UPDATE – March 21, 2014 President Obama signed the “Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act” into law. This law repeals FEMA’s authority to increase premium rates at time of sale or new flood map, and refunds the excessive premium to those who bought a property before FEMA warned the of the rate increase. What does the bill do? It limits premium increases to 18% annually on newer properties and 25% for some older properties. The bill also adds a small assessment on policies until everyone is paying full cost for flood insurance.

Just 12 days ago the Congress passed a law authorizing FEMA to make the program more fiscally sound. The results are hurting homeownership and this bill is aimed to stop implementing the changes, so it can better get a handle on how the rates are calculated and create an advocate group so consumers can get help. Our NAR Realtors have sent 80,000 letters to members of congress fighting for home owners rights. This issue is especially of great importance to the State of Florida.

Please contact your House of Representative today, Find “Your” House of Representative 

Austin Perez an Environmental Policy Representative for National Association of REALTORS writes: This bipartisan legislation, an NAR member priority, calls for a 4-year timeout on rate increases triggered either by a property’s sale or a flood map update for a property with previously grandfathered rates. NAR provided Congress with expert testimony suggesting that many of these increases are excessive and inaccurate. The bill also creates a flood insurance advocate within the Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) to investigate home owner complaints of multiple different or excessive rate quotes. The Senate vote sends the measure to the House of Representatives, where Reps. Grimm (R-NY) and Waters (D-CA) have already built an impressive list of 181 co-sponsors in favor of the bill; a total that is 30 votes shy of a House majority NAR will redouble its efforts there to persuade the House leadership to bring a similar bill up for a floor vote at the earliest opportunity.

If you want to find out more details and search if your home will be affected by flood zones please click: >>>“SEARCH HERE” FEMA Map Services

Yesterday the Senate approved the “Farm Bill” which was approved last week by the House. What does this mean for Ocala(Outside city limits) and surrounding areas including Silver Springs, Anthony, Fellowship, Belleview, Sparr, Anthony, Fort McCoy and many more Marion County locations. USDA home loans provide Section 502 loans which are primarily used to help low-income individuals or households purchase homes in rural areas. Funds can be used to build, repair, renovate or relocate a home, or to purchase and prepare sites, including providing water and sewage facilities. The maps below show the current eligible areas and the future eligible areas. Notice I don’t like to talk about the areas that are not included because there are so many that are included. If you need help figuring out which loan program fits best for you contact me, Duke Rountree 352-572-1739(Phone or Text) I have also included the local USDA office information below for additional details.

If you want to find out what area are eligible you can enter and address HERE to check.

Are you interested in finding out if you qualify for a USDA Home loan? START HERE

Fla.’s top 10 consumer complaints for 2013

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 8, 2014 – The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services released the top 10 consumer complaints filed with the state this year. Landlord/tenant issues and real estate broker/salesperson issues ranked No. 5 and 6, respectively.

Complaints about violators of the Do Not Call list – a service where consumers register their phone number to limit business phone calls at home – have topped the list for four consecutive years. This year saw an increase of more 1,000 complaints growing from 17,772 in 2012 to 18,862 in 2013. The increase in complaints is consistent with the increase in subscribers to the Florida Do Not Call List.

Overall, consumers filed 47,226 complaints with the department’s 1-800-HELP-FLA consumer hotline from Jan. 1 through Dec. 20, 2013:

1. Do Not Call – 18,862
2. Telemarketing – 3,626
3. Fuel – 2,708
4. Communications – 2,339
5. Landlord/Tenant – 1,719
6. Real Estate Broker/Salesperson – 1,572
7. Cable – 1,483
8. Credit/Banking – 1,482
9. MV Sales/Accessories – 1,466
10. Travel/Vacation Plans – 1,436

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam says his staff looks into complaints and, last year, “more than $3,477,000 was recovered on behalf of Florida consumers.”

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is the state’s clearinghouse for consumer complaints, protection and information. The assistance center is staffed with analysts who file complaints on behalf of the consumer, respond to questions about programs and regulations under the department, provide information on a variety of topics or direct callers to the appropriate government agency.

Consumers who believe fraud has taken place can contact the department’s consumer protection and information hotline at 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352) or, for Spanish speakers, 1-800-FL-AYUDA (352-9832).

© 2014 Florida Realtors®

If you have never been to Florida during the months November – February you sure are missing some great weather and many outdoor activities including fishing, camping, hiking, horseback riding and for those used to waterskiing in the cold our lakes are ready to be shredded up. Yesterday, January 4th was one of those days. My wife and I enjoyed some fishing on Lake Kerr, Salt Springs, Florida and the weather was high 70’s and fish were biting. We caught a nice largemouth bass and chain pickerel(“Jack” fish for local terminology). Why am I telling you all of this? Because we have some GREAT, reasonably priced homes for sale on and off of the water right here in the Heart of the Ocala National Forest .

Salt Springs, Florida Properties for Sale