Green Clean!

Green Housecleaning Makes a Healthier Home

Green cleaning is on the rise. Many homeowners and professional housecleaners are trading their bleach, pine-scented and other potentially toxic cleaning chemicals in for more environmentally friendly and all-natural cleaners.

"Spraying potentially toxic chemical-based cleaners into the air, pouring them down the sink or dumping them in landfills has a negative effect on both our health and our environment," says Angie's List founder Angie Hicks. "Your home no longer needs to smell like bleach or other chemicals to be considered clean. There are plenty of all-natural cleaning products that do an equally effective job, are easy on your pocketbook and are better for you and your family's health and for Mother Earth."

Many professional housecleaners are relying on biodegradable, non-toxic cleaners like baking soda, white distilled vinegar and some essential oils with disinfectant qualities (lemon, tea tree oil and eucalyptus, for example) to clean and disinfect. Distilled vinegar, for example, will kill nearly all bacteria with which it comes into contact, while baking soda is great for scrubbing out stains and even freshening up carpets and sink drains. Some cleaning companies make a concerted effort to find other ways to further reduce their environmental impact, like cleaning and reusing towels and rags instead of using and throwing away power towels or sponges.

"As awareness for eco-friendly cleaning increases, many cleaning companies are turning exclusively to non-toxic products or are willing to supply them at a customer's request," Hicks says. "Homeowners interested in hiring an eco-friendly housecleaner should still do their research before they hire and ask what products the housecleaner plans to use. Also check that the housecleaner is licensed, insured and bonded. That protects the company and the homeowner in the event an employee is injured on the job or damages property.

Consumers interested in purchasing eco-friendly cleaning products should always read the ingredient list to determine what the product is really made from. Many over-the-counter cleaning products are touted by the manufacturer as being green but still contain chemicals.

"It's never too late to go green when you clean," Hicks says. "Box up all those chemicals you no longer want and take them to a local hazardous waste center. Replace them with all-natural cleaning products or by using an eco-friendly cleaning service. Your home will still smell and look great."

Professional housecleaners are often a great value for busy homeowners, as they are often able to do the job in a fraction of the time it would take the average homeowner. Some professionals offer one-time cleans or can set you up on a less frequent rotation.

A typical cleaning includes dusting, vacuuming, mopping, cleaning of bathrooms and wiping down of all hard surfaces. There are projects many cleaners won't take on or will charge extra for, like doing dishes, laundry, washing windows; or deeper cleans, like refrigerators, cabinets and stoves.

Always spell out your expectations before you hire and make sure you are clear on how the company bills its customers.

To keep your home cleaner longer, professional housecleaners recommend minimizing clutter and sweeping and vacuuming between cleanings.

Copyright© 2012 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

Summer Renovations

Getting Ready for Summer Renovations?

Are you tired of your home's layout? Bored with its inadequate lighting or outdated fixtures or, simply in need of a little change? Many homeowners across the country are gearing up for their summer renovations; whether you're just reaching out to builders, finalizing plans, finessing details or stocking away pennies to pay for it all, be sure to include electrical plans in the mix.
Remember - a home is a system of electrical, heating, lighting networks which work together to create a warm and safe abode. So, an important part of all summer renovations is the careful consideration of the electrical wiring in your home.
If you're planning on building a recreation room, enhancing your kitchen or making over your living room, you should design your layouts around each room's key features. So, keep in mind where all electrical outlets will need to be for lights, appliances and electronics. Considering heated floors or ceiling fans? You will need a reliable, well-trained electrician to plan out the installation of these features and determine how to best install electrical wiring.
Wall plans are also required in order to lay out your house wiring. You'll have to ensure that you enlist the help of a professional electrician to help you draw out the plans in advance so that you can get the necessary permits without delay. You may find your electrical wiring needs upgrading to maintain safety in your home and meet housing standards. As such, renovation jobs can take longer than originally planned; so, always add extra time to allow for setbacks.
If you are tearing down any walls in your home, make sure that an electrician determines where all electrical wiring is located. Once you begin the process, it may be too late to employ a quick fix if something goes wrong.

