Where else would you look other than the wonderful city of Punta Gorda, Florida, 33955 in Charlotte County having the “world’s best tarpon fishing”?

This cleared lot has 100 feet of sparkling gulf water views, a boat dock, concrete seawall and  a 10,000 pound boat lift.

Come live in this  amazing boating community having 8 navigateble canals and enjoy friendly neighbors in Southwest, Florida.

Please call Susan Penn, EWM Realtor at (954)557-5993 or email: penn.s@ewm.com

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!

Isn’t that a sweet story? Well, it gets even better. The expectant young couple may be fictitious, but the National First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Program is 100 percent real.  So are the agents at EWM Realtors®, and they can help you figure out if you qualify for the Program. Who knows – perhaps that’s all you’ll need to put a happy ending on your very own home buying story. Click here for details about the Program and how you can take advantage of it.

8559 SW 115 Place, Miami, Florida 33173

JUST SOLD  $299,900 – Days on the Market 30

Beautiful 3 Bedroom 2.5 Bathroom 2-story townhouse located in the beautiful community of Kings Court.  Kings Court offers 1 and 2 story townhomes with a courtyard entrance, single car garage and a fenced back yard.  Amenities for the community include 2 pools (1 heated), tennis courts, basketball court, fitness center, clubhouse, racquetball and beautiful tropical gardens and mature trees throughout the entire complex.  It is a guard gated community located near all major freeways in Kendall.   Maintenance fees are currently $153.00 monthly.

SELLING PRICE $279,900 -  DAYS ON THE MARKET (13)

Beautiful 3 Bedroom 2.5 Bathroom 2-story townhouse.   This property was well maintained with nicely remodeled kitchen and baths.   Kings Court properties offer a courtyard entrance, single car garage and a fenced back yard garden area.  Amenities for the community include 2 pools (1 heated), tennis courts, basketball court, fitness center, clubhouse, racquetball and beautiful tropical gardens and mature trees throughout the entire complex.  It is a guard gated community located near all major freeways in Kendall.   Maintenance fees are currently $153.00 monthly.

For additional information concerning this sale or about the community, contact EWM Realtor Selling Agent Monica LoMonaco at lomonaco.m@ewm.com .   For a market analysis on your property in Kings Court, please contact Monica directly at 305-215-5564.   Buyers waiting to purchase in this lovely community!

· must be “placed in service” from January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2010. (The IRS defines “placed in service” as when the property is ready and available for use)· must be for taxpayer’s principal residence, EXCEPT for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, and small wind energy systems (where second homes and rentals qualify)

· $1,500 is the maximum total amount that can be claimed for all products placed in service in 2009 & 2010 for most home improvements, EXCEPT for geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, fuel cells, and small wind energy systems which are not subject to this cap, and are in effect through 2016

· must have a Manufacturer Certification Statement to qualify. (A Manufacturer’s Certification is a signed statement from the manufacturer certifying that the product or component qualifies for the tax credit. The IRS encourages manufacturers to provide these Certifications on their website to facilitate identification of qualified products. Taxpayers must keep a copy of the certification statement for their records, but do not have to submit a copy with their tax return.)

· improvements made in 2009 will be claimed on your 2009 taxes (filed by April 15, 2010) — use IRS Tax Form 5695 (2009 version) — it will be available late 2009 or early 2010

For more information go to http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_tax_credits#c2. Go to this website as there are additional tax credits available for buying certain hybrid cars, plug in hybrids and many other energy saving measures. The great thing about these tax credits is that these improvements will continue to save you money even beyond the tax credit. So if you are not a tree hugger or if you don’t believe in Global Warming, don’t sweat it…do it for the money. You can save $1500 or more in your taxes and save on energy costs thereafter — it is definitely a win-win-win situation.

