Active Rain LIVE Meetup in Ft lauderdale...join us ...rsvp requested.... to make reservations for lunch on the waterfront!     January 21, 2015 1130AM to 1PM 3300 E Commercial Boulevard Fort Lauderdale, Fl  33308 kaluzrestaurant.com   This is our season to dine outdoors....smell the salt air now! reservations are requested so be sure to rsvp   COME meet your local and visiting real estate professionals who subscribe to our social media community where we will get to know each other on a more intimate level   Come share your best apps, your 2015 goals, your success stories and just mingle   Not familiar with Active Rain?  contact Eileen@FloridaRealEstateConnector.com   Looking forward to visiting with each and everyone who clear their calendar to socialize       01/06/2015

It's that glorious season of outdoor events, fairs, concerts, etc. that characterizes Winter/Spring in South Florida!! Starting us off is the winter edition of the Las Olas Art Fair on beautiful Las Olas Boulevard in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. this weekend. Ranked as one of the top art festivals in the nation, the Las Olas Art Fair will have more than 150 artists displaying & selling their creations over two days (Saturday & Sunday 10:00am-5:00pm). Everyone is invited to enjoy great weather, strolling amongst pieces of art & the Boulevard's sidewalk cafes. This year, the event  takes place at the same time and close to the monthly JM Lexus Jazz Brunch (first Sunday of every month). As a result, art lovers will enjoy music provided by The Bobby Rodriguez Orchestra, Pieces of Work and the Tommy... 01/02/2015

Closing costs can add a lot to home buyers' final price, depending on which lender a buyer uses, which state they live in, the price of the home, and sometimes even the day of the month the closing occurs, The Wall Street Journal reports. Borrowers can reduce their closing costs in several ways: Comparison shop. If buyers apply for a mortgage with more than one lender, they'll be able to compare the origination fees quoted in good-faith estimates, says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst of Bankrate.com. Federal law requires lenders to provide the statement within three days of a loan application. The origination fees cannot be changed, but lenders are given a 10 percent cushion in estimating third-party charges, such as for the appraisal, survey, inspection and title services, accord... 12/19/2014

Real estate agents' most valuable leads still come from traditional sources – open houses, past-client referrals, for sale signs and walk-ins to brokerage offices – according to the latest Imprev Thought Leader Survey of more than 270 broker-owners and top executives at leading franchises and independent brokerage firms. Imprev says that real estate agents and brokers spent more than $33 million in the latest quarter to secure new leads from Zillow and Trulia premium services, but data from its survey finds that brokers consider the leads agents already have in their address books as far more valuable. "A real estate agent's best lead is organic," says Renwick Congdon, chief executive officer of Imprev, a real estate technology company. "It comes directly from his or her sphere of influ... 12/17/2014

Before the Great Recession, some South Florida developers were selling storage units for boats just like condominiums. The financial crisis stymied that, as demand for boats and storage shrunk. Now, with the economy recovering, sales of "dockominiums" are making a comeback. A Dania Beach marina held a grand opening this month, offering its covered dry-racks on land for prices between $35,000 and $90,000 each plus monthly maintenance fees, said sales agent Ginger Hornaday. And The Bluffs Marina in Jupiter reports 17 slips on water sold so far this year, an improvement from last year. It now sells a 60-foot wet-slip for $148,000. "When real estate markets heat up, it always comes around," South Florida marina owner Andrew Sturner, chief executive of Aqua Marine Partners, said of "dockomin... 12/16/2014

News Corp announced today that it successfully completed its acquisition of Move Inc., the oversight company that manages realtors.com for its owner, the National Association of Realtors®(NAR). "In partnership with the National Association of Realtors and its one million members, we look forward to turbo-charging realtor.com and making it the most popular and profitable property site in America," says Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp. According to Thomson, the Move Inc. acquisition extends News Corp's operations globally and digitally, and substantially bolsters the real estate pillar of its business. News Corp.-Move Inc. merger details The previously announced tender offer by a subsidiary of News Corp for all of the outstanding shares of Move common stock at a price of $21.... 12/16/2014

 How much do student loan debt and car payments impact first-time homebuyers? RealtyTrac released an analysis of major U.S. counties – including 34 of the 67 in Florida – based on median home prices and median incomes. The analysis assumed a downpayment of 3 percent, 10 percent and 20 percent. RealtyTrac's stated goal: To determine how much lower downpayments would help first-time buyers if they must also pay higher monthly mortgage costs after the sale. It assumed a conventional loan that could be sold later to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. "While lower downpayments may help pave a quicker path to homeownership for some prospective homebuyers, a bigger obstacle to homeownership is the additional non-mortgage debt many borrowers bring to the table," says Daren Blomquist, vice president at ... 12/16/2014

