Today's Riddle for Seniors         Here is the situation:   You are on a horse, galloping at a constant speed.   On your right side is a sharp drop-off.   On your left side is an elephant traveling at the same speed as you.   Directly in front of you is a galloping giraffe and your horse is unable to overtake it.   Behind you is a lion running at the same speed as you and the giraffe.   What must you do to get out of this highly dangerous situation?   Think very clearly, carefully, and logically before you scroll down to look for the answer below . . .                                   Answer:  Quietly get off the merry-go-round and go home.     11/28/2015

How to Protect Your Home While You're Away...  The holiday season is prime time for thieves looking for an easy opportunity to break into your home. While you're enjoying the hustle and bustle of this festive period, a thief could be taking a leisurely stroll through your home in search of valuables. Keep your home safe and secure over the holidays with these five thoughtful tips. Alert the Neighbors -- Let the neighbors you're friendly with know about your travel plans and ask them to watch for any suspicious activity. Arrange for someone you trust to enter your home every couple of days to ensure everything's running smoothly. Put the Post Office on Pause -- Temporarily suspend mail and newspaper delivery services while you're away. (Or ask a neighbor to collect them for you.) Nothing... 11/28/2015

Daily Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now  Monday, November 23, 2015   Fla.'s housing market: Rising median prices in Oct.Florida Realtors: Single-family median price up 12.4% year-to-year, sales up 1.2%. Condo price up 7.2%. NAR: U.S. sales down from Sept. but up 3.9% from year ago.It's a good time to be a landlordA new wave of investors is seeing the benefit of buying homes in S. Fla. and keeping them as rentals, with possible recurring profits in the range of 6% to 9% annually. Read more.Why hasn't housing rebound lifted the economy more?While home equity is up, some owners may not know they have available equity. Wary consumers are more fiscally conservative, and other loans may be cheaper. Read more.Study: Strong outlook for green homesDespite higher costs, a number of b... 11/23/2015

INFO (112315) THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE & In Your Neighboorhood ... If you don't mind the volatile monthly headline numbers, the occasional disappointing monthly housing report doesn't matter. Housing Starts came in last week down 11.0% in October, settling at a soft 1.060 million annual rate. Overall, starts are off 1.8% from a year ago. But hold on. Most of the monthly decline was due to the drop in multi-family starts, which are highly volatile, month to month.  Single family starts were down only a smidge, and they're still UP 2.4% in the past year. The total number of single-family homes under construction (started but not finished) went up 14% the past year, reaching their highest level since 2008.  Looking to the future, things seem bright. New Building Permits were up 4.1% in O... 11/22/2015

The Blond MorticianA man who'd just died is delivered to a local mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit. The female blond mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. She points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing.The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the Blond mortician a blank check and says, 'I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.'The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe; the suit fits him perfectly...She says to the mortician, 'Whatever this cost, I'm very sa... 11/20/2015

D.R. HORTON HOME BUILDERS SENDS A POSITIVE MESSAGE  D.R. Horton, the nation's largest home builder, reported strong financial results for its fiscal-year fourth quarter, with earnings up 44% year over year. But strong numbers are not the key takeaway here. D.R. Horton's success in the starter-home segment is what we find encouraging. In late 2013, D.R. Horton started its Express brand of entry-level homes. In the quarter ending this past June, D.R. Horton reported that Express homes had grown to account for 19% of its orders, with almost half of them going to first-time home buyers.  It is frequently mentioned that first-time buyers are key to maintaining the housing market. Given Horton's success, we expect more builders to follow its lead and up their investment in the segment. That w... 11/17/2015

Daily Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now  Tuesday, November 17, 2015  Orlando Realtor wins top NAR awardCynthia Shelton, 2009 Florida Realtors pres., received the Distinguished Service Award in honor of her outstanding leadership and service to the industry. Read more.U.S. still favored by Chinese property buyersA weakened Chinese economy hasn't hurt demand for U.S. homes. Fla. is a top state and Miami a favored city with Gainesville an "up and coming" area. Read more.FHA loans back on solid groundThe fed-backed mortgage program hasn't had enough capital to meet congressional mandates since 2008 - but that officially changed yesterday. Read more.Avoid homebuyer mythsWhat's increasing in demand? Tech use and environmentally friendly housing. And no, millennials don't prefer r... 11/17/2015

