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

...Or pull over and talk on your cell phone,,,but get out of the way!

Okay, I don't know about anyone else, but I've had enough of drivers on their cell phones! They make me crazy! 

It's not often that I feel the need to rant and rave online, but today I just have to!

Yesterday afternoon I had an appointment 35 minutes away, in a torrential storm.  I hesitated to even go out in this kind of weather, but had already made the commitment to show a couple of houses. My trip there and back were filled with drivers that shouldn't have been on the road.

It was bad enough that is was raining like crazy, but drivers on their cell phones seemed to be crazy, too!

A lady was stopped at a traffic light, talking on her phone. She never noticed the light changed till the 5 cars behind her started honking their horns, then she moved.

A guy in a pickup truck was driving 25 in a 40 mph zone, in the left lane, gabbing , and throwing his arms up...looked like he was screaming at the person on the other end of the phone.  He had about 10 cars stuck behind him because they were boxed in.

A lady in a brand new Lexus pulled out of a parking lot about 3 car lengths in front of me in a spot where the puddles were 3 to 4 inches deep!  I hit the brakes, my van skidded and I thought I was a goner! She never even flinched or looked up. She was laughing and enjoying her "fun" conversation.  As she proceeded on in front of me at about 20 miles per hour, it took me over 4 traffic lights to get around her!

We were all stopped for a red light and the guy next to me was talking on his phone. He and I were in the front of the line. The turn lane light changed from red to the green arrow.  Well, he took off. He and I were in the straight lane and our lights were still red. He and two cars came within inches of colliding...they all hit their brakes and went skidding.

It was a wonder that I made it there and back yesterday in one piece. 

I just wish that some people would put their cell phones away and concentrate on the road before they kill the rest of us!

Thanks for allowing me time to vent,,,I feel much better now...until I get back out on the road.

The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts is located in Melbourne Florida right here in our own backyard, on the campus of Brevard Community College.  It has 126000 square feet, with 2000 seats, and a 200 seat black box theatre.

The Brevard County theatre features various types of shows including Broadway shows, ballets, muscials, dance, opera, singers, musicians, family shows and childrens programs. The theatre has brought some incredible talent, here to Brevard County Florida.

People travel from across the state to see some of the incredible shows at the King Center.  I'm spoiled, because my familly and I live only 5 minutes from the theatre. 

Some of the shows that are coming up at the King Center are Classic Albums Live: Dark Side of the Moon, Randy Owen: the voice of Alabama, Comedian Ron White, Singer Sara Evans, Jesus Christ Superstar, Monty Python Spamalot, Happy Days, Vince Gill and Peter Frampton.  I am certain they will have a wonderful Christmas show lineup. They always do! 

I have been fortunate enough to go and see Comedian Bill Cosby, Singer Peter Frampton, Denns DeYoung from Styx, Daryl Hall and John Oate, Riverdance (THAT WAS A PHENOMENAL SHOW), a Chrismas Carol, and several children's shows.

Have you seen any incredible shows at the King Center here in Melbourne Florida recently?

Visit my website and check and see what else Brevard County has to offer www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com. 

Melbourne Florida is located in Brevard County in the east central area of Florida halfway between Jacksonville and Miami.

On the Atlantic Coast, Brevard has some of the most beautiful beaches around.  Brevard is 1557 square miles, it is 70 miles long. 539 miles are home to the the St. Johns River, the famous Indian River Lagoon and the Banana River, and our eastern edge major waterway, the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Check map location.

Come to beautiful Brevard County and enjoy our world famous beaches and parks.

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com to find out more about Brevard County Florida.

Here in Melbourne Florida we are known for our manatees, or sea cows that swim and leisurely play in the Indian River Lagoon.

I love traveling 10 minutes to the river to see if we can spot a manatee or two, on a beautiful summer afternoon.   

Manatees look somewhat similar to a seal. They have a thin layer of hair on their body to help reduce build up of algae on their skin.

