Great Pool home to rental in SE Cape Coral. This is an Annual Rental

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Punta Gorda, FL is second highest in County for Home Ownership Rate.

Image via WikipediaAccording to a survey and stats complied by US Census and reported in Investors.com Punta Gorda, Florida is second in the nation in regards to home ownership.  Monroe, Mich had the highest at 79.8 owner-occupied and Punta Gorda is at 79.7.   This is reported in the Florida Realtors' News and Events Oct 25, 2011 issue.

Home ownership numbers has been collected since 1890. The highest numbers were reported in 2000.  This report marks the second highest home ownership. 

Five Reasons Banks would rather Foreclose

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeEver wonder why don't banks just reduce the monthly payments or the amount of a loan instead of taking the home and selling it to someone else at a reduced price. This question is ask frequently by homeowners facing foreclosure or are upside down on their mortgage. 

Professor Jack Guttenberg, a mortgage columnist writes for Inman news. Guttentag believes that lenders have been too stingy when it comes to reducing loan balances. Private lenders have offered loan reductions only sparingly, he says, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac not at all.

Here's the professor's take on why homeowners can't catch a break on loan reductions and stay in their homes.

His five reasons discussed are:

1. Buck stops Here!
2. Banks are in the business of making money.
3. In this economy, you will likely default anyway.
4. Banks are short-staffed and the staff they do have is untrained.
5. Mortgage insurance works against you.  

It is FALL, now is the time to bake witrh Apples!

Best Apples for Baking

[1] Baskets of apples at a "farmers market" at Rogers, Ohio.
Credit: Annette McCarthy

Related Articles

• Baking Tips: Pie [2]
• Blog: Apple Cider Pressing [3]
• Seasonal Crafts: Apple Heads [4]
• How to Cook Apple Tarts Recipe (Video) [5]
• Apples [6]

Login [7] or register [8] to leave a comment.

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Almost any apple can be enjoyed when eaten fresh. However, not all apples are ideal for the kitchen. Below is a chart with some of the best baking and cooking apples in North America.
Note: When it comes to cooking with apples, it may be helpful to know the following:
1 pound of apples = 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 to 5 small apples
1 pound of apples = 3 cups peeled and sliced apples
As you cook those apples, here are some of our favorite apple recipes:
Parsnip and Apple Soup [9]
Caramel-Covered Apples [10]
Baked Apples Filled With Sausage [11]
Perfect Apple Pie (The Classic) [12]
Apple Butter [13]
Green Cabbage and Apples [14]
Apple Oatmeal Crisp [15]
Rutabaga and Apple Compote [16]
Apple Puff [17]
Indian Summer Applesauce [18]
For more about apples, see our Related Articles (above) and see recipes using apples [19].
Please post your favorite apple varieties and any cooking tips below! 

NAME	Best Uses	Flavor Characteristic, Appearance
Braeburn	Sauce	Tart, sweet, aromatic, tall shape, bright color
Cortland	Pies, Sauces, Fruit Salad	Tart, crisp, larger than 'McIntosh'
Fuji	Baking	Sweet and juicy, firm, red skin
Gala	Dried, Cider	Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp, yellow-orange skin with red striping (resembles a peach)
Granny Smith	Baking	Moderately sweet, crisp flesh, green skin
Jonagold	Pie, Sauce	Tangy-sweet, Yellow top, red bottom
Jonathan	Sauce	Tart flesh, crisp, juicy, bright red on yellow skin
McIntosh	Sauce	Juicy, sweet, pinkish-white flesh, red skin
Newton Pippin	Pie, Sauce, Cider	Sweet-tart flesh, crisp, greenish-yellow skin
Rhode Island Greening	Pie	Very tart, distinctively flavored, grass-green skin, tending toward yellow/orange
Rome Beauty	Baking, Cider	Mildly tart, crisp, greenish-white flesh, thick skin
Winesap	Sauce, Pie, Cider	Very juicy, sweet-sour flavor, winey, aromatic, sturdy, red skin

Now is Great Time

This fantastic  article from
Annie Blatz, RSPS, CRB, ABRM CIPS, GREEN
Cape Cod,  Massachusetts

How many times have you said “This is a great time to buy.  Interest rates are low, inventory is plentiful and prices are lower than they have been in years.”
In May I decided to take my own advice and buy an investment property in Florida.  Although I had considered a second home in Florida several years ago, when the market changed, my discretionary money wasn’t there and my plans went on the back burner.  But things have changed dramatically.  Prices are unbelievable.  Even after all I had read, I could scarcely believe the values compared to my own Cape Cod market.  I looked at nice single family homes that were priced at one-third of what they were 5 years ago.
Part of the good news was when I learned that the equity line that I already had in place on my primary residence has a ridiculously low interest rate and I could use that to pay cash for my Florida home.
I discovered that rental rates are excellent and the monthly rent would cover my taxes, insurance, and interest on the loan – with some left to go toward the principal.  My daughter is a student in graduate school in Florida and was prepared to move in as soon as I closed.  So my investment would start working for me right away.

I closed on the perfect little house just 60 days after making the decision to buy.
In 4 or 5 years, my tenant/daughter may be ready to move on and I will need to reassess the investment.  To sell?  To rent?  To retire and move in myself (it is Florida, after all)?  There will be choices.
Today I feel pretty good about how I just spent my money – IT IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY A SECOND HOME.   So for all you Resort and Second Home Specialists out there, consider taking your own professional advice and make an investment!

