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Castles in the Sand

The fun and not-so-fun of selling a home

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Last week we talked about the fun and not-so-much fun of buying a home. This week we’ll talk a little about selling your home, choosing the perfect realtor and not necessarily one you’re related to. But before we do that, let’s review the June and July Manatee County sales statistics as reported by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee.

In June, Manatee County closed 2.2% fewer homes than last year, not surprising for this time of year. In spite of that the median sale price, half above and half below, increased by 5% from last year to $315,000. The average sale price was $397,987, up 8.8%, and the month’s supply of properties is down to 3.6 months.

June’s condo sales increased for the number of sales by 6.1%, the median sale price was $210,000, up 14.3%, and the average sale price was $246,381, up 5.2%, all impressive numbers. The month’s supply of properties was 4.2%.

July single-family sales were down slightly by 1.8%, but the median sale price broke a record at $325,000 up 5% from last year. This is the highest median price since the housing crisis more than a decade ago and near historic levels. The average single-family home price was $391,049, up 2%, and the month’s supply of properties was down to 3.4%.

Condo sales were up by 8.7% with a median sale price of $191,000, down 4.1%. The average sale price for condos was $216,523, down 6.6% from last year and the month’s supply of properties was 3.7%.

Do these numbers give you incentive to find that perfect realtor and consider selling? Maybe, but remember statistics are only a snapshot in time and, although our sales and appreciation rates continue to go up every month, it could change in a heartbeat.

But just in case you’re ready to cash in, here are a few tips for choosing a realtor:

Although there are many questions you should ask a real estate professional before you turn over what may be your biggest asset to them, the two that are most important to me are how long have you been in residential real estate sales and what is your specific marketing plan?

Much of real estate experience is an on-the-job learning experience but choosing an agent who has accumulated a few designations or certifications shows a commitment to his/her profession. Certainly, you should ask if real estate sales are their full-time job. There are sales agents who get into the field thinking it’s a part-time job they can fit around their children’s school schedule. Trust me you don’t want this person.

As far as a marketing plan, the agent should be prepared to show you a written plan involving print advertising, open houses and digital participation. They may also include a pricing schedule suggesting a step-down pricing recommendation for 30, 60 or 90 days in the event offers are not coming in. As part of this plan, your agent should advise how frequently he/she will be in touch with you regarding showings and feedback.

It is also important for you to know how long homes in your area are taking to sell and the variation between the listing and final sales prices. I frequently note these statistics in my monthly updates for Manatee County because they are so important to the overall picture of the market.

Finally, giving your listing to a relative may look appealing since you already have a relationship and he/she may offer to reduce commission for you. However, it takes away the business aspect of the transaction and gets into the emotional aspect. My advice is don’t do it.

I’m looking forward to receiving the August Manatee County real estate numbers and hope you have a fun selling experience with a qualified broker.

More Castles in the Sand:

The fun and not-so-fun of buying a home

The challenges of inheriting a house

Uncovering a home’s defects

Holmes Beach logo OLD

Four qualify in Holmes Beach

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Qualifying week is officially over, and four candidates are posed to fight it out in the polls Nov. 5 to see which of them will take the three commission seats up for grabs.

Incumbents Rick Hurst, Jim Kihm and Carol Soustek have all qualified and are hoping to retake their seats on the dais after the dust settles from the election. Challenging the incumbents is newcomer Terry Shaefer.

Four qualify in Holmes Beach
Commissioners Jim Kihm, Carol Soustek and Rick Hurst all hope to keep their seats on the dais after the November election. – Kristin Swain | Sun

If Shaefer’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he served in 2018 as one of eight members of a city-formed ad hoc committee studying Holmes Beach’s form of government. Ultimately, the committee determined that a city manager form of government, versus a strong mayor and commission government like the city currently has, would be in the city’s best interests.

After months of meetings and a presentation to city commissioners, the commission ultimately decided to place the decision of whether or not to put the city manager question on the ballot in the hands of the 2019 charter review commission. Charter review commissioners did not have the supermajority vote of members required to put the question on the November ballot.

If re-elected, this will be Kihm’s second term as a commissioner. He currently serves as the commission chair and legislative liaison, keeping his fellow commissioners apprised of what issues in Tallahassee may affect local regulations.

Re-election would also mean a second term for Hurst, who serves as the city’s liaison to The Center of Anna Maria Island, where he also volunteers as a youth sports coach, and Anna Maria Elementary School. Hurst also is a local business owner, having a partial ownership stake in The Freckled Fin restaurant in Holmes Beach. Hurst was first elected in November 2017.

For Soustek, re-election would mean her third full term on the dais. After first being appointed to the commission in November 2014 to fill the unexpired term of former Commissioner David Zaccagnino, she was elected to the commission in 2015 and again in 2017. Soustek currently serves as the commission’s code compliance liaison.

In addition to electing or re-electing commissioners, Holmes Beach voters also will have eight questions on the ballot proposed by the charter review commission. Each question represents a proposed change to the city’s charter.

Voters will go to the polls on Nov. 5. For more information about the election or to register to vote, visit the Manatee County elections office. 