Manatees like the Indian River Lagoon because of it's shallow muddy waters.  They enjoy Florida, because of the tropical climate.  They have a very low metabolic rate, with very little internal body fat, thus the warm water temperatures.  Some can be found as far north as Louisiana and Virginia in the summer months. They like water 3 to 5 meters deep.

We typically get lucky enough to see the manatees. Although, we patiently waited to catch a glimpse of the gentle giants, but unfortunately we didn't see one today,

But, here is a picture of 2 manatees that are similar to the ones we find here in the Indian River Lagoon in Brevard County Florida.

OUR CLIENTS, BUYERS, SELLERS, TENANTS, LANDLORDS ARE INVALUABLE TO US!

But, do your clients know how important they are to you?

How often do you tell them?

During a transaction our job as real estate professionals we guide the buyer or seller through the home buying or selling process.  It is imperative to keep in regular contact with them, to be sure that every step of the transaction is handled precisely. The house should proceed to closing without a glitch, so we can  get paid for the hard work and expertise we have provided throughout the transaction. 

But, it doesn't stop there...once we walk out of the closing with our paycheck. 

Does your buyer or seller know how important they are to you? 

After all without them, you wouldn't have a paycheck!

Do they know how much you appreciate their business?

Sit down and handwrite a personalized thank you note to your client, telling them how important they are to you and how much you appreciate them. 

How many thank you notes have you written this month?  This year? 

I personally, try to write 5 thank you notes per week, to past customers, even customers that haven't purchased from me in a year or two. 

PEOPLE LOVE TO BE APPRECIATED...AND WHAT BETTER TOKEN OF YOUR APPRECIATION THAN A NOTE FROM THE HEART?

Any other ideas of how you share your appreciation with your clients?

Oh, I wish I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,

Oh, that is what I'd truly love to be...

Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener,

Then, everyone would be in love with me.'

Is that how it goes? I'm trying to remember the song.  We used to sing it when we were kids. Did I get it right?

Well, the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to Brevard County.  Today it will be coming to Melbourne Florida.  It will be at the Wickham Road Wal Mart at 8500 N Wickham Road from 1:00 to 6:00 today.

On Friday it will be in Merritt Island Florida at Wal Mart at 1500 E Merritt Island Causeway in Merritt Island from 1:00 to 6:00.

On Saturday, July 26 it will be at Patrick Air Force Base from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

The 2 drivers of the Wienermobile are on the road for a year. Both drivers graduated from Hot Dog High in Madison Wisconsin, home of Oscar Mayer Headquarters. The drivers get 2 days off each week.  They travel cross country, stopping to allow bystanders to take pictures of the World Famous Wienermobile.

Help! We Were Waterlogged and So Were Some of the Houses We Looked At!

I always recommend that buyers be sure to take a drive by a property they may be thinking of buying, right after a hard rain storm, if possible.  Often times it can be quite telling.  It can give them an idea of how a property drains or, on the other how a property holds water.  

Well, yesterday I was out showing houses with a buyer.  The sky was clear when we started out, but quickly the black clouds began rolling in.  The sky looked menancing.  The wind started howling and the thunder and lightning soon followed.  We looked at a couple of homes, and then the torrential downpour began.

Now, mind you, I always tell buyers to check homes AFTER a big rain, I really don't recommend they check them in the middle of a torrential thunder and lightning storm! It was absolutely pouring! I couldn't see anything 2 feet in front of me.  For me, this is typically the kind of weather where I stay inside and OFF the roads.

We were in an area with oodles of endless streets that seem to stretch for miles.  We pulled up to the next house on our list, and I couldn't even pull in the driveway, it was completely underwater!  So, I parked across the street. 

My buyer is great and so easy going. I asked her what she wanted to do. We decided to try and wait it out.  We waited for 10, then 20 minutes.  We moved on to the next house.  She didn't want a house that she couldn't pull into the driveway after a storm.

