Florida Keys Driving Schools and Driver’s Ed Programs

Find verified driving schools and driver’s ed programs in the Florida Keys:

Make Money Fast – How to Build Wealth Quickly With Low Risk

If you want to make money fast the ideal investment is one that has huge upside and low downside but of course you need to pick wisely, you will also want an affordable investment that investment is

Costa Rican real estate that can be bought for just $30 – 60,000 and investors who have bought in the right locations, have doubled or tripled their gains!

Average gains for ALL properties have been 300% over the last ten years, but you can exceed this by choosing your location wisely.

Investing is easy

As we shall see, you can get affordable properties that can make money quickly and everything is easy to arrange, with many companies catering for foreign buyers.

How to change good capital growth to fantastic growth!

So if you have an average investment you will make a good return, but pick your location wisely and you can make stunning gains.

Costa Rica real estate is hot and offers you a lot of advantages that include:

1. Affordable entry levels of investment at up to 80% less than Florida property

2. A track record of growth with low risk that is accelerating

3. The opportunity to double or triple your investment if you buy in the right location

4. The comfort of knowing you are investing in a stable country

5. The comfort of knowing that you have the same rights as residents of Costa Rica

6. The government encourages investment and that means buying is easy

7. Buying property is very tax efficient

8. Costa Rica is only 3 hours by direct flight from the Southern USA states

9. Costa Rica is a market that is established and growing

10. Costa Rica is a beautiful country with well developed infrastructure with all the comforts of the US at 70% less cost

Costa Rica has all the ingredients to make money fast and foreigners are investing hundreds of millions each year in property.

Location the key to huge gains

If you want to be smart and make gains above the average, look at the coming infrastructure.

A new international airport, the biggest marina in the country and a new freeway linking the main towns of the pacific coast are all coming to Costa Rica – this means that investors who buy before these amenities are completed could make a killing.

Of course, after they are completed people will want to buy to be near them however you will be in first and take advantage of the property price increases that follow.

This is just one example, but there are many more.

Just look at the infrastructure and buy in advance. This will give you far greater returns on your money than buying in an established area.

Investment and rental income

You can make huge returns on your investment but you can also make money fast by taking advantage of the rental market, renting your property on long or short term, if you don’t want to sell.

Of course, this is an investment you can enjoy and it’s far more fun visiting your property than your mutual fund manager!

Costa Rica has it all rolling hill, stunning beaches, Volcanoes, rivers, mountains and an abundance of wildlife and is simply one of the friendliest and most breathtaking countries in the world.

High rewards low risk – the way to make money fast

As you can see from the above in just a few years you make a lot of money in Costa Rican real estate bank your profit, or get extra rental income

caution!

Mind you if you ever visit the place, you may end up spending more time in your investment than you thought!

The fate of “OUTSOURCING”

Taking a tough stand against outsourcing, the presumptive Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama said that the choice is between giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas or give benefit to those corporations that keep jobs domestically.

 

                                 This statement by the presidential candidate created a hue and cry in the BPO industry in India and also managed to grab the headlines of our daily newspapers. The reason for that is the amount BPOs contribute to the economy and to the society is considerable. Lakhs of jobs have been created in India thanks to the BPO industry. For FY07, the total IT industry (including domestic segment and hardware) was $48 billion. Of this, the total revenue from software and services (exports) was $31.3 billion and ITeS-BPO revenue was $9.5 billion for FY07. Nasscom said, out of the estimated $31 billion from IT services, $23.1 billion came from exports, with the domestic market contributing the balance.

 

                                           US continues to remain the biggest market for India’s software industry with a share of 61 percent, exports to Europe, have grown more than 55 percent since 2004, and the UK now accounts for 18 percent of India’s

 

software services while continental Europe for 12 percent.

Given all this at stake it was expected that the statements made the presidential candidate would grab headlines in our daily newspapers.

 

 

From the American point of view

 

  

These are some alarming numbers:

 

8,00,000 American white collar jobs believed to have been lost to outsourcing in India and elsewhere e between 2000 and 2006.

14.1 million Americans currently holding jobs considered to be at the risk of being outsourced.

