Memorial Day is a time to remember former & present service members.      Formerly known as Decoration Day the 30th day of May, 1868, was designated for the purpose of decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country. The foundation of our Nation was laid by Men & Women of the Armed Forces of The United States.    The loss of life in service to Country & Corps must not be forgotten, additionally, many of us have friends and loved service members today facing life and death situation in Iraq & Afghanistan.     Let us ensure that we keep them in our thoughts & prayers as we reflect on their commitment, devotion and the many sacrifices to ensure we continue to live in the Greatest Nation on the Earth.   This year Memorial Day will be observed on Monday May 25th.   As ... 05/23/2009

In the last 30 days I've had 4 buyers that were looking to buy a good real estate single family home investment. Three of the four buyers were cash deals. All of the offers had multiple other buyer offers and we lost them all to higher bidders. I heard that there were as many as 10 other offers on some properties. I shared those stories with each of my investors,with the hope that they" get the picture." Sooooo what do I do about 4 offers and no sales?? Set up my investors to come to the plate or don't get in the game. I think we're THERE! PS I wrote another offer today. With a lot of explanation and stories of lost deals and these buyers experiencing the same frustration, we made an offer $5000 over asking price and........ The bank came back at highest and best!! We are possibly comin... 05/23/2009

Visit: http://www.SeminarHomeBuying.com To Attend Our FREE Informative First Time Home Buyer Seminar, & Learn How To Receive $8,000 From President Obama's Stimulus Package, Seating Is Limited, So Please Register at: http://www.SeminarHomeBuying.com 05/21/2009

Christopher Shearer By KAREN BLUMENTHAL With mortgage rates holding below 5%, there has rarely been a better time to refinance your home. But with a one-two punch of tighter credit and falling prices roiling homeowners, the process has never been more difficult. In the Sacramento, Calif., area, Michael McGee of Winchester McGee Financial estimates that one in four of his customers can't get a loan approved. In Plano, Texas, Rodney Anderson, a mortgage lender, says the rate sheet of mortgage programs he can offer customers has shrunk to two pages from 42 during the housing boom. That doesn't mean you shouldn't investigate your options. Lowering your mortgage payment -- or at least locking in a long-term low rate -- can free up cash for other needs, such as repaying other debt or replenis... 05/21/2009

Last Friday, I once again had the pleasure of dining at Charley's Crab, a Ft. Lauderdale Waterfront Restaurant located on the Intracoastal Waterway.  My Friend, Tiffany, accompanied me and we chose outdoor seating so that could we could enjoy the fabulous weather and Waterfront views.Charley's Crab offers a Raw Bar and a great selection of Fresh Fish, Shrimp, Prime Rib, Steak, Chicken, Crab, and Lobster for Dinner and Lunch, in addition to Sandwiches and Salads.For Lunch, I ordered Calamari as an Appetizer and Coconut Crunchy Shrimp with Ginger Rice and Sweet Plum Sauce as my Entrée, which were both delicious.View Charley's Crab Lunch Menu.View Charley's Crab Dinner Menu.Charley's Crab can accommodate parties of up to 450 Indoors and 350 on the Outdoor Patio. If you would like to arriv... 05/20/2009

  Point of Americas features elegant ocean-front condos located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Point of Americas offers a private beach area, manned-gated entry, fitness center, heated pool and sauna! The amazing Point of Americas provides a relaxing lifestyle, great amenities, and easy access to the beach, ocean, and marinas. Perfect for boating, water sports and ocean-views for relaxing!   Point of Americas is one of Fort Lauderdale's most luxurious condo communities. Located in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida this amazing community provides instant access to Ft. Lauderdale's sandy beaches and is pedestrian-friendly to great shopping and dining!   05/18/2009

Christopher Shearer 7(a) loans are the most basic and most used type loan of SBA's business loan programs. Its name comes from section 7(a) of the Small Business Act, which authorizes the Agency to provide business loans to American small businesses.All 7(a) loans are provided by lenders who are called participants because they participate with SBA in the 7(a) program. Not all lenders choose to participate, but most American banks do. There are also some non-bank lenders who participate with SBA in the 7(a) program which expands the availability of lenders making loans under SBA guidelines.7(a) loans are only available on a guaranty basis. This means they are provided by lenders who choose to structure their own loans by SBA's requirements and who apply and receive a guaranty from SBA o... 05/18/2009