Holmes Beach logo OLD

Holmes Beach holds off on emergency declaration

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – With Hurricane Dorian’s path uncertain, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth is holding off on declaring an emergency in her city.

Titsworth said that she’s holding off until either Sunday, Sept. 1 or Monday, Sept. 2 before declaring a state of emergency for Holmes Beach until the path of the storm is more defined.

Manatee County and both of Holmes Beach’s neighboring cities, Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach, declared a state of emergency on Aug. 30. West Manatee Fire Rescue district also held an emergency board meeting Aug. 30 to declare a state of emergency.

In order to receive reimbursements from FEMA for funds spent during and after a storm, particularly for storm debris clean up, a municipality or district must officially declare a state of emergency. Once a state of emergency is declared, the declaration only lasts for 72 hours. With the timing of Hurricane Dorian’s landfall on the east coast uncertain, Titsworth said she preferred to delay the declaration. She said that the city’s departments are ready for the storm if it should come to our area.

In the meantime, she encouraged Holmes Beach residents to make their preparations for the storm, including gathering supplies and readying their residences for possible high winds and heavy rains.

Sandbags and sand are available to residents at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, on the south end of the parking lot. Residents are asked to bring their own shovels.

For updates on the storm and the city’s preparations, Titsworth asked residents to visit the Holmes Beach Police Department’s Facebook page.

Related coverage

Dorian’s path veers away from west coast

WMFR celebrates life with Phoenix Awards

WMFR celebrates life with Phoenix Awards

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, West Manatee Fire Rescue.

BRADENTON – Aug. 20 was a celebration of life at West Manatee Fire Rescue’s board meeting as district leaders handed out three sets of Phoenix Awards to first responders.

The district gives out Phoenix Awards to first responders with the district who respond to a medical call where the patient doesn’t have a heartbeat either on arrival or at any point during the call, the patient is revived and is eventually discharged from the hospital. In August, Battalion Chief Ryan Moore presented responders from three separate calls with Phoenix Awards.

“These are my favorite awards to give because they’re truly life-changing for the people we respond to,” Moore said.

The first call involved an April call to a Mangrove Point residence where a female patient was found unresponsive. The crew, Lt. Chad Brunner, firefighter John Balzer and firefighter Tyler McDonald, gave the patient CPR until an EMS crew arrived to take over patient care. The patient was able to be discharged from Blake Medical Center in Bradenton.

wmfr award
Firefighter Andrew Powers receives a Phoenix Award Aug. 20 from Battalion Chief Ryan Moore for his work to revive a drowning victim who survived and was discharged from the hospital. – Kristin Swain | Sun

The second call was in response to a drowning on June 3 on Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach. The responding crew included Lt. Darren Vollmer, firefighter Mike Petrosino, firefighter Jared Apple, firefighter/paramedic Adam Bagget and firefighter/paramedic Andrew Powers. Upon arrival, crew members saw bystanders giving CPR to an unresponsive male patient on the beach. Crew members took over CPR and advanced life support care. The patient recovered and was discharged from Blake.

The third call involved a male patient who went into cardiac arrest at O’Shucks Raw Bar and Grill in Cortez on June 4. Lt. Jay Johnson, Lt. Chad Brunner and firefighter Tyler McDonald responded to the call. Upon arrival, the first responders said it appeared the patient was having a seizure and wasn’t breathing well on his own. During the call, his heart stopped beating.

The patient, a resident of Anna Maria Island, Robert Philippi, was present at the Aug. 20 board meeting when the awards were given out. He said he was having dinner with his family when he had a heart attack.

“Obviously the night was a rollercoaster ride for everyone involved,” he said. “I’d never had a moment of ill health in my life, nor was I expecting a heart attack that night, but I was very fortunate in where I was that I had some expert bystanders around who helped with CPR until the team arrived. And from there I have very little recall, so everything I have is what people have told me that went on, but there’s no question that without the expert support and care that I received from the fire service, from the EMS crew that arrived there and actually from all the staff at Blake hospital because it required 10 resuscitations to get me stabilized over the course of about a five hour period. Unbelievably, I was discharged from the hospital two days later.”

“I’m just extraordinarily grateful to everyone involved,” Philippi said.

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Firefighter Tyler McDonald receives the first of two Phoenix Awards Aug. 20. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Moore also read an excerpt from a letter written by McDonald praising the actions of Lt. Johnson.

“When Chief Sousa announced his goals to enhance the service of West Manatee Fire Rescue by providing advanced life support, we all knew this was going to be a challenge. Among other hurdles, one of the largest would be staffing our engines with paramedics rather than EMTs. Lt. Johnson was one of the first to offer his time and energy, go to school and be one of the missing pieces of the puzzle. As you know, Lt. Johnson completed paramedic school and has been a charge medic with us for nearly a year,” Moore read.

“On this particular cardiac arrest, I saw everything in a different way. Once the EKG monitor was attached to the patient, I watched a colleague who I’ve worked beside since the beginning of my career, read the squiggly lines on the monitor and immediately identify the abnormal rhythm that the patient’s heart was in and announce without hesitation that we needed to shock this patient. At this moment, this call seared an everlasting memory in my brain.

