Price Gaps are Closing!

Catching a lot of attention this week in the real estate world, are the results we are seeing in “list-to-close price gaps.” This price gap is the difference between the price of a listed home and the price you want to pay for it. According to an article in MainStreet, the difference between the seller’s asking price and the final sale price is diminishing. This means that sellers are getting offers and eventually sales near their original asking price. According to the study by MainStreet, the average home in America sold for 98.3% of the asking price in December of 2013, a nice increase from the 97.1% in January of 2011. 

There are different ways you can look at this news. Some may think that it is only good news for the seller because they are…

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Reasons To Retire to Florida

Not only does the Sunshine State top lists including “Best Beaches,” “Best Vacation Destination” and top charts for some of the finest real estate in the nation it is ranked as one of the “Best States to Retire In.”

Ranked as the 7th best state to retire to by TopRetirements.com, and with several of its cities named as the “Best Cities to Retire To” by the famed Market Watch Report, Florida has a long list of qualities that verify why its topping charts across the board. 

A popular reason it places high on these lists is that Florida has no income tax and there is property tax protection for its full-time residents. Acclaimed by MarketWatch.com, “Florida has dozens and dozens of nice towns and cities.” In the United States, south Florida has some…

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Housing Market in Florida Makes A Come Back!

News of the real estate market in south Florida making a come back has been making headlines. According to the recent home price index released by Standard & Poor (S&P) in January of 2012, the prices of homes in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties have risen considerably. Since October of 2011, the home prices have risen 0.8 percent and a whopping 9.9 percent from the year before. October was the 11th consecutive month that home prices have grown in these three counties on an annual basis, according to the Sun Sentinel.

The chairman of the S&P price index, David M. Blitzer, stated, “Prices are rising, as are both new and existing home sales.” He also made the comment that the “housing market is clearly recovering.” His enthusiasm and the positive…

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Miami Beach

The holiday season is over and we have arrived in February. While the majority of our nation is still shoveling snow and bundling up, the Floridians are hitting the beach. Florida has the warmest and sunniest winters in the eastern United States and February is the time to visit. February is the busiest month in south Florida, as asserted by USA Today, with tourism influxes reaching over 86 million people in past years. Some of Florida’s beaches are warmer than others which create the enticing, vacation hot-spots like Miami Beach and Palm Beach. The sunshine state is renowned for its tropical temperatures, stunning real estate and miles of beaches. According to Southfloridavacation.com the average temperature in south Florida during the month of February…

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In remembrance of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War (1861 to 1865), the New Gardens Band will welcome The Coates Brass Band: The 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment at a special performance Feb. 2, 2013.

The “Civil War Concert” will take place at 8 p.m. at the Eissey Campus Theatre, on the campus of Palm Beach State College, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

The Coates Brass Band: The 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment is comprised of a group of eastern-Pennsylvania musicians who don historic uniforms and recreate the military service of the brass band that served in Key West at Fort Zachary Taylor. The evening will offer a uniquely informative look back in time.

Tickets are $20 and are available at the box office, which is at 11051…

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The Jupiter Performing Arts Fund is tuning up for its 2013 Annual Music Gala, featuring accomplished pianist Bill Mays and Grammy Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling, with Steve Gilmore on bass.

Billed as “A Rare Evening with Jazz Legends," the gala will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Lighthouse ArtCenter Museum and School of Art. The center is in the heart of Tequesta in Gallery Square North.

The Jupiter Performing Arts Fund supports music in public schools in Jupiter and surrounding areas by funding scholarships, donating instruments, offering artist-in-residence programs and organizing clinics.

Tickets cost $75 and include admission to the gallery, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, and the performance. For information, call 872-222-5723.

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Better Your Home!

One of the biggest misconceptions many homeowners have when the time comes to sell their home is they just put it on the market and hope for the best.  Actually NOT putting any money into it could be very costly!  Often times, many sellers want to be out of theirs homes quickly, and forget that marketing the home is crucial.  Here are a few ways that can boost you above your competition.

  1. Paint.  A fresh coat of neutral paint will attract many homebuyers. Do not forget baseboards, trim, outdoor shutters, and the front door.
  2. Curb Appeal.  Did you know that a majority of homebuyers make up their mind about a home before they even enter a home?  Ensure landscaping, flowers, lawn, trees and scrubs are all free of weeds and fallen branches.  Remove…

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The Fiscal Cliff

The House approved a Senate bill and our country has avoided the dreaded “fiscal cliff”.  As anticipated the vote, held Tuesday evening, fell along partisan lines, but how does this affect you or your family in 2013?  

The following items are key concerns to most Americans:

-  Income taxes for Americans earning less than $400,000 (joint filers earning less than $450,000) will NOT go up. “Bush-era” tax cuts are staying. 

-  Payroll Tax for Social Security is INCREASING back 6.2% from 4.2%. For every $30,000 earned anticipate taking home $50 less per month (approximately $600 per year).

-  Unemployment has been EXTENDED for a year. 

-  Child Tax Credit has been EXTENDED.  

-  Research and Development Tax Credit EXTENDED.

-  Tuition Tax…

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The gorgeously hand-carved, Florida-theme carousel at Downtown at the Gardens, Palm Beach Gardens’ premier shopping destinations, has turned 2. To celebrate the development near The Landmark condominiums for sale will have a joint birthday / holiday celebration thought Dec. 30 featuring the “Gifts of the Season” campaign.

The campaign, conceived by developer Berman Enterprises, funds more than two dozen local charities through proceeds from carousel rides, which, in two years, have amounted to more than $20,000.

Kendall Rumsey, director of marketing for Downtown at the Gardens, said “Gifts of the Season” enables the Palm Beach Gardens property to give back to the city and the community at large by helping charitable causes.

In addition to “Gifts…

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On Dec. 31, the Jove Comedy Experience will appear onstage at the Atlantic Arts Theater in Jupiter to perform the New Year’s Eve Extravaganza, a comedy production that blends improvisation, sketches and musicals into an interactive, multimedia presentation with participation from the audience.

The exciting show will recap 2012, which saw a rebound of the real-estate market and Jupiter homes for sale, with equal doses of seriousness and satire, and playfulness and parody. Tickets are $20.

The Atlantic Arts Theater is on Indiantown Road in the heard of a city that boast some of the best riverfront property for sale in South Florida.

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