May I See Your ID Son? Every Dog Has It's Day

Those of you that have read my heart wrenching story about my dog Roscoe will understand that although he is just a dog ...he's mans best friend. Hek.... he's my best friend!

Saturday was a beautiful day in Weston FL. After putting in a half a days work selling some Real Estate....I figured that since I had a little time to kill.....I would go out in my backyard and sit by the pool and work on my tan. The girls had gone out shopping....so it was just me and Roscoe. Please keep in mind that it was a very sunny and hot and Roscoe prefers the shade under my covered patio. All I need to do is leave him a bowl of ice-cold water while I enjoy swimming in my pool.

After swimming a while I decided to dry off and lay on my lounge chair while I cracked open a cold one. There's nothing better than to enjoy a cold one on my lounge chair. I took a big swig and put the can under my chair so it wouldn't get warm from the suns rays. I was relaxing when all of a sudden I here this noise coming from under my chair.....it sounded like metal scraping against the concrete. I looked down and  there's old Roscoe drinking out of my beer can!

I get up and go to grab it from him when he decided to bite the top of the can and run in the corner with it. By the time I reached him he knocked the can over and was drinking away. I was on the floor laughing and I happen to have my camera and caught the culprit in action. I wasn't too concerned since it was light beer and I figured that he doesn't have much time left and pretty much leads a boring life of mostly eating and sleeping while relieving himself in between.

My only question is that if the legal drinking age in FL is 21 then if Roscoe is 17..... does that mean he needs to show his ID if he goes out to a bar?

It was Mothers Day Sunday but every dog has its day on Saturday!

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved 

Century Village -Deerfield Beach FL Condo's For Sale

Neal Bloom | Remax Premiere Associates | 954-608-5556 139 Prescott G, Deerfield Beach, FL 2 Bdrm Condo offered at $54,999 Year Built 1977 Sq Footage 829 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 1 Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $217 per month DESCRIPTION 2BR 1.5 BTH ON THE SECOND FLOOR WITH LAKEFRONT VIEW. NEEDS SOME TLC... VACANT AND EASY TO SHOW see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central A/C Central heat Walk-in closet Living room Dining room Dishwasher Refrigerator Stove/Oven Balcony, Deck, or Patio COMMUNITY FEATURES Guest parking Clubhouse Swimming pool(s) Golf course Lake Gated property Secured entry ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Neal Bloom Remax Premiere Associates 954-608-5556 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: May 7, 2008, 2:11pm PDT

The city of Sunrise FL to offer financial aid to homeowners for home repairs and replacement

The city of Sunrise FL to offer financial aid for home repairs and replacement

Residents of Sunrise FL can now apply for financial aid to apply towards home improvements under the city's Housing Rehabilitation Program. Owner occupied property can apply for loans to pay for critical renovations.

They must be verify the home repairs and or replacement to deteriorated systems as well as any unidentifiable health hazards.

The way it works is by having the city forgive 20% of the loan for each year the borrower remains in the home. The program draws on state and federal money for the loans. To qualify....individuals must have earned less than $24,900 in the 2007 tax year and a family of four must have earned less than $35,600. Some other items needed to be supplied along with their completed application form are their W-2 tax returns for the last 2 yrs...their last 3 pay stubs...6 most recent bank statements...divorce,alimony,child support,pension and social security information if applicable. They will also need to show proof of home ownership,paid property tax and insurance bills....etc.

According to city commissioner Donald Rosen... the financial aid program will not only add value to the homes that have been effected by the recent rise in foreclosures....but will also provide critical equity lines for building improvements.

Decreasing values.....poor neighborhhood conditions and homes that were damaged after the last big hurricane has caused many homeowners not to be unable to repair the damage and improve their properties due to lack of funds available. This program will most certainly will improve current conditions in the long run. The program started about 15 years ago.

I think this could be a program that will help maintain the community as well as help people make those critical repairs they need to keep their property more habitable. My hat goes off to the city of Sunrise FL!

All applications will be taken on a first come first serve basis.

For more information ....please call the city grants administration team at (954)572-2315

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved 

Are Homeowners being penalized by their own Homeowners Association?

As a Realtor® in Weston FL...Selling and renting out a home in FL can be a challenging for me as well as the homeowner.

