Saturday, March 03, 2018

WE KNEW THAT!




Delray Beach has been named among the Ten Best Little Beach Towns in Florida.

Atlantic Avenue has one of the most beautiful beaches on Florida’s east coast, a haven for art lovers & beachcombers: 20+ galleries & iconic public art pieces, Friday gallery nights, browsing local art, listening to live music & dining on the Avenue.


There are 800 condos, 127 townhomes, 141 villas & 739 single family homes.  Tell me which one you would like a list of 10 properties for, how many bedrooms & max price you would spend.  START HERE AND COME LOOK WITH ME!


Thursday, December 07, 2017


 3 Trends in Kitchen Hardware to Keep an Eye On
You don’t have to transform your entire kitchen to feel like your kitchen has been upgraded. All you have to do is update some of your kitchen hardware, like the knobs on your cabinets or the handles on your drawers. You’ll get that new kitchen feel for a fraction of the cost. However, choose your new hardware wisely. Here are 3 trends in kitchen hardware to keep an eye on.
1. Artsy knobs
The great thing about the term “artsy” is that it’s totally up to your interpretation and discretion. You can take your pick of colorful knobs, varying sized knobs and knobs of many different styles. Got a theme for your kitchen? Go all out by getting knobs that matches your vision. 
Whatever your method of madness, personalize your kitchen in the subtlest and classiest of ways so you can impress guests. You can peruse the knob section at Home Depot or Lowes for ideas, or you can check out what’s new in the DIY section of the internet.
2. Bar handles
You can make your kitchen seem more modern and sleek without replacing a single panel or backsplash tile. Just incorporate long, straight lines in your kitchen with bar handles.
These handles are most commonly seen in restaurant kitchens: They’re long and slim metal bars that run the length of drawers. They’re not only great for design but also for utility. You can be completely engrossed in a recipe, reach over to grab a drawer handle and grasp it every time, without fail.
Now, if you have a theme for your kitchen, these handles are maybe not the best way to go. If you’re going for minimalist and even futuristic vibe, these handles are for you.
3. Finger handles
Although they may look like it, finger handles aren’t actually tiny shelves for mice (knock on wood that there aren’t really mice in your kitchen). These flat, stainless steel handles work great for the lower, base cabinets in your kitchen. Just slip a finger or two under the small lip of the handle to open your cabinets.
They look great and they’re completely functional. No more bending down to open a cabinet just to discover the pot you were looking for wasn’t even in there.
Pro tip: Updating the hardware in your kitchen is a great way to spruce up your kitchen before showing your house to prospective buyers. When you’re ready to sell your home, give us a shout. We’re here to help.

Friday, August 11, 2017

THESE SIX HOUSEPLANTS WILL CLEAR THE AIR



You spend a lot of time focusing on what you eat and how it impacts your health. But there’s more to being healthy than what we put into our stomachs.
Here are just a few of the essentials:
·       You need to give your body the right amount of rest.
·       You need to stimulate your mind and expose yourself to beauty.
·       You need to make sure that the air that you breathe is healthy and clean.
Did you know that there are house plants that can meet all those needs? It’s true!
No matter how well you clean your home or how organic the products you buy, toxins in the air are hard to wipe away.
Some can cause allergic reactions and illness. But there are houseplants that remove impurities from the air while they help add to the warmth and serenity of your environment.
They’re easy to find and inexpensive too!
By adding any of these green beauties to your home you can give yourself greater peace of mind and cleaner air to breathe.

1. Boston Fern
Boston Ferns are the most efficient air filtering plant you can buy.
They’re also available for purchase everywhere… chances are good that if your supermarket sells plants, they will sell Boston Ferns.
Keeping a Boston Fern healthy is pretty simple. Give it a dose of plant food once a month and water it regularly. If you live in a dry area, you should mist it once a day too.

2. Palm Trees

These tropical beauties are very good at removing toxins like formaldehyde from the air.
The Dwarf Date is best of all, but other good choices include the Parlor Palm, a Bamboo Palm or a Lady Palm. Palm Trees will flourish in a sunny spot in your home.

3. Rubber Plant
If you think your home doesn’t get enough light to sustain a plant, try a Rubber Plant or a 
They don’t need much sun and they do a great job of cleaning the air.

