In the last couple of weeks I have heard this question so much! I cannot stress to a homebuyer enough that there is even more of a reason now to get a pre-approval than ever.A gentleman telephoned this week in need of a mortgage for a second home in Florida. He is currently working with a Realtor and he has already obtained a home inspection - meaning he has already spent money out of his own pocket. He stated that he has excellent credit scores (over 800 and that is excellent) and that he won't have a problem getting a mortgage. That may be true - 1- 2 years ago! What once was, is not true for today. He only has 10% to put down on his Second Home that he is under contract to buy. He needs 20% down. He has called all over the state of Florida trying to find a lender who will lend him 9... 03/30/2009

We have just received word that a Foreclosure Forum will be held on Tuesday, March 31 from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at the Melbourne Association of Realtors facility at 1450 Sarno Road in Melbourne.  Speakers will include Circuit Court Judge W. David Dugan, as well as Brevard County Clerk of Court Scott Ellis. They will discuss trends in legal filings, forclosure proceedings, mediation processs and future outlook.  It should prove to be an interesting session. Be sure to mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 31.     This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL Realtor Brevard County Real Estate & Investing Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News 03/28/2009

Just a reminder that Earth Hour begins tomorrow, Saturday March 28 at 8:30pm your local time!  Get out the candles, board games, and snacks, and enjoy one hour during the year of time spent with your family, no distractions included.  Unplug your electronics, turn out the lights, throw the circuit breakers, and go dark for one hour.  Its fun, easy, and free! 03/27/2009

OK, we all know the economy is bad.  But have you noticed that the price of some food products has risen over 100% in the past year?  One way to reduce your food spending is by planting a garden.  It doesn't have to be large, you can container plant on patios, and after the initial setup it doesnt take much work beyond some fertilizing every couple of weeks and watering.  And the money saved can be in the hundreds of dollars. Container plant tomatoes, one plant can yieeld several pounds of vine ripe, yes real vine ripened tomatoes.  You can container plant potatoes, one container will  yield around 10 pounds of organic potatoes.  Green peppers, herbs, onions, almost everything can be planted and effectively grown in containers, if digging up the yard isn't on  your list.  OR you can mak... 03/26/2009

If you're game, this recipe is easy and cheap enough to make.  Especially if you have the ingredients used to make your own laundry detergent. Mix together one cup borax, one cup washing soda, and one cup sea salt. Its just that easy, and costs mere pennies compared to off the shelf.  You can add white vinegar to the "jet dry" cup to give your dishes that sparkly shine we all love. 03/21/2009

On March 28 at 8:30pm local time, thousands of cities, and millions of people worldwide will  throw the switch and  go dark for one hour.  Earth Hour is designed to promote one small thing we can all do  to  help the planet.  Imagine the CO2 emissions that will be saved, as cities large and small turn  out  the lights.  Sign up, be part of the solution!   http://www.earthhourus.org/main.php 03/20/2009

How much do you spend on laundry detergent per month?  Probably in the neighbohood of $10 or more.  Here is a simple recipe for making 3 gallons of  your own laundry detergent at an approximate cost of $3. 1 bar bath soap - I use Ivory 1 cup borax - 20 Mule Team can be found most places 1 cup washing soda (sodium carbonate) - hard to find but can be phone ordered from Arm and Hammer 3 gallons of water 5 gallon bucket Boil 4 cups of water.  Grate the bar of soap and add to the boiling water.  Continue to "cook" till the soap melts. Fill the bucket with 3 gallons of lukewarm water Add the soapy soup, borax, and washing soda, mix well and let set overnigt. Note: washing soda can be ordered from Arm & Hammer, and if you order two boxes for $3.99 each, shipping is FREE.  You will probably sp... 03/18/2009

