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Castles in the Sand

Castles in the Sand
Business, Castles in the Sand

Is Florida the new New York?

Aug 29, 2022 – Louise Bolger
July 25, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Cash is king in today’s real estate market

Are we starting to see an adjustment in the real estate market, maybe, or are only some parts of it changing? One thing that is still very strong relative to the country as a whole are the cash offer…
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July 18, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Adjustable rate mortgages right for some

Less than a month ago, around the middle of July, I reported that the 30-year fixed rate mortgage loan interest rate was nearing 6%. It never went over 6%, but instead started dropping back down. As…
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July 11, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Homeowners consider renting in tight market

The majority of people in my generation and even those decades younger couldn’t wait to stop paying rent. It was drummed into our brains by our parents and grandparents that paying rent was a waste o…
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July 4, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Mortgage interest rates rising again

Here’s a little perspective on the continuing increase of the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. Several months ago, I did an analysis of the average fixed-rate mortgage rates starting in 1971 recorded on…
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June 28, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Homebuyers getting hit every day

Buying a home was once a happy time for families. Homes were plentiful to choose from, and imagining your grandmother’s credenza in the dining room and the Christmas tree in the living room f…
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June 21, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Condo living getting more complicated

Florida is the mecca for condo living. East coast, west coast, the Panhandle, Orlando – no matter where you go in Florida, it’s likely you will trip over a condominium complex. However, the carefree…
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June 13, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Money flowing into Florida

I recently read an interesting historical novel about the wealthy landowners in the South in the years just before the Civil War. These privileged folks moved their entire households, including their…
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June 6, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Tallahassee finally at work

Just when you think it’s hopeless, there is a sliver of hope. The special session of the Florida Legislature is finally getting some changes on the books related to condominium recertification and ho…
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May 30, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Can’t be, not again – it’s hurricane season

As we get older, the years tick by more quickly – or so it seems – and here we are again looking down the barrel of the 2022 North Atlantic hurricane season cannon. As usual, Colorado State Universi…
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May 23, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Insurance and affordability

It’s the week to report the April sales statistics for Manatee County; it’s also the week where the Florida Legislature may be going into a special session to address the out-of-control property insu…
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Upcoming Events

April 9, 2025
11:45 am

The Off-Stage Ladies of the Island Players, April luncheon meeting