GOOD NEWS JUST IN ON THE HOME SALES FRONT....

"The upswing in April sales was expected because of the tax credit inducement, and no doubt there will be some temporary fallback" ahead,” says National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. He further states that  “Not only do consumers have growing confidence in the economy and their own incomes, but home buyers no longer fear further price declines -- and that's a crucial turning point in the cycle.”

THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME?

THINKING ABOUT SELLING YOUR HOME?

Have you heard that STAGING can make a difference and may help sell your home?

Learn all about it at Robb & Stucky by attending one of their seminars, “Staging to Sell”.  Robb & Stucky Design Consultant Ron Hammond will tell you how to “prep” your home for a faster sale and make it stand out from other homes on the market.   

Your real estate agent can also be helpful, e.g. convincing you to remove clutter, open up spaces… after all, “it is all about the buyer,” and they are not interested in the sellers collections nor family photos, but rather, how their collections and furniture will fit in your home if they buy it.  It may be hard for sellers to understand that, but can make the difference for a faster sale.

The seminars will be held in the Boca Raton store in Mizner Park on May 27^th and June 24^th at 2 pm.  Reserve by calling 561-862-5597.

JUNE HAPPENINGS TO ENJOY

JUNE HAPPENINGS TO ENJOY

Old School Square members have lots of goodies in store.  You and the family can visit 17 museums, attractions and cultural centers free during June 2010. 

This includes the BAMM program which gives free June entry to 20 organizations including the Boca Raton Children’s Museum, Cornell Museum, Cinema Paradiso, Flamingo Gardens, IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame, International Swimming Hall of Fame Museum, and many other interesting facilities.

The Cornell Museum of Art has developed a reciprocal partnership with the Boca Raton Museum of Art, allowing OSS members complimentary admission from June 22 through August 8, 2010 to the Boca Museum of Art 59^th Annual All Florida Juried Exhibition and the Boca Museum Artist’ Guild Exhibition and permanent collection.

Collectors should head over to the Cornell Museum for their STUFF II: The  Joy of Collecting exhibit.  Treasured items have been loaned by local collectors including glass, vintage household items, comic books, antique tools, women’s accessories, photographs, baseball cards, duck decoys and home décor which have wonderful stories accompanying the collections. 

Old School Square Membership starts at $30 for up to 2 adults and children under 18 in same household.

BOCA RATON TO GIVE INCENTIVE DOLLARS TO BUSINESSES

City Council, recognizing that other local and state governments are giving out funds and other assistance to attract businesses, has approved $1,000,000 to provide local matching dollars to business receiving state money or moving to the city, or to expanding local businesses that are creating jobs.  Some state, city and county grants require a local dollar match. The amount may increase to $5,000,000.  The City Council’s focus is to create jobs and expand the tax base.

Under the plan, a local business could receive between $1000 and $500,000 to create a certain number of jobs, provide a salary level that is 120% of the average county salary, and have the potential to create significant economic growth in the city.  The target is office-based and industrial businesses, not restaurants or retail businesses.

Eleven programs include workforce training assistance and grants, low-interest loans to start up small businesses, façade improvement grants and building renovations that will make energy use more efficient.  Economic development funds have also been created in Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens. 

ROBB & STUCKY'S FAUX PAINTING SEMINAR REVIEW

If you enjoyed finger painting as a child, you will understand why Tim Ellis has such a good time doing the beautiful faux painting work that he does.   Tim showed us samples of fabulous marble, wood, granite, leather, suede, Venetian plaster and fabric finishes that he made. 

His grandfather started the faux painting business in Florence, Italy, and now a 4^th generation is also involved.   He explained that faux painting is an absorbing business and told us about the process. 

