Melbourne Real Estate News, Brevard County Florida by Sandy Shores Melbourne FL Realtor

I can never get over the indescribable beauty of a sunset.  Every one is different than the one before and will be different than the next one.  It's as if the brush strokes were carefully painted on a blank canvas to form the perfect combination of colors.  

This picture was taken standing at the end of the dock at the Lake Washington Park in Melbourne Florida.

Lake Washington is the 41st largest lake in Florida and the largest lake in Brevard County FL, 4362 acres.  It is one of the lakes that makes up the St. Johns River.

The John A Buckley water treatment plant sits near the mouth of Lake Washington.  The lake is Melbourne's most important source of fresh water. In addition to providing fresh water to the city of Melbourne the plant also serves other surrounding cities. 

Boaters launch their small motor boats at the boat ramps and head out for a day of fishing.  Airboat enthusiasts love to hit the lake.  There is a playground and picnic areas nearby with public restrooms.

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Surfs Up in Satellite Beach, on Florida's East Coast and there are avid surfers hitting their surfboards.  Just days before the National Kidney Foundation's 25th Annual Pro Am Surf Festival is being held, at the Cocoa Beach Pier, the waves were projected to be 9 to 12 feet today and about 6 to 9 feet tonight.  Today, the surf is a bit like a washing machine,

Friday should be the perfect time to surf, with waves about 4 to 6 feet. These are considered to be epic waves.   I've got a feeling there will be some empty seats in several classrooms on Friday. And, teachers and parents will have to look no further than the beach to find their kids.

Florida's East Coast is a favorite for many.  We're known for the quality of our waves.  These huge waves are the remnants of Category 3 Hurricane Earl, heading up the East coast of the United States.  Our thoughts and prayers are with those folks up north, that are hoping they don't get a direct hit.

The National Kidney Foundation's 25th Annual Pro Am Surf Festival, with thousands in attendance each year, begins on Saturday and ends on the holiday on Monday.

It's important that people be aware that the rip currents are dangerous with these types of waves. They can pull a person under in an instant.  So, be careful.

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Selling your Melbourne Florida home in today's market is different than it was in day's gone by.  Often owners hired an agent, slapped a sign in the yard, with a high price to go with it, hoping someone would come and make an offer.

Well, times have changed, and so has the Melbourne FL real estate market.  Selling a Melbourne FL home can prove to be a daunting task. It takes the perfect combination of the right Real Estate Professional, the right price and a house in tip top condition. Today, buyers are often throwing out low ball offers to see what sticks. And, if a house has any deferred maintenance, then the price offered comes in even lower.

So, the question becomes, "What do I need to do to help sell my Melbourne FL home?"  I like to provide sellers with a list of tasks that I recommend be completed prior to the house going on the market. Otherwise, an owner can potentially lose time, money and miss the best buyers for the property. 

Melbourne FL sellers often comment that they aren't sure if they need to complete a specific job.  My response is always, "Look at your home through the eyes of a buyer. If you have to question whether something needs to be done, then just do it."  A buyer may come through the property and ask why it wasn't done. It can be something like painting a room, pressure cleaning the driveway, cleaning the carpets, or adding a few flowers in the front yard.  So often, sellers are able to do jobs themselves or hire them out for a small price.  These jobs can make a world of difference in the appearance of a home. OR that buyer walks through the door, and the price he is considering offering is drops by thousand dollar increments, often over hundred dollar projects not completed.

Although there are a lot of foreclosures, being sold AS IS, on the market, every buyer does not want, nor will their lender allow them to purchase a house that needs repairs.  And, don't forget, those properties are often being sold for rock bottom prices. 

Most sellers I've met aren't interested in selling their Melbourne FL home for a bargain basement price.

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It's Hurricane season again, and it's time for us to keep our eyes and ears open on what's brewing in the Tropics.  It's been quite busy out there lately.  Currently the National Hurricane Center is indicating that there are 2 storms in the Tropics,  Earl and Fiona.

Hurricane Season runs from June 1 to November 30.  The peak of the season usually comes sometime in August and lasts through October. 

