Great Florida Homes Blog

I have a disco- themed party to go to this month, so I have been building an outfit.  I have everything but the perfect top, so I keep coming home with various choices and then returning them.

Found a sparkly one that I thought would be perfect but it looked lousy.  Not wanting to keep another top, I did not need, I announced to my Mother that I was returning it!

My Mom and I have lived together for 25 years (she was widowed, so she raised my girls, so I could work these unpredictable real estate hours). She said, WHY?   It's really nice and you have lots of things it will go with.

I came out with the top and slacks and I still thought it looked just awful!  Mom flippantly said, "Oh put a better bra on and you will be fine!"  As I pout to my room and change the said under garment, I was AMAZED!  I hate when she is right, which is the majority of the time.  The top was fabulous with the right bra!  My perspective was changed by her giving me the right direction.

As I pranced back to my closet, I had my "Oprah", AH Ha moment!   This must be what our clients go through when shopping for the right house.

·    Yeah, that might work.

·    Well I'm not sure about this one.

·    Maybe the neighborhood just isn't right.

·    The house is missing....

·    And so on and so on....

This is where our expertise comes in.  We've seen it all, well most of the scenario's.  It is our job, as Realtors, to frame what will work, when something does not work (unless it truly doesn't).  Often, I have returned a client back to one of their first choices only to have them love it and not remember why they didn't like it in the first place.  Shopping for a home can be traumatic so we need to assist our clients in keeping the focus on the possibilities.

So, Listen to your Mother, or in our case, it is up to us as real estate professionals, to help our clients get past the frustration and get them to take our advice. 

Prescription Drug Collection at City Hall on Saturday, February 11

As part of the City's initiative to target and deter the use of illicit prescription drug use within our City, the Coral Springs Police Department is hosting a prescription drug collection on Saturday, February 11 from 9 to 11 a.m. Residents are asked to drop off any unused, unwanted or expired prescription medication at City Hall, 9551 W. Sample Road. For more information, please call 954-344-1833.

It’s that time of year again! You have to sit down with your tax return forms and financial documents and go through the long and arduous process of filing your taxes. As Boynton Beach real estate agents, we always emphasize the tax benefits that come with owning a home. We think that it is part of our responsibility to help aid our clients and local homeowners throughout the home buying and selling process, but we also like to give a few tips around tax time in order to ensure that our community gets the best returns possible. The problem is that the confusing nature of tax forms these days causes many Boynton Beach homeowners to make costly mistakes.

In the interest of helping all of you file your taxes correctly, thereby giving you more money to enjoy living in Boynton Beach, we thought that we’d point out some of the more common homeowner tax mistakes and tell you how to avoid them. As your Boynton Beach real estate agents, we want to make sure that you have no problems filing your taxes this year, and we want to help!

Make sure that you’re deducting the correct year for property taxes! On your federal tax forms, deduct the amount that you actually paid for the year, not the amount on your tax bill. Some taxing authorities work a year behind, so this method is the best way to claim the correct amount.

Make sure you don’t confuse escrow amount for actual taxes paid. If your lender escrows funds to pay your property taxes, you want to make sure that you deduct the amount that you paid into your escrow account over the entire year, not the amount your lender escrowed. The reason for this is because your lender may have escrowed an amount above or below what you paid. In order to claim the right amount, you need to make sure that you’re deducting the actual taxes paid, not what your lender escrows each month!

Don’t forget to deduct your PMI payments! If you put less than 20% down on your property when you took out a mortgage, then you had to purchase Private Mortgage Insurance, or PMI. You pay these PMI payments monthly as well, so you need to make sure you deduct that on your tax return. Remember this: once your income reaches $100,000, this deduction begins to phase out.

Keep track of all home-related expenses. From home office to maintenance and repair expenses, it’s incredibly important to keep detailed records of all home-related costs over the course of the year. Filing away documents as you go will allow you to have proof of payment if or when anything on your filed tax return gets questioned.

If you avoid these common mistakes when filing your taxes, we’re certain that you will get an accurate return this year! As your Boynton Beach real estate agents, we feel that it’s important for every homeowner to pay attention to the details when filing their tax returns. After all, owning a home in Boynton Beach comes with many tax benefits, and you want to make sure that you take full advantage of everything that entails!

If you have any questions about buying a home in Boynton Beach or what tax benefits you qualify for, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you in any way that we can. We hope to hear from you soon!

Joy Carter and Jeff Booker
Great Florida Homes Team
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Car enthusiasts won't want to miss the City's Car Show on Saturday, February 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The show, sponsored by Project CS Teen Car Club and co-sponsored by Auto Works Collision and Paint, Inc.,
will be held at the Sportsplex, across from the Tennis Center.

