Spotlight on Safety Harbor, Florida
At the head of Old Tampa Bay lies the City of Safety Harbor, a secret little hideaway, neighbored by the major cities of Clearwater and Tampa. This quaint community of 7,575 families boasts a famous resort, distinctive shops, award winning restaurants and plenty of family fun. There is certainly something for everyone, from beautiful parks laden with historical significance and nature’s artwork, to cultural venues for the cosmopolitan visitor.
Downtown Safety Harbor sets the mood for the community. With its palm treed thoroughfare, canopied sidewalks and brick lined streets, “Main Street” offers you the opportunity to succumb to your curiosity while perusing through captivating shops, sampling new cuisine and rediscovering a love of art displayed in one of the area’s finest galleries on Main Street. Begin your exploration with a visit to the Chamber of Commerce. Located at 200 Main Street, this original bank building housed the first Town Hall when Safety Harbor was incorporated in 1917.
You will find history alive throughout Safety Harbor. The world famous Safety Harbor Resort & Spa is a landmark in the community with its historical Espiritu Santo Springs. Since the turn of the century, tourists have been traveling to this area to be rejuvenated by the spring waters. By ferry from Tampa or stagecoach from Clearwater, it was a full days adventure to visit the area. Now visitors fly in from around the world to experience the resort lifestyle.
7 Key Questions To Ask Your Lender When Getting a Mortgage
Before you decide on a mortgage make sure you fully understand all the terms of the loan and make sure you know what you are getting yourself in for. Some home mortgages have features that may be risky and make it difficult for you to make your payments in the future. Be sure that you understand the loan terms, the risks and all the costs of the loan you are getting. To help you, below are 7 key questions to ask your lender about your mortgage BEFORE you accept a loan.
1.Will my interest rate ever increase, or is it fixed for the life of the loan?
* There are “fixed-rate” loans where the interest rate is generally the same throughout the life of the loan and then there are “adjustable rate mortgages” or ARM loans where your interest rate can go up or down after a short period. ARM’s are not bad loans and, in many cases could be a good alternative, but with an ARM there is more for you to look at and consider. You will want to find out how long the initial interest rate is fixed, and then how often your interest rate can change, is there a cap on how much it can change each time and is there a “lifetime” limit on how much it may change? Find out what the rate is tied to and how the adjustments are determined. Once you have all this information you can then compare all of the terms to other loans. You should also determine what your payment will become if the maximum adjustment upward happens and be comfortable that you will be able to afford the payment.
2. Can my monthly payment increase?
* Just like your payment may change if you have an ARM loan, some other loans may have provisions for a change in payment as well. This may be the result of a “buy-down” in the rate for a period of time, a lower introductory rate or other promotion. In addition, most mortgage payments include your home insurance and property taxes which most likely will increase in time so you should take that into account as well when determining what you can afford.
3. Will my payments reduce what I owe?
* You may think this is a silly question and may be saying “of course it will” but that is not always the case. There are “interest only” loans where none of your payment actually goes to repaying the loan, just the interest so your balance remains the same. There are also “negative amortization” loans in which your payment doesn’t even cover all the interest and you actually owe MORE on your loan each month than you did the month before.
4. Will I owe a balloon payment?
* Many home mortgages are “fully amortized” meaning you pay the loan off in full over time with your normal monthly payments but some loans have a “balloon” payment that comes due at some point. This balloon payment is usually the principal balance of the loan and therefore the typical borrower is not in a position to repay it at the time but must count on the ability to refinance or sell the property prior to the balloon coming due.
5. If I pay off my loan early will I owe a prepayment penalty?
* When lenders make you a home loan they incur some expense in doing so (processing, commissions, etc). They do this counting on collecting interest from you for a period of time so if you refinance your loan or sell your home and pay off the loan much earlier than expected their returns may suffer. To make up for this many lenders charge a “prepayment” penalty if the loan is paid off early. This penalty is typically thousands of dollars so you will want to know the amount up front, or better yet, find a loan without a prepayment penalty.
6. Will I have to prove my income, employment and assets to get the loan?
* Sometimes a lender will make a loan without requiring you to show that you are employed or proving that you have the ability to repay the loan. This type of no-documentation (“no-doc”) or low-documentation (“low-doc”) loan usually have higher interest rates or higher fees than traditional loans.
7. How much “cash out of pocket” will I need for this loan and when will I have to pay it?
* Some, or all of the fees you will be charged in connection with your loan will be added to your loan amount but some will have to be paid by you in addition to your down payment thereby increasing the amount of cash you will need to invest in the transaction. You cannot be charged any loan fees, other than a credit report fee, until you have received all of the disclosures required by law with all the terms and costs associated with the loan so don’t decide on, or commit to a loan, until after you have fully reviewed all the disclosures and understand how much cash you will need to come up with to complete the transaction.