Tropical Storms can wreak havoc on real estate closings.  A named storm within a specific demographic of the state of Florida can bring the closing on your new home to a screeching halt.  Insurance companies will not write new policies on homes when a named storm is headed our direction.  

In 2004, when Brevard County FL was hit with Hurricane Frances and Jeanne, which came just a couple of weeks apart, real estate closings were delayed for weeks.  When Frances left, Jeanne was right behind and some companies would not issue new policies.

The majority of insurance policies are paid for on the day of a real estate closing.  If a homebuyer cannot get insurance, then the mortgage company refuses to do the loan on an uninsured piece of property.  This could prove to be an incredibly difficult situation for all parties involved.

During this time of year, often some insurance companies will allow a homebuyer to bind their policy ahead of time.  They just request that they be paid the full premium amount ahead of time and the company will issue a binder for the insurance for the date of the closing.  This way buyers are not held up on their closing during a busy Tropical Storm season.

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The Brevard County Property Appraiser TRIM - Truth in Millage notices arrived in our mailboxes last week.  These proposals give  property owners the taxable value of their property.  They also provide an estimated value of taxes and proposed millage rates.

Often owners ask us how their taxes were determined. The property appraiser goes out to a property at least once every five years to determine a Brevard County property's appraised value. There are various ways of determining the value of a parcel. And, the appraisers website has a number of appraising tools accessible to the public.

It's important when you get your TRIM notice to double check to be sure that you are getting the property exemptions that you are entitled to.  Do some research and double check to be sure they are all accounted for.

Some owners are unhappy with fair market value noted on their proposed tax bill.   If you feel that the Brevard County Property appraiser has made an error in the market value of your property as of January 2010 contact the appraiser's office. 

Contact numbers for the Brevard County Property Appraiser are as follows:

Melbourne    321-255-4440

Palm Bay     321-952-4574

Viera           321-690-6880

Titusville      321-264-6700

Other areas  321-633-2199 x 6703

If the appraisers office cannot resolve a situation over value of your property an owner has until September 17, 2010 to file a petition of value.

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Last night was Satellite High School's pre season kickoff game and what a game it was! Friday night high school football is one of my favorite pastimes.   The Satellite Scorpions wiped the field with the Gateway Panthers.

In the past, Satellite High School football hasn't really been known for having a strong team. Although, last year was a much better year than they had in a long time.  Come on, what do you want?  The school is right across the street from the beach.  So, there are a lot of students that live to surf.

This year, the Scorpions have a number of new players from neighboring schools.  And, are we proud to have them on the Scorpion team.

Satellite High Scorpions beat the Gateway Panthers 48-7. The Scorpions played a strong offensive and defensive game.  The panthers scored their 7 points with less than a minute left in the 4th quarter of the game.

Funny, each time a touchdown is scored the cheerleaders have to drop and do the number of pushups on the scoreboard.  Well, there was a lot of fudging going on!  When the girls had to drop to do 35 push ups, it was interesting.  The remainder of the evening the Scorpion Cheerleaders shifted to doing jumping jacks.  We loved it - seeing the football team doing so well!

If last night was indicative of what we're going to see from the Satellite High School Football team, then it's going to be a phenomnal year!

Go Satellite High School Scorpions and Satellite Varsity Cheerleaders! You're all amazing!

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On Friday I woke up knowing that I had a dentist appointment.

I had 2 cavities that needed fillings.  Okay, so it had been a couple of years since my last visit.  One was very small and it was filled in no time.  But, the other cavity was in a tooth that I've had problems with over the years. "If you continue having problems, the next time it will be a root canal and a crown," the dentist said.  Uh oh, those dreaded words.

He pulled out a 6 inch needle.  Why do they always tell you to shut your eyes? I kept mine open.  Oh "it will feel just like a bee sting."  Great.  When was the last time you had a bee sting you on the inside of your mouth, not once, but twice? My mouth felt like it grew 3 sizes. He started the drill.  I cringed as he drilled and drilled and drilled some more.  With a mirror, a drill, a suction tube, a water hose and 2 hands in my mouth I was trying to swallow to keep from gagging.  But, he kept on drilling.  My fists were clenched tightly around the arms of the cold chair. And the sound of the drill was echoing in my head. After about 5 times of trying to gasp for air, from the water going down my throat, he stopped. Thank goodness.  Any longer he may have been wearing my breakfast in his lap. "I have to swallow," I said, "I was about to gag."  "What's the matter," he laughed, "don't you swim?"   "Sure I swim, but I don't swim while taking in gulps of water." I swallowed a couple of times and caught my breath. Ready for the next mouthful.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, he was finished. It couldn't have come soon enough. "Now this is a very big filling that was falling out, so it's going to be sensitive for a week or so."  Okay, I thought, just get me out of here.

