July 4th Fireworks and Events in Boynton Beach and Area

July 4th events in Boynton Beach include a variety of celebrations within the area. Many of the events scheduled include parades, entertainment, contests and of course, fireworks. The following are a few of the July 4th events in Boynton Beach and the surrounding areas.

• The 4th of July Bicycle Parade - a celebration of the upcoming birthday of America featuring decorating bicycles in red, white and blue. There will be prizes for the Best Decorated Bike. The event will be in Terramar Park, Parkland, FL and will from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Admission is free.
• 4th of July Fireworks Extravaganza - the City of Pompano Beach will have fireworks at the City’s Main Public Beach, to the north and south of the Pier beginning at 9 p.m. The public is invited to bring their lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy the events.
• 4th of July Celebration - Another of the July 4th events in Boynton Beach surrounding areas will be at Pembroke Pines, FL. The Pines Recreation Festival grounds on Pine Boulevard will be the location for music, rides, food, entertainment and fireworks. The celebration will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Deerfield Beach’s 4th of July Celebration - The 4th of July events begin at 1 p.m. at the Main Beach Parking Lot in Deerfield Beach. There will be a variety of fun activities for the entire family as well as refreshments. The fireworks will begin at 9 p.m.
• A fun time for everyone will be had at the Annual Fourth of July Family Fun event in Fort Lauderdale. The festivities start at 11 a.m. at the Lauderdale Isles Yacht & Tennis Club and continue through 10 p.m. A fireworks display will conclude the day.
• Fabulous Fourth Celebration - Part of the July 4th events in Boynton Beach and the surrounding areas will include the festivities at Boca Raton on the Florida Atlantic University Campus. There will be a whole host of rides, crafts, games, food, a concert by the Florida Wind Symphony and an American Tribute stage show. The fun begins at 6 p.m. and fireworks will be launched at 9:30 p.m.

Come enjoy the July 4th events in Boynton Beach and the many fun celebrations in the surrounding communities. This will be a great way of celebrating the 235th birthday of America. If you would like more information about Boynton Beach homes, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Losses occurred within Boynton Beach Homes Devastated by Natural Disasters covered by IRS

Boynton Beach homes affected by natural disasters and other events may be covered for losses by the IRS. If your home is damaged or destroyed and is not fully insured or if you have no insurance, you may be eligible to take a tax deduction for casualty losses. There have been a number of areas affected by floods and tornadoes recently. Many homes have been heavily damaged or totally destroyed by weather-related events. Boynton Beach homes may be prone to damage from tornadoes as well as many other sudden events that qualify for casualty losses. The following are just a few of the events that can be considered a casualty loss for your Boynton Beach home and others across the nation.

• Floods
• Earthquakes
• Tornadoes, hurricanes and storms
• Fire
• Sonic Booms
• Landslides
• Terrorist attacks
• Volcanoes
• Vandalism

The thing that separates a casualty loss from other types is the suddenness with which it happens. If the problem occurs over time, such as deterioration, this is not considered a casualty loss. Each casualty loss must be deducted separately and this can only be done if you itemize deductions and the loss is more than $100. If the casualties that occur are more than 10% of your adjusted gross income when filing taxes and you have subtracted $100 for each one, you can take the credit for a casualty loss. Business property is not dependent on these limitations when a loss occurs. How much can you deduct for losses on Boynton Beach homes? This will depend on the damage. If the property is totally destroyed or only partially destroyed as well as if the loss is insured will be two of the factors to be considered. If your home is a personal use property and is not totally destroyed, the amount of the casualty loss will be the lesser of two amounts. It will be the cost of the property after improvements or depreciation is calculated or it will be the amount after the decrease in value due to damage is figured. If you would like more information about Boynton Beach homes, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Wellington Property Values Drop Slowing

