The afternoons have been a bit rainy here.  Or, let me rephrase that and say that we have had some torrential downpours.  What a good time to go out, afterwards and look at houses for sale. (provided the roads aren't flooded) When thinking of buying, I recommend that buyers take a drive by a house and through the neighborhood, if possible after a big rainstorm.  Often it can be quite telling.  It allows them to see if there is standing water on the street, or up in the front yard.   I have been out showing houses with buyers, during rough weather.  The sky starts out clear, but quickly the black clouds begin rolling in.  The sky looks menacing.  The wind starts howling, the thunder and lightning soon follow.  And, then the rain starts falling by the bucket full. Honestly, this isn't my ... 09/11/2013

Here in Brevard County FL we see some homebuyers still sitting on the fence...not sure what to do.  "What should I do?," they ask.  "Should I buy now?" "Should I rent?" "Should I wait?" "Has the market hit rock bottom?" In many of our neighborhoods prices have been going up for sometime now. No one knows how long they will continue to rise. New home construction is also on the rise.  What is a buyer to do?  I wish I had a crystal ball.  Then, I would be able to answer these questions, with certainty.  But, it seems my crystal ball broke years ago.  A couple of years ago, all the talk was about the 5 million homes sitting in shadow inventory across Florida ( those houses in some stage of the foreclosure process that had yet to hit the market).  And, then it seemed that no one was talking... 09/09/2013

In honor of National Grandparents Day, I can't help but remember those quirky things that my parents and my grandparents used to say as we were growing up.  These sayings seemed to pass from one generation to the next: This room looks like a pigsty, We're having poison for dinner and you're going to like it.  If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about. Just wait until your father gets home. Did you just roll your eyes at me? I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it. Have you lost your marbles? What do you think, I have ESP? Because I said so, that's why. Put your jacket on, you're going to catch pneumonia. This is for your own good. Okay, which one of you broke the vase?  Tell me now, or you’ll all get a spanking. Get that smirk off your face, or I'... 09/08/2013

Mark Bentley Shores  Born September 6, 2013 8 lbs. 2 oz. 19 inches long Congratulations to Brittany Baumann and Shawn Shores. Your girls, April and Miah are going to be so excited to have a new brother. A new baby in the family... what a wonderful blessing! Love you all so much! 09/07/2013

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, 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 just... 09/06/2013

I remember when a friend called saying he wanted to sell his house. He asked if I wanted to buy it. He wanted to sell in AS IS condition, because he couldn't be bothered with repairs.  My first thought was, 'do I really need another fixer upper?' "No," I told him, "I don't need another project right now." I set up an appointment to list it for sale for him.  I explained that in it's current condition, he would be taking less for the property than if he got it market ready. I told him he should pay for fix up expenses so he could sell the house for more.  He told me he 'couldn't be bothered.'  After careful thought, there I was an hour later, signing a contract to buy the house with it's crayon covered, steel gray walls, tattered carpeting, ceramic tile from the 1980's and a green swimmi... 09/05/2013

  There are currently 3745 residential properties, including single family, townhouses, condos and manufactured homes for sale in Brevard County FL.  I receive calls frequently from buyers interested in grabbing a great deal on a bank foreclosure.  They are often surprised to find that our current inventory of foreclosed properties in Brevard County FL is less than 20% of total inventory. The chart represents the breakdown of the various types of properties that are currently for sale in our market. The numbers represent the number of active residential listings available in each category; Standard listings, short sale listings and bank owned/foreclosure listings. In July 2012 there were 1957 properties for sale, with 1459 being standard listings and 132 of them being foreclosures.  The... 09/03/2013

There have been 7,935 residential properties sold in Brevard County FL to date in 2013. These sales include single family homes, residential, townhomes, manufactured homes, etc.   This is the breakdown of the price ranges that have sold. The numbers on the graph represent the number of units sold.        Our busiest market and largest number of sales are those properties priced under $100,000.  And, trailing right behind are the $101,000 to $200,000 priced properties. Houses priced below $200,000 comprise 75% of our market here in Brevard County, FL.  Prices in Brevard are still surprisingly affordable.   09/03/2013

  Before buying a Melbourne FL house remember to go back and take a second look inside and out, at a different time of day than your first look.  And, then ask questions and then ask some more. Today, buyers are sharper than ever. They don't miss much and some ask a lot of questions. I like that. When you find the house that suits your wants, needs and your budget, it's time to pull that list of questions out and start asking. There are so many things to take note of and to consider, first. How high does the house sit compared to the middle of the street? Is there sufficient drainage? Are there signs of standing water; mold and mildew on sidewalks, on patios, decks,  or near the house? Is the house close to or on a main street? How much traffic travels on the street?  How loud is it?  ... 08/29/2013

Fall will be here before we know it.  And, that means that it's time for the HNJ Beachside Fall Festival in Indialantic FL off of A1A sponsored by Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church/School.  The festival is in it's 25th year of celebrating the arrival of the season.  The festival with be held from Thursday, October 24 until Sunday, October 27th 2013.  So, mark your calendars now. Thursday   October 24   5:00 - 10:00 PM                   $20 arm bands can be purchased for unlimited carnival rides on Thursday Friday        October 25   5:00 - 11:00 PM Saturday   October 26  12:00 - 11:00 PM                    Dodge Ball    9:00  Bring a canned good.                   Art Show     10:00 - 6:00 PM Sunday      October 27  12:00 -  6:00 PM                   Art Show     11:00 - 5:00 PM      ... 08/21/2013

