Groupon - Social Saving

months now I have not really paid attention to the hub-bub of new web sites that are hitting the scenes.  It is only recently that I began to review some of these web sites.  The hot craze right now seems to be sites that lean towards the social side of advertising.  That is they use Facebook and Twitter feeds so that you can involve your friends in the purchase of some great deals.  It is through your own work that provides the opportunity.  By involving consumers and facebook we are pooling buyers to buy in bulk although all the buyers do not know each other.  Seems like an interesting concept. 

Let me disclose I am new at all of this myself but thought it would be interesting to provide some options that I have found.  Some I have enlisted and frankly just weighing out the advantages versus my time and others I have not had a chance to try.  It seems as though the most popular bulk buy social program is Groupon.com.  The sign up process is fairly easy with all these, only takes one minute and the toughest part of the entire process is remembering your password the next time an

Living Social

 enticing deal comes your way to take advantage of it.  A similar website to Groupon is Living social however at least at the time of this post there are less deals on Living Social.

So what does this have to do with Anna Maria Island Real Estate….absolutely nothing.  However, as information gets out maybe even a few of our dining establishments will sign up and you can save money on your trip to paradise.  In addition, thought it was an interesting twist to social media.  Have fun with it and happy saving.

Goldstar.com – this site offers reduced event tickets like sports, concerts, theater, etc.

Zozi.com – this website offers deals for outdoor activities like bicycling, kayaking, etc

Zozi Saving

TripAlertz.com – website offers discounts on accommodations and vacation tour packages

Mamapedia.com – website specializes in family friendly saving deals

RetailMeNot.com – this website offers coupons.  This is more of a search for specific discounts in a city.

Wall Street Journal

 deal of Anna Maria Island Real Estate transactions.  While I am unaware of the exact percentage of vacation rentals on Anna Maria I estimate nine out of ten real estate buyers request rental income estimates prior to purchasing.

The article basically explains how investment property transactions are on the rise and in some areas they are seeing minimal appreciation.  Anna Maria City, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach are great examples of the trends the Wall Street Journal is writing about.   Anna Maria Island saw about 235 transactions in 2009 and in 2010 we say 317.  This data comes from MLS.  So, the island has seen a 38% increase in transactions as compared with 2009.   Even more impressive is when you take into account an average transaction for Anna Maria Island is around 230 transactions so 2010 frankly was a fantastic real estate year.

The law of economics talk about supply and demand.  Supply is much lower as compared to the height of inventory for sale on Anna Maria Island.  Anna Maria saw around 900 + properties for sale while we finished 2010 with just over 500 properties for sale.  Supply is low and our Anna Maria Island transactions are way up.  Most analysts would agree that as number of months of inventory for sale is a leading indicator of appreciation of property for sale.

For more information on the Wall Street Journal article visit here.  As always, if you have any questions regarding Anna Maria Island Real Estate send me a note or give me a call.

Wealth thru Real Estate

 If you are currently renting out your home, the Federal government just made it a bunch harder for you to rent out your home annually or seasonally on or off Anna Maria Island.  Effective 2011, all landlords will be required to send out 1099′s to any supporting vendor that was paid more than $600 USD for the year.

That’s right, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has just made investing in real estate a little harder.  If you utilize a property management company such as Island Real Estate, no worries, they take care of the 1099′s.  This of course assumes that your property management company is paying your bills such as lawn, pool, etc.  This even goes for purchasing a computer from a small time store in Bradenton to help manage your vacation rentals.  If the computer was more than $600 then you must send that vendor a 1099.  A 1099 tells the IRS as well as the vendor the amount of income they received in the correlating tax year.

A few more details regarding 1099′s.  They must be sent to the vendor no later than January 31st, 2012 and the correlating 1099′s must be sent to the IRS no later than February 28th, 2012.  This of course assumes you have the vendors Federal ID number and if you don’t, then pull a W-9 form from the IRS.Gov website and send all your vendors the W-9 to be filled out and have in your records.  If you don’t get a tax ID from all your vendors you must with-hold 28% of their annual income and that is a whole-nother can of worms to deal with.  That is something you want to avoid!

Lastly, if you don’t handle this appropriately for your rental in 2011 and beyond, you could be facing civil and criminal penalties up to $250,000.  Most agree that this cross check by the Fed is fairly easy due to the rental income line on your 1040.

Of course this information can change at any time and I suggest you do one of the following…1) consult your tax attorney or call Island Real Estate to handle your property management.  Good luck and hopefully this information helps ensure you as a landlord don’t get into hot water with the IRS.  By the way, a great CPA firm that can help you with more question is Axiom which is located in Bradenton, FL.

The Anna Maria Island private heated pool home is located on a quiet cul-de-sac street of luxury single family homes.  The Mediterranean home has phenomenal amenities; heated private pool, tranquil waterfall, barbecue grill, private tropical landscaped courtyard, covered patio, fenced off swing set for toddlers in the family.   Don’t forget the private deck that looks over the private pool with waterfall.  

