Thursday, December 29, 2011

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

CONCERNED ABOUT A NUCLEAR ATTACK ON THE US?  
 HERE IS A SOLUTION!

Silo missle sites in various states have been and are being converted into underground homes.

Taxpayers spent $3.3MM for a silo in Topeka, Kasas which has been converted to underground living quarters.  The silo was purchased for $40,000, in bad shape, in the 1980’s by a school teacher who, with his wife, has lived there comfortably ever after.

A 3’ layer of earth covers the top layer of reinforced concrete.  Floors are 3’ thick, walls and ceilings 18” thick and 15’ high.  The special concrete structure was built by the government to withstand a nuclear blast.   The folks who live in it say, “We love the solid, quiet feel of the place.  Not only is it very well built – it is very easy to heat and cool.”  This home has a large greenhouse around the hatch, which brings sunlight into the living space and was formerly used for heavy equipment to manipulate the missiles.  

About half of these former military sites are owned privately or by cities, counties, school districts, water companies and other commercial entities.  This is a niche market for a unique home for real estate agents.  The schoolteacher has made 55 sales, of which 5 have turned over more than once. They said that buyers include some military or former military personnel who are familiar with the silos, and know the benefits.  Others are looking for interesting projects to restore, and some want the seclusion, privacy and security.  Some buyers are survival-oriented.”

Mortgages and appraisals are a challenge.   “Prices have increased and are rising,” they said.


 
A former 14.5 acre Nike missile base in southeastern Indiana has been converted to three 5,000 sq ft residential spaces.  One features a kitchen, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an exercise room indoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi tub.  All have single-phase electric, city water, paved access with remote-control rolling front gates and high security chain link fencing topped with barbed wire. 




An Atlas F site is for sale now in the Adirondack Mountains in New York.  Diameter is 52’ and depth is 180’.  It holds a 2300 sq ft 2-story contemporary home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, finished interiors, a spiral staircase, fiber-optic lighting, a generator and new well.  The floor plan is open, there is a large garage and wraparound porch that hides the underground entryway.  Price has been reduced from $4.6mm to $750,000.  The entrance features heavy security doors that were built to withstand a 2000-lb blast.  Location is on part of an exclusive airport subdivision on a 2050 foot Federal Aviation Administration-approved runway.



A communications vault in Paris, Missouri near the Mark Twain recreational lake is available, needing “fix-up”.  There are 8200 sq ft of usable underground floor space on this 13-acre site.  Ceilings and walls are 24” thick and 2’ to 4’ of earth cover the underground area.  A metal shield envelopes the structure and there are heavy blast doors with an emergency-escape hatch exit.  The property is available for $295,000.  Electricity works and most rooms have heaters and dehumidifiers.

Here is a unique living style which has a following of those seeking secure homes in hardened cold war facilities.

Sunday, December 11, 2011





















Tuesday, December 06, 2011

DID YOU KNOW…



That a recent US census, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper, showed that 65+ age seniors now account for the largest segment, about 13%, of the population.  In 2000, it was 12.4%   in 1900 the number was 4.1%.  That 13% equates to 40.3-million people.



Soon current baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) will further grow the senior ranks.  Florida maintains its #1 spot, up 17.3%, with West Virginia, Maine, Pennsylvania and Iowa following.  Alaska has the lowest amount of seniors.  


Sunday, December 04, 2011

FLORIDA STAGE JOINS DELRAY'S ARTS GARAGE... performances coming...

 
Founding producing director, Louis Tyrrell, the spark plug who, for the last 24 years, built a startup into the nation's largest professional theater dedicated exclusively to producing new and emerging American plays, will soon make presentations at the Arts Garage, a multidisciplinary cultural hub on the ground floor of a Pineapple Grove parking lot in trendy downtown Delray, just off Atlantic Avenue.


The Theater at Arts Garage encompasses many arts covered by the Arts Garage, including music, dance and visual arts - a good partnership!  Starting event will be in February with a Master Playwright Series, four weekly play-readings/lectures on Tuesday evenings.  The New Play Festival will be unveiled in early March featuring readings of 6 evolving scripts, play writing workshops and a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize-winner Marshal Norman.  With reduced space, productions will be smaller.  Tyrrell says that intimate theater "is the new normal."


