Bonita Springs Florida | Save Our Homes Portability
On January 29th, Florida voters and Bonita Springs real estate owners will have the ultimate say on the proposed constitutional amendment, which is described here. Even if the measure fails to achieve the required 60% of voter support, the voters will have another opportunity for tax reform when the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission's recommendations appear on the ballot in November 2008.
Online registration for the second annual Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida Race for the Cure® is now open!
U Click, U Register, and U can make the difference of a lifetime!
On March 15, 2008, we will come together and Race to end breast cancer forever. With your support, we will work for equal access to breast cancer screening and treatment, regardless of race or income. We will organize events that raise awareness and spread information to help keep women (and men) healthy. We will keep the promise of breast cancer research moving forward. We will make a difference in the lives of women and men in our community.
Won't you join us?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Susan G. Komen Southwest Florida Race for the Cure®
Coconut Point Mall, Estero (just north of Bonita Springs, Florida)
New this year: All participants registered online before February 29th will receive their Race packet by mail at no extra charge.
This will be the second year for my little group to run the race, too. Bonita Springs mortgage broker, Adam W. from Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and Carey Birch from my Bonita Springs Keller Williams office will also run. If you're looking for running partners to train, just email. We'd love to have you join us. We run in Bonita Springs 2-3 times per week.
I just found a great new way to promote your blog. A new web site called RSS Hugger. The basic idea is they will help you find readers for your blog's rss feed.
It is a fairly new sight, so you can be one of the first to get listed and hopefully get a lot more readers than someone who joins a few weeks or months from now.
You can join for FREE. All you have to do is write a review of RSS Hugger, thus helping them get more readers, and that in turn helps you get more readers for your blog. Easy as pie! If you don't want to write a review of their service you can pay $20 to get your site listed.
Happy posting and happy rsshuggin', too. You can visit RSS Hugger here: http://www.rsshugger.com
Today I'm trapped without my computer and no images or ideas to write so I hit up my photos on Flickr to see if I could find inspiration. I didn't even remember uploading this image of the Ochopee Post Office. If you cross the Everglases on US 41 you'll pass it. It's right before you come to Clyde Butchers Big Cypress Gallery - which is a must see if you visit southwest Florida. I'm a huge Clyde Butcher fan and actually was able to meet him when I did a swamp walk a few months ago. Oh, and as for that post office, don't blink or you may miss it.
Leoni’s Pizza Delivery in EsteroFlorida
As luck would have it I was visiting a family member in Marsh Landing in Estero and I got hungry. Marsh Landing is across the street from the Coconut Point Mall and technically in Estero but its sort of the "gray area" of the city line. It was a cloudy day and I dozed off watching TV and woke up hungry but not in the mood to drive out for dinner or pick anything up.
I live on the other side of town in Bonita Springs and geographically have access to other take out. As usual, I had my laptop and started the search for pizza for delivery in Estero. I had a heck of a time finding actual pizza places instead of directories. The only pizza places I found were the pizza restaurants that I had actually blogged about!
As luck would have it I recalled seeing a pizza delivery car with a little sign on the hood. I googled my guesses until I found it was Leoni's Pizza and there was one located just a few miles north in San Carlos. I called Leoni's and while on a brief hold the recording verified their delivery area and I was in it. The San Carlos Leoni's delivers south to Coconut Road, by the way, east to Ben Hill Griffin Parkway and North to ...I forget, because that didn't matter at the time. I think it might have been Briarcliff.
Leoni's delivered the delicious extra large cheese pizza right away and I now have an Estero pizza delivery choice! If you're in the Estero Florida area looking for pizza delivery, call Leoni's Pizza. They also offer salads, subs, chicken wings and more. Unfortunately, I can't find a website so you'll have to wing it! Get it, "wing" it. Chicken wings? Is this thing on?
Mangia!
Leoni's Pizzeria
(239) 415-9000
Edit: This Business has closed.
