The National Allianace on Mental Illness/NAMI Hernando will host the 14th annual Mental Health Seminar “Continuing the Dialogue…Decriminalizing Mental Illness” which will feature speakers with information regarding the possibilities of starting a Hernando County mental health court.

During this event, NAMI Hernando will also honor the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). CIT is a a course for law enforcement officers that provides information on mental illnesses, medication, crisis intervention, de-escalation techniques and Baker Act procedures.

The seminar is scheduled for Saturday, May 31st, 2008 from 1 to 4 p.m at Nativity Luthern Church located at 6363 Commercial Way, Weeki Wachee (us19-1/2 mile north of SR 50) and is sponsored by The Thrivent Financial for Lutherns. Refreshments will be served. There is no charge to attend the seminar and all who are intersted are welcome to attend.
Also, in conjunction with the Mental Health Seminar, we are preparing a Souvenir Journal for advertising supporters in the community. Various pledges are available, and range from $10.00 for a booster ad to $100.00 for a full page ad. This fundraiser is a necessity for NAMI Hernando to continue opening our doors to The Beautiful Mind Outreach Center. Deadline for all ads is May 21st.

To pledge and ad in the Journal, or for more information, please call Ginny @ 352-686-2687.

This Friday, April 18,2008, approximatley 80 of our local Army Air National guard members will leave for a 12 month tour in Iraq. Supporters are being asked to wear red shirts and gather at Anderson Snow Park at 8:00 am. The troops will be able to see the supporters as they fly over the area. Please come out and show your support for these brave men and women.

The Hernando County Fair opened today and will run through Sunday, April 13, 2008. There are many activities including karaoke contests, livestock shows, food and many rides. The fair is offering free admission on Tuesday with the purchase of a $10 armband, which will give you unlimited rides. Have Fun!!!

Exit Success Realty is holding a Grand Opening event on April 18,2008 from 10:00 - 2:00. Please come and view the our new office. We will have agents and other local industry vendors here to assist you with all your real estate needs. This event is open to everyone, sellers, buyers, real estate professionals etc. Refreshments will be available.

I have been reading several magazines in the office and all of them are giving reasons why despite what you see on the television, this truly is a great time to purchase a home. After looking at properties in the MLS I have to agree.
There are pre-foreclosures currently available in most price ranges. It is possible to purchase a home today for $250,000 that has been previously appraised around $400,000. If your price range is not quite that high, you can find really nice homes starting at about $115,000. There are also a lot of homes available under $100,000 that can be made very nice with a little updating.
My husband and I purchased a home last year for $163,000. It is a 3/2/2 built in 2005. We were really in the market for a 4 bedroom home, but we were not able to find any modern ones in our price range. Looking through the MLS just 1 year later, there are more than 20 homes that offer more square footage and have the extra bedroom we were looking for, many that are listed below what we paid for our home.
There are a lot of theories as to when the market will regain it’s momentum. There is a chance that holding out could help you save some money, but it is doubtful that prices will fall much more. The thing that reserved buyers must be concious of is that once the market begins to get better, it will do so quick. It will be very hard to find homes at the prices that are currently available.
If you are at all interested in seeing what is available, please call our office at 352-686-2222. We have an agent on duty seven days a week and your call will always be answered. Who knows, you might end up finding your dream home at a dream price!!!

You see everyday on the news that foreclosure rates are rising, but what you don’t hear is how to avoid foreclosure. Banks do not want to foreclose on anyone, it means a loss of income to them. If you can not meet you obligation on a mortgage you need to seek out help, it can save your long term credit history. One thing you should never do is to stop talking with your Lending Institution, this is their first sign that foreclosure is unavoidable. Many banks have people that can work with you and can offer options that will keep you above water and in most cases can get you out of rough times without much damage to your credit rating. This is only possible if you keep in full communication with your lending institution. You may want the help of a Realtor or a Lawyer to also give you advice. Banks may offer refinancing to lower payments or may structure some other payment possibilities. Worse case, they may require a Short Sale, but please talk to a Realtor or a Real Estate Lawyer about this option since there are still some obligations on your part even after the sale.
A Short Sale is where a bank or lending institution have agreed to take less than what is owed on the property. This is a loss to the Lending Institution, it is also a loss to you because you are given a 1099 to file at years end for the difference of what was owed to the bank and what the property sold for. This amount becomes a taxable income obligation to the owner for that year. So if $200,000 was the owed amount and $150,000 was the sale amount, the owner would be given a 1099 for $50,000, which would be added to their normal income at time of filing for that tax year.
So when are you in trouble? You need to start talking with someone the very first time you realize you can not pay your mortgage in full. Please be honest with yourself when you know that you Mortgage is to much to pay. Sometimes just sitting down to rebudget your finances, like stop smoking can make the difference, or one less night of eating out per week can help. Sometimes there are no easy fixes, this is when you need to get the help of professionals and the help of your Lending Institution. Now is not the time to be shy or proud, it is the time to be honest and to listen to what options are available. So please know when to talk to someone. Realtors will talk with you at any time and show you what options you may have. Stop into any of our offices and chat with the agent on duty, if he or she don’t have any answers they will find someone that does. We have affiliated ourselves with a few Financial Institutions, and I’m sure we can find someone that can give you answers to all your financial questions. The important thing is that when you realize you have a mortgage problem you act on it and you do so very quickly;time is on your side but only for a while,a few missed payments and you may be beyond help. ~Gerard Carney

BB MCGEES sports bar, located at 12400 County Line Rd. will host a toy drive to benefit Toys for Tots. The event will begin at noon on Saturday, December 8 and will be open until the bar closes at 2:00 a.m. Please bring new, unwrapped toys and help families in our area have a Merry Christmas.

Many Hernando County homeowners have recently sold their homes to escape the rising cost of property taxes. These people have turned to renting properties in the area. Most hope to purchase a home again when the taxes are better and the time is right for them. Unfortenaltley, a large portion of these renters are trying to save money and are opting out of purchasing renters insurance. This can be a very costly decision that could cause them to not be able to purchase a home in the future.
If a person is injured at your rental home, you can be held liable. If a judgement is brought against you, it can affect the amount of income that you can use in the future when trying to purchase a home.
Renters insurance also protects you if the home that you are renting is damaged and you need another place to stay. The insurance usually provides you aid while repairs are being done to your home, ( if the home is not inhabitable during the repairs).
Renters insurance can be reasonablly priced. Renters are encouraged to shop around for the best rates/policies.
Although no one enjoys writing an extra check each month, the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are insured is well worth it.

Hurricane season has officially ended. Thankfully, it was an uneventful one. Although for most, we do not think about the storms during the off season, some Hernando county officials are working hard to ensure that our county is safe during the future storm seasons.
One thing that our residents can look forward to is a new animal shelter. We have not previously had a storm shelter that we could bring our pets to. By the time the new season rolls around, Parrott Middle School in Hernando county will offer shelter to those with pets. This should offer some peace of mind to those worried about leaving their animals behind.
Another thing we can expect in the future is emails explaining the status of the storm. Residents will be able to sign up for emails from the county so that they can keep track of the severity or effects of the storm. Many cell phones are able to connect to the internet which will help people stay informed when their electric is out.
Hopefully, we will continue to have calm storm seasons, however, if we do have storms in our future, we can be assured that our county is working to be prepared.