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Palm Beach Gardens, FL Real Estate News

By Matthew J Blum - (retired from the business)
Palm Beach Gardens Baseball's opening Day is coming up fast. February 23,(this Saturday) mark your calenders for that day. With all the craziness about major league Baseball is there anything more pure then watching a little league Baseball game? What is more wholesome than that? If you are near Northern Palm Beach County (Palm Beach Gardens) please come out of February 23 to help support little League Baseball in our community.  This will be an all day event starting at 9am.  To help raise money for the league  their will be raffles, games and prizes to be won.  Also, local business have donated prizes to help support this league. Last year on Opening day the league was able to raise over $10,000 which was directly put right back into the league.  This money went towards upgrading the ...
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By Carol Clawson
(Keller Williams Realty of the Palm Beaches)
S Today's real estate market in Palm Beach Gardens, West Palm Beach, Jupiter, Juno Beach and North Palm Beach is as volatile as a spectacular fireworks display on the Fourth of July.  There are just as many "oos" and "aahs" in the sale prices of homes throughout the region as there are when the night sky lights up with bright and beautiful colors.It is a buyers' market and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The Weiss-Clawson Team is working successfully with both buyers and sellers in this market, but obviously, the challenge for sellers is much greater.Realistically, you should not have your home on the market if you really do not have to sell or if you are not willing to accept today's market price for your property.  And surely, if you list your home for sale well above the m...
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By Matthew J Blum - (retired from the business)
Why Does Hard Money / Private Money Cost So Much?As a Mortgage Broker in Florida (Palm Beach Gardens) I have built up a reputation as having many of these type of Hard Money Investors at my disposal.  While this is true I am also asked many times why does it cost so much to borrow money from these Investors.  I have always found in life that sometimes it easier to understand things if you look at it from the the other side.  Hard Money /Private Money is not always about greed but about using common sense.  When you are need of these type of loans it is because of:Poor CreditConventional Financing has denied your request for one of many different reasonsAlt A and Sub-Prime  have also denied your application for anyone of many reasonsNeed a Fast LoanNow these Investors realize this, belie...
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If that title didn't catch your eye, I don't know what will...... You and your family have decided to sell your Palm Beach Gardens real estate and I'm going to cover some things that should help make the process smoother and faster. The most important thing is pricing the home correctly. If you didn't hear me, I said PRICING One of the biggest problems facing Palm Beach Gardens real estate right now is the fact that so much of it is soooooo overpriced! As I've said to many people, when you're considering what your property is worth NOW: What you paid for it doesn't matterHow great you think it is doesn't matterWhat you owe on it doesn't matterAnd what it was worth 2 years ago doesn't matter either. That might sound rough, but I've got no reason to sugarcoat things. When I meet with you ...
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By Matthew J Blum - (retired from the business)
As a Mortgage Broker in South Florida (Palm Beach Gardens) part of what I do when a client is either purchasing or refinancing a property is get in touch with the Title Company.  It is illegal for a Lender or a Mortgage company to restrict what title company the client would like to use. (Unless a purchase please speak to your Full-Time Realtor to find the answers in your area) However, in the case of Hard Money type loans it is allowed because in many cases these loans fall out of guidelines because they are private investors.Getting back to the purpose of this post, it always amazes me when I am with a client and when I ask them if they have a title company they would prefer to use or would they like to go with one that I would suggest and have done business with in the past they tell...
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By Sandy Pitchford, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Tequesta Real Estate
(Distinct Estates)
Mirasol Country Club located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida is one of the top country clubs in all of Palm Beach County. This 1100+ home community offers 2 golf courses, tennis courts, restaurants, pool, spa, fitness center, and gymnasium. Mirasol offers a wide range of homes from small single family homes, beautiful condos, and large estate homes. Located close to Palm Beach Gardens Mall, Midtown, Downtown at the Gardens, with amazing restaurants movie theatre and so much more.
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By Sandy Pitchford, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Tequesta Real Estate
(Distinct Estates)
Frenchmans Reserve located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida is a beautiful country club community. This Toll Brothers community offers amenities such as tennis courts, spa, fitness center, restaurants, and golf. The custom section in Frenchmans Reserve located La Hermatage offers 1/3 acre lots with golf, lake, and preserve views. The custom homes include some of the finest upgrades and floor plans.
