My family and I just came back from a visit to the West Coast of Florida, about 2 hours and 20 minutes from our home in Melbourne. Busch Gardens opened more than 42 years ago and is the home of Anheuser Busch and the World Famous Clydesdale Horses. I hadn't been to Busch Gardens in 25 years.
It rained the entire drive over to Tampa, and the prediction was that there would be 80% chance of rain for the day. But, we had already prepaid for the hotel and the park. So, we figured we would just get a little bit wet.
There are 4 steel roller coasters; Sheikra, Scopion, Montu and Kumba and one wooden one, Gwazi. There are 3 water rides, a couple of children's sections in the park. There is a full day of things to do there.
There are some great shows that you shouldn't miss: Katonga, Dance to the Music, Creative Critters, Pirates 4D.
There were so many gorgeous sights to see and the grounds are impeccably maintained.
Busch Gardens sits on 335 acres and is Florida's largest zoo.
It is home to hundreds of species of animals, and birds,
Many are on the endangered species list.
We visited the re creation of King Tut's tomb.
We saw the World Famous Clydesdale horses that pull the Budweiser beer wagon.
This underwater sleeping hippo reached up every 3 to 5 minutes for a breath of air.
Sheikra was the first vertical drop roller coaster in the United States.
It is tied for being the tallest coaster.
This is at the top of floorless Sheikra.
Passengers are held at the top for 3-5 seconds, hanging over the edge.
Then they take a 90 degree, 200 foot drop.
No thanks, I don't like huge drops, so I just watched and took pictures.
All of the animals were out, because it was such a cool day.
The girls always love the Carousel.
Feeding time for the African Elephants.
This lion was trying to stay out of the rain.
The park is also home to Montu, the largest and fastest inverted steel roller coaster in the world. This was the only roller coaaster that I went on. But, I had to be a trooper and go on at least one of them.
I'm not much of a coaster fan, but my husband, oldest daughter, and the 2 friends we brought with us, can't get enough of them.
On our first day in the park we got pretty soaked. It rained alot. The rides had to be shut down frequently throughout the day due to inclement weather. The park had to be closed early so we asked for rainchecks. The park extended our tickets until the end of the year, for unlimited admission. We were tickled!
We headed back the following day, for a much better day, with the sun peeking from behind the clouds. It stayed nice and cool all day, with just a few sprinkles of rain.
We will get back over to Busch Gardens a couple more times before the end of the year.
If you plan a trip to Busch Gardens, and have never been there before, there's a lot to see. So spend a couple of days there.
Busch Gardens was one of the most beautiful theme parks I have ever visited.
Every Saturday night in July and August admission will be free to the Brevard Zoo after 5:00 PM. The zoo will stay open until 9:00 PM, these nights. Many animals will be on exhibit. Some are taken in at night. The train ride will remain open, as well as kayaking. And there will be live bands playing.
July Free Nights will be July 4, 11, 18, 25.
August Free Nights will be August 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29.
The bands that will be playing are -
7/ 4: Overtime - Classic Rock Blend From 60’s-90’s 7/11: Jimbo and the No Shows - Acoustic/Rockabilly/Alternative 7/18: Invisible ink - Rock/Alternative/ Southern Rock. 7/25: Brevard Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet
8/ 1: CocoLocos Band- Island Music 8/ 8: Ben Wilson- Solo Folk/Folk Rock/Comedy 8/15: Rod MacDonald- Folk Music 8/22: HairPeace- Acoustic 8/29: Pan Sharks- Steel Drum Band
I love the Brevard Zoo, so I'll see you at the free Summer Saturday Nights.
I just finished reading an article that the Brevard County Tax Collectors office will no longer be accepting VISA cards to pay your tax bills. The decision came on May 4. VISA charges a $2.00 of 2.95% convenience fee (whichever is higher) to it's third party vendors.