Copyright© 2012 RISMedia, The Leader in Real Estate Information Systems and Real Estate News. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be republished without permission from RISMedia.

Florida Housing Market

                                                                                                                 Florida Housing Market continues to be on a positive track in May.

The recovery in Florida's housing market continues to grow stronger and stronger. Pending sales up 43.1% for single family homes and up 33.4% for condos/townhomes. Some areas in Florida are having a shortage of inventory which is resulting in multiple offers. 

Sandestin Inventory Dips Below 300 On April 9th, inventory within the gates of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort reached a number we haven't seen in some time -298 listings. This compares with 439 listings in April 2011.Henderson Real Estate Group can help you find a wonderful property before prices start going higher!

Retired Moving To Florida In Large Numbers!

A recent US Census Report indicates that US residents from Northern Climates are once again heading to Florida for retirement. The dates between April 2010 and July 2011, Florida welcomed 560 new residents to Florida EACH DAY!

Loan Mortgage Rates Tie Record Low!

The average rate on the 30 year fixed mortgage rate has dropped to 3.94%. These low rates offer historic opportunity for home ownership. The average rate on the fifteen year mortgage rate fell to 3.21%, also a record low.

REO Sales

When will REO sales finally reach the peak?

NEW YORK – Oct. 19, 2011 – Properties repossessed through foreclosure may not peak until 2013, HousingWire reports, quoting several analysts and recent reports.

Foreclosure sales are expected to reach 1.48 million properties in 2013, according to analysts from Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

However, with the surge, “we do not expect to see anywhere near the downward pressure on home prices that we had back in 2008, since the expected percent changes in liquidation volumes are so much smaller,” the analysts said.

The increase in foreclosures is expected to mostly change from private banks’ portfolios – which nearly half are from now – to the government’s backlog of properties, with an increase in foreclosures forecasted from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s portfolios. Overall, they are expected to liquidate about 595,000 properties in 2013.

To handle the expected surge, the government continues to consider ideas, including proposals of turning some of the foreclosures into rentals, and a plan from the Federal Housing Finance Agency to refinance more underwater borrowers so they’ll be less likely to walk away from their property.

But some analysts are skeptical that a surge in foreclosures will come without an intervention from the government.

“Do they really think that the government under any administration would let 500,000 homes hit the mark and crash prices all over again, six years after the first crash?” Scott Sambucci, chief analyst at Altos Research, told HousingWire.

Source: “REO Sales May Not Peak Until 2013,” HousingWire (Oct. 17, 2011)

"Smishing" New Threat For Texts and Email Scam

“For the first five seconds, you’re like, ‘Oh no!’ You’re caught off guard,” he said. “It was an automated computer voice and very well done, very sophisticated.”

Sever experienced a spreading high-tech con known as “smishing.”

Smishing is like phishing, a technique that uses e-mails that look legitimate to trick victims into handing over vital information, but with smishing, identity thieves ply their scam through messages to a mobile phone, not a computer.

With recent attacks in the western U.S., law enforcement and consumer affairs officials have expressed concern that similar large-scale attacks could spread nationally.

FBI spokesman Tim Ryan, supervisor of cyber investigations for the FBI’s Newark division, based in Franklin, N.J., said the message Sever received is part of an open case.

In the recent spate of scams in the West, identity thieves sent text messages en masse to random cellphones that read: “Wells Fargo notice: Your card 4868* has been deactivated.” The message listed a phone number.

People who dialed the number were asked for account information, Social Security numbers and personal identification numbers, officials said.

The crooks cast a broad net. Many people other than Wells Fargo customers got the messages.

Destin, Florida Seafood Festival

National Geographic Lists DESTIN as one of top Ten BEST FALL TRIPS!

National Geographic has just put out it’s Best Fall Trips 2011 lists, and names The Emerald Coast as one of it’s choices! Among the reasons this area was chosen are the comfortable temperatures that are perfect for swimming and fishing in the emerald green waters, and for golfing among the areas beautiful golf courses. More than 30,000 fishing enthusiasts visit in October for the Destin Fishing Rodeo, and The Destin Seafood Festival is also in October. Discounts can also be found at local condos and hotels in the fall.

