HOW TO GET YOUR PROPERTY SOLD

According to HomeGain.com, a real estate services website, 76% of homeowners in the first quarter believed their home was worth more than the listing price that their real estate agents recommended.   They stated that home buyers usually understand current market value better than sellers who own and live there and many buyers still think homes are overpriced.

They point out that your home is worth what a buyer will pay for it according to current market conditions.  Consider how real estate agents and appraisers establish a selling price or price range – by researching similar homes to yours that recently sold.  Appraisers adjust comparable prices if there is a pool in one property and not in the other, or a remodeled kitchen.  Other factors are considered as well.  You need to see and understand the facts and not use emotions to decide on a list price.

Sellers get offers they think are too low and say, “I’m not giving my house away.”   They should surely then go over market conditions by looking at comparative sales, before turning an offer down after their agent tries to negotiate it up.  “Giving it away” is a myth. 

Buyers look for properties that are new on the market, and early on you have the best opportunity to sell your house.  Buyers want to feel they are getting a good deal.

If you want to sell, dispense with the funds incurred to keep it up, perhaps HOA fees and others, look carefully at the facts your agent presents to you regarding prices.  Buyers look at them, and know the market values.  When you become a buyer, you will also thoroughly research prices of properties you are interested in.

INTERESTED IN ONLINE SCHOOLS?

FLORIDA ONLINE COLLEGES - could be "the way to go" - http://www.onlineschools.org/guides/Florida.

Florida is one of the few states that have opted to join the Elementary & Secondary Education Act's (ESA) Flexibility clause which promotes charter online schools.  Children who are home-schooled or attend schools that are poor performing can take free credited courses with online schools in Florida.  Online students also have many resources available including academic advising, school newspapers and literary magazines, student clubs and comprehensive virtual libraries.  

Academic counseling for students from Grade 6 up is available from FACTS.org.  Financial aid plans are available for online students.  The Florida Bright Futures Scholarship program is lottery-based for financial aid and available to any Florida resident.  Degree programs are available in agriculture, education, business, design construction and health care, offered at the certificate, associate, bachelor, master or doctorate level.

Check out the directory to see all that is available and perhaps you will make personal use of this information, or pass it on to a friend.

If you are a biker and will be in or near New Haven, CT September 8th, you can participate in the Ride Closer to Free fund raising event for cancer research and patient care at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-NewHaven.  

Support a participant with a donation which can be pledged on the site, rideclosertofree.org or donate to the ride.  Taking part are the two Capobianco brothers, both five years now in remission.

Online registration ends at midnight, Wednesday, September 5^th or on the day of the ride at the Yale Bowl.  Participants must arrive by 6 am.  Riders and volunteers interested in taking part in the Closer to Free Bike Ride should contact the Office of Development at 203.688.8727 or email rideclosertofree@ynhh.org.

Perhaps you can "light just one little candle".

  There are rumors flying all over the net that the recent OK by the Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act will mean a 3.8% Tax on Home Sales on 2013. Well it's not that easy. So to clear it all up, the National Association of Realtors issued this statement

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Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the health care legislation, all of its major provisions remain in effect, including the new tax that was designed to affect upper income taxpayers.  The 3.8% tax is imposed ONLY on  those with more than $200,000 of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) ($250,000 on a joint return).  The tax applies to investment income, defined as interest, dividends, capital gains and net rents.  These items are all included in an individual's AGI.  A formula will determine what portion, if any, of these types of investment income would be subject to the tax.
The tax is NOT a transfer tax on real estate sales and similar transactions.  Not long after the tax was enacted, erroneous and misleading documents went viral on the Internet and created a great deal of misunderstanding and made the tax into something far more draconian than the actual provisions.
The new tax does NOT eliminate the benefits of the $250,000/$500,000 exclusion on the sale of a principal residence.  Thus, ONLY that portion of a gain above those thresholds is included in AGI and could be subject to the tax.

For your own situation, please consult a financial adviser or accountant.

"BUILDING A HEALTHIER GOOGLE INITIATIVE"

Artist Ian Ross was challenged by Google to create a mural bringing the outdoors in for Google's new Mountain View, CA office wing.  

His unique "organic style" brings into the office the tranquility of nature.  

As people view these images, the large deer looking directly at them and the smaller ones not aware anyone is there, onlookers realize that perhaps they are in no normal place. They have now entered into a space in which artists are at play and where anything can happen.

ALERT: THOUSANDS MAY BE KNOCKED OFF THE INTERNET ON MONDAY

Crain's NY and other publications are warning computer users that, according to the FBI, there are about 64,000 uses who may be affected.

To check your computer go to http://www.dcwg.org/ and that site can check your computer and supply a fix.

Check it out.

Hatchling Release Tickets On Sale Soon!

As we move towards the end of the peak of sea turtle 
nesting, our sea turtle nests begin to hatch. The Gumbo 
Limbo Nature Center is one of only three facilities in 
Florida to conduct the extremely popular Hatchling 
Release Program. Hatchling sea turtles removed each 
morning from nests excavated by our Marine Turtle 
Specialists are ready to be released into the ocean in 
the evening. Participants watch as our staff places baby 
sea turtles on the sand several feet from the water's edge, 
and allows them to scurry into the ocean on their own.
 

