When I first moved to the Zephyrhills and Pasco County in 1982 it was still pretty much a quiet part of the state. Much of that ambience still remains. However, in several ways it has grown and improved. We have more schools, a community college, more subdivisions & inhabitants, etc. Time marches on, even here.
However, one of our best improvements has been the growth of the Pasco County Library System. We now have several branches throughout the county for everyone to enjoy. And in most, books to lend are just a small part of what they offer. To visit the webpage for the entire Pasco library system just CLICK HERE . On this page you can find all of the locations and their hours of operations. Also, information on any special activities they offer for persons of all ages. These change over time so it pays to check back from time-to-time. So bookmark or make a favorite of their site. As a former teacher, I can assure any parents and grandparents out there that your local library is an invaluable asset for your youngsters! You have no idea the benefits it can have on kids.
But here, I want to give you information about the two branches that most of us in Zephyrhills use.
Zephyrhills Public Library
This was originally just the city library, but is now incorporated into the county system. Located downtown near City Hall it is conveniently located for city inhabitants and people who live on the far eastern side of the county. There is plenty of parking nearby and the site is easily accessible.
It is located at: 5347 8th Street. The telephone number for this branch is: 813-780-0064. Its hours are:
To see a schedule of their current activities click on this image and print it:
New River Branch Library
For those residents that live on west side of Zephyrhills, you may want to drop in at the New River Library Branch. It is just to the west of the intersection of Morris Bridge Road/Eiland Boulevard and State Road 54 (Not far from our CENTURY 21 office). This location is also where many of us vote early each year since it also has been serving as a polling site for some time.
Its address is: 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills, Florida. Telephone number: 813-788-6375. Its hours are:
To see a poster of their current schedule of events, click on the following image and print it up for your use:
I hope you will all take the opportunity to use these valuable assets. Remember, they are FREE! Not much else is today.
If I can be of further service or you need more information, do not hesitate to call me at: 813-783-4444 or e-mail me: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com You can also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com where you will find more useful information and local links.
First it was the "good hands people" who used those hands to wrap them around our throats. Then it was "the good neighbor people" who cried poverty and fled Florida, getting concessions from the state along the way and dragging their feet when asked to supply the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation with needed documentation.
Now, it is the people who "are on our side" that are running for the border. My insurance agent told me, and news reports I am seeing and hearing seem to support, that Nationwide Insurance is going to drop 60,000 homeowners policies throughout the state of Florida, starting in mid-2010. Of course, like with the other "big boys" they will still be happy to continue to take your cash to cover your car and boats! Talk about "cherry picking".
They said that the Tower Hill Group would pick up at least some of these policies. However, when I talked to my agent he said that Tower Hill was only insuring homes worth over $300,000! Now, that may have changed. I hope so, or a lot of Floridians will be left out in the cold and searching for coverage.
Of course, the state-run company, Citizens can fill the gap, but their coverage and prices are generally not as good as what the private companies can offer.
Nationwide says it will start notifying homeowners of the non-renewal of their policies in July 2010. So what are you supposed to do in the meantime? Wait over a half a year to see if you are or are not allowed to stay with Nationwide??
I feel sorry for the agents that handle Nationwide customers. Now that homeowners know that they "might" lose their coverage, many may start looking for other coverage and cancelling their current policies now. When State Farm left, agents sent out notices telling people not to worry since they still had coverage until ______ when their policy would officially be cancelled. They probably did this because they did not want to lose months of premiums when owners would not wait for the axe to fall, but went ahead and moved to a company that was staying in Florida. If I were the independent agents I would probably do the same thing. Sounds a little like the GM dealerships that got the rugs pulled out from under them several months back. They worked hard and got dumped on. Customers were scared and wary of GM products.
But can you blame the homeowner who may, or may not, have any property insurance come next summer? Would you want to wait until the last minute when you get that cancellation letter? At that point, everyone will be scurrying to find coverage before those companies that are continuing to underwrite fill up their quotas.
