Introducing www.realestategroupfortlauderdale.com! A fistful of dollars and many hours of editing and learning SEO content words and HTML coding has helped me reach my goal of establishing my own professional website. Readers of this blog may know the company I helped to establish, Broward County RE Group, LLC. A company which purchases homes and/or property in and around the Fort Lauderdale area, renovates or builds new and relists the properties for profit. This website is the home for both Broward County RE Group, LLC. and my full-service real estate business with Galt Ocean Realty. Visitors of the website can view the latest projects Broward County RE Group have completed and are currently working on. There is a contact section for interested parties to receive more information. One... 01/13/2014

12/24/2013

The Broward County RE Group is proud to present the building of our newest single-family property in Victoria Park. Located at 1910 NE 7th Place, just one street off the water, this 3,100 square foot masterpiece will embody Victoria Park chic and Fort Lauderdale luxury.  The home is not yet listed on the MLS as it will not be complete until May 2014. However, earlybirds feel free to contact me at JLipp1783@gmail.com or 954-856-6397 for more information on how you can cement this home for yourself and even contribute on some of the finishing aspects.  That is one of the latest construction photos of the home being built. Some of the specifics for the home are as follows:  - 3,100 sq. ft.  - 4 bedrooms/4 bathrooms - Large resort-style L-shaped pool with hot tub - Covered outdoor kitchen c... 12/18/2013

Christmas Celebration South Florida Style   Being a German the Christmas time has a special place in my hearth. It is my favorite season of the year to celebrate and Christmas Celebration South Florida Style is a different experience from what I am used to. It seems like that South Florida is replacing the missing snow, Christkindl market and Christmas markets with lights and not just a few lights, actual a lot of lights. All this lights during the Christmas Celebration South Florida Style make up for what make the season so special. You will find Christmas celebration in Lauderdale by the Sea with the Tree lighting ceremony, Holiday Celebration at Las Olas Bldv. and all over towns around in our sunny South Florida. You have to see what Christmas Celebration South Florida Style is all a... 12/12/2013

Fort Lauderdale is already a beautiful city. My Galt Ocean Realty office is located on what is called the Galt Ocean Mile just north of Oakland Park Blvd. on A1A and it is not in what I would call the most beautiful of strips off the beach in Fort Lauderdale. At one time the Galt Mile was a shining beacon of what Fort Lauderdale was all about. Rows of gleaming beach condos and scads of upscale bars and restaurants made the area the ultimate in South Florida chic beach luxury. That was some time ago. Still beautiful, the Galt Mile could, in my opinion, use an upgrade. Seeing as my company, Broward County RE Group, LLC., is in the business of upgrading properties in the Fort Lauderdale area, a more beautiful Fort Lauderdale is definitely in my best interests. Well, the city of Fort Lauder... 12/11/2013

Each morning I take 30-45 minutes to peruse what is happening in our world. I enjoy reading the BBC Online regarding all topics, but today there was news that could become especially pertinent for Realtors. The innovative people at Google have come out with a new Google Maps technology that will allow users to create a unique Street View -- including a 360-degree virtual tour -- of any location. It will also give people the benefit of sharing these views using Google Maps. This technology could come in handy for people in many different industries, but as I'm a Realtor in South Florida, the first thing I thought of was International and out-of-town clients. Agents could drive to specific properties and essentially create their own virtual tours of the homes and surrounding neighborhoods... 12/10/2013

Do Fort Lauderdale Realtors Really Understand A Deposit   Do Fort Lauderdale Realtors really understand a deposit situation when the sign a listing contract or take a deposit on the clients behalf? Do they understand when they are taking “other peoples” money how to handle the deposit? In Florida an agent has until the next business day to turn over a collected fund to their broker. The broker has until the third business day to deposit this money in their broker trust account or hand it over to a title company or a real estate attorney. While having this rules under the Florida Statute it shocks me when another agent claims the commission to be paid direct from a deposit and let me questioning  if Fort Lauderdale Realtors really understand what they are doing or supposed to do with a d... 12/06/2013