Those of us who began haunting healthfood stores way back when, for environmentally friendly, socially conscious products, never had to worry about the claims made by the manufacturers.  Today its a different story, as large corporations, whose business practices often lead to polluting the environment, are snapping up products right and left.  Ever wonder why you started seeing Burt's Bees at regular grocery and drug stores?  Here's why: Burts Bees bought by Clorox Ben & Jerry's bought by Unilever Toms of Maine toothpaste bought by Colgate/Palmolive Stoneyfield Farm yogurt bought by Dannon Horizon Milk bought by the largest dairy in the U.S. Dean Foods Odwalla, Dasani, Glaceau owned by Coka Cola Naked Juice bought by Pepsi Aqua Fina owned by Pepsi Knudsen and Santa Cruz bought by Smuck... 03/17/2009

Today I joined Terrylynn Fisher, her husband Bob, Chris Fisher, her daughter Rhiannon, cousin Lucas, Fernando Rosado, and friend Antonio, for a play date at Universal Studios.  While we all focus on our businesses, networking, communicating with fellow Active Rainers, we often forget to take time to enjoy the company of our compadres, and just play the day away.  Light hearted activity is a great way to form friendships and cement bonds.  So what are you waiting for? P.S. Pictures will be forthcoming courtesy, Fernando Rosado 03/16/2009

Are you prepared to roll the dice? A common misconception among homebuyers today is that the best values in the market are foreclosures. Yes, there are some good deals on foreclosed homes, however, if you take a closer look, you might find that buying a NEW home is actually a better value, a safer investment and offers more peace of mind.  Probably the most important consideration when comparing a new home versus a foreclosure is the protection you have when you purchase a new home. If anything goes wrong after closing, a new home is covered by the builder's one-year limited warranty on workmanship and materials, as well as a ten-year structural warranty. You have peace of mind knowing there won't be any unanticipated out-of-pocket repair costs to absorb.Most people aren't aware that pr... 03/16/2009

Are you starting to feel those scratchy eyes, itchy throat and runny nose?  Well there's a good reason for it. We are hearing that the pollen count here in Brevard County currently is quite high. This is not that uncommon from February to April in our area. Tomorrow oak and grass counts will be at their highest level on the the pollen scale. Currently the level is at 8.6 on a scale of 0 to 12 with 12 being the highest.  Sunday it will reach 10.8 according to the Allergy and Asthma Center of East Orlando. We breathe pollen into our lungs, where it then enters out bloodstream.  There it causes histamine and gives many people much difficulty in breathing. So, bring that tissue box with you this weekend and be sure to take an extra allergy tablet before you head out for the day (check with ... 03/14/2009

  The Kingsmill Subdivision here in Melbourne Florida will be having it's annual Homeowners Association Meeting on Thursday March, 19, 2009.  The meeting will held at 7:00 at the Crossroads Community Church on Croton Road at the corner of Croton and Lake Washington Roads.  Attending this meeting is a great way to get to know your Kingsmill neighbors and a better way to have a voice in your community. See you there. This article is authored by Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate Brevard County Real Estate & Investing Palm Bay Florida Real Estate News   03/14/2009

The very same people who helped contribute to this housing problem are back in business, snapping up everything in sight.  I have a friend who has been trying to buy a house since last May.  Everytime she finds one she can afford, makes an offer somewhat higher than asking, along comes an investor and out bids.  This is a great time for first time home buyers to buy a house, but the competition for some is too stiff.  I'm wondering, what are those investors going to do with those homes?  Price them higher than they paid and price potential buyers out of the market? 03/12/2009

Two weeks ago I placed a beautiful home on the market here in Melbourne Florida.  It is a home priced at $123,400 that shows like a model.  Everything in it is immaculate.  And, the sellers have impeccable taste. They have put many upgrades into the home and it shows. There is no clutter anywhere.  Buyers walking through the home are quite impressed. We received an offer the day after the house went on the market.  We had 5 additional showings that week, with the promise of an out of town offer coming in.  We received another offer on the property after 5 more showings and the home continues to be shown. The owners have been a delight to deal with and the home has been a pleasure to have on the market. I just wish I had 12 more homes, just like this one to sell. This article is authored... 03/12/2009