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE  & Your Neighborhood too... Economists do enjoy endless debates. Fueling these are speeches like the one given last week by New York Fed head William Dudley to the Economic Club of New York. He wouldn't address the "normalization" of interest rates--the rate hike, which is the #1 topic among economists. But he did tell them his thoughts on housing: "Housing fundamentals are solid....Decent payroll gains have supported household formation over the past year and mortgage rates remain low.... While the housing indicators will likely continue to be volatile on a month-to-month basis, I expect the gradual improvement in the housing sector to continue."  There certainly are good reasons for housing to improve. Start with rents. An industry source reports that i... 11/16/2015

  Daily Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now  Monday, November 16, 2015   Fla. Realtor is NAR's new presidentTom Salomone, who served as Florida Realtors president in 2003, notes a few remaining challenges but "the economy and real estate market are back in a major way." Read more.Market OK under new mortgage disclosure rulesA panel discussing the new RESPA-TILA mortgage disclosure rules that went into effect on Oct. 3 said they've seen few "closing delays and other harmful effects" so far. Read more.NAR: Commercial RE may peak in expensive marketsChief Economist Yun: "Properties priced above $2.5M have enjoyed large price gains in recent years but are now at risk of experiencing a modest price decline." Read more.Buyers should understand the negotiation processFrustrated bidd... 11/16/2015

MARRIAGE SURVEY....PRICELESSA GROUP OF WOMEN WERE AT A SEMINAR ON HOW TO LIVE IN A LOVING RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR HUSBAND. THE WOMEN WERE ASKED, "HOW MANY OF YOU LOVE YOUR HUSBAND?" ALL THE WOMEN RAISED THEIR HANDS. THEN THEY WERE ASKED, "WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TOLD YOUR HUSBAND YOU LOVED HIM?" SOME WOMEN ANSWERED TODAY, A FEW YESTERDAY, AND SOME COULDN'T REMEMBER.  .  NEXT, THE WOMEN WERE TOLD TO TAKE OUT THEIR CELL PHONES AND TEXT "I LOVE YOU, SWEETHEART." TO THEIR HUSBANDS. AND FINALLY, THE WOMEN THEN WERE INSTRUCTED TO EXCHANGE PHONES WITH ANOTHER PERSON, AND TO READ ALOUD THE TEXT MESSAGE THEY RECEIVED IN RESPONSE TO THEIR MESSAGE.  .  BELOW ARE 12 REPLIES; SOME ARE HILARIOUS. IF YOU HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR QUITE A WHILE....A SIGN OF TRUE LOVE....WHO ELSE WOULD REPLY IN SUCH A S... 11/16/2015

 When Is It A Good Time To Make Low Offer?  You’ve spent a couple of weekends viewing homes. You’ve found a few that you like, but none were quite “it”. Then, finally, you visit a property that seems perfect for you. It has most of the features you’re looking for in a new home. You quickly fall in love with it. But it’s not yours yet. You have to make an offer. The amount you offer will play a huge role in whether or not you get the home, and the price you’ll pay.At this point, you might be tempted to put in a really low offer in the hopes that you’ll get a bargain.  But that’s usually not a good idea. First, the seller (working with his or her REALTOR®) probably knows the current market value of the property. So your low-ball offer will not make a good impression. Second, there might b... 11/15/2015

Your Top Flight List Of Favorite FeaturesWhen buyers shop for a new home, they typically start by viewing properties that meet a specific criteria… four bedrooms, a finished basement, a quiet neighborhood, etc.But often there is something special about a home that catches a buyer’s eye that can very well tip the scales toward your home.Think about it. How many times have you heard someone who has just purchased a home say something like, “Wow, the recreational room is fantastic!” Or, “The golf course is just a mile up the road!” Or, “There’s a great school just four blocks away.” So when you list your home for sale, think about the special features that might get a similar reaction from buyers.For example, you might have a view out your living room window that’s really, really great. Th... 11/15/2015