Admission is $2 for adults and $1 for students and children. The show will feature cars of all types
and models. There will be vendors, bounce houses, Miami Food Trucks,
Teen Cook-Off competition, demonstrations by our Fire and Police Departments,
face painting and carnival games and entertainment throughout the day, including a DJ.

Anyone who thinks his or her car has what it takes and would like to enter it in the show should call
954-345-2204. Cost to pre-register vehicles is $15 or $20 the day of the event.
Participants can pre-register at the Coral Springs Gymnasium, located at 2501 Coral Springs Drive.
Trophies will be awarded to winners in multiple categories.

Any business interested in setting up a 10' x 10' booth for $40 should also call 954-345-2204.
Non-profits and students groups are also welcome to set up booths at the event for free.
All proceeds from the eventwill go toward Project CS
and the group's efforts toward customizing confiscated vehicles.

The Sportsplex is located at 2575 Sportsplex Drive. For more information, please call 954-345-2204.

REAL ESTATE UPDATE FOR BROWARD COUNTY & PALM BEACH COUNTY
January 2012

Broward County includes well known cities of Coconut Creek, Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Highland Beach, Hillsboro, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Plantation, Sunrise, Tamarac and Weston.

There are currently ­­­­­5904 Single Family Homes LISTED FOR SALE in Broward County.

­­­2828 priced under $250,000
1566 priced between 250,001 and $500,000
532 priced between $500,001 and $750,000
298 priced between $750,001 and $1,000,000
271 priced between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
105 priced between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
304 priced over $2,000,000

For the month of January, 1032, Single Family Homes SOLD in Broward County. 

451 were sold under $250,000
179 were sold between 250,001 and $500,000
376 were sold between $500,001 and $750,000
13 were sold between $750,001 and $1,000,000
7 were sold between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
1 were sold between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
5  were sold over $2,000,000

There are currently 6968, Multi-Family Homes LISTED FOR SALE in Broward County.  Multi-Family Homes include condos, town homes, villas, coops, all attached and or unattached as well as single story to multi levels.

5209 are priced under $250,000
1077 are priced between 250,001 and $500,000
293 are priced between $500,001 and $750,000
175 are priced between $750,001 and $1,000,000
115 are priced between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
50 are priced between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
49 are priced over $2,000,000

For the month of January, 830 Multi-Family Homes SOLD in Broward County.

Note that many of the lower priced multi family homes are located in Adult only communities with a over the age of 55 requirement to live there.

766 were sold under $250,000
44 were sold between 250,001 and $500,000
10 were sold between $500,001 and $750,000
4 were sold between $750,001 and $1,000,000
6 were sold between $1,000,001 and $1,500,00
0 were sold between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
0 were sold over $2,000,000

Palm Beach County includes well known cities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach, Greenacres, Lake Worth,  Wellington and West Palm Beach.

There are currently 5762 single family homes listed For Sale in Palm Beach County.

­­2175 priced under $250,000
1670 priced between 250,001 and $500,000
583 priced between $500,001 and $750,000
382 priced between $750,001 and $1,000,000
113 priced between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
189 priced between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
450 priced over $2,000,000

For the month of January, 516 Single Family Homes SOLD in Palm Beach County.  (Selected Cities Referenced). 

370 were sold under $250,000
103 were sold between 250,001 and $500,000
14 were sold between $500,001 and $750,000
10 were sold between $750,001 and $1,000,000
11 were sold between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
4 were sold between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
4 were sold over $2,000,000

There are currently 2717, Multi-Family Homes LISTED FOR SALE in Palm Beach County.  Multi-Family Homes include condos, town homes, villas, coops, all attached and or unattached as well as single story to multi levels.

1377 are priced under $250,000
814 are priced between 250,001 and $500,000
245 are priced between $500,001 and $750,000
134 are priced between $750,001 and $1,000,000
50 are priced between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
29 are priced between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
68 are priced over $2,000,000

For the month of January, 771 Multi-Family Homes SOLD in Palm Beach county. (Selected Cities Referenced). 

715 were sold under $250,000
38 are sold between 250,001 and $500,000
10 were sold between $500,001 and $750,000
5 were sold between $750,001 and $1,000,000
2 were sold between $1,000,001 and $1,500,000
0 were sold between $1,500,001 and $2,000,000
1 are sold over $2,000,000

To see specific details on a specific category of homes actively for sale or sold, please email us at Team@GreatFloridaHomes.com and we will forward the information for your reference or review.

