What You Need to Know if You Are Considering Signing Up with VBRO

Relatively recently, sites like VRBO have revolutionized how people travel. They also have made it easier for the average person to rent out their home without the need for professional assistance.

Are you considering renting your second home or condo during this fast-approaching Southwest Florida tourism season? If so, have you considered that you might be fined if you don’t have a license?

What You Need To Know

Florida law requires anyone in Florida renting a home to guests more than three times a year for stays which are less than 30 days to have a license. This means most of…

Once again the government is set to throw more taxpayer money right out the window in the name of bailing out homeowners facing foreclosure. Quite frankly, such a move no longer shocks us as much as it makes us just want to scream "stop this insanity."

Here's why. The government is going to make $3 billion available through a couple of different programs whereby so called hard hit homeowners facing foreclosure will be able to apply for up to $50,000 "deferred payment bridge loans" that are zero percent interest, non-recourse subordinate financing good for 24 months to help them pay for their mortgage principal, interest, mortgage insurance, taxes and hazard insurance payments. So, let's see if we understand this right. They have no jobs or are facing…

No matter where you stand with regards to health care in the United States, all Americans lost some of their ability to freely pursue life, liberty and happiness yesterday. And, no one ever said it better (than one of our most famous founding fathers) as to what the public should now do in order to deal with this utterly disgusting travesty perpetrated by the Democratic Party.

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which…

The internet is a remarkable tool for real estate agents to use in their daily business life. The multitude of website providers and the information available to be used as website content is almost limitless. However, with such use also comes a fair amount of responsibility and accountability on your part as a professional. Flying by the seat of your pants and not taking these two things seriously are the stupidest things you can possibly do as an agent/webmaster.

Take this case as an example - The Pros Advantage. Seems the agent hired a firm to design a new website and they literally copied the design and code from a very well known and respected real estate website provider, Real Estate Webmasters (REW). They even left REW's copyright code right in…

For those of you who work and inhabit the real estate web space, this is one situation that should be of special interest to you. Please take the time out of your busy schedules to read and become aware of the facts regarding this case. I believe once you do, you'll see how important it may be to all of us in the real estate industry. Most times injustice speaks for itself. This is definitely one of those times. Here is a list of blog posts on this issue from some friends and colleagues of mine who have done a great job of discussing the entire situation: Sarasota MLS Begs for Negative Publicity.

Having learned bunches about blogging from my friends at Real Estate Webmasters, I can honestly say I have come to understand its importance to our real estate and mortgage business here in Southwest Florida. Being able to keep our clients abreast of the up-to-date goings on in the marketplace is an invaluable service that our company's Southwest Florida Blog easily provides. Throwing in some information now and then about things regarding living here in paradise and "Viola!,"  we have a valuable asset for both our business and our clients.

But, perhaps the most gratifying thing our blog has given us, is recognition from both the news press,our peers and our clients. Over the last 11 months of regularly blogging, we were contacted by CNN, AP, Realty…

For those of us who inhabit the real estate blogosphere, this is one situation that needs your attention. Please take the time out of your busy schedules to read and become aware of the facts regarding this case. I believe once you do, you'll see how important it may be to us all. EPerks sues real estate blogger over online comments...Read more.

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Defend "your own" right to free speech!

I ran across an excellent article today by David Ranson in the Wall Street Journal. It has to do with a review of economic data about the federal tax system written by Kurt Hauser. Published 15 years ago, Mr. Hauser stated "No matter what the tax rates have been in postwar America, tax revenues have remained at about 19.5% of GDP."  Ranson has dubbed it "Hauser's Law"  and laments in his article "What a pity it is that his discovery has not been more widely disseminated."

With all the political drivel about how the wealthy have to pay their fair share or how those who have been more successful owe a duty to those who have been less so, the wealth redistribution crowd's demands for higher tax rates just doesn't hold water when you look at the reality of…