"Kids In Distress Inlet Challenge Bicycle Ride “A Fun, Fit, and Friendly way to help the most vulnerable citizens – the children of our community.” Founded in 1979, Kids In Distress is a nationally accredited agency dedicated to the prevention of child abuse, preservation of the family and the care and treatment of abused and neglected children. The Kids In Distress Inlet Challenge starts at 7:00 am sharp on Sunday, December 6th. Join Team zMotion and experience a 100, 62.5 or 31 mile amazing scenic ride along A1A. You’ll have a great time and be cheered on by zMotion Volunteers while supporting a deserving cause. Registered zMotion riders need to meet at the zMotion booth at 6:00am to collect wrist bands, complete waivers and fuel up. The start point is located across from Bahia Mar a... 11/29/2009

The Ft Lauderdale real estate market continues to rebound beautifully with help from many stimuli. Today, November, 28, 2009, there is only 7 months of standing inventory of single-family homes in the Greater Ft Lauderdale real estate market and surrounding areas. The actual number of homes listed in the MLS (multiple listing service) is 8,077. There are only 447 foreclosed homes currently listed as active regardless of price. That represents only 5.5% of the homes in the areas in and around Ft Lauderdale. Short sales are a different matter. There are currently 2,611 short sales listed which represents approximately 32.3% of the homes offered in and around Ft Lauderdale. Market conditions for the multi-family market also continue to improve. Currently, there is only 11 months of standin... 11/28/2009

Whether one of our own Fort Lauderdale citizens celebrating Thanksgiving in our tropical paradise or a welcome visitor from a colder clime, I wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!  Holidays are always a terrific reason to make time for local fun.  Whether to entertain each other, the kids, or out of town guests, here are a few favorite Fort Lauderdale outings to consider this weekend: 1. BONNET HOUSE MUSEUM AND GARDENS Rated number one of the top 90 "to do" spots in Fort Lauderdale, Bonnet House is an historic 1921 plantation-style home amid tropical gardens and ponds. The home of famed artist, Frederic Clay Bartlett and his wife, Evelyn, the Bonnet House ocean-side grounds and estate are open to the public.  Contact education@bonnethouse.org for more information.  Address: 900 North B... 11/25/2009

In today's real estate market, buyers are receiving all the attention. With the first time home buyer's tax credit to the extension of benefits to anyone who presently owns a home, where is the assistance to the sellers out there? In addition to the tax credit, the real estate market is being fueled by low interest rates and the drop in property prices. All of these elements are great for buyers, but again, what about the sellers. How can they get top dollar for their homes? Well in today's marketplace, I have a few tips that will help boost your bottom line as a seller, but first a little tough love. First, you must fall back in love with your home. I know this sounds crazy, but the moment you felt your home didn't meet your current needs, you fell out of love. This lack of emotional i... 11/24/2009

Of all the neighborhood communites that comprise the city of Ft. Lauderdale, I chose to set roots in the community of Poinsettia Heights. Poinsettia Heights is a neighborhood in the northeast quadrant of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and its boundaries are Federal Highway (US 1) to the west, Sunrise Boulevard and adjacent to the neighborhoods of Lake Ridge and Middle River Terrace to the south. Poinsettia Heights was originally known as "North Ridge,". The developer, Gill Construction Company commenced building in the 1940s and early 1950s when many other surrounding communites began to boom. Ft Lauderdale is comprised of many forms of residential homes from the most modest to the most luxurious in the country. Today, an eclectic group of original and recently built homes line the streets f... 11/19/2009

Sapphire Condo Market Update Located on North Ocean Blvd. in Ft. Lauderdale, Sapphire Condo was built in 2009 and upper Floor Units offer beautiful Ocean and/or Intracoastal views.  Construction of both Towers (2821 and 2831) is complete and Closings started in June of 2009.  Per Broward County Tax Records as of today (November 18, 2009), 28 units have been purchased between June 12, 2009 and October 21, 2009.  13 of the Units were purchased in the 2821 Tower and 15 Units were purchased in the 2831 Tower.  Their purchase prices were $360,000 - $900,000 and 22 of the 28 units purchased were purchased for $500,000 and above. Additional Units are currently under Contract for purchase and successful closings will be recorded in Broward County Tax Records. A number of the Units have undergo... 11/17/2009

