Archive for July, 2009
Pizza Fusion in Weston-Be Green!
July 31st, 2009 categories: Eating Out, Living in Weston
Organic, Environment Friendly Pizzas… “Saving Earth, One Pizza at the Time”
In this world of branding and differentiation Pizza Fusion found its way to be unique. Not only more than 75% of the ingredients they use are organic but the restaurants are built and operated following “green” standards.
“Pizza Fusion has created a business model where Profitability is as important as our Social Responsibility”
In their menu (printed in Recycled Paper) along with a wide array of mouth watering Salads, Sandwiches and Pizzas only all-natural and organic soft drinks are available. Forget your unhealthy Cola, please! The pizzas are made fresh as they are ordered and you can also enjoy them at your office or home delivered in hybrid, electric and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Pizza Fusin has been named one of the “Greenest Businesses in America” by Co-Op America for a good reason. Just some of the facts…The tables are made from reclaimed wood sources, Countertops made from recycled glass bottles, Paints are low-VOC, Light Bulbs are CF’s and LED’s that save on energy use, Faucets and Toilets are low-flow, Earth-Friendly cleaning Products and what I found very interesting is that they offer a discount when customers return their pizza boxes for recycling.
With stores already open in 16 cities and many more to come this is a Must-See in Weston.
Pizza Fusion:
2378 Weston Rd
Weston, Fl 33326
(954) 641-5353
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As Property Values Go Down…Will The Property Taxes Follow?
July 29th, 2009 categories: General RE Info, Market Update, Tips For Buyers
The Answers is… Not Necessarily; Someone Has to Pay the Bills.
As an illustration, let me play with some numbers. Let’s assume that the Municipality needs $1,000.00 to operate and generates revenues of $400.00 from other sources. That balance of $ 600.00 needs to be collected through property taxes. Even if the value of the properties change the same amount needs to be collected. It means that if values go down each property will pay a higher mill rate.
The only way to reduce Property Taxes is by lowering expenses or increase other sources of income. The cities have been fighting the reduction of those expenses for a long time stating that the services they provide would have to be cut; specially those related to security. Some of them have pension plans for their employers that are unsustainable and can’t be changed. Individuals can get some savings by filing for Homestead and other Exemptions (only applicable to US Residents).
Our Property Appraiser in Broward County uses distress sales to asses values, some other counties are not. You can go to www.bcpa.net and find out the estimated taxes for 2009. In Dade County, for example, they are not being used.
SOMETHING NEW ABOUT OUR 2009 REAL PROPERTY ASSESSMENTS
“Starting with the new 2009 real property assessments, our residential land values and improvement (building) values are correctly apportioned. (…) Using mass-appraisal methods, we equalized land values this year by neighborhood — not just by subdivision within a neighborhood. This means the square-foot land value for dry lots in a neighborhood should be the same as for other comparable dry lots in the same area … lots along a golf course will be valued the same as other lots along the same golf course … waterfront lots will be valued the same as other similar waterfront lots (and point lots valued the same as other nearby point lots) … and so on. If you believe we incorrectly paired your lot (versus your neighbor’s land value), please contact Land Section Supervisor Mark Taravella.”
Source: www.bcpa.net
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Biking in Weston Florida
July 27th, 2009 categories: Living in Weston, Parks
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Weston is a Biker’s Paradise!
In Weston all main streets have biking lanes and drivers in general are very aware of the numbers of bikers that share the streets with them. It is not unusual to run across a pack of bikers from the Weston Flyers or the South Broward Wheelers. Some of the routes include a portion on State RD 84 but even though is great because there are no stops the lanes used by bikers are very narrow and cars go very fast making it riskier.
“Weston has over 46 miles of dedicated bike lanes within our City, making Weston one of the premier areas in south Florida in which to bike. Bike lanes are a portion of the roadway, which has been designated by striping and pavement markings, for the use of bicycles. Bicyclists have the same rights as motorists and as such must obey all vehicular traffic laws. Weston has provided an interconnected system of safe bike lanes, multipurpose paths and shaded sidewalks for pedestrian travel throughout the City.”
Source: City of Weston Parks’ Brochure
If you are into Mountain Biking at Markham Park you will find 11 miles of mountain bike trails for novice, intermediate and advanced bikers. You have to register the first time at the Park’s Office and wear a helmet.
