As someone who has held a real estate license for quite some time...I often find it interesting that while the size of homes (especially kitchens and bathrooms) have continued to grow,  lot size has shrunk! I just visited a new community near Viera, Florida that I think..if you really tried...you could reach out and high-five your neighbor. The sad part is, you could accomplish this while each of you were still in your own living rooms! 40-60 foot wide lots have become the norm! For those of you looking for a Space Coast home and lot with a little breathing room, the perfect new development is selling out fast...the Reserve at Lake Washington in Melbourne, FL. Lots range from 2/3 of an acre to over 1 acre! Paradigm Builders is a custom home builder doing beautiful work throughout Cent... 02/01/2015

Are Those Little Buggers Munching Away at Your House? Termites cause billions of dollars in damage each year. The soil here in Florida is conducive to termites.  We often say that, In Florida, it's not if you have termites, it's when you get termites. Some facts about termites: Termites don’t sleep.  They eat 24 hours a day.   A home can have as many as 3 to 4 termite colonies around it with 1 million termites in each colony. One colony of termites can eat 1000 lbs of cellulose ( found in high moisture wood) a year. The worker and soldier termites are usually blind because they live in the dark. The king and queen termite can live 20 to 30 years, while the workers only live for about 2. Termite damage can go unseen for years. Termites can be found in every state in the nation, except Al... 01/28/2015

  Did you know that you can cut years off of your mortgage and save thousands of dollars? By making one additional principal payment each year on your 30 year fixed rate mortgage, you can cut approximately 8 years off of your loan and save tens of thousands of dollars. Have you heard about bi weekly mortgage payments?  These are when your mortgage payment amount is divided in half and you make the payment every 2 weeks, in effect adding one additional payment to your loan by the end of the year. Be careful though, as often this costs a fee to set up and the lending institution charges a monthly fee to process the payment. You can create the same effect by making an additional mortgage payment each year. (This figure may vary depending on the type of your loan.) Are you thinking that you... 01/27/2015

Walt Disney World is offering 3 days at a Disney World Theme Park for just $139.00 for Florida Residents. And you can add a 4th day for only $20.00. Days don't have to used consecutively, you can spread them out from now until June 5, 2015.  Black out days are March 30, 2015 to April 9, 2015 for Magic Kingdom. So, you cannot visit the parks using this deal,  during these times. One theme park per day Proof of Florida Residency requited Disney World Theme Parks include Disney's Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom For more information check it out here. Walt Disney World 3 days for $139 for Florida Residents Sandy Shores Melbourne FL Real Estate Brevard County FL Real Estate     01/26/2015

The Reserve at Lake Washington, the incredible new development of 2/3 to 1+ acre lots in the Melbourne/Lake Washington area (located in Brevard County on Florida's Space Coast) is off to a very fast start. The list of builders who have signed up to build is extensive. As a buyer you will have a choice of production homes, semi-custom and custom home builders. I can help you chose the right builder for your needs...just call me at 321.223.6253 or email me at jdimuria@aol.com. I take the pressure off by going over the positive aspects of each builder...while allowing you to choose which home builder is your "best fit" without having hundreds of calls and emails from different builder salespeople...all telling you they build the best home on earth! Once you choose your builder and lot I ca... 01/22/2015

The torrential thunderstorms that came in last night around 6:30 brought a couple of inches of rain to some parts of Melbourne. The winds and poor weather conditions lasted for several hours. We woke up to a beautiful day today. Somehow the grass looks a bit greener and the flowers seem a bit more vibrant. The simple things are best. Torrential Rains Showcase the Beauty of the Season Sandy Shores Melbourne FL Real Estate Brevard County FL Real Estate 01/13/2015

After we pressure washed the faded and chalky paint on this Melbourne, Fl home, we then applied a tinted sealer to all off the exterior surfaces of the home to be painted (due to chalkiness and also to assure good adhesion of the finish coats).Next, we repaired the two column bases stucco areas, matched the stucco skip trowel texture, repaired all stucco cracks, rusted stucco bands and primed those areas with a alkali resistant acrylic masonry primer. We then re-caulked all windows and applied two colors and two coats of Acrylic- Satin exterior paint.   Being a lifetime local and licensed painting contractor here in Brevard County since 1995. I know all of the proper sealers, paints and repair methods and procedures to get the maximum duration and protection for probably the most impor... 01/12/2015