First time home buyers in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  First time home buyers can be nervous, cautious, apprehensive and sometimes get stuck in their decision making for fear that there might be a better house at a better price out there that they might have missed.  First time home buyers feel many things at once.  They are scared to pay too much, excited to get a good deal, confused and overwhelmed by of the number of homes on the market, and certainly by the short sale and foreclosure process which is so challenging. First time home buyers need guidance and need to understand the environment they are competing in.  Many first time home buyers try to read everything they possibly can about the real estate market and about 'how homes aren't selling', but that is not neccessarily true, es... 11/16/2009

You've got to work as hard or harder than the realtor representing you to find a home of your dreams. You say wait a minute, Isn't my job to approve what my realtor finds me? Why do I have to work at this? The answer is simple. This is a very competitive market. I have stated this for the last 6 to 8 months, we are in a frenzy at the bottom of the real estate market. The sooner the buyer understands that it's dog eat dog out there the sooner they'll have that dream purchase. My motto get there 1st and bid at or substantually above asking price. Many banks set prices low for a bidding war. Even at the higher price you should still be in great shape for the future higher home values. Another insentive for you is the tax credit now extended to April 30 2010 and existing home owner insentiv... 11/16/2009

Welcome to the Finest Fully Accredited Online Real Estate School with the best prices available. Check out our website www.RowlettCareerSchool.com. Our passing rate meets or exceeds any other online course provider.  Get your Continuing Ed, take a Post course or Pre Sales Associate Course here. Captain Wayne Rowlett and the Rowlett Career School offer the finest online Real Estate School in the Industry. Please take a few moments to explore our site where you will find detailed information on our full service online real estate school and live Florida classroom course schedule.                                               Home        FAQs       Career Info      Bookstore      General Info      About Us     Contact Us           Select a state below for approved courses    Online Real Es... 11/15/2009

    The Las Olas Grand Condos towers 38 stories over the beautiful New River in Fort Lauderdale with 211 condo residences. Las Olas Grand Condo units range in size from 1600 to more than 6000 square feet. The seventh floor of the Las Olas Grand contains a number of activity rooms. These include a card room, social room, billiard room and a sports bar with multiple TV's. The Las Olas Grand has 5 European style luxury villas facing the river. Each Villa averages 3150 square feet with 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, den and family room. Each Villa has a two car garage. The close proximity of Las Olas Blvd. to the Las OLas Grand Condos offers residents luxury shopping in its wonderful boutiques, superb restaurants, shops and cafes. The Las Olas Grand is one of the finest addresses in Fort Lauderd... 11/15/2009

As of October 31, 2009, there have been many positive signs that greater Ft. Lauderdale real estate is moving faster each month. Let's go back to April of this year, only 6 months ago, and see what has happened with the inventory of real estate. I didn't want to discriminate by neighborhood, price range, waterfront or any other criteria. I feel when you start putting in criteria to a search, one can skew data. For my current research into the greater Ft. Lauderdale real estate market, I would let just the area stand as the only criteria for this experiment. Since April, the number of Active listings in the MLS has dropped over 25%. This means that not only has the overall number of actual listings been reduced throughout the great metropolitan area of Ft. Lauderdale, the new listings of... 11/11/2009

  According to Trendgraphix Facts and Trends, buying a home in Ft. Lauderdale maybe harder than ever. Since the beginning of 2009, the inventory of homes on the market in Ft. Lauderdale has decreased from a 24 month supply to a present 9.4 month supply. This inventory includes all homes listed on the MLS in a price range up to $500k.   It's not difficult to understand why Ft. Lauderdale's more affordable homes are being snapped up so quickly. There are a few reasons which include:   •1.      FHA is the current primary lender of homes with mortgage limits guaranteed to $417,000. In most cases, buyers are only required to place a minimum down payment of 3.5% of the sales price.   •2.      FHA mortgages appeal to most since they are assumable in most cases. This allows the current owner to... 11/09/2009

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Michael Gerrity of the RealEstateChannel.com.  Click below to enjoy this insightful article on the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and its affect on local luxury real estate. http://www.realestatechannel.com/us-markets/residential-real-estate-1/real-estate-news-2009-ft-lauderdale-boat-show-luxury-home-sales-in-ft-lauderdale-luxury-homes-miami-luxury-homes-palm-beach-viking-yachts-julie-jones-1615.php Enjoy! Julie Jones 11/04/2009

        The luxurious Mediterranean-inspired Palms condominium on Fort Lauderdale beach features floor plans from 2-bedroom/2-1/2 bath residences amazing 5,000-square-foot Grand Penthouses as well as some breathtaking town-homes right on the beach.  Enjoy carefree condominium ownership and the highest levels of architecture, interior design and finishes, as well as exclusivity and privacy. The 20,000-square foot Palms Club is a two-story fitness center with heated pool, tennis and racquetball     courts, elaborate club room and more. The Palms offers a staffed guardhouse, 24-hour security, limited-access elevators to private in-home foyers, concierge and valet parking services.  Both towers are long since finished and occupied, but a number are always available for resale in a building ... 11/03/2009