The master bedroom features a private balcony, flatscreen television with DVD player, luxury bathroom with walk in shower and king bed.   The second master bedroom also features a private  patio, flatscreen Television, king bed and gorgeous master bathroom with walk-in shower.  If you are bringing a little work to vacation then look no further, there is a home office with modern desk, television and queen sofa sleeper.  

Telivisions in every bedroom and a 50 inch television equipped with Wii System and Blue-Ray Player in the lounge.  Wireless internet and game room with ping pong table and darts adds to the extensive beach entertainment.  

Call Island Real Estate for more information on this luxury Anna Maria Island Vacation Rental.  The Anna Maria Island holiday rental is located in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island.  Please be careful, we find the Google map is not correctly locating the property so be sure to email or call us (941) 778-6066.   In addition, feel free to email the vacation specialists at Island Real Estate.  MyVacationATIslandReal.com – (Please replace AT with @)

Stroll the seven miles of soft sand beaches or just enjoy the sound of the waves.  One of the things you have to do is take a ride on the FREE Trolley to see all of Anna Maria’s hidden treasures.  For more information on things to do on Anna Maria Island be sure to visit Island Real Estate’s attractions page.

See the video below for pictures and images of 744 North Shore.

The beach cottage was just renovated and a new pool was added.  Please review the pictures below and be sure to email or call Island Real Estate for more information.  More information as well as accurate availability can be found on the Island Real Estate listing for this Anna Maria City vacation rental.  If you have property investment questions please dont hesitate to contact me.  Happy vacationing.

8 Bedrooms with 6 and a half baths.  4 Kings, 2 queens, 4 twins and a sleeper sofa gets you to a comfortable 18!  The house is perfect for 4th of July, Memorial day, you name it since it has a huge pool, waterfall, tiki bar, everything you would ever need when staying on Anna Maria Island.  This private heated pool home is offered exclusively by Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island and will be sure to make waves in the vacation rental market of Anna Marie Island.  Take a look at the pictures below and be sure to email Island Real Estate or call toll free 877 778 6066 or click on the Island Real Estate link for more information.   The summer weeks wont last so call and reserve NOW!

Oops, I forgot about the special entertainment in this house.  The house is wired for sound with a full size arcade game with 60 games along with Playstation and Wii.  Plus, a ping pong table.  Your family will have to schedule time to go to the beach cause you will never want to leave the house!

Fantastic Pool and hot tub

There has been some great strides made in educating the marketplace on Vacation rentals versus hotels.   Each one has its place for providing good accommodations.  If you are staying on business or as a couple for one – two days then a hotel is probably the best bet.  You don’t need a ton of space and just one bedroom works fairly well for short stays.

Staying for longer than a few nights with multiple people makes a hotel room no longer the best choice.  Taking out multiple hotel rooms which are small and just not built to support multiple folks is where a hotel room no longer makes sense.  What does make sense is renting a vacation rental condo, home or villa on Anna Maria Island.  A few large vacation rental home networks have begun to show the drawbacks to renting a hotel room for a vacation.  On Superbowl Sunday several advertisements will be shown and expect the “Griswold’s,” America’s vacation family to poke a little fun at hotels versus Vacation Rentals.  This is just one post of many and hopefully very soon after the official commercials I will be able to post the videos.

For now I will wet your whistle with vacation rental commercial done by another vacation rental company.  Don’t forget if you are looking for vacation rentals on Anna Maria Island, look no further to Island Real Estate Vacation Rentals.  Enjoy the video!

Awesome Private Pool

Island Real Estate and Vacation Rentals has just added a wonderful six bedroom Mediterranean Beauty. The Extra large home is just 1.5 blocks to the gorgeous Anna Maria island Beaches. The private pool home is located at 4118 5th Avenue in Holmes Beach, Anna Maria Island, Florida. Specific amenities are as follows… (6) Bed: (3.5) Bath: Accommodates up to (12) people: 2 Kings, 1 Queen, 4 Twins and 1 Queen Sleeper Sofa. Sorry this property is No smoking and is not Pet friendly.

The private Mediterranean is a newly built and is just 1 1/2 blocks to Anna Maria Island’s award winning beaches. Enjoy your holiday rental at this gorgeous high luxury home with no details left to chance. The villa is located on a quiet cul-de-sac of luxury homes in Holmes Beach. The finer amenities include a large private heated pool, numerous big screen televisions, high speed Internet, extended cable TV, game room with a ping pong table and darg board. Most importantly the luxury home offers a separate fenced in area for a swing set and children play area. The Anna Maria Island holiday villa has a phenomenal master bedroom which includes a private veranda balcony and extra private bathroom with large walk-in shower.

Please note that the “Google Maps” tab incorrectly positions this house. The vacation rental is located on the corner of 42nd Street and 5th Avenue (north of Manatee Avenue). For more information on this great holiday vacation rental visit Island Real Estate’s listing for this vacation rental.

Fantastic Tropical Pool

Fabulous pool and outdoor living area

Fabulous Great Room

Huge Dining and kitchen Area