The other places listed on the Best Fall Trips 2011 include Lavaux Vineyard Terraces, Switzerland, Cannstatter Volkfest, Stuttgart, Germany, Columbus, Ohio, Zanzibar, Tanzania, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, Dublin, Ireland, White Mountains, New Hampshire, Shoreline Highway, Marin County, California, and Day of the Dead, Puebla, Mexico.

Destin Named Best Place To LIve and Boat

Magazine names Destin the best place to live and boat

May 28, 2011 7:18 PM

Katy Houghton

Florida Freedom Newspapers

TOP PLACES TO LIVE AND BOAT:

1. Destin, Fla.
2. Long Island, N.Y.
3. Newport, Ore.
4. Lake of the Ozarks, Mo.
5. Chattanooga, Tenn.
6. Phoenix
7. Seattle
8. Columbia, S.C.
9. Green Bay, Wis.
10. Traverse City, Mich.

SOURCE: Boating magazine

DESTIN — The area has another feather in its cap after scoring the top spot in Boating magazine’s Top 10 Best Places to Live and Boat.

“Once people go boating in Destin, they’re hooked,” said Fred Pace, managing partner for Legendary Marine.

When deciding the best places to set sail, Boating magazine considered “livability, public access, convenience and also relaxing getaways …”

“Destin has great cruising ability and it’s a terrific place to fish,” Pace said. “There are so many places to boat. There is Crab Island, the magnificent waterways … I’m not sure there is a close second.”

Among the local landmarks for the magazine were Crab Island, Choctawhatchee Bay, the Intracoastal Waterway and the “plentiful” vacation rentals.

Peter Wright, owner of the Ship’s Chandler in Destin, said he thinks there are a couple of reasons Destin took the top spot on the list.

“It’s a big vacation area. A lot of people from cities that placed on the list come here,” he said. “There are places you can catch bigger marlin and more shellfish, but if you drew a five mile circle around the East Pass, you will catch such a variety of fish unlike anywhere else.”  

Wright moved to the Emerald Coast in the 1970s with his family and got his first job on a fishing boat in Destin.

“This is going to help everybody out, especially the charter boat captains who took one on the chin” during last year’s oil spill, Wright said. “For boat dealers like myself, we’re starting to pick up that pace, but there is still a lot of work to go. I’m just glad the fish are biting.”

Shane Moody, president and CEO of the Destin Area Chamber of Commerce, said even after living here for nearly eight years, being on the water is still a magnificent experience.

“The colors, the clarity, the marine life — we see dolphins near or around the boat every time we go out. You can’t get that anywhere else,” Moody wrote in an email. “You have Crab Island, the most unique boating destination
I’ve ever seen. You have the Intracoastal Waterway and the sound where you can pull your boat up on one of numerous islands or beaches and have a day-long outing.”

He also noted Destin’s location on the Gulf of Mexico and its great fishing.

“Destin’s history is full of boating, from charter boats to commercial fishing to recreational boating,” Moody wrote. “It’s not really part of our lives, it is our way of life, and that’s what makes living and boating spectacular in Destin.”

Read more: http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/destin-40589-live-magazine.html#ixzz1YPMDh4NW

Experience Paradise in Sandestin, Florida!

If you have not visited Sandestin, Florida, you are missing a visit to Paradise!  Sandestin is in Northwest Florida on the Emerald Coast. The floral beauty is unmatched except for Disney World!  Sandestin has beachside condos, bayside homes and condos, townhomes, and single family homes. The Hilton Hotel is on this property along with a private beach club and an awesome Baytowne Village with shops and restaurants. Every Season is a festive occassion with floral displays, decorations and entertainment. I am fortunate to live and sell real estate here in Sandestin. I would love to show you how wonderful it is to experience this little Paradise!

Click to see EVENTS on the Emerald Coast!

Events On The Emerald Coast!

NEW LISTING in CARIBE - Caribbean Village By the Gulf!

 New Recent Listing In Caribe!

243 Rue Martine is a lovely cottage home in a village by the Beach!

Call us for more information!