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

I love living in Melbourne Florida! I have been here since 1975 and will probably stay for another 30+ years if I'm lucky.  This is where my family and I call home.

There are beautiful sights everywhere we go.

Today, I had oodles of errands to run.  One stop took us to the grocery store.  As we were pulling out, this is what we found...

Beginning October 1, 2008 FHA, Federal Housing Administration will increase it's minimum down payment amount for loans from 3% to 3.5%.

On a $200,000 home this would be an additional $1000 down to a buyer.

Is this a concern to buyers, lender and REALTORS?

FHA has tighten it's guidelines in the last couple of years.

Will this squeeze some buyers out of the market?

FHA will also no longer allow charities to provide down payments or down payment assistance to buyers. I know that in 2004-2006 many buyers used charity assisted down payments in order to purchase homes. 

This could put a pinch of some buyers, that may not be able to qualify for a loan without this type of assistance.

Only time will tell if these new "adjustments" to FHA guidelines will affect buyers.

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

Is your Brevard County Florida home located in a flood zone? 

Do you know? How do you find out if it is?

Usually at the time you purchase your home, you are notified whether your house is located in a flood zone.  If it is, your lender will require you to purchase a separate flood insurance policy to cover the property in case of rising ground water.

However, if it is determined that your house is not located in a flood zone, did you know that you can still purchase flood insurance?  The premium amount varies depending on your home and its location.

If you are not sure if your house is located in a flood zone, a survey company can request an elevation certificate which will determine what flood zone that you are in.

According to The National Flood Insurance Program, some questions that you should be sure to ask your insurance company are...

Can you confirm what flood zone I am in?

Does my community participate in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System?

If it does, will I qualify for a discount?

What will be covered in case of damage?  What will not be covered?

How much coverage will I get?  How much coverage will I get on my contents?

Could you discuss rates based on different deductible amounts?

How much will the premium be for the year?

What is covered by replacement cost?  What about cash value?

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

Sellers ask me all the time, "What can I do to help sell my home?"

Remember this, your house will most likely look completely different when it is on the market for sale, than it did before you put it up for sale. 

One of my first recommendations is to GET RID OF THE CLUTTER before the home ever hits the market!

How important is it to really to get a house in "show" condition?

Extremely important.  It may mean NO SALE or LOW SALE if the home ever does eventually sell.

I remember in 2001 when I was getting ready to put my home on the market. 

I spent $2000 in areas that I knew would help net additional money on the sale and move the home more quickly.  I pulled up the carpeting in the bedrooms and replaced it with fresh, neutral carpets. I cleared the walls of almost every picture.  I filled the nail holes.  And I painted all of the rooms in neutral tones.

I love antiques, but I know many people don't.  So, I removed over half of the furniture from the house to make it appear more spacious.  I emptied the closets until it looked as if there was nothing in them.  I emptied the kitchen cabinets.  I emptied the garage and the shed and scrubbed and painted the garage floor. I washed all of the windows and the front entryway.  I planted fresh flowers by the front door.  I addressed every item that may have been in question.

When I was finished, to me, it no longer "felt" like my home anymore.  However, I sold it the first day that I placed it on the market, myself, and nearly tripled my $2000 investment spent to prepare it for the market.  The buyers loved the fresh smells of new paint and carpeting, fresh flowers, and potpourri.  They particularly loved the feeling of spaciousness that the home provided.

Proper "staging", is imperative prior to placing a home on the market. And if you feel that you cannot do it yourself, then I recommend you hire a professional stager to guide you through the process.

Here in Brevard County Florida we all know that we are currently in the midst of Tropical Storm Season. 

So, my question to you is, when was the last time you reviewed your insurance policy?

What about REALTORS and Lenders, when was the last time your previous customers reviewed theirs? Do you know?

When was the last time you contacted your insurance agent to discuss your policy?

I have had homeowners tell me that they haven't spoken to their insurance agent in over ten years, nor have they updated their coverage! I am shocked and I tell them so!

When was the last time you contacted your insurance agent to discuss your policy?

Do you know what it covers?

Do you have enough coverage on your home?

Does your policy cover flooding?

Do you have a separate flood policy?

What does that policy cover?

Does your policy cover mold and mildew?

Does your current insurance policy adequately cover the belongings in your home? 