A musical play, "Woody Sez" will be presented from March 16-April 8, based on the music of folk troubadour Wood Guthrie.  Those subscribers to Florida Stage left with canceled tickets when it closed, can use them for admission on a space-available basis.


Future plans include the opening of The Arts Warehouse in a 15,000 sq ft facility, not yet renovated, perhaps opening in 2014.


This is a "win-win," a great addition to Delray Beach's vibrant arts scene.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

MIZNER PARK
AMPHITHEATER
COMING EVENTS























Monday, November 28, 2011

Planning a flight soon?  Head over to SeatGuru.com and see more than 700 airline seat maps from most carriers and read 25,000+ reviews from other fliers.



Get tips on which seats have:
  • limited recline
  • reduced legroom
  • misaligned windows
  • superior and substandard seats identified by color
  • compare seats from different carriers 
and have a wonderful flight!

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

EVER WONDERED WHAT THE
INTERNET ECONOMY IS?





McKinsey estimates that the 200 million-person global economy has reached $8-trillion.  The report is limited to the G-8 countries plus Brazil, China, India and South Korea.
·        Private consumption refers to, electronic equipment, e-commerce, broadband subscriptions, mobile internet and hardware and software consumption
·        Private investment refers to, from telecommunications industry and maintenance of extranet, intranet and websites
·        Public expenditure refers to, government buying and spending of hardware and services
·        Trade refers to, exports of internet equipment and b-2-b services with overseas companies



The internet contributes more to the economy than mining, utilities, agriculture or education.  In France since the mid-1990’s, McKinsey states that the internet created twice the number of jobs that it destroyed.  World leader of the online industry is the United States with 30% of global internet revenues, but the UK is the world leader in online retail sales.  China’s and India’s internet economies rely on exporting online services for most of their economies.

NOTE THAT REAL ESTATE HAS THE GREATEST WEIGHT IN THE GDP.... 

Sunday, November 06, 2011

CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF
HONOR WINNER

You might remember a news story several months ago about a crotchety old man who defied his homeowners association and refused to take down
the flagpole on his property and the large flag that flew on it. Now you can
find out who, exactly, that old man was.
On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg -- probably
didn't make much news back then. twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano , Italy , Van T. Barfoot, who had enlisted in the US Army in 1940, set out to
flank German machine gun positions from which fire was coming down on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war.

If that wasn't enough for a day's work, he later took on and
destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.

That probably didn't make much news either, given the scope of the
war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a colonel after
also serving in Korea and Vietnam , a Congressional Medal of Honor.

What did make news was a neighborhood association's quibble with how the 90-year-old veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot's 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable.

He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn't take it down. Since the story made national TV, the neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed to indulge this old hero who dwells among them.

"In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference," Barfoot told The Associated Press. As well he should. And if any of his neighbors still takes a notion to contest him, they might want to read his Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he's not real good at backing down.
Van T. Barfoot's Medal of Honor citation:
This 1944 Medal of Honor citation, listed with the National Medal of Honor Society, is for Second Lieutenant Van T. Barfoot, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry:
WE ONLY LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE... BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE! AND, BECAUSE OF OLD MEN LIKE VAN BARFOOT!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

FAU MAKING BOCA RATON
INTO MORE AND MORE OF
A COLLEGE TOWN


New 1200-bed apartment opens near new Florida Atlantic University football stadium, offering large pool, sand volleyball court and bbq grills.  Resident card access for elevators increases security.  Campus has a fitness and recreation center, movie house and mall-style food court.  



Cost to student for a semester is $4400-$4800.  This $121-MM complex has a 7- and 8-story buildings separated by a courtyard, with 2- and 4-bedroom apartments, two baths, kitchens, cable tv and high speed internet access.  Each student has their own bedroom and full size bed.  Apartments are all rented for this semester.

Monday, October 24, 2011

AWARD WINNING

PALM BEACH COUNTY THRIVES

Palm Beach County maintains a strong internet presence by offering many web-based applications to easily and transparently access service and do business with county departments and agencies. The 2011 Digital Counties Survey, partnering with the National Association of Counties, awarded our county #1 in digital technology, #1 in counties with populations over 500,000.

The annual survey takes into account achievements using technology both regarding operating efficiencies and realizing strategic objectives. ePZV refers to planning, zoning and building. ePermits is used for land development. WbEOC is for emergency management,e911for emergency dispatch, LEX for law enforcement data sharing, HRIS for human services and myGeoNav (GIS).