If you’re in Bonita Springs and you’re caught in a cold snap (like tonight), a heat wave like our tropical Bonita Springs summers or you get over exposed to the sun at Bonita Beach, you’ll need to keep Kid Zoo in mind. I stopped by Kid Zoo today to pick up information to share with my readers. I met the owner and looked around a bit, too. It’s a great find and the only indoor play area for children in the Bonita Springs area.
First, Kid Zoo was humming. Kids were everywhere and they were having a great time. It’s a wonderful, clean, indoor environment for kids to play, socialize and parents get to let them burn off tons of energy.
At Kid Zoo kids can climb, jump and shoot in the basketball bounce house. There are bouncy balls for kids to sit and bounce on, too. There’s a 320+ square foot play structure for kids to climb, crawl and slide in. Kids are also allowed to use their imagination. There is a play kitchen, store, work desk, work bench and a costume area to play dress up.
The entire facility is air-conditioned. There is also a toddler play area with age appropriate toys to stimulate the younger children.
Admission at Kid Zoo is $12.00 (accompanied by adult) and each additional sibling is $8.00. After 4:00 p.m. Admission is $6.00. Business Hours are 10:00 a.m.- 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Saturday. Sunday – Private parties.
Kid Zoo of Bonita Springs also has party rates for birthdays and events. Call to verify pricing parties and regular for admission, as it is subject to change. Theme party packages are also available.
Kid Zoo is located at 26251 S. Tamiami Trail Suite 18, Bonita Springs Florida.
Phone: 239-947-0496
Website: www.PlayAtKidZoo.com
It is located across the street from Bonita Bay behind the John R. Wood Realtors Building and next door to AA Two Brothers Pizza and La Mouche Salon.
A super easy day trip, afternoon trip or just a trip for breakfast or lunch can be made to Fort Myers Beach from Bonita Springs. Fort Myers Beach is accessible from only two main points. The south end via Bonita Beach Road through Bonita Springs and the north end via San Carlos Blvd through the city of Fort Myers. If you're coming from the south Bonita Springs direction there are a lot of causeway views of Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. You'll drive right past Dog Beach, Carl Johnson State Park & Boat Ramp and Lovers Key State Park on your way to Fort Myers Beach. A new large playground has been installed at Carl Johnson State Park, you can't miss it.
Most of the action happens at the north end of Fort Myers Beach where Estero Blvd. meets San Carlos Blvd. There is a city square with plenty of walking space, boutique shops, restaurants and souvenir vendors. In the evenings there are occasionally street performers. A random visit on last Thursday offered a clown making balloon animals at the square near the famous Fort Myers Beach Pier.
The Pier now has generous lighting. It's great for a stroll or just to watch the fishermen real in their catch. From the Pier you can stand and watch live music from the back deck of the restaurant call "The Pier", also.
If you're looking for something to do with kids in Bonita Springs, consider a drive to Fort Myers Beach. There will be room for the kids to run around, plenty of colorful things to watch and noise and rowdiness is ok. Also, consider walking the side street that goes under the Matanzas Pass Bridge by Snug Harbor. A row of plywood and hand painted displays of pirates, people, dogs, etc with the face areas removed have been put up. The kids can stand on the riser on the back, poke their face thru and be Cap'n Jack Sparrow for a great photo opportunity.
Free parking is scarce because the Pier area is popular. If you park in a city lot just be sure to buy a parking coupon so you don't get a ticket. Parking is relatively cheap, just a buck or two so bring some crisp one's with you.
You can also take the Trollee up the beach from Bonita Springs. Read also: Bonita Springs | Bonita Beach Trollee | Trolley to Fort Myers Beach
With the recent price adjustments of Bonita Springs real estate and Estero Florida homes and condos, the cost savings of housing your kid, plus appreciation, may make college town real estate a fairly wise investment to consider. Condominium complexes with excessive inventory, price adjustments, short sales and foreclosures are excellent candidates for college housing investments. Pricing has become competitive and offers excellent opportunities to expand your Estero real estate portfolio.