The Clerk of Courts office will continue accepting Mastercard, American Express and Discover Credit cards and they will also accept Mastercard debit cards.
Marion, Osceola and Walton county tax collector offices will also no longer be accepting VISA payments.
The burden of these added "swipe" fees to small business is being passed on to the consumer in the way of higher costs of goods. Small business owners are getting fed up with the added fees and calling for credit card reform.
With identity theft on the rise, it’s important to protect yourself.
The FTC had over 9 million reports of identity theft last year.This can take the form of someone else using your personal information, such as your name, address, credit cards, checks, or social security number to commit fraud.
Here are some pointers on helping to prevent identity theft:
1) Your personal checks should have limited info on them.
Don’t put your full first name on your checks, use your first and middle initials and last name on them. Use a different address than your home address.Do not include social security or drivers license number.When paying bills only write the last digits of the account you are paying.
2) On you credit cards sign the back of them. Also, write the words, SEE ID. So, the clerk must ask for ID to accept the card.
3) Go through your wallet and see exactly what you are carrying.
Leave all but two of your cards at home. Take copies of the front and back of everything in your wallet and keep it in a file, in case your wallet is stolen.Then, you can call the police immediately if you are robbed. Be sure to contact all 3 of the main credit reporting agencies immediately, so they can place a fraud alert on your name.
4) Pull a copy of your free annual credit report every year at
http://AnnualCreditReport.com/ to be sure there is not erroneous information on your Experian, Equifax and Transunion reports.
5) Shred everything with your name on it that you would normally throw in the trash.
Yesterday, my family and I drove up to Cape Canaveral Florida to visit a client that I had helped in purchasing a beautiful riverfront condo a month before. We went straight down to the boat docks by the gazebo hoping to get a glimpse of the manatees playing. We saw at least 6 of them. Knowing that they love fresh water we turned the hose on to attract them, hoping to get some pictures. These sea cows, known as gentle giants live in shallow waters in our lagoons.
We we absolutely mezmerized at what we saw.
In the 35 years I have lived in Brevard County I have never seen anything like this before.
All of these pictures were taken in the backyard of my client's new riverfront condo here in Brevard County Florida.
These guys loved the fresh water from the hose. They couldn't get enough of it.
They were circling and snorting and doing somersaults right in front of us.
They were so close we could reach out and touch them.
They just loved laying on their backs and taking in the fresh water.
My friend, Tony, indicated that the manatees are very active early in the morning. They love playing and and having fun in the water. Later in the day they usually are resting.
He has indicated that he can stand on his balcony and watch the porpoises jump, also.
Now this is what I call heaven.
Such an incredible sight to see.
My teenage daughters absolutely loved watching these playful, fun loving creatures.
These guys aren't afraid of people.
My client, who has become a great friend of mine, has told us that anytime we want to visit, we are more than welcome to come to watch the manatees.
He absolutely loves his new home, as he says that everyday he feels like he's on vacation.
I remember when I first got into the real estate business in 1996, my broker and I were discussing real estate investing. He told me that people sit, waiting for that one great deal, and in the meantime they miss out on the good deals. Because of their inactivity they may never end up buying anything.
He has been in real estate for over 50 years and has been investing in commercial, residential and mobile home parks.
We hear it everyday, is the market going down? Have we hit rock bottom? Has the market started heading back up? Does anyone really know for sure? Hindsight is always 20/20. We do know that prices are at early 2000 levels. But, what does it all really mean anyway? Do all these questions just paralyze us into doing nothing, not making a decision to buy or to sell? The reality is that no one really has the answers to any of these questions. We are all attempting to make an educated guess based on a market in which none of us have ever experienced.
I started buying rentals in 1996 and continued buying in 2005. I have bought in different types of markets, as I have kept my eyes and ears open and been able to scoop up some good deals.
But, often in real estate investing, when everyone else is buying, it's a good time to sell.
And, when everyone is selling, it's a good time to buy.
