Stay Away from the Man ‘O War or Jellyfish You May See

On our trip to the beach the other day, another interesting creature we came across was the Man O War. These things can be dangerous if you get too close to them or step on their tentacles. They can cause swelling, stinging, burning, itching and in some people severe allergic reactions.

Some can have tentacles that are several inches long. 

If you do step on one of these, wash the area with salt water or fresh water quickly.

If the pain continues you can apply heat or cold whichever works better.

Try to stay away from these as some people are severely allergic to them. They can cause difficulty breathing and can cause large welts.

 

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News

 

Do Your Homework Before Signing on the Dotted Line

 

There are several factors to take into consideration in purchasing a Brevard County Florida home. 

Obviously, the price of the home will be one of the biggest considerations. 

The next question typically is how much will my taxes be? You can visit the Brevard County Property Appraisers Website. There you will find a property tax estimator that will give you an idea of what your property taxes will be. But, be sure that you understand that depending on the time of year that you purchase the home, the taxes may be computed based on last year’s assessed value of the property.  Properties are reassessed each January, however the tax bills do not go out for the year until November, thus taxes are paid in arrears.  So, you may be buying a property today, and paying the taxes on it based on an assessed taxable value from January 2008, which is common. But be sure you know what that tax figure is.  Be aware that you must also take into consideration whether the home currently has homestead exemption on it.  If you live in the home as a primary residence you can file for homestead exemption which gives you a discount of $450 on the first $25,000 of assessed value and then about $240 on the second $25,000 of assessed value. I just recently wrote a post on homestead exemption.

Buyers are always interested to find out how much their insurance costs will be.  The state of Florida has done some major restructuring over the past couple of years on our insurance industry.  What kind of insurance will I need?    A good place to start is by checking online at the Florida Insurance Information Institute. This site reviews the basics of the 4 different types of insurance and what each of them cover.

To give you a starting point and an approximate figure on what Florida homeowners insurance may cost you may visit the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Website.   Here you can shop and compare insurance. However, the most accurate indication of what insurance on a property will be is through a local insurance agent. They must be provided with a specific property address and they can give you an estimate.  You may also want to check Citizen’s Insurance Website as they continue to write new policies throughout the state of Florida.

And remember, here in Florida if a property has an updated roof, windows, garage door, and/or storm shutters you can have a wind inspection done on the property. It costs about $100-$150. It can save you $300 or more on your homeowners insurance. I just recently wrote an article about this.

As a buyer, it is important to do your research upfront,  before you make an offer on a property.  This way there will be no surprises.

 

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores, Brevard County Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate Investing

Melbourne Florida Real Estate News

In Buying a House, Education is Key

 

Yesterday, I went out to meet with new clients that were recently referred to me. They were an absolutely wonderful couple and we hit it off beautifully. They will be a delight to work with. I will be representing them as a buyer’s agent in the purchase of their home.

I have been in touch with them and sent them lists of homes for sale. They narrowed it down to 3 that they wanted to look at.  We decided to pop in to see a couple more that were on our route.

As buyers look at properties, there is a constant tweaking and re tweaking as they see what the current market has to offer.

Education is key in the purchase of a home.

Thorough knowledge of the area is essential.

The more educated a buyer becomes to an area, the real estate market, and what homes are available in their price range, the more easily it is to spot the home that suits their wants, as well as their needs.

And, the more chance they will be happy with their choice after they have settled in.

They’ll know it’s the right house when they see it.

 

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Brevard County Real Estate

Melbourne Florida Real Estate News

Haunted St. Augustine Lighthouse

 

This weekend we traveled to St. Augustine.  It is Florida’s oldest city. There is so much history there.  It is about a 2 hour drive North of Melbourne. 

This lighthouse was built in 1824, in St. Augustine just after Florida became a United States territory, at the request of President Monroe. It replaced an old wooden tower built in 1565 to help incoming ships find their way at night. Pedro Menendez founded St Augustine that year.

In 1871, construction began on a new coquina lighthouse to be built of brick on a concrete foundation, in a more inland location.  In 1878 the old, orginal lighthouse collapsed into the sea.

In 1939 the US Lighthouse Service was abolished and it’s duties were transferred to the United States Coast Guard.

In 1955, the light was automated.

The lighthouse still stands today.

It was built of 1.2 million bricks.

It is 219 steps up to the top.  Believe me, I know, we climbed up and down, twice.

It is still believed that the house that sits on the grounds near the lighthouse is haunted.  There are reports of an old fashioned young girl appearing in the upstairs windows.  A lighthouse keeper in the 50’s refused to live in the house.

The lighthouse itself is also rumored to be haunted.

If you’ve never been to St. Augustine Florida, this is a must see stop on your visit.

Looking up

Looking down

 

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

South Brevard County, Florida Space Coast.

I Was Lost Without it…

 

Tuesday was a busy day.  I had appointments in the morning, and was showing houses in the afternoon.  The day flew. At 6:00 PM I settled into my home office to catch up on paperwork. I realized I hadn’t gotten any phone calls that afternoon.  That’s unusual.

I pulled out my cell phone and nothing!  It was turned off! What? I never turn off my phone! 

Uh-oh, not good, I pushed the on switch.  Nothing!  I wondered how long it had been off.  Uh-oh.

What time did my last call come in?  I thought.  Hmmm.  I turned it off, and tried to turn it on, again and again and again.  Still nothing! Uh – oh. This is really not good!

Did I have messages?  People that called today? People expecting a call back right away?

What if there was an emergency? What if an agent was calling for a showing on one of my listings?

What if one of my tenants was calling with an emergency?

THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS REQUIRES AGENTS TO BE JOHNNY ON THE SPOT…

I spent 30 minutes trying everything to get my phone to work. This thing finally died, I thought.