Many government, education and nonprofit organizations are connected to the county fiber optic network, allowing an open access public network. Internet service is provided to the network by Florida LambdaRail.

For making government information easily accessible, the county website, www.pbcgov.com won the 2011 Sunny Award from Sunshine Review which recognizes government websites exceeding standards aimed at encouraging open government, and the 2010 NACo Achievement Award for outstanding promotion of government transparency was presented to the Palm Beach County Ethics Initiative.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011






















































Sunday, October 16, 2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011

HERE WE GO AGAIN…


RealtyTrac advises that while foreclosure activity fell for the 11th straight month on a yearly basis in August, it rose compared to July. In August the nation’s foreclosure rate was 1 in 570 housing units. The increase in foreclosure activity was driven by a 33% jump in default notices, largest monthly increase since August 2007. RealtyTrac’s CEO stated that, “The big increase in new foreclosure actions may be a signal that lenders are starting to push thru some of the foreclosures delayed by robo-signing and other documentation problems.” Scheduled auctions and bank repos fell both month-to-month and year- over –year in August. In Florida 23,569 properties received a foreclosure filing in August, a 59% drop from August 2010. That accounts for 1 in 376 units.


Banks are offering incentives of $10,000, $20,000 and $30,000 to sellers who go to foreclosure to help with a new start and a new bill, Homestead Act 2, being introduced shortly, will propose offering $20,000 to foreclosure buyers for down payment assistance. A similar offer was made by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 for Union Army veterans to file an application and claim up to 160 acres of government land; the homesteader was required to improve the land building a home and growing crops. It would come in the form of a loan and be forgiven each year in the first 5 years of the homestead, by 1/5th each year.

Friday, September 02, 2011

DELRAY BEACH'S

CREST THEATRE

PRESENTS HOLIDAY ICE SHOW

Treat yourself to the Award Winning MUSICAL MOMENTS ON ICE feauring Big Band and Abba sounds and sounds of many other musical genres along with world class skating, elaborate costumes and artistic athleticism for a most memorable performance.



The performance will be held at the Crest Theatre, 51 North Swinton in Delray Beach within Old School Square on December 16, 17 and 18th, with matinee and evening performances. The Crest Theatre is located within Old School Square at 51 North Swinton Avenue in Delray Beach. Call the Crest Theatre Box Office: 561.243.7922 ext. 1. Individual ticket price is $42.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

2002 PRICES PREVAIL FOR SOUTH FLORIDA HOMES







According to the Chairman of the Index Committee and S&P indices, “No cities made new lows in June 2011,” and “this month’s S&P/Case Shiller Home Price Index report showed mixed signals for recovery in home prices.” Home sales, they say, are at the same levels in June as they were in 2002. Homes in the tri-county area were up .6% from May but down 5.1% from the same period in 2010. Keep in mind that “2002 prices prevail” does not refer to all sales. When homes are well located for the buyers needs and have extra features such as pools, boat docks, sizeable lots, and upgraded kitchens and baths, the seller may get a higher price than the “2002 value.” Investors looking for income earning properties, on the other hand, bid low, so those sales are at the 2002 level, and maybe lower if not in good condition.


Pending sales have declined, and until we have easier access to credit, an increase in job opportunities, and the financial markets stabilize, the housing market will continue to struggle to recover. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said, “The market can easily move into a healthy expansion if mortgage underwriting standards return to normalcy… proper comparables [must be] used in appraisal valuations” and he added that the short sale process must be streamlined. He also stated that, “investors are buying real estate as a future inflation hedge.”


Nevertheless, this remains the best time ever to buy in Florida, and discerning cash buyers are buying. Those looking at higher end houses realize that if they buy now, they can live in a beautiful home, in due time it will appreciate in value while they are enjoying the lifestyle… and real estate has ALWAYS “COME BACK”.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Are we facing the loss of the interest deduction and would that threaten a housing market recovery?

Chief Economist of the National Association of Realtors, Lawrence Yun, says, "the mortgage interest deduction is vital to the stability of the American housing market and economy."  He further says, "facilities home ownership by reducing the carrying costs of owning a home, and it makes a real difference to hard-working middle-class families."

With all the cuts coming up soon, would this be a positive or negative cut for the economy if it reduces the number of home buyers who counted on the interest deduction?