4. English Ivy
This is another plant that is sold just about everywhere.
Though most people think of English Ivy as a climbing plant that lives outdoors, if you keep it inside it will stay pretty compact.
It needs very little care – just water and mist once a week or so – and it will keep your air free of toxins and mold.
In fact, a study showed that it cuts airborne mold by 94%.

5. Peace Lily
There are a lot of good reasons for choosing a Peace Lily for your home.
This beautiful plant needs very little light and will bloom all year long. It is good at removing all types of harsh gases, and even adds humidity to the air.

6. Aloe Vera

This spiky succulent is not only good at improving your air quality: you can also use the gel that flows through its leaves to help speed healing.
It’s an especially good plant to keep in the kitchen to quickly soothe the pain from burns.
Yours in health and happiness,
Danette May
America’s Leading Healthy Lifestyle Expert

Monday, May 22, 2017

THE BEST WAY TO CLEAN HARDWOOD FLOORS



Many homeowners love hardwood floors not only for their look and durability, but also because they're simple to clean—at least relative to carpet, tile, and many other surfaces. But maintaining spick-and-span hardwood floors isn't quite as simple as it may seem, which leaves many homeowners wondering: What's the best way to clean hardwood floors, anyway?
“There’s a responsibility that comes with owning a wood floor,” says Brett Miller, vice president of education and certification for the National Wood Flooring Association in St. Louis. “People who haven’t had a wood floor before don’t always consider the importance of properly maintaining those floor coverings.”
If you want to keep your hardwood floors looking their best, here are the steps to take.
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Remove debris regularly
Your first line of defense is to remove dirt and debris as quickly and often as possible. Even the smallest specks of dirt act like sandpaper, and can scratch the floor's surface and make it look dull. So make sure to vacuum or sweep regularly—ideally once every two to three days, or more for high-traffic areas, says Miller. If you vacuum, use the hard surface setting on your machine, which turns off the beater bar and lowers the vacuum to the floor for better suction power.
Wipe spills immediately
Hardwood floors may look impervious to spills compared with carpet, but certain substances can actually eat away at the top coat of polish on your floor. Some common offenders include milk, mustard, and pet urine. So if Fido or Fluffy isn't fully house trained, make sure to pick up after accidents pronto.
Mop the right way
A damp (but not sopping) mop can also help keep a hardwood floor clean, provided you use the right cleaner (more on what not to use next). Most wood floor installers or manufacturers recommend cleaners that contain isopropyl alcohol, which dries quickly, and are available at home supply stores.
To make your own solution for a monthly clean, add a capful of white vinegar to a gallon of water, which will help dissolve grease and grime on the floor, but not strip the finish. To remove shoe scuffs, rub marks with a tennis ball, which cleans without scratching the finish.
Whatever you do, do not clean wood floors with a steam mop, Miller says. “Steam is horrible for wood floors. It opens the pores in woods and damages the finish, causing irreversible damage to any wood floor.”
Use the right cleaning products
“Wood is probably the easiest floor covering to keep clean, but you have to use the right cleaning products,” says Miller. In fact, contrary to what you might think, he adds, “anything that says ‘polish’ or ‘shine’ indicates you’re adding a layer of something to the floor, and it’s not a protective coating.”
The result? Your floor might look shiny right after you're done, but it will quickly smear and look dull (prompting you to clean your floors again). So when in doubt, stick with cleaning solutions recommended by a hardwood floor specialist rather than what's being hawked at your average grocery store.
And if it still doesn't look clean...

If vacuuming and mopping don’t restore the luster to your hardwood floors, it may not be due to lack of elbow grease. Eventually, wood floors withstand enough damage that they should be refinished—meaning the top layer of wood is sanded down to remove marks, then covered with sealant. Hardwood floors should be resealed about once every 10 years, or every two to five years if they get substantial traffic from kids or pets.

Monday, March 27, 2017

“XANADU 2.0” IS AWESOME

·       Costing $60MM, it took seven years to build; Bill Gates also bought several surrounding houses for about $14.4MM.  The home has 24 bathrooms. Annual property tax is over $1MM.