Southwest Florida is home to FGCU Florida Gulfcoast University and is located near Estero, Florida. Neighborhoods close to FGCU include Stoneybrook, Grandezza, San Carlos Park, Osprey Cove and Bella Terra. Condominium and home prices are now commonly available under $200,000.
Be sure to create a strategy go get the best return on investment for student housing in a growing college.
Scout for a sound real-estate investment. Find a home or condominium in a neighborhood that will offer appeal through the years. You will eventually want to sell the real estate again, so make sure it will be marketable in the future. Choose a great location, choose a great community and buy the real estate at the right price. If the home has less than perfect décor, remember the décor can be fixed, but you can never change an unattractive view or neighborhood that is in shambles.
Southwest Florida is home to FGCU. For housing information regarding the Estero Florida and Bonita Springs, Florida area contact Chris Griffith 239-273-7430.
No matter how you spell it, the Trollee in Bonita Springs is a great resource for visitors and locals alike. The Lee County transportation department offers this great service to the Bonita Beach, Fort Myers Beach and Estero Island areas. My family stumbled onto the Bonita Springs Trollee a few years ago while vacationing on Fort Myers Beach. I cut the kids loose with a roll of quarters and they were set for the week. The kids and their friends were zipping back and forth from Bonita Springs to Fort Myers Beach and saving parents the hassle of long car rides to the Island.
What’s more is as the kids got older and wanted to meet friends at Bonita Beach, Barefoot Beach or Fort Myers Beach to spend an afternoon, they could just take the Trollee down and back. It’s super easy and super affordable.
The Trollee travels the distance from the Kmart Plaza called The Centre of Bonita Springs to the north end of Fort Myers Beach. (The Publix Grocery Store is also located in that plaza.) You’ll find the bus stop – trollee pick up near the Bonita Springs Kmart, sort of behind Dunkin Doughnuts.
There are a variety of stops in many locations in Bonita Springs, plus you can actually flag the Trollee if you need to. The Trollee is equipped with a bicycle rack, also. So, if you've bitten off more than you can chew with your bike ride, you can hitch a ride back on the Lee Tran Trollee System. You can't do that in a taxi! How’s that for being handy?
To learn more about the Lee County Trollee System also read: http://www.RideLeeTran.com/
http://www.leegov.com/leetran/how-to-ride/maps-schedules/
You'll find a printable Trollee Map and the entire Lee County Bus Route Map, too.
Chris Griffith is a licensed Bonita Springs real estate agent and not a tax attorney, real estate attorney or C.P.A. Anyone that is faced with foreclosure or a short sale should seek the advice of a real estate attorney and tax professional. This article is provided only as a guideline and is not meant to replace professional legal or tax advice.
• An owner should NEVER sign the home over to any group before a sale. A short sale closes like a regular sale between a buyer and seller.
If you're interested in working with your bank to accept a short sale, there are many documents you'll need to gather.
Most banks have a loss mitigation department. It is the loss mitigation department's job it is to resolve problems associated with a defaulted mortgage loan. Often, you'll be working with a loss mitigation officer charged to help the bank minimize the loss due to a loan in default. Each bank is different and has its own guidelines and requirements. It should also be stated that some banks will not consider a short sale until you actually are late on your loan, and have received an offer on your property. It's essential to have the short sale package of required documents ready so that you can work thru the process quickly. Some buyers may not want to wait weeks or months to navigate a short sale, so to expedite a fast, successful sale, get your paperwork in order. Although your lender may have slightly different guidelines, the following items are commonly required:
The loss mitigation department may request additional information and documentation in order to verify the change in the borrower's financial situation and hardship. It may also be noted that some of the requested documentation may lead to re-verification of your financial status at the time of your loan origination.
Regardless of your situation, it is still the bank's decision as to whether to accept the short sale terms. Some find that no matter what they do, foreclosure is inevitable.But that is why it is imparative to have an experienced real estate agent working on your behalf.
Feel free to print the complementary short sale check list. Use the list to organize your documents to prepare for your Bonita Springs short sale.
Helpful articles at Loss Mitigation Frequently Asked Questions by HUD
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