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

I recently read that experts say that a person's primary residence accounts for over 50% of their property and financial "savings" for owners in their 60's.

Today, that can be a scary prospect.

Everyday, we have been hearing about the troubled times our country is facing.  The government takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Then the fall of Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, AIG and WaMu, what or who will be next?  The government is trying to come up with a plan to help bail us out.   No one knows what lies ahead.

Remember the tech stock market?  All of those companies values were based on over inflated numbers on botched balance sheets.   Those were never true values, except to the people that sold during that time and walked away with a pocket full of money. Then the bubble burst. 

Then came the real estate bubble.  Was that any different than the stock market bubble?  I think not.  Weren't the values of homes at the peak of the market in 2005 based strictly on over inflated values on f paper?  The only owners that truly reaped their wealth were those that cashed in and sold their homes during that peak in the market.  Those that didn't sell gained nothing, except maybe higher taxes and insurance premiums.

Many of those that bought, got stuck.

So, if it's true that 50% of an owner's financial "savings" is found in their primary residence, and our real estate market is going through a time of correction in certain parts of the country, an owners wealth may be dwindling down to nothing (if they aren't already upside down or going into foreclosure).

These are scary statistics in today's uncertain times.

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

I grew up around boats.  We always had some kind of boat when I was a girl.  My Dad enjoyed tinkering with them. He was excellent at working on any kind of engine.  And, that sure came in handy, because anyone that has ever had a boat knows how difficult it can be to keep theirs running on a regular basis. 

What is the saying, 'A boat is a hole in the water that your sink money in.'

And the happiest day of a boat owner's life is the day he buys it and the day he sells it.

Here in Melbourne Florida there are so many places to go boating and/or jet skiing.  Some take their boats to the Eau Gallie or Melbourne Causeways and drop them in at the boat ramps. 

Others like to go over to Ballard Park, which is a beautiful setting, with picnic tables and a park.  Boaters dock their boats in the Indian River there. 

Lake Washington here in Melbourne is home to large mouth bass and fresh water fishing.

Boaters with bigger vessels enjoy going deep sea fishing or lobstering in the Atlantic Ocean. They drop their boats in at Sebastian Inlet, about 20 miles south of Melbourne.  The inlet feeds out to the ocean. 

Melbourne Florida has so many great locations to take your boat, your fishing poles, a picnic lunch and head out for the a day of fun in the sun!

Ihave mixed feelings on this, which is typically not like me. But, when placing a home on the market, should the personal, family photos stay in the house or should they go before the house goes on the market? 

Maybe as a seller this thought has never entered your mind.  Put my family photos away to sell your own home...what do you mean?  Why? What's the big deal?  Well, it depends on who's looking at it (or should I say; looking at them).

When placing a home on the market a REALTOR's job is to make the home  appeal to as many buyers, as we can.  Today, many homes are professionally staged. Kudos to all of you professional stagers, you make our job so much easier!  Those that aren't staged are typically critiqued by the listing agent, prior to the sign going up.  The idea is to clear out as much "excess stuff" and to neutralize the furnishings in a way as to appeal to the broadest range of buyers that we can.  And many times the feeling is...if there are an excess number of personal, family photos, THEY MUST GO or at least the majority of them must go! I feel that it is fine to leave a couple of photos out.

During a showing, we ask that the seller not be home when a buyer is looking at the property.  We want the buyer to feel as warm and comfortable in the home as possible.  We want the buyer to "see and feel" himself living there.  If the seller is there, the buyer often feels uncomfortable being in someone else's place.  And, if the buyer walks through and it is "filled" with family photos, it can make it difficult for some to envision themselves living there.

In the past I have kindly asked a number of sellers to "thin out" some of the pictures in order to make the home more buyer friendly. I have received responses ranging from polite and agreeable to flaming red hot.  One seller told me in no uncertain terms would she remove any of her nearly 75 family photos.  I thought I would be escorted to the door! 

I have been in a number of homes that felt as if all eyes on the wall were staring at me.  In some cases, it  scared buyers off. So what is a seller to do? 

Should the personal photographs stay or go?  You tell me...

The thought of buying a home can be a daunting task. And finding the right one can take some time. 

Do you have children?  How old are they? Do you want to live in an area with other children? 

How do you know if there are kids in the Melbourne Florida neighborhood you are considering?

Drive through areas that you are considering in your search for a home.  But, be sure to drive through between 7:00AM and 8:00AM on a weekend.  Is the area bustling with activity?  Are kids on their way to the bus stop?  Is there are park nearby?

