I met an appraiser tonight at a party I attended, and asked her how business was. She said that her office is actually quite busy with a lot of REO (real estate owned) properties, which means that the properties are lender owner. With more and more owners defaulting on loans, the lenders will need some fantastic property management software to keep those properties managed. If the property isn’t cared for, and falls into disrepair, it’s going to be that much harder to sell it to a buyer. Anyone in charge of managing multiple properties should use software like Buildium. You can easily track maintenance issues, pay bills, generate work orders, and maintain accounting information for each property. A well maintained REO will sell much quicker than one falling apart!

If you’ve got a kayak, and you’re within driving distance to the St. Petersburg area, I highly recommend a trip to Weedon Island Preserve. There are paddling trails which will take you cruising past mangroves, you’ll be able to see wild dolphins, birds, and tortoises. Maybe even sharks and manatees!

You landlubbers can enjoy The Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center and it’s exhibits. There are also workshops with ecologists, marine biologists, and archaeologists.

Moving to Miami?

Sure, why not? All the cool kids are doing it. Hulk Hogan recently moved his family from my neck of the woods down to Miami, and they seem to be enjoying it. (Although we’ll have to see what this season of Hogan Knows Best holds for the family - the previews made things look a little shaky!) And of course, with the entire state of Florida in a real estate slump, that means that it’s a buyers market, and a great time to buy. You can search South Beach FL real estate and Miami Beach MLS listings online. Condos are big down in the South Beach area, and you can save even more by getting in at pre-construction prices.

My fellow Floridians can vouch for me when I say that we’ve had a TON of rain this summer.

It’s rained almost every other day at my house, and if it’s not raining here, it’s raining somewhere in the state. Some might consider all of that rain to be a nuisance. You can’t go to the beach and get a tan in the rain, and it sure will put a damper on your day at Disney, but I personally love the rain. It means I don’t have to run my sprinkler and my grass stays lush and green. My husband has to mow it more often, and he’s probably not thrilled about that.

My grass hasn’t been the only thing benefiting from all of this wet weather. For the first time in 250 days, water is flowing from the Kissimmee River basin into Lake Okeechobee. With just 5 more feet of rain, the lake will be at normal levels. Not only is the lake home to fish and wildlife, it’s a backup drinking source for residents in South Florida. Hopefully the rain will keep coming!

We’ve got a lot of golfers in Florida, my husband included! With beautiful courses stretching from Walt Disney World Resort Golf Courses in Orlando, south to Miami, and north to the panhandle, you can play on flat greens, or gentle rolling hills. We even have water hazards with alligators! Maybe you LOVE golf and have always wanted your very own USGA golf handicap, but couldn’t get one? This golf handicap software can help you achieve that goal. Just join a local golf club (there are several in Florida: West Palm Beach, Orlando, Miami, and Tampa) input your scores into the software, and play with your club. Easy peasy!

If you flew out of Orlando airport recently on AirTran, you may be getting a call from the airline. It seems that a teenage girl left Orlando and went to Atlanta on Flight 862, and then on to Wichita on 687. Sometime during the flights, the girl got sick on the plane, and she was met in Wichita by an ambulance. At the hospital, she was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, and she’s in critical condition.

Due to the way that this disease is spread (close contact with discharges from the nose and throat of a sick person), AirTran officials are working to contact passengers from those 2 flights to alert them.

Bacterial meningitis is VERY serious if left untreated, and can result in death if not treated quickly enough. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, stiff neck, sensitivity to bright lights, confusion, drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting. If you were on the flight and note any of those symptoms, go directly to the emergency room and tell them that you may have been exposed to bacterial meningitis.

Our former neighbors, who lived next to us in Tarpon Springs for about 18 or 20 years, just purchased a beautiful home outside of Orlando. Another friend, Pete, just stopped renting and bought a home in Orlando for less than he was paying in rent. And why not? Real estate Florida style is hot, hot, HOT! It’s an incredible buyers market right now, which means buyers are getting the most bang for their buck. Not only is it a great time to buy a residence, but it’s a good time to invest in a 2nd home or vacation villa too. Bardell Real Estate in Orlando specializes in Florida villas for sale and for rent, and business is booming!