The nice lady at the front desk told me to wait at least an hour before eating. She said with the numbness I could chew into the side of my mouth, without even realizing it. Okay, that's fair warning enough. So, I walked out of the dentist looking like a squirrel with nuts packed in my cheeks, ready for a long winter.

I tried to eat lunch, but I couldn't tell if I was chewing my ham sandwich and I sure couldn't swallow it.  I spilled my water down the front of my shirt several times, because I couldn't seem to keep my mouth on the glass.   So, I sat, at my desk, wiping the spittle from my chin, waiting for the numbness to fade. It was nearly 5 hours.

Thank goodness my outside appointments were earlier in the day.

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Brevard County Florida is located in the east central area of Florida halfway between Jacksonville and Miami. On the Atlantic Coast, we have some of the most beautiful beaches around! Brevard County Florida is 70 miles long, with 1557 square miles. 539 miles are home to the St. Johns River, the famous Indian River Lagoon and Banana Rivers, and our eastern edge major waterway, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. 

Brevard County Florida's location can't be beat! John F. Kennedy Space Center is in our own backyard. Residents come from all over the world to view the breathtaking Cape Canaveral rocket launches and the NASA Space Shuttle launches. We also boast the Astronuat Hall of Fame where you learn all about the astronauts and the missions they took.  

Cruise ships set sail right here out of Cape Canaveral.  We are also home to The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts which features shows that come to us from all over the world. Don't forget to visit World Famous Ron Jon's Surf Shop right here in Cocoa Beach.

So, bring the family to visit Brevard County Florida.  There's something to do for everyone.

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According to the Melbourne Association of REALTORS® statistics are as follows for South Brevard County FL Real Estate:

Currently there are:

5286 residential listings for sale

1430 rental listings available

1417 condos for sale

 390 townhouses for sale

 109 income producing properties

2470 vacant parcels for sale

For all South Brevard County FL Real Estate, including single family residential, condo, townhouse and vacant lots:

There were 944 new listings.

There were 311 sold listings.

Average sales price was $141,125.

Highest price sold was $1,325,000.

Lowest price sold was $ 1,500.

Average days on the market were 119.

For July 2010 for single family residential units:

There were 689 new listings.

This is an increase of 20.88% from July 2009 of 570 new listings.

There were 256 sold listings.

This is an 30.43% decrease from July 2009 of 368 sold listings.

The average sale price in July 2010 was $138,134. 

This is a decrease of 15.70% from July 2009 of $163,869.

Average days on the market were 107, a 7.00% increase from July 2009 of 100 days.

Types of financing used for South Brevard County single family, condos, and townhouses:

159 cash

 81 conventional financing

 63 FHA

 16 VA

  0 Exchanges

  2 Owner financing

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Have you ever had one of those days where you felt like you'd been to H--- and back? 

Well, I've been there. And, here it is... it really exists...

And this is what Hell looks like in the Cayman Islands...

Hell is a series of black limestone formations in West Bay, Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.  It is a very interesting place to visit as the formations stretch about the length of half a soccer field.  While we were viewing the rock formations one of the locals told us that many of the formations were well over 4 and 5 feet tall, until the Islands were hit with some of the storms that came through in 2004 and leveled them. What a shame!  It must have really been a sight to see!

There are different stories on how Hell got it's name. Some say that if you throw a rock into the middle of the limestone formations it has an odd echo as if it falling down the peaks and valleys all the way down to Hell.

Another version of the story is that a local official proclaimed one day, that 'this is what hell must look like.'

Hell is a favorite tourist spot as we all stopped to drop postcards to our friends, with the postmark of Hell on them.

Sandy Shores Realtor, Melbourne FL Real Estate

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