So you've gotten a new lead on a listing: Someone who knows someone who knows you, finds you, and wants you to list their home. It's a small one, but it's in a popular neighborhood and a small paycheck is better than no paycheck, right? Then you find out the seller is upside down and does not hav
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04/25/2009
When you invest in real estate, you do so to make money – and making money means paying taxes. Fortunately, there exist a variety of legal structures that allow one to avoid or reduce taxation on investments – and investments can include real estate. Today our office hosted a training by Scott Ma
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02/10/2009
Time was, not so long ago, that you couldn't get a house in Sarasota for under $100,000 -- or anywhere near that. At least, not a house in any kind of decent condition. That has all changed, now that prices have tumbled to pre-2004 levels in many areas. Not just in Sarasota, either, according to
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02/09/2009
Preston here. I have launched myself upon marketing my talents as a waterfront property specialist here in Manatee and Sarasota counties. As a sailor and water-lover for all of my life, it makes sense that I focus more time on the kinds of properties that I have a real affinity for, and that mean
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02/03/2009
I have a waterfront listing in downtown Sarasota that was owned by the same family continuously from about 1946 until recently. I attended the estate sale held there today, and an old scrapbook of the owner’s was for sale. A couple of pictures caught my eye, and I asked to have them. The Ruth Lu
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01/30/2009
Just before the holidays, I attended a seminar given by David Levin, prominent local attorney specializing in waterfront property transactions. Entitled “Red Flags on the Waterfront,” it outlined some of the things Realtors should watch out for as they assist their clients in buying and selling.
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01/29/2009
Effective January 1, 2009, condominium unit owners are required by state law to carry insurance, and condo associations have the right to purchase it bill the unit owners. This has hundreds of calls flooding in to state representatives’ offices from angry condo owners. Insurance can cost from $1,
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01/28/2009
Not all waterfront is in the million-dollar category! For sure , some is. But I have a listing, for example, within a mile of downtown Sarasota, and one bridge to the bay, for $215,000! Add a dock and you’ve got a place for a good-sized outboard boat to live in your backyard. I have a listing in
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01/27/2009
Imagine that you own a beachfront property on Florida's Gulf of Mexico. Your seaward property line is defined as the Erosion Control Line ... which means your land has contact with the Gulf. Along comes the government with a beach renourishment project which adds tons of sand, effectively pushing
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01/26/2009
"I've been rich, and I've been poor; Believe me, honey, rich is better." -- Sophie Tucker, American singer, 1884-1966 I've been rich and I've been poor, but whether money is abundant, I've always been a do-it-yourself person. I've paid others to do what I was capable of doing lots of times, beca
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01/23/2009