10 Most Expensive States to Insure Your Home

 

Forbes recently published their list of the 10 most expensive states to get homeowners insurance.

 

High homeowners insurance

 1.  Texas

 2.  Louisiana

 3.  Oklahoma

 4.  District of Columbia

 5.  Mississippi

 6.  Florida

 7.  California

 8.  Rhode Island

 9.  Alabama

10. Kansas

According to the study, Florida would have been at the top of the list if the number of policies underwritten by Citizens Insurance had been included in the figures.  Citizens is a state pool and is supported by tax dollars.

Do you notice any similarities in states on the list? 

All of these states are located in higher than average risk areas due to inclement weather such as rain and wind, tornadoes and hurricanes and wildfires.

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

Enjoy a Day of Fun in the Sun in Melbourne Florida

Enjoy a day of Fun in the Sun in Melbourne Florida

I grew up around boats.  We always had some kind of boat when I was a girl.  My Dad enjoyed tinkering with them. He was excellent at working on any kind of engine.  And, that sure came in handy, because anyone that has ever had a boat knows how difficult it can be to keep theirs running on a regular basis. 

What is the saying, ‘A boat is a hole in the water that your sink money in.’

And the happiest day of a boat owner’s life is the day he buys it and the day he sells it.

Here in Melbourne Florida there are so many places to go boating and/or jet skiing.  Some take their boats to the Eau Gallie or Melbourne Causeways and drop them in at the boat ramps. 

Others like to go over to Ballard Park, which is a beautiful setting, with picnic tables and a park.  Boaters dock their boats in the Indian River there. 

Lake Washington here in Melbourne is home to large mouth bass and fresh water fishing.

Boaters with bigger vessels enjoy going deep sea fishing or lobstering in the Atlantic Ocean. They drop their boats in at Sebastian Inlet, about 20 miles south of Melbourne.  The inlet feeds out to the ocean. 

Melbourne Florida has so many great locations to take your boat, your fishing poles, a picnic lunch and head out for the a day of fun in the sun!

Selling Your Home, Should Family Photos Stay or Go?

Selling Your Home, Should Family Photos Stay or Go?

I am still on the fence on this one, and have been for a while now.  Which is typically not like me.  But, I have mixed feelings on this subject. 

When placing a home on the market, should the personal, family photos stay in the house or should they go before the house goes on the market? 

Maybe as a seller this thought has never entered your mind.  Put my family photos away to sell your own home…what do you mean?  Why? What’s the big deal?  Well, it depends on who’s looking at it (or should I say; looking at them).

When placing a home on the market a REALTOR’s job is to make the home  appeal to as many buyers, as we can.  Today, many homes are professionally staged. Kudos to all of you professional stagers, you make our job so much easier!  Those that aren’t staged are typically critiqued by the listing agent, prior to the sign going up.  The idea is to clear out as much “excess stuff” and to neutralize the furnishings in a way as to appeal to the broadest range of buyers that we can.  And many times the feeling is…if there are an excess number of personal, family photos, THEY MUST GO or at least the majority of them must go! I think it’s okay to leave a couple.

During a showing, we ask that the seller not be home when a buyer is looking at the property.  We want the

Selling your home, should family photos stay or go?

buyer to feel as warm and comfortable in the home as possible.  We want the buyer to “see and feel” himself living there.  If the seller is there, the buyer often feels uncomfortable being in someone else’s place.  And, if the buyer walks through and it is “filled” with family photos, it can make it difficult for some to envision themselves living there.

In the past I have kindly asked a number of sellers to “thin out” some of the pictures in order to make the home more buyer friendly. I have received responses ranging from polite and agreeable to flaming red hot.  One seller told me in no uncertain terms would she remove any of her nearly 75 family photos. She said she would not even put the house on the market!  She was absolutely furious and wanted no explanations of why it was necessary.  I thought I would be escorted to the door!  She did not list the home for sale.

