What’s Happening This Weekend At Wickham Park In Melbourne FL?   Experience the sounds, foods, and culture of India!   INDIAFEST will be held at Wickham Park in Melbourne this weekend on Saturday March 8th2014 from  10am to 6pm and Sunday March 9th from 11am to 5pm   As in past years, this weekend Wickham Park will come alive with colorful, traditional Indian costumes.Visitors will be in for a treat as they immerse themselves and experience rich Indian culture.   Vendors from Florida and other states will be in Melbourne selling Indian sarees and other traditional Indian costumes, Indian jewelry, and works of art.Don’t miss the chance to sample delicious Indian foods, like curry.Visitors can enjoy henna painting, yoga and culinary demonstrations and also watch the popular fashion show... 03/07/2014

One of the excuses I here from a lot of people is that exercise equipment is expensive, bulky and it is hard to find time to use it. Here is a great piece of equipment to get you moving. It will cost very little and give you huge results for just a few minutes and a few bucks. I do quite a few exercises with the ball...but I will include two photos (see below) of ones I use to firm my stomach (core) and arms. I do push ups and sit ups on the ball. Another use I make (which could not be easier and yields great results is to use it in place of a chair when I am sitting and working on my computer. This forces you to use some core and leg muscles to keep your balance.       03/07/2014

Bridget Sentz, Realtor & Carolyn Smith, Realtor, Coastal Estate Team: Spring Has Sprung! Visit Florida Tech's Botanical Fest This Weekend! Check out this weekend's Botanical Fest at Florida Tech! Spring has sprung, and it's time to refresh your landscaping! For all of our "green thumb" clients, we wanted to let you know about a great event happening this weekend, the Botanical Fest Plant and Garden Sale at Florida Tech in Melbourne. It's a great opportunity to pick up some new palms, exotics, native plants, shrubs, flowering plants, and much more... just in time to find some inspiration to do a little spring planting! Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions, and visitors can take a free, guided tour of Florida Tech's gorgeous Botanical Garden. Food and beverages will be ava... 02/26/2014

There Are Never Any "Silly" Questions. Sometimes I answer the phone and on the other side of the phone conversation is a consumer asking questions. How much can I get for my property? Is counseling mandatory? How long does the process last? etc.  These are questions I have heard a billion times over but they never seem like "silly" questions to me. I may specialize in reverse mortgages but my clients don't so it's up to me to educate them. This is why I'm here, this why they're calling me. They're interested but have doubts, concerns, questions and they called me because they trust me to answer them truthfully. If this isn't a vote of consumer confidence, I don't know what is. While not every exchange that begins with general inquires on the reverse mortgage program ends with a closing,... 02/25/2014

I lived in Greece for 2 years when I was a teenager.  I loved it!  There is just something about everything...GREEK!  I love the food, the culture, the language...everything.  Well this month, the people of Brevard County will be able to experience a little bit of Greece.  On February 21, 22 and 23rd the 42nd Annual Greek Festival at Saint Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church at  5965 N Wickham Rd in Melbourne.  For those of you that have never attended a Greek Festival it is awesome!  You can enjoy live Greek music and dancing and best of all, you get to eat authentic Greek food!                                                                                 The hours for the Greek Festival are: Friday - 11:00am - 11:00pmSaturday - 11:00am - 11:00pmSunday - 12:00 noon - 8:00pmThere is a n... 02/15/2014

This wonderful Melbourne, Florida home is now under contract. 4136 Aiken Lane is in the Eagle Lake North subdivision and has 1,960 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, an office area, and a lovely spacious kitchen with stainless steel appliances that is open to the family room.  There is a large 2 car garage that enters into a big laundry room with new front loading washer and dryer.  There is a fully fenced yard off of the spacious Florida room.  Located just south of 192, this gorgeous home is closed to shopping, dining and entertainment. Eagle Lake North is one of the several wonderful communities to choose from on the beautiful Space Coast of Florida. If you have any questions about this or any of the other great Space Coast Area communities, please do not hesitate to call Kerry a... 02/14/2014

  The 4th Annual Eau Gallie Founders Day Fish Fry will be this weekend, February 15, 2014 in Eau Gallie Square at the corner of Eau Gallie Boulevard and Highland Avenue, Melbourne. The event will feature fried fish dinners from Squid Lips Grill.   There will be live music and children's activities.   Come enjoy a fish dinner of fried tilapia, baked beans, cole slaw and hush puppies.  Price is $10 in advance, and $12 on Saturday.  Tickets can be purchased from several merchants on Highland Avenue. Or, visit the website to purchase them.  Mathers’ Cake Shop is donating a large birthday cake for the event. There will be a history tent with hourly presentations. There will be a Farmers Market and local artists. Proceeds will go to charities supported by Rotary and Eau Gallie Arts District t... 02/13/2014

