Tax Reform On It's Way In Florida.

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

Tax Reform Is On It’s Way In Florida

Thank you to all the Real Estate Agents who called, emailed or wrote to their state legislatures and congressmen and women about Property Tax Reform in Florida.

In just a couple of days in their special session the House and the Senate came to an agreement and now most of what they agreed upon will be taken to the voters in the January 2008 Primary Election.

Now is the time for the big fight to start for the cities to keep money they do not want to lose! They will use all kinds of scare tactics especially the ones of losing police and fire services to get the voters to turn down the amendments that will save the homeowners money on their property tax bills.

So you as a Real Estate agent can make a difference in your community which will build you credibility by getting educated on this subject and then getting your opinion out to your farm areas, your prospects, your clients and your neighborhood.

You can post your comments on your blog and your website.

Send everyone on your list an email about getting out to vote and what the amendments say and why you think that the property tax reforms need to be voted in to law.

This is a great opportunity for you to build relationships, network and get into your farms with a benefit to offer. Let me know how you are doing with this.

Post your ideas on how you can get the word out!

You can me at Katerinag@bellsouth.net for coaching and consulting information for Real Estate Agents. I am a Realtor and a Business, Career, Health and Personal Coach, Real Estate Business Consultant, trainer and speaker. Yours In Real Estate, Katerina

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

Coaching For Real Estate Agents- Florida Real Estate Issues

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

Please contact your legislator today with the following message, adding your personal comments and powerful stories - such as describing the lock-in effect of Save Our Homes or lost homeownership dreams due to high property taxes.

Click the link below to log in and send your message:
http://votervoice.net/target

Get your voice heard today, time is running out! Get your message in before the June special session begins!

I am back from vacation now. We took a time out for a long weekend. We went up to Orlando and took our 4 year old to Sea World. The weather was wonderful, cool and breezy. There were no crowds so we did not have a problem seeing all the mammals, feeding the dolphins, seals and stingrays. The Shamu show is the best ever; Believe.

Watching the grace and beauty of the Killer Whales and the story the narrator told about living and believing in your dreams touched my heart.

I was on a little vacation yet learning more to improve my coaching. I am able to take what I learn and apply it to my coaching for Real Estate Agents. It always amazes me to be a part of all of life's lessons.

Always remember your dreams and do not ever give up on them.
I am building a website to help you live your dreams and apply the secret to your life.
I will post this when I have it up and running.

Feel free to email me at Katerinag@bellsouth.net for information on coaching you to reach your level of success in your Real Estate Career and also in your personal life.

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

For Real Estate Agents, Property Tax Relief

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

Legislature 2007 update for today

The most important thing on our minds right now is still:

Property tax relief.

Save Our Homes portability, rollbacks and other tax reform proposals will meet again for a special session for ten days.

"We're going home to continue to work on it," said House Speaker Marco Rubio
(R-Miami). "We would not call dates (for a special session)...unless we were
confident that we would come up with something that would not just pass but
work. But drafting something to go on the ballot (can't be rushed).''

“30 days to talk the talk
A one-month waiting period leading to a special session of the Florida
Legislature gives Realtors an opportunity to meet their lawmakers locally and
push for substantial property tax relief. It also gives lawmakers time to
consider the focus exclusively on the issue” Florida Association of Realtors® 2007(r)

Special session at a glance:
When: June 12-22

Original House plan: Rollback taxes to 2001 levels; replace property taxes
with a 2.5 percent state sales tax increase (constitutional amendment.
Projected savings: $50 billion over five years.

Original Senate plan: Rollback taxes to 2006 levels; allow for Save Our Homes
portability; $25,000 exemption on intangible property; double the homestead
exemption for first-time buyers. Projected saving: $14 billion.

So again, in case you missed my last two posts; get your voice heard.

To send an email to your legislator go to : http://floridarealtors.org.
Click on the legislative center.

The special session will take place June 12 – 22^nd.

So as you can see they are pretty far apart if you ask me. As I said in my last post I like the house plan. I don’t understand why they can not agree but then again, I am not a politician!

The following information is the results from the last session that is from the Florida Association of Realtors ® website:

Progress report: Realtor issues advanced this session

Property insurance: Legislators made is easier for certain property owners to
obtain insurance from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. and raised the ante
for others. Citizens, the state's insurer of last resort, is now Florida's
largest insurer with 1.3 million policyholders. SB 2498 by South Florida Sen.
Rudy Garcia (R)would allow property owners into the Citizens pool if the only
insurance they could obtain on the private market was 15 percent more
expensive than what they would pay Citizens. The current threshold is 25
percent. The measure would also prevent private insurance companies from
setting off their Florida operations in a separate, Florida-only company
(known as PUP companies), and freeze Citizens rates through 2008; effective
Jan. 1, 2009, Citizens would again be allowed to raise rates. Legislation
passed during the special session on insurance last January freezes rates
through the end of 2008.

