Do you just exist or are you pushing yourself to succeed and achieve? Everyone at some time in their life feels like they are just existing or in other words they're in a rut. At times this can be comfortable and cozy but, is it really what you need? I know if everything is comfortable and cozy I am in trouble. My late father used to say "do something, even if you do it wrong". I generally live by the axiom that if it feels good and goes according to plan it's against company policy. Nobody ever got off the couch and quarterbacked the winning super bowl team. The winner is always someone who when the road or the pain was at its unbearable worst found the courage to go even further than the next guy. I once heard the great Walter Peyton speak and one thing he said was so profound that I ... 01/05/2009

THE SAILS LUXURY HOTEL YACHT MARINA Is Close to everything and far from nothing in Fort Lauderdale. The Sails Hotel, Marina, and Shops of Fort Lauderdale, Florida (8.5 acre site) is located on the Southeast corner of the 17th Street Causeway and the Intracoastal Waterway at one of the deepest channels on the east coast of the United States. Many of the country's largest yachts moor at this location. Like the one below,   THE Shadow Allure In side view of the Shadow Allure.  The Sails is a mixed-use project designed to service the boating community as well as Fort Lauderdale's neighborhoods and tourists.      The revised development plan has a Hotel Tower Height of 120' and a Dry Storage Height of 60'.   In addition, The Sails Hotel, Marine, and Shops of Fort Lauderdale, Florida will be ... 01/04/2009

Today was great, 8 lead's in one day, and I wasn't even doing desk duty! Positivity is success! Today was fantastic.  I was at the office working and waiting for a customer and the phone was ringing off the hook. People were perusing the window and actually filling out the new customer profiles.  Some were volunteering that they had cash! At one point in time, I HAD THREE CUSTOMERS THAT I WAS TALKING TO AT ONCE OUTSIDE OUR OFFICE! AMAZING. If was a great day and it was just by circumstance.  People are over the Holidays and they are ready for a new year. How was your day AND HAVE YOU SEEN THE TREND? http://www.KarenMonsour.com, 954-464-4194 cell Broward County, Florida (Copyright © 2009 Karen L. Monsour All Rights Reserved.)   01/03/2009

Close to everything and far from nothing is how I explain Fort Lauderdale to clients, friends, and family.  It's been my Motto since I moved to Fort Lauderdale in 1994 and I plan on keeping that way. Now we have great news for Fort Lauderdale. The 8.5 acres at 2150 SW 17th St in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where the old "Pink Plaza'' and the Best Western hotel once stood  for 45 years was bought and leveled.    Now, proposed on that vacant land is a landmark new marina-hotel project called the Sails.  The Sails project was proposed by Ron Mastriana, an attorney and developer, and Tom Gonzales, his business partner. The Sails is divided into two major buildings. The west "Port" facility includes retail, restaurant, office space, boat storage and automated parking. The east "Starboard" facil... 12/29/2008

I can happily say that I now dominate google searches for my farm area, Palm Aire Country Club. It is a good feeling to see my domain in the top 5 naturally (i.e. no pay per click). I have spent over a year positioning my website to become the best source of local information. I have received a lot of positive feedback and even when I thought it was complete I kept tweaking it for functionality. Anyway, I have been in the office since around 6:30am after working about 30 hours Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Two reasons for this: First, the buyers have come out of the woodwork. Stop anyone midsentence if they tell you otherwise. I am telling you straight up I am getting over atleast a half dozen genuine leads a day of real people looking to buy right now. I had 5 customers this weekend. S... 12/28/2008

In the month of December, 2008, there were 2 Nurmi Isles Homes sold through Brokers with final purchase prices of $2,637,000 and $1,975,000.  Click here to view them.  Currently, there are 16 Nurmi Isles Homes for sale and their List Prices range from $975,000 - $9,995,000.  Click to search Homes for Sale in Nurmi Isles.  There aren't any pending sales of Homes in Nurmi Isles. All Homes in Nurmi Isles are Waterfront, Ocean Access Homes WITHOUT Fixed Bridges. Nurmi Isles is a Deepwater Community with Canal Depths up to 14 Feet, so of course, it's of particular interest to Boaters with large Vessels Homes are located on Wide Canals-up to 120' Feet Wide Nurmi Isles is not a Gated community All of the streets have Underground Utilities-a significant benefit which increases the value of Home... 12/27/2008

Located in the Northeast area of Ft. Lauderdale off of A1A/North Ocean Blvd., between Oakland Park Blvd., and Commercial Blvd., Bermuda-Riviera is one of Ft Lauderdale's best Waterfront communities.Bermuda-Riviera includes 234 Single Family Homes built from 1939 - 2007, located on Fort Royal Isle, Castle Harbor Isle, NE 34th Avenue, NE 42nd Court, NE 40th Court, NE 40th Street, NE 39th Street, NE 38th Street, and NE 37th Street.Bermuda-Riviera Highlights: •·         Most of the Homes are located on Access Canals or directly on the Intracoastal•·         There are no Fixed Bridges•·         Guard Gated Community•·         Walking distance to the Beach•·         Located conveniently close to Restaurants, Shops, and downtown Ft. Lauderdale•·         Deeded Beach Access on the Galt Ocean Mi... 12/27/2008