  Two 5k Run/Walk Events on February 8, 2014 in Melbourne FL and Indialantic FL   This Saturday Feb 8, 2014 there are two fun Run/Walk events in the Melbourne area. The Tooth Trot 5k Run/Walk and the Indialantic Soaring Eagles 5k Run/Walk   The Tooth Trot 5k Run/Walk                                                                  www.toothtrot.com This event is presented by Brevard County Dental Society (BCDS). The proceeds from this event will benefit, “Give Kids a Smile”. Brevard County Dental Society provides free dental care to children in need, within Brevard county. The proceeds raised from Tooth Trot will aid BCDS in providing dental health educational supplies and toothbrushes and toothpaste for the children and their families.   There will be awards given based on overall and ... 02/06/2014

  "This house doesn't look like the online pictures." I've heard this before. While out showing houses for sale, I pulled up to a house and thought I must be at the wrong property. "Is this it?' Are you sure?" the buyer prodded. We checked the street sign and the house number. They matched the listing. We checked the company and agent name on the for sale. It matched the listing. But, the outside picture sure didn't look like the house we were sitting in front of.  How long had it been on the market?  Had the property deteriorated since it was listed?  It looked so nice in the pictures.  Were the pictures taken recently? But we found that we were at the correct address.  My buyer wasn't sure she wanted to go in.  It looked like it needed too much work. We decided to go in anyway.   We ... 02/05/2014

  Market Update Report Brevard County Home Sales January 2014                                                           Price Range $  Listings on the Market  Listings Sold  Percentage Sold  0 – 49,999  361  112  31.02  50,000 – 99,000  934  186  19.91  100,000 – 119,000  295  51  17.29  120,000 – 139,000  320  54  16.88  140,000 – 159,000  272  35  12.87   160,000 – 179,000  267  37  13.86   180,000 – 199,000  215  35  16.29  200,000 – 249,000  412  56  13.59  250,000 – 299,000  375  20  5.33  300,000 - 399,000 432 47 10.88  400,000 - 499,000 187 19 10.16 500,000 + 434 14 3.23 Totals 4504 666 12.10      New Listings  1490  Average List Price  258,212  Pending Listings  1234  Median List Price  165,995  Absorption Rate  4.54  Average Sale Price  151,053  Avg Days on Market  86  Median S... 02/03/2014

Market Report - Brevard County FL real estate December 2013 including single family houses...  There were 817 new listings. This is an increase of 13.00% from December 2012 of 723 new listings. There were 724 closed sales. This is an increase of 23.8% from December 2012 of 585 closed sales. 306 of the sales closed were cash.  This is a 17.7% increase from December 2012 of 260 sales. Average sales price was $167,502 in December 2013. This is a 6.45 increase from 2012 of $157,410. Houses sold for about 92.7% of their list price, compared to about 92.8% of their list price in December 2012. Median days on the market were 40, compared with 41 days in 2012. In December 2013, Florida Realtors indicated there were about 1193 single family homes under contract. A buyer and seller have negotiat... 01/29/2014

Kingsmill, located just off of Lake Washington Road is a quiet, well maintained community of over 300 houses built between 1986 and 1988. It is situated between Parkway Drive and Aurora Road, just west of Wickham Road in Melbourne Florida. Kingsmill is just minutes to shopping, dining, churches and schools. Publix grocery store is within walking distance. Access to I-95, US 1 and the causeways to the beach are within 5 minutes.  The Indian River Lagoon and beaches are within 10 to 12 minutes driving distance. View Map The west end of the community boasts custom built homes by Joyal and Tiffany Builders. Several of the homes are situated on half acre sites. The other homes in the neighborhood were built by Maronda Homes. Kingsmill association fees are currently $142.00 per year, per hous... 01/22/2014

I learned about Aldi from my mother who lives in Minneapolis.  With over 1300 stores in 32 states, the German founded grocery grocery chain was founded in 1948 by Albrecht Discount thus Aldi. Aldi really is a leader in low cost grocery shopping.                            The first thing that is different about Aldi when you go, is that there are no grocery carts strewn around the parking lot.  The reason for this is that when you go to shop, you need to put in a quarter to get a cart out, and when you bring the cart back, you get your cart back!  Ingenious and effective! When you walk into an Aldi they are set up much smaller than other grocery stores such as Publix or Winn Dixie.  They have far fewer isles and few shelves to stack items on.  Most of the products in Aldi's are store br... 01/18/2014