Wellington property values have slowed in the rate of decrease. Experiencing less than a one percent decrease, the estimated value is $5.36 billion in 2011 compared to $5.40 billion in 2010. The decrease was not as high as expected. According to preliminary figures that were released on June 1, the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s office says Wellington property values fared better than many others did. In the central part of Palm Beach County, Royal Palm Beach had a real property value decrease of 3.5%. Down from $1.90 billion in 2010 to $1.83 billion for 2011, the manager of the Royal Palm Beach village said this was the fourth year in a row for reductions in value. The revenue decrease totaled a half-million dollars. In 2007, ad valorem property tax revenue was $5.5 million and today stands at $3.3 million. Property values in Royal Palm Beach are only relied on for 20% of their revenue, which puts them in a better position than other Wellington property values. For example, Loxahatchee Groves experienced a drop of almost 10%. Their total taxable value for 2011 is $178 million - a decrease from $198 million in 2010. Many depend on as much as 50% for their revenue. Still, the total of all revenue sources was down by $480,000 in 2011. The property values in 2007 were $2.8 billion and currently are $1.8 billion so this is a billion dollar drop in assessed property values. The village has been reducing its tax rate. Although the real estate market has had their fair share of difficulties and is currently depressed, Wellington property values have not declined a great deal. The Finance Director, Mireva McIlveen says the budget looks good considering the anticipation of increased ad valorem revenue. Budget cuts have been made, but it is expected that when they are reviewed, some may be reinstated. With the new figures in, the process of reevaluating the 2011-12 budget is ongoing. According to the Deputy Village Manager of Wellington, John Bonde, the finance people are very good at estimating the amount that is received from tax revenue and what the Wellington property values will be. If you would like more information about Wellington FL homes, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Boynton Beach, FL Real Estate Dreams? Here’s the best Ways to make it Reality

Make your dream of owning Boynton Beach, FL real estate come true. Saving for a home can be made much easier when you learn where to cut spending. It is amazing how much can be saved by changing a few spending habits. The following will help you to save money for the down payment on your Boynton Beach, FL real estate as well as the closing costs and incidentals that are part of buying a home. The first thing you need to do is to open a savings account. Have a certain amount deducted from your paycheck each week or bi-weekly - however you are paid. This amount should go directly into the savings account. Putting $100 a month into the account will mean a savings of $1200 per year. If you can afford to put more in the savings account, it can be even more! Each dollar you save puts you one step closer to owning the Boynton Beach, FL real estate you want to buy. One of the things most people do not realize is that they spend a lot of money on things that they do not need. Shopping is a way of life for most Americans. They shop when they are bored and they shop just to be shopping. Stop spending money unnecessarily. Do you really need everything that you buy? By reducing the amount spent on items that are not necessary, this money can go into the fund for your Boynton Beach, FL real estate. A mere $20 per week is $1,000 at the end of a year. If you stop using credit cards, you can save money. The interest rates are very expensive and paying only the minimum can take years to pay off all the debt that can be accumulated. Instead of making purchases with credit, pay with cash or a debit card and only for items that you really need. Rather than memberships, such as gyms work out at home. The purchase of a few pieces of exercise equipment for less than a membership fee will save money that can be put towards the down payment on your Boynton Beach, FL real estate. If you would like more information about Boynton Beach, FL real estate, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

How attending you Neighbors Boynton Beach Open House could make you Money!

The Boynton Beach house of a neighbor is for sale and will be open for viewing. You really would like to go but feel like you would be considered nosy! Do not worry. There are a great many advantages to attending the open house from getting an idea about neighborhood values to comparing the upgrades. If you are planning to sell your home soon, this information will be vital to know how your Boynton Beach house appeals to prospective buyers. If the home for sale down the street has not had any upgrades in the last 10 years and you have recently upgraded appliances and modernized your bathrooms, this makes your home more appealing to buyers. On the other hand, if your Boynton Beach house is not up to date, you can get an idea of some improvements you can make. This does not mean you should run out and get new appliances because the house across the street has the latest ones. The improvements you make should be done in order of priority. What are home buyers looking at when they tour a home? They want to know the roof is in good shape. They may be more interested in an open floor plan than a Jacuzzi. The things that are popular in the area in which you live are what you need to concentrate on improving. Do not worry about feeling that you are being a nosy neighbor. With the market being what it is today, most people understand that you may be selling your Boynton Beach house soon and want to compare homes. In addition, they hope you will tell friends and family about the home and this may result in a buyer. The more people that attend an open house, the better the chances are of selling the home. Looking at homes that are of similar design, as they often are in the same neighborhood, can give you a few good ideas. The way your neighbor’s living area is arranged may be much more eye pleasing than your furniture arrangement. Remember, selling a home means making it as appealing as possible. Whether you are planning to sell your Boynton Beach house now or at a future time, you can still get many good ideas by attending a few open houses in your neighborhood. If you would like more information about Boynton Beach real estate, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Vacation Properties in Boynton Beach holding Strong

