Casa Monica in St. Augustine a great choice for a late summer trip

The Casa Monica Hotel in St. Augustine is a "can't miss" for baby boomers thinking of heading to Florida soon. The hotel, while on the expensive side, is worth every penny. Located in Florida's most historic city, The Casa Monica is part of the Kessler Collection and a member of Preferred Hotels and Resorts.

There's plenty of walking around, trolley tours, and sightseeing to do in St. Augustine, but whatever you do, DON'T MISS this... right inside the hotel. 95 Cordova has one of the best filet mignons on the east coast of Florida...trust me.

Your key to first class low cost airline tickets

School is back in session in most parts of the country and that can only mean one thing...boomers like you who have been hibernating all summer to avoid the crowds are ready to take that long awaited and much needed trip. Maybe you even want to do it right...so why not fly first class but dirt cheap this time!



FareCompare.com is a site my wife has been playing with for a while. We read about it in this article in Fast Company and we've been hooked ever since.

FareCompare.com will help you find little known airfare option known as the "Y-up fare". Besides the silly name, these fares can save you hundreds off of normal first class fares. While they won't be as low fare as coach, we've found them to be a happy medium. Give it a try!

Insuring Your Second Home

Here is an article from The New York Times Online that reiterates some of the main themes of the Homeowners Insurance chapter of my "for Boomers" books.

The main tips:
1) Start shopping for insurance early in the home buying process.
2) Do plenty of research.
3) Don't forget about flood insurance.

Continue reading:
Insuring Second Homes - New York Times

Thinking Florida? Be sure to check out On Top of the World

Wanted to let all Boomers on the Move readers know about this great community in Central Florida...

When you’re On Top of the World you’ll discover truly unsurpassed, active adult living in scenic Ocala, Florida. Amid gently rolling hills, magnificent horse farms, majestic oak hammocks and crystal clear springs, On Top of the World Communities brings every homeowner Excellence Above All...conveniently located in central Florida near Tampa and Orlando. We have choices and amenities you won’t find anywhere else.
Keep reading... or Visit Community Website

New UF Hurricane Simulator

The University of Florida has introduced a new hurricane simulator unlike anything that has been available before it. The $500,000 machine can simulate the force of a Category 1 through Category 5 Hurricane with the flick of a switch. Continue reading about the UF simulator...

Texas Tech has a Wind Science and Engineering Research Center whose website is worth checking out as well if you are interested in hurricane research.

While researching this post I found two hurricane simulators that you and I can use to see the types of damage different levels of hurricanes can cause. One is on the National Geographic website and the other is through the Associated Press. Check them out and let me know what you think.

Forbes ranks three Carolina cities "most affordable"

If you're a baby boomer thinking of retiring to the Carolina's or buying a second home there, you won't only be choosing a great location, but it might make sense financially. Forbes just ranked three Carolina cities "most affordable" as far as real estate is concerned.

My next book, Carolinas for Boomers due out later this year will give you all the information you need to find a place and buy in the Carolinas.

Read more:
Forbes ranks Raleigh as 12th most affordable real estate market - Triangle Business Journal:

Reunion Resort Lens is Live

Back today with another lens for you to check out. This time we explore Reunion Resort, near Orlando, developed by the Ginn Company.

View the Reunion Resort Lens at http://www.squidoo.com/reunionresort

Readers of Florida for Boomers will recognize Reunion as one of the "Resort and Club" communities mentioned in the book.

Just like our lens for The Villages, the Reunion Resort Lens has lots of great info. including a brief overview, Reunion Resort links, a tv commercial, a map of Reunion Resort, and more. Check it out today!

The Villages, Florida: A Complete Guide

Do you know what the internet's most searched for Florida retirement community is? It's The Villages, located in central Florida. The internet is loaded with information about The Villages but sometimes searching online can just get overwhelming.

To solve this problem, I've put together a complete 117 page guide for The Villages at: TheVillagesFloridaBook.com

You'll find a ton of great information including a complete detailed community overview, useful links, information about buying a home in The Villages, what it costs to live there, golf in The Villages, and much more. Check it out.