In arriving at the next 2 homes we made a mad dash for the front door and headed in.  Luckily, I had an extra duffel bag, filled with towels.  We dried off before going all the way in.  Those 2 houses were fine.

As the rain began to taper off and we both looked like little wet rats, we continued on to the next three houses and here's what we found:

House #1) The back patio was completely underwater and it was an inch from coming into the house.

House #2) The living room ceiling was leaking on the carpet in 3 places.

House #3) The front culverts were full with nearly 3 feet of standing water.  And various sections of the yard looked like mini swimming pools. (This scared her as she has a 2 year old daughter.)

The rain finally stopped as we looked at our last 2 properties for the day.

I don't typically show houses in the middle of a mini monsoon, but it is hard to schedule showings around our afternoon storms, here in Florida.  However, yesterday was really an eye opener for me AND MY BUYER. 

Out of 8 properties, my buyer immediately ruled out 4 houses due to the rain and drainage issues.  (Now, let me qualify this by saying that we have had inordinate amounts of rain over the past month here in Brevard County FL.)However, after yesterday, I'm wondering if I should rethink my strategy...and begin to make it a policy to only show houses in the rain!

Here in Melbourne in Brevard County Florida we have had tremendous amounts of rainfall, every afternoon.  Some storms are bringing 2-3 inches of rain a day. Thank goodness, because we really need it.

I have noticed that there are mushrooms, or wild fungi, sprouting up in clumps in various spots all over town. I wondered if they were dangerous. 

I just recently found out that some wild mushrooms or wild fungi are idenitifed as fairy rings, with white tops.  These are indeed poisonous.  They are the #1 cause of accidential poisoning here in Florida.

Not all mushrooms that grow in your yard are poisionous, but it is best to stay away from all of them.

Mushroom picture courtesy Florida Today News.

The Craft Fair is Coming to Melbourne Auditorium here in Melbourne Florida on July 26-27.

It will be an indoor, air conditioned craft show.  It is sponsored by Buckler Craft Fairs.  Hundreds of exhibitors will display their crafts. This will be a great time for those of you that love these types of bazaars and shows. There is something for everyone!

Some of the displayed items will include: Stained glass, pottery, arts and crafts, ceramics, quilts, needle work, folk art, unique gifts and home decor items.

Here is a coupon to get discounted craft fair tickets.

http://www.bpcraftfairs.com/coupon.html

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com.

A buyer sleepover, before you buy a home?  Well the idea is beginning to crop up all over the country...

Some sellers are offering a buyer the opportunity of sleeping over, in their home, prior to a buyer purchasing the home.  This gives the buyer an opportunity to get a "feel" for the home, the area, and the ambience of the property.

But, is this a good idea? 

Is this putting the seller's in a precarious position?

Or, you might say, what's the big deal? 

Isn't it just like taking a test drive in a car before you buy it?

It's allowing the buyer to experience the positive aspects of the property, isn't it?  But, how do you really do that when you're sleeping? Shouldn't it be done during the day, or over a weekend?

On the other hand, it's also allowing the buyer to find out the negatives of the property before they purchase it, too...

Is it just like early occupancy?  The buyer takes possession of the property prior to the closing.  But, they move into the home, along with their possessions, before the closing.  Personally, I do not care for early occupancy arrangements.  Often times they can get quite sticky, if the buyer is unable to close or something turns up at the last minute, and the buyer chooses not to close. Then, the seller has to get the "buyer" back out of their house.

On the other hand is a buyer sleepover any different than a lease option?  The owner agrees to sell the home at a future date for a specified amount of money.  The tenant/future buyer lives in the house for an agreed upon period of time, often times a year and pays the owner rent.  Often, a portion of the money is applied as option money towards the purchase. At the end of the specified time period the option to buy is exercised, and the parties proceed to closing.

So, what do you think about buyer sleepovers, are they a good idea or not?