“As you know, with most cardiac arrests, even the ones that turn out to be saves, it’s only a hopeful ride to the hospital while the patient is still unconscious. This is the first time I have ever seen a cardiac arrest play out like a Hollywood movie where the patient jolts back to life and begins talking to us.”

“How unbelievably rewarding to see the dead come back to life,” Moore continued, reading from McDonald’s letter. “I’m extremely pleased to write this letter on the successful efforts that day and want to ensure that Lt. Johnson is recognized for the time and energy he has spent in order to use his skills as a paramedic and to have played a very large part in saving this man’s life.

“The advanced life support program that was started at West Manatee is an obvious success. I am proud to work with people like Lt. Johnson who always take initiative and have a passion and commitment to be the best they can be in this profession.”

Related coverage

WMFR 2019-20 assessment rates set

WMFR board considers building construction

WMFR chooses a new chief

Castles in the Sand

The challenges of inheriting a house

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

No one wants to see a loved one pass away, but it’s inevitable that we all will have that experience and along with the grief comes the distribution of personal items and property. As emotional as sifting through your family’s papers and clothing is, the real challenge at this time of your life will be selling their property.

The important thing to be clarified before death is if there is a will or trust in place. Dying without a will causes the estate to default to the statutes of the state to determine who the legal heirs are. Needless to say, that will be a time-consuming and possibly costly process involving probate. Even a will needs to go through a probate process, however, living trusts will avoid probate. These are all legal issues which will need a legal opinion.

If there is a home to be sold and there is a legal will or trust, that responsibility will fall to the executor of the estate. The executor has the power to make all decisions but should certainly confer with all other beneficiaries to the sale of the house.

As in all property sales, decisions need to be made starting with a reasonable selling price. More than one estimate of value should be obtained from real estate professionals and a licensed appraiser should also be considered, especially if there are multiple heirs, to avoid any appearance of impropriety.

Whoever is handling the sale of the property should be prepared to spend some money before the home is sold. Property taxes, utility bills, lawn maintenance and unforeseen repairs all have to be considered prior to sale.

In addition, the property needs to be cleaned out of personal items and, based on the recommendation of a real estate professional, the furniture removed. There are companies that take care of this and any furniture not sold at an estate sale is removed by the estate person for a fee. However, the family will still need to decide which items will go into the sale, which will be passed along to other family members and which will get destroyed – not an easy process.

Then, of course, as in any property sale, decide whether renovations and/or cosmetic fixes should be made. Most professionals will tell you that this is not the time for major renovations. If necessary, cosmetic fixes would be a better choice. Cleaning, painting, yard and garage clean up is probably the most practical and least expensive way to go. Here again, the advice of a competent and experienced real estate professional is essential to understanding the local market.

Heirs who are in a tight financial position and need to sell quickly could consider one of the quick-sale companies as long as they are willing to take a discounted price. The heir’s tax consequences should also be considered before any money is spent and sale offers are considered, especially if the property has been in the deceased’s name for a long time.

Here in Florida it’s very common for parents to pass away and leave property in their estate to be sold by their heirs. This is a little more of a problem if the beneficiaries are out of state, but again because it’s common in Florida, there are several companies to assist heirs in the disposal of personal property and furniture.

Selling a family home is always emotional and more so on the heels of a loved one’s death. Ask for help during this time; it’s out there.

More Castles in the Sand:

Uncovering a home’s defects

How to determine the truth about home flooding

It’s all about the kitchen

Hurricane Harvey

Help spot severe storms with SKYWARN

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – The National Weather Service’s Tampa Bay office is looking for some volunteers to help make their forecasts and severe weather warnings more accurate.

More than a dozen community members came out to Holmes Beach City Hall Aug. 15 to learn about the SKYWARN volunteer program and receive training from two National Weather Service representatives – Daniel Noah, a warning coordination meteorologist and Austen Flannery, a pathways meteorologist.

Help spot severe storms with SKYWARN
Daniel Noah, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service, discusses different types of clouds and severe rainstorms begin Aug. 15 during a SKYWARN training session at Holmes Beach City Hall. – Kristin Swain | Sun

Noah said that volunteers with the SKYWARN program are the eyes of the National Weather Service on the ground. With radar, he said it’s possible to see storms that are far away but that locally, radar has a few blind spots, particularly within the first 20 miles around the radar tower, and it’s not always accurate. That’s where SKYWARN volunteers come in. Volunteers are asked to report any severe weather that they view, whether it’s more than an inch of rainfall over the course of an hour, flooding in areas that don’t ordinarily flood or waterspouts near the coast.

Meteorologists at the local Tampa Bay branch of the National Weather Service in Ruskin are tasked with determining when severe weather warnings and watches need to go out across television stations, radio airwaves and to cellphones located within the area. By having volunteers who can report what’s happening on the ground, Noah said the National Weather Service can make a more accurate determination when issuing a watch or warning to local inhabitants.

