BY MARC CAPUTO
  TALLAHASSEE –
  
  The state Legislature just passed the biggest tax-cut in state history, immediately rolling back and capping local-government spending and asking voters to supersize homeowner tax exemptions.Eight days ahead of schedule, lawmakers ended the special session at 6:26 p.m. shortly after the House, by a party-line 74-43 vote, passed the proposed constitutional amendment for the tax exemptions.
  
  To make the amendment more palatable to voters, Republicans changed it so it wouldn’t force homeowners into the new tax system and lose their Save Our Homes tax cap.
  
  The new system would supersize homestead exemptions, giving homeowners a 75 percent write-off on their first $200,000 in market-based ‘’just value'’ and an additional 15 percent write-off on the next $300,000.
  
  The plan gives deep tax relief, helps solve the portability issue and ultimately leaves voters in charge of approving the constitutional amendment.

HOW TO SELL YOUR HOME FOR TOP DOLLAR. If you are thinking about selling your house or condo, this is the best time of year to do so. However, a successful home sale requires preparation and planning.
 
 The first step is to get your residence into near “model home” condition. That means cleaning, repairing and painting. But don’t go overboard with renovations. Let your buyers remodel to their taste. Most home improvements rarely bring in as much in additional sales price as they cost.
 
 However, modest-cost cosmetic improvements usually pay off. Profitable examples include fresh paint inside and outside (paint is the most profitable dollar-for-dollar improvement you can make), new light fixtures, new floor coverings (if needed) such as wall-to-wall carpets, and outdoor landscaping spruce-up.
 
 THE BEST WAYS TO DETERMINE YOUR HOME’S MARKET VALUE. Home sales prices depend on recent sales prices of nearby comparable residences within the last few months. A good place to start is on the Internet to determine your home’s approximate market value.
 
 A brand-new Internet Web site that provides free “guesstimates” of home values is www.Zillow.com. When I checked my home, I was amazed to see an aerial photo of my house, including the lot boundaries. The Zillow estimate of my home’s market value was remarkably accurate. However, this remarkable new Web site doesn’t yet cover the entire nation.Another free Internet home-value-estimate Web sites include www.REALTOR.com  This Web site will often refer you to a local realty agent.
 
 After you have had fun with the Internet estimates of your home’s market value, if you are a serious home seller, the best way to obtain a more accurate market value estimate is to interview at least three successful local real estate sales agents.
 
 Even if you are thinking about selling your home alone (known as “FSBO - For Sale By Owner” or “fizzbo”) the agents you interview won’t mind giving you their listing presentations. The reason is they know most “for sale by owners” give up and list with a professional agent within 30 to 60 days.
 
 KEY QUESTIONS TO THE LISTING AGENT YOU INTERVIEW. The reason it is so important to interview your local agents is to understand their sales ability and their CMAs (comparative market analysis) of your home’s market value.
 
 The interview, including the agent’s inspection of your home, should take about an hour. This will be time well spent.
 
 The reason is that the agent should prepare a written CMA showing the agent’s estimate of your home’s market value. The CMA will include recent sales prices of comparable nearby homes, the asking prices of neighborhood homes now listed for sale (your competition), a list of recently expired nearby listings which didn’t sell, and the agent’s estimate of your home’s market value.
 
 In addition to receiving each interviewed agent’s CMA, here is a list of key questions to ask each agent (the best agents anticipate these questions as part of their listing presentations):
 
 1.) What are the names, addresses, and phones of your five most recent home sales listings?
 Before you decide to list with one of the agents interviewed, be sure to phone those recent sellers to ask, “Were you in any way unhappy with your listing agent?” and, “Would you list another home for sale with the same agent?”
 
 2.) How long have you been selling homes in this area? Do you sell real estate full-time? What professional courses and designations have you completed?
 
 Some agents will resent these questions, realizing you are a well-educated home seller. But the best agents will have anticipated these important questions.
 
 Occasionally, you will find a successful part-time agent who comes highly recommended by recent home sellers. Or you might encounter a promising new licensee who has lots of time to devote to selling your home listing.
 
 3.) What is your marketing plan for my home? The best agents will have anticipated this question by providing a written marketing plan as part of their listing presentation.
 