·       Pool measures 60’x17’ and has a fossil-motif floor and underwater music system.  Locker room has 4 showers and 2 baths. Dive into the pool and you can come up by an outdoor terrace, going under a glass wall. Fitness gym is 2500 sq ft;  trampoline room has 20’ ceiling.   There is an elevator, but if you are into fitness, set your fitbit and head up or down the 84 steps from the entrance to the ground floor.

·       1000 sq ft dining room seats 24. 150 people can be fed dinner or 200 can be at a cocktail party in the 2300 sq ft reception hall.  Guests receive a pin that interacts with room sensors and can change to your preference the temperature, music and lighting.  This was built in 1995.

·      Guest house has 1 bedroom, 1 bath and is 1900 sq ft.

·       The grounds include an artificial stream and wetland estuary stocked with salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout. The sand on the lake bank is imported from warmer sandier climates, perhaps Hawaii.















Thursday, December 29, 2016

FLORIDA IS THE NUMBER ONE DESTINATION FOR SENIORS

Florida is the most desirable state for retirees, according to a new report.
Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, SmartAsset determined which states that retirees are leaving and flocking to, analyzed by MarketWatch.





The report cites Florida's warm weather, beaches and the fact that it is one of seven states that doesn't tax individual income.

The states retirees are leaving in the highest numbers are New York, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

5 Kitchen Design Trends to Take From PULTE'S Model Homes

5 Kitchen Design Trends to Take From Model Homes

The model homes of builders are known for showcasing the latest interior design trends in trying to appeal to home shoppers. So what’s trending when it comes to the kitchen?
PulteGroup’s Interior Designs Team is merchandising about 425 model homes in 2016. The kitchen is a big area that gets a lot of the design team’s focus too.
“Today’s home buyers are willing to spend more in the kitchen – from energy-efficient appliances to quartz countertops,” says Janice Jones, PulteGroup’s national vice president of interior design. “We continuously conduct consumer focus groups to best understand what they want in their kitchens and are constantly refining our kitchen designs and its elements to ensure it delivers on functionality, creative design and easy maintenance across all our buyer groups.”
Jones cites five kitchen trends in 2016 that they are reflecting in many PulteGroup model homes lately. These trends also can serve as inspiration for home owners planning renovation projects or wanting ideas for easy updates, Jones notes.
1. Contrasting materials
Materials are getting mixed in the kitchen. Contrasting colors and styles are combined to create a more unique space. For example, mixed marbles and metals in a space can help highlight gray wood tones.

2. Decorative lighting
Bold and oversized lighting choices are popular choices. “Decorative lighting is key in the kitchen and adds dramatic flair as well as functionality to the kitchen, especially over the kitchen island,” according to PulteGroup’s Interior Designs Team.
3. Transparency
Switch out some cabinet doors with glass doors. It can help you extend visual boundaries while also allowing home owners to display some of their favorite things and add more personalization to a space.


4. Storage
Home owners are always looking for more storage, especially in the kitchen. Double-stacked cabinets that extend to the ceiling can help maximize storage space.

5. More drawers, less doors
Having plenty of kitchen drawers can add more functionality in storage. Home owners are showing preferences toward more drawers over extra cabinets. Bold hardware can then added to the drawers to add more design appeal, PulteGroup says.

brought to you by MARILYN JACOBS, REALTOR
from REALTOR MAGAZINE

Friday, June 03, 2016

THINGS THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ON PALM BEACH'S ROYAL POINCIANA WAY


The owners of the 1.3 acre Testa property on Royal Palm Way, the Frisbees, are looking to buy the .8-acre site at the east end of the block between Royal Poinciana Way and Sunset Avenue.  They will redevelop the Testa properties and the adjacent four parcels that include Nick and Johnnie’s restaurant, Evelyn & Arthur’s clothing store, Eyes on the Island, the Palm Beach Book Store, Classic Collections boutique, a via and one apartment, owned by Vesenaz Inc.  Closing for these properties is planned for Friday.

It will be interesting to watch the revitalization of this well-known area.  Several of these buildings are landmarked and would need approval for any changes from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  That includes two Arte Moderne-style buildings, Evenly and Arthur at 100 North County Road, and the Classic Collections building at 118 North County Road.  Nick & Johnnie’s façade is also landmarked.