This market is tough. Prices are dropping daily and some homeowners are facing the fact that they can no longer wait to sell and the only alternative for some is to move out and rent it to cover part of their expenses in order to avoid foreclosure. Most of the homeowners I speak with daily are concerned that even if they rent it out they can't command enough to cover their bills. Basically it's a temporary band-aid to cover the wound and stop the bleeding.

Most homeowners will face enough obstacles.... hoping that they get a contract on their home in a reasonable time and then want to close quickly so they can be relieved of the tremendous debt that id weighing them down. The same goes for the ones that need to just get a warm body into their home and collect some income. Even though it's negative income it's still enough to keep them from losing their homes. It's bad enough that they have to go through the process of waiting for the buyers loan to be approved and cleared to close but when their own homeowners association holds up or delays their home from closing or even losing a months rent due to the lack of being proactive.... then in my opinion all these board members are doing is making matters worse by impeding on the sale and or rental of their property because they want to take their dear sweet time giving an answer in a reasonable time frame. It's hard enough for people to sell or their properties....let these board members stick to sending out violation notices .......they seem to be pretty quick with handing those out.

When I owned my previous home I decided to get more involved with my association. I figured that if I could help be more proactive...my fellow homeowners would greatly appreciate that I was working in their best interest. I became vice president of my homeowners association and sat in that position for about 7 years. In this particular subdivision where I lived there wasn't a requirement to be approved for the sale but a few years later we decided there was a need to screen renters. Even when we made an adjustment we still worked with the homeowner to get the process completed rather quickly and without too many complications.

There are a lot of areas across the country that do not have associations and some that do but without any approvals needed. Recently I have noticed that these boards want to take their dear sweet time with all kinds of long waited policies for approvals. Many times we have deals that need to close quickly and homeowners want their properties occupied as soon as possible. Being on the board of as homeowners association is a volunteer position and unless government steps in then it's a non-paying position.

Basically when you don't get paid...you're not motivated enough to try to help some folks out and make a few exceptions. Money talks and bullsh-t walks. Getting approvals in some areas should be a quick decision. And if one board member cannot fulfill this then there should be others that can come out of the bullpen in relief. This is not happening. They simply don't care how long it takes. They don't take into consideration the fact that people are sitting at the closing table waiting for an approval and I have even seen a case when someone asked if their approval could be expedited and then they had to pay an extra fee but where that fee went to is beyond me.

Back in July 2007 I had one property that I listed for rent. The homeowner found me on the Internet and it turned out that we lived across the street from each other. We ended up getting a renter within a few weeks and the renters agent needed to get in an approval to have the lease start the first of August. But because of lack of responses from the association and excuses to delay the process...the homeowner lost one months rent of $2,200. It was bad enough that their expenses were about $2,900. He was pissed off and wanted to hire an attorney because of what he called dirty tactics the property management company was using to hold up the occupancy of his new tenant. In the end ...he ended up losing a month of rent.

I'm seeing more and more delays and that is pissing off these folks. Whatever happened to helping people during tough times? I bet that if there were a homeowner in the same situation who happens to serve on one these boards that there would be a way expedite the sale of their own property.... there would be instant answers.

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved 

Weston FL Real Estate for Rent-Weston FL-Market Report

Weston FL Real Estate for Rent-Weston FL Market Report

Weston Florida Real Estate for rent- Weston FL Market Report 

Keeping an eye on property values can be a bit challenging from a distance . Every now and then...wouldn't it be nice to borrow someone's eyes and ears in our area for an occasional update on your neighborhoods values?

That's actually what we are doing for you....free of charge! You are receiving an update on Weston FL Real Estate For rent on a regular basis, just to keep you informed of the current Real Estate for rent in Weston FL.

This value check up is automatic: all you have to do is open this link and read The Weston FL Rental Market Report.

Here is the latest report - Weston FL Real Estate for Rent.

Currently Active homes for rent in Weston FL through- May 2008

• 330 homes with prices range from $995 per month for a 1BR 1.5 Bth Condo -$25,000 per month for a 6BR 6 Bth/2 half Bth single family home.