Intelligent people don't listen to the news, do they? Intelligence is bliss...Professional RE agents, what say You? I'm so tired of the bla, bla, bla of the negativity reported by the news about the Real Estate situation. I'm even MORE TIRED, of the people here who constantly blog about the negativity... WHAT IS YOUR POINT? Do you think reiterating the negativity that the uneducated reporters , NOT LICENSED REAL ESTATE AGENTS, who have no knowledge and are not licensed real estate agents who just read what is written by the other uneducated reporters write, are helping the general public. Come on. Most people can see through this debacle. How well are you doing if all you can write about is negativity? No wonder you aren't doing well...YOU ARE BUYING INTO, the NEGATIVE REPORTS from the ... 12/23/2008

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU AR MEMBERS and LOCALISM VIEWERS! Take a break from work and spend time with your family...Take a day or two off and appreciate what you have. Live life to the fullest and take the time to appreciate what you have RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU. Life, sometimes is really short....Live life a day at a time...enjoy life to the fullest... IF YOU ARE STRESSED: If you are in a topsy tervy relationship, just remember: "If you love someone, And you set them free, If they come back to you, they're yours. If they don't they were never meant to be." Don't know the author, but good advice. Don't stress on jobs, money, or anything else...OK...do it after the Holidays. However, appreciate your family and the joy of the Holidays...It's once a year...AND IT'S SPECIAL...if you don't ... 12/23/2008

 Needed, French speaking Sr. High Math tutor for a foreign customer. I am in need of a French/English speaking High School Math teacher for one of my customers.  They are from Canada.  They home school their children and are doing OK for all subjects except the 10th grade Algebra. These folks are planning to buy a home here in the next week or so and will be here until next spring. Since they home school and are aware that they cannot do the high school math, this would be a tutorial for the required information needed for 10th grade level Math.  If this works out, I'm sure that next year at 11th grade, 12th grade and future work would be there as well. If any of you know bi-lingual Math. teachers, licensed please in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area,  please let me know ASAP. They will be ... 12/12/2008

Anyone who’s considered purchasing Fort Lauderdale real estate probably found out rather quickly that the economic recession and the drop in home values make things a little harder than usual. It may be harder but that’s not to say it’s impossible. With the right research, financial stability, and preparation buying a home isn’t necessarily that hard. Here are a few things to stay away from if you are indeed considering a home purchase. Buying Weston real estate is a lofty investment and the mortgage payments can be substantial so don’t make any other major purchase like a car if money is relatively tight. Monthly mortgage payments on top of car payments can cause financial strain and you certainly don’t want to become the next foreclosure statistic due to having too much debt. The mone... 12/10/2008

  Warning… this blog is thought provoking, but is only for the weary sole that can outlast and read 1,500 words. But it’s worth your time…. Just my .02.   Today was an interesting day. My Google Alerts told me that someone mentioned me in a post. The title was "Mortgage Professional or Used Car Salesman? Why it pays to know the difference."  In order to get an idea where I am going with this, you first need to read this blog.  I need a quick fix !!  Please pass me that 4.5% rate over here now !!  (hint-I was trying to make a specific point, but was accused of not showing the value of money - again, my post was not about the value of money, but why lowering rates could hurt our economy. Secondly, I even stated this in my post. But that was failed to be recognized.) picture from istockpho... 12/08/2008

I am often asked if we've reached the bottom of the Fort Lauderdale Real Estate Market and if it is time to buy? With so many pundits and so called experts reporting statistics and offering up their opinions often conflicting, there is no question as to the why there is so much confusion. Fox News reported a few weeks ago a finding by RealtyTrac that "1/3 of all homes offered for sale by the end of 2008 will be sold by banks" through Foreclosures.  Many homes offeres for sale by Short Sales will end up going into foreclosure because lenders take too long in responding to potential buyers, often taking as long as 4 months or more to respond to a buyer's offer to purchase. With home prices in Fort Lauderdale adjusting back for the most part to 2004 levels and on average prices have declin... 12/07/2008

I attended Hudson & Marshall Auction yesterday at the Hyatt Bonaventure 300 properties we auctioned; this was my first time ever attending one of these events. And while I went there with one of my investor clients I must say that going to one of these events was a phenomenal experience, I wrote every single one of the prices that each home sold for as I like to keep it as a good indicator for future reference. Here is what my client purchases keep in mind that before bidding on anything you MUST perform your due diligence on the property, inspections, comparables, restrictions etc. Unit in Downtown West Palm Beach originally sold for $342k in 2005 we got it for $112.500 intracoastal front.   Coral Springs condo originally sold for $272k in 2005 we got it for $62.500   AMAZING DEALS!!!N... 12/07/2008