This program is offered for all ages and runs from late 
July through mid-September. Tickets must be purchased 
in person and in advance for a specific evening, and they 
sell out quickly!  Click here for information (dates, costs, 
ticket limits, etc.) regarding the 
2012 Hatchling Release Program.




 

A GOOD TASTE OF FLORIDA HOSPITALITY

Wishing for a getaway, nearby, with historic reminders and beautiful gardens, near a downtown area brimming with museums, theaters, interesting eateries, Antiques Row, art galleries, yachts on waterways and a new downtown waterfront area? 

You can get away from the cares of the day with a weekend or longer stay at the Casa Grandview, located in downtown West Palm Beach’s trendy Grandview Heights historic district, south of City Place and Clematis.   Here you will enjoy a 1925 historic bed and breakfast inn featuring private luxury vacation resort cottages, main house guest rooms and 1948 art deco cabana suites.  It has received the AAA Four Diamond Award.  

Accommodations are chic, warm, eclectic styles and inviting and retain the original interior architecture.  There is a cozy Caribbean-like island atmosphere with a Mediterranean flair.

Walk beneath a canopy of leafy palms and flowering trees.  Sit in the garden and enjoy the serene view.  Feel surrounded by history.  Some rooms reflect the Henry Flagler Era of 1893-1913, or the Palm Beach Boom Era of 1913-1926.  Others remind you of the Historic Neighborhood Downtown Boom Era of the 1894-1920’s.

Choose from Spanish Mission, Revival, Craftsman Bungalow, Art Deco and Key West styles, one or two bedrooms and suites.  This off-the-beaten path resort provides an authentic Florida vacation experience and gracious hospitality.  There are one bedroom units, suites with living rooms, units with kitchens.

Walk to the tennis courts, the Kravis Center, and the Convention Center.  Bike or jog the scenic route.  Have lunch at the world famous Breakers Hotel.

Some accommodations enjoy complimentary breakfasts, coffee and tea service and all have allergy blocking mattress and pillow encasements.  There is a DVD rental library, hammocks, keyless door entry, 600-thread count sheets, outdoor lounging areas, chaises, dining and grilling areas.  Cottages have washers and dryers.

For more information.

ENJOY A FOOD TOUR IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT

Come on over on certain Saturdays, listed below, and join the "Taste History and Culinary Tours of Historic Palm Beach County."  Visit restaurants, eateries, cafes and markets in historic districts, areas and buildings in either Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth or Lantana, and enjoy food sampling. Learn about food history, food culture facts and foodways.

You  will be touring on a bus and walking four to six blocks for four hours, rain or shine, visiting at least two of fifteen eateries regularly on the tours, markets and urban farms.  See and hear narrative information by a live guide on historic buildings, districts and landmarks located along the tour.  Dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated but you may visit local home-grown markets, vegan restaurants, organic eateries, gourmet restaurants, soul food, visit an urban farm, and more.  Some food tasting is standing only - no sitting, so wear comfortable shoes.

Cultural Arts venues include stops at the Lake Worth Art League Gallery and the Clay, Glass, Metal, Stone Gallery in the downtown Lake Worth arts district. Cost is $35 per person, less for groups of ten, all paid in advance.   Tours being at 11 am so be there at 10:45 am.  Tours start at the Boynton Beach Mall (Macy's - Outside at East Entrance), 801 N. Congress Avenue.

The Tour is run by the Museum of Lifestyle & Fashion History in Boynton Beach, a non-profit 501c3.  Tours are held on the 2nd (Lake Worth), 3rd and 4th Saturdays (Delray Beach and Boynton Beach) of each month, year-round. The website is http://mlfhmuseum.org/culinaryfoodtours.html.

For more information call 561-243-2662 or E-mail tour@tastehistoryculinarytours.org. Private group tours are also offered.

 

 

Did you know that Delray Beach won the “Best of the Road: 2010 Best Small Towns in America” Award, announced by Rand McNally and USA Today.  You can go to http://www.bestoftheroad.com/town.do?destinationId=3433, write about what you love about Delray and attach a photo.

Several residential projects, “at rest” during the recent housing turmoil, are reviving.  Cannery Row, in the heart of Pineapple Grove and Bankers Row historic district, is located on NE Second Avenue and Lake Ida Road, with 82 3-story townhouses.  Clubhouse was recently completed.  Many units are sold and two additional buildings await permits.  Pineapple Grove is filled with restaurants, galleries, salons and is a thriving arts and cultural center.

Midtown Delray, a 17 building complex of 116 3-story rental townhomes, will begin construction on July 1^st.  Units will average just under 1700 sq ft with attached garages; 82 will accommodate 2 cars. One hundred forty temporary full-time jobs will be created.  Location is at 4200 Old Germantown Road, east of Military Trail and south of Linton Boulevard.  It is 2 miles west of I-95 and 4 miles east of the Florida Turnpike.  Ceilings will be9’4”.  Kitchens will have black appliances, 42” cabinets, granite countertops and modern lighting fixtures.  There will be a swimming pool, clubhouse and tot lot.

With many cultural venues, restaurants and shops, downtown Delray is a mecca for shoppers.  USA Today described Delray Beach as “getting hipper by the year.”  Recreational  and outdoor activities abound.