Latest Articles by edkirkland http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us New Urbanism on the Emerald Coast http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/new-urbanism-on-the-emerald-coast.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/new-urbanism-on-the-emerald-coast.html Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:55:54 -0500
New Urbanism combines a wide variety of inter-related elements into one intriguing concept of modern living. Designers try to make the town as walkable as possible, taking the focus away from car access and making the focus on pedestrian access to spaces, particularly the neighbourhood center. This means that street layout is very important so that the residents can walk to local shops and eco-friendly public transportation. The buildings in a New Urbanism community are a high density mix of residential and business, for a variety of different income levels all with quality design and construction.

Florida's Emerald Coast is the cradle of New Urbanism in the United States. Communities built here include Seaside, Rosemary Beach, and Alys Beach. Seaside has a retro Florida hometown feel, with its building style based on a bygone age of craftsman construction and design. Alys Beach is a luxury resort town with stunning beach views built in styles borrowed from Bermudan, Californian, and Antiguan designs. And Rosemary Beach is a stunning community with buildings built in a style reminiscent of the West Indies and New Orleans.

Due to the fabulous location these communities have, it is easy for the planners to incorporate many outdoor elements to the town designs that would see frequent use by residents. As each community is also situated on a pristine white sand beach, they are ideal destinations for vacationers as well. However, each community has its own personality, just come and visit them to see for yourself.

It is no accident that the Emerald Coast is home to these three beautiful designed communities. The area boasts gorgeous white sand beaches and emerald green waters, making the entire area a fabulous destination for visiting or a new home purchase whether you're looking for a residence in a New Urbanism community or any of the surrounding towns.

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Edkirkland.com is the place to satisfy all your Destin real estate needs. Our free, easy-to-use website features powerful home search technology, information on market trends, and a guide to finding the best deals in the Destin condo market.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Five Ways to Not Get Buyers Interested in Your House http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/five-ways-to-not-get-buyers-interested-in-your-house.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/five-ways-to-not-get-buyers-interested-in-your-house.html Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:55:23 -0500
1. Firstly, don't clean your house. Preferably, don't clean anything for months before taking the pictures. Your pictures should highlight just what kind of dire need your house has for a good thorough washing. Make sure to include as many cobwebs in your pictures as possible. If you can't get your house good and dirty, try taking the pictures in poor light so that people can't really see the rooms clearly.

2. Next, leave all kinds of belongings out in the open, scattered around is best though stacks of things like old newspapers works well here as well. If you can, pile so much stuff in each room that you're taking a picture of that you can't really discern what the room is supposed to be used for. Showcase just how many pieces of furniture that you can get in each room. Don't restrict yourself to items that belong in that room either, the more random the better. Don't give anyone a hint as to what the room is actually used for by the contents.

3. Take only pictures that highlight areas that require repair, poorly designed elements, or if you don't have any of those, shots that show expanses of blank walls. Don't allow any of the interesting elements of your home to show at all. Only show the least intesting angles of your yard as well or that pile of garden debris or junk that you cleaned out of the garage you're going to take to the dump.

4. Whenever possible take your photos from odd angles or even with a fisheye lens. Photos taken from close to the ceiling will make all your rooms look like only a hobbit could live in them while shots taken from near the floor will make all your furniture seem to loom over you. Distortion is the name of the game here, don't be afraid to take shots down staircases to show just how treacherous they might really be, even if they aren't.

5. Make sure that when you have all your pictures, you write up your listing with misspelled words, using poor punctuation, and either no capitals or ALL capitals. Nothing says "I'm not a professional" like a lack of proof reading.

All joking aside, when you decide to put up your home for sale, you will want to make sure that the pictures show a clean home that is free from clutter. A buyer is likely to think that if a seller can't be bothered to clean and tidy their house for something as important as putting it on the market it is likely to have not been maintained well either. The text that accompanies your pictures should be clear and concise and proof-read for mistakes. For even better results, consult a professional real estate agent in your area for expert advice and tips on selling your home.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Rosemary Beach real estate area.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> The Dark Side to Condo Investing http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/the-dark-side-to-condo-investing.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/the-dark-side-to-condo-investing.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:56:37 -0500
To understand a little more about how condominium ownership works, relate it to owning one piece of a pie. Everyone who owns a piece, shares ownership of the single pie plate and responsibility for its maintenance and upkeep. The cost of maintenance is divided among all the pie owners based on the day to day costs and reserve costs, or money set aside for future repairs.