My husband's mother lost her battle with cancer yesterday. We got the call at 4:30 to come immediately as it would only be a matter of time.  We walked into her apartment 5 minutes too late. Her sister Joan and niece, Debbie were with her when she passed away. My teenage daughters were devastated. Dawn was one of the most courageous women I had ever met.  She was diagnosed almost four years ago. She had a pea sized lump on her lung. In time it grew and became the size of a grapefruit. She had the slow growing cancer, squamous cell cancer.  As time progressed the cancer began wrapping itself around her heart and her left lung. Her lungs began filling up with fluid, so she had to have one drained twice a week.  Doctors feared that her heart would give out because of the strain. The cancer... 03/06/2009

Recent articles have surface regarding the use of chinese made drywall in new construction here in the U.S.  To date, in excess of 20 builders are being sued by people who bought homes between 2004 and 2007.  The reason?  Chinese made drywall contains fly ash, a by product of their coal fired power plants.  This fly ash, when subjected to moisture causes the drywall to emit sulfur fumes in the home.  A wide variety of symptoms can include respiratory problems, chronic cough, nose bleeds, and fatigue.  Different people react differently and may have one or all of the list of symptoms.  Lennar, the most prominent builder named in a class action suit filed in Miami, has admitted using chinese made drywall and are working on mitigating the issue with different homeowners.  Mitigation means ... 03/03/2009

We talk to investors and soon to be investors all the time only to find that there is so much misinformation floating around today about real estate investing. Perhaps this could be one of the reasons there are vacant properties sprinkled about town. Now, I know that if you put 20 investors in a room, each one would have different opinions and views on what 'works' in the business and what doesn't 'work'.  Some of the myths we hear in the investing business... MYTH #1 -The nicer and more expensive the house that I buy, the better the tenant I will get. That sounds good, in theory.  The only problem with this is that the higher the rent on the property, the less tenants there are that can qualify for the property. In my experience people that are renting for over $1000 a month here in Br... 02/27/2009

Today, there is so much talk about sellers that are putting their homes up for a short sale, that often times we take for granted that everyone knows what the term ‘short sale’ actually means.  Last week I was on the phone with a buyer and I mentioned short sales, and quickly realized that this client didn't quite understand the term. According to the Melbourne Association of Realtors here in Melbourne Florida, ‘a short sale is when a bank or a mortgage lender agrees to discount a loan balance due to an economic or financial hardship on the part of the mortgagor.  The homeowner/debtor sells the mortgaged property for less than the outstanding balance of the loan, and turns over the proceeds of the sale to the lender to satisfy the debt.’  The lender has the right to approve or disapprov... 02/26/2009

The data in the December Case-Shiller 20-City index indicate that the rate of housing price decline is continuing to accelerate. The data show that house prices in the 20 cities fell at a rate of 2.0 percent in the month of December and were falling at a 21.3 percent annual rate in the last quarter of 2008.     It is important to remember that these data reflect sale prices in the three month period from October to December. Since there is typically a 6-8 week period between contracts and closing, these data reflect contracts in a period centered on October. This means that the data is already somewhat dated when it is released. If the recent rate of price decline has persisted, prices are already 8 percent lower on average than the data indicate. At this rate that translates into $4 tr... 02/26/2009

The first big success of the produce-the-note movement came in 2007 when a federal judge in Cleveland threw out 14 foreclosures by Deutsche Bank National Trust Co. because the bank failed to produce the original notes. Michael Silver, a lawyer for two of the families in that case, said at least one eventually lost their home. Still, he considers that a success. "From the perspective of the person who's in the home, you may have kept them in the house another 10 or 12 months," he said. "If I can get a result with economic benefits to a client, then I think I won." Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio endorsed the strategy in a fiery speech on the House floor during debate on the federal bank bailout last month. "Don't leave your home," she said. "Because you know what? When those compani... 02/24/2009