Although we normally give the title of Entrepreneur of the Month to someone who is local to the Jupiter or North Palm Beach area, we’re switching things up a little this month.
As you might have noticed, specialty teas have become increasingly popular across the United States lately.
So today, the very special business I’d like to highlight is Lady Baker’s Tea on Prince Edward Island. Lady Baker’s Tea is a little company with a big dream. Their premier loose-leaf teas are ethically produced at the finest tea gardens in Asia and Africa.
The Tea Lady, as she is known on Prince Edward Island, also has a subscription box service based out of Lady Baker’s Tea. Each monthly subscription box comes with three bags of tea, filters, and a surprise gift. Those three bags of tea amount to about 10 cups per bag, meaning you essentially get 30 cups of tea per month.
Lady Baker’s Tea is a little company with a big dream.
You can sign up for a one-month trial, a three-month subscription, or a six-month subscription starting at about $33 per month. The box I received even came with a thank-you note, further information on the company, and a muffin recipe.
If you’re interested in learning more, or maybe even signing up for your own subscription box, you can visit www.LadyBakersTea.com. If you have any other questions for me, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I'd be happy to help you.
Right now, we are extremely low on inventory in our Jupiter-Tequesta area.
If you’ve been on the fence about listing your home, it’s a good time to start seriously thinking about doing so.
Prices are still very high, and there’s not a lot available on the market right now. This translates to lower competition for your listing.
I live in and sell a lot of real estate in the Abacoa area. While there are 5,500 units in Abacoa, including townhomes, single-family homes, and condos, there are only 60 homes for sale. That’s less than 1% of the community’s inventory.
Even communities with larger properties like Whispering Trails are seeing high demand and low inventory. This is the case for basically every community in our area.
Just because the holidays are coming up, that doesn’t mean that right now isn’t a good time to sell.
If you are ready and want to move, now is a great time to sell. You may even think about renting while you look for something you like more than your current home. Just because the holidays are coming up doesn't mean that now isn't a good time to sell.
Speaking of the holidays, I hope you’ll take advantage of our pie giveaway for Thanksgiving.
If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Do you know what a homestead exemption is? Do you know how to file one? If not, you’re in luck. We’re answering both questions today.
When you are a permanent resident of Florida, you are able to file a homestead exemption based on the assessed value of your taxes. For example, if you bought a $500,000 house and it was assessed at $500,000, it would be assessed at roughly $450,000 with the homestead exemption. This would save you roughly $68 per month in taxes.
If you bought a house in 2017, you need to file for your homestead exemption before March 1st. There are a few different ways you can do this. You can mail it in, you can complete the application online, or you can e-file it directly on pbc.gov.com/papa.
You can file your exemption in a few different ways.
If you’re choosing the final option, the process is really easy. Click the home button right on that page and scroll down until you see a link that says “File for an exemption.” Once you click “e-file," it will give you a brief description of what to do and you'll find a link to begin the filing process. When filling for your exemption, the following documents will be required:
Driver’s license
Social security number
Vehicle registration
Voter ID
Proof of permanent residency if not a U.S. citizen
The recorded deed
Once you’ve put everything in, click “pin request” and you’re done. It’s as simple as that.
Keep in mind that there might be other exemptions that you qualify for. If you have any questions about these or about anything else, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.
I’d like you to meet two of our rockstar buyer’s agents. To make the introduction a little more interesting, I sent these guys through a rapid-fire questionnaire on everything from football to superheroes.
Today, we’re doing things a little differently—and I don’t think you’re going to want to miss it. First of all, I want to introduce two of our rockstar buyer’s agents: Brian Peterson and Gabrielle Kane.
After I tell you a little about how they can serve you as real estate professionals, we’re going to mix things up. I sent these guys through a lightning round of questions on everything from superheroes to tech gadgets. You know how much we love real estate, but can you figure out which of the three of us is a fan of Batman?
But all that will have to wait for now. Before we get to our favorite superheroes, I want to tell you what makes Brian and Gabrielle such special members of our team.
Gabrielle just started with us this year, and Brian is a new hire himself. We go through an insane number of interviews, and we only select the best for our team.
