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If you're looking for Luxury Florida golf real estate, there is no better place to look in Naples other than Grey Oaks.

Grey Oaks surrounds the prestigious Grey Oaks Country Club, offering 54 holes of championship golf on three distinctly different courses that provides everyone who plays there a most memorable golf experience.

The community has something for everyone with designer furnished models, decorator-ready models, maintenance free villas and estate size home sites on the Gordon River Trail with opportunities to custom design your dream home by some of the area's finest builders. In addition,most of the home sites feature spectacular golf course and lake views and range from a half-acre to nearly a full acre in size.

Grey Oaks Quarterly…

Many homeowners who have opted for a short sale still seem to have a great deal of confusion over when the lender will issue an IRS 1099 form. As we described in our post A Reminder - Mortgage Workouts Are Now Tax-Free for Many Homeowners, there are specifics as to how this situation is handled and who will actully incur a tax liability.

When a lender forgives a debt in a short sale transaction, the benefit the homeowner receives is the same as if they were receiving income. Lenders that forgive all or part of the debt are obligated to issue a 1099. Here's how they are applied to differing short sale transactions:

• For Primary Residences - The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief and Debt Cancellation Act is in effect until December 31, 2012. Under this…

Seems Collier County officials and the Collier County Planning Commission (CCPC) did not think through the unintended consequences of a compromise made with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials back in 2005 regarding the adoption of proposed new digital flood zone maps.

Under the new changes to the floodplain ordinance, approximately 50,000 home and businesses could be required to carry more flood insurance or face having to obtain a exemption from FEMA. The net effect would be turning most of Collier County into a special flood hazard zone requiring mandatory flood insurance which would drive up costs substantially.

Most affected would be the Golden Gate Estates and Immokalee areas of the county which would be designated as prone to…

If you're looking for Luxury Florida real estate, there is no better place to look in North Naples other than Mediterra.

Mediterra is reminiscent of the authenticity of the Tuscan countryside and is an exquisite upscale gated community still in the development stage. Centered around two Tom Fazio designed golf courses and the 25,000 square foot country club at the Piazza, residents at Mediterra will enjoy one of the most exclusive lifestyles available on the Southwest Florida Gulf Coast. Residents also enjoy 200 feet of beach shoreline on the famous white sands of Bonita Beach at the community's private Beach Club which includes an elevated swimming pool, full service dining, and changing facilities.

Mediterra Quarterly Closed Sales Mid-Year 2005 -…

Yesterday, The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced several significant policy changes that are intended to help improve their increasing exposure to risk. Seems that rising defaults have hit the FHA's reserve funds hard; in fact, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association, 7.8% of FHA's loans were 90 days or more late or already in foreclosure at the end of the second quarter. While that's equal to the national average for other loan programs, it's up from 5.4% a year ago for FHA. In addition, the increased mortgage-based losses have pushed the agency to the point it is in danger of having its reserves fall below the 2% threshold mandated by Congress. Some officials believe it could happen before the end of this month. Options for the agency…

According to their annual loan closing costs survey, Bankrate.com had Florida ranked number two (tied with New York City) behind only Texas for being a high loan closing cost state. The new ranking was a step up for Florida after two years of being ranked in the number three position. So, while prices may be falling in Florida, home buyers will have to spend more to close on their new home purchases.

The study compared charges for loan origination fees, title and closing costs on a single family home purchase with a 20% down payment and a 30 year fixed rate mortgage of $200,000. It excluded taxes, other governmental fees and escrow fees. Nationwide, the average loan closing costs this year totaled $2,732, down from $3,118 in 2008.

This year's top ten…

If you're looking for Luxury Florida real estate, there is no better place to look in Southwest Florida other than Barefoot Beach in Bonita Springs.

Barefoot Beach is tucked away just on the Collier and Lee county border and is one of the most gorgeous beach communities on all of the SW Florida Gulf Coast. It is popular for its unsurpassed homes - long considered the "Rodeo Drive" of the area, the properties will delight the most discriminate buyer. Surrounded by nature and elegant homes, three miles of white sandy beach is right outside the door of many of the residents. For those with a taste towards boating and fishing, the island also backs up to mangrove and intercoastal waterway - supporting Gulf of Mexico access through the Bay for deep… Read Full Post

After a sizzling first six months of the year, real estate sales in Southwest Florida remained strong in July. In fact, July marks the thirteenth month in a row sales have climbed in Lee and Collier counties. The Cape Coral and Ft. Myers market area saw total sales soar over 100% on a year over year basis and the Bonita Springs and Naples market area wasn't too shabby either, up 67%.

Overall, Florida's existing home and condominium sales have risen on a year over year basis for eleven straight months. And, for three consecutive months in a row, the statewide median sales price ($147,600 in July) for existing homes rose over the previous month's figure and it also was higher than the statewide median price reported each month since the start of 2009. Not…