Florida’s Coasts are safe from Oil Drilling

That is big and important news for Florida. The Sunshine State Florida is one of the biggest vacation destinations in the United States and the most valuable treasures in Florida are the clean beaches. The government has decided to ban the off shore drilling at the Florida coasts until at least 2022.

During the oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico many states in that region had big problems with the oil that harmed the animals and birds as well as the underwater and beach vegetation.

Florida was lucky at that time. We only had limited exposure to the oil spill in the northwest region of the state. However, we felt with the other states who had fight the consequences.

Affordable indoor updates that pay off at the sale

When you are thinking of selling your home because you need a bigger home or have to relocate due to your job, a little bit elbow grease can pay off at closing.

When you would like to get a good price for your home your first goal should be how to impress your future buyer without break the bank. There are easy things to do to achieve your goal and they do not cost only little money when you do it yourself.

You can start decluttering your home. You have to do it anyway when you move out therefore start this task as soon as you have made the decision to sell. That helps the potential buyer to feel at home right from the start.

Do some cosmetic updates in the kitchen and in the bathroom. That will also make a great impression. Fix dripping faucets or replace kitchen cabinet’s door knobs with new ones or the mirror in the bathroom.

Also a little bit painting with neutral colors in the kitchen or bathroom is an inexpensive option to boost your home value.

Last but not least do not forget to keep your yard nicely maintained, mow your lawn and cut the shrubbery and the potential home owners will stand in line to see your home and make you move.

For more updating tips send us an email at andrea@florida-informations.com

Outdoor Kitchen - Trendy in Florida

In many countries only indoor kitchens are known. In Florida this is different. In the State of Florida we have nice warm weather all year long and in the evenings we enjoy the smooth evening breeze in the backyard in the outdoor kitchen.

Such a kitchen is like the little sister of the indoor kitchen and it extends your house into the backyard. The kitchen has cooking and heating tops, a sink, a smaller fridge and preparing space like its big sister indoors.

The only difference is the main function of the outdoor kitchen: it is the socialized preparing of a meal for family and friends. Everybody in the yard can be included in this cooking experience. While the indoor kitchen is used as a storage area.

The only thing that is often missing in an outdoor kitchen is a pizza oven. However, despite that the outdoor kitchen trend is growing and it is a great feature for the sale of a home.

You want more information? Please contact us at
andrea@florida-informations.com   

55+ Real Estate Market is strong and healthy

In the United States real estate market there is a specific market segment that addresses the needs of elder persons and this market is strong and growing during the last years. This trend is expected to keep an upward trend for the future.

The demographic development shows that the population is getting steadily older and the people live longer. The children have left the homey nest and have children of their own. The group I am talking about are active people who are turning 55 and are now eligible to live in the age restricted communities. Such a market segment is not in every foreign country known and you cannot compare these complex with nursing homes. The owner of such a unit is living an active life and often belong to the active workforce in the region.

The existing units in these complexes change often quickly from one owner’s hand to the next. Therefore this market segment becomes more and more interesting for new construction developments and the developers are exploring their opportunities in this market.

The available properties in these communities – that can be a condominium or a small single family home – are in comparison to other properties very affordable. The maintenance fees in these communities are moderate. The community complexes are mostly central located and have shuttle bus services to all important place in the municipality. In the 55+ community itself there are many amenities available that make the active life of its residents very pleasant. These communities have often entertainment centers with dancing events or music performance, tennis, golf and several pool areas indoor and outdoor and much more for everyone. 

When you are interested in such a unit you can contact us at
andrea@florida-informations.com  

The housing market in Florida is back

Finally the recovery of the real estate market has reached the normal balanced market trend. A balanced real estate market in Florida is an inventory of 5 to 6 months. That means the new listing number is higher than the sale number and the available properties in the market would be sold in the next few months.

The available market data also show that after the rapid home price increase in 2013 this trend goes back to a normal level of 4 to 5 % annually. Based on the moderate price increase the home buying and flipping of house is no longer attractive for some investors in the market and their engagement is declining. The foreclosure rate is also on a low level and the shadow inventory that comes with this kind of real estate action is falling.

The new construction is showing an upward trend especially in south east Florida where most of the international buyers are making their real estate investments. The international buyers have a strong market position in the sales numbers.  

There are still good deals in this real estate market. However, you have to make your move now when you are interested in a good purchase deal.

For more you can contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Make sure to choose a licensed real estate professional

One of the biggest industry in Florida is the housing market and it offers many individuals a job opportunity. To work in this field you have to be licensed by the State of Florida.

To get a real estate license in Florida you have to study the business objectives and must take the state exam for this industry field. This license exam is not an easy task. That show the following numbers: 50 % of the people who try to achieve their license failed the first time. Even at the second time still 66 % of the examinees failed again.

However, there were still 24,000 examinees successful in the last year and got their license for their profession in the real estate.

That is a huge number. When you are looking for a real estate agent, please keep in mind that you have to look for the matching agent for your needs. Not all agents are the same. To find the best fitting agent you need to know what are your real estate goals and your financial investment amount. A knowledgeable and experienced agent will be happy to assist you with all your needs.