I started biking about one year ago and enjoy it very much. Some times I get bored of taking the same route. I found this wonderful collection of possible bike routes that gave me ideas for my next rides
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How Weston Real Estate Market Compares? 2nd Quarter 2009
July 21st, 2009 categories: General RE Info, Market Update, Tips For Buyers, Tips for Sellers
Months of Inventory June 09-Weston Florida
There are no set rules to determine how a real estate market will perform in the future, the industry uses Months of Inventory based on Closed Sales (total inventory divided by the number of houses sold per month) as a guideline. Months of Inventory based on Closes sales is a much powerful indicator that the traditional “Days on the Market” used to measure the length of time a property may remain on the market.
Seller’s Market or Buyer’s Market?
Months of Inventory also let’s us track if the market is balanced, leaning toward sellers or buyers, in a concrete way. If the market keeps on that trend of activity it calculates the number of months it would take for the market to deplete the currently active inventory. It is generally agreed that areas with 6 to 9 months of inventory are considered to have a normal or balanced market. Areas with more than 9 months of Inventory are referred to as buyer’s markets, while areas with less than 6 months of inventory are considered to be a seller’s market.
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Sports in Weston Fl
July 18th, 2009 categories: Tips For Buyers
- Image by StuSeeger via Flickr
“Parks and Recreation services within the City of Weston are managed in a unique and progressive manner. The City contracts with the Weston Sports Alliance, Inc., Weston’s own all volunteer organization, to manage its organized league athletics”
In Weston there are:
25 Baseball/softball fields
21 Soccer/football fields
9 Basketball courts
8 Roller Hockey rinks
2 Tennis courts;
1 Skatepark
1 YMCA (42,500 sq. ft. with Olympic pool)
The Alliance members consist of:
American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO)
Weston Soccer Club
Weston Area Little League (WALL)
Weston Rattlers Baseball
Western Area Roller Hockey
Weston Warriors Football
Weston Warrior Lacrosse
West Broward Family YMCA
“The Weston Sports Alliance averages approximately 10,000 registered league participants each year in programs that are grooming great athletes in fun-filled team sports”
Source: City of Weston
There is also a Baseball Travel Team: Weston Hawks and you can follow them on Twitter: @WestonHawks14u
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Disclose, Disclose, Disclose When Selling or Leasing your Property
July 16th, 2009 categories: General RE Info, Tips For Buyers, Tips for Sellers
Why is it Important?
Sellers/Landlords and Real Estate Agents are obligated to disclose to prospective Buyers/Tenants any material fact that affect the value of the property or has any condition that may affect the health or safety of the future occupants. Many sellers/landlords/agents take disclosures lightly and it can come back to haunt them even years after the transaction closed.
Just a few of the many things that MUST be disclosed:
Lead-Base Paint: Properties built prior to 1978 “any condition that caused exposure to lead from lead-contaminated dust, soil or paint that is deteriorated or present in accessible surfaces or surfaces that rub together, like doors and windows”.
Mold: Any potential source of moist that could have created mold: leaks, floods, broken pipes. Even if it can’t be seen mold may be hidden behind dry walls or under carpets. There was a case a few years ago on a Rental where the Tenant’s kid was highly allergic to mold and after moving to the property the child got very sick. The Tenants found out that some time prior they moved in the property was exposed to mold and since it was not disclosed they rented the property. The story ended with the Tenants suing the Landlord for failure to disclose.
Structural Issues:A property went under contract and the general inspector found a crack in a foundation that looked suspicious and recommended an Structural Inspection. The Buyer cancelled the contract and the property went back on the market. The seller didn’t think it was necessary to disclose the fact and sold the property to another buyer. The new Buyer’s Inspector didn’t notice the problem and the buyer went ahead a purchased the property, to find out a few months later that there was a huge Structural problem. Both the Seller and the agent for the Seller were involved in a legal case that they lost. They knew there was a problem and failed to disclose it.
Known Code Violations and non-permitted additions/improvement: the main problem with non-permited additions/improvements aside from the safety issues is the fact that if the new buyer needs to pull permits and the city finds out there are code violations it can open a can or worms. The result can be that the addition must have to be permitted (a nightmare) or removed.
Chinesse Drywall:this is our newest concern…during the construction boom many homes were built with Drywall imported with China.
Disclose Facts not Opinions unless you are an expect. A little crack that looks insignificant may be just a crack or can be the expression of an structural program. As the author of an article I read today says: If you have to ask if you should disclose it, DISCLOSE IT!
