A long-term loan can be a tricky prospect. The timing of paying it down can affect not only your bottom line, but also your taxes, credit, and ability to pursue future loans. Refinancing a mortgage is part of this challenge - a stressful miasma to some, a unique opportunity to others. With interest rates as high as they've been in decades, the time and place to refinance matters more than ever. Our Realtors have insisted to their clients that despite the high rates, the price of waiting for unknown speculation to potentially come true is often more financially damaging than buying now. If you're hesitant about high rates and are buying with the intent to refinance in the future, read today's blog and consider these examples as indicators that it might be the right time to refinance your Boca Raton home.
If you can reduce your rate by 1% or more
Refinancing isn't something you can do whenever you just feel like it. Certain prerequisites must be met in order to ensure your refinance is successful. In the event your refinancing lender provides a rate decrease by a minimum of 1%, you should consider it time to refinance. With rates standing above 7% as of today's writing, that single percentile won't return you to the pre-COVID days but will surely reduce your monthly payment by a considerable amount and allow you to pay your mortgage faster with the leftover funds when possible. ...
Through the decades Boca Raton has grown from an idyllic waterfront prize to something so much more. While always defined by luxury, glamor, and the magnificent beaches that attract visitors from around the world, Boca Raton is now as much of a business center as a vacation destination. There are many reasons (well beyond the six listed here) to relocate your business to Boca Raton, but through our research and the discussions we have with local business leaders, we believe these six are as impactful as any. Read on and learn more about these six reasons should be moving your business to Boca Raton, FL.
Tax Efficiency
Florida is one of the best tax havens in America, especially for the personal. From the sales tax your employees pay at the register, to the many incentives to run your business with a Florida HQ. If you're relocating employees, they can expect a heightened quality of life, along with the lack of a state income tax to add to their income by subtraction. To further incentivize business relocations, the state provides many state-specific tax credits to improve your bottom line.
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An open house is more than just a chance to view the home for yourself. It's an opportunity to get the pulse of the community, to learn about the neighborhood, the history, and the work that's gone into the home you're touring. When attending an open house, you should feel relaxed and at ease. After all, it's the selling agent's job to entertain you - to provide a welcoming atmosphere and even a little snack to keep you going throughout the day. However, as attendees to an open house, it shouldn't be all about the fruit platter and good energy. You're there for a reason, and it's not for the free coffee. Here are some insightful, and important questions you should consider asking when attending your next open house.
How Many Offers Are There On The Home?
Keep your eyes on the listing agent, whose disposition and attention to guests may give away whether the house has offers or not. Oftentimes, the agent will initiate the conversation and deliver the news that multiple offers have been given themselves. Their hope is to create a sense of urgency and subsequently, a bidding war. By getting out in front of the agent and asking ahead, you're showing intent but not allowing them to take point on the conversation. In addition, you may not want to endure the stresses and back and forth of a bidding war. Finding out this important detail will help determine your...
The Summer is waning to a close for much of the planet, but in South Florida, it winds down in name only. While we won't likely enjoy the respite from the extreme heat that our northerly neighbors will, we can expect the fall hues and hints of cinnamon spice to waft in the air. For our part, we're rounding up some of our favorite ideas for folks of all ages and types to find something to do in the Boca Raton area. For the best of September events in Boca Raton, read on and get your plans ready!
Boca End Of Summer Festival
It's the proverbial end of Summer! Though the heat will drag on long after the Autumn Equinox, the city of Boca Raton is excited to throw a wonderful all-day festival to commemorate the first week of Fall. This family-friendly event will include the usual favorites for kids and parents - including food vendors, live music, a petting zoo and adoption area, carnival rides, and a beer garden for the parents among us. The first of two events we're listing at the Mizner Park Amphitheater, the End of Summer Festival will take full advantage of the welcome confines of Mizner Park...
With the peak of Summer upon us and beach season heating up, the finger foods and cool cocktails of the summer months are on our minds. In a city absolutely overflowing with delectable culinary options representing the global palate, we decided to take America's favorite, and possibly most refreshingly sweet drink into focus. Learn where we found some of our favorite margaritas, whether it's with a full meal or a quick cocktail on a beach day, these spots are sure to suit your love for this iconic adult beverage.
Calaveras Cantina
Calaveras Cantina has carved quite the name for itself in a relatively short time. Seated right in the thick of Mizner Park, Calaveras serves some of the best margaritas and tacos in town. The ambiance of ornate ceilingwork, deep wood and brick hues allows for a relaxed atmosphere perfect for anyone. Whether sipping the finest mezcal or enjoying a refreshing margarita on their Margarita Monday's, the location and flavors at Calaveras will surely have you coming back for more.