  With the 2009 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show wrapping up another successful season, I thought my readers would enjoy a sail back in time to see how this tropical paradise lured the first of Fort Lauderdale's luxury boaters, way back when. In  1893, Frank Stranahan's camp and ferry crossing on the New River caught the attention of the local newspaper,  the Tropical Sun.  Stranahan's camp, then called the New River Station, was the focal point adjacent to the original fort where traders and nature hunters met.  The New River Station then consisted of sturdy tents and comfortable cabins which attracted the sporting crowd to the surrounding Everglades for fishing and hunting. (Today, Stranahan House stands as a historic site on the New River in the heart of the city.) In 1896, Mr. C.B. Cory, ... 11/03/2009

Fort Lauderdale offers many options in the Luxury Waterfront Condominium market. Fort Lauderdale offers beautiful sandy beaches and a popular boardwalk lined with restaurants, hotels, and condotels. Luxury beach-side waterfront condominiums range in price from $650k to the multi-million dollar spectacular penthouses. Popular mid-luxury condominiums priced under $1m include The Vue (2 towers south of Oakland Park), L'Ambiance (Galt Ocean Mile, north of Oakland Park), Jackson Tower (Intracoastal side, north of Las Olas Blvd), Coconut Grove Residences (North of 17th St Causeway, on the Ocean), Il Lugano, L'Hermitage (at Oakland Park Blvd), Las Olas Beach Club (just north of Las Olas Blvd on boardwalk), Point of Americas (older luxury buildings on the ocean, south of 17th St Causeway), and ... 10/28/2009

Fort Lauderdale is also known as the Venice of America or the Yachting Capital of the World. The choices in waterfront homes abound and range in prices from a low $600k for a small fixer upper on an interior canal, to the multi-million dollar Estates on the Intracoastal. Prices have dropped and many buying opportunities exist. Luxury waterfront homes and Estates are typically found in several neighborhoods east or west of the Intracoastal:Fort Lauderdale oceanfront homes and Estates are typically priced in the $1.2m to $6m range on less than 1/4 to 1/2 acre lots. East side of the Intracoastal, popular boater neighborhoods include:- Bermuda Riviera (North of Oakland Park Blvd). Prices typically up to $2m- Dolphin Isles (South of Oakland Park Blvd) Prices to $5m- Las Olas by the Sea (Nort... 10/26/2009

        Visit my Website to View Thousands of Properties http://www.tonyhammer.com   Amenities Tower Amenities & Lobby Distinctive entrance with unique sculpture and fountains. Elegantly appointed and furnished two-story entry lobby and front desk. Fully amenitized lobby level including gracious clubroom with piano bar. Richly paneled library. Multi-media center. Second level amenities include Business Center with boardroom. Sports lounge with billiards and card tables. Separate teen room. Fourth and fifth levels feature two-story Fitness Center with state-of-the-art equipment and lounge for after workout relaxation. Private men's and women's locker rooms with sauna. Separate massage room. Almost one acre of beautifully designed recreation deck featuring resort-style pool and spa with c... 10/25/2009

As Realtors we are always looking for just the right area to prospect, and frequently we find it right under our own noses or should I say fingertips?  Well, here we are with another discovery; internet dating is a fine place to find new clients. Think of the demographic and the psychology of the site itself.  Let's face it; the people that you are meeting on the Internet are not satisfied with their lives.  They want change, and when people want change that is an opportunity for us Realtors.  The participants are widowed, divorced or simply lonely.  You could spend hours searching public records, but at your computer you can just log into your favorite dating site and find the recently divorced or widowed person needing your assistance.  Many of them show their income and their age. (B... 10/23/2009

Mid-October has arrived and the season is underway in Fort Lauderdale.  I would like to share an update of my activities I presented to my Sellers from the frontline of Fort Lauderdale 's luxury real estate market.   The Good  ·  I have invested in two Internet-based marketing programs to promote my listings: Zillow and BlockShoppers.  Between these two sites, and the rest of my Internet networking, I am confident in reaching over 300,000 visitors (new faces, not return browsers) per month with my listings.  ·  I am proud to be a sponsor of the Go Red for Women, American Heart Association initiative.  I invite any lady in the Fort Lauderdale area who would like to become involved with this dynamic group, which is in association with the Cleveland Clinic, to please contact me.  · A surv... 10/21/2009