During the Aug. 15 presentation, Flannery and Noah discussed what types of weather volunteers should look out for and report, how to report the information and how to estimate wind speed or determine if a funnel cloud is really a tornado or if it’s just a cloud in a funny shape. Volunteers also were educated on basic storm safety, including preparing for the aftermath of a hurricane.

Flannery said that Sept. 10 is the peak of hurricane season for Florida with a secondary peak in mid-October. Though he said everyone should prepare for at least one storm each year by gathering supplies and making an evacuation plan, he said there’s a one in 200 chance of Anna Maria Island taking a hit from a hurricane similar to the damage that Hurricane Michael brought to Mexico Beach.

He suggested planning more for after the storm than during it by having a seven to 10 day supply of food and water available, stocking up on cleaning supplies and evacuating tens of miles instead of hundreds of miles if you need to leave your home before the storm so that it’s easier to get back and begin cleanup once the storm passes.

Anyone age 18 or older can volunteer as a SKYWARN spotter. Volunteers are required to complete either an in-person training session or a webinar training session to be certified. Certification must be renewed every three years.

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, visit https://www.weather.gov/tbw/skywarn.

Paid parking may be coming to county boat ramps

Paid parking may be coming to county boat ramps

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – A user fee is being proposed for boaters using any of the Manatee County managed boat ramps.

There are 10 county-managed boat ramps in Manatee County with three on Anna Maria Island, Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach and the Coquina North and South Boat Ramps in Bradenton Beach, and one, the Palma Sola Boat Ramp, on the Palma Sola Causeway near Flamingo Cay. With renovations needed at Kingfish, Coquina South and Palma Sola, along with a planned parking expansion at the Highland Shores Boat Ramp, county leaders are looking for a way to help pay for repairs, management and ongoing maintenance. During an Aug. 15 work session, Parks and Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker presented a plan – charge the boat ramp users a fee.

The proposal from the Parks and Natural Resources staff is to charge $5 per day for boat trailer parking spaces. If the fee is charged, it’s estimated that each parking space would generate $500 in revenue each year, equaling $146,500 in annual revenue for 293 trailer parking spaces. The estimate to install solar-powered parking machines at the boat ramps is $65,000 with $5,400 in annual data costs.

Commissioner Carol Whitmore said that with the amount of money that would be raised with paid parking, she doesn’t feel that it’s worth it.

“I don’t support them, 100%,” she said. “I just don’t support charging to park our boats.” She added that she hopes her fellow commissioners won’t support paid parking at boat ramps either.

Commissioner Vanessa Baugh said she is more in favor of charging for paid parking at the boat ramps due to the use of the ramps for commercial businesses.

“I don’t think it’s right that a commercial fisherman should be able to use our ramps to run their business,” she said.

Commissioner Priscilla Whisenant Trace said that she believes that fishermen would be willing to pay to park if it gave them access to the county’s busy boat ramps. She added that she hopes the county finds a way to expand its boat ramps and maybe a way to provide preferential treatment for boaters who live in Manatee County.

“It only makes sense to charge user fees,” Commissioner Besty Benac said.

Kingfish boat ramp
The Kingfish Boat Ramp in Holmes Beach is planned to undergo a minimum of a $4.5 million renovation. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

With the number of registered vessels in Manatee County jumping from 17,940 in 2015 to 20,931 in 2018, the county’s boat ramps are operating over capacity on a regular basis, according to Hunsicker. Adding in the approximately 395,000 Manatee County residents, the presentation notes that there should be 52 boat ramp lanes in the county to adequately accommodate everyone according to standards outlined in the county’s comprehensive plan. There are currently 18 boat ramp lanes in use in Manatee County in the nine improved boat ramps, not including the Lake Manatee Boat Ramp. In the nine boat ramps, there are 293 trailer parking spaces, not including those available to other vehicles.

Hunsicker also proposed creating a public-private partnership to create new boat ramps in the area, specifically one with Pen Bay 1 LLC to create a new four-lane boat ramp with access to Palma Sola Bay and 80 parking spaces in Cortez at the site of the proposed Peninsula Bay residential subdivision project. He said that the project as proposed would not change the shoreline of Palma Sola Bay.

He said the developer estimated in 2018 that the construction costs for the project, including cutting a channel to the bay, would be $10-15 million with the costs shared between the county and the developer. If county leaders opt to move forward with the project, Hunsicker said the developer is ready to go into design for the project as early as fiscal year 2020.

Whitmore said she feels “very good” about the possibilities of the project and applauded the developer for wanting to commit land to a public boat ramp that could be developed into more housing.

Currently, funds for boat ramp projects and renovations come from either matching funds with the West Coast Inland Navigation District or the Florida Boating Improvement Program from vessel registration fees. Without finding additional funding sources, Hunsicker said the county won’t meet their goals over the next five years to renovate existing boat ramps.

No decisions were made by commissioners due to the discussion taking place during a work session.

Related coverage

Palma Sola Boat Ramp remains closed

Paid Island parking rejected by local leaders

County fast-tracks Kingfish improvements

Anna Maria Elementary open for learning

Anna Maria Elementary open for learning

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News, Schools.

HOLMES BEACH – The new school year got off to a relatively calm start Monday morning with a break in the rainy weather and a concerted effort by staff to keep track of how the students would be going home.

