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Castles in the Sand
Business, Castles in the Sand

Family, finance and Pearl Harbor

Dec 6, 2022 – Louise Bolger
November 14, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Zoom towns

They call them “Zoom towns” because so many of the new residents are working remotely and have given up their city and suburban lifestyles for a more relaxed environment in smaller communities. It’s…
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November 7, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Is the Earth moving under homeownership?

As I’m reading that mortgage rates have topped 7% for the first time in 20 years, I can’t help wondering how all the events of the past two years will affect homeownership. As the affordability of pu…
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November 1, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

The death of old Florida

Florida’s changed a lot in the over 20 years I’ve lived on the Gulf coast, and it’s changed even more as a result of COVID-19. But the biggest change to southwest Florida and the entire coast…
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October 25, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Mortgage rates scary

“Boo!” all you ghosts and goblins. If you’re afraid of what’s lurking behind those Halloween masks, I’ll give you something to really be scared of – the 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate has c…
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October 25, 2022
By Leslie Lake
Sea Hagg to be sold at auction

Sea Hagg to be sold at auction

CORTEZ – After 25 years in business, the Sea Hagg, 12304 Cortez Road W., is being sold and an online auction of some 1,000 nautical, decorative and architectural items is underway. “This…
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October 25, 2022
By Jason Schaffer
Hurricane Ian brings surge of tourism

Hurricane Ian brings surge of tourism

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Hurricane Ian may not have flooded the Island with water, but there has been a different kind of surge since the storm’s passing – tourism. Island residents are accusto…
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October 17, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Higher mortgage rates affect everything

Think of an octopus – the head of the octopus is the housing market and the tentacles are all of the industries dependent on the housing market. Too much of a stretch? You get the idea. Anyone who…
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October 10, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

The Ian effect

My friend who lived near me in Cortez calls it the “Cortez Effect.” The legend is that the Native Americans who inhabited the Cortez peninsula put a curse on the storms so they wouldn’t come ashore i…
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September 19, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Credit scores can spoil deals

You finally found the house, negotiated a price and the contract is signed. What can go wrong from this point? Plenty. You may have read about a little glitch involving credit scores back…
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September 12, 2022
By Louise Bolger
Castles in the Sand

Crashing real estate waves

We don’t have a lot of serious wave activity here on the Gulf coast; most of the big rollers are on the Atlantic Ocean side, especially north of Florida. However, if you’re talking real estate wave a…
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Upcoming Events

April 9, 2025
11:45 am

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