New park in Palm Coast

Nature Bridges, a top builder of pedestrian bridges and pedestrian guardrails, announces the completion of their work at Palm Coast Linear Park.
Monticello, FL (PRWEB) January 27, 2008 -- Nature Bridges (naturebridges.com), specialists in pedestrian bridges and pedestrian guardrails, is proud to announce their completion of pedestrian bridges and pedestrian guardrails at Palm Coast Linear Park in Palm Coast, Florida.

Nature Bridges started the project in October 2007 for Westwind Contracting, Inc., and was given a target date of completion for this month. With the determination to meet their client's schedule, Nature Bridges employed two crews to work during the majority of construction and eventually added an extra crew to meet their deadline.
The beautiful new structure includes 3,875 lineal feet of 8' wide top-down constructed timber pedestrian bridges with 7,468 lineal feet of 54" high pedestrian guardrails. The pedestrian bridges and pedestrian guardrails were built using the innovative top-down construction method.
With top-down construction, all large equipment stays on top of the new structure during the entire building process. This method provides a long-lasting structure and helps to preserve the surrounding plant and animal habitats during and after construction.
Nature Bridges completed this project in just three short months. April James, Vice President of Nature Bridges said, "We are proud to have completed the pedestrian bridges in this project for Westwind Contracting. Being able to have a positive impact on a difficult construction schedule is very gratifying for us. Westwind Contracting is an excellent general contractor, and we would be pleased to work with them in the future."
Palm Coast Linear Park is now open to the public. The park includes several covered picnic areas and a playground area. The park is surrounded by a beautiful mix of tall trees and includes the newly completed pedestrian bridges and pedestrian guardrails.

Saving our Energy

Are you receiving a lot of unwanted catalogues in the mail? Watching the news this morning on the Today Show, they had a pretty good idea. If you go to http://catalogchoice.org/, you can cancel the catalogs via email that you no longer want to receive. This can save trees and our water supply. Normally, I am not one who posts such things but it really is a good idea.
Think of all the catalogs you receive daily you put right into the recyle bin without ever opening. Just thought I would pass this along in case anyone is interested.

2007 Home Sales Figures

Florida’s housing market followed the national trend in 2007, as mortgage industry issues and a sluggish economy impacted sales and prices. By year’s end, a total of 130,241 existing single-family homes sold statewide for a 29 percent decrease compared to the 2006 sales figure, according to FAR. The statewide median sales price was $233,600.
Says 2008 FAR President Chuck Bonfiglio: “The outlook for 2008 is that the housing market should start to normalize, that we should see some gains by the end of the year. Continued efforts to resolve Florida’s property insurance and property tax issues will also help revitalize our state’s housing market.”

What's happening in Florida

Census figures show that Florida continues to grow rather than shrink, but the number of incoming residents from other states dropped by about 86 percent in just two years thanks to higher home prices, property taxes and insurance costs.

Homeownership

As an investment, a home requires more than a good cleaning now and then. New homeowners should follow a regular maintenance schedule to keep repair costs down and to maximize their profit when it’s time to sell.
Read the full story published by the Times-Union:

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jan. 22, 2008 – Buy milk. Go to dry cleaner. Pay bills. Such reminder notes cover refrigerators, but tasks such as “vacuum refrigerator coils” don’t usually appear on to-do lists. But benign neglect today equals costly repairs tomorrow.
Preventive maintenance stabilizes a home’s value, something buyers and sellers always want to do. Concerns are especially acute while the real-estate market remains turbulent. We asked Lou Manfredini, Ace Hardware’s expert, and Bob Markovich, home and yard editor for Consumer Reports, to suggest simple steps you can take to keep things running smoothly.
Roof
Every six months inspect this area of the house through binoculars. Check for damage or missing shingles.
Refrigerator
Because it runs 24/7, this appliance is one of the hardest working in the house. Remove the screws that hold the kick plate in place. The plate is on the bottom of the front of the refrigerator. Vacuum coils under the refrigerator every two to four weeks. Coils could also be on the back of the refrigerator.
Stove
Industry experts say sales of smooth-top stoves continue to climb. Do not use a damp cloth to clean smooth-top stoves. Chlorine and other chemicals in tap water can damage the porous surface. Instead, use a specialized cleaner. Apply it to a cloth, and then wipe the stove. If you have a gas stove, be careful not to touch the igniter when you are cleaning spills on burners. Dishwasher
Every time you load the silverware caddy, make sure none of the utensils sticks up so far that it blocks the spray arm located at the bottom of the dishwasher. This could damage the spray arm and obstruct the flow of water, greatly reducing the efficiency of the washer. Clean the spray arm and inspect the strainer each month. The strainer should be free of food, broken glass and other debris.
Dryer
Clean the lint trap every time you use the dryer. To keep the appliance running efficiently and to reduce the risk of fire, clean the exhaust duct annually. You might have to move the dryer away from a wall. Disconnect the dryer duct from the machine. Use a duct cleaning brush kit to unclog the duct. Though many folks consider dryer maintenance a DIY task, you can hire a professional service company to do it. Fees range from $75 to $175.
Washer
At least once a year, remove grit from hose washer screens. The screens can be found where hoses attach to the pipes that supply the water. Water heater To conserve energy, set the thermostat at 120 degrees. Drain the water heater at least once a year to prevent sediment from building up inside the unit.
Air filters
Replace them at least once a month. A dirty, ripped or clogged filter could reduce the efficiency of your heating and cooling system by as much as 30 percent, Manfredini said. Replacing filters will help improve the air quality inside your home. Air- conditioning and heating unit Have a professional inspect the system annually. Condenser coils must remain free of debris. Ducts leading from the unit into the home must be sealed properly. Plant shrubs at least 12 to 14 inches away from the outdoor unit to prevent leaves, branches and twigs from clogging the system.
Gutters
Keep gutters unclogged to prevent water from backing up inside them. Water could pool on the roof and cause structural damage. Check downspouts at least twice a month. If water is not flowing out while it’s raining, then you know you have a problem. Place a leaf blower at the mouth of the gutter to dislodge anything that might be stuck inside. If you are comfortable climbing a ladder, go to the roof and sweep away the debris. Or climb the ladder so that you can reach the place where the gutter connects to the roof. Spray water through a hose to clear the downspout.
Decks
Use a pressure washer with a wide-spray nozzle to clean decks. Make your own gallon of cleaning solution that is 1/4 bleach and 3/4 water. Markovich suggests adding 3 ounces of TSP phosphate cleaner. Begin with the nozzle about 2 feet away from the deck, and move closer as needed. To avoid damaging the decking, keep the nozzle at least 6 inches away from the deck’s surface. About every three years, depending on weather conditions, re-apply a deck treatment product designed to resist damage from UV rays, weather and normal wear and tear. For wood decking, Markovich recommends using Cabot Decking Stain 1480, an opaque, oil-based substance, or Cabot Solid Color 1880, a latex substance.
(c)2008 The Florida Times-Union, Brandy Hilboldt Allport; via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved