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People who regularly read my posts will know that I, along with many, many other Agents, am no fan of mass media - mainly due to the fact that they push negativity to an extreme.  Face it - negativity sells!  Newspapers - not real estate.So, when a newspaper prints something POSITIVE about Real Estate, I feel that I should give credit where credit is due.This weekend The Palm Beach Post featured BallenIsles as it's 'Neighborhood of the Week' and gave readers a look into one of the best Golf / Country Clubs available.I've written several posts about BallenIsles  -and I've got to say that it is already an extremely desirable community, but as the Post's article points out, the $48.7 million dollar renovation to the Club's Facilities and the East Golf Course will go a long way to keep the ...
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I don't mean to go off on a rant (with apologies to Dennis Miller) -BUT......And I do realize that you have to take the good with the BAD not-so-good -BUT......Let's go over 2 recent Customer contacts that I have had.Both want to buy real estate in Palm Beach Gardens, one doesn't need a mortgage the other one isn't sure.Easy so far - Customer 1: I'm looking to buy a home -Me: Fantastic - let's go over your specific wants / needs and we'll take it from there-Customer 1: It's going to be for me, my wife and 2 children.  We want a single family home, 4 bedrooms would be perfect.  We'd need a 2 car garage, a pool would be nice, but not necessary.  The quality of the local schools is very important, so I'll need as much information on them as possible.  Close to shopping and the beaches woul...
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You are trying to sell your real estate in Palm Beach Gardens and you're sure you've done everything right.I talk to Clients all the time about pricing, legalities - the BIG things.But you'd be shocked at how many people need to be reminded about the LITTLE things - such as making sure that your house is CLEAN!Yes, that was thinly-veiled sarcasm....I previewed several homes the other day for a client that will be coming down to buy in 2 - 3 weeks.Several were OK, but one was a mess - actually pretty dirty and the other Agent didn't seem to think that it was a problem! (Can you say 'moron'?  I knew you could!)If you want to show your home off and have a chance to sell it in ANY market your home needs to be SPOTLESS- no excuses.That home that was a mess?  I'll never waste my time showing ...
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Happy Friday Everyone-The last 2 days I've been talking about checking on your current mortgage - I want you to be sure that you know exactly what you have and I discussed several ways that you could have been tricked.Now, if you looked through all of your paperwork and everything checks out.... GREAT!  That's how it should be.However, if the mortgage on your Palm Beach real estate is NOT what you thought you had then it's time to fix things.The most frequent issue is that someone has an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) - but they thought it was fixed.If that's the case, the next thing to check on is how long the initial period is before the first adjustment can take place.  That is generally  2, 3, 5, 7 or as long as 10 years.What happens when that term is up?  The interest rate can incr...
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By Marilynn Glener, Broker Associate, GRI
(Keller Williams Realty)
Palm Beach Gardens Rental:  Pool Home:  MLS 2893361      Only $2,200.00 a month.The owner will provide pool maintenance and lawn care.2574 S Pepperwood Circle, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida: From PGA, South on Prosperity Farms, to Pepperwood on the left. This is a small charming community shaped in a horse shoe.  N Pepperwood and S Pepperwood Circle.Living square foot area under air 2,348. There is a formal dinning room, large living room,  family room, master bedroom with huge bath, three spacious bedrooms, one hall bathroom.  Beautiful wood floors. Two car garage.The patio is screened so you can enjoy the in-ground pool and the outdoors. There is a lovely privacy wall. There is a minimum lease of 365 days.Pet will be allowed with owners approval.If you would like to know more about Palm...
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Yesterday I started asking people the following: Do You Know What Kind of Mortgage that you currently have?Quite a few Palm Beach real estate owners would say "Sure!" without hesitation.However......I would tell EVERYONE to double-check your paperwork before you get a surprise.After several years in the business, I've lost track of the number of people that have come to me to refinance their home loans because they were shocked that 'all of a sudden' their monthly mortgage payment increased.The majority of the time the person was scammed, tricked or just flat-out lied to.  It's disgusting, but Mortgage Brokers and Lenders have a rotten reputation for a reason.  (I do believe that the majority of the people in the business ARE ethical - it's just that the ones that are bad are SO BAD tha...