Investors getting into the market, thinking they are going to make a killing are usually the ones that lose their shirts. Investors that are a bit more realistic, with the thought that they can make a comfortable profit, are often able to do just that... make a handsome profit.
What are your goals in buying? Are you hoping to flip a property today? Are you going to hold it for a period of time and use it as a rental? These are all factors that must be considered.
Do your homework first. If the numbers don't work on paper, they aren't going to work at all. Don't fall in love with an adorable house that you think would make a great rental because it's brand new and beautiful. It may turn out to be a terrible rental property. Rental houses aren't always gorgeous. Very often they are clean, small and affordable. See what the demand in your market is. Be smart and research first.
And remember in real estate investing, Pigs Get Fat and Hogs Get Slaughtered.
I received a call from a young man on a house that I currently have available for rent. I always ask a series of questions when a prospective tenant calls on a property.
I asked how many people would be occupying the property. He told me 3.
Is there one person that earns enough money to cover the monthly rent?
He indicated that the rent would be split three ways and each occupant would pay their portion to the landlord.
Unfortunately, I don't care for situations like this. As a landlord, I do not want to collect money from 3 different people living in the same house. Sometimes one party has their money and one of the other parties or both of other two don't. I want one check, from one person, covering the entire monthly rent. They can work out the money amongst themselves and figure out who owes whom what money.
What happens if one of the occupants decides to move out? Then, the other two don' t have enough to cover the rent? In turn, they have to sublet the house to someone else so they can pay the bills. This can turn into another precarious situation.
Years back I purchased a rental, with the tenants in place, on a month to month lease. They were roommates. When I went to pick up the rent, one occupant would have half of the rent, but the other wouldn't have her half. This went on for another month. It was like pulling teeth. Neither wanted to be responsible for pulling together the rent and paying in one lump sum. I told them they needed to have it figured out by the following month. They could bicker amongst themselves over the money. They did begrudgingly figure it out, and I received one check from then on for the rent.
Be careful when renting a property, that you know exactly who will be paying the monthly rent. Stipulate in your lease who the responsible party will be that pays the rent. Otherwise, you may be treading on thin ice.
There are so many great reasons to buy a house today. Interest rates are low, inventory is plentiful and prices are at early 2000 prices. There are some great deals available today.
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers an $8000 tax credit for first time homebuyers that purchase between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. There are some stipulations on how the credit would apply to each homebuyer.
Buyers can claim the credit on their federal income taxes.
Individuals are eligible for the credit with an adjusted gross income of up to $75,000. It increases to $150,000 if filing jointly.
If the buyer(s) stays in the house for longer than 3 years they don't have to repay the money.
Yesterday, was the first day of Summer and it proved to be a beautiful one. Melbourne's temperatures reached 96 degrees, with humidity figured in, it was a sweltering 109 degrees. There was about 50% humidity.
We had the perfect solution, as did a few other people. We headed for Spessard Holland in South Melbourne beach.
It was quite warm, but the ocean water was cool and refreshing.
We spent a good bit of time out in the water, as my daughters are learning to surf.
We also did some fishing, but unfortunately caught nothing.
It was one of those days where you had to be really careful not to get fried from the sun, as there was a bit of a haze in the sky.
This is when people inadvertently get too much sun, without realizing it.
When we get these hot, humid temperatures it so important to get plently of fluids, to remain hydrated.
Brevard County Real Estate. Sandy Shores shares Brevard County Real Estate News, Market Watch, Statistics, reports, Community info, free client resources, Brevard County School information and more.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
I just finished reading an article that the Brevard County Tax Collectors office will no longer be accepting VISA cards to pay your tax bills. The decision came on May 4. VISA charges a $2.00 of 2.95% convenience fee (whichever is higher) to it's third party vendors.
I received a call from a young man on a house that I currently have available for rent. I always ask a series of questions when a prospective tenant calls on a property.
;)
;)
