Here in Melbourne located in Brevard County Florida, several times a week I drive by 2 different homes that are listed for sale.  I have been driving past these same properties for over 2 years now.  Both homes are an eyesore.  The real estate signs are sagging in the front yards. Is this a sign of the times? The listing data and the tax roll info indicate that these homes are both currently owned by private individuals.  There are no comments about short sale or foreclosure in the listings.  The homes were purchased over 6 years ago, pre 2005 boom. The reasons that the homes haven't sold are for a different day and different blog article. There is something that I don't understand...don't these types of properties eventually 'hurt' the listing agent.  After so many months, does the tho... 09/16/2008

MELBOURNE OVERVIEW Historically, the place that gives this entire area its “name” is Melbourne, the oldest and best-known community on what Floridians call the “Space Coast”.  Melbourne is right in the center of a long north-south corridor – coastal Brevard County – that is sandwiched between the St. Johns River  Basin to the West and the Atlantic Ocean.  It stretches   from Palm Bay and other smaller communities in the south through Melbourne, West Melbourne, and Melbourne Village in central Brevard to Viera, Cocoa and Titusville in the north.  And it includes a half dozen beach communities on one long, fabulous barrier island stretching from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral. This “greater Melbourne” is one of the most rapidly growing residential areas in Florida, and it currently boa... 09/14/2008

Sales and Use Tax Exemption Silicon technology-based industry transactions involving manufacturing or research equipment   Purchases of machinery and equipment used by a new or expanding Florida business to manufacture, produce or process tangible personal property for sale   Labor, parts and materials used in repair of and incorporated into machinery and equipment that qualify for sales tax exemption upon purchase (phased in over four years, 25% exempt on July 1, 1999)   Electricity used in the manufacturing process (phased in over five years, 80% exempt on July 1, 1999)   Aircraft parts, modification, maintenance and repair, sale or lease of qualified aircraft  Commercial space activity - launch vehicles, payloads and fuel, machinery and equipment for production of items used exclusiv... 09/14/2008

Melbourne Starting A Business Melbourne and Brevard) County is an area that is growing rapidly and welcomes new business. The Melbourne (Brevatd County) metropolitan area, which includes Titusville, Cocoa, Meritt island and Palm Bay, has a population of more than 500,000  It is defiitely one of the most diverse metro areas in all of Florida. Although the areas are sprawled out, they all have a small town feel, a great infrastructure and a “user-friendly attitude.” Whether you’re considering relocating a company or starting a business from scratch, Melbourne wants your business. To consider: Employees: Over 185,00- in the Brevard County area. The market and potential: Total Population   519,000 Population Forecast (2010) 588,000 Median Age 41 Income       Median Income $35,271 Average Ho... 09/14/2008

Melbourne and Brevard County Investment opportunities Due to the incredible growth in both tourism and long term residents due to a favorable cost of living and employment opportunities, investments here are a strong consideration. Aside from commercial investments the two situations most people are looking for in Florida are Vacation homes or Condos that can be rented out … Generally a purchase involves a 1031 tax exchange or just someone looking for a second home in an area that he/she or the family will use occasionally. A person looking for a home to eventually retire to and rent out in the meantime to help pay the mortgage. The best areas to rent are anywhere near the water and the best rents will start at open water locations, followed by homes/condos with a partial view to homes ... 09/14/2008

Good news for prospective tenants looking for an apartment to rent.  Complexes here in Melbourne Florida are offering tenant incentives to lure tenants into their properties. Currently, here in Brevard County vacancy rates are at about 15%. That number is up by about 12% from 2 years ago. And rents have decreased by about 10% in that time. Some apartments are offering a free gas card to new tenants. Some complexes are offering a month or two of free rent.  Typically this free month is included at the tail end of the lease term. Some complexes are offering a lower security deposit upon move in. Whatever the incentive is, there are quite attractive options to tenants looking to move in to a nice clean complex. There is currently a shortage of good tenants in the market today. We are not s... 09/10/2008

  NASA has finished the 5 hour journey of rolling out the Shuttle Atlantis to the launch pad, yesterday.  The shuttle crawler travels at a rate of about 1 mile per hour. Atlantis is located at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral Florida, just 30 minutes north of Melbourne in Brevard County. The shuttle is carrying batteries and special instruments to the Hubble Space Telescope.  This is the final trip to the telescope. Atlantis is scheduled to lift off October 8, 2008, weather permitting.  It was already delayed by Tropical Storm Fay and Hanna. This is the first time ever the shuttle has been transported to the launch pad with a named hurricane (Ike) out in the tropics. If other storms become a threat, then she will be returned to the vehicle assembly building. People travel across ... 09/05/2008