Current Pending rentals in Weston FL -As of May 2008

• 104 homes

Closed rentals in Weston FL- January 2008-May 2008

• 361 homes

It's a great time to rent the home you have been looking for. Come visit our area so you can see all of The Weston FL Real Homes For Rent.

It is also a great alternative for homeowners looking to keep their properties. Many homeowners cannot sell their homes due to a difficult market ....so why not rent out your home in Weston FL...you'll be glad you did.

This information is provided by the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service and is believed accurate but not warranted.

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved 

Now That's what I call Balance

I thought I would make fun of myself today.

There have been many many posts that have been written about Activerain and the balance it should have.

Some people like to post about Real Estate. Some people like to post about their life. Some people like to post jokes and some people like to post recipes. I'm not sure if I was the first one to come up with the idea but I can tell you it is my content. Maybe I just altered it a bit. So I thought it would be nice to add balance on Activerain.

I thought it would be interesting to incorporate all of them into one post.

First my little joke or should I say someones little joke....I was driving down the highway in Florida this weekend and I didn't realize that I was speeding. I was pulled over by a police officer and I opened my window  and I handed him my drivers license and said ..."what's the problem officer?" He said "May I see your Real Estate License and insurance card?" I couldn't understand why he was asking me for my Real Estate license...he said "Well .....there are more drivers with valid Real Estate licenses then drivers licenses in Florida and they need insurance more than some of our drivers."

Now my Real Estate post....I thought a few of you would be interested in my market report that you might have missed recently.

Homes For Sale-Broward County FL -through 4/2008 

• 17,359 Single family homes
• 22,817 Condo/Town-homes

 Pending Sales-Broward County FL -through 4/2008 

• 1,234 Single family homes
• 1,648 Condo/Town-homes

Closed Sales-Broward County FL- 1/2008-4/2008

• 1,667 Single family homes
• 1,921 Condo/Town-homes

This information is provided by the Southeast Florida Multiple Listing Service and is believed accurate but not warranted.

Now my recipe for potato pancakes post.....

My recipe is quite simple...below is how I make them. Please feel free to steal my recipe if you really like my ingredients.

• 12 Baking potatoes...peeled and sliced into smaller pieces
• 2 large onions....skinned
• 2 table spoons of minced garlic
• 2 large eggs mixed
• A dash or two of pepper
• A dash of salt...not too much!
• 1/4 cup of flour for binding purposes

Take your potatoes and run them through a food processor until they are in a paste form consistency. Do not shred them. I find this way they stay together much better and also give a different texture to it. Go through the same steps with your onions separately. Put both your potato and onion paste into a strainer and squeeze out as much of the water as you can...this will eliminate the chance of you getting splattered by the cooking oil when they hit the pan.

Take your them and put them a a large bowl and mix all of the ingredients together but mix the eggs in last. You will then need a large serving spoon and a spatula. Use any kind of vegetable oil and fill a large nonstick frying pan about half way with the oil. (you might have to add additional later). Turn up your heat to about level 9. Test to see if your oil is hot enough by taking a few drops of water on your fingers and drop them into the pan. If it crackles you should be ready to go. Then use your spoon and start to shape your pancakes as you drop them into your oil. Please keep an eye on them to make sure you do not burn each side.

Once each side is golding brown you will want to put them onto a large plate covered with two levels of paper towels. then you need to turn them once you fill the plate up. Continue to add one piece of paper towel to each level until all are finished. Then take another large plate and put fresh paper towels down just to get off the excess oil. This way they won't be too greasy.

And finally my serious post about my dog Roscoe.....it was just too long to re-post it..... so just click on the link if you want to read it.

Now my only problem is..... which groups I can post this in.

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved (except the joke)

Getting in the head of the mindless and lazy Realtor®

I always wondered what it would be like to read peoples minds. I figure that if I could do that I would always be able to take care of any problem or solution before it's too late.

So today..... I decided to take a little trip today and get inside the head of the mindless Realtor®.

I wonder what kinds of interesting adventures I would come across.

Since I consider myself a pretty good Realtor®. I always wondered about how the bad ones can just sit back and conduct business the way they do. Is it where they came from? Is it that they are just too laid back? Is it that they are really stupid? Or is it that they just don't care and would rather throw a dart up against the wall and see if it sticks and then worry about the problems later.

