Christmas in Space Coast!

By Jennifer Alvarez, Realtor®

Coldwell Banker Cocoa Beach Realty

realtor.jenniferalvarez@gmail.com   

www.cocoabeachrealty.com/jenniferalvarez

Looking for Holiday events around town?  Here are some great activities you have to choose from in our very own Space Coast... 

Cape Canaveral "Reindeer Run" on Saturday, December 1st 8:00am @Cherie Down Park 8492 Ridgewood Avenue, Cape Canaveral. 

17th annual run is the final leg of the Holiday Beach Classic Mini Series.  Proceeds from the event benefit the Brevard County Police Athletic League. Run includes award presentations and door prizes.   Contact r.lefever@cityofcapecanaveral.org or call 321-868-1226

"Lighting of the "Riverfront Park Christmas Tree" on Saturday, December 1st  5:00pm-9:00pm @the Riverfront Park in Historic Downtown Cocoa Village. 

An event where attendees can enjoy a variety of holiday entertainment on the main stage, visit with Santa Claus, play in the snow and watch "Arthur Christmas" on the outdoor big screen scheduled to start at 7:00pm. Stage entertainment and visits with Santa are FREE, for kid’s activities such as the bounce house, game area, snow play and etc. there's  a $5.00 activity band fee

"Melbourne Light Parade" on Saturday, December 8th 6:pm @912 E. New Haven Ave, Melbourne. 

Parade route begins at the Florida Marketplace and ends in downtown Melbourne.  Spectators are asked to bring a non-perishable food item or new unwrapped toys to the event (collected at the first float in the parade).

"Cocoa Beach Christmas Boat Parade"  on Saturday, December 13th 6:pm @the Banana River in Cocoa Beach.  The 30th Annual Parade will float through the canals of Cocoa Beach The parade starts at 6:00pm at marker 101 on the Banana River, in Cocoa Beach.  Scheduled to proceed east to Sunset Bar and Grill, then south through the residential canals in the city, and ending at the west end of the Cocoa Beach Golf Course.  Sponsored by the Cocoa Beach Boating Club, awards will be given for best decorated boat over and under 30 feet. For questions or more information, call Walt Blazer, (321) 783-1207.

Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol" on Saturday, December 22nd 7:30pm @King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne. 

Musical version with an ensemble of 28 performing a full array of timeless carols such as “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen,” “Away In a Manager” and “Here We Come A-Wassailing” interwoven within the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge and all the other characters from Dickens' 1843 novel.  With the colorful scenery, elaborate costumes recreating the Victorian period;  exceptional voices, lively dancing and neat special effects... collectively create a wonderful holiday treat for the entire family!

Hope to see you there!

Realtors: A Well Earned Reputation That Is No Longer Deserved

Ask the average citizen about realtors and the responses received will be less than lavish. Shady, cut-throat, lazy, greedy, and these will account for the less imaginative terms. Do realtors deserve this reputation? They certainly did. Do they presently deserve this reputation? Not at all, but you can’t simply change people’s opinions without work.

Now before you decide to light your fiery torches, grab your pitchforks, and march in my direction, realize this does not apply to ALL realtors, but I’m sure it relates to someone you know or have worked with. Remember, only few bad apples ruin the bunch, and when the general public is looking for a scapegoat, that is all they need.

During the realtors “hay-day”, everyone jumped on the realtor band wagon. Being a realtor was easy. Get your license and make money, lots of money. In some cases, realtors didn’t even really have to know what they were doing, and in many cases didn’t. Bad decisions were made with no consequence. Well, not immediately anyway. Like anything moving too fast and out of control, our profession jumped the tracks and the gravy train came to a crashing halt.

Unfortunately, the problem was so inflated that the casualties affected the whole country. People lost their jobs, their homes, and their faith in the American dream. Normally, I am a little over dramatic, but unfortunately, this time I am dead on. Now of course realtors can blame the banks, and the mortgage brokers, which they have, but realtors need to realize that their clients are their responsibility. They need to protect their clients. They simply didn’t (not all of you…).