December 7, 1941 is remembered as "a date which will live in infamy":   Pearl Harbor Day. Thousands of lives were lost, a major portion of America's Pacific fleet was in pieces and the U.S. was catapulted into war in the Pacific. Today, at the onshore "USS Arizona" Memorial Visitor Center, we can see displays of World War II naval history and wartime Hawaii; and view a film about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. A ferry shuttles back and forth between the visitor center and the memorial where one can actually stand right above the "Arizona". In fact, the rusted remains of the "Arizona" are clearly visible under the waters of Pearl Harbor. The memorial to the 1,100 men, entombed forever within the sunken, once mighty, battleship, straddles the "USS Arizona". One wall of the structure... 12/06/2008

Monday night (12/1/08) I attended the Dave Koz Concert with my Husband and absolutely LOVED it!  Dave Koz' Smooth Jazz Christmas 2008 Concert at Broward Center for the Peforming Arts was one of the Tour Dates on the 2008 Dave Koz and Friends Tour. Monday night's performance featured Dave Koz along with multi-talented Band and Artists, Jonathan Butler, Keiko Matsui, Jeff Golub, Brian Simpson, Stevo Theard, Bill “Rubberhand Man” Sharpe, and Randy Jacobs.  This was my first time hearing any of their Live performances and the Vocals, Drums, Piano, Bass, and Guitar were beyond phenomenal! The Songs included Smooth Jazz versions of Christmas Classics such as "My Favorite Things," "White Christmas", "O Holy Night", "Little Drummer Boy" and others along with many Smooth Jazz favorites.   The 2... 12/01/2008

The 2008 Seminole Hard Rock Winterfest Boat Parade in Ft. Lauderdale is right around the corner and I'll be attending.    It's scheduled for December 13, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. The Parade Route starts on the New River, travels East to the Intracoastal Waterway, and continues North to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach. To enjoy the show, you have 2 viewing options: Free Viewing along the Parade Route with prime viewing spots East of The Stranahan House View the Parade from the Grandstand Viewing area, which opens at 3:00 p.m. and will offer reserved and assigned seating, located inside Birch State Park on the Northeast corner of Sunrise Blvd. and the Intracoastal Waterway. The Grandstand Viewing Area will feature interactive games for the family, Florida Panthers' Slap Shot Game, 99.9 KISS... 12/01/2008

  Professional Office/Retail Suite Number: R-A Space Available SF: 2,000 SF Minimum Divisible SF: 2,000 SF Maximum Contiguous SF: 2,000 SF Space Subcategory 1: Office Building Space Subcategory 2: Office Showroom Lease Rate ($/SF): $20 PSF Lease Rate Type: Annual Date Available: 11/11/2008 Lease Term (Months): See Agent Lease Type: Absolute NNN Space Type: New Conference Rooms: 1 Offices: 5 Kitchen: Yes Parking Spaces: 6 Real Estate Taxes: $5.25 Operating Expenses: $13 CAM Expenses: $7.75 Rent Escalators: Index Lease Rent Escalators Description: 4.5% Annually Rent Concession: office is being offered fully furnished, with PBX and 15 phones, 1 T1 Internet service, Photocopy machine. Phone service (excluding International long distance) Internet Service and electricity are included. 200 S... 11/30/2008

The FDD - Franchise Disclosure Document and Franchise Agreement isn't so scary; in fact, it is typically a standardized document brimming with franchise information   Ft. Lauderdale, FL --  Young entrepreneurs who are looking to enter the world of franchising have learned a lot of valuable information by working with Rick Bisio, a highly respected franchise consultant and mentor for franchisees in training.  Rick teaches his students all about researching franchises and choosing one that is right for them.    Rick has discovered that many students are intimidated at the thought of reading and understanding the franchise contract.  In one of his recent mentoring sessions, Rick explained, "Though the contract may seem to be very heavy on legal terms it is not so difficult to understand on... 11/30/2008

Up until now, it's been kind of fun, hasn't it? This whole ‘franchise education' process? You've told your friends that you're thinking of being your own boss, you've found a franchise that appears to match your goals and desires, you've talked to existing franchisees...and now it's time to read the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and Franchise Agreement.   Ugh. It looks and feels heavy and legal. No fun. Scary even. Rest assured that fear at this point is normal and healthy.  What you don't know is that the franchise disclosure document you hold in your hands is a lot friendlier than it looks. It constitutes a standardized document, full with franchise information. You've likely heard that it's written to protect the franchisor; you should also know that it protects the franchisee ... 11/30/2008