I called my cell phone company.  The representative was very nice.  “Did you drop your phone? Did it fall into water?” she asked.  No I didn’t and it hadn’t. She spent 30 minutes with me, testing and retesting…and then the dreaded words, “Yes, it is the phone.  Your phone is dysfuntional.  I can ship you out a new one, but it will take 2-3 days!”

“What did you say?  I can’t be without my phone for 2 to 3 days! This is my direct line! Buyers won’t be able to reach me!  Sellers won’t be able to reach me! What if there’s an emergency? What am I going to do without my phone for 2-3 days?“

The representative probably thought I was coming unglued.  “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Mrs. Shores.”  I’m sure she was on the other line, calling the men with the straight jackets to come and take me away to lock me up in a rubber room.

Go ahead and order the new phone. What was I going to do? What choice did I have?

Being without my cell phone would be like being without my right arm! How many people were waiting to hear back from me that I didn’t know about?

I had to have a plan. I headed out the front door with my dog, Bailey to get some fresh air and figure it out. I had to make some calls.

I was dreading the next couple of days, being out of touch with others.  When I walked back into the house I reached for my phone one last time. It was still dead.  I slammed it on the counter three times.  My husband looked at me like I was nuts. “What are you doing?” “It’s already broken so I can’t hurt it.”  I slammed it on the counter 3 more times.  The welcome tone on the phone started up.  I couldn’t believe it!  The introduction music played and finished.  I looked at the phone in disbelief! I opened it, dialed it and put it to my ear.  My daughters phone, ( the number I dialed)  began ringing. “Hello?” she answered. Then the voicemail notification tone rang.  I had 4 voicemails.  I listened to them and immediately called all 4 people back, apologizing profusely for my delay in returning their calls.

My phone has been working fine since I slammed it on the counter.

My new phone arrived, by overnight mail, in less than 36 hours! I will have one of my teenage daughters set it up for me.

So what do you do, if you’re unable to return any of your phone calls?

Are You Utilizing Your Time? This Little Guy Sure is…

This little guy caught my eye yesterday, as I finished showing houses.

I was mesmerized by how busy he was.  He was picking up nuts and burying them in various locations.  He had a plan and performed it, with each nut he found.  His focus on the tasks at hand was incredible! I imagine that by the end of the day he was absolutely exhausted, but very content with the monumental work he had accomplished this day!

This little guy stayed so focused on his daily tasks that it took him nearly ten minutes to recognize that he was being watched…

And, then I realized he may not be that unlike us…

Are you busy? 

Are you accomplishing the tasks at hand in your business? 

Do you have a plan and schedule that you follow each day to be sure that you get your tasks done?

Or are you just going through the day to day motions?

 

Do you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day?

Are you content with your accomplishments for the day? 

 

Or did you waste your time today?

 

 

Be sure to live your life like this little guy, so busy and productive that you don’t have time to worry about who’s watching you.

But, rest assured, when you are this busy, there will be plenty of people taking notice!

Happy Veteran’s Day!

No Politics Here… This is Not a Blog About Politics

 

I made a vow when the election really gained momentum that I would not discuss politics here on my blog.  And, I haven’t.

This is not a blog about politics.

We have been bombarded with politics at every turn.

You can get it in the newspapers, radio, TV, magazines, billboards, in the mailbox and calls coming in to the home phone!

For over a year we have been eating, sleeping and drinking political candidates. 

We haven’t been able to get away from it no matter how hard we try.

Now, I’m not saying that it’s not important to be informed.  I like to stay abreast of the current local markets, as well as the national markets.

And, I studied the candidates and which issues each of them supported and did not support. And, I voted.

But, personally I am happy that the election is over. 

No more negativity, mud slinging, and down and dirty name calling!

‘I Could Have Bought that House 20 Years Ago for Dirt Cheap’

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, if we really want to, that is. 

For some, maybe they don’t want to see what is going to happen.

I know that we are living in complicated times today. And, I know that we are in the process of many changes to our economic structure.

But essentially, to a certain extent,  doesn’t history repeat itself? 

Isn’t the economy cyclical?

Isn’t the real estate market cyclical?

So, doesn’t that mean that if we follow the economic cycles of the past and apply them to the future, we should have somewhat of an idea of which way the economy could or may be headed?

Isn’t it true that what must go up, must come down?

And what goes up fast, must come down fast, too?  Right?

It doesn’t seem to be that complicated a concept.

So, FINALLY, you’re probably thinking…to the point of my post...

How many times have you said, or have you heard someone else say,

“I COULD HAVE BOUGHT THAT HOUSE (or piece of property) 20 YEARS AGO FOR ‘X’ AMOUNT OF DOLLARS.  AND, TODAY IT’S WORTH 5 TIMES THAT AMOUNT!  IF ONLY I’D BOUGHT IT BACK THEN! “

Not trying to be a smartie here, but if I had a dime for everytime I heard that… I’d be RICH!

HMMMM… the grass always seems greener in the past, somehow.  Because, it is no longer unknown to us!

But, the bottom line is that “NOW IS THEN, IN 20 YEARS, YOU WILL BE SAYING THE SAME THING!”

We are always fearful of the unknown, of the future, because we don’t know where it will take us. 

But, the reality of it is, people will always need a place to call home, a roof over their head…that will never change!

Don’t miss opportunities available to you today, because you are afraid of what the future may bring.  There will always be ups and down in your life, in the economy, in the markets.

Don’t let fear paralyze you into inactivity. Some people are comfortable in their uncomfortableness. Don’t let that be you! Don’t look back in 20 years, and say “I could have bought that piece of property 20 years ago for dirt cheap!”

There are great opportunities in the real estate market today. 

Rates are at an all time low and there are so many properties to choose from…

Now is the time to buy Melbourne Florida Real Estate!