Have you filed for Homestead Exemption in Brevard? When you own a home in Florida, and live in it as your primary residence, then Florida law typically allows you a $25,000 tax exemption on the assessed value of the property. If you purchased the property in 2014, then it is time for you to file for homestead, as it doesn't automatically transfer to a new owner, at the start of the new year. An application must be filed. After that, the exemption automatically renews, if you remain eligible. Homestead exemption may allow a Florida homeowner a savings of approximately $450 on their yearly tax bill. And, with Amendment 1, many homeowners may be entitled to an additional $25,000 in exemption for a total of $50,000 in exemption on the assessed value of their property.  Thus, allowing appro... 01/12/2015

          We are off to a very fast start in our new development Reserve at Lake Washington with almost 1/3 of the available home-sites already under contract! The demand has been overwhelming, in large part because this is a gated community with large lots (.7 to over 1 acre), beautiful lakes, a nice amount of reserve and park land as well as a wonderful location. The real bonus here is the fact that the Reserve at Lake Washington is located within the Award Winning Brevard County School District! Lot prices start at $75,000 (as of 1/8/15) with lot premiums on lake, custom and preserve lots. Homes in the production section must be a minimum of 2200 sqft (under air), and the custom section start at 2800 sqft. Prices for home and lot packages will run from around $400,000 to over $800,0... 01/08/2015

Bridget Sentz, Realtor & Carolyn Smith, Realtor ~ Coastal Estate Team – Melbourne, FL Real Estate: Just Sold in Only 3 Days in Lake Washington Oaks, Melbourne! Just Sold in Lake Washington Oaks, Melbourne Listed and under contract in just 3 days, the Coastal Estate Team just sold this wonderful, move-in ready home, ideally situated in the neighborhood of Lake Washington Oaks in Melbourne. With over 2,100 square feet including 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, this home’s open floor plan is perfect for comfortable living as well as entertaining. The formal living and dining rooms are located in the front of the home, and the large kitchen is open to the great room at the rear of the home. The generously sized master suite features a large walk-in closet and oversized master bath. Add to this t... 12/27/2014

Saturday marks an evening of fun for kids of all ages when the Melbourne Light Parade will wind it's way through the city starting at 6 p.m.  The festivities will start at the intersection of Airport and NASA boulevards. From there, the parade will go south on Airport Boulevard and turn west onto Hibiscus Boulevard.  Once on Hibiscus, the parade will continue to Gateway Drive which is near the Premiere Oaks 10 Theater.  Visitors are requested to bring non-perishable food items, new un-wrapped toys and bags of dog and/or cat food.  There will be volunteers along the parage route to collect donations.  A map of the parade route is below.  See you at the parade! 12/12/2014

As an update for those who are interested in our new development...the Reserve at Lake Washington, here are the lots that have been confirmed with builders and buyers. We will actually open our model/office right after Thanksgiving but we are already in full swing! The homes including lot will sell between $400k to $800k plus! They are all sized between 2/3 of an acre to well over 1 acre. As you can see by the map we still have many lake lots and reserve lots available. Give me a call at 321.223.6253 or email me at jdimuria@aol.com for more info. I would be happy to set an appointment to show you this beautiful gated development that is near I-95, shopping, award winning schools, medical facilities, malls and recreation (including boating and fishing on beautiful Lake Washington). 11/18/2014

It is finally November. Here on the Space Coast that means the part time residents (we call them snow birds) will start their annual trek down to the warm weather and winter days in the 70s! It also means I will get hundreds of emails asking for recommendations on all types of food. If you are coming down and crave some great Mediterranean food...look no further than Cedars Cafe in Melbourne. This is a cool little cafe that will transport you to a Greek village for about an hour :) One of the reasons I look for great Mediterranean food is the cuisine tends to offer good options for virtually every diet, and in this department Cedars Cafe will not disappoint. The menu has a wide variety of items that will appeal to those who crave beef, chicken, lamb, sandwiches, salads, skewers or platt... 11/03/2014

