Short sales seem to be all the rage....or maybe all the fury. In all honesty, the various companies are still trying to figure out a process that will work, but unfortunately, the unknowns can cause much pain for all of the parties. (more...)

One of my customers has been working with "general" Florida state insurance company to try and figure out how they can reduce their insurance cost. Come to find out, the appraisal on this home when purchased indicated the siding was stucco, rightly so, but without providing a more detailed description of the construction, the insurance company, apparently, assumes "wood structure" as the default. To the insurer, the underlying structure is critical and with potentially the wrong information being used, insurance rates are likely higher than they should be. Ironically, at the same time the appraiser put down the wrong year that the house was built. In most cases it probably doesn't matter, but when you're around the years of 2000/2001, the building codes were changing and knowing the specific building methods and codes that were used can be key. You might want to call your insurance carrier to see if a detailed construction report might save you a couple of bucks in the long run. It did my customer!

Did you see the recent article in Southern Living?The Destin area, once again, was voted the # 1 beach town/resort and # 3 for a family vacation spot in the South. Since I'm one of the fortunate few that lives where others vacation, it was not a surprise to me. :-) All I can say is the weather is great, the beaches are beautiful, and the people that visit are here to enjoy life to the fullest. I don't know of any other place where so many diverse influences of the South come together to create a culture that's un-describable. Great food, great times, great people! It's no surprise that each and every year, more and more people are taking advantage of the truly wonderful seasons of spring and fall this area has to offer. Whether it's the: numerous art & wine festivals, Destin Fishing Rodeo, gumbo cook-off at the Market Shops, Destin Seafood Festival, Sandestin Blue Marlin Classic with it's over $ 1.5 mil payout, playing golf or just lounging around on "THE BEACH"......there is always as much or as little as you want to do!