57 % of Americans with income over $ 100,000 actively supported free trade in 1999 that was when white collar jobs were not moved abroad number fell to 28 % in 2004 after outsourcing became common customers indicated in 2004 that theFrom $ 5 billion dollars spent in 2000 the amount spent by US firms on offshore services from third party outsources rose to $ 78 billion in 2006.

 

 

66% of US workers feel outsourcing is harmful to the economy.

 

24% of American  would stop doing business with an American firm that outsourced their support staff.

44% of the amount of market for software and back office services outsourcing is currently controlled by Indian firms.

 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in the US is down to 5.2%, and is expected to decline further.

 

 

The Indian outsourcing business grew out of a more basic industry providing Indian computer programming and code-writing expertise to American hardware and software giants. When Indian firms entered the outsourcing business serving firms, a business then dominated by the likes of IBM and EDS, much lower labour costs held the key to its rapid revenue growth: over 50 per cent a year in 1994-2001.

 

The time difference also gave India a selling-point. Thanks to, say, the ten-hour time gap between America and India,

 

 

American clients could offer 24-hour service by switching to Indian workers during the American night.

 

A simple case study in this regard can be seen through the offshore outsourcing of Guardian:

 Offshore outsourcing has proved a money-saver at Guardian, letting it cut $13.5 million out of the annual software-development budget by sending 40% of that work overseas. Guardian outsources to India through Patni Computer Systems Ltd. of Mumbai.

 

In an election year the speeches that the presidential candidate makes have to be taken with a pinch of salt. One must also remember that those comments were not made while he was addressing the strong Immigrant Indian population.

 

 

 

On the brighter side:

 

The availability of jobs requiring low and mid-level skills in the US may be slowing down, but the opportunities to make money are not. After so much hue and cry over outsourcing for the

 

past few months, this same is benefiting America. Outsourcing is not only limited to big companies like GE but has opened the door for smaller companies and virtually anyone can outsource their job via Internet these days. For instance, a person from Florida who lost his job due to outsourcing started a business in web programming and internet marketing and outsourced the whole of his job to Delhi, where he gets everything done in almost $100 per month for the worth of $5,000 per month. He earns twice what his job used to pay him.

 

 

 

 

 

Health amendments stack up

Senators prepared to cast their first votes today on health-care legislation, but even as partisan divisions hardened and contentious amendments stacked up, Democrats increasingly expressed optimism that they would succeed in passing a bill before Christmas.

The initial amendments offered illustrated the legislation’s vast scope and lingering vulnerabilities. The first, cosponsored by Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski (D., Md.) and Olympia J. Snowe (R., Maine), would increase preventive health care for women at a 10-year cost of $940 million. One aim of the measure is to blunt concerns raised last month when an independent commission recommended that women undergo mammograms less frequently.

The second amendment, sponsored by Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.), would strip out the bill’s primary revenue source, nearly $500 billion in Medicare cost savings. Although AARP and other seniors’ groups have argued otherwise, Republicans are attacking the cuts as a threat to current benefits that could eventually shorten lives.

McCain told reporters, “They’ve paid all their working lives into the Medicare trust fund, and now they’re in danger of having $483 billion cut out of it, which would eventually lead to rationing of health care for seniors in order to fund a new, government-run health-care system in America.”

Other flash points expected to reach the floor in the form of amendments would target bill provisions related to abortion and illegal immigrants.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) said debate could continue through the weekend.

“I want people to feel that they’ve had an opportunity to understand the bill, offer whatever amendments they think will improve it,” he said.

Republicans are targeting key sections of the bill, including the nearly $400 billion in tax increases that would finance its 10-year, $848 billion cost. GOP lawmakers also are expected to propose significant changes to medical-malpractice laws.

To manage the expected deluge of Democratic amendments, Reid and other leaders are urging their colleagues to focus only on their top priorities for floor consideration.

One pending proposal would increase federal funding for residency training to relieve the cost burden on large teaching hospitals in states such as Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Illinois, and New York.

Sponsored by Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D., N.Y.), the measure would provide $2 billion in additional funding over 10 years to create an extra 2,000 residency slots nationwide.

Another group of Senate Democrats, including Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, is pushing improvements to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. And a group of moderates, including Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware, is crafting language to strengthen cost-cutting programs.

Centrist Democrats, who are likely to decide the bill’s fate, appeared reassured by a Congressional Budget Office report rejecting insurance-industry assertions that the Senate measure would add thousands of dollars to the average family’s insurance bill.