To get started and find this fitting agent this book is the first step to your success (English and German available): 
 http://www.amazon.com/Your-Residence-Paradise-Property-Purchase/dp/0986252913/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427503424&sr=8-1&keywords=your+residence+in+paradise

The Florida economy is rosy

After a hard time during the recession where many jobs were lost, company went bankrupted and closed and the housing market staggered, are over. As stimulus measure the Sunshine State focused on it primary values – the sunshine, their housing industry and workforce - and started economic actions that are now show great success.

The counties Miami/Dade and Fort Lauderdale started expansion and updated their ports and airports to become the main hub and connection point for the worldwide and South American trade and transportation lines. Fort Lauderdale for example expanded their port capacity not only for freight but also for the cruise industry.

The Fort Lauderdale Airport Management has nearly finished its major renovation project and in fall 2014 the new extended runway was opened for the air traffic. These projects created thousands of jobs and brought the unemployment rate back to a normal level. The hospitality and housing market is back too and offers countless job opportunities to the citizens.

It is expected that this trend will last or even get better because the Panama Canal is also under expansion construction and will give a further boost to the ports and the economy in South Florida.

For further details you can reach us at info@florida-informations.com .  

Foreclosures are back to normal

Since the burst of the real estate bubble with all its impacts on the housing market, Florida is back on its normal pace. However, Florida is still at the top of all states with its foreclosure numbers. The numbers are on the lowest level since 2006 and only 2.3 % of homes that have a mortgage are in default. This is great news after the horrific years.

However, there are still 4 Florida cities at the top list of foreclosure numbers. One is close to home: Miami and the other three are in the middle region: Tampa, Orlando and Melbourne-Titusville.

Florida is still on the top when it comes to the time period of the foreclosure proceedings. It takes the banks nearly 2 ½ year to take passion of a financed property. That is bad for the banks but good for home owner because they normally stay in their home.

For more information about your opportunities you can reach us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Florida’s Economy is growing

During the recession Florida was one of the hardest hit state in the United States. The state has one of the highest unemployment rates, the housing sector was a disaster, manufacturing had decrease and the tourists and visitor numbers also went down. Based on the market down turn the retirees could not afford to come down to Florida and enjoy their retirement as they had planned before the recession. This had a negative impact especially for the southwest region of Florida which is preferred for the retirement.

This hard economic time is over and each day more than 700 people move to the Sunshine State. This number adds up to more than a quarter million a year and that gives the housing market a big boost in that area. The low rate mortgage opportunity help the new retired home owners to buy a home here in the sun.
 

This new home requests helped the housing market to improve. This economic improvement also triggered new developments in the Sarasota area and the existing home value moved into a positive direction. The economic movement assisted the job market to recover and made unemployment rate to decline. However, after the more dramatic improvement of the overall economic data, this trend will go to a slower pace in the near future.

For more information contact info@florida-informations.com


 

What gives you the best return of investment when remodeling your home?

As a home owner you are always interested to keep your home in great shape and be proud of your biggest life investment. Every time when you think about remodeling your home you should keep in mind what adds the most value to your property in case you have to sell it in the near future.

I am not talking about the necessary repairs when your window glass was broken from your playing kids or when your roof is leaking because the last storm damaged it. I am talking about the remodeling and update of your home so that the market value will increase when you decide to sell it.

In such a case you need to know what are the trends on the real estate market. What is the most interesting detail for a potential buyer in your neighborhood? What will make your home attractive to potential buyers?

Studies show that even small updates or change on the exterior will push your home value and will give you a better return of this particular investment. When the outside of your home is attractive to potential buyer than the interior will often be less important.

Start with your yard and keep it clean and nice and make the outside of your home look well maintained. In case you have outside siding that looks a little bit run down, replace it with manufactured stone veneer. This update is affordable, looks nice and clean and will pay off at the closing table.

This is only one example for an affordable home update. However, there are trendier update that will give you a good monetary return.

For more information please contact us at andrea@florida-informations.com

Living in the United States with a Green Card

Many are dreaming to come to the United States to live and to work here for various reasons. The working conditions are better than in other countries especially for women who are not appreciated as professionals and entrepreneur in their home countries.

To make this dream a reality you have to know the available visa options that allows you to stay legally in United States for a longer period of time than the 90 days that are covered under the Waiver Visa Program.

In case that you have already an employment offer from a United States Company – and there are many companies hiring well educated individuals – your way is easier to a Green Card than without a job offer. Your employer will help you with this visa process.

In case that you are an entrepreneur you have the choice among several visa categories that provides you with the opportunity to do business in the United States and awards you the Green Card in the long run. You have to invest a substantial amount of money into your business in the United States and your company has to employ several American Citizens.

The easiest and quickest way to get the Green Card is the EB-5 Visa. This visa grants you nearly immediately the Green Card. However, the hardest part is the monetary requirement. Your investment must be at least $500,000.00 and produce at least 10 new full-time jobs. When you are not comfortable to invest in your own business, there are also government project available in which you can invest and that qualify for your Green Card.

For more information on the topic please contact us at

info@florida-informations.com.