Broward County homeowners are set to receive the biggest cut in their real estate taxes in 25 years, thanks to further cost cutting efforts approved by the county commission.
The original budget approved by the commission this summer would have resulted in a 7 percent increase in real estate taxes, primarily due to higher home values.
More than 300 people attended the commission meeting to protest the 7% increase. As a result, the Broward County Commission agreed to cut basic expenses such as limiting air conditioning in county offices but refused to close the Fort Lauderdale branch library on Sunrise Boulevard or end a program that helps single mothers collect child support.
In all, commissioners reduced the county budget by about $20 million, resulting in a tax savings of about $82 for the average homeowner over last year -- a huge reduction over the proposed 7% increase previously approved.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Shaq's new real estate company
Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal has started a new real estate company that he hopes will make him even more money and give him something to do when his knees finally give out.
Shaq's new company, The O'Neal Group, claims to already have invested over $50 million in residential and commercial real estate- not bad for a new startup.
With Shaq's personal wealth and personal cache, The O'Neal Group plans to expand its portfolio of South Florida real estate as well as invest in landmark properties throughout New Jersey and Los Angeles.
One of the first such investments is in the Metropolitan condo project in Miami, where Shaq will also purchase a "sky loft" at the Met3 for personal use, although he will not live there. Shaq will also open one of his personally branded fitness facilities in the condo, the third he will operate in South Florida. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
According to Shaq, "this is not a fee arrangement", saying he plans to invest in real estate for the rest of his life.
I wouldn't bet against the 7+ footer. With his fame and deep pockets, he has what it takes to turn his personal interest in real estate into even greater success and fortune.
Shaq's new company, The O'Neal Group, claims to already have invested over $50 million in residential and commercial real estate- not bad for a new startup.
With Shaq's personal wealth and personal cache, The O'Neal Group plans to expand its portfolio of South Florida real estate as well as invest in landmark properties throughout New Jersey and Los Angeles.
One of the first such investments is in the Metropolitan condo project in Miami, where Shaq will also purchase a "sky loft" at the Met3 for personal use, although he will not live there. Shaq will also open one of his personally branded fitness facilities in the condo, the third he will operate in South Florida. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
According to Shaq, "this is not a fee arrangement", saying he plans to invest in real estate for the rest of his life.
I wouldn't bet against the 7+ footer. With his fame and deep pockets, he has what it takes to turn his personal interest in real estate into even greater success and fortune.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
New Downtown Doral Real Estate Project
Doral real estate should become more attractive thanks to a massive new project that will add a much needed downtown center to the Northwest Miami-Dade County community. The new downtown city center will be built on both sides of Northwest 53rd Street, between Northwest 79th and Northwest 87th avenues.
"We will offer the inhabitants of our project, as well as the entire city, some amenities which they haven't had in their neighborhood in the past," said Chris Cobb, Flagler's vice president of residential development, the company spearheading the project.
When complete, Downtown Doral will include 2,840 homes and condos, 180,000 square feet of retail space, 400,000 square feet of commercial office space, a three-acre park and a main boulevard called Paseo Doral. The developer also plans to donate a new school to the city.
The first residential condo to be built will be named Cardinal, a 16-story, 205-unit building overlooking the Doral Golf Resort & Spa's Great White and Blue Monster golf courses. Amenities will include a pool and exercise room. Prices for the condos will range from $300,000 to more than $1 million and range from 640 to 2,900 square feet.
For more information, visit the city of Doral website at http://www.cityofdoral-fl.gov.
"We will offer the inhabitants of our project, as well as the entire city, some amenities which they haven't had in their neighborhood in the past," said Chris Cobb, Flagler's vice president of residential development, the company spearheading the project.
When complete, Downtown Doral will include 2,840 homes and condos, 180,000 square feet of retail space, 400,000 square feet of commercial office space, a three-acre park and a main boulevard called Paseo Doral. The developer also plans to donate a new school to the city.
The first residential condo to be built will be named Cardinal, a 16-story, 205-unit building overlooking the Doral Golf Resort & Spa's Great White and Blue Monster golf courses. Amenities will include a pool and exercise room. Prices for the condos will range from $300,000 to more than $1 million and range from 640 to 2,900 square feet.