Logically, these companies do not want to concentrate all of their policies in one zip code area or a localized storm could wipe them out. So they have limits as to the number of new policies they will write in an area. Instead, they do so many in 33541, then so many in 33542, then so many in 33525, etc. That way they are spreading out the risk. So if you wait too long, you could be shut out with Citizens being your only option.
Three weeks ago my agent did say that he had 4 companies writing in the mobile home parks here, especially the 55+ subdivisions. He said the number of companies writing policies decreased with the age of the home. That always seems to be the case. Insurers like newer homes of any kind as opposed to older ones. That I understand and accept. Very old homes or mobiles often have only Citizens as their option.
Since we are almost through the 2009 hurricane season with no storms hitting us, if we can get through it unscathed, I am hoping that in January 2010 more of the little companies will start to write policies here and give us more options. Especially for those who are with Nationwide. I am certainly going to check in the new year to see if I can get a cheaper policy!
It never hurts to check every few months or so to see if something is better out there. If you get stuck using Citizens, check with your agent (or another one) in a few months to see if things have improved.
This post is my opinion as a Floridian. It is also my hope that these small companies that come in to give us coverage have many years with no major storms in Florida, and that they make a fortune for not "turning tail" and running for the border. Loyalty deserves some reward in my book.
I have a very small house, just 660 sqare feet of living space with a 300 sqare foot garage. Built in 1979, so not ancient. No claims ever. Worth well under 100K, but my insurance payment is $1,568/year!! Just went up again. So I feel the pain right along with the rest of you. As I said, after January 2010 I am going shopping for a better rate.
If I can assist you in any way, feel free to call me at: 813-783-4444 or e-mail me at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com You can also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com
A couple of years after I started blogging for my real estate business, I wanted a way to target a specific group in my area. Here they were the baby-boomers who were retiring to Zephyrhills,Florida. Though many were going to my blogs to search for homes, find community links, etc. The blog did not give them the chance to actually participate and get into the everyday things that were happening in town.
I considered starting a bulletin board system for them to use. Though many here are over the 70 year mark, it is amazing how adept many of them are at using the computers, e-mail, and other programs. I spoke with a friend of mine in South Florida whose partner set up webpages, and he suggested the company I went with, BulletinBoards.com I was surprised at how easy it was to set up and I now have had the Zephyrhills 55+ Bulletin Board in operation for almost 3 years now.
I did make a few mistakes at the beginning. Here we have several subdvisions and I set up a forum (you can have up to 8 total) for each. Not very practical and I had to leave some off. So I redid the board to make it more useful. Now you can see there are categories for: Local News & Events, Health Discussions, Events Inside Subdivisions, Events Outside of Subdivisions, Travel Ideas, Yard Sales, Items for Sale/Items Wanted, AND of course a category reserved for my real estate issues. This last one I have limited so that only I can post items there. I did that to avoid the problems Craig's List got into. Since I am paying for the board and I am a licensed REALTOR, only I can post homes for sale, etc.
The rest of the board is moderated so that before any post appears, I get to see it and approve it. The program also has a profanity filter you can fire-up so that any "no-no"s can get caught. You can make the board strictly for posting and viewing, but you can also allow people to reply to posts and even reply to replies (threading) if you like. From the manager's page you control all of that. You can also put your picture, company logo, and contact information on it. That is the big reason for providing the board in the first place, right?
If you visit my board by clicking here: Zephyrhills 55+ Bulletin Board you will see that most of the posts appear to be from me. Actually, a lot of my participants are hesitant to post their own messges and are afraid they will mess it up so they e-mail me the info and I post it by cutting-and-pasting. But during the winter season when we have more of our snowbirds here, the board gets more personal posts. I think in a younger community you might get even more participation. But I see things in the paper that are happening and posters at community clubhouses so I add the info myself. Things like the Elks having roast beef dinners on Fridays, Bingo at Colony Hills on Wednesdays, a Yard Sale down the road on Saturday, etc. I also have established a good relationship with some of the main community groups in Zephyrhills, and they keep me fed with news items for area residents.