Vacation properties in Boynton Beach are remaining strong in spite of the restrictions that have been placed on conventional lending. Those who purchased a vacation home in 2010 were only down by 1.8% from 2009. This is in sharp contrast to those who purchased primary residences. They fell by 5.6% and investment purchases were down even more at 7.8%. Investors are perhaps waiting for the market to bottom out before making purchases. The price of properties in Boynton Beach and across the U.S. is down as well. The median price of a vacation home is currently $150,000. There were a number of people buying properties in Boynton Beach using all cash. In addition, the number of distressed properties being purchased for second homes was higher than those bought as primary residences. The cost of investment homes was lower by 10.5% than they were in 2009 and primary home prices were 4.5% lower. Vacation home prices were 11.2% lower than the previous year. The highest number of vacation homes was sold in the south, where last year they accounted for 36% of sales. When looking at the reasons for purchases of properties in Boynton Beach for vacation homes, lifestyle seems to be the number one consideration. Investment purchases are being sought for rental income and both are being purchased with the idea of living in the homes as primary residences in the future. There were 34% of buyers who purchased vacation homes that plan to live in the home in the future. In the investment home market, 10% said they plan to live in the home as their primary residence in the future. There were 14% of vacation homebuyers who purchased properties in Boynton Beach for use by family and friends. The number of investors buying homes for the same reason was 14%. There have been fewer renters and sellers with the decline of home prices in the past few years, but for now properties appear to be holding strong. If you would like more information about any of these areas, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival - Memorial Day Weekend 2011

Events for downtown Delray Beach this Memorial Day weekend will be in full swing May 28 and 29. The 14th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival Downtown Delray Beach will be featuring a host of crafts from across the country. The range of unique crafts on display for the public have been carefully chosen by American Craft Endeavors, one of the top in the country for producing outdoor craft festivals. The location is downtown Delray Beach at the Delray Beach Tennis Center at Atlantic Avenue and SW 3rd Avenue from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crafts from local and national crafters will be featured and admission is free. With prices from $3 to $3,000, there will be something for everyone. Everyone is invited to come out and enjoy the wide assortment of handmade items from clothing to jewelry. Many other items will be on display and available for the public to purchase including folk art, personalized gifts, pottery, scented soaps, paintings and body products. The downtown Delray Beach event will also feature the Green Market with exotic plants. In addition, the crafters are available to chat with visitors and give them some insight into what inspires their work. Downtown Delray Beach is one of the culturally rich cities chosen by American Craft Endeavors for their craft shows. Supporting the local economy and the arts, the festival will provide a fun-filled Memorial Day weekend event for local residents and visitors as well. The outdoor festivals are some of the most popular in the country and are held at various cities in America every weekend. The downtown Delray Beach location is a main thoroughfare of the city. Providing the perfect venue for the festival, just a few of the crafts available this year will include candles, scrapbooks, quilts and bags, high heel craft, paper collage, wood, pet products, art glass and fabric. Also included will be jewelry of all types from glass to gold and beaded. This is sure to be an enjoyable weekend for everyone. Visit the 14th Annual Downtown Delray Beach Craft Festival this Memorial Day weekend. If you would like more information about Downtown Delray Beach, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Overview of Palm Beach County Real Estate Q1

Palm Beach County real estate experienced a drop of over 3% in the median price of homes during the first three months of 2011. From March 2010 to March 2011, the drop was 24%. Compared to other counties within the state, such as Broward, where a 6% increase in median prices was experienced, the drop in Palm Beach County real estate prices may be due to several things. The large number of homes for sale is one. There is a 10.6-month supply of single-family homes or almost 11,000 in Palm Beach County. Additionally, the sale of bargain-priced homes has had a huge impact on Palm Beach County real estate. During the first three months of 2011, there were 60 sales of homes priced $25,000 or less. Investors have been purchasing the homes in this price range and fixing them up to rent. This practice lowers the price of median homes. Many believe this is a misleading way of reflecting property values. The median price simply means that half the homes in the area sold for less and half sold for more. Homeowners may see the median for Palm Beach County real estate has fallen 20% in a particular month and think their property value is down by that percentage. What the median price really projects is what sector of the market is experiencing the most activity. Currently, the most active sector in Palm Beach County real estate is under $200,000. Therefore, compared to Broward County’s median price in February of $167,000, Palm Beach County real estate appears to be in much worse shape. However, sales of single-family homes in Palm Beach County were twice as many as Broward County. There were 60 sales during the first quarter or 2011. One aspect being considered when it comes to the median prices is the fear that more foreclosures later in the year could affect these prices. Lenders are lifting the freezes imposed on foreclosures due to the problem associated with robo-signing of documents. Florida Realtors are changing the way the value of a home is measured. They have begun to develop a pricing index similar to the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller Home Price Index. This will allow the value of a home to be measured over time. If you would like more information about Palm Beach County real estate, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

