Kari A. Battaglia - Venice Real Estate

Environmentally friendly homes are not just good for the planet but also are a huge draw for conscientious buyers with green houses typically selling 20% faster than traditional houses. More and more homebuyers are interested in living a greener lifestyle and you do not want to miss the opportunity to market your home to those potential buyers. There's even a dedicated worldwide multiple listing service for green properties, hosted at listedgreen.com. Here are some simple ways to mini mize your impact on the environment and make your house stand out from all of the rest

Energy Efficiency

Home utility bills have seen double-digit growth in the past few years, spurred by record-high oil and gas prices and water shortages. "That means if you can show lowered utility bills to potential buyers, it makes a big difference in today's market," explains Kerry Mitchell, the president and founder of Green Real Estate Education, and a real estate broker with more than 14 years of experience in Maryland and Florida.

Mitchell trains real estate professionals about the benefits of going green, as well as how to apply for various regional and national green certifications (such as the EPA's Energy Star for homes and the U.S. Green Building Council's emerging LEED for Homes program).

The key is to make improvements to your home's energy efficiency, and document how the monthly bills change over time. Highlight the savings to your broker and any potential buyers, and provide comparisons to typical bills for similar-sized houses in your region (call FPL or visit http://www.fpl.com for details on FPL's Home Energy Survey and controlling your energy costs).

Small Steps Add Up

So, how do you get started? It may sound trite now, but Mitchell says the first thing you should do is to replace as many light bulbs as you can with CFLs (compact fluorescents). CFLs use a quarter of the electricity as regular bulbs, and lighting accounts for 20% of home energy use.

Upgrade Your "Energy Hog" Appliances

The next step is to upgrade any old or questionable appliances with new Energy Star-certified models. "There is a definite payoff with Energy Star," says Mitchell. The EPA's blue and white label indicates models must be 10% to 50% more efficient than standard offerings. It's also a good idea to install a programmable thermostat and motion detectors, suggests Mitchell.

Insulation Can Be a Selling Point

Make sure cracks are tightly caulked and leaks are sealed. Just doing that can drop your annual heating bill by $100, according to Department of Energy figures. Also consider if your insulation might need beefing up.

Going Healthy Sells

Another potentially untapped market is to capitalize on making your home as healthy a space as possible. There are many people with allergies, asthma, chemical sensitivities and so on who consider top indoor air quality a necessity. In addition, more and more people are interested in cutting down on their exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

So putting on a fresh coat of the new and now-widely available "low-VOC" paints can go a long way toward attracting buyers, says Mitchell. "It gives Realtors something to market," she says.

You'll also want to deal with what's underfoot. Old carpets can be a real turnoff, and can emit allergens and toxins. Exposing any hardwood floors is a good way to bring out your home's beauty and value, but if you don't have that option consider new, eco-friendly carpeting.

Any opportunities you have to replace polyvinyl chloride (PVC) will also improve indoor air quality, since the plastic is known to off-gas fumes. It may be present in flooring, shower curtains, plastic board material and more.

If your home is older, you'll want to assess the situation of possible lead paint and asbestos - issues much better left to qualified professionals.

Call the Pros

Speaking of pros, the best thing you can do when considering selling your home green is to call in experts to make recommendations. They may start with an energy audit, for instance.

Remember that you may also qualify for federal, state or local tax credits by going green.

Contact Kari A. Battaglia, GRI, Realtor®, Broker Associate, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Licensed Realtor® in Florida at 941-270-1851 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Venice Florida, South Venice Florida, Englewood Florida, Nokomis Florida, Laurel Florida and for Tennessee real estate investments. I am currently accepting referrals.

Contact me by email at kari.battaglia@floridamoves.com. Need information fast, call me direct at 941-270-1851.

Please visit my outside web blog www.veniceareahomesblog.com, my personal website www.KariBattaglia.com and business website www.floridamoves.com/Kari.Battaglia.

Copyright © 2008 By Kari A. Battaglia. All Rights Reserved.

For Sarasota County property owners, you may have noticed a change in the assessed value of your property for 2008. In January, 2008 the voters of Florida passed "Amendment One" which includes four significant changes to the way property taxes are calculated:

1) Homestead properties receive an additional $25,000 exemption, for all districts except the School Board.
2) Allows "portability" which enables homestead owners to take all or part of their Save Our Homes benefits with them to their new property.
3) Provides a $25,000 exemption to tangible personal property (benefits primarily business owners).
4) Caps non-homestead assessed value growth at 10% per year, beginning in 2009.

