Merry Christmas Song Hawaiian Style…. Mele Kalikimaka   Have you ever wondered what it is like to visit a place that never gets snow or has a wintery back drop? Living in S. Florida has that feeling, however there is another place too. Of course, no other than the Hawaiian Islands. Enjoy this tune sung by Bing Crosby. 12/23/2012

  Friday Night Tunes Featuring: Handel’s Messiah:” For Unto Us  A Child is Born” Let us not forget what Christmas is about and what the real gift has been given. Below a little history of the greatest oratorio ever writen. This is one part of the two hour program still performed around the world. Messiah (HWV 56)[1] is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible, and from the Psalms included with the Book of Common Prayer (which are worded slightly differently from their King James counterparts). It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later. After an initially modest public reception, the oratorio gained in popularity, event... 12/21/2012

  City of Atlantis, of Palm Beach County, FL Market Stats for November 2012 Stats and facts about Atlantis, Florida, are out for the month of November 2012.  The report is packed with information about the county and the local city mentioned above. In a nut shell the inventory of single family homes available for sale are at a 7.7 month selling point which is down nearly 44.2% from a year ago. That’s a good sign things are loosening up and people are buying. Click on this LINK, for more graphs and stats. Whether you are buying or selling in this hot market of the County of Palm Beach, FL, choosing the right company will save you money, time and many sleepless nights. I not only have 28 years experience as a Realtor, construction was a passion of mine as well. This alone is worth so much... 12/21/2012

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, December 17, 2012 TODAY'S TOP STORIES Rising costs could dampen new-home market The price of new homes today could seem like a bargain in a few years, as raw material costs rise faster than inflation. Read more. Fla. mortgage help fund expanding Hardest Hit Fund pilot program to spend $50M in early 2013, help 2,000 underwater owners and expand if successful. Read more. More borrowers turn to credit unions Many credit unions offer lower rates and faster service, but "annoying banks" also contributed to the change. Read more. Citizens says policy saves owners too much A new law allows owners to save about 28% in exchange for less coverage, but Fla.-owned insurer refuses to offer it. Read more. 7 essential apps for y... 12/17/2012

  Why HUD is extending the waiver on anti-flipping of REO Properties. HUD is set to extend the waiver on anti-flipping of REOs.  Put simply, that means that Investors will be allowed to flip HUD homes for another 2 years at least.  That's because the agency expects so many more REOs to hit the market, that they need all the help they can get from buyers to take them off the market in the coming 24 months.  So they are giving an incentive to investors to buy REOs, fix them up and re-sell them.  HUD says "Waiving the FHA regulation on property flipping will help stabilize neighborhoods..."  Asset Managers nationwide are in need of Agents to assign the tremendous inventory of REO properties. Certainly good news for the opportunities that still exist in this market for buyers as well. 12/17/2012

  Where did that come from? Have you ever wondered where some of these sayings we use got its start? Below are a few I’m sure you have used before.    1.      A-1  Why do we use A-1 to mean the very best?  Because when the Marine insurance firms of London started the associations later to become known as “Lloyds,” they also started a register of ships and shipping in which the condition of the ships and their cargo was noted. The ships were graded by letter; the cargoes by number. “A” meant the ship itself was perfect; ‘1” that the cargo was likewise perfect. 2.     Clodhopper: Where did the dullard get the name clodhopper?  In early England the peasants were uneducated; it was therefore assumed they were unintelligent. The gentry rode horses across the fields, while the peasantry walke... 12/15/2012

  Friday Night Tunes… Featuring: ..“No Ordinary Love” by Sade   Helen Folasade Adu, OBE (Yoruba: Fọláṣadé Adú; born 16 January 1959), better known as Sade, is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade. In 2002, she received an OBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace for services to music, and she dedicated her award to "all black women in England".[1] Sade has a contralto vocal range.[2] 12/14/2012

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, December 10, 2012 TODAY'S TOP STORIES Foreclosure cases are moving like mud Fla.'s courts are treading water in clearing foreclosures: over past 4 months, 69,513 closed, 69,078 new cases added. Read more. Colombians ready to buy U.S. property Florida trade mission found residents ready to buy property in Fla. - and hoping Americans invest in Colombia. Read more. Commercial real estate investment improving CCIM: Investment better in all property sectors, but property values remain flat and transaction volumes down in 3Q. Read more. Need health insurance? Future unclear Fla. Health Choices program to offer cheaper insurance with lower benefits in Jan., but future unclear under Obamacare. Read more. Sizzle returns to... 12/10/2012

  Friday Night Tunes.. In The Mood ..A Glenn Miller Classic   I thought in appropriate to honor those veterans who fought and those that lost their lives. Today is December 7th marking the 71st anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack on Pearl Harbor (called Hawaii Operation or Operation AI[9][10] by the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters (Operation Z in planning)[11] and the Battle of Pearl Harbor[12]) was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941 (December 8 in Japan). The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from interfering with military actions the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia again... 12/07/2012

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, December 3, 2012 TODAY'S TOP STORIES 1 in 3 would consider a Walmart mortgage Study: Consumers like banks but are open to non-traditional lenders, such as PayPal or Walmart, to save time and money. Read more. What's ahead for Fla. real estate in 2013? Prepare for business and investment opportunities through Fla. Realtors' 2013 Economic Forecast event on Dec. 12. Read more. Push on to close short sales by Dec. 31 Lawmakers could still extend short-sale tax forgiveness, but sellers want a quick closing in case that doesn't happen. Read more. Home equity lines of credit return A HELOC resurgence indicates banks' faith in the market, and it helps the U.S. rebound as owners tap housing equity. Read more. Fla. water ru... 12/03/2012