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Real Estate News in the Sun Sentinel
July 9th, 2009 categories: Tips For Buyers
“Leading Indicators Say Worst May Be Over”
After years of the media helping create a panic, that in my opinion fueled the housing crisis, we are finally getting to read refreshing news. Don’t take me wrong…there were many reasons that caused the crisis; but the media helped create the panic that took us in the downward spiral.
Now, let share the good news!
We will focus on the bright side of a 47% increase in sales compared to the same month last year.
Isn’t it Time for Fireworks???
In the following article Have our housing crisis hit bottom? they quote UCF finance professor Stanley Smith “The latest quarterly reports of positive appreciation or losses close to zero reinforce the possibility that the losses are at or near the end”. We have been following closely in the West Broward Real Estate Market. We have been able to experience first hand the fact that prices have been holding off much better the last few months compared to the free fall that we lived for more than 2 years.
I found another interesting article about How the FBI Mortgae Fraud investigations have surged and it includes an interesting graph about Broward and Palm Beach Market Median Prices. Be aware that the decrease in median prices is a better indicator than Average Price since it nos as sensible to the skews caused by the extremes.
We just hope the market stays in this healthy trend and we can experience a balanced market as soon as possible.
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Mango Festival at Fairchild Botanical Garden on July 11 and 12
July 7th, 2009 categories: Entertainment, Events
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<>You Won’t Believe All You Can Do With Mango!
This is the the 17th Annual Mango Festival and I can’t believe I have never heard of it. It’s amazing and fun all the activities available revolving around mango.
* Incredible display of over 200 varieties of mangoes from all around the World.
* Cooking with Mango: Cream Puffs, Frozen Mango Pie, Mango Ice Cream, Mango Crepes,Jerk Chicken, Conch Fritters with Mango Sauce, Mango Wine
* Mango Tastings and Evaluations
* Mangoville- Vendors selling mango art, gifts and food.
* Mango tree sales.
* Mango music- Sit back and enjoy our favorites bands as you sip one of our amazing ice cold mango smoothies.
* Creating Art with Mango
* Mango Culinary Demonstrations
* Mango Brunch
* Mango Auction
* Save your Mango Tree
How to get to Fairchild Tropical Garden?
View Larger Map
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Bulk Trash Pick Up in Weston July 15th-18th 2009
July 6th, 2009 categories: Tips For Buyers
It’s Time Again to Clean-Up our Homes
On your regular garbage pick-up date leave your Bulk Trash next to the Garbage .Wednesday 15th, Thursday 16th, Friday 17th for Single Family Homes and Townhouses. On Saturday the 18th Multi-family.
Go to the City of Weston site for recommendations and more details.
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Weston Real Estate Market Trends – June 30th 2009
July 1st, 2009 categories: General RE Info, Market Update
Months of Inventory Based on Closed Sales is for me one of the best ways to get a snapshot of the Real Estate Market.
As of June 30th:
Single Family Homes:
- Active Listings: 439 Homes
- Closed Sales During June,2009: 74 Homes
- Months of Inventory Based on Closed Sales: 5.93 months (Seller’s Market)
Condos and Townhouses:
- Active Listings: 289 Units
- Closed Sales During June,2009: 20 Units
- Months of Inventory Based on Closed Sales: 14.45 months (Buyer’s Market)
If we look closely at this data there is something that doesn’t make much sense. How can we have such a huge gap? Looking in detail where the numbers come from I concluded that the SFH data was accurate but the data for Condos and Townhouses is distorted.
Why the Data for Condos/TH was distorted? Be Aware of Raw Statistics!
Of the 289 Active Units I found the following:
- 10 are for Villas de Tuscany, a community not located in Weston or the Sunrise Area under the Weston ML Area.
- 3 are from areas outside of Weston listed by mistake??? under our Area.
- 8 are for the Hyatt condo-hotel units which might never sell.
- 1 is for Vacation Villas (the Resort/Time Sharing)
- 56 are for The Palace and since it is an unique product (a 55+ Community) it is skewing the numbers; only 1 closed in June. Some may argue my decision to take out the Palace but in every city the 55+ communities represent a disproportionate number of active listings and in my opinion they do not reflect the market trends.
How Condos and Townhouses are really doing, after cleaning up the Data?
- Active Listings: 210 Units
- Closed Sales During June,2009: 19 Units
- Months of Inventory Based on Closed Sales: 11 months (Buyer’s Market, but more close to be a balanced market)
In conclusion if you are listing a Condo or Town House it must be marketed wisely!
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