Information deemed reliable as provided by the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale
and the Realtor Association of the Palm Beaches.

In Broward County, Single Family Listings and Sales were down slightly and Multi Family Listings were up just slightly and down in sales.  Single Family in Palm Beach was up in listings and  sales over December 2012.  In mutli-family for Palm Beach both Listings and Sales were down. 

Local teens are invited to show off their culinary skills at the City's third annual Teen Cook Off. Teams will be given the same ingredients, provided by Whole Foods Market Coral Springs, and will be making barbeque ribs and a side dish. Grills will be provided but participants must bring their own charcoal.
Prizes will be awarded in different categories.

Participants can be in grades 9 through 12 and must be a Coral Springs resident or attend school in Coral Springs. Teams may be made up of two to six participants and will compete outdoors at the
Sportsplex, located at 2575 Sportsplex Drive.

The cooking competition will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, February 4. Judging will take place at 2 p.m.

Interested students must fill out an application, which is available at www.CoralSprings.org/TeenCookOff.pdf. Completed applications must be completed and returned by Friday, January 13, 2012 at 5 p.m.

For more information, call 954-345-2204.

Many Coral Springs homeowners will undergo a few remodeling projects before listing their home on the local real estate market. There are several reasons for this, the primary one being that in a down market, homes are selling for less, and making upgrades and updating a home could add to its value. As Coral Springs real estate agents, however, we feel that we need to warn clients who rely on remodeling that not all updates will impress buyers and add to their home’s value. Some remodeling efforts, in fact, may actually turn off home buyers.

It’s difficult to know what will impress a home buyer and what will not. After all, everyone is different and has varying preferences. Our many years of experience in Coral Springs real estate, however, have shown us that there are a few updates that could actually hinder a home sale. As your Coral Springs real estate experts, we thought that we would take some time to share some remodeling projects that you should stay away from if you want to sell your home quickly:

Sports courts aren’t always a good thing. If you have a wide, spacious backyard and want to convert part of it into a full-functioning basketball or tennis court, then by all means, do so. But if your backyard is on the smaller side and you spend thousands of dollars turning the entire thing into a sports court, then that could be a huge turn off to buyers. People want a nice backyard, not a sports court with a few feet of grass on either side. Use your judgment and only make an upgrade like this if you have the space to do it.

Steam showers sound good in theory, but they are very expensive. While we would all love to have a bathroom equipped with a shower with 8-10 shower heads, towel warmers and enough room to sit down, the price of this luxurious item won’t be returned on investment. It’s not worth the expense, and it’s not an amenity that is a strong enough sell to a home buyer. Buyers won’t want to buy the house for the shower, so it’s best to put that money into a renovation that is a stronger selling point.

Don’t go out of your way to create an extreme home office space. If you create an upscale office space with all of the amenities, you could be looking at an investment that costs you up to $20,000 or more. This sounds great in theory, because some buyers may want a home office, however the cost involved for creating such an upscale space will be more costly than what you get in return for it. Since customized office spaces can be difficult to convert into other rooms, an addition like this could actually make your home sit on the market for a longer time, as some people may want a space that they could easily convert into another bedroom.

Home theaters…for some buyers, it’s not a plus. If you live in a home of average size but want to get more for the home, then adding a home theater will definitely raise your home’s value. The problem? Doing so could price your home at a point above what home buyers interested in your home are willing to pay. If you live in a luxury home, this may not be an issue, but if you don’t, then you could find your home sitting on the market for several months.

In theory, remodeling seems like the solution to raising the value of your Coral Springs home, but if you invest your money in the wrong remodeling projects, then you could turn off home buyers that might otherwise have been interested. As Coral Springs real estate agents, we feel that it’s important to advise our clients about which projects will truly benefit them and which will be a hindrance to their home sale. If you ever have any questions about what you need to do to get your home ready to list on the Coral Springs real estate market, then don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you in any way we can. We hope to hear from you soon!

Joy Carter and Jeff Booker
Great Florida Homes Team
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I participated in this event last year and have to say it was very well organized.  Also a GREAT Opportunity to start the year right by cleaning out your garage. So come and dispose of your household chemicals and other items that are hazardous to the environment.

On Sunday, January 29, the City of Coral Springs and Broward County are partnering to host a Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event will be held in the rear parking lot at City Hall South, 9530 West Sample Road. City and County residents are encouraged to bring their old paint, used motor oil, batteries, household cleaning supplies and other hazardous wastes to the collection site for proper disposal. Other items accepted at Household Hazardous Waste Collection include: solvents, pesticides, lawn and pool chemicals, propane tanks, compact fluorescent light bulbs, tires (a maximum of four per person), fire extinguishers, car batteries, flares, mercury thermometers, televisions, computers, monitors, keyboards, mouses, printers, fax machines, cell phones, and rechargeable batteries.

