Miami-Dade officials are cracking down on homestead exemption fraud.  Folks who claim the exemption and don’t qualify for it will have to not only pay the higher tax bill, they will also owe back taxes, plus penalties and interest. Miami-Dade’s new Property Appraiser, Carlos Lopez-Cantera, promised to crack down on homestead exemption fraud when he took office.  And he has delivered.  The crack down effort has been a combined effort between the municipalities of Pinecrest, Coral Gables, Hialeah, Key Biscayne, Miami, Miami Gardens, South Miami, Sweetwater & West Miami.  Each of these cities committed one special detective to the effort and it has certainly paid off.   The extra manpower produced $6.2 million in violation for the months of September and October, compared to $3 million in ... 10/14/2013

The Miami Real Estate Market  continues to be red hot like the Miami Heat there is no stopping us !!  With the rates continuing to be at record lows and the inventory being low as well this combination sure makes it hard on the buyers out there.  I have recently implemented a new tool to search for new listings were a client can log in and set up their own search.  With the market the way it is buyers need all the help they can get.  The Miami Real Estate Market will gradually start to increase in value and appreciation however until the economy and job outlook gets stronger a stronger pace will not be expected or needed.  If you need to reach me for any questions regarding a short sale or need special assistance you can also use my new CDPE web site which is full of resources and help ... 03/01/2012

The Reverse Mortgage is seeing many changes now in October 2010, and what a seesaw ride the last few months have been in the Reverse Mortgage Industry.  Much of the news has been doom and gloom.  First, we waited for congress to sign the $250 Million appropriation that FHA was asking for, but it never came.  FHA needed this money to supplement and diminishing Mortgage Insurance Fund, but congress only allowed for $150M and then reduced it to $140M.  This in turn caused FHA to announce that they would lower the Principal Limit for Reverse Mortgages a second year in row.  What exactly does this mean? In 2009, FHA announced a 10% reduction of the loan amount that a borrower receives for the Reverse Mortgage starting FY 2010 (which was Oct 1, 2010).  So imagine falling values only compounde... 10/12/2010