The reputation, as a generalization, was well deserved. What then public does not realize is that the primary fatalities of that train crash were those realtors. The ones that survived were the hardworking, honest ones. Unfortunately, they are also the ones living with the aftermath of the catastrophe. The question is, what do we do?

Well, the market has shown improvement and is definitely on its way back. As realtors, we now have to show extra care. It’s not just about making a buck; it’s about keeping our profession alive and healthy. I was once told, “Don’t worry about making money, worry about doing the best job possible. If you do that, then the money will come, and you set be set with a foundation that will last.”

Be honest, moral, and make decisions based on what is best for your client. It is up to all of us to repair our reputation and once again thrive in our given profession.

U.S. Mortgage Rates Close to Record Lows!

Mortgage rates were little changed, keeping borrowing costs close to record lows after home prices increased in more U.S. cities.

The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage climbed to 3.4 percent in the week ended today from 3.39 percent, Freddie Mac said in a statement. The average 15-year rate fell to 2.69 percent from 2.7 percent, according to the McLean, Virginia- based mortgage-finance company.

Low interest rates are making real estate more affordable, while rising demand is bolstering values. Single-family home prices climbed in the third quarter from a year earlier in 120 of 149 U.S. metropolitan areas measured, the National Association of Realtors said in a report yesterday. In the second quarter, 110 areas had gains.

“There is absolutely a direct relationship between falling interest rates and rising prices,” Keith Gumbinger, vice president of HSH.com, a Pompton Plains, New Jersey-based mortgage-information website, said yesterday in a telephone interview. “More borrowers can come out and participate in markets that would have been considered too expensive for them.”

The 30-year average reached an all-time low of 3.36 percent last month, while the 15-year hit a record of 2.66 percent, according to Freddie Mac.

Port Canaveral Welcome Center!

PORT CANAVERAL — Port Canaveral officials are urging the public during the next several months to visit a special observation desk in the Cove area and watch the construction of a $16 million-plus welcome center.

That’s to see the the outside progress.

The center’s designers offered the public a view of what’s going on inside the center — seven floors showcasing the Brevard County’s ecological jewels, its relationship with the space industry, boating and surfing and a maritime history going back 12,000 years.

On the top floor will be an observation deck where people can watch cruise and cargo ships enter the port as well as capture breathtaking views of the Space Coast.

“I’m very excited,” said Stefanie Mattia, group sales coordinator for Courtyard by Marriott in Cocoa Beach and chairwoman of the Port Canaveral Association.

“I’ve been out here for more than 15 years and to see a plan like this in the Cove come to fruition is just wonderful,” Mattia said.

“I think it’s exciting, not only for the cruise passengers but Central Floridians as well,” said Keith Smith, marina master for Bluepoints Marina in the port. “This is really good stuff.”

The welcome center, located on Port Canaveral’s south side near the entertainment district known as “the Cove,” is being designed as a modernistic attraction that attracts visitors who may be waiting for a cruise to depart, but also act as a Brevard showcase for tourists.

One floor of the center also will be available for conferences and social events.

The center’s scheduled opening, July 2013, is meant to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon's landing on Florida's coast. Some historians believe he may have landed near Melbourne Beach.

At one of two public meetings to review the welcome center, the project’s designer, Jan Faulkner of Haley Sharpe Design, discussed plans for each of the seven floors and the intention to use local artists, photographs and exhibitions to promote the area’s history and present.

Another group of individuals are fast-tracking the development of state-of-the-art interactive exhibits. In total, they predict about $2.5 million in exhibits at the center.

And the open-air observation desk, with views of the ocean, the port, the space center and other attractions is meant to serve as a tourism brochure of sorts.

“It’s going to be a springboard to go out and explore the area,” Faulkner said of the expansive views of Brevard that will be visible from the deck.

Sindy Smith, manager of the Cove Marketplace, said the welcome center and the visitors it will attract means the vendor market, located next to the structure, likely will go from a seasonal operation to one that’s open year round.

“I’m very excited,” Smith said. “It definitely means more employment, more opportunity and more new beginnings.”