The CBO found that Reid’s package would leave premiums unchanged or slightly lower for the vast majority of Americans who get coverage through their jobs.

A key moderate, Sen. Ben Nelson (D., Neb.), said he remained concerned about people who would face higher premiums. But he said he was more immediately focused on other problems in the package, including whether federal funds would directly or indirectly subsidize abortions.

Nelson said he would introduce an amendment similar to one the House adopted, barring the public plan that the bill would include from providing abortion services, while barring people who receive federal subsidies from using that money to buy insurance that includes abortion coverage.

6 Ways To Deal With Foreclosure

According to RealtyTrac’s website there have been over 2 million foreclosures in 2007. The top three foreclosure states are California, Texas and Florida. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, 1 out of every 200 homes will be foreclosed.

If you are facing foreclosure, put away those credit cards and stop charging. Put yourself on a spending plan immediately. Contact your lender’s litigation or foreclosure department to inform them you are having a financial hardship. Monitor your finances until your other debts are paid off so you don’t get into the same situation in the future. Confirm the agreement with your lender in writing. Be sure to consult a tax advisor to determine rules regarding foreclosure. Don’t be discouraged, there are several ways you can save your home. Here are 6 tips to assist you when facing foreclosure:

1. Short Sale. You can sell your house for less than what you currently owe on your loan. Your home does not have to go into foreclosure, you don’t have to file bankruptcy and the filing process is much faster. The lender saves money without having to file foreclosure proceedings, but does lose money by not getting the full price of the home during the sale. The buyer gets the house at a reduced price.

2. Partial Claim. Your lender may be able to work with you to obtain an interest-free loan from the Housing and Urban Development agency to bring your mortgage current if you qualify. Visit the HUD website or call 800-CALL-FHA for more information.

3. Special Forbearance. A lender can arrange a repayment plan based on your current financial situation or may provide a temporary reduction or suspension of your mortgage payments. You may qualify for this if you’ve recently experienced a reduction in income or an increase in living expenses. You may have to provide proof of your current financial situation.

4. Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. You may be able to voluntarily “give” your home back to your lender. This may help your chances of getting another mortgage loan in the future.

5. Mortgage Modification. You may be able to refinance the amount owed and extend the term of your mortgage loan for the missed payments. You may qualify if you’ve recovered from a financial hardship and your net income is less than it was before you defaulted on the loan.

6. Pre-Foreclosure Sale. You can sell your property and pay off your mortgage loan to avoid foreclosure and damage to your credit rating. If you know you cannot afford to afford to make the payments you may sell the house yourself before the foreclosure sale date and save some of your equity. Contact a Realtor and tax advisor for rules regarding pre-foreclosure sales.

Ask the lender if the option chosen will be reported on your credit report, if so ask that the option not be reported. When facing foreclosure or any financial crisis the key is to contact your lender immediately to setup a payment plan or discuss other options. Don’t wait for the worst to happen – tackle the issue right away. Lenders are more willing to work with you if you are honest about your situation. Whatever option you choose stick to the terms of your agreement and adjust your spending habits so you don’t get into the same situation in the future.

(Originally published at Ezine Articles).

The Outsourcing Catch

In his first address to the joint session of the US congress President Obama said that his government will not give tax breaks to US companies that ship American jobs abroad. If this move is made legislation it will hurt India’s BPO sector. India Inc is reacting to these statements very cautiously. Will these moves affect Indian or American companies, and given they do, which of them will get affected to a greater extent.

From the American perspective it is natural for the just elected President to be protectionist given the alarming state the country is in.

8,00,000 American white collar jobs believed to have been lost to outsourcing in India and elsewhere between 2000 and 2006. 14.1 million Americans currently holding jobs considered to be at the risk of being outsourced. 57 % of Americans with income over $ 100,000 actively supported free trade in 1999 that was when white collar jobs were not moved abroad number fell to 28 % in 2004 after outsourcing became common. From $ 5 billion dollars spent in 2000 the amount spent by US firms on offshore services from third party outsources rose to $ 78 billion in 2006. 66% of US workers feel outsourcing is harmful to the economy.24% of American customers indicated in 2004 that they would stop doing business with an American firm that outsourced their support staff. 44% of the amount of market for software and back office services outsourcing is currently controlled by Indian firms. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment in the US is down to 5.2%, and is expected to decline further.