I just can't understand why some of the agents would actually want the world to know that they are a licensed Realtor®. If they don't want to help and guide their clients in the right direction then I would think that they really don't want to go out and get business anyway...maybe they are just hoping that there will become the owner of a company and just have a title and do absolutely nothing.

I thought it would be amusing to me to write down all the things that were important to me and my business but wanted to think like some of those lazy putzes..... instead of thinking like the professional we all should be like.

• I don't need a mind in this business and I don't need to do any work...why should I? .....I'll let the other agent do everything.
• I'll take a referral for $1,000,000 all cash deal but I won't do anything during the transaction accept to find out why my check wasn't ready in time for me to leave to go on vacation.
• I refuse to take less than a 365 day vacation...please understand that my time is money and the clock is ticking right now.
• I won't return calls.
• I won't answer my phone.
• I expect my office to call me every morning with a wake up call so I can get up and go to the bathroom and then go back to sleep.
• I won't clean out my voice-mail so this way I don't have to worry about anyone leaving me an important message.
• I won't return emails...as a matter of fact...when I advertise I will put a fake email address in my tag so this way it will always come back as undeliverable.
• I refuse to show my clients any property let alone what they want to see.
• I expect another agent to show my clients everything they want to see and not pay them a dime for helping me out.
• I tell my clients to call every listing agent and then go see all these properties...then I'll get my client to write the contract and put my name on it so I can collect the commission.
• I refuse to call to confirm my listing appointment.
• I refuse to take a listing that is priced right.
• I refuse to renew my license and would rather just let people think I really am a licensed Realtor®.
• I refuse to show up at the closing on any of my deals..why should I ...I already earned my money doing absolutely nothing.
• I refuse to service my clients.
• I refuse to even thank my clients for their past... present... and future business.
• I won't work full-time or even part time for that matter. I'd rather let my wife pay all the bills.
• I would rather my wife work 7 days a week and then expect a home cooked meal because I'm too tired from laying around all day wondering why I'm so dam good looking and successful.
• Can you please buy me a new puppy but can you please walk them and clean up all the crap they leave?
• While your at it...can you wipe my butt and wax my Mercedes?

You know something? I don't like what I see in the head of that mindless Realtor®.

Do yourself a favor and get out of this business. You are only clogging up our profession with another license number. Only the qualified need to apply.

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved 

Century Village-Deerfield Beach FL-Condo's for Sale-Pending Sale

Neal Bloom | RE/MAX Premier Associates | (954)608-5556 137 Markham G, Deerfield Beach, FL 2 Bdrm Condo offered at $59,000 Year Built 1978 Sq Footage 819 Bedrooms 2 Bathrooms 1 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 1 Uncovered spaces Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $315 per month DESCRIPTION 1ST FLOOR 2 BR 1.5 BTH CORNER UNIT IN PRESTIGIOUS CENTURY VILLAGE DEERFIELD BEACH FL ...ALL THE IMMENITIES FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE AT YOUR FINGERTIPS. READY TO MOVE IN AND PRICED RIGHT FOR A QUICK SALE...EASY TO SHOW...BRING US AN OFFER. see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central A/C Central heat Walk-in closet Tile floor Living room Dining room Dishwasher Refrigerator Stove/Oven Microwave Balcony, Deck, or Patio COMMUNITY FEATURES Guest parking Clubhouse Laundry on-site Storage space(s) Swimming pool(s) Golf course Gated property Secured entry Elevator ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Seller contact info: Neal Bloom RE/MAX Premier Associates (954)608-5556 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Apr 26, 2008, 2:31am PDT

Broward County FL Real Estate For Sale-Market Report 1/2008-4/2008

Gambling and Real Estate....nothing is a sure thing

I'm not really a person who gambles. I might spend some money but I'm pretty conservative and the same goes when I buy property for investment reasons. I might make a purchase....but I won't put all my eggs in one basket.

First off...when I go to the casino I usually have too much to drink and that seems to dull my senses enough that if I start to gamble.... I usually don't care whether I win or lose...I just want to have fun and hopefully play with the houses money and come home with a few extra bucks in my pocket.