Before the students were allowed inside the building, teachers and staff determined whether they would walk or bike home, take the bus or ride with their parents. Each had a color-coded bracelet around his/her wrist to avoid confusion.

Outside, Makena Corr, Eliana Romeo and Mya Ferrari raised the United States flag, a duty that will be repeated every school day.

Students seemed too intent on getting to their classrooms to be worried about the first day of school. In the hall in front of Kelly Crawford’s kindergarten class, kids and their parents waited for the door to be opened then received the emotional good-bye hug and kiss from the folks to send them on their way to school.

Anna Maria Elementary hug
John Agnelli hugs his daughter, Sadie, before she heads into the kindergarten classroom of teacher Kelly Crawford for her first day of school at Anna Maria Elementary School. – Tom Vaught | Sun

Crawford is the only kindergarten teacher so far this year. There was a drop in the number of kindergarten enrollees and it bucked the trend of girls outnumbering the boys. Her class has 12 boys and four girls. Bridget Querrard, who also taught kindergarten last year, will teach third grade this year. This will settle and could change after a count of students on the 10th day of the school year.

After the bell rang, some parents headed for the “boo-hoo breakfast” held by the PTO, where last year’s president, Janae Rudacille, and this year’s president, Jamie Hynckle, spoke and the new parents heard from several staff members and teachers. Holmes Beach Police Chief Bill Tokajer introduced former resource officer Sgt. Brian Copeman and current resource officer Josh Fleischer, who will be providing security at the school.

Anna Maria Elementary last hug
Brian Biegel hugs his son, Brydon, outside the kindergarten classroom. – Tom Vaught | Sun

It was a positive start to the first day of school and AME Principal Jackie Featherston said she was sure it would be a productive one for the kids.

We are golden: The 50th anniversary of Woodstock

We are golden: The 50th anniversary of Woodstock

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Entertainment, Music.

By Brian Finelli – I arrived at Woodstock in Bethel, N.Y. from New Jersey – home from the University of Tampa for the summer. I was familiar with music festivals, having made it to the Miami and Atlanta pop festivals in 1968.

We set up our camp with tents and sleeping bags and awakened the next morning to a sea of people. The Woodstock Generation was born. Woodstock might be the most famous rock concert and festival ever held. In an era of cultural and political shifts, activism and war, one weekend 50 years ago defined an entire generation.

Woodstock
Bradenton Beach resident and Holmes Beach barber Brian Finelli still has his ticket from the Woodstock music festival in 1969. – Pam Lee | Submitted

The age of peace, love and rock-n-roll celebrates its golden anniversary at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Aug. 15-18, marking 50 years since the Woodstock festival. Think about it – half-a-million people living together under poor conditions for three days and not the least bit of trouble. Instead, people went out of their way to be good to you.

“Milestoning,” as we’ll call it, might offer a chance to escape the current troubling reality of ecological emergency and mass shootings. The frenzy of collective remembering supplies an excuse to briefly forget everything else. I want to be reminded of the power of love, and I hope current and future generations use the lessons of Woodstock to fix these modern problems.

Looking back on that experience, and uncovering our words from so long ago, I never expected Woodstock’s impact to carry through for half a century. If there’s a lesson to be learned from the Woodstock Generation, it’s to live in the present and be there now. It’s funny how today I feel like I’m returning the spirit of that glorious event. Peace on earth.

Castles in the Sand

How to determine the truth about home flooding

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

Home inspections and seller property disclosures are an intricate part of home buying. You would think a seller’s disclosure is pretty clear cut, but it’s far from that, especially when it comes to flooding.

Flooding is the one thing potential property owners on bodies of water want to know the most about but, in fact, know the least. In Florida, there is a seller’s property disclosure form provided by the Florida Realtors Association. Although this form is provided to sellers when they list their property for sale with a real estate professional in Florida, they have no legal obligation to fill it out and sign it. Sellers and their realtors do, however, have a legal obligation to disclose to the buyer all facts that can materially affect the value of the property. It just doesn’t have to be in writing.

When it comes to the disclosure on previous or present flooding, sellers are only required to disclose what they know. If the house was flooded five years before they purchased and they were not aware of it, there’s nothing to pass on to a new buyer. Essentially sellers are required to disclose material defects to buyers that they know about.

Since most home inspectors cannot determine if a home has been flooded in the past, where do buyers go for a history of the property’s flooding? It’s a good question and one that U.S. lawmakers are just starting to look at. The House Financial Services Committee advanced legislation in June that would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to share information about a property’s flood history. This would be a least a step in the right direction for buyers, but when and how this information is provided could be a long way off.

FEMA has recently released data on all 2.4 million flood damage claims processed since the 1970s. Unfortunately, it’s not a practical reference for individuals because of size and lack of address referencing. FEMA does update federal flood zone maps but again that is geared more for insurance companies and gives no information specific to individual properties.

There are some organizations that are trying to improve flood disclosure information. One of them is First Street which collaborates with Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology among others. It is building a comprehensive database of homes that have flooded or are at risk of future flooding. It uses satellite imagery, high watermark data and other information, including FEMA data on flood claims, to determine if homes may have been flooded.