Florida Tax Portability Explained

The information below is an example of part of the Amendment 1 which we will be voting on Jan. 29th, 2008.
Remember, it must pass by 60% of the vote to become effective.

Portability of Save our Homes (SOH)

To calculate your Save Our Homes (SOH) Benefit for portability purposes, use the following formula:

Market Value – Assessed Value = SOH benefit $ amount

Example:
FIGURES FROM PROPERTY APPRAISERS STATEMENT:
Purchased home in 1990 - $52,000
Filed for Homestead exemption when available - $25,000
2007 Assessed Value - $74,274 (depressed value due to 3% cap benefit)
2007 Taxable Value - $49,274 ($74,274 – $25,000 exemption)
2007 Market Value - $243,605

SOH Benefit: $243,605 - $74,274 =$169,331

UPSIZING: move to a $400,000 home in Florida
If you were to sell this home and move to a more expensive (more than $243,605) home, you would take the dollar amount of $169,331 to be taken from the assessed value of your new home to decide your new tax base.
$400,000 – $169,331 = $230,669(new assessed value for your tax base)
Homestead or other exemptions would be subtracted from the assessed value to compute your new taxable value.


DOWNSIZING: move to a $200,000 home in Florida
If you were to sell this home and move to a less expensive (less than $243,605) home, you would take the same percentage of benefit you received.
$169,331/243,605=69.5%
69.5% * $200,000 = $139,000 benefit
$200,000 - $139,999 = $61,000 (new assessed value for your tax base)
Homestead or other exemptions would be subtracted from the assessed value to compute your new taxable value.

(refer to your property appraisers statement for your figures)

Property Insurance

Florida insurance regulators abruptly ended a planned two-day hearing with Allstate executives Tuesday, angered that the company and its attorneys failed to fully comply with a subpoena demanding information on property coverage rates. While Allstate’s four Florida companies had asked for double-digit rate increases, the insurer told state regulators it planned to drop that request.

Homeowner trends for 2008

Lowes, who is a Realtor Sponsor has supplied the trends to watch for in 2008. You can just click on this link and it'll take you to the web page. Call me if you have questions. https://www.lowesrealtorbenefits.com/newsletter/pdf/122007.pdf

The Florida Economy

Florida’s economy would be hit hard if the country slides into a recession, state economic forecasters are warning lawmakers. Real estate markets could take longer to recover, jobs losses may be more severe, and the state budget could face even bigger cuts.

New home trends

Why have only one master bedroom when you can have two? That's the question Bellevue, Washington-based homebuilder Bennett Homes asks.
Bennett Homes sales and marketing director Gayl Van Natter says, "We did some exhaustive demographic studies to see how the market place is changing. And we decided that the floor plan designs we offer should reflect the types of family and non-family groups that have entered the marketplace."
"Two masters answer the needs of more than one type of buyer," she explains. "Baby Boomers are opting to have parents live in with them, sometimes two siblings decide to invest together to save money, adult friends buy a home together, or buyers just want a second master for guests, a nanny or a caregiver."

Target at Town Center to delay opening

As reported in our local newspaper, Target officials have decided to postpone their Grand Opening from March '08 to July/August '08 so the rest of the retailers in the complex can all celebrate at the same time. Rumors of permitting delays have been dismissed by both Target officials and Palm Coast city officials.

Florida's Economy

Florida’s housing market slowed in 2007, flattened out and will begin to recover in 2008, according to a new forecast report from the Attorneys’ Title Insurance Fund. “Florida has a very large and powerful economy that has gone through a cyclical downshift, but it is still outperforming compared to the rest of the nation,” says Orlando economist Dr. Hank Fishkind, who created the report.

Florida Real Estate Stats

One in three Florida homebuyers is single, with 21 percent of home purchases made by single women and 12 percent by single men – just one finding from the newly-released Florida version of National Association of Realtors’ “2007 Profile of Florida Homebuyers and Sellers.”

Another highlight: Over two-thirds of Florida buyers (64 percent) had no children younger than 18.