June 2010

While Florida already had one of the toughest Sexual Predator Penalty Laws in the nation, it now has become the third state to comply with the federal law known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). The new law is designed to create an across the board method of registration and tracking sex offenders throughout the country.

Additions to Florida's already tough standards in the new federal program include the following:

• Increasing the number of times per year sexual offenders and predators must register with their local Sherriff's Office.
• Requiring all registered sexual offenders and predators to…

T he sales of homes and condominiums in the Southwest Florida real estate market continued to impress as season wound down in April. Both the cities of Cape Coral and Fort Myers saw their inventories fall and the median price rise. Buyers who remained on the sidelines are finding out their choices are becoming more limited and many of the best properties are now receiving multiple offers making purchasing more difficult.

Here's a synopsis of the April sales numbers:

Cape Coral Real Estate Sales

Cape Coral Real Estate Market Highlights:

• April sales totaled 657 and were down 8% from a year ago.
• Single family home sales…

As was expected, Governor Crist signed the Distressed Condominium Relief Act on Tuesday. The new law expands the powers of community associations when it comes to dealing with delinquent unit owners and makes it easier for lenders to approve bulk sales on foreclosed units. It also repealed the requirement that individual unit owners carry additional hazard insurance above the association's policy.

The act is set to go into effect July 1st and hopefully will provide relief for Florida condominium and co-operative associations in several key areas by making the following changes.

• Doubles the amount of past due assessments that…