When you work with Gabrielle or Brian, you can be sure that you are their sole focus. All of our agents are committed to making you, the client, their priority.
You know how much we love real estate, but can you figure out which of the three of us is a fan of Batman?
Now let’s get to the fun part. Instead of the typical real estate questions you might expect from these kinds of introductions, we want to get right to the important issues: superheroes, tech gadgets, and football.
You won’t want to miss these agents’ answers. They may agree on real estate, but these two professionals are on opposite sides of the Florida-Miami football rivalry.
Check out the video above to hear how our lightning round quiz went down. You won’t want to miss these agents’ answers. Watch to the end to see what happened after my own favorite question.
If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
I got an email this morning from Graham Banks who owns America’s Swimming Pool Company. He sent out a list of what you need to do exactly to get ready for Hurricane Irma.
Before the storm:
You should be adding additional chlorine (or shock) to your swimming pool. This will help prepare your pool for the abundance of rain that will cause a negative impact on your pool’s water chemistry.
Turn off all electrical components of your swimming pool equipment. For example, be sure to turn off all the breakers supplying power to your pump, lights, heater, etc. which will help stop power surges from damaging equipment. Plus, this may protect the equipment if your property is flooded.
Do not put a cover on your swimming pool. This may cause severe damage or rip off the cover to your pool.
Be sure to put away anything that is not secured to the deck. Store all poolside furniture, floats, etc. in a safe space (not in the pool). High winds can potentially turn those loose items into flying projectiles.
After the storm:
Make sure all electrical components of your swimming pool equipment are completely dry before they are powered up again.
Only drain the excess water from your swimming pool down to mid-tile line (or mid-skimmer) so that your skimmer can help clean the surface of the pool.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact any member of our team!
Here is Graham’s contact information:
Graham Banks (owner)
America’s Swimming Pool Company
Serving Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens & Surrounding Areas
Relax and enjoy the splendid scenery, water and cocktails from the comfort of the open-air tiki bar on the sleek PonTiki party barge. As you cruise the calm waters, listen to some island music and enjoy the good life cruising along Florida’s Intracoastal waterway.
This is the beginning of an adventure for the whole family, a small gathering, a birthday party, or your wedding party. The PonTiki is fun for any occasion. Launching from Guanabanas, you can hop on board for a quick sunset cruise before dinner. All beverages are included with every cruise. Check out our FAQ page if you would like to learn more
There are three common mistakes you need to avoid when selling your house:
1. Asking for too much. Everyone wants to make as much money as possible for their house. Who doesn’t want to sell their house for double what it's worth? But the truth is, if you put your house on the market at a price that is unrealistic, it’s going to sit. People always ask, “Why is this house sitting?” We all want to make lots of money, but the truth is that asking too much and letting the house sit for too long will actually get you less money in the end.
2. Not advertising enough. You’ve got to advertise your house, and you’ve got to have a great social media effort on behalf of your Realtor. I can’t tell you how many homes we’ve sold through social media marketing, our met groups, getting out there and talking to people. Advertising means more than just spending money on paper, it means really getting the word out there.
Advertising isn’t just spending money on paper, it’s really getting the word out there!
3. Presenting your home poorly. Often we see pictures on the MLS that are really bad and don’t present the house in a nice way. Above all else, sellers should remember to make a great first impression, and those photographs of your home are just that. Remember to make your house presentable: clean it up, put loose stuff away, and take great photos. Even if a house has great upgrades, if it doesn’t look presentable it may not sell right away or it may sell for less money.
If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market, give me a call or send me an email. I would be happy to help you!
Just today, I took three calls about rental properties. Two of those calls were from individuals who aren’t making the money they need to cover rental costs, and the other call from someone who wanted to look into buying a rental property.
When it comes to rental properties, it’s all about the numbers. This house isn’t your primary residence, so it doesn’t necessarily matter what the house looks like. You need to be paying attention to the costs associated with this potential rental property.
When determining how much it will cost to run this property effectively and still make an income, you need to pay attention to additional costs besides the mortgage payment—like taxes, HOA fees, insurance, and other maintenance fees. You should also be including your vacancy rate when determining your bottom line, because your property probably won’t be rented every month out of the year.