Perhaps it is time to contact your insurance agent and discuss your policy to understand completely what it covers.

I talk to my insurance agent numerous times a year.  Perhaps that is because we own rental homes and I am always checking on coverages and deductibles.  I am always checking to be sure that we have everything we need in case of any kind of loss.

If you don't talk to your insurance agent at least once a year, than you are not talking to him/her often enough. Make it a point to call them every year when you receive your annual renewal notice.

With so many changes that have taken place here in Brevard County Florida it is imperative to understand the dynamics of your policy.  Often times we wait until after a storm, and often times, then, it is too late!

Do your homework.  Call your insurance agent today!

I found this great website and I wanted to share it with all of you...

Do you have a prospective tenant?

Have a completed rental application?

Need to do a credit check?

Need to do a criminal background check?

Or just looking for additional information on someone?

Well, you can pull a criminal background check for FREE!

Just go to http://criminalsearches.com/. Type in the name of the person that you are researching and if there is a record available, it will provide you with the information.   

This is a great tool for landlord and property managers!

Happy Searching!

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be helping Brevard Tropical Storm Fay flood victims in Brevard County Florida. 

Homeowners can apply for federal money to repair damages.  They could be eligible for up to $28,800 to use towards temporary housing and home repairs.

Call the Federal Emergency Management Agency at 1-800-621-FEMA between 7:00 AM to 12:00 AM to register for aid.

Tropical Storm Fay has been classified as a 100 year storm! It has been 100 years since Florida had over 30 inches of rain!  No storm has ever intensified after it reached land!  It left land a couple of times, only to come back and hit Florida over and over again.

Here we are in Florida and some families lost everything in Tropical Storm Fay.  Note, 'Tropical Storm', not hurricane.

Some people across the state still can't get out of their homes, because of the flooding!

Some areas got over 30 inches of rain in less than 24 hours!

Ponds and lakes were overflowing their banks and flooding homes!

Some had water coming in every door of their home!

Fish and snakes were swimming on the sidewalks and in swimming pools!

Alligator trappers caught 4 alligators!

During the storm, many homeowners were trapped unless they had tall four wheel drive pick up trucks to get out!

Many roads were impassable!

The National Guard was driving through neighborhoods, resucing & evacuating families and bringing in sandbags!

Television crews were lining the streets!

Today, across the state some homeowners still can't get out of their homes, 6-7 days after the storm, because of flooding! Some homes in Central Florida are still under 5+ feet of water.

We, here in Florida are keeping our fingers crossed that we get no more rain or storms anytime soon.  The ground needs a chance to dry out!

Interested in finding out more information about what a particular home and it's surrounding area looks like?

Many of you may have heard of this before. 

But, for those who haven't...Check out Google Street views today. 

Just go to http://maps.google.com/ and type in the complete address of the home that you are researching, including city and state.

First, it will pinpoint it on the map for you. 

Then, choose street views. It will ‘take you to the home'. It is as if you are standing in the street directly in front of the house.

Don't forget to switch to full screen, so you can get a better view.

If you like, you can  "navigate" your way down the street and view all of the properties surrounding that home. 

If you have never tried this before, it is incredible!  

Try it for yourself today!  Start with your own address.

WOW!  I absolutely LOVE IT!

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 the excess water on the pool deck into the pool, and the pool pump is taking the water to the street. 

One of our tenants just called and said that she has water coming the floor of her den and one of her bedrooms. My husband headed over to try and help them clean it up.

We just got word that Fay has a well defined eye and flooding will be a concern. The eye has not reached Melbourne yet, it is 69 miles south of Orlando. We have had 5 to 7 inches of rain already and they are indicating we will probably have the same amount on it's way. It will be a very long night. 4600 people in Brevard are without power and there are downed power poles.

We will brace ourselves for the worst. 

We just heard that a tornado touched down in Barefoot Bay and damaged 51 homes.  In situations like this tornadoes are always our greatest fear and the feeder bands of rain that follow a storm often times cause a lot of damage. 

Oh boy, gotta go...the wind is picking up again and the rain is coming down in bucket fulls!

The lights are flickering!

Is anyone else here in Florida feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Fay? 

We hear that tomorrow she will be growing into a hurricane as it exits into the ocean, before it makes landfall a second time here in Florida!