The Ginter Building is a historical piece of Melbourne Florida History.  It is located in the old Downton Eau Gallie section of Melbourne on Highland Avenue.  It is one block from the Indian River Lagoon.  It was built in the 1920's and still stands today.  Today, the Ginter Building houses a chocolate shop and a hair salon. 10/19/2008

Here in Melbourne Florida home prices are becoming more affordable!  There are currently 111 homes available for sale for $100,000 or below.  There are currently 544 homes available for sale for $200,000 or below. A buyer can purchase a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage home built in 2003 or newer, with over 1800 square feet of living on approximately .20 acre lot. I remember in January 2005, at the peak of the market,  there were only 4 homes available for sale priced under $200,000!   10/16/2008

West Shore Junior Senior High school here in Melbourne Florida will be presenting the play, the Music Man on Thursday - Friday, October 16 and 17 at 7:00.  Showtimes will be 2:00 and 7:00 on Saturday, October 18, 2008.  The students have been practicing for 3-5 nights a week.  And this week they are at school until 9:00 putting the final touches on the production. The play will be put on by the drama department and it will be the first live production performed on the stage of the new West Shore Auditorium in the Multi Purpose Classroom Building.   10/15/2008

My daughters, Stef and Sam  just came back from performing in a fund raiser to help the fight breast cancer. The Palm Bay High School dance team director had all the local high schools and dance companies come together to raise money for the fight against breast cancer.   My daughters are on the West Shore Junior Senior High School dance teams here in Melbourne Florida.  The Junior Varsity and the Varsity teams both performed at the event this afternoon. This is the first annual dance to help fight breast cancer.  Hopefully, we will all be able to come together for many years to come to bring more money to the cure for cancer. 10/12/2008

We all know strict rules apply for our sellers with pets:  GET RID of pets during showings!  No odors, no fur, no pet food, and the biggest atrocity, no kitty litter !!  For 15 years I've played the hard-hearted Broker with my sellers by enforcing the "hide your pets" policy.  Everyone knows that buyers should NOT be distracted by pet odors or, heaven forbid, actual live pets wagging tails and jumping around!  Holy Meow Mix, the pet rules have suddenly changed.  After 15 years in a "no pet" household we recently adopted 2 kittens from our local shelter.  Funny how being owned by two crazy creatures can put a new slant on the whole  "sellers with pets" policy!   Who are these 4 legged monsters and how did they come to control every aspect of our day?  One of them is even helping me to ty... 10/09/2008

I have been a landlord since 1996 and for the most part I enjoy it.  As in anything else in life, sometimes I run into a snag. Most tenants I have are really good, hard working people. Occasionally one becomes a thorn in my side, but I suppose that goes with the territory. My broker has been in the business for nearly 50 years and he has owned investment property for all of those years. Thus, our company, M & M Real Estate Inc here in Brevard County Florida deals heavily with clients in helping them buy, sell, rent, own and manage investment property. Owning rental real estate is not for everyone!  Many people believe that real estate is a get rich quick scheme. I don't believe that!  And we have seen the fallacy of that theory when everyone was buying at the peak of the market. Everyon... 10/09/2008

  Walt Disney World is just a 40-50 minute drive from our home here in Melbourne Florida here in Brevard County. I love driving over to Orlando and visiting one of the many theme parks there. Disney has announced that beginning in 2009 they will be offering FREE ADMISSION to the Magic Kingdom on your birthday!  You must provide proof of your birthday upon registation. Log on here to register. You must have a valid registration confirmation with proof of birthdate. This is a $75 savings! And if you've decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom for a day, then be sure to check out this website. It is full of oodles of discount coupons to use on your trip. 10/08/2008

I know that times are tough.  Will it get tougher in the coming weeks and months ahead, before it gets better? None of us really knows what the future will hold for any of us. We have just heard that Bernanke has dropped the Fed funds rate  down to 1.5%.  Will that bring confidence to the market?  We have heard that banks and lenders have tightened their guidelines on lending money for mortgages.  How tight will it get? Will it be harder for buyers to get loans or are we just bringing some "normalcy" back to our mixed up markets? We have seen many creative marketing tools being used to help sellers move their homes more quickly off the market.  So, is it time for owner/seller financing to make a comeback?  Or has it already come back in some areas of the country? A large number of homeo... 10/08/2008