While the real estate market continues to improve slowly, Fannie Mae's November 2014 National Housing Survey finds some subtle shifts in consumers' attitudes. Overall, buyers seems to be more optimistic about whether or not it's time to jump into the market; however, fewer homeowners think it's a good time to sell. According to the survey, consumers' personal financial outlook has increased fairly steadily during the year, lending support to the ongoing housing market recovery. In addition, the share of respondents who expect mortgage rates to go up in the next 12 months decreased again to 45 percent. The overall trend seems to be empowering buyers. However, the share who believe it's a good time to buy and sell a home moved further apart. Sixty-eight percent of consumers now say it's a... 12/16/2014

Everyone loves a parade!! Be part of the 1.0 million spectators along the 12 mile route watching the 43rd annual Winterfest Boat Parade on Saturday December 13, 2014. This Holiday event is an extravanganza;  decorated & glittering boats of all sizes & types become floats that parade from downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., East on the New River & North on the Intracoastal Waterway, to Lake Santa Barbara in Pompano Beach.  Watch the parade from reserved & assigned seats in the Grandstand Viewing Area inside Hugh Taylor Birch State Park at the Northeast corner of Sunrise Blvd & the Intracoastal Waterway, opened from 3:30-9:30pm or along other designated areas on the route. The Winterfest Parade is brought to Ft. Lauderdale each year by Winterfest, Inc., a non-profit organization, volunteers, s... 12/09/2014

Holiday Celebration Fort Lauderdale   We hope you can enjoy one of the many Greater Fort Lauderdale Holiday Events during the Holiday season around the corner. Every year many communities around South Florida start their celebration with Tree lighting and window lighting contest around their neighborhood. It is just fun to be there and get in on the festivities. Christmas on Las Olas Below find a few recommended events we had attended our self and had a lot of fun being there. Christmas on Las Olas many times is the first one to open the Holiday Season with their Christmas at Las Olas.  Christmas on Las Olas is by many of us known as the unofficial start of the "winter season" in South Florida. You can find all over the event typical winter celebrations such as having a winter wonderlan... 12/04/2014

The parade starts in downtown Fort Lauderdale on the river and then heads east to the intracoastal and north to Pompano ending at lake Santa Barbara for a total of 12 miles. Begins at 6:30pm Saturday December 13th. The holiday season really gets in full gear with this boating extravaganza! David Cassidy (yes him) will be grand marshal this year. Get your front row tickets or condo balcony ready for the best viewing! 11/27/2014

Thanksgiving in Fort Lauderdale First and foremost - Happy Thanksgiving to all of my clients, costumers, colleagues and friends. Thank you for being here for me and without you and your support I wouldn't be where I am today. To all visitors to my site I am thankful that you are here and hope you will find our site helpful when looking for activities during your Thanksgiving stay in Fort Lauderdale and surrounding areas. Every last Thursday in November we celebrate our holiday know as Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a unique holiday to the US where friends, family and sometimes strangers come together to be thankful and show their gratitude for what they have, are and become. Many typical celebrations involve huge home cooked meals with Turkey, ham, cranberry sauce, green been casserole a... 11/26/2014

Fort Lauderdale has a vast array of homes and condos from which to choose:  single-family, town-homes, gated communities, and of course waterfront properties - nestled in warm and Fort Lauderdale communities … such as Victoria Park, Rio Vista, Seven Isles, Wilton Manors and Coral Ridge….there’s a perfect home for everyone.  Fort Lauderdale is located on the southeast coast of Florida, between Miami and Palm Beach. Nicknamed the “Venice of America” for its expansive waterways and canal system that brings waterfront living to a whole new level. Thanks to its economic advantages, Fort Lauderdale has been recognized as a world-class international business center.  Fort Lauderdale now supports a wide range of industries from marine and manufacturing, to real estate, technology and more… For... 11/23/2014

Reduced to Sell! Premium Automotive Facility 2300 SW 41 Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317 $2,199,000 7,679 SF | Retail        Retail Property For Sale Price: $2,199,000 Building Size: 7,679 SF Price/SF: $286.37 Property Type: Retail Property Sub-type: Vehicle Related Property Use Type: Business For Sale Commission Split: 3% No. Stories: 1 Year Built: 1994 Lot Size: 74,250 SF APN / Parcel ID: 5041 13 27 0010 Listing ID 18356070 Last Updated 26 days ago Find Out More...Is this listing inaccurate? Report Listing Error Attachments Demographics Highlights Excellent Location Right on US441 just North of 595 Trucking Towing Business available State of the Art Constrcution 12, 14 Feet Bay doors Compressed Air System Recycling Oil System Description Fantastic opportunity and a great location fo... 11/16/2014