This information is not new; it has been available to large real estate owners but was financially out of reach for individuals. First Street claims it will launch its database within a year and it will be free for individuals to access. Sounds great, but there is a big margin of error within some of this information. It goes without saying that the impact on property values could be enormous. Will buyers’ willingness to purchase a property be influenced based on this new, possibly subjective information?

Next week we’ll talk about all the other disclosure requirements in Florida and there are plenty. Purchasing property on or near bodies of water, oceans, rivers and lakes are all susceptible to flooding and are inherently risky. There are no guarantees in life and certainly none in homeownership. Do your due diligence with the information available and hope for the best. Look on the bright side, at least we don’t live with the threat of earthquakes.

More Castles in the Sand:

It’s all about the kitchen

Calming waters

The condo dance

Special magistrate rules in favor of city

Special magistrate rules in favor of city

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – There were eight cases on the docket for a code compliance special magistrate hearing July 31. Six cases were granted a continuance to a Sept. 11 hearing. The continuance requested for the additional two cases was denied and the two were heard and ruled on by Special Magistrate Michael Connolly.

The two cases that were heard both concerned properties owned by Anthony Properties Inc. The allegations against the properties, 302 28th St. and 402 28th St., included advertising for a length of stay less than 30 days and renting the properties for less than 30 days at a time. Both properties are in the R-1 zone which is only allowed to have rentals of 30 days or more. Neither property has a vacation rental certificate issued by the city.

Speaking for the property owner, who was absent from the hearing, was executive assistant Stacey Dorsey who asked for a continuance for both cases due to her employer’s absence on a family trip. Connolly denied the request, saying that with a notice of hearing mailed, posted at city hall and posted on the residence on July 4, the property owner had more than enough time to request a continuance prior to his trip. The request for a continuance was received by code compliance officers July 26.

In the case against the property owner at 302 28th St., Code Compliance Officer Nate Brown said that online the property is advertised as a minimum of three-night rental and that he was able to book the property for three nights. He said that booking for the property of three nights was disabled the day prior to the hearing. Code Compliance Officer James Thomas also testified that he had observed at least two times where the property was rented for less than 30 days. The first notice of violation was placed at the property on May 23.

The case against Anthony Properties at 402 28th St. contained much of the same information with officers providing photographic evidence that the property has been rented for less than 30 days at a time and that online advertising has been identified advertising the property for rent for a minimum of three-night rentals. Brown said that he was able to secure a reservation for the property for the three-night minimum online though that function was disabled on the advertisement the day prior to the hearing. He said that the advertisements for both properties stated a three-night minimum stay.

In both cases, Connolly ruled that the property owner has until Aug. 7 to correct the issues at the properties or a $250 per day fine per property will begin on Aug. 8 and continue until the issues are corrected. Also in both cases, the property owner was instructed to pay the $127.24 administrative fees for each case.

Both cases were placed on the Sept. 11 special magistrate hearing docket for an update.

Castles in the Sand

It’s all about the kitchen

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

You may not want to do a kitchen renovation in August, but August is the perfect time to start planning one. Sitting on the patio with your iPad or on the beach with a home decorating magazine is an easy way to start planning that new kitchen. Add a cool coconut drink and you’ll soon forget that it’s 95 degrees.

Kitchen trends change almost as fast as fashion trends. What’s in now will undoubtedly be out in three years. It’s impossible to keep up and most of us don’t even try, but if you’re one of those who must have the latest, here’s where you should be looking:

In spite of the fact that we’re told white kitchen cabinets are out, according to Houzz, it’s still the most popular color at 43% of remodels. Second place is wood cabinets at 25%, followed by gray at 11%.

The trendy colors are now bold – deep blue, red and, ready for this, black. Now over 30 years ago when my sister-in-law was choosing kitchen cabinets for their new home, she picked black. She was always a trendy gal, but at the time I had never seen black kitchen cabinets before and was definitely taken aback. Little did I know she was decades ahead of her time. Today’s black is designed to provide a quiet soulful balance in the kitchen, combining cabinets, matte black appliances and black backsplashes.

Completely the opposite of black, a color that is also new and trending is mint green. Certainly, in my opinion, mint green is a better choice for beach living if you must give up white. Finally, two-tone cabinets, different color uppers and lowers are so in. I expect they’ll be out soon. Nevertheless it is a nice look. If you can’t bear to give up your white cabinets, you can make them trendy with dark lower cabinets.

As far as countertops, stone is and probably always will be the choice of most homeowners. Granite lost its first-place position a long time ago, replaced by quartz, but the trend now is to use concrete counters and natural stone. Backsplashes are also being invaded by natural stone with edges. I wonder how you keep that clean, with it installed right up to the ceiling?

The most popular cabinet style, according to Houzz, is holding with the ubiquitous shaker cabinets chosen by 57% of homeowners. Open shelving instead of all upper cabinets are also trending. They create a more uncluttered feeling, especially with an interesting backsplash. But if you do have upper cabinets, they must go to the ceiling.