For more information, visit the city of Doral website at http://www.cityofdoral-fl.gov.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Choosing The Right Real Estate Agent
Before joining Expert Realty, I was the founder and president of RECHANNEL Technologies, a real estate marketing and technology company that was acquired by eNeighborhoods in 2004. RECHANNEL specialized in high-end real estate websites and search engine marketing for agents and brokers and I had the opportunity to work with thousands of Realtors from across the country.
Some of the real estate companies and agents I worked with sold multi-million dollar properties while others focused on starter homes and farms. Many were top-producers who had been in the business for 20-30 years; some were just getting their feet wet. Each had different skills and different approaches to the business and I was lucky enough to learn from them all.
One thing that I never really liked is that most real estate agents are independent contractors. While all agents work for a broker like RE/MAX or Coldwell Banker, they are responsible for their own marketing, customer service and sales and ultimately their own businesses. The result is that nearly every agent does things their own way and because they typically work by themselves or with a single assistant are often spread too thin to provide timely and consistent communication and service to their customers. When an agent is at a listing presentation, for example, they are away from the office and not readily available to their other customers.
When you go to McDonald's, the experience is the same in every city in every state. Same when you stay at a Marriott or rent a car from Hertz. Talk to 10 real estate agents from the same company, however, and you are likely to experience 10 different ways of doing things and varying levels of quality and service.
I always thought there was a better way and that was my goal when we started Expert Realty. I wanted to be part of a real estate company where everyone worked together as a team, with shared goals and common processes. Where agents were employees and not independent contractors. Where the customer experience and results were the same no matter which agent a customer was working with.
At Expert, agents are supported by a large team of Realtor Assistants who never leave the office and who have access to (and are experts in using) the latest technology. Realtor Assistants are always available to talk with customers, whether its to search for new homes in the MLS, to set an appointment to view a home or to follow-up on an offer to purchase a home.
A recent NAR survey found that many buyers contact up to seven agents before one would call them back. That is simply unacceptable, especially in a industry like real estate. Realtor Assistants make sure that customers who call Expert or request information through our website receive quality service within seconds or minutes, not hours or days. That makes a huge difference to the hundreds of buyers and sellers we work with each month.
Expert Local Agents all carry wireless laptops with instant access to the MLS and our internal customer relationship management systems so they can be as productive on the road as they are in the office. That allows our agents to do home searches and schedule appointments while meeting with customers at an open house or over a latte at Starbucks.
And every Expert Local Agent received two weeks of training and meets three times per week with their manager to ensure that everyone follows our company best-practices the same way, every time. That way, every customer receives the highest level of service and results no matter which agent they are working with.
Customers also benefit from Expert's in-house Mortgage Company (The Home Loan Store) and Title Company (Closing Solution), providing a single point of contact throughout their purchase or sale. That allows for a much smoother transaction without the typical gaps in communication that make buying or selling a home so time-consuming and complicated.
Another thing I could never understand is how most agents earned a standard 6% commission, even as home prices soared and consumers did more and more of the work themselves using the Internet.
At Expert, we do everything we can to not just provide the best service but also the best value. Buyers receive a rebate of up to $1500 at closing that they can use for closing costs, moving expenses or however else they want. And sellers can save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions with our low 2.5% Sell Smart plan, less than half what other Realtors charge.
If you are thinking about buying or selling a home or condo, we would love to show you what hundreds of other customers have discovered by working with Expert. Our unique approach and great staff will do whatever it takes to provide you with the best results and service in the industry and save you thousands of dollars in the process.
Give us a call at 1-800-897-7950 or visit our website at www.expertrealty.com to learn more about how Expert Realty can help you with your next purchase or sale.
Some of the real estate companies and agents I worked with sold multi-million dollar properties while others focused on starter homes and farms. Many were top-producers who had been in the business for 20-30 years; some were just getting their feet wet. Each had different skills and different approaches to the business and I was lucky enough to learn from them all.
One thing that I never really liked is that most real estate agents are independent contractors. While all agents work for a broker like RE/MAX or Coldwell Banker, they are responsible for their own marketing, customer service and sales and ultimately their own businesses. The result is that nearly every agent does things their own way and because they typically work by themselves or with a single assistant are often spread too thin to provide timely and consistent communication and service to their customers. When an agent is at a listing presentation, for example, they are away from the office and not readily available to their other customers.
When you go to McDonald's, the experience is the same in every city in every state. Same when you stay at a Marriott or rent a car from Hertz. Talk to 10 real estate agents from the same company, however, and you are likely to experience 10 different ways of doing things and varying levels of quality and service.