By Dennis Norman, on August 26th, 2010
Making Your Old Kitchen Feel New
(Money Magazine) — Shelved plans for that $50,000 kitchen remodeling until the economic recovery actually starts to feel like a recovery?
Make the waiting less painful by breaking out your toolbox. A few cheap fixes — painting cabinets, swapping out old knobs and pulls, and replacing your ceiling lights — can make a huge difference.
Consider tackling the following three projects too. They’re just a bit more difficult but bring big benefits to the look and feel of your kitchen — and cost less than $1,000 each.
Update your backsplash
It’s a quick way to dress up an old kitchen, not to mention protect your walls from stains and even fires. If you’re not eager to mess with mastic and grout, consider Aspect Tile’s new peel-and-stick metal tiles.
Available in copper and stainless steel, they’ll give the room a clean, updated feel. And though the metal finish can look fairly modern, these tiles come in a traditional three-by-six-inch subway-tile format, which fits in with a variety of décors.
How to Do It: The tiles, available at Lowe’s or aspectideas.com, go up as easily as address labels but stick tenaciously to the existing backsplash. Bonus: Your contractor can reuse them (with some added glue) when the kitchen gets redone later.
Cost: $500 to $600, typically
Time: One day
Dress up old appliances
Buying new appliances may not make sense at this stage because you don’t know what your eventual remodeling will require. But a fresh coat of white, black, or silver paint on old refrigerators and dishwashers (not ranges, which get too hot) will give them — and your kitchen — a cleaner, newer look.
How to Do It: Lightly sand the surfaces so the paint will adhere. Cover handles and hinges with masking tape. Then spray on two coats of Krylon’s Epoxy Appliance Paint or Stainless Steel Paint (available at Home Depot or thepaintstore.com).
Cost: $20 to $30 for three to four cans (enough to cover the fridge)
Time: One to two days
Make your own concrete countertops
Worn-out Formica, tile, or butcher block make your kitchen look dilapidated. But spending $6,000 or more for granite or even $2,500 for new laminate makes no sense if you’ll be reconfiguring the kitchen in a few years.
A solution: polished, colored concrete. It has all the burn and scuff resistance — and visual appeal — of granite but is pricey if it’s professionally installed.
How to Do It: Buy a DIY kit at concreteexchange.com. You’ll get everything you need to cast, polish, and install your own counters, including a customizable mold and detailed instructions.
Still none too sure you can pull it off? Attend one of the how-to seminars the company runs around the country.
Cost: $750 to $1,000
Time: Two weekends
Article Source: http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/06/real_estate/kitchen_remodel.moneymag/index.htm
6 Ways to Ensure a Remodeling Project Pays Off
(Money Magazine) — Just a few years ago you could count on getting the bulk of your money back for almost any home-improvement project you took on. Today merely replacing a toilet seat can feel like throwing caution, and cash, to the wind. According to a study from Remodeling magazine, the average return on value for an upgrade declined from 87% in 2005 to 64% in 2009. But these six new rules will help you maximize your return on your remodeling investment.
Rule No. 1: Repairs get the biggest returns
The smartest money now goes into “undeferring” needed maintenance. That’s because while buyers might appreciate enhancements like Jacuzzis and Sub-Zeros, they won’t tolerate a house with a leaky roof or antiquated plumbing. “If a property is known to have issues, today’s buyers won’t even look at it,” says Austin real estate appraiser Jim Amorin.
And trying to keep problems a secret can cost you big-time. If buyers discover them during inspection, it’s now common practice to ask sellers not only to pick up the tab for the repair but also to pay a penalty to compensate the buyer for the inconvenience of having work done.
So the $20,000 you saved by putting off a roof repair, say, could turn into a $30,000 credit to the buyers at closing, says Amorin.
Rule No. 2: Remodeling beats adding on
McMansions have gone the way of the SUV — and large additions don’t pay off either. “There’s been a fundamental shift toward quality over quantity,” says Warwick, R.I., real estate agent Ron Phipps.
Having a big, formal living room plus an everyday family room is less desirable than having one multi-use common space. So rather than adding on, you’re better off repurposing existing square footage by reconfiguring the floor plan or capturing unused basement or attic space.