  A tribute to Zig Ziglar telling one of his life’s stories As many of you know Zig Ziglar passed away today at the age of 86, leaving the world empty for those that loved his style of motivation and stories. Here is one of his quotes:  If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude. Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile and a grateful heart. There are no traffic jams on the extra mile. 11/28/2012

  Atlantis, of Palm Beach County, FL Market Stats for October 2012 Stats and facts about Atlantis, Florida, are out for the month of October 2012.  The report is packed with information about the county and the local city mentioned above. In a nut shell the inventory of single family homes available for sale are at a 7.8 month selling point which is down nearly 34.6% from a year ago. That’s a good sign things are loosening up and people are buying. Click on this LINK, for more graphs and stats. Whether you are buying or selling in this hot market of the County of Palm Beach, FL, choosing the right company will save you money, time and many sleepless nights. I not only have 28 years experience as a Realtor, construction was a passion of mine as well. This alone is worth so much more than... 11/26/2012

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News Monday, November 26, 2012 TODAY'S TOP STORIES FHA revises its home retention program Officials say that new guidelines should help homeowners avoid foreclosure - and they'll also boost FHA's bottom line. Read more. Banks favor short sales over forgiving debt Mega-bank settlement was supposed to keep more people in their homes, but most money is being applied to short sales. Read more. Match.com for start-ups and investors Need money for a start-up business? Angel websites connect business hopefuls with investors willing to foot the bill. Read more. Perils of Internet exposure Hot issue: online privacy. Firms track every Facebook posting and Google search - good for marketers, bad for people. Read more. Android users, bewa... 11/26/2012

  Sunday Shot of the Day (11/25/12)…….Something got missed? In light of all the Thanksgiving dinners with family and friends, I thought this may be appropriate for a post holiday laugh. It is not too often you return from the grocery store with a chicken with certain parts still intact. This one however, still needed a check-up from the neck-up. 11/25/2012

How To Properly Care For Your Septic System, The Do’s & Don’ts The importance of your septic system could be vitally important to the sale and purchase of your home. Recently, I have a property under contract where there was an inspection performed. Upon the inspection it was found that it not only needed a new tank but the drain field replaced as well.  This of course was not accounted for or disclosed and will cost around $6,500 to replace. Bottom line, this could be a real deal killer if not handled properly to a successful conclusion.  Once purchased it is recommended to follow the tips below, to keep your system in proper working order. 11/24/2012

  How to lose a Game (deal) in 60 seconds, a football analogy Any lover of football that is on the right side of a win surely knows a gift when they see one. Watching what happened to the NY Jets at home against the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving, ties in this point of how crucial every second can be whether you are on the field of play, or field of business. Experts say you have actually less than 10 seconds to make an impression of how well your property is perceived to your customer. The clip/link below shows within 52 seconds how it can be game over if you don’t pay attention to detail, it’s the difference between winning & losing. Go Pats…….. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000099258/article/how-new-york-jets-lost-to-patriots-in-under-60-seconds   11/23/2012

  Thanksgiving, a Lesson of History, also known as Days of Fasting Prayers of thanks and special thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times.[1] The holiday's history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date of the holiday[1][2] In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to atten... 11/21/2012

  The Daily Hot Sheet of Palm Beach Real Estate & FL Realtor News                                      Monday, November 19, 2012 Fla. housing continues growth in Oct. Home sales up 25% year-to-year, prices up 9%; condo sales up 16%, prices up 20%. NAR: Sales up 10.9%, prices up 11.1%. Read more. Apartment rental ad used to scam renters Police charge man who posed as fake real estate broker, stole deposits from renters in Broward, Palm Beach counties. Read more. Spain proposes to reduce unsold homes Plan would offer residency permits to foreign homebuyers, if they buy houses worth more than 160,000 euros. Read more. Median downpayments shrink, averaging 9% It's down to lowest level since 2009. For first-time buyers, median downpayment was 4%; for repeat buyers, it was 13%. Read more. FHA... 11/19/2012

    The Fab Four From The Heavy Hitters…..Our Active Rain Stars Here is a few great blogs that I thought worthy of listing on my blog. They were captured earlier this summer.     Is 100 Listing Appointments Better than 10 Listing Appointments? Jennifer Allan-Hagedorn, Author of Sell with Soul (Sell with Soul) I was listening to some ho-hum non-real estate-specific sales training seminar a few weeks ago – don’t know why I was listening to it, considering it was as ho-hum as they come; maybe I was subconsciously looking for material to blog about! And voila! I found something! During the seminar, the speaker was spouting traditional numbers game fluff. Basically, the same old “The more people you touch with your sales pitch, the more you’ll sell of whatever …   Select A Niche Or Two...Tar... 11/18/2012

  I just became 250,000 richer, and so can you….here’s how…. I reached another milestone, though it really is the halfway point to the next level of 300k. I believe after reaching the 200k mark, it starts to reduce your monthly membership fee. Upon reaching 500k your membership becomes free. That’s not bad for a system that helps, encourages, trains, and promotes your business on a great platform.  Bottom line is, I hope all you new-timers, old-timers, and those that just can’t get enough, continue being a part of a great membership of professionals on Active Rain.   #1   Steve Hoffacker - Sales Trainer/Coach, Sales Books Author, Photographer Real Estate Trainer 1,598,465 3,996 19   #2   Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Homes For Sale Real Estate Agent 1,449,608 2,6... 11/18/2012