Dear Neighbors,
Happy and Healthy New Year!
S&B Market Insight – 2023 commenced with a robust real estate market – low inventory and high demand. In July, however, when the Federal Reserve raised interest rates, the market abruptly decelerated. As the interest rates continued to rise, the market continued to languish. More homes in our area came onto the market, and they remained on the market for longer periods of time. In November 2023, the Federal Reserve stopped raising rates and, in response, our market began to accelerate. We are experiencing a healthy number of buyers, and the number of homes on the market has increased. This has created a balance between buyers and sellers, resulting in a stabilized market.
S&B Festivities – On a social note, you are invited to S&B Realty’s annual “Share the Love” client appreciation brunch on Sunday, February 11. The event will be held at Regency Tower located at 3850 Galt Ocean Drive. The brunch will begin at 10:00 AM and will continue to 1:00 PM. Food, drink, and music will be provided. We love our friends and clients, and we love to meet new people. If you are interested in attending, please call us at 954- 644-3550 so we can place your name on our guest list. Individuals that are not on the guest list will not be able to participate in the festivities.
S&B Informative Luncheons – There are still a few seats available for our “Lunch and Learn” sessions (see below). All three events will be held at Café Vico on the Galt Ocean Mile, and lunch will be provided. As seating will be limited, please call 954-644-3550 at your earliest convenience to reserve your seat.
On January 17, attorney Steven Garellek will present, “Options for Canadians Owning and Selling Florida Real Estate.” Steven Garellek is Board Certified in International Law and a member of the Florida, New York, and Ontario (Canada) Bars. He will discuss the tax laws of Canada and the United States, how these laws affect Canadians when selling real estate, the best way to title property, and many other important issues.
On February 7, Marty Kiar, the Broward County Property Appraiser, will address our luncheon. He has agreed to speak about property taxes, exemptions, and property valuation.
On March 13, attorney Michael Salad will address our final Lunch and Learn. His topic will be “Wills, Trusts, and Probate Law: Protecting Property and Family.” Michael Salad is a partner in the firm of Cooper Levenson and a member of its Business, Tax, and Estate Planning practice groups.
S&B Charitable Activities – We would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to each person that contributed a toy to our annual toy drive. The response this year was overwhelming, and your generous donation has bettered the lives of people in our community. We collected 14 boxes of toys that overflowed our containers and boxes. The Marines who collected the toys remarked that although the general toy collection this year was disappointing, they were uplifted by the generosity of the residents of the Galt Ocean Mile.
We would like to thank the residents, managers, and customers of our “first year” toy collection sites, Sea Ranch Club B, Sea Ranch Club C, Ocean Summit, and D-Fit and we would like to thank the residents, managers, and customers of our “veteran” sites, Gold Coast Mortgage, Galt Towers, Plaza South, Galleon, Playa del Mar, Regency Tower, Royal Ambassador, Edgewater Arms, Ocean Riviera, and Playa del Sol.
In Memory – We extend our deepest sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of Andy Surdoval, who passed away last month. Andy was a resident of Plaza South, a previous manager of Regency Tower, and the current manager of the Galleon. More than that, he was a wonderful human being. He will be dearly missed.
Your neighbors,
Nancy and Justin