Real Estate Market in Wesley Chapel and Tampa Bay Florida

It's your call: If you want a health plan offered through your Realtors' association – something akin to the plans already offered to union members and employees of large corporations -- call your national lawmakers and encourage them to implement the Small Business Health Plan. NAR has issued a CALL FOR ACTION (CFA) on this legislation this week. The CFA urges members to write their U.S. Senators on S. 406, the Small Business Health Fairness Act, sponsored by Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Robert Byrd (D-W.V.). If passed, the bill would:

• Create health insurance tailored to the needs of a Realtor
• Provide self-employed/contract workers with group rates on health insurance
• Make your insurance transferable when changing jobs
• Lower health insurance costs for Realtors
To send an e-mail to lawmakers through NAR's Action Center, go to the home page,

http://www.realtor.org, and link on health care under "Hot Topics."

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Lease-purchase programs are designed to help low- to moderate-income households achieve homeownership. Through programs at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the real estate is purchased by a housing authority or nonprofit that holds title to the property until the buyer secures the mortgage. Meanwhile, the homebuyer pays a monthly rent that includes funds to be put toward the downpayment.

Read the full story:
http://www.planetrealtor.com/florida/news/daily/news.cfm?article=n5-05032005

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Running at the speed of business: Keep pace with the technology that drives real estate today by attending FAR's 2005 Convention and Trade Expo, Aug. 24-28, at the Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa in Orlando. Register online, download the faxable registration form or call us via our toll-free number. This information and more about the event can be found (password required) at:
http://www.planetrealtor.com/florida/events/2005Convention.cfm

Source: Planet Realtor, FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

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A home's roof may be new but it may not be good. Following last year's hurricanes, the state relaxed rules and allowed more contractors to do roofing work, and many homeowners opted to make the repairs themselves. The result: In counties such as Brevard, as many as 25 percent of new roofs fail to pass inspection.

Read the full story:

http://www.planetrealtor.com/florida/news/daily/news.cfm?article=n4-05022005

Source: Planet Realtor, FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Visit: http://www.ajmasters.com/

Expect to pay about 9.3 percent more in taxes this year, says Florida TaxWatch. That's the largest annual tax rise in almost 10 years despite four years of federal tax cuts and a drop in the total level of federal taxes paid by Floridians. Blame it on the booming real estate market. According to Florida TaxWatch, the increase results from property taxes, as well as rising incomes and the increased personal spending that follows. "Rising property values and new construction are creating a tax-collection boom for local governments in Florida," says TaxWatch senior research analyst Kurt Wenner, adding that local governments will collect about $2 billion more this year in property taxes.

Source: Planet Realtor, FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS

Visit: http://www.ajmasters.com/