In addition to the after 5 prices being offered at Universal right now, passholders are eligible for one more special perk - early admission! Taking a page from Disney’s “Extra Magic Hours” book, Universal has decided to let annual passholders enter the park an hour early Monday through Friday to beat the lines for their biggest attractions. From now until September 3rd, you can enter early and ride Shrek 4-D and Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast at Universal Studios, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man and The Incredible Hulk Coaster at Islands of Adventure. (We waited in line for an hour for Hulk, so if you can skip the wait, DO IT!)

One thing that always gives me pause when I travel outside of Florida is the variety of materials used to build homes. Here in Florida you’d be hard pressed to find a home made entirely of wood. Most are cement block, at least on the 1st floor, and then covered in stucco. I love traveling northward and seeing beautiful wood frame homes and cabins that you simply don’t see in Florida. I’ve seen several beautiful homes on HGTV made of timber frames, like those from Vermont Timber Works. It’s an amazing process - frames and trusses are hand crafted and joints are pinned together with hardwood pegs. The same guys who made the frame travel to your site to put the whole thing together, which makes sense, since they know best how it should be done. (Too many cooks spoil the soup, right?) The end result is a spectacular look rarely seen in my home state. This is a picture of a welcome center off the Vermont interstate:

I’ll take that over block and stucco any day!

Florida annual passholders of Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure can beat the heat and take their friends to the parks for a great price, now through August 18th.

If you’re a passholder, and a Florida resident, you can purchase a guest admission for a friend (Premier and preferred passholders pay $19.95, power passholders pay $24.95) and enjoy the parks from 5pm till 10pm.

If you’re got younger kids in your group, I recommend Universal. If you’ve got thrill seekers, I recommend Islands of Adventure. Either way, the price is a great way to get in for a few hours and enjoy what the parks have to offer! You can purchase these special passes at the ticket window upon arrival.

As I just mentioned, we’re going to Orlando in a month. We’ve booked 2 rooms at the resort because we’re a family of 5, and my mom will be joining us. My only options at Disney are to book 2 rooms or to book a suite, and that’s a bit out of my budget. Of course, should we not wish to stay on property at Disney, Orlando vacation homes are another great option. In fact, since we’re planning a trip to Universal soon, a rental home may be just the thing we need for that trip, since we don’t have a “preferred hotel” in the Universal area.

On Saturday, while I was cruising down I-4, I noticed signs for something called the Reunion Resort. They’re definitely going to give Disney some competition, with the Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and Jack Nicklause designed golf courses, the pools, and the equestrian trails! The resort isn’t entirely completed yet, but when it’s done, it will offer a Kids Camp and entertainment complex as well. Check out the Disney news on the site as well - I never heard about the fight that was started in the line for the teacups ride.

The kids don’t know it yet, but we’re going back to Disney in a month!

I’ve booked us over at the Caribbean Beach Resort on property for a few nights, which is exciting in and of itself because we’ve never stayed there before. We’ve got a reservation for Ohana on Friday night (I can’t WAIT to get that bread pudding dessert in my hot little hands) and plans to hit all of our favorite rides. We’ll be celebrating Gracie’s 10th birthday a few days early during our trip, so I need to remember to call Ohana and see if they do anything special for birthdays. We can get special birthday pins at each of the parks that Gracie can wear to be recognized by cast members as the birthday girl.

Florida has quite a few residents and visitors who call the UK home most of the year. Those visitors are probably surprised when they visit Disney and find that they’ve got to pay a daily fee for high speed internet access, especially considering the plethora of cheap broadband internet providers in the UK. As a resident of Florida, I’m limited to choosing from a few select broadband providers who work in my area, whereas residents of the UK have all sorts of broadband internet options to choose from!

In fact, I really wish there was a site like this for Florida. I’m not really sure who else provides high speed internet, other than my cable company and the local phone company. It sure would be nice to be able to compare broadband providers online, to see the prices and options offered, without making phone calls to each company I’ve got an interest in.

I’ve always wanted to learn how to scuba dive, but part of me is terrified about the dangers of diving. I know it’s rare that someone is hurt or injured, but it does happen. In fact, a man diving this week in Key West died. His name was John Lumley, and he was scuba diving at one of Florida’s popular artificial reefs. He was found unconscious and brought to the surface, but he couldn’t be revived with CPR. What a shame!