If some of the owners are unable to make their payments and their units go into default and eventually, foreclosure, attempts are made to re-sell the unit. However, when new building assessments are completed and a large percentage of units are still sitting vacant, then it's up to the other owners to pick up the slack for maintaining the building. The result is an increase in condo fees. In some areas of South Florida, these fees are almost $1 a square foot and rising. This expense, along with a mortgage, is enough to scare away many buyers.

Unlike a mortgage where you can lock into a payment for 5 years, condo fees can go up every year depending on the vacancy rate and general state of disrepair in the building. The established condos with long-term residents are doing much better than many of the newer buildings still containing a number of developer-owned units.

A condominium such as The Mark on Brickell, had units listed for $600,000 a few years ago; those same units can be purchased for about $200,000. Sounds like a great deal? About 30 percent of the units in the condominium are in default which has resulted in condo fees of about $1,000 or higher. It doesn't take a large amount of vacancies to make a difference, in a smaller building in North Miami, just two foreclosures resulted in a maintenance fee of $1,500.

In addition, some banks are wary of financing mortgages for units in buildings that have a high percentages of foreclosures. Even if a buyer decides to take the plunge, financing may be a problem.

Condo vacancy rates may lead to higher maintenance fees, but this is usually the final result after months of budget strain due to overdue or delinquent payments. During this time, owners may experience a poorly kept building while the complex puts off small projects to save money in the interim. Often the reserve funds are depleted in an effort to make up the difference, but these accounts are left with dangerously low balances in the event of major repairs.

Janet O. Aronson of the Braintree law firm Marcus, Errico, Emmer & Brooks, which represents 2,700 condo associations in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, reports the firm has seen a 150 percent increase in fee arrears in the last two years. This coincides with the time frame that subprime mortgages were so popular. In 1992 a "super lien" law was adopted in favor of condo associations in the event of a foreclosure. This enabled them to collect up to six months worth of delinquent payments, and giving them "front of the line" priority over lenders. As soon as the condo sells, any outstanding fees are paid out to the condo association.

The effect of one person's debt weighs heavily on all the building's owners. It is essential that condo associations are meticulous about debt collection by containing the problem before it spills over and impacts all the occupants.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Rosemary Beach real estate area.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Co-Ownership in Florida http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/co-ownership-in-florida.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/co-ownership-in-florida.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:22:15 -0500
Sharing a home, whether it is part ownership or rental, seems to be an option that many of us choose to avoid. Gas and food prices keep rising and we just economize a little more to squeak by each month. Yet, if it is agreeable, sharing can give you so many luxuries in life, through acquiring monthly income or spare cash from the part-sale of your home.

It is not a new thing to share and sell part of your home. Colonial mansions in the older areas of the USA have long been divided and sold. It is also a very popular feature of British real estate, and the most common way for first time buyers to get their foot on the property ladder.

Offering co-ownership in the home is often called an "equity sharing partnership". This is outlined in great detail on a site called AlperLaw.com where it is explained that the system started as a way for parents to use their child's home to beat the tax system.

A parent can take the title of their child's residence, rent the house 'back' to them and claim the tax benefits associated with owning a rental property. The child contributes as much as he can afford, the balance is picked up by the parent and the two of them share any gain from the sale. This system has since become expanded to include investors who wish to find tax loss opportunities.

These two scenarios jump from one extreme to the other, i.e., sharing with your family or sharing with a complete stranger who is never there! A third alternative which can be agreeable is sharing with someone who actually lives in the same house as you, but in their own part of it that they have purchased from you.

This way, you can sell part of your home using a tenants-in-common contract; this is the only choice you can use because joint tenancy has to be contracted at the time of the purchase of the property. Most married partners use the joint tenancy contract and automatically inherit the other half of the home if the partner dies. You will need a realtor and a lawyer to help you with this; it is still a pioneer process and you will need advice on your choices of what you can do with the house on your death. (So far this system has become popular in California and Washington D.C. and it is still fairly new in Florida.)

One thing that is clear under the law is that it does not matter which 'half' or fraction of it you own (buy or sell); the whole house is jointly owned by both of the tenants.

