Dollars and Sense

Tax Portability 

Are you planning to sell your current home and buy a new one in the same state? If yes, it’s important to consider your "tax portability" options. Tax portability is a unique benefit provided by the State of Florida that can help you save a considerable amount of money on your property taxes.

What is Tax

Storm risk is just one of many reasons insurance policies are canceled. For starters, insurance companies cancel policies because of late payments, pets, old roofs, and trees in the wrong place.

Worried that your homeowner’s

Venice and Sarasota share a similar southwest Florida climate, but a question that we frequently get is which is more affordable:

Venice or Sarasota?

Although the gap has tightened in recent years, Venice remains the more affordable option - the median price of homes in Sarasota is 11 percent higher

We’ve all been there—that last-minute hustle to find Christmas gifts for friends and family.

And in this crunch for time, when we hope that the best gift ideas will magically pop into our minds, no good ideas seem to come.

But, if you live in Venice, FL, you don’t have to worry about coming up with

Spring is coming.

This means that Americans across the country are preparing for tax season. It’s a time when the family kitchen table becomes buried by papers and the household air becomes tinged

Congratulations, you have found the perfect home.  Your offer was accepted, home inspections are complete, and the loan is cleared to close.  The moving truck is scheduled and you are already placing furniture in your head.   You have a closing date and time and have received a closing statement from the Title

Zillow has captured a large share of the market as a Real Estate Resource with much of its claim to fame being it’s trademarked Zestimate. The Zestimate is an automated method of obtaining a value of a

What’s my home worth? This is a question every homeowner asks and needs to know before they list their home for sale.  Our homes are generally the biggest investment in a lifetime.  It is important to take the time to properly research the value of your home so you get the highest return for your investment.  There are a

Inventory vs Price Graph.

2015 is drawing to a close.  New construction has been increasing at a furious rate as  builders are trying to keep up with demand in Sarasota County.  The inventory of existing single family homes for sale is critically low resulting in a strong sellers market.  The inventory of

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has proposed delaying the effective date of the Know Before You Owe rule until October 1, 2015. The CFPB touted the change will help with families

When to buy a home” is a decision buyers make that has a direct impact on their mortgage payments and how much house they can afford.  Buyers often delay home purchases for a variety of reasons.  Some hope home prices will drop, interest rates will decrease, and sometimes they just want to wait to build up just a little

For Sale by Owner, aka FSBO, is a matter of simple economics.  Private homeowners sometimes attempt to sell their homes themselves in an attempt to avoid paying the listing real estate commission.  FSBO’s represent approximately nine percent of home sales.  This is common in a hot sellers’ market when