Casa Tequila
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Millennials have now outpaced the Baby Boomers and are the largest home-buying demographic in the United States. This generation has been at the forefront of some of the most challenging economic circumstances and changing times. From bearing the brunt of the student loan crisis, and rightfully dismayed at the lack of education regarding these high-interest calamities, to experiencing the final years of the analog world, millennials have become quirky, unique home buyers who look for things that prior and likely future generations may not have emphasized. This is as true among Boca Raton home buyers as it is nationwide. After reading many articles, speaking with young people (including the author), and reviewing some of the favorites of recent millennial clients, we've compiled a list that represents the demographic's wants and needs - from floor to ceiling, and everything in between.
Hardwood Flooring
Hardwood always speaks to elegance. However, hardwood in South Florida is not the most apt of flooring solutions. Modern textured tiling has come to the rescue, providing easily installed, beautiful wood grain designs that function at the highest level while still providing that attractive signature look. Shades of grey, mahogany, beige, ebony, and many other solutions color and texture your home, bringing an upscale energy...
2023 thus far has been reflective of the efforts to revert our economy to a more level basis. With the surge in prices and the massive reduction in inventory, the nation's builders are working diligently to provide home buyers with what they're looking for while developing new land into available housing. As a result, the ongoing major construction projects nationwide will better reflect the latest trends in real estate, rather than sporadic construction in smaller pockets. We've studied these trends, especially those most seen in Boca Raton Real Estate, and reviewed some of the most prominent to grace our area have been.
Low (But Growing) Inventory
In recent years, the inventory has bottomed out in some areas, especially South Florida. Low supply and high demand have driven up costs, but area developers are hard at work providing additional units in the form of new single-family developments and condominiums alike. While the housing shortage is more acute in South Florida, the escalation of mortgage rates along with the expected delivery of several marquee new developments will ensure the next 3-5 years expect a gradual easing of the skyrocketed prices we saw during the apex of COVID.
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The dog days of Summer are well underway and the final month of the season looms large. While Florida's summers may not adhere to the expected dictates of our Gregorian calendar, the "summer" proper is soon to end. Before the snowbirds show up and our roads get too busy, find out what's happening around town with our August Events blog.
Puppy Yoga with Bianca - Boca Raton
- Where: Fabletics, Boca Town Center Mall - 6000 Glades Rd. Boca Raton, FL 33431
- When: Saturday, August 19th. 9 AM
Fabletics, in partnership with The Yoga Joint is hosting a puppy yoga class at the Fabletics storefront in the Boca Town Center...
As you age and grow wealthier, you may have children or a special someone in your life you'd like to share your prosperity. Oftentimes this can lead to considerable financial risk on behalf of both parties, but co-signing is nonetheless one of the most potent and impactful ways you can benefit another person. When co-signing a mortgage, you are likely taking one of the biggest financial risks of your life. For such a risk and little reward, you should be certain you are very close to, and trust your co-signee. For our part, we're drawing from our experience and discourse with our partners at Supreme Lending to learn what cons and pros (if any) there are to co-sign a mortgage.
Pro: The Spirit Of Giving
Admittedly, there are few pros to co-signing a mortgage for someone else. Very rarely does it lead to a financial boon for the secondary signer, and more than often is a lateral move made out of good faith. Considering student loans still loom large and younger people are facing economic circumstances unique to themselves, its incumbent on the prior generation to support its younger people as they seek the benefits of homeownership. Obviously, no personal relationship should be transcended by money, but co-signing a major investment such as a home loan can lead to great potential...
Home buyers may have vastly different needs. After all, a burgeoning young family and a successfully retired couple may not have much in common save for their shared destination: Boca Raton Real Estate. When Realtors "sell" a home, they are acting both as your advocate in the home buying or selling process and as keys to the city at large. The adage about location is one of the most consistent market principles known to mankind, as it is entwined with our very DNA. Humans are creatures of habit and work to seek comfort both in times of distress and to increase this comfort in times of prosperity. After all, if the earliest Boca Raton Pioneers had access to central AC, wouldn't they enjoy it? All of this esoteric talk leads us to acknowledging one principle: despite the diversity of needs, backgrounds, and budgets, many of the "turnoffs" that break a deal are similar across all demographics. Protect your home from these commonalities, and ensure your home sale goes off without a hitch. Read on and learn what these super common turnoffs for home buyers are, and prepare your home for a smooth, easy sale.
Dirty/Muddy Front Door Mat
First impressions are everything, right? A messy exterior with unkempt shrubbery, dust, cobwebs, and a muddy mat as...