If you own a home in Florida and live in it as your primary residence, then Florida law may allow you a $25,000 tax exemption on the assessed value of the property. If you purchased the property in 2013, 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, some homeowners may be entitled to an additional $25,000 in exemption for a total of $50,000, on the assessed value of their property. Check online to see whether you are eligible and if there are any other exemptions applicable to you. New homeown... 01/15/2014

Reverse Mortgage FAQ: "Should I Get a Reverse Mortgage If I'm Moving...(Eventually)? A reverse mortgage or a home equity conversion mortgage, is a mortgage that pays you based on your age, home equity and is contingent on whether or not you live in your primary residence. Some homeowners, however, question their decision to get a reverse mortgage, especially if they have plans to move in the near future. It's a valid question considering the loan will become due and payable if they are no longer live in their primary residence, for whatever reason, because the amount a borrower can potentially receive is also dependent on the amount of home equity they have accumulated through the years. So the question remains: "Should I Get a Reverse Mortgage If I'm Moving...(Eventually)? Well, variou... 01/13/2014

I recently spoke to a man whose parents wanted to buy a home here in Brevard County.  Mom and Dad live in the Bronx and had come down this past summer to buy their retirement home.  According to their son, they had found a home and went under contract on it.  However, after they had done their inspection they were told they "couldn't continue on" with the contract.  They didn't understand why, and no one would or could explain it to them. Obviously this just didn't sound right to me.  After doing a little homework, I figured out what had happened.  They had put in an offer on a short sale.  But no one explained to them that the contract would have to be approved by a third party lender.  Unfortunately, the agent that had written up the contract didn't understand the process and had them... 01/13/2014

What Are Todays’ Buyers Looking For In A Home? The following is a list of some of the things that are important to today’s buyer, not necessarily in any particular order.     Convenience to Work: Living in a home which is a convenient commute to work is a priority for home buyers. A home that is a short distance to work can be a big plus as it enhances the balance between work and home life.   Convenience to amenities: Coffee shops and grocery stores nearby are a definite plus for the home buyers.   Quality of public schools in the area: School boundaries have a large impact on buyers decision to purchase a home. Younger buyers are also willing to pay more for quality schools in the area where they purchase a home.   Open Floor Plans: Open floor plans are popular with today’s buyer. Whe... 01/11/2014

I reached 200,000 a few days back…and I didn't even notice! Points haven't been the main draw of Active Rain since I joined (back in 2007) but it's still be a rewarding journey nonetheless.  I've seen many bloggers surpass a million (and some even 2 million) but 200,000 has been half a decade in the making and it's good to be here. Funny that I didn't notice it till right now, when I'm already a quarter of the way to 201,000, but its there and there's no denying that lots of blogging, lots of contests and lots of participation on Active Rain has finally pushed me higher up the point totem pole.  It's true that even if you don't come to Active Rain for the points, it's still great to see that score go up until you become a millionaire. As they say, "there's nowhere to go but up!" Interes... 01/10/2014

Will Home Mortgages Become More Expensive, Soon? Did you know new lending guidelines will be in place beginning this March? Home prices have been on the rise and along with that the mortgage interest rates too, have gone up. Lending rules are getting tougher. Even though Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do not originate new mortgages they do buy about 66% of the loans underwritten by the banks. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have announced new tougher guidelines which go in effect starting March 2014. This is expected to easily add about half a point to the interest rate that a fixed rate borrower will pay. Next month in February 2014 federal rules known as “ability to re-pay” and “qualified mortgage” are also set to kick in. These rules impose tough penalties for banks that write unconventional ... 01/09/2014

Do Married Couples See Eye-to-Eye on Retirement Plans? Retirement can be a stressful time for many people. Most of the time, it means leaving your current job, slowing down and reevaluating your priorities as new challenges and opportunities arise. For a married couple it may be even more stressful because they have to contend with two perspectives on retirement and, sometimes, these may clash. It's not something I've thought of in-depth before but an article on Market Watch, "U.S. Faces a Married Couples' Retirement Crisis", does a great job of explaining the potential factors that can lead to a marriage crisis during retirement. A study, conducted by the Fidelity Investment Couples Retirement Study, states that 38% of couples disagree about the lifestyle they want during retirement. N... 01/07/2014