He showed us a marble finish he did that had 9 layers… took several days.  Many finishes can be done in one day in one room.  He uses a water base primer that, vs. oil based, is not toxic and does not smell.  Wipe the surface first with primer, sand, apply finish(es) and then glaze.  He suggested using Old Masters glaze and has experimented with most glazes, if not all.  Tim said that glazes seal the paint and give a nice luster, and best of all they can be scrubbed.  He showed us that you can put a strong color in the back ground, striae (stripe) at random over it in white and the background will be there, but not strong.  Tim described various brushes he uses, and he also uses sponging and other methods.

A leather sample he did went up on a coffered ceiling, matching the furniture in the room.  Wood finishes match actual wood pieces and look exactly like them.  Marbles were beautiful colors and he compared using the same colors with darker or lighter results.  The black granite sample, he said, was okay for formica cabinets but not for counter tops. 

I found myself thinking how closely his work resembled faux work done on pillars and in architectural niches in a listing of mine.  The pillars are painted to match the floor and "fade out," and are not intrusive.  When he showed the crushed tissue paper samples, I got very excited, as the listing's master bathroom had it on the walls.  I raised my hand and asked, “Back in about 2002 did you do a builder’s model in Polo Trace?”  He said he did. I said, “I KNEW IT and want to tell everyone here that it looks as good today as when he did it.  The house looks fabulous because of those touches.”  See more pictures featuring Tim's faux painting, scroll down page to the listing for this property in Polo Trace.

If you want to reach Tim, call Robb and Stucky Design Consultant Ron Hammond at 561-445-7190.

VOTE FOR THE 2010 COLLECTIBLE CAR OF THE YEAR

The New York Times offers pix of 30 finalists with classics from different eras and countries to vote for.   

Pictures and information on each car are available.  Voting ends May 17, 2010.  Winner to be announced July 24, 2010.   

Photos also available on the site for previous winners.

BOCA MUSEUM PRESENTS ELVIS AT 21 PHOTO EXHIBIT

 

Going back in time to 1956, struggling photographer Alfred Wertheimer was assigned to take photos of a newly signed young singer from Memphis, TN named Elvis Presley.  

The Boca Museum of Art is featuring these photos which remain among the very best candid images of the young man who became the King of Rock’N Roll.  The traveling Smithsonian exhibit, Elvis at 21, opens Tuesday. 

Wertheimer says that Elvis told him, “I don’t just sing with my voice, I sing with my whole body.”  He also commented that Elvis let him get within 3-4 feet of himself, became totally absorbed in what he was doing, and this enabled Wertheimer to get wonderful candid shots, the only ones that exist today.

LIFE IN WISCONSIN as painted by ROBERT DUNCAN

While this is NOT typical Florida life, I think you will enjoy watching this power point show.  If download does not work, click view.  Sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds.

	RobertDuncan'spaintings.pps 5149K   View   Download

South Florida Business Journal: EXISTING HOME, CONDO SALES RISE-in 2010 homes and condos are unlikely to be as cheap to buy or as cheap to finance.

The latest monthly Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller home price index came in higher last week. Prices were up in 12 of the 20 major markets that Case Shiller monitors.   Home price indexes increased nationwide in August, including in South Florida where an S&P Case-Shiller report released today showed a 1.1 percent step up.  The index does include all single family homes sold, which may account for any difference between it and National Association of Realtor figures released last week that showed a small dip in local median home prices. The NAR looks at MLS listings only.

The Commerce Department released parallel findings last week - that consumers are finally beginning to loosen up on spending, and are making purchases they deferred during the scary months of 2009.   If that rate of expansion in consumption continues, not only will it begin to whittle away at the unemployment rate, but also stimulate the entire US economy, since consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the national gross domestic product or GDP.  The housing and mortgage sectors could also begin to show some of that confidence and willingness to spend.

Home sales are expected spike upwards in the coming several months as the two federal housing tax credits head for expiration.  Mortgage Bankers Association reported last week that applications for new loans to buy houses - a bellwether indicator - jumped by seven percent and now stand at their highest level in six months.

Find out what to do with your treasured items.  They can be the inspiration for your décor!

