Brandon Florida Real Estate

Good news for residents in the area since the one that was held in Bradenton on Main Street was closed last year because the local businesses said they didn't have the money to keep it going any longer.

2 local residents, Mitchell Armstrong and Kelvin Lindbloom say they want to try and make a go of Farmers Market in Palmetto along the Manatee River, near the pier at the foot the Green Bridge.

Palmetto leaders are likely to approve plans for the market in early February.

The plans were presented this week to city officials. Palmetto Mayor Larry Bustle called the proposal "a good thing for the city" because it could boost downtown business while keeping Palmetto's folksy feel.

Armstrong and Lindbloom will be selling plants they grow as well as inviting other vendors to sell fruits and vegetables.

If any of you have been following the post I wrote back in December about 2 year old Lexi Antorino, then you know who I am talking about.

If you don't, here's a brief run down of what happened to her.

She was playing on a swing set with 2 other children in a neighborhood park while a 14 year old family member who was babysitting them, pushed each of them one by one.  As Lexi swung forward, the other 2 children swung backwards.  Suddenly as Lexi swung forward, the swing set collapsed and the support bar came crashing down pinning 2 year old Lexi underneath it.  The support bar burst the main blood vessel in her brain and fractured the top of her spinal cord.  She has remained in a coma at All Children's Hospital ever since.  It was found that the swing set collapsed because some of the parts were missing from it, such as nuts and bots to hold it together.  Whoever set the swing-set back up, didn't put it back together properly. 

Well, since this accident happened, I have been trying to keep up to date on her condition.  Yesterday, while looking online at the newspaper, I found a new article posted about her.  The article states that Lexi will be leaving the hospital and going home in the next week.  Good news right?  No.  Normally this would be good news, but for the family, they say this is just the icing on the cake.  They are not prepared to bring her home and no where near ready.  The hospital pretty much told them that since her condition hasn't really changed in the last month that Medicaid will no longer pay for Lexi to remain in the hospital and that she has to go, and she has to be out of the hospital within a week.  Now mind you, her parents are 21 and 22 and the mother is 8 months pregnant and due to give birth to their second child next month.  So let's just add a bit more stress to their lives, right?  What the hell is wrong with the system?  And who in the world made this decision? 

Now they are spending time with the doctors and nurses to learn how to hook up all the machines and learn which sounds mean that Lexi is in distress and needs help.  I can't imagine how scary it must feel to them to have their daughter in the hospital every day with people surrounding her in case something changes and she needs immediate help, to then be told that she must be out of the hospital within a week and now you need to learn how to work these machines and learn which sounds mean she's in trouble.

From what I understand she has been on life support, so all the equipment will have to be moved into their home.  The family says they don't have the money for it. 

So I'm asking you to help them.  I don't know this family, only through the stories I've read online.  A fund has been set up for Lexi.  If you would like to donate, please visit any Synovus Bank and give Lexi's name.  For more information, call the bank at 941-757-2265.  Even if it's only $5 or $10, every little bit will help them.  They need your help. 

Please keep praying for Lexi as well.  The family has been steadfast that Lexi will slowly recover. The latest sign, her grandmother said, is that the toddler pulls her arms or legs away when touched.

"It's a reflex she didn't have before," Parkinson said. "She's still hanging in there. Maybe it's just time."

American Home Shield is a well known home warranty company.  But did you also know they have a section on their website specifically for agents to market to buyers and sellers as well as things to help market your listings?

You don't have to purchase a warranty through them in order to use these freebies.  They are for all agents!!

Go to OnMark Pro and create an account.  It's FREE!  Once you create an account you can get...

• Monthly newsletters to send to your customers
• Anniversary postcards
• Birthday postcards
• Recipes
• Referral postcards
• Holiday postcards
• Farming postcards
• Calendar
• Listing postcards
• Listing materials
• Open house materials
• Checklists
• Home tips
• Seasonal postcards

Some of the items you might find useful, and some you may not.  But go check them out.  I like the checklists they have! 

These items are free for you to use.  You can add your photo and contact info to all of them.  Customize them with your info and then use them on your website, or print them off and mail them to your customers. 

An article in today's Bradenton Herald states that they will be doing a red light sting in Manatee County on Thursday to try and catch some of the folks that run red lights.

Many people run red lights everyday simply because they are in a hurry or don't want to wait.  Many people are also killed each year by people running red lights.

"We are driving a loaded weapon and we have a bigger responsibility than anything when we get in our vehicles. Vehicles don't kill people. People kill people."

"If you're caught running a red light in Manatee County, it could cost about $188 and add three points to your license."

If you think running a red light doesn't matter, read this story!

There is a website, Florida Stops On Red that is helping to keep Florida safe against red light runners.  They are trying to get a bill passed.  Passage of this life-saving legislation will provide statewide standards and pave the way for Florida communities to adopt, implement and enforce red light photo enforcement programs that will save the lives in your community. The legislation is expected to be heard in committee in early 2008.

Since the resignations at Point2 by Brendan King and several other folks, many have wondered what they are now doing. 

Well, we know they started a company called VendAsta.  The website doesn't really state very much on what they plan on doing, but Brendan mentions to "stay tuned" for more details on his blog.  So I know I'll keep checking back.

On Brendan's blog, is a short video of a hint or two of what they plan on doing.  They intend to help real estate professionals leverage existing social networks to connect with their customers long before they are ready to buy a home!