One owner Burgoon Berger Sanibel III listed and sold! 3 bedroom, 2 bath, pool home with breathtaking water views Sold $235,000 Greystone, Melbourne FL Thank you Caroline, Caryn and Spero for hiring me to professionally market and sell your gorgeous home. It's always a pleasure to work with you three.  You kept the house immaculate through all of the showings. You all went above and beyond in getting the misc. items on the inspection repaired so we can move smoothly to closing. Thank you, I couldn't have done it without all of your hard work!     08/21/2013

  I love almost any live event. Comedy is very high on my list. At the Melbourne Greyhound Park the upstairs poker room is called Club52. The comedy club runs in a back room of the poker hall. It is certainly nothing fancy...with portable folding tables and a bunch of chairs. They do have waitress service for food and drinks...but I am going to suggest you get your food before you come unless you are in love with very basic bar food. The shows are held every Saturday night. The doors open at 7:30 and the show starts at 8:30. You can call ahead to reserve a seat (a really good idea) or show up early (unless you enjoy being the butt of jokes at the show you do not want to be in the front row). I have seen some very funny comedians at the shows. Groucho's brings in some wonderful travelin... 08/21/2013

 We just got back from an 8 day cruise to St Thomas and Tortola Virgin Islands,  Antiqua West Indies and Nassau Bahamas.  We had a great time and the weather was gorgeous! 08/19/2013

Every Thursday, the JQB band hosts an open jam at Squidlips Bar and Grill in Melbourne, Fl. On Thursday 8/8/2013, there were 12 musicians all coordinated by John Quinlivan (JQB) and everyone was a pro. You couldn't ask for a better sound and the music was diverse. That's me in the middle with my "cool" shades playing my Blues Harp (harmonica). There are so many talented musicians and singer-songwriters out there, it's a shame that most people only see and hear what's on American Idol or the Voice. Most of the musicians last night played for nothing because music is in their soul. The next time you see a tip jar, put something in it, go up to the musician and tell him or her how much you enjoyed their show. You will both be happier because of it.  John Quinlivan and John Mayer.     On th... 08/09/2013

    Good things come to those who work their butts off and never give up! 08/08/2013

Brevard County FL Market Report - June 2013 According to the Space Coast Association of Realtors, statistics for single family homes in June 2013 are as follows: Closed sales are up 13.6% for June 2013.  Cash sales are up by 7.7% from June 2012. New Listings are up by 23.8% from June 2012.  Median sales price for Brevard County Single Family Homes are up 4% to $130,000 Median days on the market are 33, down by 19.5% from 41 in June 2012.   We are down to a 3.9 month supply of homes for sale compared to 5.1% in June 2012.  This is a decrease of 22.8%. Median sales price is $165,000. Traditional sales are up 44.8% since June 2012. Foreclosure/REO sales are up by 44% with a median sales price of $77,200. Short Sale closings are down 41.1% with a median sale price of $100,000 07/30/2013

Having had real estate licenses in multiple States one thing potential buyers and sellers must know is that each State has differences in how representation by an agent will occur. Some States like Texas require the agent (before any real estate substance is discussed) to disclose what type of agency the buyer (or seller) can choose or opt out of. In Florida buyers can be represented a few different ways. For the most part a buyer will choose between (or have it forced upon them) Transaction Brokerage or Single agency. For anyone moving from another State this tends to be a bit different because in Florida we default to Transaction Brokerage when we start with a new client. For those who are confused by this let me give you a small overview: Transaction Brokerage is a lower lever of re... 07/25/2013

I've had buyers ask me "have you ever seen a haunted house?"  Well, funny that you ask, I respond, as I remembered the day my tenant called me frantically. She said she needed to talk right away.  So, I got in the car and headed right over. When I got there, she immediately started with 'I have been afraid to tell you this because I knew you would think I am crazy!' I couldn't imagine what she had to say. 'Well, she continued, 'your house is haunted.  You have ghosts here!'   I was sure that I hadn't heard her correctly.  "What?" "Your house is haunted." She went on to say that the house had ghosts in it since December.  It started with Christmas tree ornaments flying off the tree and across the room.  Then, pictures would fly off the walls and across the room.  She said she heard voice... 07/22/2013

  In Florida we're used to those late afternoon rain showers, but it seems that we have seen some really strong thunderstorms.  The black clouds come rolling in and we get inches of rain in a short period of time.  And then the sky clears up.   07/18/2013

     Buying Brevard County Real Estate When you look at a listing on a property for sale, and it says "Newer" what does that mean?  Is 'Newer' 2 years, 3 years or could it be 10 years old?  When looking at houses, dates are important. Realtors like dates. Buyers like dates. Lenders and insurance companies like dates. Do sellers like dates, too?  Some do. We like to know the date a house was built, the date the kitchen was remodeled,  the age of the air conditioning system, the water heater, and the date the 'newer' pool pump was replaced. Insurance companies are pretty specific about the dates they need.  They want to know how old the roof is, has the electrical system been upgraded, how about the plumbing and are there updated windows?  What's the age of the 'newer' garage door?  Provi... 07/16/2013