And high tech is all over new kitchens – appliances that talk to you and your iPhone and charging stations are a must just as are hoodless ventilation systems. Thankfully rose color hardware and appliances are gone after their 15 minutes of fame.

So is doing an expensive kitchen renovation worth it in dollars? Maybe or maybe not, depending on what you do. Eighty percent of buyers place a nice kitchen in their list of the top three most important spaces in a home. Nationally, the average cost of a kitchen renovation is $35,000 but you could spend three times that.

Most kitchen renovations do add value to a home but most will also not be fully reimbursed in actual dollars. The benefit of a nice kitchen, however, will be in reduced selling time, which is generally reflected in actual dollar savings. Don’t forget, if you’re renovating before putting your home on the market, minor renovations can make a huge difference in appearance and get you the bigger bang for your buck.

It’s easy to dream about your dream kitchen during a hazy summer afternoon, just don’t let the heat and coconut drink give you delusions of grandeur, especially if you’re thinking black cabinets.

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Calming waters

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The suburbs and the millennials

Reel Time: Cameras – catch and release digitally

Reel Time: Cameras – catch and release digitally

Written by Rusty Chinnis on . Posted in Fishing, Outdoors, Reel Time.

The world of digital photography and videography continues to evolve, and anglers have never had more options to explore. Whether you’re capturing a picture or a video clip to remind you of your catch, to share with friends and family or to post on social media, digital cameras allow us to capture images of our catches, making a catch and release all that much more rewarding.

Photography has never been easier and anglers can enjoy this amazing technology no matter what their level of expertise. Most digital cameras and most smartphones also come with software or apps that let you enhance the image, crop the size and share the final product in a number of ways. You can send the images via e-mail or as a text straight from a phone, download them, edit, and print them out to frame and display.

Even though taking a picture may be easy, there are a few basic rules that will help you capture a better image:

  • Before ever leaving the dock, be sure you have fresh batteries, a charged phone, memory cards with enough space to record your images, a clean lens and a cleaning cloth.
  • There is almost always a certain amount of chaos associated with a catching a memorable fish, so get an idea in advance of where you’ll compose your image.
  • Check the background through the viewfinder carefully for distracting and cluttered backgrounds. Make sure you don’t have any unwanted objects, like a rod appearing to stick out of someone’s head.
  • Look to capture photographs that aren’t posed, and remember that the sooner you get your picture the more vibrant the colors of a fish will be. First and foremost, fill the frame with the subject, eliminating anything that doesn’t add to the composition.
  • Since you’re filming on the water, check that the horizon is straight. Most cameras and many phones have the option of putting a grid on the screen.
  • Preset your exposure and check it as lighting conditions change.
  • For most shots, I set my camera to aperture (F8) priority.
  • When trying to catch a jumping fish make sure you stop the action with an ISO of at least 1,000th of a second. Many digital cameras can capture up to 10 frames a second, so set the camera for a rapid burst.
  • Many photographs taken on the water are exposed in bright light. A camera’s light meter averages light over the scene, so an angler’s face, especially if shaded by a cap, will often be dark and lack detail. Make sure you expose your shots with fill flash.
  • Take a number of shots from different angles and get the angler excited and talking to you. One of the really great advantages of digital is that you can take lots of pictures and edit them on the go to make sure you have the shot you want.
  • When possible, use a polarizing filter during the daylight hours. It helps cut the glare on the water and saturate colors.
  • If you have photo editing software, like Lightroom or Photoshop, you can lighten the shadows in post-production. This can sometimes eliminate the need for fill flash, if the contrast isn’t too great, and prevents a flash from creating unwanted reflections on fish. Since lighting is almost always challenging, shoot and then review important shots. If you have a more advanced camera, you can bracket important shots in difficult lighting situations. Expose at least three images: one slightly (one-stop) underexposed, one slightly (one-stop) overexposed and one at the setting suggested by the light meter.

There are a lot of excellent digital cameras on the market today. The new generation of Smart Phones can take amazing images, but they have their limitations (lack of a polarizing filter).

If you’re really interested in photography, I would suggest getting a camera that meets your needs. Most come with a trial version of an image editing software like Adobe Elements. There are many cameras on the market from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

Taking the time to capture the moments of life pays dividends that you can continue to relive by sharing them through your images.

For more information on the right camera for you, check with a professional at your local camera shop like Johnson Photo Imaging or go to www.bhphoto.com. Software demos (Check out Lightroom CC 2019) can be downloaded online.

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Castles in the Sand

Calming waters

Written by Louise Bolger on . Posted in Business, Castles in the Sand.

It’s the end of July, and most of the country is hot, really hot. But if you live near the water as we do, it doesn’t seem so bad. Imagine living in a landlocked state and it’s 95 degrees day after day. Aside from keeping cool, living near the water has many other benefits, according to a book called “Blue Mind.”

Sitting on a beach has always been one of my favorite things to do and I have been fortunate enough my entire life to have quick access to wonderful beaches. It gives me a sense of well being and just staring at the water puts me in a mildly meditative state, a blue mind.

