Mortgage rates

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2015/02/27/mortgage-rates-continue-move-up#sf7703241

HOA

http://realtormag.realtor.org/news-and-commentary/commentary/article/2015/02/note-caution-about-hoas#sf7705006

Florida Marijuana

http://www.hightimes.com/read/florida-lawmakers-attempts-legalize-statewide-cannabis-industry

McMansions

http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-news/2015/02/26/mcmansions-remain-hot-buy#sf7681294

when hiring a contractor

Protecting Yourself

If you hire a contractor and the improvements cost more than $2,500, you should know the following:

• You may be liable if you pay your contractor and he then fails to pay his suppliers or contractors. There is a way to protect yourself. A Release of Lien is a written statement that removes your property from the threat of lien. Before you make any payment, be sure you receive this waiver from suppliers and subcontractors covering the materials used and work performed on your property.
• Request from the contractor, via certified or registered mail, a list of all subcontractors and suppliers who have a contract with the contractor to provide services or materials to your property.
• If your contract calls for partial payments before the work is completed, get a Partial Release of Lien covering all workers and materials used to that point.
• Before you make the last payment to your contractor, obtain an affidavit from your contractor that specifies all unpaid parties who performed labor, services or provided services or materials to your property. Make sure that your contractor provides you with final releases from these parties before you make the final payment.
• Always file a Notice of Commencement before beginning a home construction or remodeling project. The local authority that issues building permits is required to provide this form. You must record the form with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in the county where the property being improved is located. Also post a certified copy at the job site. (In lieu of a certified copy, you may post an affidavit stating that a Notice of Commencement has been recorded. Attach a copy of the Notice of Commencement to the affidavit.)
• In addition, the building department is prohibited from performing the first inspection if the Notice of Commencement is not also filed with the building department. You can also supply a notarized statement that the Notice has been filed, with a copy attached.

The Notice of Commencement notes the intent to begin improvements, the location of the property, description of the work and the amount of bond (if any). It also identifies the property owner, contractor, surety, lender and other pertinent information. Failure to record a Notice of Commencement or incorrect information on the Notice could contribute to your having to pay twice for the same work or materials.

Gulf Harbors Chess

http://www.gulfharborscivicassociation.org/GHCA_General_Information

Every 3rd Friday at 5
Every last Sunday of month at 5

Waterfront 2/2 BRAND NEW GRANITE KITCHEN $120K

Wabi-sabi

Wabi-sabi (侘寂?) represents a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection. The aesthetic is sometimes described as one of beauty that is "imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete".[2] It is a concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence (三法印 sanbōin?), specifically impermanence (無常 mujō?), the other two being suffering (苦 ku?) and emptiness or absence of self-nature (空 kū?).

Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (roughness or irregularity), simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural objects and processes.

Changes to closing procedure

http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2015/02/17/understand-the-aug-1-changes-to-hud-1-closing-process/#sf7501581

Architectural styles

http://architecture.about.com/od/housestyles/tp/housestylesindex.htm

Realtor.org

http://www.realtor.org/infographics/infographic-how-does-the-white-house-compare-to-the-typical-american-home?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+RealtororgResearchHeadlines+%28REALTOR.org+Research+Headlines%29

FAR - Education - Courses

FAR - Education - Courses

#loveFL

#debbiesmall debbiesmall.net #loveFL #newportrichey

Florida building codes

The Florida Building Code applies to: ". . . the construction, erection, alteration, modification, repair, equipment, use and occupancy, location, maintenance, removal and demolition of every public and private building, structure.” 101.4.2

Prior to 1992, Florida did not have a statewide building code. Hurricane Andrew (August 1992) caused about $16 billion in insured damage and revealed a statewide problem: Florida had an outdated system of locally administered building codes, codes compliance, and enforcement. The Florida Building Codes Study Commission was created to review the existing system and to make suggestions for improvement. Based on the weaknesses revealed during the sixteen months of study, the need for a single, statewide code was firmly established. The Florida Building Code was created by regulation (HB 4181) in 1998 and took effect in March of 2001.

The Florida Building Code is updated every three years and supersedes all local codes. Local amendments are only acceptable if they exceed existing requirements. This unified code serves as the sole document whose purpose is to incorporate all building standards adopted by all enforcement agencies and state agencies that license different types of facilities

FIRPTA and DEFRA

FIRPTA and DEFRA

The Foreign Investment and Real Property Tax Act (FIRPTA) was enacted in 1980 for the purpose of taxing gains accrued from the disposition of real property to foreign investors. However, the law was not specific in creating the appropriate mechanism to make foreign investors comply with the law.

The Deficit Reduction Act of 1984 (DEFRA) established the mechanism for withholding and compliance with the law. It requires that the closing agent of a real estate transaction involving a foreign seller must withhold, file a report, and transmit 10% of the gross sales price to the IRS, within ten days of the closing transaction.

Note: The IRS considers a withholding real estate practitioner as all parties involved in the transaction (real estate brokers, attorneys, buyers). The IRS charges each party individually and collectively in making sure that the 10% withholding takes place at the time of closing. There are civil and possible criminal penalties for failure to comply.

Substantial presence

Substantial Presence Test

A non-immigrant visitor will also be considered a U.S. resident for tax purposes if he or she meets the substantial presence test for the calendar year. To meet the test, the visitor must be physically present in the United States on at least:

1. 31 or more days during the current year, and
2. 183 days during the three year period that includes the current year and the two years immediately before, calculated as follows:

Count all the days present in the current year; take 1/3 of the days present in the first year before the current year, and take 1/6 of the days present in the second year before the current year. If the result is more than 182 days, they meet the Substantial Presence test and are taxed on their world-wide income.

EB5

http://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/permanent-workers/employment-based-immigration-fifth-preference-eb-5/eb-5-immigrant-investor