Much of the Indian economy has become dependent on the BPO sector. Lakhs of jobs have been created in India thanks to the BPO industry. For FY07, the total IT industry (including domestic segment and hardware) was $48 billion. Of this, the total revenue from software and services (exports) was $31.3 billion and ITeS-BPO revenue was $9.5 billion for FY07. Nasscom said, out of the the domestic market contributing the balance. US continues to remain the biggest market for India’s software industry with a share of 61 percent. Given all this at stake it was expected that the statements made the president makes would grab headlines in our daily newspapers.

Let us take a look at the earlier part of the decade. Outsourcing all started at that time when American companies started realizing the huge benefits they were gaining from getting work done outside America. It is safe to say for India it was “only making hay when the sun shines”. Indians were surviving before outsourcing and will survive even if it is reduced. In the event of job losses the educated Indian populace will be compelled to look for greener pastures. Indian companies may be forced to look for innovative methods and look beyond the crisis.

This sentiment was also voiced by industry gurus like FICCI general secretary Amit Mitra who said,” This is a matter of grave concern not only for India but for the US also. Perhaps what is wrong in this is, he may not have had the opportunity to read the literature of his own US Chamber of Commerce. When he does and if he does, he will know that he is really punishing American companies, not Indian companies only. Our sense is that this is something that has been in the offing. My feeling is that they are cutting their own nose to spite the phase”.(source : economic times)

The Indian outsourcing business grew out of a more basic industry providing Indian computer programming and code-writing expertise to American hardware and software giants. When Indian firms entered the outsourcing business serving firms, a business then dominated by the likes of IBM and EDS, much lower labor costs held the key to its rapid revenue growth: over 50 per cent a year in 1994-2001. The time difference also gave India a selling point. Thanks to, say, the ten-hour time gap between America and India, American clients could offer 24-hour estimated $31 billion from IT services, $23.1 billion came from exports, with  service by switching to Indian workers during the American night.

A simple case study in this regard can be seen through the offshore outsourcing of Guardian: Offshore outsourcing has proved a money saver at Guardian, letting it cut $13.5 million out of the annual software development budget by sending 40% of that work overseas. Guardian outsources to India through Patni Computer Systems Ltd. of Mumbai. On the brighter side: The availability of jobs requiring low and midlevel skills in the US may be slowing down, but the opportunities to make money are not. After so many hue and cries over outsourcing for the past few months, this same is benefiting America.

Outsourcing is not only limited to big companies like GE but has opened the door for smaller companies and virtually anyone can outsource their job via Internet these days. For instance, a person from Florida who lost his job due to outsourcing started a business in web programming and internet marketing and outsourced the whole of his job to Delhi, where he gets everything done in almost $100 per month for the worth of $5,000 per month. He earns twice what his job used to pay him.

Having cited the above cases there are questions that remain to be answered:

Who will be ultimately punished if the ban on tax cuts is made legislation?

To what extent will the smaller firms that outsource work to India be affected?

Get Our Best Travel Deals and Tips – Car Rental

Get Our Best Travel Deals and Tips

Car Rental Tips

Choosing a Vehicle
Think carefully about what kind of vehicle you’ll need. If you’re traveling with children or with a lot of gear, you may want a large sedan or SUV. If you’re simply looking to save money on rental rates and gas, you’ll want to reserve the smallest available model.

But size isn’t the only factor. Looking for something environmentally friendly? Check out our Green Travel Resources. Can’t drive a stick shift? Be sure to reserve a car with automatic transmission. (In many countries, a manual transmission is the norm — so read the fine print before booking. Learn more with our International Car Rental Tips.) Also, be sure that the company offers any extras you might need or want, such as a ski rack, car seat or GPS system.

Booking Your Car
How long will you be renting? If it’s for less than a week, you’ll probably do best with a major rental company, such as Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National or Thrifty. For rentals of a week or longer, you may get better rates from local companies, particularly auto dealers. Remember, however, to be wary of local companies if you plan to drive a lot; if you break down or get into an accident, they usually lack the support services of the majors.

Always shop around. Check the major booking engines and aggregator sites (such as Travelocity and Kayak) to get an idea of what rates are available, but you should also visit the car rental companies’ Web sites as well — they’ll often offer exclusive discounts, and you’ll avoid booking fees. Don’t forget to check out our selection of discount car rental deals before making any reservations.

