitting in the middle of a street filled with contemporary homes will stand out, but likely for all the wrong reasons. It will likely appear dated and out of place, which is something buyers might not want. In addition, if the home is considerably larger or smaller than the surrounding homes, then this could hurt its value.*
If rivers could speak, the Suwannee River would have a lot to say. It might detail the Timucua people who used to inhabit its banks or tell of Spanish explorers who later arrived in the region. The river might share stories of the 19th-century businessmen who settled White Springs or the tourists who came from all around to seek out the sulfur springs.
The Suwannee River, which begins in the Okefenokee Swamp in Fargo, Georgia, winds for more than 270 miles before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way, its banks contain limestone cliffs and cypress trees, plus abundant wildlife near its blackwater flow.
As the current twists through the Florida Panhandle, the river also finds itself woven into Florida’s history for centuries. People around the world recognize its name, but it wasn’t always that way.
Way Down Upon the Suwannee River
Stephen Foster, a Pittsburgh-based songwriter who lived from July 1826 until January 1864, reportedly never laid eyes on the dark, tannic waters of the Suwannee River. But he immortalized the waterway when he wrote the song “Old Folks at Home” in 1851.
The composer reportedly needed a river to be the subject of his song and passed when his brother suggested the Yazoo and the Pee Dee rivers. When Suwannee was suggested, he shortened the name to “Swanee” to fit the melody. ”Way down upon the Suwannee River, Far, far away,
There’s where my heart is turning ever, There’s where the old folks stay.” That’s how the revised version of the song begins after it was amended by the State of Florida in 2008. To this day, it remains the official state song though the original lyrics have been considered racially offensive. Foster first wrote the song in what he imagined to be slave dialect and used the term “darkeys.”
Regardless, the song’s melody is recognized far and wide, and while most people don’t visit North Florida’s river hoping to learn more about Stephen Foster, they do seek it for its notoriety and fame. Although interested visitors can learn more about the songwriter at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, which features a museum and a 97-bell carillon tower.
In the late 1800s, White Springs, about 25 miles downstream of the Georgia border, was incorporated as a town and became a bustling tourist destination.
In fact, it may have been Florida’s original tourist destination due to the White Sulphur Springs that attracted visitors for the water’s supposed medicinal qualities. Hotels and shops popped up to support the influx of visitors.
The popularity of mineral springs faded in the 1930s and so did visitation to the town. However, in 1953, the Florida Folk Festival landed at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, bringing in cultures from around the state ranging from Native Americans to African Americans to Greek Americans and more.
The annual Memorial Day weekend event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but event organizers are working hard to make the 2021 festival one to remember.
Base Camp White Springs
While the popularity of White Springs as a tourism destination has dwindled, the town serves as an excellent base camp for outdoor exploration.
Just a short drive from the town’s historic downtown, Big Shoals State Park contains a stretch of the Suwannee River with rapids that earn a Class III rating (moderately difficult) when the river is between 59 and 61 feet above sea level. These turbulent waters represent the largest whitewater rapids in Florida.
For those who prefer to see this marvel by land or during times when the Suwannee isn’t safely passable, a one-mile trail with yellow blazes takes hikers right to the rapids with views from limestone bluffs that tower 80 feet above the river. It’s also possible to portage around the rapids while paddling.
Within the state park, more than 28 miles of wooded trails provide opportunities for hiking, biking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing.
The Woodpecker Trail comes in the form of a 3.4-mile multipurpose paved path that connects the Big Shoals and Little Shoals entrances to the park.
It’s also possible and common for explorers to set out for multiday camping trips in kayaks or canoes on the Suwannee River. American Canoe Adventures in White Springs has helped support paddling daytrips and overnight excursions since 1995. The shop also provides maps and free advice to those stopping in.
For cyclists, White Springs serves as a good starting point with miles of countryside pavement for road cycling and off-road trails for mountain biking adrenaline rushes. Recreation
on two wheels is supported by the Suwannee Bicycle Association, an organization dedicated to hosting events, maintaining trails and providing resources to cyclists.
Those who prefer to explore on two feet can find portions of the Florida Trail that run right near White Springs and along the banks of the Suwannee River.
Sound Accommodations
Just north of Live Oak, Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park and Campground is nestled along the scenic sandy banks of the tannic river.
For decades, the park has hosted live music and festivities, most notably Suwannee Hulaween, Suwannee River Jam, the Suwannee Roots Revival, Wanee Music Festival and Suwannee Spring Reunion.
The park has managed to host the occasional live act since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, but while the stages and grassy fields are largely quiet, the park still provides 800 acres of camping and recreational facilities. Hundreds of RV and tent sites, as well as cabins, await visitors who seek a night under the stars.
Because the park is so large, many guests opt to bring or rent a golf cart on site for a convenient way of transportation. On the grounds, wander under old oak and cypress trees or visit a bat house where small winged mammals live and fly out nightly.
Spirit of the Suwannee
also provides campers with a general store, a cafe open select dates, a boat ramp and beach for recreation. On the weekends, the park’s multistory treehouse in a 100-year-old oak tree — the same one featured on DIY Network’s “Treehouse Guys” — is open for tours.
Even if the music park is quiet while live events are on hold, the grounds provide a peaceful place for relaxing by the campfire, sharing stories with good friends and stargazing. It’s just one more gem situated along the magnificent and storied Suwannee, a river with a name recognized worldwide.
Charlaine Harris’ ability to create new worlds — even when those worlds are over-the-top — continues to showcase her talents as a first-class storyteller. She made us believe that vampires and a telepathic barmaid were a natural part of the Louisiana landscape with her Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series.
In “The Russian Cage,” the third of her Gunnie Rose novels, Harris has created an alternate history set in a broken-up United States. A touch of the western, science fiction and mystery propel the novels, with a bit of magical realism topping the plot. Yes,
the stories seem improbable, but Harris makes readers believe.
Elizabeth “Gunnie” Rose — as her nickname implies — is a hired gun who takes often dangerous protection jobs. She survives by keeping herself emotionally distant from her employers. But, as so often happens, this time it’s personal in “The Russian Cage.”
Gunnie receives a coded message letting her know that wizard Eli Savarov — the love of her life — has been has been imprisoned by the Holy Russian Empire. Yes, wizards and magic are real and the Holy Russian Empire, also known as HRE, is kind of where California used to be. Eli has been charged with murder, but his prison sentence is mainly political.
To free him, Gunnie pretends to be a member
of the royal family, which means dressing a bit better than her usual boots and jeans, not to mention behaving differently. A prison break, high-court deception and, naturally, betrayal after betrayal — all of which are business-asusual for Gunnie — fuel the action-packed plot that never slows down, even when Gunnie is crossing myriad borders.
The new U.S. landscape takes bit of getting used to, but “The Russian Cage” includes a handy guide to the divisions — Oklahoma and Texas are now Texoma. And it’s fun spending time with the gutsy and intelligent Gunnie, who’s always “short on patience and long on aggravation.”
Mixing in tidbits of real history with her own fictitious saga, the imaginative Harris creates an absorbing modern fantasy steeped in thoughtful action in “The
Russian Cage.”
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol. com.
Zoom with the authors
Charlaine Harris, “The Russian Cage,” and Elaine Viets, “Death Grip,” will have a conversation about their novels and the writing life at 6 p.m. March 17 during a Zoom event sponsored by Murder on the Beach bookstore, 104 W. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach, murderonthebeach.com. Admission to this event is with purchase of either book. Call 561-279-7790 or email murdermb@gate.net to receive the Zoom link.