 ONLY AN ITALIAN MAN CAN MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A WOMAN...       On a transatlantic flight, a plane passes through a severe storm.The turbulence is awful, and things go from bad to worse when one wing is struck by lightning.One woman in particular loses it. Screaming, she stands up in the front of the plane.'I'm too young to die', she wails. Then she yells, 'Well, if I'm going to die, I want my lastminutes on earth to be memorable! Is there ANYONE on this plane who can make me feel like a WOMAN?For a moment there is silence... Everyone has forgotten their own peril. They all stare, riveted, at the desperate woman in the front of the plane.Then an Italian man stands up in the rear of the plane. He is handsome, tall, well built, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He starts to walk slowly up... 11/13/2015

Daily Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now Wednesday, November 11, 2015   4 Fla. metros added to federal homebuyer programFHFA's program that gives lower-income residents a chance to buy foreclosed properties before investors will expand its reach into Fla. on Dec. 1. Read more.Subjective appraisal elements cause most problemsCoreLogic found that standard appraisal things like comps are fine - but subjective appraisal judgments such as condition, location or view may derail deals. Read more.Rating the raters: The best agent-review websitesPenn. Realtors studied the top 10 websites where clients rate real estate agents and judged each on a 0-10 scale. RealSatisfied and realtor.com topped the list. Read more.Why do people move - and what do they want?People move for a reason but... 11/11/2015

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE AND BEYOND FOR THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 9TH  ... We should probably be grateful that those who forecast the economic future aren't the people responsible for creating it. Economists have been forecasting a decline in home price appreciation for some time now. And while price gains have slowed a bit, they're still pretty good. A global real estate information provider reported U.S. home prices nationwide were up 6.4% year-over-year in September. Annual gains in fact have been ranging between 4.8% and 6.5% for the last 15 months, which sounds like pretty stable appreciation.  The firm projects a 4.7% price gain by September 2016, but cautions the increase may dip from September to October. Another real estate information company reports that the third quarter w... 11/09/2015

 Daily Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now  Monday, November 9, 2015     6-figure income families live in public housingA HUD loophole allows high-wage families to live in subsidized housing. Income requirements count at admission; once in, you can stay as long as you want. Read more.Realtors connect with Colombian real estate cohortsFlorida Realtors led a Colombia trade mission last month. Members promoted Fla.'s investment opportunities and learned about investment prospects in Colombia. Read more.More homebuyers bypass banks for loansBanks are losing some of their mortgage traction: In 2014, almost half (47%) of all mortgage loans were originated by non-banks, compared to 43% in 2013. Read more.Passenger train to quickly link Miami and OrlandoA privately owned passenger ra... 11/09/2015

THE LAWS OF LIFE...WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH 1 . Law of Mechanical  Repair   -   After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch and you'll have to pee. 2. Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible place in the universe. 3. Law of Probability - The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act.4. Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal; someone always answers.5. Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now.6. Law of the  Bath  - When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone will ring.   7. Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone ... 11/08/2015

Tid Bits of Economy News & Our Housing Forecast   The number of economists predicting a Fed policy rate increase in December continues to rise. Markets are starting to prepare now, contributing to higher rates. Although jobless claims recorded their largest increase in 8 months, they remain below 300,000. The overall sentiment is a healthy labor market, bad for rates. Increased manufacturing productivity reported for the 3rd quarter signals economic improvement. A strong economy increases the likelihood of higher rates. At 9.3% of the market, distressed sales (including REO and short sales) continue to drop. If current trends continue, they will reach 2% of the market by mid-2018. Home prices nationwide rose by 6.4% in September. CoreLogic's HPI forecast projects home prices will rise 4... 11/08/2015

 How children perceive their Grandparents    1.  She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before.  After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, "But Grandma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!"  I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye.    2.  My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday.  He asked me how old I was, and I told him, "80".  My grandson was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"3.  After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair.  As she heard the children getting more an... 11/08/2015

 Daily Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now Tuesday, November 3, 2015   Low-end housing better investment than high endStudy: Transactions valued in the bottom 25% of a market offer higher investment returns than the top 25%, especially in metros such as Miami and Orlando. Read more.Expert to Realtors: Safety more important than saleSmartphone apps and upfront security measures, such as copying driver's license info, can help. Also consider a "Videotaping in progress" sign at open houses. Read more.A key element in edgy urban redevelopments? FoodWarehouses and offices are gaining new life as multifamily homes in urban turn-around areas - but a lot of buyer demand can be traced to the local food vendors. Read more.Fannie and Freddie fund mortgages - why change them?Pro: The mor... 11/03/2015