If you’re a Miami resident, or plan to be in the area from July 11th through the 15th, be sure to check out Zo’s Summer Gove! ZSG is an annual event put on, and sponsored by Alonzo Mourning Charities. AMC raises money to provide support for children and families in at-risk situations. The event is the largest put on by AMC, and kids of all ages can participate in the events, which include basketball clinics and a youth summit.

The general public can join in to raise funds as well, by participating in the following events:

Thursday, July 12, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
City Furniture ZSG Golf Classic - Participants will tee-off and enjoy one of the most popular courses in South Florida alongside Alonzo and a host of friends from the world of sports and entertainment at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa.

Friday, July 13, 8 p.m.
Heineken ZSG Comedy Show/Concert at Hard Rock Live - Alonzo will host comedians Mike Epps, Gary Owen, Marvin Dixon and Benji Brown at one of the most anticipated events of the ZSG line-up. Tickets are available at http://www.zsg.com.

Saturday, July 14, 7 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Publix ZSG Benefit Dinner – Held at the Intercontinental Hotel Miami, guests, including local celebrities, sports stars and some of the hottest entertainers around, will enjoy a cocktail reception, musical entertainment, a silent and live auction featuring exotic trips, one-of-a kind sports memorabilia, and celebrity experiences.

Sunday, July 15, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Volkswagen ZSG Block Party – Located at American Airlines Arena, this free, fun-driven community event features music, delicious food, lots of giveaways, fun rides, and entertainment from local and national performers outside American Airlines Arena, just before the ZSG All-Star Basketball Game. Kids can meet and greet Nick Jr.’s Go, Diego Go! and his animal friends, and get up close and personal with creatures from the tropical rainforest.

July 15, 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Carnival Cruise Lines ZSG All-Star Basketball Game – Immediately following the Block Party at American Airlines Arena, some of the league’s best and most exciting basketball stars will play some great ball during a fun and high flying game featuring giveaways, contests and entertaining performances. Tickets are available at http://www.zsg.com.

I just heard about a small plane crashing near Orlando, in the Sanford area. The plane was a Cessna 310 twin engine, and reports are saying either 2 killed, and 3 injured, or 5 killed. Two homes were damaged and are on fire. Three of the victims were residents of one of the homes.

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened in Florida. Just a few years ago, a plane crashed into a home on Davis Island in Tampa, killing the pilot.

Isn’t it great when bloggers dig deep to help one another? All of the bloggers below donated to my 3-Day campaign, to fight breast cancer! Together, we can find a cure, and provide early detection to people who couldn’t otherwise afford a mammogram.

Alli
Carolyn
Mike from Sinus Infection
Robyn
Matthew from Blog About Your Blog
Funny Junk
Cybercelt from the Texas RV Travel blog
Karen from My Road
and Sian Lun Lau

My sister is only $250 away from her 3-Day goal now! We received another $200 in donations from the people listed below, and you can help too. Just read how to donate here, and you’ll be getting the link love too!

Thanks to:
Kitty
Kelly at That’s What She Said.
Vedis
Barnett Associates (Marysville WA real estate)

There’s still time to help, and be linked up here (and 9 other spots!) like Greg Watson, Thinking Outloud, and Surviving NJ. My sister is only about $450 away from her goal now, thanks guys!

If you’re wondering what YOU can do to help, click here and read more about the special offer I’m making people who donate.

I realize that most Floridians probably don’t drive to Mexico. It’s entirely too easy for us to hop aboard a cruise ship and make our way to Mexico after a few other stops and a day at sea. However, there are people who step off that cruise ship, and then had to the nearest place they can find to rent a car or moped, envisioning seeing “the real Mexico” on their own. And you can’t get much more real than a Mexican jail, which is where you’ll end up if you get into an accident and you don’t have Mexican auto insurance! Your policy that covers your vehicles at home in the USA or Canada isn’t valid in Mexico, and if you can’t pay for damages you’ve caused in an auto accident, you risk being put into jail! Why risk it, when you can plan ahead and buy a Mexican auto insurance policy online before you leave home? Unless your idea of the real Mexico includes seeing the interior of a jail? In that case, carry on.