]]> http://blog.ewm.com/2009/04/26/real-estate-going-green-can-save-you-green/feed/ 0 http://miamirealestatecafe.com/2009/04/24/earth-week-12-best-tips-to-green-your-home-for-less/ http://miamirealestatecafe.com/2009/04/24/earth-week-12-best-tips-to-green-your-home-for-less/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:30:48 +0000 Vicki Restivo http://miamirealestatecafe.com/2009/04/24/earth-week-12-best-tips-to-green-your-home-for-less/ Is your home eco-friendly and energy efficient, or are those hard-earned dollars of yours  going down the drain?

In honor of Earth Day and Earth Week,  here are a handful of ways to  “Green Your Home For Less”:

Here are the 12  Top Eco-friendly Homeowner Tips to Green Your Home and Save Money:

# Top Ranked Eco-friendly Savings Solutions

1.     Window/Door           Impact glass/double-panes

2.     Water Usage             Low flow toilet/showerhead

3.    Water Efficient           Tankless water heater

4.   Appliances                    Energy Star Rated:Washer/Dryer/Dishwasher /Oven/Refrigerator

5.   Insulation                     Sprayed/Rolled/Radiant Barrier (attic,exterior walls)

6.   Pool                                Operate Pool pump  4-6 hrs

7.  Electricity                      Energy efficient bulbs

8.  Heating/Cooling          High Efficiency A.C. Unit/frequent filter changes

9. Electric Usage                Reduce high energy culprits: Oven& Iron

10.Renovations                  Incorporate recycled materials

11: Shade                              Plant trees and  Install Awnings

12: Back to Basics              Air dry dishes & clothes

The author’s personal favorites, both green certified  and energy star rated Miami properties, are The Venetian Coral Gables Townhomes and Smather’s Four Fillies Farm in Pinecrest.

This is truly a fantastic buy !!

Pool/Patio Area

Exterior Front

"EWM Smart Living Residence" Featured Property on the Cover of EWM Mailer: March,2009

Yours for the taking!  This featured home on the March 2009  EWM MAILER COVER PAGE,   9365 SW 170  Lane  in Palmetto Bay,  is back up for grabs!  (Buyer was unable to close).   EWM’s  ”SMART LIVING CHOICE” , this 4 bedroom,  2 bath home, with sparkling pool , and private fenced yard ,  2 car garage, and an indoor laundry room…is available for $261,000.00

Quoting  the EWM Mailer,  ”You’ll be amazed at the new listings to choose from in neighborhoods that you never dreamed would fit your budget!  Residences UNDER $300,000 @ EWM Smart Living :  Find over 45,000 Miami-Dade & Broward single family homes and condos priced under $300,000.”

9365 SW 170 Lane is located  a couple of blocks east of US1 (S.Dixie Hwy) in the Perrine Area of Palmetto Bay, on a cul-de-sac …   Near shopping & dining,  offering  easy access to major transportation.  Easy to show.  For more information or to preview, call  either Vicki Restivo 305 1793,  or Alexandra Restivo 305 632-0164

Sparkling Pool with waterslide

Magnificent, yes?

Okay … back to earth. Right in the middle of us drooling big-time over the Gables Estates home, our boss, Ron Shuffield, called us in to talk about what photo to use for an EWM Smart Living feature he wanted us to prepare. Ron’s the smartest man we know so it’s totally logical that he came up with the EWM Smart Living concept in the first place. He says if you know where to look, there are amazing values in today’s housing market. The goal of EWM Smart Living is to help our customers find and take advantage of them. What he had our IT Department do is gather up listings of homes in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties under $300,000 and pop them all in one group on our website. How convenient is that!

Sounded good to us — plus we had the perfect home to feature in our project. Look … this is a terrific 4 bedroom, 2 bath with a pool in Palmetto Bay. And it’s listed for less than $300,000!

Click here to view the embedded video.

The rest is pretty funny. Picture this:  we’re at the meeting and we show Ron this same home you’re looking at now. His eyes get big and he says, “Under $300,000? Not possible!” We say, “Yes, possible!” and show him the page on our site that has all the info about the house. He was super impressed. That was such a sweet moment. We love to be right!!

We gave this EWM Smart Living house 4 DOORKNOBS and if we let Ron vote it would have gotten 5!!

Check back often for more EWM Smart Living specials!