All eyes are on Hurricane Gustav, headed straight for NEW ORLEANS AGAIN, This storm is a monster, like Hurricane Katrina was!  It is a category 3 hurricane, that was a Category 4.  This is absolutely devastating for the people of the Gulf Coast! Gustav has skirted past Florida and has a direct path to Louisiana.  New Orleans cannot afford another storm after Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 that devastated them! Many families are still in FEMA trailers as their homes have not been rebuilt yet. The levees have not been fixed. They are not ready for a storm of this magnitude. Tropical Storm Fay, 2 weeks ago brought us 27 inches of rain here in Melbourne Florida. It was only 30 to 40 mile per hour winds. But, many lost their homes due to flooding across the state of Florida. Gustav is pack... 08/31/2008

I've been a landlord for almost 13 years.  I have placed 100's of tenants in  rentals. I have only had to evict a handful of my own tenants. I have been so blessed and never had any real tenant issues. I've never gotten a house back in deplorable condition! Now, I'm not saying that I haven't gotten plenty of them back that were really dirty and desperately needed paint. Well, I have to say...I've just had my first EVER tenant that left in the night.  They left on the 23rd of July and their rent was paid until July 31.  I had a security deposit. So, they owed no money when they left. BUT..they left everything they owned..in the house..including the cockroaches and the grease on the walls! This tenant was with us for over four and a half years and paid the rent every single month on the 1... 08/30/2008

Tamira Ci Thayne, founder of Dogs Deserve Better, recounts her recent experience rescuing a starving/dying/chained dog named Doogie, and the "sentence" she received by a judge for taking the dog to a vet. She Pulled Weeds for Doogie  After being informed by my parole officer (it's not often you get to say that!) that if I didn't start my community service by August 22nd, I'd be back in front of the judge, I reluctantly went to see the man who is the highest paid man in the WORLD. No shit! He spent about a 1/2 hour with me, took my basic info, and gave me two choices of places to work near me...the Bellwood-Antis Library, and St. Vincent de Paul. Since the library is closer, I chose it (after all, I DO love books), and he sent me on my way with a stack of timesheets and contact info for ... 08/24/2008

Hurricane Fay is dancing over Brevard County, Florida for the third day in a row.  Actually a tropical storm, Fay is lingering like a long, 3 mile-per-hour slow dance - just not very enjoyable!  Everyone is hunkered down, making soup and hypnotized by the weather reports on TV.  In the past three days we've received nearly 24 inches of rain.   For anyone who grew up in northern states, this is like a snow day with schools and offices closed.   One big difference is that we're not freezing in our homes if the power goes out!   By day three, however, cabin fever will set in and even for kids the thrill will be gone!   Fortunately this storm is only mildly catastrophic for our area.   Many roads are closed due to flooding and some large trees have blown down.   The National Guard has been ... 08/20/2008

On September 1st, 2008, Labor Day will be celebrated all over the country. Whether you’re a construction worker in the South, or a dentist out West, workers everywhere are honored for their time, effort and expertise in which contribute to the maintenance of our country’s economy. This year, as our economy struggles, we unite as a country everyday to pull forces and work harder. This year, on Labor Day, we recognize each other as fellow Americans that sacrifice our time, effort and money to build our economy back to its comfortable, safe status. I work for Stanley Homes, a third generation custom home builder in Melbourne, Florida. I meet new people every day in our 5 different communities. Each resident that I familiarize myself with has different career goals, but each resident havin... 08/20/2008

Tropical Storm Fay is officially here in Melbourne Florida.  Brevard County Schools are closed today and tomorrow. And the first day of school was yesterday. My husband just got off the neighbor's roof in 30 mile per hour wind gusts in the driving rain. His roof is leaking around his chimney and saturating his ceiling.  So, they tarped it to try and keep the rain out. We helped another neighbor pump the extra water out of his side yard and off of his pool deck to keep it out of his house. We just finished getting sand bags for our dear 85 year neighbor, Violet, next door because she is concerned that the rain is coming too close to her front door. Our other neighbor just raced in between raindrops to get more sandbags. Our swimming pool looks like a swamp.  We have been sweeping all of ... 08/19/2008

