Fort Myers Homes & Lifestyle

FREE DOWNLOAD FOR THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: Our Trusted Local Vendor List for Home Repairs and Maintenance. You can download it here. When was the last time you walked into your home and decided to look up? We mean really took a good look up? At your ceiling, around your A/C vents, or even inside your attic?  Well.... your answer is probably, "not since I bought the place!"  Remember when you were first walking through your soon to be new home/condo, and you likely took a good look at every last nook and cranny - especially the ceiling? We tend to forget doing that once we've moved in.  NOW is the best time of the year to do so - at the beginning on Florida's official rainy season. That started on May 15th.  Don't let the Florida weather rain on your parade! Let us explain why:  The kiss of death in our line of work is walking into a home, looking up, and seeing a brown water spot. This almost always means a roof leak, and potentially even mold. NOT something you want to deal with in Florida. What's an easy fix to prevent this catastrophe? Doing your annual roof inspection! Why should you care? Because if you own property in Florida, or you are thinking about buying a place here, you owe it to yourself to ensure that your biggest asset, likely your home, is protected from water damage and leaks via a roof free of any issues.  >>Episode 19:

CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK'S FREEBIE: THE ULTIMATE HOUSE HUNTING CHECKLIST Think moving 6 times in 7 years ourselves has influenced & shaped how we guide and support our buyer clients? You bet it has… and what kind of real estate agents would we be if we didn’t go through the torture that is moving (over and over again) ourselves? We've made many mistakes along the way, and we hope we can save you some of the heartache! >>Episode 12: How 6 Moves in 7 Years Shaped the Way We Work with Our Buyers Listen in on today’s episode to learn: The #1 tool we use to ensure our buyers can easily pinpoint the exact neighborhood best suited for them between an area as large as Naples to Cape Coral.Why it’s AOK to rent for a while even though every other agent is probably telling you to commit to a house right away to "save money"The exact checklist we wish we had when we were house hunting (a room-by-room house hunting report card that allows you to quickly “grade” each home you see)The top mistakes we made building 3 new construction homes (we built a house next to a major road just because it was a great deal and regretted it to say the least)

FREEBIE FOR THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: Our Local SWFL Gift Guide - Download it here. Some of you may or may not know that we spent several years living in Charleston, South Carolina, where Brad was working for Boeing Aviation at the time.  One of Charleston's most famous concepts is "SUPPORT LOCAL!" This is something we really took to heart when we lived there, and we try to do this here in SWFL, too. Mother's Day is only a few days away, and if you are still looking for a last minute gift, then check out today's episode for our Local Gift Guide for Mother's Day. We have a little something for every type of mom - from the "Foodie Mom" to the "Ultra Glam" mom. And best of all: everything we list are local SWFL businesses or artists that we love supporting! FREEBIE FOR THIS WEEK'S EPISODE: Our Local SWFL Gift Guide - Download it here.

As we head into hurricane season each year (we have about a month left!), there are so many assumptions we see Florida homeowners making when it comes to their insurance (especially in the summertime) which leave them and their property completely vulnerable.  How do we know? Because this is what many of our clients have said to us, and we’ve tried our best to educate on: Assumption1: I don’t need flood insurance because I don’t live in a flood zone  Assumption 2: I don’t need insurance on my condo. My HOA dues pay for that Assumption 3: I'm automatically covered for hurricanes - it's Florida! Well, call us crazy but as real estate agents we can say with certainty that none of those assumptions are true. In fact, the most common insurance knowledge we see that people think they have is actually riddled with complete misinformation.  Now, we can’t and won’t blame buyers and Florida homeowners because that’s not their area of expertise… and technically it isn’t our’s, either. Which is why on today's episode, we bring you Bryce Wright, licensed insurance agent right here in Ft. Myers. Bryce is going to help us debunk these myths once and for all, so you can keep your home safe this hurricane season!  Why should you care? Because if you own property in Florida, or you are thinking about buying a place here, you owe it to yourself to ensure that your biggest asset, likely your home, is truly protected from natural disasters like hurricanes and floods.  >>Episode 15: Hurricane Season is Coming: The Biggest Insurance Mistakes FL Homeowners Make On today's episode, we're talking about:  Snowbirds purchasing the wrong type of policy (we bet you didn’t know that your place might not be covered if you have a leak and aren’t here for a few months)Not understanding exclusions to your policy when it comes to hurricanes (nope - pool cages and wind coverage isn’t automatically included in Florida)Ways to save money on your wind insurance (have you heard of wind mitigation certificates?)Not understanding what your hurricane deductible is and how it works (depending on the value of your home, you might not even want to file a claim if you have wind damage because your deductible is so high)Failing to get a contents policy for your condo because you think your HOA covers that - think a leak from your upstairs neighbor ruining your stuff…)Not getting insurance at all if you don’t have a mortgage (PSA: FL doesn’t require any insurance if you pay cash)Thinking you don’t need flood insurance because you don’t live in a flood zone (remember that 15ft. storm surge estimated for Ft. Myers when Irma hit?“Excluded Water Damage” on homes older than 35-40 years. This is a general rule that almost every insurance company here in Florida applies to older homes

Can you feel summer creeping in? Does “Florida Regret” Set in for You in the Summer? It’s not that we want to necessarily “get away” from Fort Myers (after all we love it here!) but in the Summer months, what we call “heat & humidity regret” can set in… and as the temps rise, our level of acceptance for both rapidly falls!  Don’t despair, because you have summer getaway options aside from crawling through Disney and Bush Gardens on all fours in this summer heat. And what better summer getaway than one spent out in and on the water to cool off?!  >>Episode 14: The Best Summer Getaway in Florida  You see, there is the most amazing coastal summer getaway in Florida hiding just West of Gainesville. The little gem we’re referring to is called scallop season in Steinhatchee, Florida. This has quickly become an annual trip favorite for our family to take every July. It’s both relaxing and calming, and entirely exiting all at the same time.  In today’s episode we share:  The most unique and hidden coastal summer getaway we’ve come across in Florida - think an epic coastal scavenger hunt that’s enjoyable for adults and older kids alikeWhere to stay - this cute little "Old FL" village of sorts will have you swooningWhen to go - yes, there’s a legal scallop season in July)Essentials to bring - please learn from our mistakes!Things to keep in mind as you prepare for this unique getaway You can see photos, and get all of the links to where we stay and what we do here.

