Had enough of Orlando and looking for somewhere extra special to buy your holiday home or emigrate to? This is the place to live! On the shores of the Gulf of Mexico and with stunning beaches, wonderful people, beautiful places to visit yet within a short hop from Tampa airport (British Airways) or Sarasota (SRQ). If you have never visited here you haven't seen Florida. This is one of the best kept secrets around! Let me show you the possibilities, you won't be sorry. Contact me Paul Jeremy 'The Brit in Brsdenton' if you are looking to buy or sell a property in Manatee or Sarasota counties. I also have numerous contacts throughout the country if you are looking elsewhere, Don't just pick any old agent, ask me! I advertise worldwide with a potential audience of over 100 million people. W... 05/05/2008

 Mt. Vernon is a 55+ Boating Community on Sarasota Bay in Bradenton, Florida.  The community offers lots of ammentities including a heated pool & spa, sauna, tennis, shuffleboard, putting green, billiards, walking paths throughout the community, picnic areas with full Bay Views, lakes, boat docks & shaded gazebos. Boat docks are available for a $25 fee! Boat storage is also available as well as kayak storage and launch.  Mount Vernon is conveniently located just minutes from shopping, restaurants & Florida´s most beautiful beaches on Anna Maria Island. Enjoy the lifestyle of this friendly and active community! 04/22/2008

Since e-toursonline Interactive Media started making 360 virtual tours with Real Tour VisionTM software, I have realized how addicted I have become to interactive media and how powerful it is on your senses when searching for a product or service. When you search the competition to see what they are using and, in most cases, what they are not using, it is real easy to come to the conclusion that most of these "other guys" are missing the real value of what consumers are in need of. Interaction! The powerful form of rich media content will retain your visitors much longer, thus giving them the ability to retain more of the presentation put in front of them. Essentially what this amounts to is that a visitor is that experiences an impressive presentation with lots of interaction is more l... 04/07/2008

e-toursonline Interactive Media Announces New Full service 2D-3D Interactive Floor Plans and 360° Virtual Tour HitStats 2.0TMBradenton, FL March 25, 2008- e-toursonline Interactive Media, a certified Real Tour VisionTM virtual tour provider, is proud to announce the addition of e-toursonline full service 2D-3D Interactive Floor Plans and 360° virtual tour HitStats 2.0TM to its line-up of marketing tools. The addition of full service 2D-3D Interactive Floor Plans and 360° virtual tour HitStats 2.0TM to e-toursonline's existing services will allow their current and future clients to have the competitive edge in marketing their property listings and businesses utilizing these advanced marketing tools in the Manatee / Sarasota area.Lance Ziegler, Owner of e-toursonline stated: "We are very ... 04/01/2008

e-toursonline Interactive Media is providing some of the most innovative marketing solutions for the Bradenton / Sarasota area. Since e-toursonline's conception, we have made it a goal to help clients to maximize their on-line marketing campaigns with rich media solutions that leave lasting impressions. e-toursonline has implemented several state of the art technologies which will help many of our clients leave a lasting impression for their website visitors. Our 360 virtual tours (provided by Real Tour Vision), professional website audio solutions and 2D/3D interactive floor plans are among the most widely used interactive media solutions. Go to e-toursonline interactive media blog to view more advantages of using our innovative marketing services.  Interactive media has become one of ... 03/31/2008

   Florida is known for geckos, running around everywhere (they're cute and they eat bugs, and they don't bother you, so they're friends, not foes).Many cities around the world have had artists paint and decorate cows or pigs or such - but Bradenton, Florida, has a Gecko Fest. Started in 2006 for the Village of the Arts, it currently has an encore, Gecko Fest 2008. Geico and others are sponsoring this, and since fall 2007 these 6 ft geckos have been spotted on walls throughout Bradenton (between Tampa and Sarasota on the west coast of Florida). "This year, as an Arts In Public Places non-profit organization, funds are being raised for the various arts organizations, including  Art Center Manatee, South Florida Museum, the Arts Council of Manatee, Inc, and the Artists' Guild of Manatee (... 03/28/2008

This series of posts is for Buyers interested in learning more about purchasing a real estate short sale. Even though I am addressing Bradenton, Florida buyers, these questions and answers will fit almost anywhere.        I am working with a lot of short sale sellers and buyers in the Bradenton - Sarasota, FL real estate market. Our Manatee County Florida area is seeing the greatest number of foreclosures in history. Surprisingly, most of my short sale listings have one or more contracts going through the process. What Do Buyers Need to Know About Purchasing A Short Sale Property In Bradenton, Florida?   QUESTIONS and ANSWERS Continued   Here are the questions I answered in Part I 1. Why would a Buyer consider a short sale?2. How much can a Buyer save?3. But I have heard that Buyers can... 03/11/2008