Well, here we are...school starts on Monday August 18, 2008 here in Melbourne Florida.  We get so many questions from buyers and owners about the local school systems here in Melbourne Florida.  Did you know that you can visit the Brevard County Schools website for the most comprehensive school information available? Did you know that you can view each individual school's scorecard to see how well that school has performed over the last several years? The county website is full of good information for parents and students. I know as a parent, every year I look for the Melbourne Florida 2008-2009 School Calendar  for Brevard County Schools to help plan the school year In addition, you can find school information across the nation.  You can find school rankings. You can type in a a home a... 08/15/2008

My teenage daughters, Stef, 15, Sam, 13 and I painted the inside and outside of our rental, including all the cut in work in 2 days, in between raindrops! I have to say that I truly love the comaraderie of working together with my family on one of our rental houses here in Melbourne Florida in Brevard County.  It is such a feeling of accomplishment when we walk out, at the end of the day, with a job well done. Our girls have been working on our rental houses with us since they were both 1 and 3 years old. We take them with us each time a tenant moves out and we need to get the house ready for the next tenant.  We are fortunate in that we are able to do 95% of our own work on our houses. I am so incredibly blessed to have such incredibly hard working daughters.  We all go into separate ... 08/11/2008

    Summer is a great time work on projects around the home that reduce your environmental impact. Even if you are not making big changes, such as replacing old leaky windows or installing ceiling fans, there are still small things that can be done around the house to minimize energy consumption and reduce your carbon footprint. Read on to learn more about how to make simple, sustainable adjustments to your home. Plug household appliances such as computers, printers, televisions and microwaves into a power strip that can be turned off at night. Even when these items are not in use their "standby" consumption can be equivalent to that of a 75 or 100 watt light bulb running continuously. Use the dishwasher. Newer dishwashers typically use only 4 or 5 gallons of water, while washing a sin... 08/09/2008

Did you know that you can find out which of America's neigborhoods are most walkable? My neighborhood walkscore here in Melbourne Florida located in Brevard County is a 42 out of 100. For me, I find that my neighborhood is convenient to most of the spots I want to walk to. I love walking; anything to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the beautiful sunshine.  I like to walk to the store to pick up a couple of items, to walk to get a taco, or a movie or some chinese take out food.  My dog, Bailey the Boxer loves it even more than I do.  Are you thinking of buying a home? But wondering how close it is to major conveniences?  With Walkscore you can find out how easily you can get around in an area without a car. You can type in an address and walkscore indicates the proximity that location... 08/06/2008

Hello Fellow Real Estate Agents and Affiliates, This is my first time blogging and I haven't decided what I want to blog about but it has been fun reading yours.  I have lived in Melbourne....Brevard County for eleven years.  Originally I am from Brooklyn, New York and I am told that I have the cutest New York accent so I think I should learn how to blog by voice. Any suggestions??? You can learn more about my services at my web-site www.Jo-Como.com.  It is going to be great getting to know all of you and thanks for all the great blogs. Love and hugs, Jo Jo Como Broker Associate Keller Williams Realty of Brevard direct: 321-508-3848 08/06/2008

My dog, Bailey the Boxer, loves the fresh air of being outside.  So, we let him out every chance we get.  He is very social and loves to meet other dogs.  We take him in the car for regular rides, as he doesn't like to be left out of the family fun.  We love to exercise and play with him.  Then, he's happy! For those of you dog lovers here in Melbourne Florida, Wickham Park has a dog park where you can take your dog to socialize with other dogs.  It is a fenced off section, with one area for small dogs and one for large dogs.  Here you can let your dog off leash.  All dogs that enter the park must have a current Brevard County license, with vaccinations up to date. 08/05/2008

Just the thought of selling your home can be mind boggling.  So many things to do, but you're probably wondering, where should I start? Well, let me try to make it a bit easier for you. 1. Get Pre-Approved for a new Home Loan Know where you're going before you consider moving. Research the housing market in the area where you wish to live so that you have a good idea how much it will take to buy a replacement home. Then, find a lender you trust and get pre-approved for another home before you start the selling proces. Start researching at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com. I can provide you a list of homes or you can search the entire MLS. 2. Check Your Mortgage Payoff Call your lender to find out the payoff for your current home mortgage. 3. Determine How Much the House Is Worth Determine y... 08/01/2008