Overall, total sales of existing single-family homes in Marion County hit $197.7 million in March, up 27.8% from March 2020’s $154.6 million.
Pending single-family home sales were up 57.6% for the month of March, from 568 in 2020 to 895 in 2021.
Manufactured home prices up 25.3%
Sale prices of manufactured homes also continue to escalate in Marion, with the average price in March climbing by 25.3% in one year.
The average sale price of a manufactured home rose to $112,033 in March, up from $89,414 in March 2020, the reported stated.
Meanwhile, sales of Marion County s manufactured homes increased by 19% in March compared with the same month a year ago. March saw 69 existing manufactured homes sold by Realtors, compared to 58 in March 2020.
A look at the region
The unemployment rate in the CareerSource Citrus Levy Marion’s region was 5.6% in March, up from 5.3% in February. That rate was a full percentage point lower than the 6.6 percent rate from March 2020.
The labor force in the three-county region was 209,326, down by only 84 across all three counties when compared to March 2020.
The number of employed in the region was 197,515, an increase of 1,083 from February and 1,874 more than in March 2020.
Levy County continues to hold the lowest jobless rate in the region at 5.0%, Marion County was at 5.5% and Citrus County’s rate was at 6.4%.
Rusty Skinner, CEO of CareerSource CLM, said the report indicates the economic recovery “continues to be well underway.”
What we have going on here is geography at work, said Mark Davis, president of the Mid-Florida Regional Manufacturing Association board. If you look at it closely, Ocala is halfway between Atlanta and Miami.
Davis said the continued growth of distribution and manufacturing will enhance the trend of diversifying the area workforce.
During the recession 13 years ago, Marion had one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation because local jobs leaned heavily on hospitality and retail. During COVID-19, that job diversity prevented a similar employment dip.
Building on spec
It s called building on spec, which is short for speculation. Construction companies – some with ties to national distribution and manufacturing businesses – build warehouses that can meet the needs of companies planning to branch out to Florida.
It s been a struggle, Kaplan said.
A question of timing
The issue, for many restaurants, has been timing. Staffers were let go in March 2020 and only a few at a time were hired back as restrictions eased. Now things are closer to normal and eateries need more staff, but some former employees have moved on or are holding out to find a better paying job or to take advantage of unemployment compensation while they figure out what s next. We had to cut back hours on staff members while we were doing takeout and delivery only (and) there were employees that chose to file unemployment since they needed more income, Turnpike Mike s Christina Batte wrote in a text message.
National Healthcare Decisions Day
April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day, and Hospice of Marion County reminds the public that it provides free advance care planning forms to Marion County residents. Download a form at www.hospiceofmarion.com or call 873-7400. Assistance is available by calling the Monarch Center for Hope and Healing at 873-7456.
Here comes Chicken Salad Chick
Chicken Salad Chick will have a grand opening for its Ocala store, 4720 SW College Road, Ocala, on April 20. Chicken Salad Chick is THE place for chicken salad lovers to rejoice! the chain said on its Facebook page. We’ve taken this Southern favorite to a whole new level with over twelve flavors! We also offer tasty soups, sides, and desserts in addition to the chicken salad that started it all.