Marco
Island was named #1 Island in the United States by the world’s largest
travel site, TripAdvisor, in their 2014 Travelers’ Choice Awards. We
beat out two Hawaiian Islands! The site calls Marco Island “the Jewel
of Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands” and also ranked Marco #4 in the
world’s best islands.
This is HUGE!
These ratings were votes from our tourists who have visited our
“Diamond” in the Everglades over the last year. TripAdvisor states it
is the world’s largest social travel network with over 100 million
travelers having used it. Travelers like you contributed their candid
reviews and opinions to this site and one random survey stated that 98%
of the participants found TripAdvisor reviews accurately reflected their
experience. These designations are giving our Island worldwide
attention and fame!
TripAdvisor
Travelers’ Choice Awards are based on the reviews and opinions of
millions of TripAdvisor travelers. One of their polls on their site
stated that 72% of U.S. respondents plan on visiting an island in 2014.
According to its website, TripAdvisor claims to be “the most popular
and largest travel community in the world” with more than 32 million
members and over 100 million reviews and opinions.
Last
year Marco was featured by CNN travel as being one of the “10 places
that can change your child’s life!” The editor in Chief of National
Geographic’s Travel Magazine, Keith Bellows, wrote about our paradise at
the edge of the Everglades. In his book he mentioned that “you can
introduce them to spectacular nature and wildlife and marine biology by
searching for dolphins.” He says, “there is a kids’ way of seeing the
world, when you get them to slow down and experience a place from their
perspective, its magic.” I have always known that we were No. 1 and
have been writing about the splendors of our Jewel for over 20 years. I
agree with our local world traveler Dave Pattison who said it best: “I
can unabashedly proclaim Marco Island as the premier place to visit or
live for lifestyle and enjoyment. It combines pleasure with value and
activity with relaxation. Go Marco!”
Who downloaded the new ios8 operating system for I phone? I like it a lot. The new keyboard that tells you what your next typed word is going to be is crazy!
Learn a little about Marketplace Home Mortgage , what we do and offer! We have an array of products that Im confident will meet your clients needs. Below you will find a direct link to my website!
Check out the "Second Tuesday Opening of the Marco Island Center of the Arts" article in the September 11th edition of the Marco Eagle. Don't forget to check out the photos!
I'm so glad I had the opportunity to attend the Gallery opening and Social at the Marco Island Center for the Arts. I will be attending every 2nd Tuesday of the month. Join me!!
Fannie Mae made 2 changes that will affect home buyers who have had a previous short sale.
Buyers who had a 20% down payment could repurchase again
after only 2 years. Buyers now have to wait 4 years instead of 2 years
to purchase a home, regardless of the size of their down payment.
Until
August 16th, buyers with a prior short sale and a 5% down payment had
to wait 7 years to qualify to repurchase a home. Now buyers only have to
wait 4 years.
When can I buy again after having a short sale?
Here
are the current waiting periods for a buyer who had a prior short sale
and wants to use either conventional, FHA or VA financing.
Conventional.
As of August 16th, it is 4 years before a buyer can repurchase again
using Conventional financing. So no matter what size the down payment
is, either 40%, 20% or 5% down, a buyer with a prior short sale has to
wait 4 years now across the board before they can get conventional
financing again.
FHA. It is 3 years before a buyer can repurchase again using FHA financing.
*FHA TIP:
The FHA has a loophole that not many people know about. If a FHA buyer
did not have any late payments before their short sale, they are allowed
to qualify again with no waiting period for FHA financing.
New FHA Short Sale Rule for 2014.
The FHA introduced a new rule in 2013 that reduces the waiting period
that buyers must wait after a bankruptcy, foreclosure or short sale
before qualifying for an FHA-backed mortgage. The buyer must have
experienced an “economic event” whereby their household income fell by
20% or more for a period of at least six months.
The
period had previously been two years following a bankruptcy, and three
years following a foreclosure or short sale. The agency has now reduced
the waiting period to only ONE YEAR.
For
additional information on how to qualify under this new FHA rule, check
out this article HERE in the San Diego Union Tribune newspaper.
VA. It is only 2 years before a buyer can repurchase again using VA financing.