Is Right Now the Worst Time to Retire? It has been said before and I'll say it again: retirement is slowly becoming that far off dream that everyone hopes to achieve but few ever do. It's important to also note that the retirement I'm talking about is the textbook definition of retirement: "relaxing comfortably and without worries, etc." For retiring baby boomers and future retirees, this "textbook" retirement could look more like "working part time to supplement my low fixed income". It's one of the harshest realities older Americans are going to have to face as the cost of living rises and previous forms of retirement income, such as pensions, continue to disappear. According to an article in Fox Business, right now is probably the worst time to retire. Why? Well, yields on bonds and ... 11/24/2013

In a recovering economy, your good name and reputation are important. Creditors have tightened their guidelines barring millions of Americans from borrowing money. Even those with excellent credit and high credit scores have experienced reduced credit limits and closed equity lines. Mortgage lenders, auto finance companies, credit card issuers and banks have all raised the bar. Borrowers with low credit scores can expect to be denied or to pay significantly higher interest rates than those with excellent credit.Long gone are the days of obtaining credit, goods, benefits, services and/or employment with a 620 credit score. In more instances than not, a consumer will be denied if they maintain a credit score lower than 720.The terms credit repair, credit restoration and/or credit rehabili... 11/16/2013

Beware of an e-mail claiming to be from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of the FBI requesting that you “kindly get back to us for further directives.”  It is a scam, according to a report in the Miami Herald on Wednesday. “It didn’t appear very convincing to me when I opened it,” former WSVN-TV reporter Derek Hayward told Examiner.  “An award of almost 11 million dollars would come in quite handy now that I’m retired,” he stated with a chuckle. The fake e-mail claims as follows:   SECRET SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON, DC 20528, USA. Good day, This is the Department of Homeland Security we have vital mission: to secure the nation from the many threats we face as well as internet Fraud. This requires the dedicat... 11/16/2013

Facing the loss of a family member or friend is often devastating. Imagine the constant reminder of the dearly departed as they appear through social media on your Facebook Timeline or Google+ Circle, in your Twitter Feed or MySpace stream, or even at work on your LinkedIn profile.I was reminded in a private message last week that one of the highly respected politicians receiving birthday greetings from me on Facebook had died last year. A quick update to “Happy Birthday in Heaven” hopefully fixed this.Many wonder about life after death through social media. In reality, there is no such thing as a digital death. This is especially so when the deceased user is received as a “friend recommendation" through an automated program or mutual friends.Facebook, Google+, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedI... 11/16/2013

Utilizing public record databases to find criminal, civil, or traffic violations in South Florida has became a little easier with the release of a semi-comprehensive list of online resources, according to Rico Petrocelli on Friday. "Comprehensive background checks are a necessity in today's society," stated Rico Petrocelli of Petrocelli & Associates in Plantation.  "A background check is basically a report on an individual. It can include criminal history, financial history, education history, public records, or any combination of reports." Locating and identifying a criminal history, civil litigation or traffic history is but a click away. You can also access resources in relation to inmates, those on probation, parole or community control, sex offenders or missing children, in additio... 11/16/2013

A U.S. district court judge has halted an operation based in Atlanta and Cleveland that allegedly used deceptive and threatening tactics to collect phantom payday loan “debts” that consumers either did not owe, or did not owe to the defendants, according to the Federal Trade Commission on Monday.    According to the FTC, the defendants operated under a host of fictitious business names that implied an affiliation with a law firm or a law enforcement agency, such as Global Legal Services, Allied Litigation Group, United Judgment & Appeals, Dockets Liens & Seizures, and United Judgment Center.   Using robocalls and voice messages that threatened legal action and arrest unless consumers responded immediately, the defendants collected and processed millions of dollars in payment for phantom... 11/16/2013

How Often Do You Blog? As a general rule, I usually blog, explore other blogs and comment on posts at least once a day. I used to blog regularly, back in 2010, before I got too busy to continue. The truth is, if you don't make a habit of blogging, the habit is lost. Like anything else, you have to practice your skills so that they get better, so that you learn and so that you can share what you've accomplished. If I take more than a few days off of blogging, it can become dangerously easy to loose all that I've accomplished.  For me at least, getting back to blogging was not like riding a bike. I had to relearn everything or, at least, brush up on all I missed. It was very time consuming but, hopefully, I never have to go through that again.  How do I make sure it never does? I blog (at... 11/14/2013