Ave Maria: Have some Jesus with your retirement community

ABC News had a segment Saturday night on a "faith-based" community being developed in Collier County Florida (east of Naples) named Ave Maria. While not being set up or marketed as a Florida retirement community, it might be a place for "true believers" to consider settling down into their retirement years.

One of the men heading and funding the development is Tom "30 minutes or less" Monaghan, founder of Domino's pizza. As a devout Catholic, Tom's vision for Ave Maria is for it to be a faith based community... The ABC segment even dubbed it "a City of God". The centerpiece of the community will be a Catholic University, Ave Maria University comprising 20% of the 5,000 acre development. According to the community's website Ave Maria University is "the first new major Catholic University in the United States in 40 years."

The planned 11,000 homes are being built by the Pulte Family of Homebuilders (Pulte, Del Webb, and DiVosta). The community uses the "town center" concept (everything within walking or biking distance from your home), which is growing in popularity across the country.

The community has not been without controversy, as the ACLU and others are keeping a close eye on it to make sure that no civil rights laws are being broken. As a real estate broker, I see the potential of Fair Housing law problems creeping up for real estate salespeople selling homes in Ave Maria. Hopefully Pulte Homes and others will take strong measures to ensure their salespeople are highly aware of potential problems in this area, and trained on how to avoid them.

More info:
http://www.avemaria.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria,_Florida

Buenos Aires: "The Paris of South America"

For any of you considering moving to South America, namely Buenos Aires, I've recently discovered a great blog written by Will Bonner. Actually I found this through a daily e-zine I subscribe to called Early to Rise, available at http://www.earlytorise.com

If you go to Will's blog, what you'll find is a true and unflinching daily account of what it's like to live and work in what many describe as the "Paris of South America." Will doesn't just cover the good, he will gladly and freely fill you in on all the bad as well. Check it out at http://willbonner.com

I've found it to be a good dose of entertainment, even though i have no plans to move to South America. He's also got several links to other Buenos Aires and Argentina blogs and websites.

Florida's New Property Tax Laws Explained

Well, if you follow Florida real estate at all, you've probably long since heard that Florida passed some new property tax laws a few weeks ago. What you may NOT know, however, is what to make of it. For what it's worth, here's my take on it.

1) To begin, what was done probably wasn't enough to cause any real change in Florida's lousy real estate market. Homesteader's in Florida were helped out a little. By that I mean a 3-9% reduction on their next tax bill. So at the most, if your tax bill is $5000 you MIGHT save $450. At the most. That's a night in a fancy hotel, dinner, and drinks...maybe even top shelf drinks. In my book not enough to get me too excited.

2) If you live outside of Florida but own property here (non-homesteaded) you didn't get much help either. By most accounts I've seen, you won't save anything. But, your taxes might not go up like they have been because...

3) Millage rates will be rolled back to 2006-2007 levels. (Basically 1-year). Most Florida taxpayers were hoping for much more, legislators are telling us, hey, at least its something, and city leaders (who have to roll back their spending) are saying its too much...Go figure!

4) Up next for Florida voters will be a chance in January to increase the homestead exemption (currently $25,000 in most cases) to what is called a super-exemption or, 75% of the first $200k in value (Minimum of $50k exemption)


As always, we'll keep you posted as things progress. But for now, put away any immediate hopes of huge property tax reform in the sunshine state.

New Florida homeowners insurance option for the rich

If your home is worth $1 million or more, there is a new company that wants your homeowners insurance business. The company is called PURE. Read an article about it from the Naples Daily News. PURE says that they can offer the owners of "high-value property" better insurance rates than they might otherwise find on the market.

I don't know how many Boomers on the Move readers this will apply to, but it is worth noting that there are other options available for insurance if you've got the money.

Maybe something else like this will come along soon for the rest of us.

More rave reviews!

The reviews keep rolling in:

"If you're a baby boomer thinking about buying a home in Florida, this is your blueprint."

-Barbara Corcoran, NBC's Today Show Real Estate Correspondent

“…over the next 25 years or so, the Sunshine State can expect over 22.5 million new boomer residents. Each and every one should own a copy of Ryan Erisman's book."