Attendance at open houses on homes for sale here in Brevard County Florida has slowed to a crawl.  Many REALTORS are finding that they are not drawing the crowds they were in the past. Some REALTORS have noted that they haven't had a single visitor to their last open house; not even a neighbor! So, REALTORS are trying to throw in an added twist.  REALTORS are opting to hold houses open in the evening, during the week, after people get off work. How will that work? Will it make a difference? Will attendance increase? Do buyers like them better?  Is this just another way that REALTORS are catering to the changes in our market? And catering to the needs of their buyers and sellers? As a REALTOR, many of my listing appointments are scheduled in the evenings at the convenience of sellers.  A... 10/07/2008

    Kingsmill Subdivision Lake Washington Road North Melbourne, Brevard County Florida   Kingsmill is a conveniently located subdivision close to shopping, dining, restaurants and gas, yet tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the "city". The 323 homes in Kingsmill are situated on 1/4 acre to 1/2 acre well apppointed lots. The area is well maintained. Kingsmill boasts 2 community parks. Homes are typically from 1500+ square feet to just over 2000 square feet of living, built between 1986-1989. The primary home builder is Maronda Homes, with some custom homes built on 1/2 acre lots by Joyal Construction and Tiffany Construction. Kingsmill is centrally located, just minutes to shopping, dining, schools, Lake Washington, the Maxwell C King Center for Performing Arts, Wickham Road, I-95... 10/07/2008

The West Shore Junior/Senior High School Dance team here in Melbourne Florida will be joining efforts to win the fight against breast cancer. On Sunday, October 12, 2008 the West Shore Dancers will join other local high schools at Florida Institute of Technology.  The schools will all be performing on stage, in an effort to raise money for breast cancer.  The event is being sponsored by the Palm Bay High School Dance team and will be held at 4:00. 10/04/2008

    Here in Melbourne Florida local law enforcement gets pretty serious about motorists speeding.   Pineapple Avenue is a beautiful shaded street that runs parallel to the Indian River Lagoon on the east and US1 on it's west side.    There are many older homes still standing.  And, there are a handful of large, newer homes that have been built recently that enjoy the beautiful views of the Indian River. Pineapple also boasts an old historic bed and breakfast and the old school building.   But, when driving down Pineapple Avenue be sure that you follow the speed limit to enjoy the sights.  Otherwise, you will be pulled over and you will be ticketed.  The Melbourne Police takes this very seriously, as they want to keep their residents, children and pets safe, driving through this quaint ... 10/03/2008

I grew up around boats.  We always had some kind of boat when I was a girl.  My Dad enjoyed tinkering with them. He was excellent at working on any kind of engine.  And, that sure came in handy, because anyone that has ever had a boat knows how difficult it can be to keep theirs running on a regular basis.  What is the saying, 'A boat is a hole in the water that your sink money in.' And the happiest day of a boat owner's life is the day he buys it and the day he sells it. Here in Melbourne Florida there are so many places to go boating and/or jet skiing.  Some take their boats to the Eau Gallie or Melbourne Causeways and drop them in at the boat ramps.  Others like to go over to Ballard Park, which is a beautiful setting, with picnic tables and a park.  Boaters dock their boats in the ... 09/28/2008

The thought of buying a home can be a daunting task. And finding the right one can take some time.  Do you have children?  How old are they? Do you want to live in an area with other children?  How do you know if there are kids in the Melbourne Florida neighborhood you are considering? Drive through areas that you are considering in your search for a home.  But, be sure to drive through between 7:00AM and 8:00AM on a weekend.  Is the area bustling with activity?  Are kids on their way to the bus stop?  Is there are park nearby? Then drive through the same areas after work.  Try to go through after 5:00PM and see if there is anything going on in the area.  Try after dinner, after 7:00PM.  How active is the neighborhood? Make sure you check the area on a Saturday morning, on garage sale ... 09/25/2008

RAW United Powerlifting will hold the Armed Forces Nationals and the open Push/Pull Championship on October 4 & 5 2008.  The event will be held in the West Shore Junior Senior High School Gymnasium here in Melbourne Florida. The West Shore Wildcats Powerlifting Team will be lead by Jayson Wadzinski in 12th grade and my daughter, Sam Shores in 8th grade. Sam has been lifting for about 14 months now and currently holds 7 Powerlifting Worlds Records. Lifters age 11 to 74 years old will be competing.  There are some absolutely phenomenal athletes at these events. It takes incredible dedication, consistency and lots of lots of hard work for these athletes to accomplish the lifts that they strive so hard to beat!  This is Sam Shores and her incredible coach, Spero Tshontikidis.     09/24/2008