Another thing to consider is if you’re going to run the property yourself or have a Realtor put it on the market to find renters for it. If you’re contracting a third party, you have to consider the cost of that as well.
Make sure you have money set aside in your account each month to cover the cost of unexpected repairs.
Are you budgeting money towards repairs? You need to make sure that you have a certain amount of money set aside in your account each month that will take care of any repairs if something breaks.
In the end, after you add everything up, you’ll be able to figure out your yearly net income. You take the total cost of your operating expenses, minus your gross income, and that will give you your net earnings for the year. In order for it to be worth the costs associated with it, your property should have a rental yield of 5% to 6% yearly.
If you have any questions about rental properties, how it works, and finding the correct numbers for a specific property, please give me a call. I can sit down with you and break everything down so it’s easy to understand and you can determine if this rental property is worth your time and money.
If you have any other questions or you’re looking to buy or sell a home in our area, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be happy to help!
Friday, July 7, 2017
Sideclick Remotes "Streamline Your Streaming Experience"
Sideclick is a slim universal remote attachment for streaming devices. Sideclick snaps onto your existing streaming remote, allowing you to control the basic functions of your TV and streaming device all-in-one. Compatible with Roku, Apple TV, Google Nexus Player, and Amazon Fire TV devices, Sideclick is proving to be the ultimate accessory for cordcutters and streamers.
Sideclick is easy to program using IR learning technology and can be programmed over multiple devices (example power on/off TV and volume control a sound bar).
Programming occurs in just minutes as there are no complicated source codes. Parents love that Sideclick makes accessing streaming apps quicker and easier for kids who no longer need to fumble with multiple remotes to watch TV. Sideclick’s clip-on design attaches in a snap and allows users to utilize voice-search features which are lost in other universal remote options. Sideclick was successfully funded on Kickstarter in late 2015 and began shipping in May of 2016.
Hiring the lender with the lowest interest rate possible isn’t always the best idea. There’s a good chance they will actually cost you more than you will save by hiring them.
Most people look for a lender with the lowest interest rate. While having a good rate is important, you need to take the total cost into consideration when deciding. You also need to consider the ability of the lender themself.
The No. 1 reason for frustration, anxiety, and deals falling apart is choosing the wrong lender. If I was going to choose one, I would go with a local lender. Local lenders understand the market, the specific contract in your state, and all the time constraints that need to be met.
When dealing with online lenders and big banks, you might get a slightly lower rate. However, they don’t have their reputation at stake like a local lender does. From my experience, these lenders don’t really pay close attention to time constraints either. If your lender drops the ball, it could not only end up costing you more, it could end up destroying your entire transaction. Nobody wants that.
A local lender makes things so much easier.
A local lender will make your life a whole lot easier. There are plenty of good ones around here, and we’d be happy to refer you to one if you’d like. Buying a home is stressful; you don’t need the added stress of worrying about your lender being able to close on time.
Interest rates are important, but having a lender that understands your market, and the importance of getting your deal done on time is even more important. If you have any questions for us about this topic or anything else about real estate, give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.
Are you working a lot of late nights? Do the kids have soccer practice? Maybe it's dance lessons or a tutoring session, scouts or swim club? Like many on-the-go families, there never seems to be enough time in the day to plan, prepare and cook a fresh, healthy meal for the ones you love.
Imagine if you could add another five, six or even 10 productive hours to your week. By letting The Hybrid Chef prepare meals for your family, you can focus on what you want.
The Hybrid Chef offers a menu full of high-quality, fresh options that changes every week. There are casual entrees, entrees for the adventurous, Paleo-friendly options, a kids meal, local and/or organic specials, as well as seasonal side dishes.
The Hybrid Chef is also available for in-home parties, dinners and cooking classes-book your event now!
As always, if you have any real estate questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would be happy to help you!
Scotty and Amy Angelo started the foundation of Oceana Coffee with a $35 popcorn maker in the kitchen of their south Florida home. Never satisfied with the local coffee offerings in Palm Beach County, the duo sought to replicate the smooth flavor and subtle undertones they’d enjoyed internationally. In 2009, after perfecting their roasting technique, Scotty and Amy opened the first Oceana Coffee location in the heart of Tequesta, Florida.
