How Do Customers Rank Their Buying & Selling Priorities? What Buyers Want the MostServices                                           All            First         Repeat                                                        Buyers      Time         Buyers Finding the right home to purchase      50%        45%         53%Negotiating the terms of the sale        13%          13%          13%Telling you what comparable homesare selling for                                   10%          8%           11%Negotiating the price                          9%           9%           8%Assisting with the paperwork               8%           9%           9%Assisting on how much house can be afforded                                 5%           9%           3%Help arrange financing                     ... 06/25/2016

The amazing product EVERY HOME should possess. What is the surprising main ingredient of WD-40 ?   Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40 is?  Don't lie and don't cheat.  WD-40.  Who knew; I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup.  I got up very early one  Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the  sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason).  I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news.  He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do.... probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open.   Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off.  It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck.   I'm impressed!  W... 06/25/2016

Sunday Shot of the day ….Look Who Flew Over For a Look I have the luxury of working out of my home office a lot which allows me to see the multitude of life’s nature show in my back yard. Since I have the canal next to the pool along with the feeder, it just attracts birds left and right. From blue jays to what you see below is GOD ‘s way of saying hello to your feather friends.   06/25/2016

 Fat Cats Of Washington, Take on a new meaning... This was sent to me by a friend a few weeks ago which I could not resist in re-posting. This should bring a smile to everyone’s face that either loves, pets, cats or nature itself. My parents had a cat, with the same colors formally named Bubba. My father would state that he was all cat. I wish he could have seen this one. Freak of nature, or just one big lovable fur ball, you decide. 06/25/2016

The Daily (062216) Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now  Citizens seeks rate hike over water claimsThe state-backed insurer wants an average of 6.8% statewide for 2017, as water-damage claims rise. Wind-only policies would grow on average 8.3% across Fla. Read more.Post-housing crisis, damage lingers for minoritiesMore minorities lost their homes; their collective loss of home equity and shift to rental housing may widen racial and ethnic divides in the U.S., advocates say. Read more.Homestead exemption dispute could go to high courtA Broward County woman's attorneys are asking the Fla. Supreme Court to take up a case that involves a married couple having homestead tax exemptions in 2 states. Read more.5 reasons why that listing may lingerCommon problems like overpricing, unfl... 06/22/2016

  The Daily (062016) Hot Sheet Of Top Real Estate News Trending Now   U.S. home construction down slightly in May Housing starts ticked down 0.3%, as builders pulled back a bit in the Northeast and Midwest. Meanwhile building permits, a sign of future activity, rose 0.7%. Read more. Three tips to win the race for a new homeIn a seller's market, success favors the prepared homebuyer. Buyers who study the market and show financial strength by having a "pre-underwriting" approval for a loan have an edge. Read more.   Economy growing at snail's paceFed Reserve: Look for slower interest rate hikes in coming years due to hurdles to economic growth, such as an aging labor force and a weak global economy. Read more.Credit mistakes potential homebuyers makeTo maintain a strong credit score, buye... 06/20/2016

Seeds to success are planted sometimes by someone else I wrote this blog title: “Are you relentless in your approach to be noticed and win” back in September 2012. (Read and see photos from prior post). It was about a plant or really the pot we wanted at a yard sale. Fast forward now and see how the Elephant ears once again have taken over the pot and the other plant. Once thought to be gone forever, has come back to make its presence known in a big way.   06/19/2016

Have You Taken Up The Challenge Of Active Rain??? As one discovers the many benefits and features of Active Rain, there also comes a point of a silent challenge. I, for one love to compete to the best of my ability. When you get older the athleticism gets exchanged for intellect I guess or at least I hope. Having a goal with this membership gives you a purpose and a point to share, but also feels like a race to keep you motivated. Besides 12 may not be the luckiest number, but for now I’m patient because I’m working on 11 next.  06/19/2016

Wildlife Shot of the Day (061916) in Atlantis, Florida As I approached my home office window and looked outside, I saw? First, was a tree lizard climb up my Gumbo Limbo Tree. As I watch further as he climbs the tree, here comes this other tree lizard walking on the top of the bushes. Quietly, I was able to approach the friend and he allowed me to take this shot.   06/19/2016

What does the City of Boca Raton & Hurricanes have in Common? This story takes place when my wife and I were thinking of moving to Florida and came down in 2000. We were looking around in Palm Beach county, between Boca Raton and Boynton Beach. Hurricanes were kind of new to us never living or visiting Florida before and living in Maryland for the last 30 years.  We proceeded to finally move here in July of 2002. I’ll never forget the quote a Realtor joke about while viewing property. She said:Question: You know why hurricanes don’t come to Boca? Answer: They can’t afford it.Of course we all know what happen it 2003, 2004, & 2005….Still wondering where that Realtor is and if she still believed that.   06/19/2016

A Possible Mortgage Loan For Your Palm Beach County PropertyThere is an Asset for Income feature on loan products that can help your potential home buyer qualify. It works when someone is heavy on assets but light on income. This can act as a little ‘nudge’ to help a good solid deal done.   Personal liquid assets after closing may be used to add supplemental income for qualifying purposes. Assets do not need to be withdrawn/liquidated to use the income. May be used for both Self Employed and W2 borrowers 60% of liquid assets divided by half the loan term equals the Monthly Income used to qualify AFI income may not exceed 25% or $3,000 of total monthly income  Example:15 Year FixedBorrower has $250,000 combined in Stocks, Bonds and their Savings account 100% * $250,000 = $250,000 (100% o... 06/19/2016