Discover what pieces to restore, repaint, recover or relinquish.  At 2pm on Thursday, April 8^th, come to the Mizner Park Robb & Stucky store, and hear from Designer Rick Veller, ASID and Design Consultant, Sandra Welsch, how to incorporate your personal mementos into a look that works for your current lifestyle.

Reservations are requested, as space is limited.  Please call 561-862-5597.

SEA TURTLE DAY AT GUMBO LIMBO

On March 13^th, Gumbo Limbo will celebrate their 5^th Annual Sea Turtle Day from 10 a m to 4 pm.  Included in the celebration will be marine life, our oceans, terrestrial species and habitats along with a fun-filled day of environmental education.  Learn about conservation to help make our world a better, cleaner place, and how all species and habitats are interconnected.  This year’s focus will be on responsible fishing.  Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

CBS Channel 12 will feature on their morning show on February 21^st a live broadcast from Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, from 6-9 am.  CBS recently showed surgical treatments for 35 green sea turtles affected by fibropapilloma, a virus which manifests in fleshy tumors on the turtles skin.  It is contagious among turtles, but does not affect humans.  Currently, only surgery can remove the tumors.  After surgery and a short recovery period, the turtles will be released to the ocean.  There were 5000 “cold-stunned” turtles rescued during 2 weeks of abnormally cold temperatures in Florida. 

Come to Gumbo Limbo and stroll around the butterfly garden, climb the observation tower on the boardwalk through coastal hammock, sit in a hut, see saltwater tanks brimming with marine life and take photos of the 7 giant turtles in the sea turtle garden. 

Wiggy, the Kemp’s Ridley turtle pictured about was captured as an adult in 1971 and is presumed to be born about 1960. 

The turtle pictured here, FeeBee, a Loggerhead, survived pneumonia and was hatched in July 2002 in Spanish River Park in Boca Raton.

Above is Milton, another Loggerhead, hatched in July 2002 south of the South Beach Pavilion in Boca Raton.  97 out of 102 of Milton’s eggs hatched.

You can adopt a sea turtle, including FeeBee or Milton, to help support their care and feeding.

GOING THROUGH END-OF-LIFE ISSUES WITH FAMILY MEMBERS?

Head over to the CARING INFO website.  Find out there about caring for someone, planning ahead, living with an illness.  You can download an advance directive form, fill it out and add it to your google health profile so it will always be easy for a family member to find.  There is hospice info there and a legal guide for the seriously ill.  There is also information on grieving a loss and using community outreach resources.

BOCA WHISPER WALK GUN CLUB 

VERY ACTIVE

In order to get a Florida state gun permit, according to the Treasurer of the Whisper Walk Gun club in West Boca Raton, you need 6 hours of intense coaching and a final period of shooting the gun at a range. The club is 14 years old and has 50 members including retired professionals, a few ex-law enfocement officers, neighbors and people from other communities. They meet monthly in the community clubhouse. 

During class you

·        see a 10-minute NRA video about the safe and responsible use of firearms

·        go through the NRA training manual, “The Basics of Pistol Shooting

o      pistol parts

o      operation

o      ammunition

o      using a pistol safey

o      operating a pistol

o      shooting basics

Three fundamental gun safety rules are mentioned:

·        always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction

·        keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot

·        always keep the gun unloaded until ready to use

The group learns how to shoot and care for their weapon.  They go to a Pembroke Pines shooting range a few times a month.  For more information call 561-482-5636.

MORE NEWS ABOUT HOME SALES

The median single-family home in Palm Beach County sold for $238,000 in January – 9 percent higher than in 2009, according to the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches. Inventory in January was down to eight months, less than half of what it was in January 2009.  Are we experiencing the start of a seller's market?

Realtors say part of the problem is that people hear the hype about the down market and expect to find a steal in a great neighborhood.  Last year, more than 500,000 Florida homes received some type of foreclosure notice, according to RealtyTrac who charts foreclosures.  But while foreclosures are usually priced low, they’re not always good deals. They could be tagged with liens, have missing appliances or be in general disrepair.

