February 2018

Realtors know all too well that buyers often start searching for a home with everything on their list of preferences and end up purchasing one that looks different from what they originally said they wanted. Buyers aren't deliberately misleading their agents, they just havent seriously considered what their preferences are and end up relying on conventional thinking. Here are some tips for buyers: 

1. Begin with a preliminary visit to a mortgage broker.

Meet with a lender to set a ceiling on what you can afford. Sometimes budgeting and planning on your own doesn't take into consideration all the finer details. Get the truth from a lender before you waste your time looking in a price range you can't afford. 

2. Truly consider your

Groundbreakings on new homes went up nearly 10% last month, to the highest level since October 2016. 

January saw an annual new construction pace of 1.33 million, which is 120,00 more homes per year than just a month before in December 2017. Construction of single family homes rose 3.7% and apartments/condos ran up to 19.7%. 

Building permits also went up last month about 8% which is a good indicator that we will continue to see growth of new construction in the coming months.

Across the country the market is generally in need of new homes on the market, particularly in the Northeast, where new homes shot up 46%.

An improving economy has given Americans the confidence to buy a new home. Builders are also feeling confident as the

Starting tomorrow, Pavilion Grille in Boca Raton will be hosting Ballroom & Latin Dance Night every Wednesday through March 28th.

Try something new and take this once-a-week "class" for the next month. Or just come one night and have a good time! There will be two hosts/instructors, Axel and Elyse, leading the dance for those who want to follow them. Come early for dinner at 6 p.m. then head to the dance floor at 8 p.m. Admission is $15 and includes a free house drink and light snacks and sweets. 

Plan a night out with your spouse or a friend and head over to the Pavilion Grille for a fun evening of eating, drinking, and dancing. If you like it, take advantage of the event going on for the next 6 weeks. 

For more information call

The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse and Museum is hosting its third annual Sea Fest For Kids. The event is Saturday, February 24th from 11 am to 5 pm at the lighthouse in Jupiter.

The family friendly event will feature sea-inspired adventures and educational activities for the kids to celebrate Jupiter’s coastal history and heritage. Important characters from Jupiter’s past, mermaids, and real pirates will be there too to celebrate on the waterfront. There will also be a pirate and mermaid costume contest. The Ah-tah-thi-ki Museum will be present to provide educational and fun crafts.

At the event will be live music, story-telling, arts and crafts, demonstrations, Lighthouse Tours, activities, ice cream treats, and great food from some local food trucks.

Children

Stuart, Florida was just named one of the best places to retire by SmartAsset, a finance and technology company based out of New York. 

SmartAsset factored things like recreation, health care, tax rates, and percentage of other seniors when ranking cities across the country to retire in. Stuart was ranked in the top 10 in Florida at #5 and was only one of two cities on the state's east coast to make the list (the other was Vero Beach). Stuart also ranked in the top 15 communities nationally. 

The city of Stuart has a low tax rate, a lot of recreational activities, and seniors make up 28% of the population. Stuart is a great place for fishing (the Sailfish capital of the world), is surrounded by water, has beautiful real estate, a lively

Starting this weekend in Delray Beach some of the top tennis professional will be in town for the 2018 Delray Beach Open. The Open starts today February 16th through February 25th. The 10-day tournament features past and present ATP World Tour and ATP Champions Tours players.

The tennis matches consist of competitions featuring some of the top-ranked tennis professionals in the world for single- elimination and double events at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.

To kick off the tennis events, the International Tennis Hall of Famer and 17-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe is returning to make his 4th Delray Beach Open appearance for the tournaments ATP Champions Tour this weekend, February 16th through February 18th.

Making their debuts at the Delray Beach

When the City of Port Saint Lucie was constructed, its master developer assigned numbers to most of the city's subdivisions as opposed to naming them. To this day, the majority of the neighborhoods in Port St. Lucie are nameless. 

That's why city council decided to create the Neighborhood Improvement & Community Engagement (NICE) Program. The goal is to promote vibrant neighborhoods and a high-quality life. It gives residents the chance to join together to name their neighborhoods and enhance them. "The program will help empower communities by giving them a united, collective voice when working with the City on issues, concerns and needs," according to the NICE Program brief. 

The first step of NICE is to identify boundaries of the composed

Once a month the "Blue Friends" of Loggerhead Marinelife Center get together to have breakfast and clean our beaches.

All you have to do to be a Blue Friend is join the monthly clean-ups! Help keep our local beaches clear and beautiful and safe for sea turtles. Jupiter and Juno beaches are vital nesting spots especially for the endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtle. Last season, the Center documented more than 11,000 Loggerhead nests. 

The Blue Friends meet at the Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach at 8:30 a.m., but don't worry about it being early, you'll have delicious coffee from Oceana Coffee Roasters in Tequesta to wake you up! After walking the beach and picking up litter for about an hour, the group heads back over to the Center

The Florida Youth Orchestra is a nationally acclaimed orchestra of 400 members ages 6-19. These kids are incredibly talented and have performed in front of crowds of 70,000+ playing at events like the World Series and at the Dolphins Stadium. Many of the students go on to some of the country's most prestigious colleges, consistently receiving the most coveted scholarships, honors, and awards. Come see them perform a free concert this Sunday, February 18th at Mizner Park Amphitheater in Boca Raton.

The Youth Orchestra will be playing "Classics in the Park," featuring the Principal Orchestra and the Flute Choir. Show your support for these students celebrating the art of classical music. Bring a blanket or chair to sit on or you can rent one for

Every year, the PGA National Resort and Spa hosts The Honda Classic Golf Tournament in Palm Beach Gardens. Last year, Jupiter resident and Professional Golfer Rickie Fowler took home the winning title and earnings.

The PGA National Resort and Spa has been the home to The Honda Classic since 2007. The club features 5 challenging and exciting 18-hole golf courses, The Champion, The Palmer, The Squire, The Estates, and The Fazio. The Honda Classic is played on the Champion course every year. The Champion course was redesigned in 2014 and is now famous for “The Bear Trap”, three challenging holes that was designed by the Professional Golfer and local resident Jack Nicklaus.

About 200,000 visitors are expected to attend this year’s tournament to see some of