I have been in a number of homes that felt as if all eyes on the wall were staring at you.  In some cases, it  scared buyers off.

So what is a seller to do?  Should the personal photographs stay or go?  You tell me…

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

I Left My Umbrella at Home Today…

 

I love being a REALTOR

 

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.  Now, I question what  city the weatherman was forecasting on..  

What a great job…being a meteorologist!  There is so much room for error, and the weather can change quickly. 

As a REALTOR, there is not a lot of room for error.  Big mistakes in real estate could mean a loss of thousands of dollars to a buyer or a seller. 

I love being a REALTOR. Every single transaction that I do is different from the previous one and will be different from the next one.  No two are the same. 

The real estate business requires a REALTOR maintain continuing education as well as a strong grasp and comprehensive understanding of the current market.

 

Brevard County Schools Ranked in Top 6 In Florida

Brevard County Florida Schools

Well, here I am again, bragging about our great Brevard County Florida Schools. 

I have lived in Brevard County Florida since 1975 and I currently have two teenage daughters attending West Shore Junior/Senior High School in Melbourne.

We are always hearing good news about how well our schools are performing.

Brevard County Public Schools ranked in the top six out of 67 counties in Florida in all areas except one, on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.  The areas include reading and math grades 4 through 10 and science in grades 5, 8, and 11. They ranked 8th on Seventh grade math. 

Brevard Public schools have ranked first in the state for sixth grade math eight years in a row.  Sixth graders have ranked first for reading in 5 of the past 6 years.  Brevard  fifth graders have taken a first place spot in science for the past four years.

The FCAT test is used as a measuring tool to determine where a student’s academic strengths and weaknesses lie.

Congratulations are in order again for Brevard County Public Schools! 

A warm heartfelt thank you must go out to all of the teachers and administrators that work so hard to make our schools as successful as they are today!

Just Listed for Sale – Satellite Beach Florida

Sandy Shores Phone: (321) 253-4545 sandyshoresmelbourne@hotmail.com http://www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

Satellite Beach Florida Real Estate, Brevard County

$218,998 Location 355 Hamlin Ave Satellite Beach, FL 32937 Single Family Home 3 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 Unit Lot: 10,890 sqft

Charming original owner home is situated in very desirable area of Satellite Beach Florida. This handsome home is centrally located to civic center, police station, library, Patrick Air Force Base, Pineda and Eau Gallie Causeway, all grade level schools, the beaches, Indian River lagoon, shopping and dining. Don’t miss this one! It won’t last long!

Formal living & dining Updated roof Wood burning fireplace A/C Bonus room 25 x 09 Sprinkler system with well

Photos

Brevard County Florida Real Estate August 2008 Market Statistics

Brevard County real estate August 2008 Market Statistics

by Sandy Shores Melbourne FL REALTOR

According to the Melbourne Area Association of REALTORS the Monthly Statistics for Brevard County Real Estate sales for August 2008, are as follows…

There were 298 single family residential listings sold for the month.

91 of these sold in 0 to 30 days.

50 sold in 31-60 days. 40 sold in 61-90 days. 22 sold in 91-120 days. And, 95 sold in more than 121 days.

123 of these properties were sold in the $100,000 to $179,999 price range.

Conventional loans were used to purchase 138 of these properties.

Then, cash was used to purchase 79 of these homes.

And, lastly FHA was used to purchase 64.

Our market seems to be gradually picking up.  There are many first time homebuyers in the market currently. 

Will this latest drop in rates have more people purchasing homes?  Only time will tell!

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

Are REALTORS only Taking Good Saleable Listings?

Here in Melbourne Florida, several times a week I drive by 2 different homes that are listed for sale.  I have been driving past these same properties for over 2 years now. 

Both homes are a terrible mess outside.  One of the real estate signs in the front yard has been falling over and is hanging by one hook for at least 3 months now.  One side of the sign on the other house is smeared with some type of black muck and the phone number is illegible, and it has been for probably about 8 weeks now.