Obviously there may be some initial outlay, such as a second bathroom, kitchen and entrance way. On the other hand, it does give you a house sitter for when you go away on all those vacations that you will now be able to afford!

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Okaloosa real estate area.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> U.S. Real Estate Welcomes Chinese Home Buyers http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/u.s.-real-estate-welcomes-chinese-home-buyers.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/u.s.-real-estate-welcomes-chinese-home-buyers.html Tue, 31 Mar 2009 10:32:04 -0500
In fact, according to the Oriental Horizon program, 7.5 percent of U.S. residential property that was sold to foreign markets was purchased by customers in China, Taiwan or Hong Kong. We know they can afford it – as of 2008, the Boston consulting Group reported China was home to almost 300,000 millionaires – a 20% increase from 2007, and the world's fifth largest number.

Reminiscent of outlet mall bus tours, SouFun Holdings is organizing house hunting tours for Chinese investors scoping out U.S. bargain basement prices for real estate. The company has organized ten tours this year and has over 500 people interested in such an adventure. The well organized tours make the whole real estate experience much more manageable as potential investors don't have the typical language barriers to overcome. Also standing by are broker agents, representatives from law firms and insurance companies.

Yin Guohua, a partner in a Chinese law firm raved about the attractive real estate prices and the many opportunities available. Some shoppers are looking for accommodations for their children attending school in the states. It's not certain how many people on the tours actually walk away with a new property, but the interest is definitely growing. According to Yin, "Chinese people like to keep private about whether they've brought property and how much they've paid for it." Some clients, however, have mentioned that it is still not time to buy and that they expect prices to be dropping even further.

Luo Jie, organizer from China Swan International Tours, displayed a brochure written in Mandarin outlining listings of foreclosed properties in major cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Boston and New York. He has a group venturing out on a tour in the next few weeks. Some customers are anxious to buy, others are just window shopping and surveying their options.

Luo also mentioned the challenges that Chinese investors run up against when making out of country purchases. The yuan, is not easily converted in most markets and can be exchanged only under certain circumstances such as trade and tourism.

Howard Rosen, a senior manager at Grubb & Ellis in New York, believes it's not easy to purchase U.S. properties without already having assets here. Those with investments in Hong Kong may qualify, but many whose assets are restricted to China may have a harder time.

Real estate in some of the major U.S. cities is beginning to look extremely attractive against comparable properties in Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou. Dollar for dollar, you get more square footage for a lessor price. Even a $400,000 or $500,000 property is superior to what can be found in the Chinese mainland.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Kelly Plantation real estate area.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> How to Avoid Foreclosure Scams http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/how-to-avoid-foreclosure-scams.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/how-to-avoid-foreclosure-scams.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:58:45 -0500
First of all, where can a person find a company that is actually legitimate and accredited? Visit Hud.gov for starters, and click on the link that takes you to their list of Foreclosure Avoidance Counselors. You can search for agencies by state, and then narrow down your search by city or zip code. All the companies listed on HUD's website have been approved by the Department for Housing and Urban Development, and offer services that are free of charge. As the site says, "There is no need to pay a private company for these services."

One caveat is that some of the companies listed might not have staff manning the phones at all times. If you can't get through to anyone at the first office you call, try phoning another agency that's close to where you live. Be patient and determined, or you'll be tempted to sign up with a company that you see on a billboard or television commercial. They're so appealing because they promise to have operators standing by who can save your home—fast! Sadly, most of these companies' assurances are nothing more than hot air.

If you decide that you want to try a private company anyway, there are a few critical things that you need to be aware of to keep yourself from getting taken for a very expensive ride.

First of all, if a company demands an up-front fee, walk away. Chances are good that as soon as you hand over the money, the company will vanish from your life. There are some legitimate companies that charge fees for helping homeowners get out of their foreclosure mess, but make sure that you receive some services before handing over a check.

In terms of paid services, don't allow them to charge you hundreds of dollars for making a few phone calls and shuffling papers. There are many companies out there that will charge unreasonable amounts for doing minimal work. This is known as "phantom help," and really does nothing of value for homeowners in trouble. If you're going to pay someone to help you with your foreclosure, opt for a real estate lawyer instead of a mortgage modification company.