On Thursday, the Department of Housing and Urban Development published new conforming loan limits that take them above $417,000, to a maximum of $729,750, depending on the median home price in a market. HUD also implemented temporary increases in FHA loan limits. Based on the area's median home price, these range from a new floor of $271,050 to a cap of $729,750 in the 75 highest-priced markets. Go to the HUD website for a new page that gives conforming and FHA loan limits for every area of the country.These new limits should now motivate homebuyers who didn't want to deal with higher jumbo rates. Plus, existing loans can now be refinanced to the new limits no matter when they were originated. But the higher limits are only in place until the end of this year!Also last week, Treasury Se... 03/10/2008

Have you ever wanted to easily find the CENSUS data for a particular zip code?  How about the demographics? How about information on schools in a particular area?  I came across a neat site that pulls it all together with info, charts, graphs, and comparison reports.The site is http://zipskinny.com and you can search by city or even more easily by just entering a zip code.  I entered my Bradenton, Florida zip code and this is the first page of the info.  Note the tabs and the wealth of information provided.If you are thinking of moving to Bradenton, Florida click here to see a zip code map of Manatee and Sarasota Counties.                 Please click here to subscribe to my blog . See the sidebar on the right to subscribe by email.(Copyright © 2008 By Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved.) ... 03/06/2008

I look at the freshly expired listings every day as a potential source for picking up new business.  Lately, I have been choosing not to call the owners of homes purchased in 2005 or later in our Bradenton, FL real estate market.  Why? Because in order to sell today they must be willing, or able, to take a loss on the home.We have seen about a 30% depreciation in our Bradenton Florida housing market since the high of 2005.  This means, more than likely, that the home is worth a lot less then it was purchased for.Most of my listing clients are in this difficult position and are in pre-foreclosure status.  I am working more short sales than normal sales at this time.  (My specialty web site it The-Short-Sale-Expert.com )So, if you bought your Bradenton, Florida home in 2005 or later and n... 03/02/2008

Yesterday I visited the South Florida Museum in Bradenton.  This was the first time I had ever been there.  I can't believe I've missed out on such an interesting place for so long!  I've driven by it hundreds of times, yet never stopped in to check it out!I was quite surprised at how big it really is.  There are actually 3 sections.  The South Florida Museum, the Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Aquarium.  All 3 are connected and you get to visit all of them when you pay the admission.There was a lot to see there and I found it pretty interesting!  They had a mastodon display, fossils, archaic murals and artifacts, medical gallery, Model T Ford, an old boat building shop, a pioneer cabin from the 1880's, old war uniforms and artifacts, a Spanish home, Spanish chapel, fountain and stat... 02/19/2008

I see a lot of homes in our Bradenton - Sarasota multiple listing service advertised a "below appraised value." I wonder what buyers think of comments like that.  Everyone should know that appraisals are an opinion of value at a given point in time.It's funny that some homeowners want to see their Bradenton, Florida appraisals come in LOW at times.  Then at other times they want to see them come in HIGH.  It all depends on your perspectice. For years Florida homeowners argued that the appraisal on their home was too low.  They wanted higher appraisals to increase their net worth, refinance, or sell and buy a better home.   Recently just the opposite has happened, with declining values homeowners argued that the appraisal on their home was too high. They wanted a lower number to save on ... 02/18/2008

I visited a for sale by owner a couple of days ago and must admit the do-it-yourself mentality is still alive and kickin' even in this market. It's not that I have anything against the for-sale-by-owner.  I admire the do-it-yourself spirit and don't blame anyone for trying to save some money.Of course, as a professional Realtor, I know that rarely does the for-sale-by-owner actually save any money. Why not, you say? Everything from incorrect pricing, to limited negotiation skills, to lack of marketing exposure...each of these means a lower bottom line to the seller.But here's the issue in today's Bradenton, Florida market and many markets across the country.  Right now, 97 percent of listed properties are not selling.  If 2000 agents in our multiple listing service, using professional t... 02/12/2008

I just read a post by my friend Scott Daniels about the seller who asked him to stand in his front yard and wave a "for sale" sign to attract buyers.  Well, what's funny is that I just saw a guy standing on a street corner waving a "condo for sale" sign.  Is this some new technology for selling real estate?  Is this the big secret?A few years ago I saw a for-sale-by-owner who had erected an 8 foot tall "for sale" sign in his yard.  I wondered where he got that idea.  I guess he thought a bigger sign would attract better buyers.Here's the truth folks...there are only 5 factors that determine whether your home sells or not.LocationConditionMarketingPriceFinancingLocation: It is what it is, but everyone knows that the home with a great location sells faster and for a higher price.Conditio... 02/09/2008