It used to be we would all get a free throw-away paper each week in our yards with this stuff in it. Now that has mostly stopped. So you can provide a great alternative for your community. And if I am already typing news and items into this blog or my other ones, it takes no real effort to get them into the bulletin board. See my hint below.
A little hint here. If you blog, once you have written a post, you can usually convert your rich text into HTML code, then you can copy-and-paste that to the bulletin board when you need to, and all of your pictures, highlighting, links, downloads, get placed on the board in a matter of seconds. They are still stored back on your blog, but the board will go and get them anytime someone clicks on them or opens that post! Some of you probably already do that if you have more than one blog. Why retype everything and redownload pix when you can use the HTML code to move it all in one move? Even embedded video should transfer that way. How much easier could it be?
They even have a calendar feature you can activate so participants can see the month's events on one page! I do not use it since it is just a bit more than a lot of my participants can handle or want to deal with. But your groups may be different.
At the start, I made everyone register to see the board. But you know how you hate to have to do that when you are online. While I was doing that I would get about 15 views a day. I finally took off that rule, and now I regularly get nearly 100 hits each day. Both my customers' comments and the automatic visitor counter confirm that. Not bad!! Since they do not have to log-in, they can stop by and see what is new. And hey, the whole idea is to get my name out there in one way or another. Isn't that why we put our names on pens? Everytime they click on my page, there I am!
BulletinBoard.com, the company I use for my board can be found at: Click Here to start your own Message Board The price is good, certainly less than any print advertising you will do. And a big plus is that if you have a problem with the board, you call the number at the bottom of the screen and you will speak directly with Al Bennett who is a whiz at fixing stuff. Very friendly and ready to assist you. That is important nowdays. I even suggested that he put in a box when you wrote a post where you could indicate the number of days you wanted the post to stay online before being automatically deleted. Guess what? Within 2 weeks, there it was! Now tell me you get that service from REALTOR.com or your franchises' webpages. NOT! There are surely other companies out there you can try. However, I can tell you, the service from the folks at this one is what sold me on them and has kept me using them.
So why not try it out? Be the sponsor for your subdivision if it is a large one. For your whole town if it is a small one. Could also be useful for your club, museum, church, social club, veteran's association, etc. The public gets a free place to advertise stuff and see what is going on in their communities and you get some very cheap exposure. What do you have to lose? Start Your Own Bulletin Board Today!
Feel free to call me at:813-783-4444 or e-mail me at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com if you have any questions about my experiences with my bulletin board. I will be happy to tell you how it has worked out for me.
On Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM Zephyrhills, Florida will be holding its Halloween Howl in the downtown area. The activities will include the following:
Many of the activities are sponsored by local merchants and businesses.
Costume Parade will take place at 7:00 PM, and participants will line-up at 6:45 PM in front of the Seven-Eleven convenience store on 5th Avenue. All participants will get a participation ribbon.
For more information you can download the following flyer: Download Halloween Howl 2009
You can also call Main Street Zephyrhills at: 813-780-1414 or e-mail them at: mszi@verizon.net You can also visit their website to see their entire calendar of events at: www.mainstreetzephyrhills.org
Hope you have a great evening!
Experienced full-time, full-service real estate agent and REALTOR in the East Pasco County area of Florida. Including Zephyrhills, Dade City, San Antonio, Ridge Manor, Wesley Chapel & Land O'Lakes.
You Deserve a Full-Time, Full-Service REALTOR®, NOT Reduced Results!
As a former teacher I helped my students achieve their goals. Now as a REALTOR® I help my buyers and sellers achieve some of the most important goals of their lives, buying or selling their homes. If you are considering selling and/or buying a property, I would be happy to assist you. I always place my customers' satisfaction very high on my list of priorities and work hard to help them in any way that I can. My hours are very flexible, so feel free to contact me at any time! Evenings and weekends are no problem. My cell phone number is: 813-783-4444, or you can use my e-mail: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com . I will respond promptly. Licensed in Florida.
34619 State Road 54, Zephyrhills, Florida 33541
John T. Elwell
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Working with buyers and sellers of residential properties and vacant land in Zephyrhills, Dade City, and the general East Pasco County. area of Florida. I have sold everything from $18,000 vacant lots to $1,450,000 properties. I am a 27 year resident of this area and am very familiar with it. In addition, I also speak Spanish for those customers who are more comfortable using that language.