 Each written marketing plan should include at a minimum a) a weekday open house tour for all MLS (multiple listing service) member local agents, b) Internet promotion on the agent’s personal Web site and at www.REALTOR.com  (where 76 percent of today’s home buyers begin their search), c) brochures (ask to see samples of the agent’s past brochures for other listings).
 
 4.) How many listings do you have now? What are their addresses? Do you have an office assistant? What percentage of your listings didn’t sell last year? What day of the week do you take off and who covers for you when you are gone? Are you planning any vacations during the next three months?
 
 If the agent you are considering has too many listings, he or she might not be able to devote enough time to your home sale. Watch out for “numbers agents” who take many listings, have several assistants, but sell a low percentage of their listings. However, consider it a bonus if two agents work as a “team” to handle a large percentage of their listings.
 
 Having an office assistant is another bonus to free the agent’s time for sales while the assistant handles the details such as arranging inspections, appraisals, and sales closings.
 
 5.) What sales commission do you charge for a home like mine?
 
 If the listing commission is competitive, this is not the time to cut the agent’s commission and incentive to get your home sold. Presuming the agent’s references and success record are satisfactory, a sales commission up to 8 percent could be acceptable.
 
 The most important part of the sales commission is the portion that will go to the buyer’s agent. To illustrate, if your home sale listing offers only a 2.5 percent commission to the buyer’s agent, but other local listings offer a 3.5 percent commission, agents representing buyers are likely to show those homes before yours.
 
 Courtney Silverman advertises her listings extensively on http://www.realtor.com/ .  This allows for maximum exposure of your property to the the buyer population. Contact Courtney Silverman with The Keyes Company / Realtors for to understand how she works to get your property sold.
 
 

A 14-year high in the number of homes for sale in April is sapping consumer confidence during a time of year that traditionally is the strongest for real estate purchases.  People are looking, but they’re not buying. Real estate agents report an increase in traffic at open houses, but people are taking their time because inventory is so plentiful.
 
 In Palm Beach and Broward counties, potential buyers are holding off until they see how state legislators address the property tax crunch during a special session that begins next week.
 
 Major factors in the housing downturn are the large number of homes for sale and softening demand as short-term investors leave the market.
 
The inventory of existing homes for sale in April, measured by the estimated time it would take to sell them all, was 8.4 months. That was the highest since August 1992 when it was 8.6 months.
 
Because of reductions in home sales and new-home construction, the economy will expand at a subpar pace in 2007.
 
 
 

COMPLIMENTS OF CAROL GOLDMAN 954-258-2324

 1.     Get and stay out of your comfort zone.  I believe that not much happens of any significance when we’re in our comfort zone. I hear people say, “But I’m concerned about my security.” My response to that is simple: “Security is for cadavers.”
 
2.      Never give up.  Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn’t  have an opportunity.
 
3.      When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. There’s an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this:  “The temptation to quit will be  the greatest just before you are about to succeed.”
 
4.      With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.  Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of “undefined consequences.”  My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get my company going, “Well, if it doesn’t work, they can’t eat you.”
 
5.      Focus on what you want to have happen.  Remember that old saying, “As you think, so shall you be.”
 
6.      Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.
 
7.      Always be moving forward. Never stop investing.  Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.
 
8.      Be quick to decide.  Remember what General George S. Patton said: A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow.
 
9.      Measure everything of significance.  I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.
 
10.    Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.  If you want to uncover problems you don’t know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven’t examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.
 
11.    Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you’re doing.  When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance.  Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.
 
12.    Never let anybody push you around.  In our society, with our laws and an even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else, provided that what you’re doing is legal.
 
13.    Never expect life to be fair.  Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks. You’ll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus. (i.e., fare)
 
14.    Solve your own problems. You’ll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of Sony, said it best: “You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others. “There’s also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this:  “A wise man keeps his own counsel.”
 
15.    Don’t take yourself to seriously.  Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.
 
16.    There’s always a reason to smile. Find it.  After all, you’re really lucky to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother.  He always reminds me: “ We’re not here for a long time; we’re here for a good time.”     
 

                                    Keep focusing on the success just ahead of you.