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By Matthew J Blum - (retired from the business)
Mr. /Mrs. Loan Officer How Much Do I Qualify For?When shopping for a new home most people will go to their local bank ask to speak with a Loan Officer to ask how much will they qualify for on their first home Mortgage. Sadly, I have heard the following story to many times as a Mortgage Broker in South Florida (Palm Beach Gardens).  Last night while have dinner my phone rang from a past client who wanted to refer me a friend of his who was having problems with their Loan Officer at their local bank.  The problem was he could not a get a straight answer from this person on whether or not he would qualify for a home loan.  (Sound Familiar)Let me get to the Readers Digest version.  This Loan Officer at the bank handed the client a Good Faith Estimate and Truth-In-Lending page and that was i...
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In the past few months I've written several articles about BallenIsles-I consistently get more inquiries about the homes in there then any other Palm Beach real estate.Not only are the homes fantastic, but BallenIsles is also well known for it's Member's Club.I recently received an update from Cheryll R. Plotkin, the Director of Membership Services - here are some of the main points:"BallenIsles Country Club is a private, member-owned residential country club with three 18-hole championship golf courses, 23 tennis courts, pool, bocce court, three dining venues, great food, very attractive social program, and plenty of space for card playing.  BallenIsles Country Club began in 1962 as the P.G.A. National Golf Club and later was named J.D.M. Country Club by the original owner John D. MacA...
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By Matthew J Blum - (retired from the business)
Hard Money, Private Money, Construction Loans.... No this is not a TypoYou found your perfect property and now you want to build your dream home.  You just found out do to your situation (job history, FICO, Loan-to-Value, etc......) you can't qualify for a conventional Construction home loan in Florida.  As a Mortgage Broker in South Florida I have heard this story many times. This is why I am happy that I can offer this product to my clients.  Hard Money Loans/Private Money loans have had a myth that these type of loans are only for refinancing or a straight purchase of poor credit clients.  The truth is these type of loans are tools for many different type of investors.  If you find yourself in need of a Hard Money Construction loan please keep in mind the following will be looked at:...
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By Matthew J Blum - (retired from the business)
As I take my daily break of being a Mortgage Broker in South Florida I sit in my local Cigar Shop (Gardens Cigars ) located in Palm Beach Gardens and notice people.  Cigar shops usually offer more than just Cigars and Tobacco they sometimes offer unique gifts, this Cigar Shop included. Along with unique gifts Gardens Cigars also sells the Florida Lotto tickets, which leads me to this post.  As I sit with other patrons in the shop and enjoy my cigar it always amazes me when people will walk in the store and complain about the Cigar Smoke.  HELLO it is a CIGAR SHOP?!?Most of the complaints that I see are from people who want to walk in and buy a lotto ticket to avoid waiting in line at the Publix in the center.  I think the profit by selling one for the shop is .01.  I know with a profit ...
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By Sandy Pitchford, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Tequesta Real Estate
(Distinct Estates)
The Palm Bay Club located in BallenIsles offers newer town home style condos with beautiful floor plans. Located in BallenIsles these condos offer an easy lock and leave property for the seasonal buyer who comes down a few months out of the year. Located in Palm Beach Gardens BallenIsles has a great location close to everything.BallenIsles offers all the best in amenities as well as a very active country club lifestyle. .
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Mortgage Accelerator Programs.... As a Mortgage Broker in South Florida (Palm Beach Gardens) I have been bombarded by phone calls, E - Mails and direct Mail about how I can make money off my clients by selling or pushing these type of programs. Now I have done the numbers and this not a post about whether they work or they don't but this is the reality of them.  These programs are based off of Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC).  In Florida, the reality is their is not a Lender out their offering these products! PERIOD!!.. Florida is labeled as a Declining Market and to achieve a First Mortgage is an accomplishment let alone finding one that will be in 2nd position.  Ok. I might have over stated the part about know one is offering HELOC's, but the reality is if you don't have high FICO'...
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As a Mortgage Broker in South Florida (Palm Beach Gardens) I can't tell you how many times I have heard these words from my clients. "Just give me the Lowest Payment on My Mortgage" This is why when when preparing a quote for my clients I always layout their financing options.  (As any true Mortgage Professional would)Below is a typical loan scenario:Loan Amount - $200,000Fixed Payment for 5 Years               5 Year ARM                           30 Year Fix Rate                30 Year Fix Rate    (Hybrid Option Arm)                    Interest Only                         10 Year Interest Only2.35% (Payment Rate)                    5.875%                                 6.625%                                5.875%  7.625% (True Interest)                                                ...
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