                The Reserve at Lake Washington is off to an amazing start...and it has not even officially opened yet. We have sold 57 of the 230+ Homesites available and kick off day is not scheduled until Thanksgiving! We are able to handle the sales for all five builders: Lifestyle Homes, A&E Custom, Stanley, Springwater and Space Coast Custom Homes.  Give me a call at 321.223.6253, email me at jdimuria@aol.com or contact me from my website www.SpaceCoastHomesNow.com I would be happy to discuss with you the options you will have and how we can help you get the homesite that fits your needs (from 2/3 of an acre up to 1+ acre) and the builder who can help you shape your dream home! If you have a home you need to sell before purchasing (or you need a long contingency) call me at 321.22... 10/27/2014

  This is a video in my Space Coast Homes Now video series. I speak about the differences between purchasing a condo, townhouse or co-op here on the Space Coast. After viewing, if you have any questions about purchasing a condo, townhome, co-op or single family home contact me at 321.223.6253 or email me at jdimuria@aol.com You can also reach me by filling out a contact form on my www.SpaceCoastHomesNow.com website. 10/17/2014

Bridget Sentz, Realtor & Carolyn Smith, Realtor ~ Coastal Estate Team – Melbourne, FL Real Estate: Just Sold! Gated Estate Home in Windover Farms, Melbourne Just Sold! Gated Estate Home in Windover Farms, Melbourne! The Coastal Estate Team just sold this spacious pool home with private gate, situated on 1.53 acres in Windover Farms in Melbourne. This sprawling estate offers 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, and a 3-car garage in over 3,600 square feet of living space. Some highlights of the home are the gorgeous flooring including travertine marble and hand scraped hardwood, huge commercial kitchen, family room with fireplace, large master suite, and a private guest suite with separate entrance. Our clients were thrilled with the floor plan, which wraps around the pool and spa and allows views and... 10/08/2014

One of the coolest things about living on the Space Coast is all of the aeronautical events that go on.  We have rockets that get shot off from the Cape (Canaveral) on a pretty regular basis. Regardless of how many rocket launches there are, you always see people line up on the beach whenever one is going up.  Well, this weekend we are in for an extra treat.  Northrup Grumman is sponsoring the air and space show October 4th and 5th at the Melbourne International Airport.   Northrop Grumman is sponsoring a full-size model of the world's largest drone, the RQ-$ Global Hawk, that visitors will be able to see.   In addition there will be over a dozen performances from both civilian and military aircraft.  Perhaps the most well known of all the performances will be the US Air Force Thunderb... 10/02/2014

   I love all types of food. I often get cravings for all different styles of Asian Cuisine. With that in mind I decided to try Mangetsu in Melbourne on Rt 192 just east of US1.  Mangetsu is billed as a Japanese, Korean and Thai Grill...so I expected a large menu of offerings and Mangetsu did not disappoint! In fact, they could easily trim it down a bit...I had trouble deciding what to choose! I went with Sushi and had a Dragon Roll (nicely priced at under $9) as well as a Seaweed Salad that was delicious. Both the lunch and dinner menus are far to extensive to list (I will put in a link courtesy of MenuPix). They carry  a large selection of both Korean and Japanese Saki...filtered and unfiltered!!! A full bar, an outdoor patio bar and an indoor bar all await you if the standard tables ... 10/02/2014

Space Coast Investment Property: 5-Plex For Sale   Amazing Investment   • 2,251 sq. ft. single story - MLS $250,000 USD   Palm Bay, Palm Bay  -  5 Units:Main House 2 Bed 1 Bath Rent $8501 Bedroom 1 Bath Rent $6001 Efficiency+ Rent $6002 Efficiency Rents $550 eachAmazing Deal on remodeled 5-plex. The complex includes all Five Apartments! This complex is fully rented, has a great clubhouse area with income generating laundry facility, tables and recreation! Gross income is $46,650 and Net Income after all expenses and taxes is $36,440This is a steal! Property informatio 09/30/2014

  When I switched brokers a couple of months ago, one of the main reasons for the move was the opportunity to not only continue to run my business the way I feel is best  (based on my opinion of what the future holds with respect to the real estate industry), but also because my new broker has his pulse on new construction developments as well as resale business. With that in mind I wanted to introduce to my friends on Activerain our newest development project. It is called Reserve at Lake Washington in Melbourne, FL. This community is a gated subdivision near the beautiful country-like setting of Lake Washington...yet close to I-95, shopping, medical facilities, schools and much more! The development has well over 200 lots. The lot sizes will range from about 2/3 of an acre up to 1 acr... 09/26/2014