To lower your rate, ask about discounts for any major national organizations, frequent flier programs and credit card programs you may belong to. They’ll frequently offer deals on car rentals. Those offered through AAA can be very good. If you’re employed by a company that frequently rents cars, they may have a negotiated rate. Make sure to check.

Before you book online, do an Internet search for coupon or promotion codes to put into the booking engine of your car rental company’s site. Just type the name of the company followed by “coupon code” into the search field and you’ll often find special promotion codes that could save you anywhere from 5 to 20 percent off the cost of your rental. For more ideas on saving money when you rent a car, see Cruising for Car Rental Deals.

If you haven’t already, consider joining your car rental company’s loyalty program when you book. These vary by company, but most of them are free and entitle you to certain privileges when picking up your vehicle; your information will be on file ahead of time, allowing you to simply jump into the car and go rather than standing in a long line or filling out paperwork. You could also be eligible for special discounts or free upgrades. For more information, see Car Rental Loyalty Programs: The Whys and Wherefores.

Understanding Your Rental
contract magnifying glass fine print terms conditions inspect If you’re booking online, read the terms and conditions carefully before confirming your reservation. If you’re booking over the phone, ask the agent about restrictions. Be sure you understand the conditions of your reservation. Is there a penalty for no-shows? How long will the car be held if you’re stuck in traffic on the way to the pickup station? Is there a fee for additional drivers and must their names be listed in the contract? Is your 20-year-old daughter old enough to drive the car? (For liability reasons, this is important.)

If pertinent, ask about any restrictions on interstate travel. For your own protection in case of breakdown, be sure the company has offices in all the states on your itinerary.

For one-way car rentals, ask about drop-off charges. They can be exorbitant.

Always get a confirmation number. For airport rentals, be sure to give the customer service representative your flight number and scheduled arrival time. This will usually protect your reservation if the flight is delayed.

The True Cost of Car Rentals
Buyer beware: The rate you see advertised in big print may become so inflated with state and local taxes, airport surcharges, additional driver fees, insurance, gasoline bills and drop-off charges that you end up paying more than double what you expected. Learn more about these extra charges in Car Rental Hidden Costs.

Also, the advertised rate may be valid only in off-season Florida or California, when many cars are idle there, but not where you want to rent. Finally, the rate may be only for a car size that you would find unsuitable.

In recent years, the major booking engines have become more transparent about rental car rates, and they now usually show you the total cost of your rental, including estimated taxes and fees, early on in the booking process. For instance, Travelocity offers total pricing, which guarantees that the company’s estimated amount will be within one percent of the actual rate.

Like the airlines, the major auto rental companies have adopted “yield management.” That means that their computers can quickly readjust prices according to changes in the supply of cars available, and so the rental rate you are quoted is valid only at that moment. Unless you reserve immediately, the rate is likely to change.

At Pickup Time
If your first drive will be from an airport to a hotel for the night, why not take a shuttle van to the hotel instead? Doing this may save you the price of a day’s rental. Even if you must drive the same day your flight lands, you may not have to get the car at the airport. By picking it up downtown, you can often avoid hefty airport surcharges.

ignition car keys If you have personal auto insurance or charge the rental to a major credit card, you will probably be covered at least for collision damage — so you shouldn’t have to purchase the car rental company’s collision or loss damage waiver (CDW or LDW) insurance. If in doubt, ask your insurance agent or credit card issuer.

Before you drive away from the pickup station, inspect the car carefully for body damage. Be sure the lights and turn signals are working properly, and check the mileage odometer. Report any defects at once.

Familiarize yourself with the workings of the car before you leave the lot. Check which side your gas tank is on, and learn how to use the headlights, windshield wipers and turn signal. It may seem obvious, but you’ll also want to memorize the make, model and color of your car — that way you won’t lose it the first time you park in a busy lot! For more tips, see Getting to Know Your Rental Car.

Returning Your Car
Be wary of prepaid gasoline plans. Always fill the tank yourself before returning the vehicle so that you’re only paying for the amount of gas you actually used. Try to avoid the gas stations right near the airport where you’re dropping off your car — the prices tend to be highest there. Instead, fill up a few miles away. Even better: Check GasBuddy.com before your trip to find out where the cheapest gas stations are in your area.