Some of us have already experienced this.... a buyer that calls us or brings a copy of information on a property from an internet site with an estimate (I prefer to use the word guess-estimate) of what a particular property is valued at. Sometimes this information proves to be quite a stretch from the true value of a property. Today, there are a handful of useful real estate websites that provide excellent information to the public.  Often times the information provided can make a REALTOR's job much easier, but... Often times, it can make a REALTOR's job much more complicated. Some sites provide information on the "value" of a home in today's market.  Well, unfortunately the information is not always correct.  Often times there is not sufficient data for those sites to "guess-estimate" ... 09/22/2008

Lake Washington area home for sale $227,700 GREAT LOCATION • 2,442 sq. ft., 2 bath, 3 bdrm single story - $227,700 USD - MOVE IN READY Lake Washington, Melbourne  -  ALL OFFERS CONSIDERED..IMMACULATE HOME, IN A GREAT LOCATION, UPGRADES GALORE. SMALL SUBDIVISION LOW HOME OWNERS FEES. BOCA MODEL WITH UPGRADES GALORE, NEW CUSTOM CHERRY KITCHEN, TOP OF THE LINE STAINLESS STEEL APPLIANCES, SOARING 15 FT VAULTED CEILINGS. BRIGHT & SUNNY BREAKFAST NOOK. OPEN FLOOR PLAN , GAS OR WOOD BURNING FIREPLACE IN LIVING RM WITH WALL OF WINDOWS TO PRIVATE BACK SCREENED PORCH, SPACIOUS BEDROOMS, SPACIOUS CLOSETS & STORAGE SPACE, OVERSIZED 2 CAR GARAGE, SMALL COMMUNITY WITH TENNIS COURTS, SPARKLING POOL, FISHING DOCK. MINUTES FROM KING CENTER AND DOWNTOWN MELBOURNE. Minutes from Brevard Community College, ... 09/18/2008

Saving Money in the Home - a Real Energy Boost In the past few years, and more so now than ever, Americans have been taking nation-wide stances to fight preservation of our Mother Earth and making significant lifestyle changes to save energy in any way that we can. Carpooling, hybrid cars, computer "sleep" modes, florescent light bulbs; the list goes on and on.  If you have taken interest in these things, the newest idea will really excite you... Introducing an energy efficient, low maintenance HOME! It's a new concept; saving energy with not just one electrical outlet, but preserving energy throughout the whole building. A recent study by Robert Charles Lesser & Co., the largest independent real estate advisory in the nation, acknowledges the huge move for energy efficiency in the enti... 09/18/2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Jason Stanley, PresidentStanley Homes, Inc.700 North Wickham Road, Ste 101Melbourne, FL 32935                                         (321) 254-8455(321) 259-9969jason-stanleyhomes@cfl.rr.com Stanley Homes Pays All Buyer's Closing Costs Melbourne, FL. - Buying a new home in Brevard County just got more affordable as Stanley Homes has began its current "No Closing Costs - No Constrution Interest" promotion on all its floor plans in each of their  5 communities. Stanley Homes is offering to pay for all Closing Costs and Constrution Interest normally included in the total purchase of a custom-built home. By eliminating Buyer's Closing Costs and Construction Interest, Stanley Homes is saving the average home buyer 6% of the total purchase price - roughly $9,000 or more... 09/18/2008

Whenever I type in a Google search, I always have to remember to include the location of the city of which I seek.  The Melbourne I'm talking about is in the beautiful sunshine state of Florida! So just where is Melbourne, Florida?  The City of Melbourne is located in Brevard County, Florida.  It is situated along the stretch of Atlantic coastline known as the "Space Coast" about 70 miles southeast of Orlando and 20 miles south of Cape Canaveral, home of Kennedy Space Center. Some of the nearby communities include Palm Bay, Viera, West Melbourne, Melbourne Beach, Satellite Beach, and Indian Harbour Beach. U.S. Route 192 runs through the city as well as SR 518, which is also accessible to Interstate I-95 and the Beachline Expressway. Although most of Melbourne is located on the Florida m... 09/17/2008