Here are some of the comments that past customers have sent to me. It is always great know that my hard work is appreciated!
Thank you so much for your "above and beyond" role in selling Mom and Dad's house. Your persistance, endless kind concern, and limitless patience have been remarkable. Words cannot express my gratitude that during the most difficult time in Dad's life, you so willingly took on so much more than we ever could have asked for or expected. Your kindness and humor buoyed Dad's spirit time and time again. You made a huge positive difference in his life, and in mine as well. Thanks, is just not enough to say. Please know that, however insufficient, it is heartfelt. - Patty R.
We want to thank you again for helping us find a place. We appreciate all of the extras you had to do for us, especially the extra work involved with the (buyers). We will keep you in mind if we hear of anyone selling or buying in your area. - Diane and Dan B.
Thanks John. Sorry this has been such a hassle for you. You've been great and I will always give my business to you and recommend you to others - Celeste B.
Rick and I are real glad we had you handle (the sale and purchase) of both houses. Thank you for everything. - Rick and Penny W.
It was a pleasure working with you on both of (the buyer's) loans. When working with Realtors it is rare that I can make that statement. The understanding and positive attitude you presented through all of the obstacles was refreshing. The remote closings, insurance problems, manufactured homes, storms, etc were all taken in stride. The loans closed and I hope you, the sellers and their agents and (the Buyer) were all satisfied. I hope we can do business in the future. - John Kimmel, Mortgage Broker
Thank you for helping us find our house. We really like this home. - Richard and Nancy K.
You have been a wonderful real estate agent. I am sure you will do great with this career. - Yvette I.
I'm so pleased that everything went so smoothly with the sale of the house. I felt completely at ease from the moment we met. - Lynn M.
We both thank you so very much for all your expert salesmanship, time, directions, and most of all PATIENCE in guiding us along this business transaction. You've been wonderful! - Donna and Tom S.
I want to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all your help during these past two months as we maneuvered through the maze of buying this property. You were very helpful. I am particularly impressed with your attention to detail which I hold as a hallmark of excellent work. Your effort to assist me work through some of the more difficult issues was impressive. I hope we have the opportunity to work together again as I continue to purchase properties here in Florida. - Michael and Jessica W.
Thank you again so much from the bottom of our hearts for the best gift Betty (new baby daughter) has ever gotten from anyone - our wonderful home. You were so patient with us, and because of you, we are exactly where we want to be! You are highly recommended by me to anyone who is seeking a REALTOR! - Michael and Lorie M.
Just a quick note to let you know that I am happy with my purchase of a home in Colony Hills. Your salesman, John Elwell, was very helpful, and I appreciate all of his work on keeping me informed all along the way. I will recommend him highly to anyone. - Elaine S.
Just a note to say once again how much we appreciate the high caliber of your service to us. Having been real estate brokers ourselves for many years in Michigan before our retirement, we know a hard-working, ethical, knowledgeable salesperson gives both sellers and buyers confidence that they are well-served. You are all that, and we recommend you highly! - Lee and Luanne B.
It was a pleasure working with you as we searched for and settled on our winter get-away property in Zephyrhills. Your service, attention to detail, knowledge of Zephyrhills 55+ communities, and market savy helped us find the home we wanted.
We have been in our new home since the first of December and are very happy with it and the community. You listened to what we wanted and that is exactly what you found for us. We especially want to thank you for all the time you spent on us, four months of phone calls and emails - five days when we came down to see the properties, and always with a friendly and WANT TO HELP attitude. We also had apprehensions about conducting all closing procedures over the phone and by mail from up north but you were on the job and everything went without a hitch.
Once again we are very grateful for your help and guidance and will be looking forward to sending our friends to Century 21 and John Elwell! David and Mary C.
Thank you so much for going the extra mile in this sale. I have been pleased with your services and look forward to again working with you when the need within our family arises again. Evan B.and Family
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