Discover Delray Beach’s Artistic Side at the Old School Square

If you are looking for things to do in Delray Beach, you are in for a treat! The Old School Square Cultural Arts Center and National Historic Site is nationally recognized for the combination of the arts and historic preservation that stimulated the revitalization of the down area of Delray Beach. Residents and visitors alike can take advantage of the Cornell Museum of Art and American Culture. Providing rotating exhibits of local, national and international pop culture, art and crafts, the museum dates from about 1913. One of the things to do in Delray Beach will include a visit to the Crest Theatre. Enjoy a Broadway cabaret or a musical or comedy. A 323-seat theatre, the Crest presents lectures featuring world-renowned speakers and a variety of shows for the enjoyment of all. Upcoming speakers include a variety of well-known names such as Jenna Bush Hager, daughter of former President George Bush and Steven Bogart, son of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. The Vintage Gymnasium is the perfect setting for weddings, corporate events, craft shows and more. An outdoor Entertainment Pavilion at Old School Square was part of the expansion project for the square and was completed in 2002. At the corner of Swinton and Atlantic Avenues, the square is the setting for all types of festivals that are held in Delray Beach. The classrooms that have been restored provide a variety of uses from the art and photography classes that are held here to rentals for seminars and meetings. This “Village by the Sea” is a destination for many worldwide and is the perfect example of an “All-America” city. Located only 45 minutes from Fort Lauderdale and 30 minutes from the Palm Beach International Airport, it is easily accessible. From art exhibitions to dance parties, Old School Square provides a variety of things to do in Delray Beach. The ultimate goal is to provide a cultural center for the community where experiences in entertainment, education, the visual and performing arts can be enjoyed as well as the preservation of this National Historic Site. If you would like more information about Delray Beach homes, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!

More Australians find Wellington FL Homes very Enticing!

The latest trend in buying foreclosed properties for investment purposes includes Wellington FL homes. However, those who are purchasing the foreclosed properties are not investors in the U.S. They are from Australia. The Australian economy is in very good shape and home prices there average $500,000. They work with a real estate professional in the U.S. who finds the homes, arranges the sale with Australians providing the capital and they make a profit when the home is renovated and rented. The trend before this year included mostly Americans buying the Wellington FL homes that had been foreclosed on as an investment property. Today 30% of those purchasing foreclosure for investment are from overseas. The real estate professionals who find the Wellington FL homes for investors also manage them once they are renovated and rented. Australians are experiencing a boom in the export business with China buying many commodities, such as fossil fuel and metals from Australia. Their home prices did not fall and the Australian dollar is strong and near record highs. Unemployment is only 5.1%. All of this adds up to Australians having plenty of cash for investment purposes, although many are taking out home equity loans to purchase the Wellington FL homes for investment. A typical deal looks like this. An investor finds the Wellington FL home for approximately $70,000. A down payment of $19,000 puts monthly costs for the investor at about $700. This includes the loan payment, taxes, insurance and a management fee. 12% of the rent charged is put into an emergency fund for maintenance and for periods when the home is not rented The home rents for $1000 per month, so the investor is making $300 per month on the property. This is only for one property and most investors have several. Property management companies are making money; the investors are making money while keeping the home from sitting empty and becoming an eyesore. Although there are those who say this practice of buying foreclosed Wellington FL homes is taking advantage of the misfortune of others, investors and property management view it as the “free market at work.” If you would like more information about Wellington FL homes, please feel free to contact us at 561-670-4391 or visit our Contact Us page where you can send us a message. We’ll get back to you right away!