-Richard Croker, Author, "The Boomer Century; 1946-2046"

“In the old American Express Commercial, Karl Malden advised people not to leave home without their card. I think no one should buy a home in Florida without reading Florida for Boomers. It is that good."

-Steve Weisman, Author, "Boomer or Bust"

Florida for Boomers featured in Miami Real Estate Update

I'm proud to say that Florida for Boomers has just been featured in Mark Zilbert's Miami Real Estate Update newsletter. For those of you not familiar with Mark, he is one of the premier condo brokers in South Florida. He has been featured on the Today Show, 20/20, The Wall Street Journal, and I interviewed him about his boomer clientele for Florida for Boomers.

Here's what Mark had to say in his newsletter:

Florida for Boomers: A Guide to Real Estate Author Ryan Erisman has created a great new guide to buying real estate in Florida. It's targeted at Baby Boomers, however, it's a well-written overall guide that will suit anyone. The book teaches you everything from finding a real estate agent to understanding how property taxes work. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Sorry, Charlie: No Florida property tax relief yet

Florida Governor Charlie Christ's first legislative session has ended without any sign of property tax relief in the immediate future. A special session has been called for June, but consensus here is that not much will come from it. The best most lawmakers think they can agree on in that session would be a roll-back of property tax rates and a cap on them rising. Better than nothing.

But any real reform will have to wait...perhaps for a while. The House and Senate cannot come to an agreement on what is the responsible solution to Florida's property tax problem. Lawmakers are citing a desire to cross the t's and dot the i's properly this time. Once they do agree, or at least come to a compromise, voters would have their say. If lawmakers can't come together on it this June, this may not happen until November 2008.

Florida for Boomers Just Released!

My new book, Florida for Boomers: A Guide to Real Estate has just been released on Amazon.com. Click here to buy it!

In celebration of its release, I'll be posting free excerpts on this blog from the book in the coming days and weeks. If you prefer not to wait, you can read the excerpts all at once here.

Now go buy the book, and make your dreams of Florida come true!

Florida Property Tax Gridlock

From FloridaCapitalNews.com:

"TALLAHASSEE -- Legislative negotiators officially declared gridlock Tuesday on the radical idea of abolishing all property taxes on resident homeowners by raising sales taxes - the centerpiece of House Speaker Marco Rubio's reform.
House Republicans have refused to budge from their demands to give a whopping multibillion-dollar relief plan to voters, while the Senate has steadfastly refused to consider a sales tax increase."

It sounds to me like Governor Christ's more conservative plan of rolling back property taxes and then capping them has a better chance of meeting with both House and Senate approval.

Read the full story here.

Zillow Under Fire in Arizona

Zillow.com, the home pricing service I talk about in Florida for Boomers, is coming under fire in Arizona. The Arizona Board of Property Appraisers has just issued cease and desist letters to Zillow.

The service has drawn the ire of many real estate professionals because they fear it may undermine their stranglehold on home price information. Now Appraisers are jumping on the bandwagon. But with a reported 4 million users a month and lots of venture capital, look for Zillow to put up a pretty strong fight here.

Read the full story.

NYtimes.com: "When you buy before its built"

The New York Times has been coming through with some good (relevant) articles for boomers relocating or buying second homes. Today, they tackle the process of buying a new home or condo before its built.

"Buying into a development before construction has begun is not a new phenomenon, but with the slowdown in the real estate market — and in condo sales in many areas — the rules are changing. A few years ago, the incentive to condo buyers was clear: You would buy early, sit back and, by the time the building was in place, be pretty certain that the unit’s value had increased substantially. But the days of buyers lining up for a condo in a building that might be years from completion are long gone — and developers are facing a new reality."

Read the full story

Possible Flood Insurance Reform

There's a whole section in my new book Florida for Boomers about flood insurance and how important it is to have flood insurance regardless of where your home is located. There may be some changes to the National Flood Insurance Program coming up:

"Currently, homeowners can obtain up to $250,000 in coverage for their houses or condominiums, plus up to $100,000 in coverage for their contents. But last year, the House voted to raise those limits to $335,000 and $135,000, respectively."

It's anybody's guess whether or not these changes will be enacted by Congress, but the wheels are in motion. Read the full article