Buyers have said banks will sometimes set a low asking price on a short sale to attract buyers, but with no plans to actually settle for that price. While short sales have traditionally taken months to settle, new federal guidelines that go into effect in April require banks to respond to short sale offers within 30 days.

LATEST FLORIDA HOME SALES NEWS:   WHY IS RIGHT NOW THE BEST TIME EVER TO BUY A PROPERTY IN FLORIDA? Florida single family home sales in Florida were up 33% for the month of JANUARY 2010  compared with the prior year, and condo sales gained 91%.  REALTY TIMES reports that Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors which conducts the pending sales survey said the swings from month to month are "masking the underlying trend (in housing) which is a broad improvement over year-ago levels."   Yun also predicts that that the two home purchase tax credits -- the extended $8,000 credit and the new $6,500 credit -- will have a significant impact on closed sales in the coming several months.  He forecasts that the two credits combined will stimulate 2.4 million sales in 2010, and most of that activity will be compressed into the first six months of the year. December's pending sales contracts were 11 percent higher than December 2008's.

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THE WHITE HOUSE LOST MARKET VALUE TOO…      

The Palm Beach Post Real Estate News page reports that,  “you and your neighbors are not alone.  The place the president and his family call home was worth 5.1% less last year, one analyst says.”

Zillow “zestimates” 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington DC (The White House) at $288,494,000.  The residence has 16 bedrooms, 35 baths and is 55,000 sq ft.  They further estimate a monthly mortgage payment would be $1,216,562.

THE STORY OF RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER... confirmed by SNOPES as true

A guy named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night. His 4-year-old daughter, Barbara, sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bobs wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn't understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dads eyes and asked, "Why isn't Mommy just like everybody else's Mommy?" Bob's jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob's life. Life always had to be different for Bob. Being small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he'd rather not remember.

From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn's bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938. Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn't even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn't buy a gift, he was determined a make one - a storybook!

Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal's story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose.

Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn't end there. The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph. That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book. In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of Wards returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter.

But the story doesn't end there either. Bob's brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of "White Christmas." The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn't so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing!

OLD SCHOOL SQUARE’S CREST THEATER PRESENTS 

WINTER WONDERLAND ON ICE  

          

With 3 performances coming up, you don’t want to miss the international cast of champion pairs an soloists, colorful costumes and exciting music, electrifying jumps, lifts and spins and enchanting vocals.  Olympic Bronze medalist and 2-time European Champion Jozef (“Jumpin’ Joe) Sabovcik will WOW us with his skating performance.  Performances are Friday, December 18^th at 8 pm; Saturday, December 19^th at 2pm and 8pm; Sunday, December 20^th at 2 pm and 7 pm.   

Tickets are $42 and can be ordered online at http://www.oldschool.org/ or by calling 561-243-7922, ext 1.  The Crest Theatre is located at Old School square, 51 No. Winton Avenue, Delray Beach.  

Come early with the elementary school (and pre-school) children who can ride the Carousel.  Carousel hours are 5-9 pm weekdays and 1-9 pm weekends and during school break.  Rides are $2 each.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Visit the Panther Ridge Conservation Center in Wellington to see the lifetime home for abandoned, abused or unwanted captive, exotic felines.  Here you can learn about the challenges these animals face in the wild, medical care, nutrition and the problems related to private ownership.  The animals roam within a 3-acre pen.   

The Center is located at 14755 Palm Beach Point Boulevard in Wellington, FL 33414 - Phone: 561-795-8914.  Group and Individual Tours can be arranged. 

The Center survives as a non-profit organization thanks to contributions from corporations, individual patrons and veterinary facilities.   

Come on over on December 13^th for hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, raffle prizes and take a photo with a baby jaguar at their fund raising event from 12-3 pm at LoLa Restaurant and Ultria Lounge, 16950 Jog Road, Delray Beach.  561-496-5652.