Don't ever listen to someone who tells you to make your mortgage payments to them instead of to the bank; they're trying to scam you. Con artists will also encourage you to sever communications with the bank, and to trust that they'll do all the talking for you. Lenders' loss mitigation departments are there to help. They may be difficult to get a hold of at times, but they are your best bet for turning your financial situation around.

These sharks are banking on your desperation, your fear, and your ignorance. Ask questions, get them to put each one of their promises in writing, and obtain copies of every piece of paper you sign. Verbal commitments don't hold much weight, so make sure you have a comprehensive paper trail.

If a company asks you to sign a contract that has empty lines, don't. They may fill in those blanks with very nasty clauses that result in you signing over the deed to your home.

Read everything the company gives you, and consult with an attorney before signing anything. These companies want you to feel pressured to sign quickly so they can take your money—don't let them push you around. You have every right to review legal documents with a lawyer before signing. If English is not your first language, this step is vitally important. Legalese is difficult to understand for the average English-speaker, so having a language barrier only makes you more vulnerable to these types of scam artists.

Finally, never agree to transfer your deed to a mortgage modification company. They may say that they'll buy the home and then sell it back to you on a rent-to-own basis, but in the majority of cases, homeowners who agree to this scheme get evicted and never see their homes again—yet are still held responsible for paying back the mortgage.

Don't let these people kick you while you're down. If you're facing foreclosure, talk to your lender, find a real estate lawyer, and if necessary, locate a HUD-approved counseling agency in your area.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Kelly Plantation real estate area.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Steps to Becoming a Homeowner http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/steps-to-becoming-a-homeowner.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/steps-to-becoming-a-homeowner.html Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:34:56 -0600
Figure Out What You Really Want

Get a good idea of what you are looking for in a home before you start looking. Do you want to live in town or outside of town? Are you looking for a big house, or a starter with room to expand? Do you need lots of elbow room or are you ok with a small yard? Don't forget big yards need to be maintained. Maybe a low maintenance condo is more your style. Think about the type of person you are and what sort of a place would make you happy. By determining your needs before hand, you'll be less likely to be swayed by an emotional buy that may seem attractive, but that really doesn't meet your requirements.

How Much Can You Afford?

With the number of foreclosures in the market we are seeing the results of people buying homes they could never afford in the first place. This in itself can be intimidating, but don't let this prevent you from investing – instead, learn from it.

Your ability to qualify for a mortgage depends on two things. First, the Housing Expense Ratio which compares basic monthly housing costs to your gross monthly income. Typical costs may include mortgage, insurance, property taxes, and utilities. When you total all of these expenses, they should be less than 28% of your monthly gross income.

The second qualifier is the Obligations to Income Ratio. Your total monthly debt (loans, credit card balances older than 10 months, etc.) plus basic housing costs, should not exceed 36%.

You can save yourself some frustration by pre-qualifying or arranging financing before you start shopping for your house. This way, you know exactly what the bank is prepared to give you and you can place an offer that makes sense. If multiple buyers were placing an offer on the same house, those with pre-approval would be given first preference.

In addition to qualifying for financing, you also need a down payment for your home. Generally, 10% to 20% is most common. The more you can put down, the better the interest rate you can negotiate for, and the lower your monthly payments will be.

Hidden Costs of Owning a Home

Keep in mind that addition to a mortgage payment, taxes and utilities, there are other costs associated with owning a home. There are repairs to the house, maintenance such as snow removal or garbage pick-up. If the house you are interested in will be requiring any major repairs such as a new roof or furnace, these costs should be deducted from your offer and you should put aside the money to pay for them when the time comes.

Condominiums do not have the same maintenance costs, but they do have association fees that need to be considered.

Where Do You want to Live?

Narrow down your search by making a list of neighborhoods that appeal to you. Decide whether proximity to schools, shopping or other services or recreation facilities are important to you. Find out about the taxes, zoning laws, crime rate, and whether there are any new developments slated for the future. Best to find out these details before you move in.

Also look at the house values and rate of appreciation in the area. If you find a fixer-upper situated in a nice area, maybe a little elbow grease is all you'll need to make a tidy profit. Beware though, of any major improvements or repairs that go beyond aesthetics.

Find An Agent

Many people never choose a real estate agent until they see the name on the sign and call about a listing. Don't limit yourself in this way. Call a few agents, ask questions until you find someone you're comfortable with. Their services are free to the buyer, why not use their expertise to help you find the right home? A qualified agent can assist you in narrowing down your choices, provide others you may never have considered, obtain financing, insurance and other information. Make certain that they belong to the Multiple Listing Service so that you aren't limited by the homes you can choose from.