Local customers can enjoy their favorite blends at both Oceana Coffee locations. Also available to purchase are K-Cups packaged in-house, and ready to drink nitro cold-brew cans. For those who aren’t local, Oceana Coffee blends can be purchased online at oceanacoffee.com
More About Our Wholesale Process
Oceana Coffee is a small-batch coffee roaster with a large-scale wholesale business.We’re committed to maintaining a long-lasting relationship with our partners because they are a top priority. In 2016, we roasted over 45,000 lbs of coffee, and currently work with over 60 wholesale customers. To ensure fresh coffee, we deliver in small batches, once a week. Our wholesale customers can create a blend or select one of our seasonal favorites, and our experts will make on-site visits to help staff and customers better understand our products.
Award Winning Coffee
Compak Golden Bean Competition- 2015, Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal Winner
Compak Golden Bean Competition- 2016 Overall Champion, Gold Medal Winner
Australian International Coffee Awards- 2016 Bronze Medal Winner for 2 espresso blends
Australian International Coffee Awards- 2017 Silver Medal Winner for 2 espresso blends
We want to be the design / fabrication & build facility you turn to for all your automotive needs, wants, and/or desires! "If You Can Dream It, We Can Build It"
Since 2004, when we opened our doors in small town Fairfax, VA, we have grown to be recognized as an international dominating force providing our clients with the best quality service in the industry that money can buy. Now, 2017, we are proud to announce that we have officially relocated to our all inclusive, State-Of-The-Art Facility in beautiful & sunny South Florida where we will continue to grow to the top and outperform our competitors and continue to satisfy every person that walks through our doors!
We want nothing more than to keep you and your ride top notch, have unbeatable performance & reliability and be safe on the road!
Whether you own a Classic Car, Hot Rod, Exotic, Bike, Truck or Modern Performance vehicle, we’re the place to come to when you have any wants, needs, and/or desires! At Bubba's Exotic Motorsports, we don't let you walk out the door without blowing your expectations further than you could have ever envisioned!
Our Team
Our award winning team is highly skilled, has years of experience & our facility is outfitted with the most state-of-the-art equipment found in the industry! We are sponsored by the largest names in industry & our motto is "If You Can Dream It, We Can Build It" Whether it’s our quick, quality, friendly service or the honesty and value we bring to every interaction, our customers love us.
Long-Term Business
We’re committed to providing you with the highest level of service and the absolute best money can buy so you’ll always choose us!
Our first-time customers continually become our long term customers time and time again, choosing us for all of their needs, wants and desires because here at Bubba's Exotic Motorsports, your satisfaction is our goal!
We’re committed to being number one and a house-hold name in this industry and to serving you with quality & value. Bring your car or idea(s) in today, and see what our commitment-to-quality is all about! We may not be related, but you’ll feel like we’re family!
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Keeping it Non-Toxic with Prim and Pure Creator Kelli Jackson
1)Like a lot of moms, I know you mentioned becoming very aware of
toxins and chemicals after you had children - what was it that finally inspired
you to take action to create Prim and Pure?
After
dealing with my own endocrine health issues and working with some other natural
product companies, I started blogging and working with some groups in my
community. Over the past few years, the amount of growth in the industry has
been astonishing and I’ve loved watching so many new products and companies
come to the market giving consumers more choices. There are so many great green
beauty brands now, however; I struggled to find clean products at reasonable
price points for parents and children, so that’s when I set the wheels in
motion to start my own line.
2)Having just launched in November 2016, can you share a little
about Prim and Pure as a company and what someone can expect from your
products?
When I decided to start my own line, I laid out what was most
important to me. Those things ended up being safety, affordability and social
impact. There are many products I could push to market but the quality or
integrity of ingredients aren’t there. There are other products I would love to
offer but right now, I can’t source them at affordable enough prices I’d want
for my customers. Lastly, I want to make an impact….. that’s why I work as hard
as I do. If I wanted to make more money, I’d take my MBA and go back to my
corporate 9-5 job….. but now what’s more important to me is my kids and
following my passion, and Prim and Pure has been that outlet to help spread
awareness and offer safer alternatives.