Another bill, HB 7057 by Rep. Trey Traviesa (R-Tampa), requires homes valued
at over $750,000 and located in high-risk zones to install opening
protections
effective July 1, 2008, if they seek a building permit for work estimated at
$50,000 or more. By Jan. 1, 2009, all homes valued at over $750,000 in high-
risk zones must be fitted with opening protections to remain eligible for
property insurance coverage through Citizens. The goal is to "harden" homes
insured by Citizens (which all policyholders in Florida support financially),
thereby helping reduce some of the risk in the event of a devastating storm.
The plan also calls for free inspections of 400,000 single-family homes and
provides grants and loan to certain homeowners so they can make improvements
that strengthen their home against storms.

Housing trust funds. More of the money generated by a portion of documentary
stamp taxes for the William E. Sadowski Affordable Housing Trust
Funds will be
allocated to state and local programs. The state budget provides $393.4
million for housing programs- down from $433 million set aside last year but
still $150 million more the cap imposed by the 2005 Legislature. Unfortunately, legislators failed to remove the $243 million cap on
the funds,
a move sought by affordable housing advocates, including FAR, citing a lean budget year.

On a related note, lawmakers approved HB 1375 by Rep. Mike Davis
(R-Naples), a
long-time advocate of full funding of housing trust funds and other statewide
affordable housing programs. Among other things, HB 1375 would require local
governments to adopt by July 1, 2008 a workforce/affordable housing plan into
the local comprehensive plan. Failure to do so would prevent the local
government from receiving state housing grants.

More staff positions at the Division of Real Estate.The state budget also
appropriates money for seven new employees at the Division - four full-time
and three part-time. This should go a long way toward improving services to
Realtors and protecting the public.

Also approved this session:

SB 2234 by Sen. Steve Wise (R-Jacksonville), which requires home inspectors,
mold remediators and mold assessors to be licensed by the Department of
Business and Professional Regulation. Effective July 1, 2010, if
signed by the
governor.
-HB 1277 by Rep. Pat Patterson (R-DeLand), which limits the financial penalty
a landlord can collect when a tenant breaks a lease to two months of
rent. The
bill only affects leases of less than a year. Effective immediately if the
governor signs it.
-HB 7163 by Rep. Carlos Lopez-Cantera (R-Miami)which allows real estate
licensees to earn 3hours of CE credit for attending a Florida Real Estate
Commission meeting.Effective immediately if the governor signs it.
-SB 1824 by Sen. Mike Fasano (R-New Port Richey), which places numerous
disclosure and education requirements on mortgage brokers and lenders to help
protect consumers during the mortgage loan application process. More
importantly, the bill includes additional enforcement and investigative tools.

You can also email me at Katerinag@bellsouth.net for coaching and consulting information for Real Estate Agents. I am a Realtor and a Business, Career, Health and Personal Coach, Real Estate Business Consultant, trainer and speaker. Yours In Real Estate, Katerina

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

More On Tax Reform For Real Estate Agents

Coaching For Real Estate Agents

Tax Reforms Update for Florida Special Session:

“While I am disappointed the Legislature didn’t finalize the property tax reform during the regular session, the 30 days they will be home before the June Special Session allows us even more time to make our voices heard,” says Florida Association of Realtors® President Nancy Riley. “ It is my hope that a special legislative session devoted entirely to this issue will be able to deliver even more comprehensive tax reform than what could be negotiated in the waning hours of the regular session. The legislature will be able to roll back rates immediately and, if we remain strong, we will get our special election this year for portability and other constitutional issues that must be ratified by the voters.”

This is great advice to get out there and get your voices heard on tax reform. Please email and call your Senators and Congressmen and women and your House Representatives during this next 30 days. Please do not put this off. Write it in your calendar.

The voice of the people must be made known and the only way they will hear us is if we write and call them! It only takes a few minutes. So put it as an appointment in your daily planner to remember to do this straight away.

I think the best reform is to get rid of the property taxes altogether and raise the sales tax by 1%. I think the government should learn to spend money wisely and be accountable to the people for their expenditures. This would save a lot of homeowners from foreclosure and also help new home buyers to be able to afford homes in Florida.

Tell me what you think about this issue. But no matter what you think, make sure your voice is heard.

You can also me at Katerinag@bellsouth.net for coaching and consulting information for Real Estate Agents. I am a Realtor and a Business, Career, Health and Personal Coach, Real Estate Business Consultant, trainer and speaker. Yours In Real Estate, Katerina

Coaching for Real Estate Agents