HALLOWEEN Events Greater Fort Lauderdale BOO it is the time of Halloween Events in our Greater Fort Lauderdale and spooky decorations adorn neighboring houses and children plan their perfect costume for trick-or-treating! Cooler nights, pumpkins and apple cider you can find at the many spooky events around town. Here you can find fall festivals, pumpkin patches,  Halloween parties and more around our community in the Greater Fort Lauderdale. Halloween Fun in Lauderdale by the Sea Don't miss another Lauderdale by the Sea Halloween Celebration. The celebrations offer music, custom contests, refreshments and candies. Trick or Treat in Lauderdale by the Sea at Jarvis Hall Time: Friday October 31 between 6pm - 8pm Halloween event information: Lauderdale by the Sea Town Hall Halloween   Every... 10/22/2014

Recently, I listed a home on 4030 N. Atlantic Blvd Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One of the deciding factors as to why the seller decided to choose me versus other Realtors is that I mentioned in the marketing plan that we would shoot extensive aerial footage of the home and the neighborhood in order to showcase his home. He told me that no one else that had offered their services had mentioned that they would do this, and that he thought it would make a huge difference in how the home was viewed by potential buyers. Shortly thereafter the exclusive listing for $4,350,000 was granted to me, and I went to work, here are the results. Needless to say the owner is very happy with how things turned out, and inquiries on the property are coming in quickly.       10/17/2014

Reduced to Sell! Premium Automotive Facility 2300 SW 41 Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317 $2,199,000 7,679 SF | Retail        Retail Property For Sale Price: $2,199,000 Building Size: 7,679 SF Price/SF: $286.37 Property Type: Retail Property Sub-type: Vehicle Related Property Use Type: Business For Sale Commission Split: 3% No. Stories: 1 Year Built: 1994 Lot Size: 74,250 SF APN / Parcel ID: 5041 13 27 0010 Listing ID 18356070 Last Updated 18 days ago Find Out More...Is this listing inaccurate? Report Listing Error Attachments Demographics Highlights Excellent Location Right on US441 just North of 595 Trucking Towing Business available State of the Art Constrcution 12, 14 Feet Bay doors Compressed Air System Recycling Oil System Description Fantastic opportunity and a great location fo... 10/09/2014

Reduced to Sell! Premium Automotive Facility 2300 SW 41 Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317 $2,199,000 7,679 SF | Retail |      Retail Property For Sale Price: $2,199,000 Building Size: 7,679 SF Price/SF: $286.37 Property Type: Retail Property Sub-type: Vehicle Related Property Use Type: Business For Sale Commission Split: 3% No. Stories: 1 Year Built: 1994 Lot Size: 74,250 SF APN / Parcel ID: 5041 13 27 0010 Listing ID 18356070 Last Updated 8 days ago   Attachments Demographics Highlights Excellent Location Right on US441 just North of 595 Trucking Towing Business available State of the Art Constrcution 12, 14 Feet Bay doors Compressed Air System Recycling Oil System Description Fantastic opportunity and a great location for this showcase property! This multi-purpose newer construction ... 09/29/2014

Fort Lauderdale Octoberfest Octoberfest is not only anymore a Bavarian thing and the festivities have swept all over the world including our Fort Lauderdale Octoberfest in Bavarian-style theme. The original Bavarian Octoberfest started in 1810but today this festivities is one of the best known traditions throughout the world. The Octoberfest is held in Munich on 31 hectare land called the "Theresienwiese". In 1818 the Octoberfest added there beer stand and food stand and these traditions continue today.  The Octoberfest in Munich is home to 14 beer tents and seats about 94,000 people at one time. Each tent seats approximately 5,000 at any given time. If you are cash strapped - no worries entrance to the Octoberfest in Munich is free. Fort Lauderdale Octoberfest has many similar and fun ... 09/26/2014

Just a short while ago the sign below was installed in front of my newest listing, a $4.35mm direct oceanfront home in Fort Lauderdale.   Did it cost me a pretty penny? You bet!! Does it look like any other signs in the neighborhood? No way!!   All too often agents become very lazy, and stingy in the marketing of their listings. They somehow believe the same old thing that has always worked will keep on working. In a business that is ultra competitive, it's the attention to detail that always wins the big listing, like it did for me on this home at 3040 N. Atlantic Blvd in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.   09/25/2014