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1.    AMP UP CURB APPEAL:  Does the outside of your home make them want to see the inside?  The first thing the buyer sees is the outside of your home.  Make it as appealing as possible.  Maintain the yard, a clean driveway and an inviting porch.  Drawing the buyer in wanting to see more, it is a good start.  Touch-up or repaint exterior.  Plant fresh annual flowers, keep porches swept, and gutters clean.  Showing that the exterior of your home is well kept will lead buyers to the assumption that the home is well kept in general.

2.    SIMPLIFY, CLEAN, and DE-CLUTTER:  Do a deep clean or hire a professional cleaning service to make sure your home looks its best.  Keep beds made and carpets vacuumed.  Rooms will look larger by removing clutter. Over stuffed…

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Canadian snowbirds may soon be able to spend two extra months nesting in their favorite spot, the sunshine state!  Each year Canadian snowbirds find their way to sunny south Florida. Currently, Canadians, aged 55 and older have a 182 day annual limit to stay in the U.S. without a visa. Winding its way through Congress is a provision that would extend that limit to 240 days – about eight months total.

Canadians represent a major boost to the economy in the U.S., particularly southern states such as Florida.  Florida recently dropped the requirement of an international drivers permit after strong objections from the Canadian Lobby.  Canadians are flocking to the sugary sand beaches of the Jupiter and Tequesta areas.   The surrounding areas are well known for…

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The Historical Society of Palm Beach County will welcome the troops to the Richard and Pat Johnson Palm Beach County History Museum in West Palm Beach for Armed Forces Day on May 18.

The free event will entertain and inform all ages and will honor local U.S. Armed Forces, veterans and the nation’s military history. Visitors will learn about the county’s role in past wars and its local battle sites.

To help guests interpret Armed Forces Day at the museum, docents will lead them through an authentic front-line camp, to interact with characters from the Seminole War to the Vietnam War, and to inspect Army vehicles. Cards also can be decorated to be mailed to soldiers overseas.

Twin food trucks will be onsite for lunch, and guests can picnic on the…

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Get Your House Sold

Getting a house to sell takes much more than just listing it in the paper or on the internet and letting it get gobbled up, it simply doesn’t work like that. Today’s successful agents are tenacious, proficient and skilful and they aren’t a dime a dozen. Agents and brokers of today are a new breed. With the market being more challenging than ever, the task of selling a home or finding your buyer their dream home isn’t just a snap of your fingers. It takes effort, hard work and dedication! 

Several years ago when the market was bustling, homes were selling like hotcakes and the market was flooded with buyers and sellers. Consider the nation’s economic standing; the economy is struggling, banks aren’t lending nearly as much and buyers don’t have the…

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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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