The Daily (061316) Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now     Defaulting HELOCs: A growing concernDuring the pre-recession boom, homeowners found it easy to get low-interest home equity lines of credit. But many of those HELOCs will soon reset to higher rates. Read more.Potential mortgage borrowers may be self-sideliningCoreLogic's economist noted something odd: Even though it's harder to get a mortgage, fewer current applicants are being turned down. His theory: Many renters could buy, but they don't believe they'll qualify. Read more.Fla. county cracks down on property tax fraudOrange County recovered $550M after hiring law enforcement officers and creating a hotline designed to track down owners who misused property tax exemptions. Read more.Business investment in a slumpCons... 06/13/2016

A Decor Tip Leads To A Must HaveWhen it comes to stools, you shouldn't go without one.  Everyone of us receives this sort of thing through-out the day, week or month. I’m not sure if these things are photo shopped or real ads. Needless to say they make you think and chuckle at the same time. This is my home décor tip of the day.   06/12/2016

 How To Calculate Rates of Returns when dealing with investment properties Calculation Reference Sheet Gross Operating Income (GOI) This is a calculation of the total potential monthly rental income (also known as gross rents or gross potential income). Remember if a vacancy reserve is not included in the expenses, it should be subtracted from the total potential rental income.Net Operating Income (NOI)This is a calculation of gross operating income (GOI) minus expenses                NOI = (GOI)-Operating Expenses             Cap Rate (Capitalization Rate)                       (NOI) divided by (Purchase Price) = Cap Rate            This a calculation of the yearly net operating Income (NOI) divided by the value, or the purchase price. Debt Service Ratio (DSR)This is a calculation of t... 06/12/2016

Believe It Or Not, we are still doing shortsales in Palm Beach Co. The first step is acknowledging the fact that the property may be upside down in value. If this is the case than the there are really only two options letting the bank foreclose or avoiding this by short selling. Scroll through and watch the video and the steps below. Step 1.   We will meet in our office or a location suitable to discuss the process. Depending on what bank such as Wells Fargo, Chase, Bank of America, CitiMortgage, to name a few, will determine what approach and/or what short-sale package to use. They each have their own, so it is important to start off correctly with the right one. Step 2.   Your application and documents required will be put together ahead of time such as bank statements, tax returns, p... 06/12/2016

The Daily (060616) Hot Sheet of Top Real Estate News Trending Now   What problems tend to derail a closing date? Watch out for financing, home inspections and appraisals. From Feb. through April, 6% of contracts were terminated and 28% delayed, though 66% closed on time. Read more.5 solid property investments this yearWhat type of property holds the most promise for return on investment? Experts suggest senior and student housing, warehouses, self-storage and neighborhood community centers. Read more.CoreLogic: About 6.8M homes at risk from hurricanesWhen it comes to hurricane storm surge, no state has more houses at risk than Fla. - and the state is also home to six of the top 10 riskiest metro areas. Read more.Hurricane reminder: Avoid unlicensed contractorsThe 2016 hurricane season ... 06/06/2016

Laughing is Fundamental The people who really know me, can tell you I’m always laughing. It also has been said it adds years to your life. I think folks like to be around who has a personality that can laugh and laugh at oneself. By the way it heals elements by releasing some chemical in the body. Take the time and enjoy for life was meant to be more happier than sad.  06/04/2016

Hanging in there is half the battle  Tip of the Day  If one looks for inspiration never under estimate what nature can provide. Have you ever stopped and asked yourself what inspires the wild to do the things they do? Here is a simple example of a tree lizard hanging out on a rain gutter guard. Why he decided to hang here is anyone’s guess, but there he was for hours.  When I work out of my home office, just looking out of the window can include an experience in daily inspiration. Nature has a way of doing this if you let it. When it comes to business hanging around long enough is sometimes all it takes to succeed.   06/04/2016

What a Buyers Broker can do for you on your next Home Purchase It is great fun for many Palm Beach county buyers to search for the perfect home in any of our great cities. Visiting open houses, calling around to different Realtors to see various properties on the Net. Many buyers will make this mistake as being in their best interest. But exactly who is that Realtor that they are calling loyal to?   You might just be surprised that their loyalty lies with the Seller unless you have a Buyer’s Broker Agreement with the Palm Beach county area Realtor.  By obtaining this mutual Agreement you will find someone to represent your best interests and assist you with the purchase of a local area home.   And this is at no cost to you as it is customary that the Seller pays the commission.   You wi... 06/04/2016

Sunday Shot of the Day…Rocky came back for a look  In our little piece of paradise in the City of Atlantis of S. Florida, we attract various wildlife on a continuous basis. It includes sea turtles, ducks, egrets, snakes, iguanas, opossums, tree lizards etc.Several months ago I was working this little patch of garden where my pineapples are growing and out of my peripheral, I see this dark body practically walking by. Thinking it was the neighbors cat, it was really Rocky Raccoon.I usually have my better camera, but always carry my cell phone. Enjoying nature one day at a time…..  06/04/2016