I receive a daily email from our local newspaper's web site. The purpose is to be the first to know about breaking news.  I laughed when I read one of the headlines: No accidents on local roads this morning.'No kidding.  Here's the full article:"HERALD STAFF REPORT"The Florida Highway Patrol is reporting roadways free of accidents in Manatee and Sarasota counties this morning."It must be a slow news days when no news is the news.I shake my head sometimes at today's media.  I'm sure they would have rather written a story about a bloody, gory car crash.  Oh well, maybe tomorrow.(Copyright © 2008 By Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserved.) Dan Forbes, PL is a licensed Broker-Associate and Certified Residential Specialist. He leads the Forbes Advantage Teamat RE/MAX Gulfstream Realty's Lakewood Ra... 02/06/2008

Authorities were called to investigate the smell coming from a condo in the CityWalk Condominiums in downtown Bradenton Florida. What they found was 128 total cats and hamsters crammed into an 817 square-foot condo covered in feces, urine and maggots. The officer who entered the door was forced to retreat  from the smell of cat urine. Overflowing litter boxes were everywhere and there was no food or water for the pets.  Animal Services pulled 27 cats and 101 hamsters from the home.   The animals are in such bad shape that they will have to be euthanized. Officials quickly tagged the condo as "uninhabitable" for humans because of the feces, maggots and fleas. It makes you wonder, "What was the owner thinking?"  She works as a teacher's aide in a local elementary school.  Imagine that.  S... 02/05/2008

It's that time of year again!  In case you hadn't noticed, the Geckos are once again invading Bradenton.  These aren't the small little creatures you normally see either.  These are large 6 foot long geckos that are being spotted all over downtown Bradenton on the sides of buildings!  These brightly colored hand painted creatures are a sight to see!  The really are works of art.The Bradenton GeckoFest first debuted in 2006 as a fundraiser for the Village of the Arts, creating an important bridge between the business and arts communities -- a brilliant pairing. Schools and social groups got involved, and funds were raised to augment the County's shrinking art education budgets. City residents and tourists alike were treated to these family-friendly colorful six-foot geckos crawling up an... 02/02/2008

My personal opinion is...This real estate market has farther to go before we see the light of day.  I guess the real question for sellers is do you really need to sell?  If not, it would be wise to sit on the sidelines for awhile and let those who really need to sell to get on with their lives.  Certain life events require a change of address - ie. I lost my job and the only one I can find is in another state.  This person needs to move to make a living.  Or you have just had a child and you live in a one bedroom 3rd story condo.  Who wouldn't want to have more space and a yard?Anyway, the only way this market will get back to some equilibrium is to have less inventory.  The over abundance we have now just confuses and scares most sellers.  As an agent I try to get buyers to focus on th... 01/28/2008

I received a call yesterday from a buyer wanting to look at property even though he isn't retiring for 2-5 years. He knows nothing about our Bradenton, Florida area, but has heard it's a nice place to live. I'm wondering why he wants to look at property NOW? A lot can happen to a town in 5 years and it's probably a bit premature to actually look at homes for sale. So, what is a buyer to do?  If you are thinking of moving to the Bradenton, Florida area in the future here's what I would suggest.1.Subscribe to the local paper or start reading the online version at www.Bradenton.com  This will give you a good idea of what the community is like and what issues are important to residents.2. Visit my real estate web site www.BradentonFloridaRealEstate.comYou'll find a lot information about the... 01/26/2008

This is the third consequtive year that Florida cities have dominated the Milken Institute/Greenstreet Partners "Best Performing Cities Index."  This report tallys the five and one-year job growth factor to rank the 200 largest metro markets.Here are the top Florida cities:Ocala, #1Orlando-Kissimmee, #5Naples-Marco Island, #6Cape Coral-Ft. Myers, #13Bradenton - Sarasota, #14Of the 200 metro markets, ten other Florida cities ranked in the top 55.I have lived in Bradenton, Florida since 1986 and am a Florida native.  If you are considering a move to this area, please give me a call.  I'll be happy to tell you how wonderful it is.Follow this link to see the entire Milken Institute and Green Street Partners 2007 Best Performing Cities Index.(Copyright © 2008 By Dan Forbes, All Rights Reserv... 01/16/2008