Located at 347 N. New River Drive (next door to Watergarden Condo), Watergarden Condo was built in 2004 and is a Ft. Lauderdale Waterfront Condo located on the New River.  Watergarden Condo is within walking distance of Las Olas Blvd. so Shops, Restaurants, and Nightlife are conveniently close and the Beach is only 2.5 miles away!There are 315 2-Bedroom and 3-bedroom units located on 32 Floors featuring Atlantic Ocean, New River, and City views.The Amenities include 24-Hour Security, Concierge, Valet, a Library, Piano Bar, Theatre Room, Fitness Center, Social Room, Business Center, Billiards Room/Sports Bar, Board Room, Teen Room, and a Heated Pool, Spa, and Cabanas in a 1-acre area of beautiful Gardens. Click to view Watergarden Condos for Sale and Watergarden Condos for Lease.Owners ... 05/16/2009

    Clarification before you read : Yes, you can use the tax credit as part of your downpayment. I have stated this before. If it comes from non-profit organizations or Federal, local, or state agencies. I mentioned this in my other blog, in the bullet points . But just from the few comments and some on facebook, you are missing the POINT. It’s fraud to apply for this tax credit through the IRS, prior to actually buying your home, if you receive the monies from the IRS DIRECTLY.  Please stop reading into HUD, downpayments, etc, etc and understand what is considered FRAUD by HUD and many lenders.       2nd UPDATE – 9:01 pm 5/16/09 :  I am not here to throw people under the bus. But I am getting comments and e-mails telling me that this is allowed or that some clients have done this, one ... 05/16/2009

Can a contractor be a 203k consultant?    Absolutely. in fact a contractor can make a great 203k consultant. Recenlty we trained a couple of contractors in the same city in SC. They are working on several projects together now. Each one is bidding on the other's projects. I received a call from a contractor in FL a couple days ago. He was asked by a lender to become a consultant. He really didn't want to be finally agreed to look into it. Thus he found us. In talking to him I asked him if there weren't some 203k consultants in his area of FL. His answer was perplexing... he said there were six but they all were not taking on any more business. They had all they could handle. Wow. I had about fifteen consultants working for me at one point... Aparently they don't hire anyone. We had abou... 05/15/2009

Las Olas River HouseLas Olas River House is a remarkable high-rise condominium community located in the heart of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Las Olas River House features a variety of great amenities including two pools with private cabanas, spa/salon, library, even a putting green area! Enjoy both formal and casual dining, concierge, valet, and a plush roof-top garden with an amazing view when living at Las Olas River House!Las Olas River House is conveniently located near downtown Ft. Lauderdale in Broward County, Florida. Las Olas River House offers both amazing amenities and location, placing you near great beaches, waterways, downtown shopping, and fine dining! 05/13/2009

Las Olas Grand   Las Olas Grand is an elegant high-rise building featuring Fort Lauderdale's finest waterfront condos! Las Olas Grand offers both ocean and direct riverfront views and incredible amenities including valet, concierge, 24-hour security, heated pool, fitness room, spa, and club area. Las Olas Grand is conveniently located near downtown Ft. Lauderdale placing you near great food, shopping, and entertainment!!     Las Olas Grand is one of the best waterfront condos in all of Broward County. Las Olas Grand is near international airports, other great major cities and miles of coastline!   05/13/2009

 Located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL at 101 S. Ft. Lauderdale Beach Blvd. aka A1A/South Atlantic Blvd., directly across from the Atlantic Ocean and Ft. Lauderdale Beach,  Las Olas Beach Club was built in 2007 and is one of the most popular Ft. Lauderdale Oceanfront Condo locations.   There are 148 units located on 29 Floors. Currently, there are 41 active listings of  Las Olas Beach Club Condos for Sale, priced from $769,000 - $4,299,000.    Click to view Condos for Sale in Las Olas Beach Club.All Units feature PRIVATE Elevator entry and Entry Foyers, Granite Counter tops, Miele and Sub-Zero Appliances, Floor-to-Ceiling Windows, and fabulous Water views (Ocean and/or Intracoastal).In the past 6 months, there have been 5 Las Olas Beach Club Condos sold.  The purchase price range (NOT list pric... 05/13/2009