Want an eat-in kitchen? Knock down the wall between the kitchen and dining room ($2,000 to $8,000, depending on whether it’s load-bearing or contains plumbing). That will instantly create a large eat-in kitchen and give the whole house a more open feel — without a huge investment to make up at resale.
Rule No. 3: Eco-friendly upgrades can save cash
Some green improvements pay you back long before you sell your house. Install energy-efficient features, such as EnergyStar appliances and extra wall insulation, and you’ll see lower energy bills every month.
Add in the federal tax credit of up to $1,500 that lasts through 2010, plus many local rebates and tax incentives (see dsireusa.org), and the work may pay for itself in just five years. Green features are also increasingly a selling point, says Phipps. “Most people in the market right now are first-time homebuyers in their thirties, and they’ve been raised to care about carbon footprints and being ecofriendly,” he says.
The best way to go green is with a while-you’re-at-it job: When it’s time to replace your furnace, for example, upgrading to super-efficiency might add only $500 (after tax credits), compared with standard new equipment, but it will save you — and your buyers someday — $150 or more in annual heating costs.
Rule No. 4: Tech infrastructure trumps cool gadgets
Home electronics seem like a deal, since prices have fallen about 50% over the past three years and continue to drop, according to Stephen Baker, president of industry analysis at NPD Group, a market research firm.
Still, that doesn’t change the fundamental problem with expensive built-in technology: Put in a $10,000-plus dedicated home theater today, and something better will come along tomorrow and make your system look as if it’s from the Mesozoic Era. With buyers seeking any excuse to low-ball their offers, they’re not going to reward you for an out-of-date system.
Tech infrastructure is different, however. Anytime you’re opening up walls for a construction project, have cabling and Ethernet ports installed. At about $80 a room, it’s a low-cost way to provide the capability for whatever technologies come along.
Rule No. 5: Let the Joneses be your guide
During the boom, you could be the first on your block to have a luxury kitchen, spa bathroom, or in-ground pool and count on others following suit. And even if the neighbors never took your lead, there was plenty of equity growth to cover your costs.
Nowadays that fudge factor is gone. “You really have to keep your house’s amenities in line with the neighborhood now,” says Kermit Baker, director of the remodeling futures program at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies.
If other houses on the block have real marble countertops, by all means add one to your house, but if everyone still has faux blue-marble Formica from the ’70s, you’re not getting your money back.
Also, keep your projects design-neutral so they’ll appeal to the greatest number of people. Choose neutral colors and traditional electrical and plumbing fixtures unless your house has a modern architectural style.
Rule No. 6: The new payback time is five years
As with any volatile investment, the longer your time frame, the lower the risk. Don’t take on a big project if you’re likely to move in less than three to five years. There’s just too much chance that any money you put in — aside from necessary repairs or superficial cosmetic work — could be lost while the housing market continues to meander.
But if you plan to stay awhile, don’t delay starting a project. Home improvements are a bargain right now, with contractors bidding 10%, 20%, even 40% lower for the same work than just a year or two ago, says Bernie Markstein, senior economist for the National Association of Home Builders.
Grab them while they’re hungry for work and make it clear that you’ll be getting multiple bids so they’ll be motivated to undercut one another’s prices. You’ll fulfill the first rule of investing: Buy low. Then hope that when you’re ready to move, you can sell high.
Original article: http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/04/real_estate/tips/home_remodeling_investment.moneymag/index.htm
6 Backyard Improvement Ideas
The way your house looks from the street can impact its value. It can also shorten the time it takes to sell your house. And the same outdoor improvements you might make to get it sold can enhance your enjoyment factor if you and your family plan to stay in your home.
Deck. Adding a deck to your home is one of the most worthwhile of all home improvement projects. In fact, according to Remodeling Magazine’s annual Cost vs. Value survey, a wood deck addition project returns on average more than 80% of the original investment—one of the highest values in the survey. One of the reasons that a deck is such a good investment is because it increases living area at a minimal cost per square foot.
Other recommended projects, says Jimmy Rane, president of Great Southern Wood Preserving:
A gazebo, whether freestanding or attached to a garden wall or roofed and open on all sizes, is a great way to add shade, shelter, and visual interest.
Planters and window boxes are both functional and ornamental. Some can be moved easily to account for seasonal weather or to create a change in scenery.
Picnic tables can you serve you well on a patio, deck, or under a tree in the yard.
A trellis can function as a sunscreen or as the framework for an outdoor hanging garden. Building it with pressure-treated lumber minimizes rot.
Trash can corral or compost bin. A trash can corral lets you hide unsightly trash cans. A compost bin lets you reduce your own carbon footprint in a way that doesn’t take away from the visual appeal of your yard.