The Florida homestead exemption "Save Our Homes" benefit is now "portable" because of the passage of the constitutional amendment on January 29, 2008. The "Save Our Homes" benefitis the difference between the assessed value and market value of a homestead property due to the annual limit on increases in assessed value. Portability means that, from now on, you can transfer some or all of your old home's "Save Our Homes" benefit to your new home.

You must apply to your property appraiser to transfer your "Save Our Homes" benefit. For contact information on Florida's property appraisers, go to http://www.scgov.net/CFPO/BudgetGuide/trimnoticefaq.asp.

Portability for 2008

Portability first becomes available for homeowners who had a 2007 homestead exemption on their old home and established a new homestead by January 1, 2008.

If you moved into a new home by January 1, 2008, you have through March 1, 2008, to apply to your property appraiser for your new homestead exemption and for the transfer of the "Save Our Homes" benefit to your new homestead for 2008. If you have already applied for a homestead exemption on your new home, you must complete a

separate application by March 1, 2008, to transfer the "Save Our Homes" benefit to your new homestead.

Portability for 2009 and after

If you move into a new home after January 1, 2008, and by January 1, 2009, and had a previous homestead exemption in either 2007 or 2008, you must apply for your 2009 homestead exemption and the transfer of your "Save Our Homes" benefit by March 1, 2009. In future years, you will be able to transfer your "Save Our Homes" benefit to a new home if you had the homestead exemption on your old home in either of the two preceding years.

Contact Kari A. Battaglia, GRI, Realtor®, Broker Associate, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Licensed Realtor® in Florida at 941-270-1851 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Venice Florida, South Venice Florida, Englewood Florida, Nokomis Florida, Laurel Florida and for Tennessee real estate investments. I am currently accepting referrals.

Contact me by email at kari.battaglia@floridamoves.com. Need information fast, call me direct at 941-270-1851.

Please visit my outside web blog www.veniceareahomesblog.com, my personal website www.KariBattaglia.com and business website www.floridamoves.com/Kari.Battaglia.

Copyright © 2008 By Kari A. Battaglia. All Rights Reserved.

Today all Sarasota County property owners should be receiving their Notices of Proposed Property Taxes (TRIM) notice from the Sarasota County Property Appraisers office. The notices were mailed on August 22, 2008. It is important to know the date of the mailing marks the beginning of a 25-day window during which property owners who disagree with the property appraiser's determination may file an appeal with Value Adjustment Board (VAB). Petitions to the VAB must be filed on or before September 16, 2008.Below is an article from the Trim Notice Extra August 2008 from the Sarasota County Property Appraiser's office which was included with all TRIM notices mailed to Sarasota County property owners.

Challenging the Taxable Valuation of Your Property In Sarasota County

Property owners have three options for challenging their property value or tax exemption disapproval. It is not necessary to employ all of them. You can choose one or a combination of the three. It is important to know that each challenge process has certain limitations and deadlines.

Option 1

Informal Conference with the Property Appraiser or his Deputy

This is normally the most successful option since it presents the opportunity for the owner to provide information the property appraiser might not be aware of that could influence the property's value or exemption status. Factual information and regulations guiding the property valuation and tax exemption process can also be explained. Since this is the least expensive and least complicated option, the taxpayer is urged to take advantage of this opportunity regardless of other considerations.

Option 2

Petition the Value Adjustment Board (VAB)

The VAB is a body that is separate and independent from the property appraiser. If you choose this option you must file a petition with the Clerk to the VAB within 25 days of the TRIM Notice mailing. At an administrative hearing, you and a Property Appraiser representative each present evidence before a Magistrate appointed by the VAB to review the evidence and make recommendations. The final determination will be made by the VAB. More information is available under Value Adjustment Board's website.

Option 3

Circuit Court Suit

If you choose this option a formal hearing will be conducted by a Judge. You should consult your attorney or legal professional.

It is important to keep in mind the date of value is not the current date but January 1, 2008.

For TRIM questions and answers please visit the Sarasota County Property Appraisers website.

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