But before I get there I usually prepare to lose all the money that I bring. Not to be negative but let's face it...when you gamble ......the odds are usually in the favor of the casino and not you. Oh yeah...if you're a big shot and you have lot's of money to play with...then maybe you might get lucky but even if you can spend more you could still lose...it just might take longer. The addiction of playing a sure thing is quiet enticing but when you start to lose...... sometimes it's just better to cut your loses and go home.

We all know what has been going on in our Real Estate market over the last few years. We saw homes reach unimaginable values and we saw many of them being purchased today for X and then the next day being sold at a crazy profit. Everyone was jumping on that bandwagon but if you look back and think about it you will realize that those things are just not normal. Here's an example...how can you buy a condo that was new construction for $500K today ....wait 2 years for it to close and expect it to be worth than what you paid when you signed the purchase agreement? So you buy it now and pay for it later...that's a great concept except for one thing... but when you pay $500k today and then the project is finished you find out it's worth a hole lot less. You realize that you can't make the monthly payments on your mortgage no matter what rate you get. "That's called gambling speculating.

That brings me to this unfortunate story about a few good friends of mine. Back when the market was still crazy they really didn't know me well and didn't know I was a Realtor® so they found out that a particular project was bring offered and they kept seeing all these consumers buying these condo's and expectied that when it was done that they could just turn around and sell it for more money and walk away with a nice profit. Well it might not turn out that way. If I knew about this then instead of now...I would have suggested that they don't take such a risk and maybe purchase something for a lot less money.

Eventually we became very good friends and all the kids play together and our families now get together on a regular basis for some fun. They are two couples that went into this together. Lets just call them the A and B families.  

They approached me recently and wanted to discuss what was going on with this condo. They told me they purchased it for $500K and gave the developer 100K as their down payment. Supposedly none of the units in the building have closed yet and they were just waiting for the CO and were told that they should expect to close around June. They told me that they are a bit nervous and weren't very enthusiastic that the market was going to get better. They asked me if there was anything I could do. I told them I needed to look at their contract and I mentioned that most of these contracts that people sign with these developers generally will say that you may go out and get a mortgage but if you can't qualify or get one.... that you were still obligated to close with cash.

Basically it's a contract not contingent on getting a mortgage and if you can't close then you would have to forfeit your deposit. Well they showed me the contract and I was correct...they had that type of contract. I have seen these contracts before...I should know because I had purchased a unit in a different area but it was for a lot less money and a lot less risk of loss. We discussed the possibilities and figure that there isn't much they could do.

There's really no way out. 

I told them that the problem is when you buy in this type of situation now for a price determined by the developer.....there is no way to figure out what it will be worth when you close on it 2 yrs later. They figured it was a sure thing and they would make a profit because if prices kept going up then they figured it would be worth a lot more when they close and they could flip it. Family A wants out of it and family B is not sure what they want to do. Family A discussed the possibility that maybe it's just better to walk away and not close on it and lose their 100K.

Now 100K is a lot of money to lose... and not many people will make 100K in a year so I can understand their concerns but if you look at it sensibly.....they have to figure that if they close in the next few months and have to carry it and have no idea how much it will sell for ....it's losing proposition no matter how you look at it. One thing is for sure is it will most certainly sell for a lot less than they paid so it might be better to lose 100k instead of possibly lose even more.

Their payments most likely won't even cover the nut so even if they try to rent it out they'll still be losing money ... and they might be carrying it for a long time anyway before they can get someone in there. The maintanence fess are over $500 per month and the taxes will probably be around 10K a year as a non homestead property.

Walking away from your deposit is a very common thing right now but the trouble is how can a developer offer a unit for $500k and then make you close on it if it's worth let's say $400K? The problem is even if they get qualified with a lender...how can it appraise and how can it appraise if there aren't any local comps to use?

Here's what could happen...the developer could say that if you use or in house lender you will be qualified but you'll have to pay their rates so the purchaser really has no choice but to use them. Or the developer will say that you signed a contract that was not contingent on financing so if you pay cash you will not be required to have it appraised.

So ....if you were in the same position as these really nice people are.....what would you do?

For more information please contact Neal The Real Deal Bloom-Realtor® /RE/MAX Premier Associates

2500 Weston Road ,Suite 103

Weston FL 33331

(954)608-5556

The Real Deal tells it Like it is in Real Estate-copyright © 2008-All rights reserved