Source: Business Wire
Spotlight on Bradenton Beach
Bradenton Beach is a city on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city occupies the southern part of Anna Maria Island and is one of three municipalities on the island. The others are Holmes Beach in the center and Anna Maria in the north.
Bradenton Beach is a small, friendly island community that values the civic pride of both permanent and seasonal residents, maintains its Old Florida charm, and respects its bountiful natural resources. History, hospitality and spirit are the hallmarks of this thriving waterfront, offering ease of mobility by land and sea.
Bradenton Beach is a charming and vibrant community located at the southern end of Anna Maria Island. The Island is located at the southern entrance to Tampa Bay on the Gulf of Mexico. They share the island with sister cities of Holmes Beach and Anna Maria City. Access to Anna Maria Island can be achieved from the mainland (Bradenton) via bridges on Cortez Road or Manatee Avenue or from Longboat Key to the south via the bridge over Longboat Pass
Bradenton Beach is blessed with miles of sugar sand beach. Cortez and Coquina beaches on the Gulf side are managed by Manatee County. Cortez Beach lies in northern section of the city, with numerous access points available. Coquina Beach lies at the southern end of the city and has lifeguard supervision. A large parking area is located next to the beach from 5th Street South, with acres of parking found at the Coquina Park at the south end of the island.
On the bay side at Coquina is a small beach that is popular with personal watercraft riders. Public washrooms, a picnic area and snack bar are also found at CoquinaThe city boasts miles of uninterrupted supervised public sugar sand beaches on the Gulf side and calm docking and mooring areas on the mangrove lined bay side.
You can fish from the popular City Pier, which features a full service Café and where bait is available. Inshore and offshore fishing tours are also readily available from local Guides. There are a number of Parks within city limits, including beach front with picnic facilities and public restrooms. There are numerous public accesses to the beach. There are also public boat ramps at the county managed Bay Side Park at the southern tip of the city
Bradenton Beach merchants offer a full slate of goods and services including accommodation of every kind, restaurants, bars, retail outlets, real estate and other professional services. The unique shops of Bridge Street in the city’s central Historic Old Town district are one of kind!
The city is a gem positioned on the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Laid back, friendly and open-hearted they welcome visitors and new residents with equal warmth.
Everybody’s Doing It
* 92% of U.S. adults read magazines
* Consumers spend more than $86 million each week on magazines
* And there’s more you should know:
Spotlight on The Ormond Beach Area
The Greater Ormond Beach Area and surrounding Volusia County features an unmatched blend of modern, well-planned communities situated amid a landscape of unspoiled natural beauty. Located on East Central Florida’s Atlantic coast, our area boasts outstanding year-round climate and a down-home flavor that defines how Florida living is meant to be.
It’s the perfect place to live, work and play. Area residents enjoy a low cost of living, affordable housing, efficient transportation, quality education, state-of-the-art health care facilities and an expanding business climate that promotes high-tech, clean industry. Our colleges and universities are recognized both nationally and internationally. Public and private schools are excellent and county growth is strategically planned and controlled.
You can enjoy a thriving cultural arts community, world-class sporting scene and a burgeoning business climate. Two major interstate highways and Daytona Beach International Airport provide residents and visitors alike easy access from our city to virtually any destination in the world.
Looking for a New Home? Visit our friends at:
Vanacore Homes, Inc
Quality New Home Construction Since 1958
Welcome to Clearwater Beach, Florida!
Home of pristine white sand beaches, clear gulf waters, warm sunshine, and plenty of hospitality.
Clearwater Beach, an island, and a corporate part of the City, is a beach community connected to the mainland by Memorial Causeway, a four-lane, toll-free drive stretching almost two miles across the Intracoastal Waterway.
Business on Clearwater Beach is mainly tourist oriented, with hotels, motels and gift shops. Many fine homes, apartments and condominiums offer pleasant, semi-tropical island accommodations to permanent residents and winter and summer visitors.
Clearwater offers a seemingly endless supply of sun and a mild and temperate climate. It is ideally situated on the Gulf of Mexico on Florida’s west coast, offering something for every visitor.
With designations as Best City Beach, one of America’s Top Family Beaches, one of the Top Singles Beaches in Florida, and one of the Best Beaches from Maine to Hawaii, be assured, Clearwater boasts award winning beaches and so much more.
Providing extensive water recreation and nature-based and land-based attractions as well as a wide array of special events there is plenty to see and do. The rich history and heritage of this area along with the outstanding performing and visual arts make Clearwater the perfect place to spend time in – or out of – the sun.
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