Cape Coral Realtor- Sand Castle Realty Carl Flickinger, CDPE 239-322-0309

Just wanted to take out some time to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from sunny southwest Florida.

My Christmas and New Years wishes and hopes are that all of my family, friends, customers, and clients, stay safe and reconnect with their families during these times to reflect over the events of the last year and encourage each other that things are going to be better next year.

Even though it was not a booming year for most businesses, somehow we survived. My motto for this past year was "it's going to be okay", practicing and saying this daily got me through. Starting a real estate practice in an area that is one of the hardest hit in the country, was not easy. But we made it. And there are signs of growth. "Its going to be Okay" worked for everyone around me. We now have some confidence.

We have decided on next years motto "Baby Steps". We came about this to remind us that even through there are signs of growth, not to go back to our over spending over indulgence ways. After a few years of lean times, where the world economy devasted us all, this year there have been some small signs that the world's confidence is coming bacl. We believe that a slow and steady growth is like walking for the first time. Not sure if the legs will hold us, not sure if we want to incur the pain of falling, not sure how fast to go. So "Baby Steps" it is.

Whetheryou have a need for real estate in Cape Coral, Ft Myers and the Beach, and the entire Lee County area, or know someone family who is in trouble with their home, visit our website: www.capeinthesand.com, we offer veterans services, free financial resources, mortgage lending resources, and the current market listings.

I was just provided with some extract from an article, where a writer reported that the health care reform act effects real estate. It stated that after 2012, if you sell your home, you will be tax 3.8% of the sales price. Obviously, if this is true, that will have a great impact on the already devasted markets.

I am writing to start a discussion as to the validity of this information, specifically, if it is in the reform act, what is the National Association of Realtor's (NAR) position on this matter.

Do you think it would be a good idea to tell everyone this holiday season about the new 52″ Flat Screen TV Santa dropped off at your house, then tell everyone you will be out of town for a week visiting family (in case they wanted to steal it)?

Would you think it would be safe to tell EVERYONE exactly where you are throughout the day, where you are having lunch (and with who), where you are going out dancing (and with who) and when?

I have a couple cautions for everyone regarding the conscious sharing of information through Social Media Sites (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc.), and one situation which you may not have be aware of which exposes your exact location at any given time.

Obviously, when you post your updates through Twitter and Facebook about where you are, what you are doing, etc., you need to be acutely aware of the fact that you are telling everyone (not just your friends) where you are.....and where you are not. You need to be aware of what unscrupulous folks could do with this information. Period. When you send out your Tweets, just think......think about the information you are sending.....and whether you really want everyone to have that information.

Another situation you may not be aware of relates to uploading pictures from your Smartphone to the internet, and the hidden information that is transmitted along with the photo. Many smartphones, including the iPhone, embed high-precision geo-coordinates with all photos and videos taken with the internal camera unless explicitly switched off in the global settings. Their accuracy even exceeds that of GPS as the device determines its position in combination with cell-tower triangulation.

Very quickly, using free software, anyone can easily determine with incredible accuracy based on the location coordinates in the phonto exactly where the picture was taken. So, you meet your friends that you have not seen in a while for lunch, and a snap a great picture. While you are waiting for the appetizers to arrive, you send out a quick (45 second) Tweet saying you are having lunch with your good old friends, and you attach the picture you just took. In an instant, you have just told everyone you were not at home, you showed them exactly who you were with, and you gave everyone the exact coordinates of where you are. Just be careful and cognizant of the information you are transmitting at all times....

There are many crimes being committed based on the information being provided as described...so much so, that they have even come with a term for it now. It is called CyberCasing, and you can read a good article about it here.

The geotagging option can be disabled on your phone. Check with your cell phone service provider, or click here for instructions.

More NEW Homeowners are Becoming Delinquent

November 10th, 2010 in CDPE by cdpe 0

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, 2.7% of current mortgage balances transitioned to delinquency, up from 2.6 percent last quarter. Additionally, industry research firm Foresight Analytics predicts residential mortgage delinquencies at 13.3% for the third quarter.

New threads are popping up every day on ActiveRain, RealTown and other sites posing the question: Has the real estate market hit bottom? Unfortunately, the answer is no ... not yet. We actually think we're a few years away from a recovery.

However, these numbers show an overwhelming need for educated real estate agents to help homeowners in distress. This is where the market is today, and successful agents are working within these conditions, not avoiding them.

Helping homeowners avoid foreclosure, especially through short sales, has kept real estate agents relevant, assisted in community stabilization, and helped families find greater financial stability.

We continue to maintain that real estate agents will lead the housing industry out of the current crisis. And we're seeing it happen, one homeowner at a time.

As a licensed CDPE in Cape Coral Florida, I thought I would pass along a remindered to all those homeowners, who are facing foreclosure, and currently living in their home for free.

Now is the time to get control of your destiny. Short Sale is still one of your best options. Click on short sale for more information about your options.