Boca Raton is one of two centerpieces of Palm Beach County, with the other being its namesake city. This magnificent luxury destination has proven to be a sustainable and accelerating real estate market, with more growth on the horizon. Following the extreme circumstances of 2020 and the market fallout that followed, we're rounding up what should be a responsive but stabilizing year after a rip-roaring ride through real estate. At this midsummer point in 2023, it's time to take a look at Boca Raton Real Estate and the changes that we've seen, and how the numbers reflect our on-the-ground observations.
All data is sourced from FlexMLS and compares the current 6-month period with the previous year.
NEW CONSTRUCTION HOMES AND CONDOS IN Boca Raton
Boca Raton has been at the epicenter of massive growth throughout South Florida since the post-2020 acceleration. The population has grown by over 13,000 people since the 2010 census and continues its meteoric growth. To provide for this unyielding expansion, Boca Raton has continuously developed its western corridors and beachfront condos, including new additions like ...
We're excited to celebrate another year of glorious life here in Boca Raton! As we've delved deeper into our local history through the Boca Raton Real Estate blog, we are reminded that none of the freedom and prosperity we experience would exist without the actions of our founding fathers in 1776. To commemorate this national unification and resistance to monarchic encroachment, we happily gather for fireworks, grilled foods, pool parties, and midsummer fun. For the best July 4th celebrations, fireworks, and family-friendly events near Boca Raton, look no further than these events below.
PBC Parks & Rec 4th Of July Celebration - Boca Raton
- Where: Sunset Cove Amphitheater - 20405 Amphitheater Cir. Boca Raton, FL 33498
- When: Tuesday, July 4th, 5:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Enjoy a fireworks show and live concert hosted by Vice Mayor Maria Sachs, right here at our Sunset Cove Amphitheater. The hits of today and yesteryear will be proudly played alongside fireworks, bounce houses, carnival games, food vendors, and more.
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If there is one theme to our sociopolitical landscape in the last 2 years, it's been inflation. It has affected everything from the price of bread to the success of our Realtors. The federal reserve have acted in suit in response to aggressively surging costs on everything from chicken cutlets to gasoline, cardboard to housing. These increased rates have led to the expected slowdown in the housing market, with some sellers believing it's still 2021, and some buyers far more fearful than they should ever be. As expert Boca Raton Realtors, it's our job to assuage unrealistic concerns while explaining the realities of the market. The answer lies somewhere in the middle. Despite the deliberate market fluctuation leading to circumstances unforeseen in decades, this is no 2008, and the value of Boca Raton Real Estate never indeed loses its worth. We all need a roof over our heads, and owning a home in one of the most desirable locations in the world is a surefire way to guard yourself with 4 walls of inflation-busting investment power. Learn more about how owning a Boca Raton home can secure your place in the ranks of the financially free.
Predictable Housing Payments
From March 2020 to March 2023, ...
Through our first entry, we reviewed the sometimes sordid history between the natives and the eventual settlers of South Florida. For centuries, the area known as Boca Raton was a sparsely inhabited area known for its beauty by the Spanish and Seminoles alike. The wild, salt-kissed hammocks of Boca Raton were hardly inhabitable save for the cultures who knew the land for millennia and the pirates who sheltered from storms and attacks by the Spanish galleons they sought to plunder. During the late 19th Century, Palm Beach and Miami became the only significant American towns in the region. Boca Raton was host to less than a dozen white families for the decades that followed, supplying the honorable Joshua Bowen as its first serving congressman. As evidenced by the legend of the Barefoot Mailmen, the journey from Palm Beach to Miami was made solely by doggedly determined pioneers, soldiers, outlaws, and natives.
In the 1890s, this would change drastically. Led by a legendary entrepreneur with a near-ubiquitous name in our state, the first surveys and settlements began to truly take root in Boca Raton. Today's story begins with that man, his right hand in the region, and the few brave enough to settle and change the landscape of Boca Raton forever.
RICKARDS AND FLAGLER MAKE THE...
The illustrious city of Boca Raton is a jewel on Florida's East Coast. What was once nothing but swampy hinterlands and untamed wilderness evolved over centuries to become the envy of the world - a place for celebrities, the ultra-wealthy, upstart businesspeople, and successful retirees to settle as their own. Yet, before the days of high-impact windows, central A/C, and the many guard-gated communities we feature as part of our landscape, a few brave settlers would attempt the earliest forays into the land we call Boca Raton. As part of our first chapter in profiling Boca Raton's historical chapters, and in concert with our friends at the Boca Raton Historical Society, we're excited to begin our series where it all began, at least for us. Our blog will illuminate the key figures, moments, and decisions that led from those first incursions to the glamorous present and future we live in today.