 

Rate on 30-year mortgage falls to record 3.94 pct.

Average rate on 30-year mortgage falls to record low of 3.94 pct.; first time below 4 pct.
Now is an outstanding time to buy or refinance. For more information on this interesting news go to link below.


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Rate-on-30year-mortgage-falls-apf-2069630673.html?x=0

Golden Pumpkin Raisin Bread

Please enjoy this fine Authum treat:

Golden Pumpkin Raisin Bread

This sweet bread is sure to please. Stephanie Leach, Los Gatos, California—The Old Farmer's Almanac Recipe Contest, Dublin, New Hampshire

Yield: 2 loaves

• 2 packages (2 tablespoons) dry yeast
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup warm water
• 1 can (16 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 6-1/4 to 7-1/4 cups flour, divided
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 cups raisins

In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the warm water; stir until dissolved. Add the pumpkin, oil, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and 1-1/2 cups of the flour. Using a mixer on low speed, beat until well blended. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more. Add the eggs and 1 cup flour; beat for 2 minutes. Stir in the raisins and enough of the remaining flour to make a moderately soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Place in a large greased bowl, turning the dough so that the top is greased. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Note that because of the high sugar content, it is essential that the first rising be in a warm place; room temperature will not do. For the best results, put the bowl in a 125°F oven for 20 minutes to get things going. Punch the dough down and divide it in half. Let rest for 10 minutes. Shape each half into a loaf. Place each loaf in a greased 9x5-inch pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from the pans and cool on wire racks.

New Stadium being built for Spring Training in Fort Myers

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe Boston Red Sock Fans will have a new stadium for 2012 Spring Training.  if you are looking for a coach home to purchase near by there is a brand development inside the gates of Gateway.  Luxury Coach homes start at $140,000 with garages and granite counter tops.  Call or email us for more details.

Best 55+ community in SW FL

My choice for a 55+ community would be Pelican Preserve.  WCI is the developer.  It has a town square, golfing, hiking, planned activities.  Here is their website http://www.pelicanpreservelifestyles.com/ .  Please let us be the ones to initially introduce you if you plan to buy or build in the community.

CNN reports Cape Coral FL amoung the Top Best Places to Retire

Image via WikipediaCNN Money magazine named 25 best places to retire and put Cape Coral as number 2 on the list.  Click on the title above to see the link to the article.   Michigan is number one.  But they have cold winters. Not for me.

Fort Myers FL is listed as having a shrinking market in regards to Real Estate Properties For Sale

Image via CrunchBase

For-sale inventories shrink for fourth month in a row

Realtor.com: List prices holding steady or posting gains in two-thirds of markets

By Inman News, Wednesday, September 14, 2011.

Inventories of homes, condos, townhouses and co-ops shrank for the fourth month in a row in August, falling 1.9 percent from July and 19 percent from a year ago, to 2.27 million, according to the latest numbers from Realtor.com.
Among the 146 markets most searched by Realtor.com users, the total number of listings increased from a year ago in only three: Denver, Colo. (+53.8 percent), El Paso, Texas (+6.3 percent) and Hartford, Conn. (+2.2 percent).
Inventories were down by 10 percent or more from a year ago in 118 markets, including declines of nearly 50 percent in Miami, Orlando and Fort Myers.
Shrinking inventories can signal a rise in demand, but may also reflect a slowdown in homes moving through the foreclosure process that restricts the supply of real estate owned (REO) properties.
Areas with high unemployment rates and large numbers of seriously delinquent borrowers could again see inventories swell as lenders put the "robo signing" scandal behind them.

Related articles

• Report: Housing Inventory Hits 2011 Low (blogs.wsj.com)

Seller Financing is helping to sell a homes in Cape Coral FL

Image via Wikipedia

Seller financed homes has tripled in number in Cape Coral, FL since March 2011.  We just helped our seller sell his home by offering seller financing with a three year balloon, 6% interest and $20,000 down.  The Buyer is a business owner with a creative accountant and thus he is currently not able to get a conventional loan.  We have other buyers in similar situations.

Buyers who have a foreclosure or bankruptcy in their credit past wouldn't be a likely candidate to secure financing from a bank anytime soon for a home purchase. As a result, some sellers are stepping in to offer seller financing to get a home sold.

Seller financing, once popular in the 1980s when mortgage rates spiked to 18 percent, is making a comeback in areas flooded by foreclosures and where tight lending standards are keeping some buyers on the sidelines, reports Bloomberg News. "The market is locked up because there's no financing," says Gordon Albrecht, executive vice president of FCI Lender Services Inc. "This is moving houses."

Last year, 52,991 U.S. homes were purchased with various forms of seller financing  a 56 percent jump from 2008, according to the Realtors' Property Resource LLC. In 2010, such deals made up 1.5 percent of all transactions.

One popular form of seller financing is known as a land contract, which is when a buyer takes possession of the home but the seller holds the title until the debt is completely paid off. The loan's terms "such as down payments and interest rates" are negotiable. These arrangements usually consist of a balloon payment in five to 10 years, which is when buyers will have to repay the seller or lose the home, along with any money they already put into it.