Stay tuned to Brendan's Blog and their new website for more details to come (hopefully soon)!!  I'm telling you, that you *need* to follow theses guys to see what they come up with.  They are a group of very intelligent people!!!

Thanks to Jay Thompson for the heads up on this one!!

We all know those famous words spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  I have a dream.  We have come a long way since those words were first spoken, but we still have a long way to go. 

I hope that one day, his words will become a reality for everyone across the world.  A day when everyone can accept everyone for the person they are and not by the color of their skin.

"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'"

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

"The time is always right to do what is right."

Those just some of the many quotes made by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

I too have a dream that one day the children that grow up in this world no longer have to see the violence and the hatred among people that goes on every day!!  Maybe one day people will learn to love one another for the people they are and not judge them for any other reason!  Maybe one day this world won't be filled with war, violence, hatred and racists any longer.

Back in July, an agent in the Orlando area contacted us to see if we would co-broke a listing with them that was a short sale.  All we had to do was place the house in the MLS and put a sign in the yard.  We said sure, not a problem.  They were going to do all the negotiations with the bank, and all offers went directly to them.  Couldn't get any easier than that, huh?

Well we finally got an offer on the house the first week of November.  It took the bank until Friday January 19th to let us know that they had accepted the offer.  Roughly, 2 and a half months later!  The only hitch?  The buyers had to be willing to close by the 28th of this month!  HOLY CRAP!  10 days?!?  Well, luckily the buyers had still moved forward with the loan process as much as they could and then just put things on hold until they heard back on whether or not the bank had accepted the offer, so they are still able to close by the 28th!!  YAY!!

The sellers had a first and second mortgage on the house, so it had to go through both of those before we could get an answer.

What has been the longest you have ever had to wait on an answer back from a bank on a short sale?

"The Florida Bankers Association rolled out the "No Hats, No Hoods, No Sunglasses" program this week, noting that bank robberies in Florida soared 36 percent last year."

"Signs will ask customers entering bank lobbies to remove those items before doing their business."

The article states that not all banks will participate in this program, and customers won't be turned away if they refuse, they will be redirected to a more experienced teller or an area with higher security.

Some banks that won't be adopting the policy recognize the religious traditions that some of their customers have and worry it will be offensive to them.

The article also stated that when Missouri adopted the "No Hats" policy in 2002, they saw a decrease of robberies by 47% over three years.

There are quite a number of expenses that you will incur when purchasing a home that make up your closing costs.

Closing costs typically range anywhere from 3%-6% of the purchase price, depending on the loan you're getting.  The fees vary from one company to the next, so it's best to actually get a a copy of a Good Faith Estimate from your lender. 

Typically, the lender will allow the seller to contribute 3%-6% of the purchase price towards your closing costs.  Make sure you're working with an agent that will negotiate on your behalf to have most of or all of these expenses paid for by the seller, depending on what your lender will allow.

All of the fees may or may not apply to you. 

For an explanation of all of these charges, please visit HUD's website. 

Fees Related To Your Loan/Lender

• Loan Origination fee
• Loan Discount
• Appraisal
• Credit Report
• Lender's Inspection Fee
• Assumption Fee
• Underwriting Fee
• Flood Certification
• Processing Fee
• Application Fee
• Points
• Tax Service Fee
• Mortgage Broker Fee
• Interest From The Date You Move In, Until The 1st Day Of The Following Month
• Mortgage Insurance Premium
• Hazard Insurance Premium
• Flood Insurance Premium

Title Fees

• Closing Fee
• Title Search
• Title Exam
• Title Insurance
• Document Preparation
• Notary Fees
• Attorney Fees
• Title Insurance Binder
• Closing Fee
• Wire Transfer Fee
• Courier Fee
• Mortgage Package Handling Fee
• Record Fee
• Other Endorsements
• Administration Fee

Reserves Required By The Lender For Escrow

• Hazard Insurance
• Mortgage Insurance
• City Property Taxes
• County Property Taxes
• Flood Insurance
• HOA Dues

Government Fees

• Recording Fees
• City/County Stamps
• Intangible Tax

Additional Fees

• Home Inspection
• Termite Inspection
• Mold Inspection
• Radon Inspection
• Septic Inspection
• Lead-Based Paint Inspection
• Survey
• Home Warranty
• HOA Transfer Fee
• HOA Application/Background Check
• Escrow Deposit
• Down Payment

Misc Expenses

• If you have any bad debts such as a bill in collection, they may require you to pay it off prior to closing.  Check with your lender.

One last tip:  Whatever dollar amount that you need to bring to closing NEEDS to be in the form of a Certified Check made payable to the Closing Company/Attorney's office!  They will not take cash or a personal check!

I was reading a post here today on AR and someone commented on a it (can't remember who) and made mention of doing this.  It wasn't in reference to that particular post, it was just something kind of thrown out there that they do.  They take their sellers out to tour the competition in the neighborhood. 

I really wish I would have paid more attention to who it was, so I could have gone back and read through their blog.  At the moment, I just glanced past it not really thinking too much about it.  But then a couple hours later, it was kind of an AH-HA moment....DUH....why didn't I think of that, kind of thing...LOL...

I thought it was a great idea.  It's a way for you and your seller to go view all of the other homes in the immediate area that they are competing with. 

For those of you that do this, how helpful has it been for you?  And is this something you do just before you put the home on the market so you have a better price in mind when listing, or is it just something you do after you take the listing?