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Gabe Sanders, Stuart Florida Real Estate

Winestyles in Palm City Florida - Customer Appreciation Party

My partner Susan Maxwell and I wish to thank everyone who came to our 2009 customer appreciation party at Winestyles in Palm City, Florida. Hopefully everyone had a wonderful time and for those so inclined, also had a good introduction to some very tasty and unusual wine flavors.

Gabe Sanders and Susan Maxwell Customer Appreciation Party 2009

A huge thank you to Susan who just did an awesome job preparing the food. It was really wonderful, and now I need to go out and jog a bit extra to mediate the effects of the calories!

Winestyles Party November 2009

Another big thanks and appreciation to our newest occasional partner Stephanie Gray for her assistance setting up the festivities.

Stephanie Gray and Susan Maxwell

For those living near or visiting the Palm City, Florida area, stop into Winestyles and experience some great wines from around the world.

This is our fourth annual holiday customer appreciation party. It is a little pay back to our wonderful clients, friends and business partners that have helped make our real estate business so successful on the Treasure Coast of Florida.

Jensen Beach Pineapple Festival This Weekend Nov 6 - 8

Pineapple Festival LogoIf you happen to be lucky enough to live or be visitng the beautiful Treasure Coast of Florida, come join us at the 22'nd annual Pineapple Festival in rustic downtown Jensen Beach. Beginning on Friday evening at 6 PM, November 6'th and lasting through the weekend until 8 PM on Sunday November 8'th.

The Jensen beach Pineapple Festival celebrates the beginnings of Jensen beach when the area consisted of many large pineapple plantations. In 1895, Jensen beach proudly called itself the 'Pineapple Capitol of the World'. During this period over 1 million boxes of pineapples were shipped during the short June to July season each year. Through a series of misfortunes including an unusual freeze, fires and a harsh economic climate, the pineapple plantations were all gone by the 1920's but the celebration keeps the roots of Jensen beach alive.

Admission to the festival is $15.00 for adults. Children under 12 are free. There will be rides for children of all ages as well as arcade games and great food for your enjoyment.

A free shuttle will provide transportation from the Treasure coast Mall where parking is free.

The entertainment schedule includes:

Friday Night Nov 6, country singer Pat Green will entertain at 8 PM.
Julianne Hough
Saturday night also at 8 will feature country singer Julianne Hough whos is also a two time winner of Dancing With the Stars.

Sunday at 1 PM the Honor Society will perform and also on Sunday at 6 PM B-Liminal will perform.

It looks to be a great time this weekend, I hope you can join us.

More information is available at the Pieapple Festivel website: http://www.pineapplefestival.info/

Dropouts flock to GEDs

Employers today can afford to be particular and dropouts are learning this lesson first hand.

High School General Equivalency Diploma


With the job market tightening, the unemployment rate for people lacking a high school diploma reached 15.6 percent in August. It was 9.7 percent for high school graduates without any college.

This is one of the reasons adult-education centers are being flooded with students seeking General Education Diplomas (GED). In 2008, the number of high school dropouts seeking a GED swelled to 777,000, up 6.6 percent nationwide. In some areas, the increase in GED seekers was 20 percent higher than the year before.

Reasons for seeking a GED included job search, general education and social reasons. About 7 percent wanted to qualify to join the military.

The GED is accepted by most state colleges, universities and technical schools in lieu of a high-school diploma and it is in this area that experts say it is most valuable. GED students with some post-secondary education can improve their earning power significantly. However, two recent studies suggest those who hold a GED still do not significantly improve their earning power compared to high school dropouts.

Thanks to state and federal programs, getting a GED can be very inexpensive or even free.

Sewalls Point Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest

Another successful Halloween Pumpkin Carving Contest sponsored by Premier Realty Group last night. Over 4o entries kept the judges busy visiting the homes and snapping pictures for the final determination back at the office. Here are some of the winners:

Halloween Pumpkin Sewalls Point Florida

Halloween Pumpkin Sewalls Point Florida

After the judging the Mayor of Sewalls Point along with the prize patrol rode our limo to present the prizes to the talented winners.

Pumpkin Prize Patrol Sewalls Point Florida

And the proud winners are awarded their certificate and a great gift basket thanks to all of our generous sponsors.

Winners of the Sewalls Point Pumpkin Carving Contest

Winners of the Sewalls Point Pumpkin Carving Contest

Hope to see you next Halloween for a frighteningly good time!

Protect Your Home and Your Wallet

If you own or plan to purchase a home, then you know that insurance is not just a luxury, it’s a requirement. While you should not skimp on certain coverage items, there are some steps you can take to reduce your overall premium.

If you have a security system installed (and operating!), you might lower your premium by 5% or more. You'll just need to provide your insurer with a copy of your contract or latest statement. Also, while newer homes have smoke alarms already installed, hooking them up in an older home might also reduce your premium by as much as 10%.

Just like health or auto insurance, if you increase your deductible on homeowners insurance, you'll reduce your premium. Just be sure you're prepared to pocket smaller repairs like broken windows or damages from leaks.

If your policy is held by a company that also offers auto or health insurance, look into discounts for multiple policies. You could save a percentage on both your homeowners and auto policies, for example.

Another money (and time and stress) saver is to document everything in your home with a photographic inventory. Store photos, cds or videos in a fireproof box or, preferably, a safe deposit box off site. This will reduce the time and effort required to complete a claim, and guarantee an accurate replacement payment.