I always thought there was a better way and that was my goal when we started Expert Realty. I wanted to be part of a real estate company where everyone worked together as a team, with shared goals and common processes. Where agents were employees and not independent contractors. Where the customer experience and results were the same no matter which agent a customer was working with.
At Expert, agents are supported by a large team of Realtor Assistants who never leave the office and who have access to (and are experts in using) the latest technology. Realtor Assistants are always available to talk with customers, whether its to search for new homes in the MLS, to set an appointment to view a home or to follow-up on an offer to purchase a home.
A recent NAR survey found that many buyers contact up to seven agents before one would call them back. That is simply unacceptable, especially in a industry like real estate. Realtor Assistants make sure that customers who call Expert or request information through our website receive quality service within seconds or minutes, not hours or days. That makes a huge difference to the hundreds of buyers and sellers we work with each month.
Expert Local Agents all carry wireless laptops with instant access to the MLS and our internal customer relationship management systems so they can be as productive on the road as they are in the office. That allows our agents to do home searches and schedule appointments while meeting with customers at an open house or over a latte at Starbucks.
And every Expert Local Agent received two weeks of training and meets three times per week with their manager to ensure that everyone follows our company best-practices the same way, every time. That way, every customer receives the highest level of service and results no matter which agent they are working with.
Customers also benefit from Expert's in-house Mortgage Company (The Home Loan Store) and Title Company (Closing Solution), providing a single point of contact throughout their purchase or sale. That allows for a much smoother transaction without the typical gaps in communication that make buying or selling a home so time-consuming and complicated.
Another thing I could never understand is how most agents earned a standard 6% commission, even as home prices soared and consumers did more and more of the work themselves using the Internet.
At Expert, we do everything we can to not just provide the best service but also the best value. Buyers receive a rebate of up to $1500 at closing that they can use for closing costs, moving expenses or however else they want. And sellers can save thousands of dollars in real estate commissions with our low 2.5% Sell Smart plan, less than half what other Realtors charge.
If you are thinking about buying or selling a home or condo, we would love to show you what hundreds of other customers have discovered by working with Expert. Our unique approach and great staff will do whatever it takes to provide you with the best results and service in the industry and save you thousands of dollars in the process.
Give us a call at 1-800-897-7950 or visit our website at www.expertrealty.com to learn more about how Expert Realty can help you with your next purchase or sale.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Broward County Real Estate Tax Reduction?
If you own a home in Broward County Florida, you'll be happy to know that county commissioners are currently working on a plan to reduce your real estate taxes by as much as 25%. According to the commission, the average homeowner would save $186 on a $325,000 house with a homestead exemption.
Over 50 angry residents attended the commission meeting on Tuesday, September 12 to protest what many feel are skyrocketing property taxes, prompting commissioner Ilene Lieberman to push the commission to make even more reductions when the commission meets again on Monday.
As a South Florida real estate company, we hear it all the time that one of the biggest roadblocks preventing people from buying or selling a home in Broward County is the increase in property taxes they will pay based on the double-digit increases in property values throughout the county over the last several years. Even as the market has cooled, taxes and insurance continue to remain sky high, pricing many out of the market.
At some point, major reform is needed to keep property taxes in check, in Broward County and throughout the country. Homeowners who move from one home to another shouldn't be penalized with massive increases when there isn't much difference in price between their old and new homes.
If you own a home or condo in Broward County, you are encouraged to attend the next commission meeting on Monday, September 18.
Over 50 angry residents attended the commission meeting on Tuesday, September 12 to protest what many feel are skyrocketing property taxes, prompting commissioner Ilene Lieberman to push the commission to make even more reductions when the commission meets again on Monday.
As a South Florida real estate company, we hear it all the time that one of the biggest roadblocks preventing people from buying or selling a home in Broward County is the increase in property taxes they will pay based on the double-digit increases in property values throughout the county over the last several years. Even as the market has cooled, taxes and insurance continue to remain sky high, pricing many out of the market.
At some point, major reform is needed to keep property taxes in check, in Broward County and throughout the country. Homeowners who move from one home to another shouldn't be penalized with massive increases when there isn't much difference in price between their old and new homes.
If you own a home or condo in Broward County, you are encouraged to attend the next commission meeting on Monday, September 18.
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