Homes located in the Las Olas area are of interest to many not only because of the opportunities for fabulous Waterfront views, wide, deep Canals, and large Vessel Dockage (including Mega Yachts), but also because of their proximity to downtown Ft. Lauderdale, the Shops and Restaurants of Las Olas, the Atlantic Ocean, and Ft. Lauderdale Beach. The majority of Homes in the East area of Las Olas Blvd. are Single Family Homes, but there are also several Townhouses and Condo Communities. Currently, there are 116 active listings of Single Family Las Olas Waterfront Homes for Sale.  Their price range is $685,000 - $15,900,000.   Click to view the currently available Las Olas Waterfront Homes. The Home listed for $685,000 is a Waterfront, 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath, 1,208 square foot Home built in 195... 05/13/2009

As of May 13, 2009, there have been 2 Nurmi Isles Homes sold in 2009 through Brokers with final purchase prices of $925,000 and $1,975,000.  Click here to view them.  Currently, there are 18 Nurmi Isles Homes for sale and their List Prices range from $1,000,000 - $7,995,000.  Click to search Homes for Sale in Nurmi Isles.  All Homes in Nurmi Isles are Waterfront, Ocean Access Homes WITHOUT Fixed Bridges. Nurmi Isles is a Deepwater Community with Canal Depths up to 14 Feet, so of course, it's of particular interest to Boaters with large Vessels Homes are located on Wide Canals-up to 120' Feet Wide Nurmi Isles is not a Gated community All of the streets have Underground Utilities-a significant benefit which increases the value of Homes AND eliminates the issue of fallen Electric Poles and... 05/13/2009

Coral Ridge is an elegant, high-end community located in beautiful Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Coral Ridge offers estate homes, condos and townhomes, many with pools and waterfront options. Residents can enjoy all the amenities at the Coral Ridge Yacht Club and Coral Ridge Country Club including large dockage, golf courses, swimming area, play area, and both formal and casual dining! Coral Ridge is located near great beaches and downtown Ft. Lauderdale. Coral Ridge residents can enjoy the excellent country club lifestyle while being centrally located to all of Broward County's finest amenities including 23 miles of coastline, great museums, fine-dining and shopping! 05/08/2009

Or . . How to navigate contract-to-closing in today's market. On a recent flight from the Luxury Real Estate conference in Vegas, I sat watching the flights update on the air traffic monitor and realized there are some interesting similarities between flight scheduling and closing contracts.     Some flights are flawless.  All passengers arrive on time, the flight takes off, weather is perfect, the journey is a breeze, the landing smooth.  Everyone is relaxed.  Then there are other flights destined to be delayed, or the ride is bumpy along the way and the landing leaves everyone clutching their seats.  Of course, there are also those flights, like the low offers received on some of my luxury offerings, that never quite take off and get cancelled for a variety of reasons! After many year... 05/06/2009

As an avid high heel fan I would like to raise the discussion as to whether it is acceptable to kick your heels off during business hours.   On extremely busy days of multiple property showings, I have been known to remove my heels to open 20,000 square feet of residence in ten minutes.  On the other hand, I managed to impress one of my clients by sprinting across a car park in four inch heels.  I'm discovering that putting pressure on all 52 bones is a challenge some days, and that is when the heels come off.  In my real estate arena, I have found that "bare-footing" seems to fall into two camps: one, the fans (there is even a society - barefooters.org) and, two, those who are deeply offended by the sight of toes! While some home owners welcome bare-footers, others definitely prefer th... 05/05/2009

Real Estate has finally stabilized in the south east Florida market. In south Florida, the medium priced homes/condos seem to have stabilized.  Home/condo prices under $1M seem to be stabilized.  Home sales for instance are holding their own.  I just executed a contract that was within 8% if asking price.  Another agent in my office was holding steady at the asking price, and the seller's got it...it was close to a $1M dollar deal. Warren Buffett suggested the same today according to a report on Yahoo. So, it is the time to buy.  There are some lender's out there that are willing to loan money with a 10-20% down payment.  Foreign nationals have different guidelines are still buying with a vengeance. Money, loans, mortgages are still out there with a great credit score for a reasonable i... 05/04/2009

On a recent SouthWest Air flight to a Who's Who In Luxury Real Estate conference in Las Vegas, I read story about a man with a profession I never knew existed.  Cameron Hughes is a professional crowd pleaser who literally makes a living by getting spectators out of their seats.  Hired by team managers, Cameron describes himself as a Fan Gladiator.  He works to win crowds by giving the something they've never seen before.  Cameron created his role as pressure grew in the pro sports arena to generate value for fans in the experience at the game regardless of the outcome.  Cameron makes fans feel excited and connected to the entire entertainment experience and uses his position to raise funds for Breast Cancer Research in dedication to his Mum. It occurs to me that as a real estate profess... 05/04/2009