With over 90% of home buyers searching online for a new home your home must make a great first impression. The first impression is a lasting impression!  In a buyers market sellers compete with sellers.  If buyers are not impressed what they see online they will move on to the next listing. Ready, Set, Stage! works with you and your Realtor to put your home on the “must see” list for today’s home buyers. We offer a marketing plan and photos to assist with the sale of your home.

So join in the celebration by dedicating a day to your favorite flavor, chocolate Wednesday, Cookies-N-Cream Thursday, etc., you get the idea.  Have a sundae, a cone with a scoop or 2 of your favorite flavor or just eat it right out of the carton!  Any way you scoop it you’ll be supporting National Ice Cream Month!

If you really want to be creative try making your own ice cream at home.  Here is a website for some old favorites and some new an interesting ones.  Click link for ice cream receipes.

For additional information please contact Marisa Pia Capua of EWM Title at 305.960.3067.

 The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) recently put out a consumer alert regarding rental scams.  If you suspect a scam, have already been victimized, or know someone who has fallen victim to a scam, please report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center to help them determine the extent of the problem.

 How the scam works.

 First, the scammer will contact the listing agent for the property by either driving by and calling on the sign or sending the listing agent an e-mail.

 The e-mail will ask for certain things about the property such as the price, move in costs, etc.  Below are some tips when dissecting a rental scam email.

1. Does the email start out with Sir/Madam?
2. Are there misspellings in the email?
3. Are there character mistakes in the email? i.e Hello,my nameis Susie.
4. Is there excessive capitalization?
5. Does the email reference God, UK, Cashiers Check, Doctor, Nigeria, Reverend, etc.
6. Is the email from a free email provider. i.e gmail, yahoo, aol, hotmail.
7. Does the email refer to another person or agent?
8. Does the email reference wanting to move in site unseen?

If the email has a majority of these in common, chances are very good it is a scammer. If you are not sure, it’s best to not reply.

The money order/deposit scam

Scammers will try to make the victim feel as comfortable as possible.  Here is one way they do it.  Once the scammer has all the information about the property, they will then do the following:

1. Advertises the rental(s) on a large free classifieds site and make the rental price extremely low.
2. The victim finds the ad and wants to rent the property.  Because it is priced so low, the victim thinks they are getting a good deal and must act right away so they don’t lose this great deal.
3. The Victim and the scammer begin communicating via e-mail.
4. The Scammer tells the  victim he is out of the country on business.
5. To ensure the victim has the funds, the scammer will  ask the victim to wire a deposit ($2,000) to any of the victims friends. This is supposed to make the victim feel comfortable with the process because they are wiring the money (deposit) to their own friend.
6. The scammer requests a copy of the receipt to make sure the funds have been transferred to the victim’s friend through MoneyGram.
7. With the information on the receipt, the scammer picks up the money and the victim is out the money as well as the rental. Money orders alow the recipient to pick up the funds anywhere in the world.

How to avoid being victimized:

• Only deal with landlords or renters who are local;
• Be suspicious if you’re asked to only use a wire transfer service;
• Beware of e-mail correspondence from the “landlord” that’s written in poor or broken English;
• Research the average rental rates in that area and be suspicious if the rate is significantly lower;
• Don’t give out personal information, like social security, bank account, or credit card numbers.

If you suspect a scam, have already been victimized, or know someone who has fallen victim to a scam, please report it to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center to help them determine the extent of the problem.

Several federal agencies have been investigating complaints from thousands of homeowners — many in Florida — whose homes were built with Chinese drywall who have complained that copper tubing in their air conditioning units and electrical wiring have corroded, their homes smell like sulfur and they are having trouble breathing.Click here for entire article.

Please read the DBPR announcement below carefully. If you have any questions, please contact the DBPR directly at 850-487-1395.

<strong>New Reporting Requirement for Criminal Convictions</strong>

During the 2009 Legislative Session, the Florida Legislature passed House Bill 425, which became law on October 1, 2009. Beginning October 1, 2009, Chapter 455.227(1)(t)requires all licensees to report to the department within <strong>30 days </strong>of being convicted or found guilty of, or having plead nolo contendere or guilty to a crime in any jurisdiction. This law also requires that any conviction prior to October 1, 2009 be reported by November 1, 2009. A licensee who fails to report that information, may be subject to disciplinary action, including fines, suspension or license revocation. To report this information, complete the <a href=”http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/pro/documents/criminal_self-reporting_document.pdf”>criminal self-reporting document </a>and mail to the department as provided on the form.

There are two parts to this change that licensees need to be aware of: 1) In most cases the law previously required the reporting of felony convictions only, not misdemeanors. The law now requires the reporting of misdemeanors. 2) The law change now requires retroactive reporting for any crime that was not previously reported to the state, whether it occurred prior to getting a license, or after the license was obtained.

Be sure to take a few minutes to read the new opportunities for an expanded group of eligible buyers. In order to receive the credit, Buyers must have signed a contract by April 30, 2010 and they must close by June 30, 2010.

With our inventories shrinking daily, time is of the essence.  Buyers will have fewer and fewer properties from which to choose over the months ahead, so encourage your friends and customers to start their home search today.