July 30, 2010

Hernando County Watering Restrictions

Filed under: Hernando County Local News — Tags: — Penney @ 9:38 am

The once a week watering restrictions have been released by Hernando County, although Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWIFTMUD) has enacted a twice-per-week watering restriction.  Each county within the district is able to enact their own restrictions which may be more restrictive but not less restrictive.

According to Jean Rags, Health and Human Services Director, “We want to make sure that our residents fully understand that we are staying with the one-day-per-week rule which has been in effect for the past three-and-a-half years.”

For more information on Hernando County’s watering restrictions for your household, feel free to call 352-754-4037 or visit the Hernando Today’s website.

July 28, 2010

Citizens Property Insurance gearing up to Raise Rates

Filed under: National Real Estate — Tags: — Penney @ 10:35 am

Citizens Property Insurance, the largest property insurer in the state of Florida, is seeking to raise their rates by 8.4% on average.  The proposal has been approved by the board but still needs approval from the Office of Insurance Regulation.

Under the proposal, certain policyholders could see a decrease.  In the Miami Beach area an average decrease of 3.8% is proposed as well as a 10% decrease for the coastal areas of Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

Citizen’s rates were frozen by the state legislature from 2007 to 2009; however regulators allowed rates to rise.

July 27, 2010

Easter Seals Elects Century 21 Real Estate LLC CEO Rick Davidson to the Non-Profit Organization’s Board of Directors

Filed under: Florida Real Estate — Kim McNeal @ 4:54 pm

(Chicago, July 27, 2010) — Easter Seals announces the election of Richard W. “Rick” Davidson, chief executive officer, Century 21 Real Estate LLC, to its international board of directors.

CENTURY 21®’s relationship with Easter Seals began in 1979, and since that time, its thousands of franchise brokers and their agents have raised more than $100 million to provide services and support to children and adults with disabilities through Easter Seals.

“The leadership team at CENTURY 21® has a long-standing history of passionately supporting Easter Seals mission, Mr. Davidson is no exception,” says James E. Williams, Jr., president and chief executive officer, Easter Seals. “Easter Seals is delighted to have Rick join our board of directors and we look forward to working with him to further grow our 30 year partnership with the CENTURY 21 System.”

Davidson was appointed President and CEO of Century 21 Real Estate LLC in February of this year. With more than 20 years experience in the real estate industry, Davidson is a licensed real estate broker in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He has received several national awards for real estate excellence, and is a member of the Urban Land Institute and holds the Building Owners and Managers Association – Real Property Administrator (RPA) designation.

“I am honored to be elected to the board of such an outstanding organization,” said Davidson. “I look forward to leading our company’s philanthropic efforts by reinforcing CENTURY 21’s commitment to helping Easter Seals serve the people of the communities where we live, work and play.”

Contacts:
Kristen Barnfield, Easter Seals
P: 312.551.7147
www.easterseals.com/media

New Home Sales on the Rise

Filed under: National Real Estate — Tags: — Penney @ 6:01 am

New home sales across the country rose last month in a monthly comparison according to the Commerce Department.  The housing market was active during the beginning of this year due to the Homebuyer Tax Credit and the low interest rates.

Both the Homebuyer Tax Credit and the FED program that pumped $1.25 billion into mortgage backed securities in an effort to keep mortgage rates at or around 5% expired during the spring, causing a lag in the real estate market.

The high unemployment rate as well as the troubled economy is continuing to add to the lack of potential homebuyers.  However, with the European Debt crisis, many investors shifted their funds into safer US treasury bonds and as mortgage rates are closely tied into long-term bonds, the rates have dropped to the lowest percentage in 50 years.

July 26, 2010

CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty Facebook Feature Creature!

Filed under: Florida Real Estate, General — Kim McNeal @ 2:07 pm

Become a Fan of CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty on Facebook and vote for your favorite Feature Creature for July!  For our current Fans,  let’s vote!!

 Below are the contestants!!

Feature Creature Set 1Feature Creature Set 2Feature Creature 3 Feature Creature 4

Mortgage Rates hit a new Record Low

Filed under: National Real Estate — Tags: — Penney @ 9:21 am

Mortgage rates on a 30-year fixed rate loan dropped to a new record low this week, according to mortgage giant, Freddie Mac.  Coming in at 4.56%, down from 4.57% last week, the rates have not been this low since the 1950’s.

Freddie Mac collects rates weekly Monday through Wednesday from lenders across the country and as rates are closely tied in with long-term treasury bonds, they are known to fluctuate significantly even on a given day.

Rates began to fall when the FED pumped 1.25 billion into mortgage backed securities, when the program expired in the spring; rates were expected to begin to rise again.  However, the European Debt Crisis forced investors to move their money into safer Treasury Bonds, which in turn has kept the yields down.

July 22, 2010

New Florida Law puts responsiblity of Association Fees on Renters

Filed under: Florida Real Estate — Penney @ 11:10 am

Homeowner Association Fees (HOA) are typically paid for by property owners, however after a new law in Florida passed this month the association boards are now able to seek payment from the renters  if the property owners do not pay their fees.