It may seem counterintuitive, but returning your car early may actually cost you money. You’ll often pay an early return fee (usually about $15 a day), but even worse, your rate structure will most likely change and you’ll be responsible for the difference. Of course, returning the car late could cost you too — many car rental companies only give you a 30-minute grace period before beginning to rack up the late fees.

Before leaving the vehicle, check to be sure you haven’t left any personal belongings. Don’t forget to check the trunk! The most common lost articles include cell phones, sunglasses and umbrellas.

Be sure that the check-in attendant inspects the car’s body in your presence and that you agree about any damage. Examine your rental agreement carefully for all charges and make sure they credit any deposit to your account while you wait.

Consider Buying Used Equipment

Everywhere you turn,, Americans are bombarded by the media’s coverage of the latest technological breakthroughs. From high definition panels built into refrigerators to key chain fobs that will chirp their location on demand. Don’t get me wrong, technology is fantastic.  Anything to make life easier is welcome and embraced.  The problem arises when your personal addiction to the latest gadgets starts to cloud your judgment on business purchasing decisions.

I have seen this time after time.  When presented with two alternatives to solve a company’s need, all too often a decision maker will opt for a more expensive, high tech product over a time proven solution. Akin to adding seat warmers to your Florida commuter vehicle, these choices may make you feel good at the time of purchase but do little to enhance the company’s bottom line.
Even armed with comprehensive ROI statistics reflecting the contrary, some executives still choose to spend more and get less just to have the latest technology.

To make matters worse, some even jump into the “bleeding edge” technology.  So named because the science is so new and untested that the buyer becomes the guinea pig and suffers all the associated expense of troubleshooting the new concepts. Not to be confused with the “leading edge” where products and concepts have at least been tried and proven but still retain the price gap over “old tech”. These super high-tech purchases are almost always based on emotions and hype not the hard facts, or at least not all the facts. Otherwise the newest, exorbitantly priced products would find very few homes with steadfast, bottom-line conscientious managers.

A very good example of this can be found in the industrial fabricating market. Any shop experiencing growth is faced with the choice of buying new machinery or locating quality used or rebuilt equipment. Considering equivalent machines, it is amazing how often the nod goes to a new machine. Even with a price tag of potentially hundreds of thousands higher, and long lead times, new machinery is moving at a steady clip. Although tax consequences play a role in these purchases, it is a tough task to re-coup a 100% price increase by tax write-offs.

The mechanical make-up of a typical machine tool further adds to the argument of buying rebuilt equipment. In it’s simplest form, a machine tool consists of a frame, drives, servos and a computerized control. A good frame is essentially timeless and like a good wine, can become better with age. Add to this frame some new drives, servos and a PC based controller and you have essentially a new machine.  Sometimes with better performance than a fresh one rolling out of the factory.  Now I ask again, why pay a 100% premium for a new machine.
If service and warranty play a major role in the decision making process, look to reputable reseller and you will probably find technicians that are former employees of and trained by the OEMs. A good reseller will have complete confidence in their rebuilds and provide a comprehensive warranty that may exceed the OEM warranty in duration and response time.

We all know of the savings to be enjoyed by purchasing a used automobile yet we still buy new cars for reasons of pride. Capital expenditures should not be an emotional decision.  Gather as much information as possible to compare both new used equipment that will accomplish your goals now and into the future. And make sure your supplier will provide the warranty and service you would expect from new equipment.  Then sit back, relax, enjoy your enhanced bottom line and revel in the fact that you made the right decision.

Home Sales Slump in Bend Oregon

The real estate market in Bend Oregon continues to slump. It is now a buyer’s market.
Prices are coming down and will continue to fall through the winter as the inventory continues to build. It is taking longer for homes to sell and there are more homes for buyers to choose from.

The real estate markets in California, Arizona, Florida and other key states are leading indicators on how the market in Bend will do. In1989 real estate values in Bend jumped 35%.

Out of state buyers from California, Florida, Arizona, Washington State and other hot markets were selling their homes for large profits in 1989 and moving to Bend to buy larger homes. 1990 and 1991 saw the out of state markets dry up with prices falling. The Bend market followed these markets before it picked up again.

