Posts Tagged ‘Tip’

Manatee Property Tax Information
It’s official, Ken Burton Jr. was on my good side for all of 2008 and I did not even know it until August! I have a feeling some may disagree. It appears as though his leadership within the county of Manatee, Florida has made a modest

Money, Money, Moneeeey

reduction in Anna Maria Island property taxes. I received my personal property tax letter early in the afternoon and waited until late in the evening to open the proposed property taxes. I expected very little in the way of property tax reductions so I was ready for a bad night with a great deal of tossing and turning over the best way to appeal the escalated property taxes.

I have so little faith and am embarrassed to admit my pessimism. I was elated to see Manatee County got my personal property values correct. I have to admit that I quickly moved into denial just after opening my estimated property tax letter. There must be something I am missing?? I reviewed my property value estimates with a fine tooth comb and sure enough, Ken got it right! Wow!

Once the 25% reduction in property taxes sank in, I immediately moved my attention to thoughts of property taxes for all of Anna Maria Island. The following day at Island Real Estate I consulted a Real Estate professional that has one property in Anna Maria City and Holmes Beach. He confirmed the same thing, YES, Manatee County calculated his property values correctly after our 2 year price correction!

So in total, I reviewed two duplexes in Holmes Beach, Property Values were right on. Three single family homes in Holmes Beach, property Values were correct. One Vacant lot in Anna Maria City, property value was about 15% high. Two Single Family homes in Anna Maria city and both property values were correct. This is fantastic news! Now for the bad news. After consulting a Bradenton Beach Condominium owner it appears as though Bradenton Beach owners may not be as happy with their reduction in 2008 property taxes as the rest of Anna Maria Island owners.

If you feel your property values are too high speak with your Anna Maria Island property specialist or email me to determine the value of your Anna Maria Island Real Estate. Do NOT wait to start this process as you only have 25 days to submit your appeal. This correlates into around a September 12th date so DO NOT procrastinate! Often times you

need a professional to help with the appeal process and if you need recommendations for help don’t hesitate to contact me.

I hope the mail provides for as pleasant surprise as I received…

Property Tips

It seems we need to keep an eye out for scams every minute of our lives. Phishing scams, banking scams and now rental scams. The latest scam takes advantage of Annual Renters however it could be applied to bank owned Vacation Rentals as well.
See the article below thanks to Florida Association of Realtors…

“TAMPA, Fla. – July 14, 2009 – Property managers along the Gulf Coast beware: Criminals in the area are lifting rental listings, fraudulently adding their name as a contact, and posting it on Craigslist. The consumer sees a legitimate listing, but then contacts the criminal to request more information. A report has been filed with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Department regarding a specific incident in Hernando County. According to the sheriff’s office, criminals have gone to extraordinary means to collect the first month’s rent and a security deposit. In some cases, they have drilled into lockboxes and placed renters in properties. Tenants who pay the criminals then believe they have a legal tenancy. The case has been turned over to investigators with the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, though Pasco County law enforcement authorities also remain on the alert for additional incidents. So far, the problem seems limited to the central Gulf Coast area, but it could be duplicated anywhere in the state. If Realtors suspect a similar crime has occurred, they should call the local police or sheriff’s office rather than try to deal with the problem.”

So how do we become educated consumers to be sure we don’t fall into the craigslist or classified advertisement scam?

#1) When speaking with the individual does the opportunity seem to good to be true?
#2) Ask the person listing the property if they are the owner or a property manager.
#2A) If property owner, ask for their full name and go to public records and verify the address is owned by this

Rental Scams

person.
#2B) If it is a property manager ask for their website and call the number on the website and ask for the individual you were speaking with. All property managers these days have a website!
#3) The lister should have plenty of digital photos of the property. Ask for plenty of photos.
#4) If the lister is promoting a vacation rental most would normally have a website. Check out the website.
#5) Most owners participate in a community organization that helps them rent their property like a chamber of commerce. Ask the lister where they participate and call the community organization for more information. Get the phone number from the world wide web NOT the lister! They could give their girlfriends number and after the conversation you would be no wiser.
#6) If all the above ideas get you no where and the lister has reasonable reasons why you cannot follow through on the points above then I would strongly suggest you move on to another property. If you cannot move on, ask very pointed questions about the property. Where is the hot water heater? Where is the electrical panel? Is there a garbage disposal and a dishwasher?

If renting long term NEVER give money prior to walking through the home. Remember if you have upfront concerns regarding the legitimacy of the lister then walking through the property alone with a potential thief is EVEN WORSE. Is your life worth a great deal on an annual rental?

Information

There is no doubt a great deal can be had by going directly with an owner. With a good deal comes risk. Working with a property management company like Island Real Estate certainly limits a tenant’s or vacationers risks.

For more information on Annual Rental properties available on Anna Maria Island and Bradenton, Fl visit Island Real Estate’s Annual rental website.

For more information on Anna Maria Island Vacation Rentals managed by a team of professionals visit Island Real Estate’s website.

Flood Zone

If you are still searching for your perfect “peace” of paradise be sure to visit Island Real Estate’s website for Vacation Rentals or if a longer stay is required review our Real Estate listings. If you are more in the luxury Real Estate market be sure to visit our new exclusive luxury Real Estate website for the Anna Maria Island and surrounding areas.

Island Real Estate is proud to offer owners in our property management program a website that gives real time information regarding pending Hurricane storms. If Anna Maria Island is in the three to five day cone we initiate our hurricane updates so that owners can review real time conditions on Anna Maria Island as well as find useful weather links. This of course is to provide accurate information to our ownership base so everyone has up to date conditions on Anna Maria.

Stormy weather

The state of Florida is providing a FREE service to assist single family home owners with reducing your wind

Home Insurance

insurance. The impact can be found to be the most in coastal communities such as Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, etc…

It’s very easy, get your wind insurance policy handy and go to this web site to sign up for a free inspection. Inspection schedules are filling up fast so be sure to sign up sooner rather than later. An inspector will come out to your Single Family Floridian home for free and give you suggestions on improvements that will save money on your wind insurance. Sure…you might get lucky and find that your home is already eligible for reductions WITHOUT improvements.

My safe Florida can be reached toll free within Florida at 866 513-6734 or visit their web site where you can fill out an electronic request.