Other property owners on Royal Poinciana Way, adjacent to Testa's, have been asked if they would be interested in selling their properties.  Two have said no but they are interested in the new developments that are coming.  These owners have been approached by others, including The Breakers, owners of the old Palm Beach Daily News building at 265 Royal Poinciana Way, who at this time do not plan to sell but would consider buying.

With Town Council approval received, the redevelopment of the Testa site will include a new restaurant, shops, luxury condominiums and underground parking. This is a pretty area, exuding Palm Beach‘s glamourous luxe feeling and relaxed environment. The forthcoming condominiums will be sold quickly, in this highly desirable neighborhood.

Will keep the readership advised of developments.  Stay tuned.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

THINKING OF A MOVE? REALTOR.COM RATES LANTANA AS 4TH ON LIST OF "AMERICA'S BEST UNDER-THE-RADAR (AND AFFORDABLE) BEACH TOWNS."



Realtor.com: "Located 10 miles south of ritzy West Palm Beach, Lantana exudes a whole different vibe - the place retains the flavor of an old fising village in its dock, fishing pier and annual fishing tournament.

In addition to sun-drenched beaches, the area also offers shark diving, boating and other activities for adventurers.  Nature lovers can check out the Lantana Nature Preserve, a recreation of Florida's coastal environment intended to serve as a living classroom for ecological education."

Take a short hike with family and friends at the Lantana Nature Preserve.  It is located across the street from the Plaza del Mar shopping center in Manalapan, just west of the Carlisle retirement community. Serving as a living classroom for ecological education, the preserve recreates Florida’s coastal environment.  Admission at 400 East Ocean Avenue in Lantana is free.  Take the kids to the ice cream store in Plaza del Mar, across from Eau Spa, and treat them to Garbage Can ice cream, a mix of flavors favoring chocolate.

Areas with properties available today include Manalapan and Hypoluxo Island.  They range from $3,120,000 to $6,215,000.  Many more affordable properties are available as well.  For more information call Marilyn at 561-513-6180.

Other towns cited by Realtor.com include Ocean Park in Washington, Cape Canavaral and Crescent City in California.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

WHAT DOES THE NAME STEVE CASE MEAN TO YOU?

In June 1983, I was at a crossroads. I was twenty-four years old and had spent a year working for Pizza Hut. And while I had a good time traveling the country and stuffing myself, the job was starting to get old. That summer I made a pros and cons list. I wrote down various career options — going to an established company, a startup, or a consulting firm — and ticked through the benefits and drawbacks of each possible move. 

First on my list were established tech companies such as Apple and Atari. Marketing positions at these companies would have provided the tech on-ramp I was seeking, but with big companies come internal politics and red tape. There were some pros to those jobs but also a whole lot of cons.
Co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of America Online (AOL)

