Most of us will never have an opportunity like this in our lifetime. Imagine a time when property values are low; interest rates are low and the added benefit a tax credit plus Florida residents get the added benefit of tax portability.

Homeowners who have owned their primary house for at least five years will be able to sell those houses and receive a $6500 Tax Credit toward the purchase of another primary home. In addition in Florida we have Tax Portability, so the tax benefit you have from owning a house for a long time can be transferred to your new primary home.

Yes you can have your cake and eat it, too. But the window of opportunity is very short… you must be under contract for the purchase by April 30, 2010 and close by June 30.

Everything a homeowner would want is here now. Low property values; low interest rates; tax credits and tax portability. If you want to know how these new credits benefit you or how much your current property is worth   contact me at 305 510.0647 or carlosruiz803@comcast.net .

Palmetto Bay, FL has proposed a lower tax rate.  While Palmetto Bay is no different than other Miami-Dade cities (the village suffered a 9.7 percent drop in property values), it was able to leverage tight fiscal spending and an abatement in a yearly $1.7 million mitigation fee to Miami-Dade County into some savings for its residents.

Careful budgeting will also allow Palmetto Bay to build its Village Hall despite the economic bad times. It will also allow for four monumnet signs to be placed at the major entry points into the Village.  “Our government is not bloated,” said Palmetto Bay Mayor Eugene Flinn.

The final budget meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 23rd at 7pm.  If passed, the Village of Palmetto Bay’s millage rate will go from $2.4476 to $2.447 per $1,000 of assessed property value for the next budget year that begins Oct. 1.  Although down only slightly, this is a major accomplishment in our current economic situation.

Eckart Tolle…….

Did you know that sixty percent of homeowners are over paying on their property taxes.  And only one out of fifty people appeal their tax bill.  I found this information a little overwhelming.

This morning in our office meeting we had a guest speaker Mr. Seth Lubin.  He is an attorney and specializes in “Tax Reduction.” Mr. Lubin had some very important information to offer with regards to property tax.  There are a few myths about our property taxes that you might not be aware of.

To better educate your self and get a free report on the ” five biggest myths about property tax appeals“  go to www.LubinTaxLaw.com .  Mr. Lubin has an office in the Weston area and offers free consultation.

It doesn’t matter who you get your questions answered from, as long as they specialize in property taxes. You may also go to www.bcpa.net and Lori Parrish will answer any questions or concerns you have.

Google Voice for mobile allows you to make calls and send texts from your Google Voice number. You can dial your Google number then press 2 and call the number that you want to connect with and the receiver of the call will see you Google Voice number! Inexpensive  international calls are also an option…. Google has dome it all!

Click here to view the embedded video.

This indicates that sentiment in the recovery is growing, and this in turn effects other markets including Real Estate.

Ron Shuffield, President of EWM Realtors ( in his Q&A for the August 16, 2009  Sunday, Miami Herald)  responded to the question: “Is it true that sales are up and inventories are down?”   with a definitive:

“Yep!” “The numbers tell the story… Broward and Miami-Dade residential inventories continued to decline during July, according to data from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Inventories dropped from 74,966 total homes and condos for sale in July 2008 to 49,058 in July 2009 a 35% decrease in just 12 months. During the same time-frame, sales increased 47% from an average of 2,518 sales per month. The inventory supply across both counties decreased from 30 months last year to 13 months today. Decreasing prices have beeen the prime motivator for our spike in sales this past year.

If you’re SELLING, now is the time to make sure that your property is priced accurately. If you’re BUYING, your CHOICES will continue to decrease throughout the remainder of 2009.  Check out the Facts & Trends reports at www.ewm.com/trendx to see the numbers for your area and price range… or ask one of our associates to expand your search using our complete data file. Deals are happening.”

Looking for property in Miami, or Market Updates?    MiamiRealEstateCafe.com  BLOG…    Alexandra and Vicki Restivo at EWM Realtors   restivo.v@ewm.com 305 793-1365

1. Gingerly pat the phone dry with a lint free cloth.
2. Go to your kitchen pantry and take out a package of uncooked rice (instant rice or short grain rice, use whatever uncooked rice you have in your house).
3. Then put about a eighth of an inch of rice in the bottom of a medium container.
4. Place your phone into the rice.
5. Then cover it with rice until your phone is fully surrounded with rice.
6. Let the uncooked rice-phone combination sit overnight.
7. A fully functioning cell phone awaits you in the morning!

Note:  Please do not eat the rice.  Please do not cook the rice. Please do not eat the cell phone.

Now that you have learned how to be near a body of water with your cellular device, let me tell you about a wonderful condo on the ocean,

The  Residences on Hollywood Beach are conveniently located on A1A( South Ocean Drive), just a hop skip and a jump from 95.  This lovely ocean front condo has a sister condo across the street on the Intracoastal.  The views of the Atlantic Ocean are divinely superior when you are in this ocean front property.  Imagine, everyday being able to call your landlocked friends to inform them of what the swimming recommendations flag are to swim in the ocean.  The Residences’ many ammenties include:

• heated ocean front pool,
• ocean front grills,
• a Tiki Bar,
• direct ocean access,
• a lounge area in the sand in front of the ocean,
• several cabanas with ocean or city views,
• a waterfall jacuzzi,
• an  Intracoastal  pool,
• same sex steam rooms,
• a community sauna,
• two gyms that look out onto the pools,
• a community room,
• a postal alcove, a
• Mr. Foods Store,
• a dog park area and
• a delightful staff.

I encourage you to inquire about this building on Hollywood Beach.  It is close to the Diplomat Hotel and Resort and Spa, The Diplomat Residences,  the Ocean Palms, the New construction of the Trump Hollywood, the Tides and the Wave.  This condo is very close stores that range from Publix to the Aventura Mall. Deals abound in the building, but do not wait!   Oceanfront properties only last so long!