Today’s market looks very similar to the 1989-1991 market. 102 single-family homes on less than one acre in Bend closed in October 2006 according to the Multiple Listing Service of Central Oregon. That is a decrease of 59 percent from the active market in October 2005.

The median sales price was down slightly but that does not include homes that have been on the market for almost a year and haven’t sold. There are homes that have been listed with one Realtor for six months and then listed with another. Many of these homes still have not sold.

One newer home that was listed in December 2005 at $399,500 is still on the market. The seller refused an offer of $379,500 the first month it was listed. That home is now listed with another Realtor at $329,500 and that is just the asking price. The owner would now entertain any offer.

This winter is the time to buy real estate in Bend. There are homes on the market now that have been substantially reduced with seller’s willing to take any reasonable offer. Some homes are vacant and can be bought with a lease-purchase. We look for the market and prices to pick back up next spring.

A report recently released by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., or FDIC reported that Bend is the 35th fastest growing job market in the country for the second quarter of 2006, wit a job growth rate of 4 percent during that period. The FDIC reported sales activity in Oregon fell 12 percent in the same quarter. This indicates demand for homes in will continue.

Some builders are starting to offer more incentives if you buy one of their homes. Upgrades in appliances, floor coverings, wood work, landscaping and other aspects of construction are now free. Some builders are also willing to pay points in order to help buyers qualify for lower payments on their loans.

The National Association of Realtor’s chief economist, David Lereah, predicted that sales through the rest of 2006 will be lower than earlier predicted. “This year, sales are slowing, homes are plentiful and sellers are negotiating,” Lereah said. “Under these conditions, we will probably see prices dip temporarily below year-ago levels as the market works through a buildup in housing inventory.”

There are still many home for sale in Bend that are over priced for today’s’ market. But there are also a good variety of homes that are for sale that are very good buys. Sellers that have to sell are forced to lower their prices and offer to pay closing costs, include appliances in the sale and replace carpets prior to close and many other “freebees” in order to sell their homes.

New home developers and builders were able to sell homes in the past few years before they broke ground. They had buyers waiting in the wings to purchase these homes as soon as the lots were developed and the builder priced the homes. The buyers chose their finish materials and waited for construction to be finished.

Today large builders particularly cannot afford to sit on their vacant homes during the winter and pay interest, taxes, insurance and utilities. These builders are offering “free” perks to sell their new homes today. Prices are being lowered substantially.

Interest rates are still low, the economy is good and gas prices are stable or falling, all good signs that the real estate market in Bend will be picking up next spring. If you have ever thought about buying real estate in Bend Oregon now may be the best opportunity you will have in a long time.

Prices are falling. Interest rates are low and there are some good buys in today’s market. Look for prices to start going up this spring.

As Heat Index Rises Window Film Can Keep your Home and Vehicle Cool , Once you are Outside- It’s All Up to you

Summer is upon us here in Tampa Bay. The heat index makes it feel like 100 degress outside. Ths isn’t surprising to folks here in Florida. It’s part of the price of living in the Tampa Bay area. Advanced Film Solutions, an exclusive provider of Vista Window Film and FormulaOne High Performance Window Films http://www.advancedfilmfl.com reminds all Floridians, and specifically Tampa Bay residents that these VISTA advanced technology window films will reduce the heat gain through your home and car windows while reducing almost 100% of the Sun’s harmful UVA and UVB radiation. VISTA and Formula One will reduce glare by as much as 80% and we can offer an entire suite of Window Films that are low or non reflective and are available in wider widths than many competitive product offerings. This is critical in Tampa Bay where new homes have wider windows. No consumer would want a seam running across an entire window, with VISTA that issue is a moot point! Unfortunately once you step outside your home or car the heat effect on yur health is entirely in your hands. The Mayo Clinic has issued this advisory with special consideration for teenagers http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dehydration/SM00037 Prevention is the key for safety in the harsh Florida Sun. Let VISTA Window Film and Formula One keep that house and car cool and comfortable this summer of 2007, while simultaneously saving high energy costs and letting our customers enjoy home rebates and IRS Tax Incentives. These VISTA Window Films will pay for themsleves in two to three years. Faster if your home windows are oriented to a southern or western exposure! When you head outside, make sure that you take care of yourself with as much care as VISTA Window Film does inside your home and car!

Next Page »