When considering the possibility of joining a marketing consulting firm in San Francisco, I noted that while it would be fun to work in Silicon Valley, I had three concerns: “stuffy, tough sell, don’t like consulting.” So that was a pass, too. 
Finally, there was CVC, the startup I ended up choosing. I saw a lot upside to going there: an exciting idea, promising technology, a chance to make a big impact in a growing market — and, best of all, the opportunity to work alongside and learn from entrepreneur Bill von Meister. I listed only one downside: “future uncertain.” 
Everything about the CVC job was up in the air, from my future role in the company to the future of the company itself. Of course, you know how the story ends (the company became AOL), but at the time this was a big concern. In a way, though, that uncertainty was as much a pro as it was a con. Sure, an uncertain future meant I could be out on the streets looking for a job in a few months’ time. But it also meant a chance to make my own destiny. A chance, as it turned out, to play a role in making the Internet a part of everyday life.
I’m often reminded of the famous newspaper ad Ernest Shackleton is said to have placed before his 1914 attempt to explore Antarctica: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” That’s the beauty of entrepreneurship, and that’s what drew me to CVC. 
The bottom line is that when I was twenty-four, I had no idea where my own “hazardous journey” would lead me. I didn’t know whether my stock options would even be worth the paper they were printed on. All I knew was that in the uncertainty lay immense challenges — and enormous opportunities. There was a boundless electronic frontier to explore, an online Antarctica filled with peril and possibility. And I knew that I needed to be a part of charting that uncertain future. 
When I think about what the world will look like thirty years from now and try to anticipate what problems we need to solve — to say nothing of the problems we face now — I see another uncertain future. But I also believe that, as in my case, this uncertainty isn’t a disadvantage. Once again, we’ve got a pro masquerading as a con. Once again, we have the opportunity — and, I believe, the obligation — to set a new course. Now we just have to think about what all of us — entrepreneurs, business leaders, government officials, everyday Americans with good ideas — can and must do to make sure we arrive there. 
Ride the wave
The Third Wave of the Internet is coming, the moment when the Internet transforms from something we interact with to something that interacts with everything around us. It will mean the rise of the Internet of Everything, where everything we do will be enabled by an Internet connection, much in the way it’s already enabled by electricity. 
This process will lead to the transformation of some of the industries that are vital to our daily lives, which will make the barriers to success higher, and the need to form partnerships much more central, as a way of building credibility, opening doors, and getting past industry gatekeepers. One such partner will likely be the government, which has an interest in regulating the industries most affected by the Third Wave.
Don’t confuse your views of government with the role of government, which can be either an impediment to progress or a driver of it, and which cannot be ignored. Much Third Wave innovation will come from impact entrepreneuring focused on building “profit plus purpose” companies that have a measurable impact on the world. And this innovation will be geographically dispersed, as the rest of the country (and the world) rises up to complement the innovation now occurring largely in a few places, such as Silicon Valley. The challenges in the Third Wave will be vexing, and as Thomas Edison reminds us, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” But if we rally together, and execute with precision, we can remain the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial nation.
So that’s my thesis, in a nutshell. Think of it as the CliffsNotes — or BuzzFeed — guide to the Third Wave. One more parting thought before I go. 

A message to corporate America 
To corporate leaders, it’s time to develop a perpetual sense of paranoia and curiosity. It’s time to both fear the future and seize its promise, to restlessly drive to master it, no matter what it holds. Regardless of where you and your company stand at the end of today, you can always wake up tomorrow to find that things have changed drastically. You jeopardize your position if you don’t strive to anticipate how it will change. 

Keep your finger on the pulse of technology, and consider what its beat might mean for your business. Take stock of trends. Resist the temptation to dismiss up-and-coming technologies. 
Empower your team to ask questions and, where no answers exist, to create new ones. Give them the space to innovate and experiment. Take more “shots on goal.” Allow more crazy ideas to bubble up, because the very best ideas often sound ridiculous when first proposed. Surely, executives at Marriott and Hilton would have thought that the idea of renting an air mattress or a room in an apartment was insane. But in 2015, seven years after starting, Airbnb was valued at $25 billion, making it worth more than either of the hospitality powerhouses, both of which have been around for more than half a century. And it’s not just about relative valuations: it’s also about sudden shifts in market dynamics. As Senator Marco Rubio has pointed out, Airbnb is now the largest hospitality provider, yet they don’t own a single hotel. Similarly, Uber is the largest transportation company, though they don’t own a single vehicle. And neither company existed a decade ago. 
Remember that disruption has broadened. Your competitors won’t just emerge from the low end of your industry. Increasingly, they’ll come from other industries, too. Apple wasn’t in the music business, nor was Google in the mobile phone business — until suddenly they were. So build a network in and around your company — and look for the opportunity in every direction.
The future belongs to those who endeavor to create it. That’s why we go into business — because we have a vision for the future that we want to see through. So don’t let temporary successes permanently blind your future ambitions.
You have the resources — human, capital, otherwise — to take on ambitious projects. And so you must decide — is it better to use those recourse to resist change or to drive it? 
And remember this: In the Third Wave, partnerships will become more important. You’ll have more opportunities in the next decade than you did in the past decade. So don’t just play defense, play offense. Don’t just defend, attack. But don’t go it alone. As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” 

This post has been adapted and excerpted from Steve Case’s new book, “The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future,” on sale now from Simon & Schuster. This article is from LINKED IN.