Fees are normally collected on a monthly or quarterly basis to cover costs such as maintenance within the common areas, street lights and security systems. This in turn, keeps the property values up within a given community.

The new law puts the responsibility of insuring that your landlord is up to date with the monthly mortgage payments on the renter as many homeowners that are unable to pay their mortgages are certainly unable to pay their association fees.  Under the new law, the association fees and the rent are separated, for example, a tenant that has agreed to pay $700 in rent, including a $100 association fee, would pay $600 to the landlord and $100 directly to the association.

 The law ensures that the association receives their monies if the homeowner is unable to pay the fees, however, if the tenant does not pay the fees to the association, the association can foreclose on the property.

July Birthdays!

Filed under: Florida Real Estate — Kim McNeal @ 10:42 am

CENTURY 21 Alliance Realty would like to wish a Happy Birthday to all of our wonderful Associates celebrating their birthdays in July~ Debra Myers, Shampi Bedi, Glenn Jansen, Denis Jessen, Linda Mezzacapo, & Isaac Baylon
                                   HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

July 18, 2010

Lenders With Too Much Inventory

Filed under: Florida Real Estate — Tags: — Kim McNeal @ 8:24 pm

Many lenders are using Deeds In-Lieu in hopes that the number of homes they have in inventory will lessen.  There are federal programs that offer cash incentives to borrowers who are underwater.  The borrowers have to give the property to the lender but they might have an opportunity to walk away with at least some cash.  In some cases up o $15,000!  Deeds in-lieu also don’t damage credit ratings as dramatically as a foreclosure.  Some lenders feel that they can sell the property much quicker than if they went through a short sale procedure.   Deeds In-Lieu- good or bad?  What do you think?

July 16, 2010

Florida reclaims top spot; among top three for third consecutive year

Filed under: Citrus County, General, Hernando County — Tags: , , — Kim McNeal @ 10:19 am

July 15, 2010

Contact:

GOVERNOR’S PRESS OFFICE
(850) 488-5394

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist, continuing his commitment to strengthening Florida’s workforce and economy, today announced that Florida has been ranked number one in the nation for its workforce by CNBC. The ranking came in CNBC’s fourth annual America’s Top States for Business rankings — a study of all 50 states that examines 10 different categories, including workforce, to measure each state’s ability to attract businesses. Florida moved up from the number three spot in 2009, reclaiming the number-one ranking the state held in 2008.

“The Sunshine State is home to the best talent in the world,” said Governor Crist. “We are committed to creating a highly skilled, innovative workforce across all industry sectors, and we take great pride in the role our workforce plays in driving Florida’s businesses into the 21st century.”

The workforce rankings in CNBC’s annual study are based on several indicators, including the education level of the workforce, the number of available workers, union membership and the relative success of each state’s worker training programs in placing participants in jobs. Workforce Florida Inc., the state’s business-led workforce policy and oversight board largely appointed by Governor Crist, is charged with strengthening Florida’s business climate and helping Floridians enter and advance in the workforce.

“We are committed to providing Floridians and businesses with the tools they need to ensure Florida’s competitiveness in the global marketplace,” said Workforce Florida Chair Belinda Keiser. “To receive the number-one ranking for the second time is a testament to the tenacity of our workforce, and to the excellence of Florida’s programs and collaborative partnerships that ensure we are able to create and sustain highly skilled talent.”

Most employment and training services in Florida are provided at the local level through the state’s 24 regional workforce boards, the backbone of the state workforce system. Key leadership is also provided by the Agency for Workforce Innovation, which is charged with administering workforce services in Florida.

In 2009, Florida’s workforce system provided services including job search, referrals and placement assistance as well as training to more than 1.7 million people.

The workforce ranking is one of the most heavily weighted categories in determining each state’s total score in the CNBC study, along with the cost of doing business and quality of life. This year, Florida placed number 28 in the study’s overall ranking for top business states for the second consecutive year.

Since its 2000 inception, Workforce Florida has developed and directed numerous successful initiatives aimed at addressing the state’s workforce needs. Among them are Quick Response Training (QRT) and Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) grants, which reimburse businesses for a portion of the cost of training employees. Recently, Workforce Florida developed a new, five-year state strategic plan, with statewide input from Florida businesses and the education sector. The plan confronts the challenges of getting Floridians back to work while focusing on the most promising opportunities to diversify our state’s economy by strengthening talent development at every level of Florida’s Talent Supply Chain.

Through the recently launched Microsoft® Elevate America initiative, an innovative public-private partnership, free technology training is available to Floridians for a limited time. Another recent workforce-system initiative, responding to a real-time need confronting the state, is the creation of the Florida Gulf Recovery Jobs web portal at  http://gulfrecoveryjobs.employflorida.com/portals/gulfrecoveryjobs/ The portal is dedicated to helping Floridians access information about jobs stemming from recovery and cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

To view the CNBC workforce rankings, go to http://www.cnbc.com/id/37516706 To find out about the comprehensive workforce services and resources available in Florida, visit https://www.employflorida.com/.

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