Business generated waste is not accepted at this event.

One of the many benefits of using a Boynton Beach real estate agent is that you get unlimited access to their insider knowledge. Think about it: real estate professionals sell or help buyers find their dream home on a daily basis. They know what it takes to get a house sold quickly and for the best price. That’s why, as Boynton Beach real estate agents, we use our many years of experience and extensive knowledge of the local market to help home sellers get their home off the market in the smoothest way possible.

One of the best things that you could possibly do when selling a Boynton Beach home is employ some staging techniques. Staging opens up your home so that it shows the full potential of each room, and it’s also meant to draw the buyers in to a space that they can genuinely see themselves living in. Many sellers, however, are hesitant to utilize staging because they feel that it is too expensive. We’re here to tell you that not all staging is costly. In fact, some suggestions won’t cost you a thing! Here are some staging secrets that won’t break the bank:

•    Use “home wash” to clean the exterior of your home. You can find this hose attachment at just about any home improvement store.
•    Clean outside windows, screens and rain gutters.
•    If your front door needs a face-lift, then make sure you add a coat of paint! You want it to look as inviting as possible.
•    Are your address numbers so faded that you can’t see them from the street? If so, that’s a problem, and you may need to get some new ones.
•    Get a fresh Welcome mat. It makes a difference, trust us.
•    De-clutter your house. We don’t mean reorganize. We mean really go through everything and get rid of what you don’t actually need. If you haven’t used it in five years, then you don’t need it anymore and can afford to get rid of it. The more de-personalized the house, the more people can see themselves living there, so make sure that you really clean up everything thoroughly.
•    Believe it or not, Boynton Beach homebuyers may look through your drawers and closets. It’s best to make sure you organize them ahead of time.
•    Make all necessary repairs ahead of time. Trust us, you don’t want that leaky faucet to increase your buyer’s list of demands. Avoid the issue by taking care of it now.
•    Do a little rearranging. Moving furniture around can really open up a room and make it look more spacious than ever.
•    Make every surface shine. We mean every surface! Ceiling fans. Window ledges. Coffee tables. Just work a little magic and make it gleam. It makes a huge difference!
•    Scrub, scrub, scrub. Kitchens and bathrooms tend to be the largest offenders for dirtiness, so if you want to wow the Boynton Beach, FL homebuyers, make sure that you get down on your hands and knees and get rid of the grout.
•    Lots of pictures and paintings around the house? Make sure you take them down. When it comes to selling a home, the less personal touches you have the better. A more neutral space allows people to envision themselves and their belongings in your space, and that leads to offers.
•    If necessary, invest in some new linens and pillows, preferably of a neutral color scheme. This will freshen up any room, and it’s relatively inexpensive.
•    Spray air freshener often. An unpleasant odor can deter home buyers, and even if you think your home smells fresh and clean, to others it may not. An air neutralizer will ensure your home smells right when those buyers walk through the door.
•    Start the “letting go” process early. It’s understandable that you feel a strong emotional attachment to your home. After all, you’ve spent years of your life in the place, and it is the site of several of your favorite memories. Quality staging, however, requires that you relinquish your emotional attachment and get your home seller-ready. The sooner you do this, the faster you’ll see an offer.

As your Boynton Beach real estate agents, we wanted to take some time to give you a few of our seller secrets that will ensure a successful, timely sale! If you have any more questions about what it takes to stage your home, don’t hesitate to contact us! We would be happy to answer your questions at any time. We hope to hear from you soon!

Joy Carter and Jeff Booker
Great Florida Homes Team
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The Coral Springs Police Department has a new mapping program available to the public through a web-based company, RAIDS Online. RAIDS Online is a public interactive crime-mapping program that provides crime mapping, anonymous tips and neighborhood watch e-mails at no cost to law enforcement or to the public. Two years of crime data will be available. The crime mapping program can be accessed here. This program is accessible on any computer.

RAIDS Online is very user friendly as it allows the user to search by address, date range filters and 27 different crime categories. Individuals can also sign up for neighborhood crime activity reports and emergency alerts sent directly from local law enforcement. Please visit the website and explore the different mapping capabilities and functions to see how it can enhance your knowledge of the crimes occurring in your neighborhood.

For more information on Coral Springs or other cities in Broward or Palm Beach counties, give the GreatFloridaHomes Team a call.