Las Olas Beach Club Condos Active MLS Listings Michael Gellert Realtor (954) 534-0730  The Beautiful Atlantic Ocean and the Popular Ft Lauderdale Beach, is home to Las Olas Beach Club Condos. This Tall Well Designed building with Ultra Luxury Condos, is a destination in it's self. Each Condo is upgraded with full Granite, Stainless Steel Appliances and ceiling to floor glass windows. Residence enjoy breath taking, panaramic veiws of the Ocean and Florida's Intracoastal waterways.  The ammenities included with this full service Beach Club atmosphere are endless. Full service concierge, State-of-the-art fitness center, Pool Cabana, and 24 hour security just to name a few. Las Olas Beach Club Condos sell for $350,000 to over $3.5 Million depending on the size and location of the unit you b... 10/30/2013

Fort Lauderdale Home Buyer Are You On The Fence Are you one of them and sound familiar to you? Are you a Fort Lauderdale Home Buyer who is on the fence you need to read this. If you are a Fort Lauderdale Home Buyer who are on the fence and wanted to wait and see what else it out there. This is a story of one of my buyers who didn't listen to our expertise and learned his lesson, I certainly hope so. The one place out of over 20 homes we saw with our buyer was a charming, lovely place. It was the one, but... the buyer was always certain they will find a better place they can call their Fort Lauderdale home. With this one home we made it even so far that the buyer was ready to write an offer right at that home. But then a funny thing happen, and the Fort Lauderdale home buyer decided to w... 10/30/2013

Halloween Costume Ideas on a Budget With every Halloween comes the added mission of finding the "perfect" costume. By "perfect" I mean a costume that will surprise people, make them laugh and be immensely creative at the same time. Most of time, these "perfect" costumes cost next to nothing.  For example, every though of being a Facebook "Like" button? It's instantly recognizable and very cheap to make. With a little bit of elbow grease, you'll shock, surprise and be creative without having to break the bank. How about the infamous Apple computers' rainbow "Loading" icon? It's a part of every Apply users life and cost next to nothing to make. If anything, it demonstrates that creativity goes a long way when it comes to Halloween.  You can be ANYTHING so make it count every year, especia... 10/28/2013

Do You Listen or Just Talk? Know the Difference. A plateau is "an area of highland surrounded by consisting of moderately flat terrain". In a sense, if you are starting at the top of the plateau, you are above all else. Everyone and everything is below you, making you, essentially, untouchable.  However, if you are at the top of the listening plateau, what does this mean for your business deals, if you are above all else? In an article published by Reverse Focus, Amara Rose talks about a book she recently read, The Plateau Effect: Getting from Stuck to Success. In Chapter 7, a chapter she considers highly beneficial to anyone who serves the needs of seniors, which details test results among children and adults, demonstrates that children are better test takers.  It's important to consid... 10/17/2013

Do the Needs of the 'Many' Outweigh the Needs of the 'Few'? Despite being disappointed by HUD's process for implementing change, namely, bypassing the public comment period which takes place during the rule-making process, the AARP is adamant in their support for the new changes calling them "well-intentioned." According to an article published by Reverse Mortgage Daily, "AARP: Reverse Mortgage Changes Will Bar Access but Improve Program," despite AARP's full support for the changes, and the good they can potentially do, they are still aware that the upcoming changes are likely to cut out some future borrowers. Cristina Martin-Firvida, Director Financial Security & Consumer Affairs, for AARP’s State and National Group, stated: “The changes announced yesterday will result in lower borrow... 10/10/2013

Top 10 mistakes to avoid when selling your home   1. Not hiring a professional to sell your house Trying to sell your home by yourself is sheer madness. You need the expertise of a professional. Home sellers who do it themselves often end up selling for far less.   2. Neglecting necessary repairs prior to sale You will lose money if you don’t take care of repairs before the house goes on the market.   3. Refusing to remove your clutter and junk prior to the saleClutter eats equity and kills deals. 4. Selling your house empty Selling an empty house makes buyers feel the same way—empty. Be sure you “dress” your house for sale. If you need help, talk to your agent about options for staging.   5. Mis-pricing your home Over-pricing or under-pricing your house is a huge money-losing mistake. ... 10/08/2013