South Florida House Prices Continue to Surge Ahead!

January 2005 home prices across the South Florida region have risen dramatically since Christmas, defying the forecasted slowdown predicted by some experts. Many now think that the trend is set to continue thanks to low interest rates and a shortage of property compared to demand. Several South-Florida based realtors are claiming that the current buoyancy in the property market is the strongest that they’ve ever seen, as despite being battered by hurricanes in 2004, South Florida remains the #1 retirement and holiday destination for many North Americans.

For Brits planning to invest in property in South Florida, now is the time to take the plunge. The exchange rate still favours British buyers - £100,000 translating to $190,000 USD at the end of February 2005. This can buy a detached 4-bed home with swimming pool in a beautiful gated community anywhere from Key West to Naples or Miami. Given South Florida’s popularity as a tourist resort, there are ample opportunities to turn a property purchase into an ongoing income stream too.

Palm Beach County continues to be the hottest location in which to buy South Florida property, closely followed by Broward County and Miami Dade County. All counties are within a few hours drive of Miami International Airport. Car hire from Miami can be booked through http://www.your-carhire.com

Popularity: 34% [?]

Looking after your Swimming Pool

Most Florida property on new developments are now built with an outdoor swimming pool as standard. An outdoor pool though does require extensive maintenance to keep it in good shape and free from algae.

When you first move into your new Florida home the #1 action you need to take with your pool is to get the water chemistry right. This involves the addition of a disinfectant (chlorine or bromine) to the pool water followed by an adjustment of the pH of the water, the total alkalinity of the water and its calcium hardness.

Starting with the disinfectant, chlorine is strongly recommended over bromine for outdoor swimming pool water that is not heated, as it performs better than bromine in this situation. For heated pool water (not pool water heated by the sun) bromine is a more efficient disinfectant. Both types of disinfectant are available in liquid, granular and tablet form. Follow the instructions on the packaging to achieve the right balance of disinfectant in the water. As a guide you should aim for between 2-3ppm. Should chlorine be your disinfectant of choice then you’ll need to add a chlorine stabiliser, as otherwise the chlorine disinfectant on its own will react with sunlight, and so rapidly diminish in strength over time.

The pH level of your swimming pool water is extremely important, as it influences greatly the effectiveness of your bromine or chlorine disinfectant. A pH level of between 7.4 to 7.6 (slightly alkaline of neutral) is ideal for both types of disinfectant and is what you should aim to achieve. Altering the pH level of your pool is easy. Just add sodium bicarbonate to normal pool water to increase its alkalinity.

Stability of the pH level is a little more difficult to achieve, as it is related to the total number of sodium bicarbonate ions present in the water (total alkalinity). A low ratio of sodium bicarbonate ions to water results in an unstable pH that always requires attention. If you can get the ratio right though you’ll be able to fix the pH at a stable level.

The final piece in the swimming pool jigsaw is calcium hardness of your pool water. This should be measured and adjusted to at least 150ppm, so protecting your pool’s fixtures and fittings from being corroded.

It is important that a regular maintenance routine is set up to keep your pool in tip-top condition. Such a routine should include checks on the water chemistry, cleaning the pool and backwashing filters. If your pool is in frequent use, the water chemistry should be checked every 2-3 days as the disinfectant concentration becomes diluted during heavy use.

Popularity: 22% [?]

In an effort to attract clients to the new Porto Bellagio Development in Sunny Isles, Florida, dog owners are being invited to bring their pets on a tour of this unusual Condo complex. Many developments in Florida strictly forbid pets on site, however Porto Bellagio is different. A whole array of ‘Doggie friendly’ facilities can be found on this luxury development, including pooper scoopers, plastic bags and even potties for those well trained dogs to do their business in…

“It is a rarity to find a luxury, waterfront condominium that not only allows pets over 20 lbs., but also, caters to them,” said, Mike Pappas, Keyes Co. CEO/president.

Popularity: 23% [?]