Melbourne Florida Real Estate

Millionaires Pinch Pennies, Too! How Do You Think They Got That Way?

2008-11-19T18:57:00Z

This article began by writing about how to save money in these tight economic times, And, I realized that pinching pennies and being a millionaire are interrelated topics. I have known people that lived through the Great Depression . They remember it well. These people learned to pinch pennies. And many have become people of wealth, that live modestly. When I write this list, I reminds me of things my grandparents used to do . They bring their styrofoam coffee cups home from fast food restaurants...(read more)

Shuttle Endeavour Scheduled for Liftoff

2008-11-13T20:09:00Z

Kennedy Space Center has begun the countdown clock to the shuttle Endeavour liftoff on November 14, 2008 at 7:55 PM. This is one a just a few manned, night launches. There will be 7 astronauts on board. It will be a 15 day mission to the International Space Station. If the mission is a success, if will double the number of astronauts the station will ba able to hold in the future. If you have never had the opportunity to see one of these it is well worth it. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity...(read more)

'I Could Have Bought that House 20 Years Ago for Dirt Cheap'...Now is Then!

2008-11-03T23:54:00Z

Don't we always hear the old saying that... Hindsight is 20/20? Hindsight allows us the experience of seeing things crystal clearly, since they've already happened! We can always look back at what happened in the past. Simple concept, right? Why isn't our vision as clear in predicting or seeing the future? Simple again, because it hasn't happened yet. And, often times we fear the unknown. But, doesn't looking back into the past, often help us to SEE things in the future ? I mean...(read more)

Today's Technology - How Did We Get Here?

2008-10-22T20:13:00Z

In the mornings I wake up, grab my cup of tea and check my office messages, my home messages, my voice mail, my fax machine, my text messages, my e mail and my instant messages. I check for comments on the 3 blogs that I write. And I wonder, HOW DID WE GET HERE? Now, I’m probably dating myself here, but as a kid we didn’t have computers. We didn’t have cell phones, or CD’s or DVD’s or portable DVD players, or I pods, or I phones, or all the new fangled gadgets we have...(read more)

Will Some Sellers Be Offering Owner Financing to Help Move Their Home off the Market More Quickly?

2008-10-08T20:20:00Z

I know that times are tough, and the prognosis is that they are expected to get tougher in the coming weeks and months ahead, before they get better. None of us really knows what the future will hold for any of us. We have just heard that Bernanke has dropped the Fed funds rate down to 1.5%. Will that bring confidence to the market? We have heard that banks and lenders have tightened their guidelines on lending money for mortgages. How tight will it get? Will it be harder for buyers to get loans...(read more)

Open Houses At Night...Are they Effective?

2008-10-07T15:09:00Z

Attendance at open houses on homes for sale here in Brevard County Florida has slowed to a crawl. Many REALTORS are finding that they are not drawing the crowds they were in the past. Some REALTORS have noted that they haven't had a single visitor to their last open house; not even a neighbor! So, REALTORS are trying to throw in an added twist. REALTORS are opting to hold houses open in the evening, during the week, after people get off work. How will that work? Will it make a difference? Will...(read more)

Buyers, Be Sure to Do Your Homework Before you Buy That Home!

2008-10-03T15:53:00Z

Today, there are many homeowners in precarious positions , financially or otherwise. Some must sell ASAP! Do some occasionally become flexible with the truth, inadvertently or not, to that buyer that falls in love with their home? Or do some just forget about a problem lingering in the home? Hopefully not, but unfortunately some do. “Oh, no, I don’t know what those stains on the ceiling are, but the roof has never leaked.” “No, we have never flooded here.” “Electric...(read more)

A REALTOR May Have to Bite Their Tongue Before Answering A Buyers Questions

2008-10-02T16:49:00Z

A REALTOR can be a wealth of knowledge to a prospective buyer. REALTORS build relationships with customers and often buyers feel as if they can talk to them about anything. Due to fair housing laws there are many questions that REALTORS cannot answer. For example REALTORS cannot comment on- - demographic statistics, such as the cultural make up of a neighborhood. - sex offenders in a neighborhood. - crime statistics in a neighborhood. REALTORS are forbidden from steering a buyer to or away from a...(read more)

A Home Comprises 50% of a Family's Wealth - What???

2008-09-29T15:15:00Z

I recently read that experts say that a person's primary residence comprises over 50% of their financial wealth. Today, that can be a scary prospect . Everyday, we have been hearing about the troubled times our country is facing. The government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and AIG, what will be next? Now, the government has come up with a plan to help bail us out. No one know what lies ahead. Remember the tech stock market? All of those companies values...(read more)

I Left My Umbrella at Home Today...

2008-09-25T16:07:00Z

I left my umbrella at home today because the weatherman said that there was only a 20% chance of rain . HMMM. I have been peeking around raindrops all day today and I haven’t seen the sun sneak out from behind the dark clouds yet. What a great job…being a meteorologist! You get to be wrong 50% of the time. As a REALTOR, if I was wrong 50% of the time, I would have been booted out of the business many years ago. If I were wrong 25% of the time, I would be standing on the unemployment line...(read more)

Are Real Estate Valuation Websites Making Realtors Jobs Easier or More Difficult?

2008-09-22T19:04:00Z

Some of us have already experienced this.... a buyer that calls us or brings a copy of information on a property from an internet site with an estimate (I prefer to use the word guess-estimate) of what a particular property is valued at. Sometimes this information proves to be quite a stretch from the true value of a property. Today, there are a handful of useful real estate websites that provide excellent information to the public. Often times the information provided can make a REALTOR's job...(read more)

30% of Homeowners Own their Home Free and Clear

2008-09-21T23:46:00Z

Did you know that over 30% of homeowners in the nation own their home free and clear? Who are they? Many would think that they are the wealthiest people . But, that isn't always the case. Some wealthy owners enjoy the tax advantages of carrying a mortgage on their home. Often they are able to itemize their deductions, and this includes mortgage interest paid. Some of the humblest home owners are the ones that have no mortgage payments on their homes at all. Some families with shaky credit are...(read more)

Owners Buying and Bailing, Good Idea or Not?

2008-09-20T04:04:00Z

Well, I guess there will always be a way to get around 'the system'. Have you heard about buyers that are buying and then bailing? Good idea or not? Illegal or not? Many around the country are in the same predicament . They bought a house at the peak of the market in 2005 - 2006 and paid an overinflated price for it. Today, as we all know, many areas of the country are experiencing market corrections. In some areas that's putting it lightly, I know. Okay, in many areas the "proverbial...(read more)

Stop and Smell the Roses in Whatever Form they Appear to You!

2008-09-17T19:54:00Z

This morning I was driving across the Eau Gallie Causeway in Melbourne Florida, coming back from a listing appointment on a home in Satellite Beach. This causeway stretches from Melbourne to Indian Harbour Beach here in Brevard County. The weather was beautiful! I had a million things on my mind, as usual, and I wasn't really taking in the beautiful sights around me. But then, I briefly stopped to take in the beautiful sights. The Indian River Lagoon was absolutely breathtaking! It looked like...(read more)

Have They Gone Too Far?

2008-09-15T21:36:00Z

Have companies gone too far? Is there too much personal information available to the public today? Well, try this link http://www.privateeye.com/ on Private Eye.com. You can type in your name, or a property address or a phone number. It will pull up information on a person, or it can serve as a reverse directory by typing in a property address or by typing in a phone number! It will provide you with a pretty thorough list of alias' for the person you are researching . And this is the part that...(read more)