Early Florida Natives fashioning weaponry from the shell of the lightning whelk (Courtesy: Boca Raton Historical Society)
The Native Origins
The earliest vestiges of human habitation are evidenced in the area currently known as Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, just north of our beachfront office. Known as The Glades Culture, these early natives were here as early as 2,000 B.C. Though South Florida is primarily defined by its Seminole and Miccosukee cultures,...
It's midsummer again in Boca Raton, and with that, we take a moment to acknowledge the incredible men we grew up admiring. From soldiers and sailors to businessmen, mentors, and shoulders to lean on, our fathers go by many things. Our fathers wear many hats, take on many roles, and set the tone for the future we are blessed to look towards ourselves. Most of all, we know them by "Dad," and on the weekend of June 18th, we celebrate their impact on our lives and the community at large. Here are our choices for the many Father's Day Events in Boca Raton this year.
The Rock & Roll Playhouse is a family-friendly concert series that travels the country and hosts performances highlighting iconic rock bands and their music. Featuring notable Grateful Dead tribute band, Crazy Fingers, the event will include games, movement, storytelling, and music. Through this cultural exchange and multisensory music experience, kids and their dads will enrich their lives and cultivate a lifelong appreciation of the arts.
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Congratulations! You got the listing! Or to the inverse, you're showing a motivated buyer of means a property you think will be perfect for them. Regardless of the warmth of your lead or the natural fit you think this home presents its prospectors, it's important to gauge the temperature of the room and properly advise your client. In going over the basics, we provide a few do's and don'ts of showing a property that every Realtor should pay heed to. Read further and keep growing!
Do: Prepare/Stage The Property
This is a given if it's your listing. As much as you'd imagine empty spaces leaving more to the imagination, having furniture and houseplants in prominent spaces of the home gives the visitor an idea of what they could do. Even if the staged furniture doesn't feed into the aesthetic tastes of the home buyer, they will be able to imagine their own furniture and their own configuration, using the existing pieces to think aloud. Bonus points for taking advantage of a beautiful backyard, such as those offered in The Oaks at Boca.
Don't: Oversell The Property...
For most, Memorial Day is another gracious Monday off, and while an important day to remember, is mostly a day to BBQ and hit the beach on a weekday. Yet, for those of us who served, love someone who has, or lost someone in the line of service, this day takes on a solemnness not felt by all. While we're not suggesting you give up on the fun and sun of this iconic American weekend, perhaps consider taking a moment to honor those who laid it all on the line to make it all happen. We're sure you have your tongs ready, charcoal stocked up, and weekend menu set, but are you aware of these ways, monuments, and spaces to honor and respect our veterans? Learn more about honoring our fallen veterans in the Boca Raton area, and have a beautiful weekend!
The Boca Raton Historical Society has done an outstanding job of cobbling together the many chapters of history that have crosshatched our beautiful city since its earliest days of non-native inhabitation. Seated in the Old City Hall, designed by Addison Mizner, the Boca Raton History Museum is not dedicated solely to our military past, but dedicates a significant portion of the exhibits, literature, and artifact collection to the particular role Boca Raton played during World War II. Visiting this museum will give greater insight into the backdrop of our community...
Despite its renown for wealth and as a stronghold for retirees, Boca Raton is rife with opportunities for children to live their best. Whether at home or in the community at large, Boca Raton has provided a great quantity of beautiful public spaces, parks, and even outdoor markets that are perfect for children and families to enjoy something new. For our list, we've compiled a wide selection of children's activities, including indoor, outdoor, dry, wet, and everything in between. Without further ado, learn what our choices are for the best of Boca Raton for kids.
Visit the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center
The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is named for the massive shade trees that permeate this hammock ecosystem. Known for its sea turtle conservation and rehabilitation efforts, the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center is a few feet from our beachfront offices. The center sits on 20 acres of a protected barrier island and includes a museum, small aquariums, and numerous ways for children to get in touch with nature and inculcate respect for our environment.
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It's that time of year again! Some of us may still be recovering from St. Patrick's Day, but Cinco de Mayo is firmly on our calendar. For a city quite a few miles from Mexico, and a larger Latin influence via South America and the Caribbean, Boca Raton has solidified itself as a destination for Mexican cuisine. Featuring both the larger, best-known restaurants and lesser-known locales, Boca Raton always does Cinco de Mayo right. For some of the best events in Boca Raton and nearby, read on and set your calendars!
Cinco de Mayo at Calaveras Cantina - Boca Raton
Our list begins at one of the closest locales to our Beach Offices with Calaveras Cantina in Mizner Park. Live entertainment will be provided by a trio of acts, beginning with a live DJ, mariachi band, and a percussionist performing from 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM. Specials include $5 bottled beer, shots of Corazon Tequila, and deals on margaritas all day and night.
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