Currently, in today's buyer's market, with low prices and interest rates, this is a golden opportunity for purchasing a home. If you're sitting on the fence, maybe all you need is a little push.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Grayton Beach real estate area.



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Holiday Gifts for Homeowners Who Have Everything http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/holiday-gifts-for-homeowners-who-have-everything.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/holiday-gifts-for-homeowners-who-have-everything.html Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:48:16 -0600
Create a Personalized Cookbook: For as low as $19.95 at TasteBook.com you can create a personalized cookbook. Select from among hundreds of recipes, add personal dedications, photos and even your own recipes to create a custom cookbook. It gets packaged up in an expandable binder with full color images and even includes free gift wrapping.

Shake the Perfect Martini: For the martini lover in the family, Waring makes an electric martini shaker in a 20 oz stainless steel container with settings for shake or stir.

Talking Food Thermometer: The ideal gift for the absent minded cook, just place the probe in your roast or turkey, and go relax. Make sure to keep the remote control handy and when your meat is cooked to perfection an alarm will go off, displaying the temperature and other details.

For Wine Lovers

Depending on your budget, these gifts are sure to please any wine aficionado.

Wine by the Row for $299: The Red Rooster Winery in Penticton has come up with the closest thing to owning your own vineyard with its "Adopt-a-Row Club." For $299 a year, you can rent your very own row of vines. This entitles you to 12 bottles of wine (6 red and 6 white), a 10% discount in the gift shop and a personalized sign posted on your row.

An Empty Oak Barrel for $975: Stoney Ridge Winery in Oregon is offering a Platinum Membership to their winery which includes 24 bottles of wine per year, custom wine labels, invites to member's only tastings and events, and an empty oak barrel with a personalized, engraved nameplate.

A Full Oak Barrel for $5,000-25,000: Grand Cru Estates in Oregon offers an exclusive membership to their winemaking club for $5,000. Members who want to join forces with winemakers Tony Rynders and Laurent Montalieu can produce their own pinot noir vintage for an additional $20,000 a barrel.

The WinePod: This is perfect for the wine geek with some extra cash to spare. For a mere $6000 you can purchase this personal winery system that comes complete with bottling kit, oak barrels and the grapes needed to make up to four cases of wine. It even includes educational wine making software to help you through the rough spots. In addition, the system manages fermentation temperature, grape sugar levels and updates the data to your PC. Your handy WineCoach software spits out detailed reports of your batch and allows you to input impressions of smell, taste and reminders of when to make additions.

Handy Gifts for Around the House

Towel Spa: For the ultimate in luxury, hop out of the bath or shower and dry off with a warmed towel. This towel warmer heats up your linen in minutes for a spa experience in your own home.

Wall Clock – Or Is It?: It looks like a wall clock, sounds and keeps time like any other clock, but, secretly opens to reveal a safe for storing valuables.

Luxury Pet House: Try and picture a time capsule-like container with computerized settings for temperature, humidity, radiation, carbon heating and air filtering. These are the features in the electronic pet house from Korean manufacturer, Autoelex. My dog is getting a new bone.

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Florida's hottest resort real estate market comes alive at Edkirkland.com. This website has everything you need to get started buying or selling property in the Destin real estate area. The site is also a good resource for locating a professional Destin real estate agent.



Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Twitter for Real Estate Professionals: What's All the Tweeting About? http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/twitter-for-real-estate-professionals-whats-all-the-tweeting-about.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/twitter-for-real-estate-professionals-whats-all-the-tweeting-about.html Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0600
A relatively recent addition to the social networking sphere is Twitter, a place where you have only 140 characters to write something about your day, ask a question, or link to an article or website of interest. Some consider Twitter to be a place where users "micro-blog," while others see it as more of a chat room with thousands of users 'chatting' all at once.

The original premise of Twitter was to provide a venue for people to post short, simple status updates; to answer the question: What are you doing? Users share stories about their pets, upcoming appointments, their moods, and much more. You can follow the adventures of other users, and accumulate followers of your own. You can direct questions and answers to specific people, or send out calls to everyone all at once.