Then drive through the same areas after work.  Try to go through after 5:00PM and see if there is anything going on in the area.  Try after dinner, after 7:00PM.  How active is the neighborhood?

Make sure you check the area on a Saturday morning, on garage sale day.  Often times that is a great time to find out who lives in the neighborhood.

Look for the signs of children...Are there toys outside in yards? Is there a park in the neighborhood? Are there basketball hoops?

How close are the local schools to the area you have an interest in?  Does the bus pick up and drop off in the neighborhood?  What schools are the students attending. 

Often we find that resale value is excellent within excellent school districts.

Visit my website at www.SandyShoresMelbourne.com

I left my umbrella at home today because the weatherman said that there was only a 20% chance of rain. HMMM. I have been peeking around raindrops all day today and I haven't seen the sun sneak out from behind the dark clouds yet.  Now, I question what  city the weatherman was forecasting on..  

What a great job...being a meteorologist!  There is so much room for error, and the weather can quickly change. 

As a REALTOR, there is not a lot of room for error.  Big mistakes in real estate could mean a loss of thousands of dollars to a buyer or a seller. 

I love being a REALTOR. Every single transaction that I do is different from the previous one and will be different from the next one.  No two are the same. 

The real estate business requires a REALTOR maintain their continuing education, as well as have a strong grasp and comprehensive understanding of the current market.

So many owners have pets today.  I recently read an article that said that over 75% of homeowners have some type of pet.  That means dogs and cats, guinea pigs and gerbils, turtles and fish, birds and snakes. 

Well, whatever type of pet you have...we can all agree that we all love our pets.  After all, they're part of the family, aren't they?

But, when it comes to selling your home, buyers don't want to be reminded about your sweet little furry critter. 

There is no bigger turn off when walking through the front door of a home than the "smell" of your pet. 

I have seen buyers turn on their heel and walk right back out if they even catch a hint of a smelly pet.

So, sellers, be very careful that your home is deoderized and ready to "smell" BEFORE that prospective buyer walks through the front door.

 ...Bailey the Boxer

RAW United Powerlifting will hold the Armed Forces Nationals and the open Push/Pull Championship on October 4 & 5 2008.  The event will be held in the West Shore Junior Senior High School Gymnasium here in Melbourne Florida.

The West Shore Wildcats Powerlifting Team will be lead by Jayson Wadzinski in 12th grade and my daughter, Sam Shores in 8th grade.

Sam has been lifting for about 14 months now and currently holds 7 Powerlifting Worlds Records.

Lifters age 11 to 74 years old will be competing.  There are some absolutely phenomenal athletes at these events.

It takes incredible dedication, consistency and lots of lots of hard work for these athletes to accomplish the lifts that they strive so hard to beat! 

This is Sam Shores and her incredible coach, Spero Tshontikidis.

Well, here I am again, bragging about our great Brevard County Florida Schools. 

I have lived in Brevard County Florida since 1975 and I currently have two teenage daughters attending West Shore Junior/Senior High School in Melbourne.

We are always hearing good news about how well our schools are performing.

Brevard County Public Schools ranked in the top six out of 67 counties in Florida in all areas except one, on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.  The areas include reading and math grades 4 through 10 and science in grades 5, 8, and 11. They ranked 8th on Seventh grade math. 

Brevard Public schools have ranked first in the state for sixth grade math eight years in a row.  Sixth graders have ranked first for reading in 5 of the past 6 years.  Brevard  fifth graders have taken a first place spot in science for the past four years.

The FCAT test is used as a measuring tool to determine where a student's academic strengths and weaknesses lie.

Congratulations are in order again for Brevard County Public Schools! 

A warm heartfelt thank you must go out to all of the teachers and administrators that work so hard to make our schools as successful as they are today!

I love taking a stroll down the pier in Melbourne Beach Florida.  It is such a beautiful and relaxing place to just sit and watch the birds, the boats and people fishing.

My grandparents used to come up from the Fort Lauderdale area of Florida, where they lived and rent a small old historic house right down the street from the pier. 

I remember as a little girl, coming up to Melbourne Beach around the holidays to stay in this old historic home with wood floors and squeaky stairs.  It felt so warm and cozy. We would bundle up in our winter coats to go outside so we could run down to the end of the pier and just watch the sunsets.  I remember an older pier. To me at that time, the pier seemed to stretch for miles. Back then it seems that it was a quieter, simpler time. It was magical!

Many years and memories later, I still love to visit the Melbourne Beach Pier.  I still love to watch the lazy Indian River lagoon.  And, I am mesmerized by the beautiful birds!