The listing data and the tax roll info indicate that these homes are both currently owned by private individuals.  There are no comments about short sale or foreclosure in the listings.  The homes were purchased over 6 years ago, pre 2005 boom. The reasons that the homes haven’t sold are for a different day and different blog article.

There is something that I don’t understand…and maybe someone can help me with this.  What is the purpose of each of these listings to a Realtor? 

Is it sign and name recognition for an agent?

Is it free advertising for an agent?

I need some help with this one…

To me the question after a given period of time becomes..

don’t these types of properties eventually ‘hurt’ the listing agent.  After so many months, does the thought become…why won’t that house sell?  It must be a dump.  Why won’t that agent fix that broken sign?  It’s been like that ‘forever”.  Is he/she doing his/her job?  That agent can’t sell that house.  When was the last time the agent was at that house? Does that agent ‘care’ about that listing?  Does that agent ‘care’ about his/her customer?

We all know that there are so many factors involved in why some houses sell and some don’t.  But, do you think the public knows, or cares what level of cooperation the seller is providing to the agent?  So, to the public, isn’t it typically the listing agent’s ‘fault’ that the home hasn’t sold? After so many months it hurts the listing agent to have  a sign  ’sag’ in the yard of an unsold property.

I know that we are currently in very trying times. I also understand that we have never really experienced a market like this, and none of us knows what the future may hold.  

I have heard some say that having a listing is like having money in the bank.  Well, I’m not so sure that I agree, in today’s market.  That is not always the case!

For me, if I don’t feel that I can sell a home in a 6 month period of time, I don’t take the listing.  It costs me and the seller money.  It costs in time, headaches, unnecessary stress, gas, miles on my vehicle, phone calls, advertising dollars and my reputation.  For the seller it costs in taxes, insurance, mortgage payments, utility payments, and all other misc holding costs.

I suppose I just don’t get it…

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

Some Brevard County Residents Shocked to Get Their Mail!

brevard county florida residents shocked to get their mail

Some Brevard County residents got a shock when they went to their mailboxes this month. 

Proposed property tax bills were mailed. Many thought that with the passing of Amendment 1 in January 2008 that their tax bills would decrease.  That could be the case for owners of homesteaded properties.

Amendment 1 was supposed to be designed to curtail the high increase in property tax bills.  It was to provide owner occupants an additional $25,000 in homestead exemption, providing a total of $50,000 per home.  The savings was estimated at an additional savings of $240 per home, per year. 

However, the shock came to some owners of non homesteaded properties.  Amendment 1 places a 10% cap on assessed value increases on non owner occupied property, beginning in 2009.  The cap does not include school taxes. However, many that voted for the amendment were not clear on the fact that the cap would not go into effect until 2009.

Brevard County tax assessors office reassesses all properties on January 1.  But, taxes are paid in arrears.  So, tax bills are not sent out until September.  So, in November when the bill comes due, an owner may be potentially looking at an overinflated tax bill from January of that year, in a declining market.  This is especially a problem in a real estate market, such as the one Brevard County Florida has been experiencing over the past couple of years.

With the passing of Amendment 1, cities and counties are finding deficits in their funds to cover such services as police and fire.  Thus, they are trying to determine what additional taxes will need to be imposed to cover these issues. 

So, the passing of Amendment 1 is proving to be a double edged sword for many.

Brevard County Median Sales Prices

Brevard County Florida homes sold

Brevard County Florida’s median sales price for existing homes was $152,600 this year, compared to $195,800 at the same time last year.

Statewide median figures were $193,900 this year, compared to $238,900 last year.

However, interestingly in 2003 the median price in Florida was $164,000.

The median price is half the homes sold for more and half sold for less.

Foreclosures and short sales are driving prices down.  Short sales are properties that are being sold for less than the balance of the existing mortgage.