The appeal of this type of technology baffles many real estate agents who've never used the service, but those who have stuck with Twitter see the benefits of this new type of networking.

Rather than trying to see Twitter as a revenue producer, it's important to understand that Twitter is first and foremost a networking tool. Don't be overtly promotional in your posts (known as "tweets"). If self promotion is your primary M.O., you'll quickly lose followers. Users aren't interested in being bombarded with spammy posts, so if you want to use the site to advertise your services, be very subtle and make sure that your personal posts far outnumbers the more professional ones.

While it may seem counterproductive to be laid back when you're trying to promote your real estate business, you have to keep in mind the intention of social networking sites. They are meant for people to connect with others who share similar interests, or who live in the same community. The mood is casual and definitely more personal than your business website. Grammar and spelling rules are relaxed, and you can talk about the pizza you ate last night or the rotten movie you just watched. People following you will find your posts interesting because you're being authentic.

The more people that get to know you and like you, the more opportunity you have to gain clients in the future. It's the same as expanding your circle of contacts in the real world, and it can be invaluable for your business in the long run.

The idea of social networking being effective over the long term is critical to understand. Unless you are very lucky, you probably won't gain any new clients right away, but you're building a solid foundation of online friendships that may develop into business relationships.

In addition to being a vehicle for finding potential clients, Twitter is also a great venue for networking with other agents. You can share tips, ask questions, and refer clients to agents outside of your service area. Other agents will do the same for you. Building relationships with other real estate agents can be educational and emotionally satisfying, as they can relate to the stresses you encounter on a daily basis.

Twitter is free and it only takes a moment to create an account. Search your area for people with accounts, or see if anyone you already know has an account. You can start to follow their tweets and engage people in conversation. Soon you'll have followers too, and you'll begin to appreciate the possibilities that this kind of networking can offer. Be open-minded and creative, and soon you'll see how you can make Twitter work for you and your realty business.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Kelly Plantation real estate area.





Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> Florida's Beaches: Whose Property is it Anyway? http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/floridas-beaches-whose-property-is-it-anyway.html http://www.articletrader.com/finance/real-estate/floridas-beaches-whose-property-is-it-anyway.html Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0600
In a state like Florida, where the blue-green waters and white sand beaches whisper to you with promises of warm sunshine and relaxation, waterfront homes offer the pinnacle of luxury living. The only thing sullying the waters is the debate over beach access between private homeowners and the public beach goers.

More than half of Florida's beaches are private; leaving the public with little to no access to land that is theirs according to the Florida Constitution. Article X, Section 11 of the Constitution says "beaches below mean high water lines, is held by the state, by virtue of its sovereignty, in trust for all the people. Sale of such lands may be authorized by law, but only when in the public interest. Private use of portions of such lands may be authorized by law, but only when not contrary to the public interest."

This means that from the water up to the mean high water line, the shore is public property. Dry sand areas above this point can be privately owned.

For property owners, this law can be irritating at best, as people traipse back and forth in what is essentially their front yard. In many cases, waterfront real estate is advertised as coming with private beachfront, which can be misleading to buyers. They believe that the entire beach area up to the water is theirs, which is inaccurate. There have been instances of homeowners calling the police on beach goers whom they believe to be trespassing. What inevitably happens though is that homeowners are informed that the public has rights to certain portions of the beach.

Much of the public feels that they have a right to enjoy Florida's beaches, and that this land shouldn't only be accessible to the wealthy. There are grassroots community organizations with the express mission of trying to preserve public access to the shoreline and waters. They have been relatively successful in fighting large waterfront developers, as well as private homeowners who try to block access to the beachfront.

Unfortunately, there have been angry confrontations between homeowners and the public, which leaves both parties feeling frustrated and resentful.

The best way to circumvent these kinds of conflicts is for buyers to know exactly what they're purchasing. Real estate agents need to be clear about property lines, and to not advertise the property as being something that it's not. If homeowners know straight away where their private property ends and public beachfront begins, much of the discord will end. Both parties need to know the rules and be respectful of each other's right to enjoy the glorious beachfront that Florida is so well known for.

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Learn all about Florida's Emerald Coast, and the Destin real estate market, at EdKirkland.com. This site has everything you need to get started in the market, whether you're buying, selling, or investing. Our users enjoy a free home search and extensive information on local communities, such as the Rosemary Beach real estate area.




Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>