3)Do you have a favorite product in the line? What was the
first product you created?
Great question. Funny enough the first product I worked on was
the one that actually tested my patience and aggravated me the most! Nail
Polish is a tricky product. There are dozens of companies now making 5 Free, 7
Free, etc. type polishes which leads consumers to assume it must be a safe
product and stop looking further to see what else is really in the polish
besides just what it’s free of – when you take out something, you have to
replace it with something else. I was determined to offer a water-based polish
that also didn’t require the use of polish removers which are also known to
contain many harmful chemicals.
Water based polishes consist of 75% or more of water, and trying
to get a water base to act like a paint and form a hard film that’s going to
last for a period of time on top of a porous nail surface can be challenging.
Hence, not many main stream companies are attempting these formulas because it’s
expensive and they don’t perform as long as their conventional counterparts.
Nitrocellulose resins are the most commonly used because they are really cheap
to formulate with. Prim and Pure polishes are 5 Free and also without
nitrocellulose, glycol ethers, biphenyl A, acetates, acetone, alcohol, FD&C
colors….. and instead we use a water and fruit and veggie base. They truly are
odorless, and if you have a polish that gives off odor – you need to ask
yourself what ingredient that might be!
That being said, the manufacturing process for the polishes
ended up delaying my launch and frustrated the heck out of me because I was so
excited to get going, but I’m so glad I waited because they came out beautiful!
I’m excited to offer more colors as the business grows and I can invest in more
inventory.
4)Are there any items that you think Moms would want to borrow
from their daughter's stash of Prim and Pure products?
Yes! I’ve had many moms coming back to purchase lip glosses,
perfumes and eye shadows for themselves! The lip glosses for sure right now
have been a huge hit! The shades are really beautiful and they wear very well
while also being very nourishing for your lips! Hard to find many green beauty
products under $10 with clean ingredients, but like I said that was one of my
goals!
5)How do you stay motivated as a mom and a business owner?
Pure and simple…. Passion! Sure some days are hard, and I get
frustrated when my kids are storming through my office while I’m packing
orders, but I’ve been getting better about finding the balance that works for
all of us as a family. My motivation comes from my kids, my customers, and the
constant feedback I get about how much I’ve helped a person or their family get
their health back just by creating awareness about our surroundings. When you
know you’re making a difference, even just the smallest bit….. that’s all the
motivation you need to keep going, no matter how hard it gets or how high that
stack of bills grow.
6)What are your favorite ways to relax after a long day?
My guilty pleasure is wine! No shame, it keeps me sane! I find
my balance through healthy and clean eating J
7)I loved reading on your website about your passion for giving
back - for every sale made, Prim and Pure donates to various children's causes
- can you talk a little about some of these organizations that you have worked
with so far?
Right now, I’ve been working with a lot of local events and
causes – whether its donating product for various events or raising money for a
specific cause or sick child in need. My customer base has been mostly local,
but as the brand grows and the business becomes profitable, I am looking
forward to working with larger organizations and programs to make an even
bigger impact while also continuing to support my local community as well.
8)What has been the best part about your journey to open Prim and
Pure? What has been the hardest?
The best part is making a difference and seeing the delight on
all the kids faces playing with and enjoying my products. When customers send
me their photos of their little ones, my heart melts inside each time – seeing
all the fun they are having and also knowing they aren’t burdening their bodies
with harmful chemicals.
The hardest has definitely been the back end…. as with any
entrepreneur the ideas come easy for me, but the expense and execution have
proven challenging. My husband sold something very important to him to raise
enough funds for me to purchase my first batch of inventory to get launched,
and it was scary for me to take that risk and leap. I hope to pay him back one
day…… I have the passion to succeed so I will keep grinding!
9)Can you share with us any exciting future plans for your brand?
I have so many great ideas, I just need to continue to grow the
brand so that I can continue to execute future lines and products. The process
to just get one product ready from start the finish is a lot more challenging
than it seems. Prim and Pure was never intended to be a lines just for girls or
moms….. but that was what I launched with. I have plans to create fun products
for boys as well! Stay tuned and follow us for future exciting updates!