This is exactly what Wallace Nichols a marine biologist talks about in his book “Blue Mind.” He says that merely being close to a body of water, sea, river, ocean or lake can promote mental health and happiness. Further, water lowers stress and anxiety, lowers heart and breathing rate and improves creativity. Sometimes even dreaming or daydreaming about a beautiful beach and crystal water can calm down anxiety.

Nichols’s theory would explain the popularity of Anna Maria Island and the accompanying increase in real estate values. Coastal Living Magazine had a recent list of the happiest seaside towns in the country. Anna Maria came in fifth and the only picture the magazine used in their piece was one of Anna Maria’s iconic cottages on Pine Avenue.

Now it’s time to take a look at the June Manatee County sales statistics reported by the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee:

Single-family homes closed 2.2% fewer properties, however, the median sale price was up 5% to $315,000 and the average sale price was $397,987, which is 8.8% higher than last June. The median percentage of original list price to the final sale price was 96%, about the same as last year. The median time to sell was 102 days this June. Last year it was 90 days and the month’s supply of properties is 3.6 months compared to 4.1 last June.

Condos closed 12.2% fewer properties this June compared to last. Like single-family homes, the median sale price for condos was also up by 3.9% to $199,000. The average sale price was also up 1.6% to $236,307. The median percentage of original list price to the final sale price was 95%, up 1.3 percent from last year. The median time to sell was 101 days this year compared to 111 days last year and the month’s supply of properties is 4.1 months, the same as last June.

With the exception of fewer closings, June’s numbers are all in the green for both single-family and condos. If you have a smaller supply of properties to sell, chances are you will have fewer closings – the good and bad of a great real estate market. In addition, the median percentage of listing to sale price is a good indicator of the health of the market. When you’re getting close to 100% of listing to sale, you know things are good.

This time of year, it’s not easy to find a state that is naturally cool, believe me, I’ve tried. It’s also not easy to find a place where people are not over-connected and over-stimulated, creating a red mind the opposite of a blue mind.

However, we have it right here on Anna Maria and the surrounding areas. Is it worth the extra money for a home on or near the water? Just ask anyone who has one. “Blue Mind,” a perfect name for a cottage on the beach.

More Castles in the Sand:

The condo dance

The suburbs and the millennials

Are you as smart as a private equity firm?

Holmes Beach logo OLD

Holmes Beach budget questions answered

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – City leaders began budget talks for the 2019-20 fiscal year beginning in July. With two budget hearings now set for September, The Sun is taking your questions to city leaders to get answers to items that concern community members.

Where did the City Planner’s salary go?

Some changes have come to city hall in the current fiscal year regarding City Planner Bill Brisson. Brisson went from a contract employee with Holmes Beach to a part-time employee and is making the move to a full-time position for the 2019-20 fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. In previous years, the monies paid to the planner were logged under the building department’s budget in the overall city budget. For the coming year, the planner’s salary and benefits have been moved out of the building department and are in the general government budget. The general government budget includes the city clerk’s office, the city treasurer, the development director position and human resources as well as the planner. The total amount for salaries for eight full-time employees is budgeted at $586,140, up from $415,395 in the current fiscal year. Including benefits, the total amount for employees increases to $828,112, up from $602,951 in the current fiscal year ending Sept. 30.

Should we replace bulletproof vests every three years?

The short answer to this one is yes, the bulletproof vests supplied to Holmes Beach police officers do need to be replaced regularly. The reason why is because the vests degrade over time due to heat, the environment and just regular wear and tear, according to Police Chief Bill Tokajer. Just like a child’s car seat, the vests also have an expiration date. Tokajer said he tries to stagger the replacements so that only a few are replaced per year but that replacing the vests is mandatory in order to make sure every officer has adequate protection when on patrol. HBPD officers typically wear their bulletproof vests when outside of the police station as a part of their uniform. In the budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, Tokajer lists that four bulletproof vests are scheduled to be replaced at a cost of $1,000 each.

Why does Code Compliance have a budget outside of the HBPD?

Code Compliance, previously known as Code Enforcement, has its own budget because the department is its own entity within the departmental framework at Holmes Beach City Hall. With the expansion of the department to three officers and a budget to add a fourth officer, along with a move from the HBPD side of city hall to the public works barn, the department incurs its own expenses that need to be recorded outside of the police department. Currently, Code Compliance Officer James Thomas serves as the department’s leader. This is not the first year that the department has had its own budget. The proposed budget for the department for the upcoming fiscal year is $481,644, including $309,818 for salaries and benefits for four full-time employees, compared to a total of $290,396 with $212,496 budgeted for employee salaries and benefits in the current fiscal year.

Why is there no increase in the beach patrol income from Manatee County?

Manatee County gives the city $10,000 annually to help cover the costs associated with HBPD officers patrolling the county-owned beaches. Tokajer said he approaches county leaders every year to increase the amount paid to the city but so far has been unable to get the amount increased. During budget hearings, he said that he’s keeping statistics on the amount of people coming to the beaches in Holmes Beach and how much the city actually spends on beach patrol to help bolster his position when the opportunity arises to attempt to renegotiate with the county.

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