Can you believe we are already into the month of April? Season has kept us incredibly busy this year, and we are almost coming to the end of it. It sounds so cliché, but time really is flying...  Well, speaking of flying, we have something for all of our seasonal snowbirds this week. Episode 8 of our podcast is all about what to do to prepare your home before leaving to go up north at the end of season. Other than a great episode, we also have a great checklist for you for this week's freebie. Heading into March also means that season will be coming to an end before you know it. We love our snowbirds, and had the pleasure of working with the very best of them this year. Many of our snowbird clients are heading back north to spend Easter with the grandkids, which means we start getting the following questions right around this time:  "What should I set my thermostat to before we leave?"  "How do I get my house ready before heading back up north?"  "Should I shut the water off?"  "Do I need to make changes to my insurance policy while I'm gone?" While we're always happy to answer these questions individually, we only felt it was fair to share our checklist with the rest of the world. So whether you're a current snowbird, want to become a snowbird, or are headed out for an extended vacation, our Ultimate Snowbird Turndown Checklist will ensure your home is well taken care of during your absence!

Can you believe we are already into the month of March? Season has kept us incredibly busy this year, and we are almost coming to the end of it. It sounds so cliché, but time really is flying...  Well, speaking of flying, we have something for all of our seasonal snowbirds this week. Episode 8 of our podcast is all about what to do to prepare your home before leaving to go up north at the end of season. Other than a great episode, we also have a great checklist for you for this week's freebie. To download our Ultimate Snowbird Turndown Checklist go to www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/8 Heading into March also means that season will be coming to an end before you know it. We love our snowbirds, and had the pleasure of working with the very best of them this year. Many of our snowbird clients are heading back north to spend Easter with the grandkids, which means we start getting the following questions right around this time:  "What should I set my thermostat to before we leave?"  "How do I get my house ready before heading back up north?"  "Should I shut the water off?"  "Do I need to make changes to my insurance policy while I'm gone?" While we're always happy to answer these questions individually, we only felt it was fair to share our checklist with the rest of the world. So whether you're a current snowbird, want to become a snowbird, or are headed out for an extended vacation, our Ultimate Snowbird Turndown Checklist will ensure your home is well taken care of during your absence!

2020 hurricane season is only 8 weeks away...! Are you prepared? Have you heard of an asset inventory package and how it can protect your property? Did you know this is a vital part to protecting your property and biggest assets - namely your home - from natural disasters like a hurricane?  Fires, floods, and storms are never planned, but you can prepare for them. And by prepare we mean prepare in the ways that your insurance company needs you to, so they can help walk you through any potential type of claim. That means an inventory list, updated photos of your belongings, a floor plan, and more. How on earth do you get that put together? Cue Bonafide Measurements! Our guest today is Vic Elsey of Bonafide Measurements. Vic’s company offers virtual property walkthroughs, laser accurate floor plans, as well as ground and aerial photography. He’s created a package that is meant to help protect you and your biggest asset - your home - from natural disasters with an Asset Inventory Package.  Don't want to miss next week's episode? Click here to subscribe on iTunes! If you're feeling extra loving, Brad and I would be forever grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. These reviews help other people find our podcast, and give us valuable feedback to make sure we are putting out the content that you will love. Just click here to review, scroll to "Ratings & Reviews" and give it to us straight!  "Hear" you next week! www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/11

*The Florida Heritage Team and Premiere Plus Realty, Co. do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction.* We can think of many things more fun than doing taxes... like:  Cleaning the windowsPressure washing the pool deckScrubbing the bathroom Yikes - I would even rather wash the dirty dishes by hand than do taxes. But alas... we all must do them every year.  Is your head spinning this time of the year, too? That filing deadline is creeping up fast, and it’s also one of the busiest times of the year in terms of season here in SWFL. Lots of our clients are buying and selling, and there are some very important pieces of information your accountant will need in order to maximize your deductions. So if you recently sold a home or are planning to in the future, you may be wondering if there are tax deductions you can take as a home seller. And the answer is: You bet! In fact, the tax deductions available to you might be quite sizable. You will want a list of deductions prior to filing this year, so in today’s podcast episode we are talking about how to stop wasting money and start saving with 5 tax deductions for sellers. 

Many people have no idea that some of history’s most famous scientists and businessmen like Edison Ford (the inventor of the lightbulb), and Henry Ford called Fort Myers home.  Still, like so many of America’s downtowns, it became somewhat of a ghost town. But not anymore. This part of Fort Myers has gone through a major revival over the last 5 years.  Learn about some of the things going on downtown Fort Myers, and why this former underdog is the new place to be.

2020 is unfolding to become an important year in history! A new decade, an upcoming general election, coronavirus, historic record low interest rates - you name it, it seems like 2020 has it. So... "How's the market doing?" you ask? Well, let's get right into that!  2020 season so far has been the busiest yet. We know you likely hear this every year, but we can back it up with stats!  Let's just say that the most 2020 Lee County Market Report opened with the promising headline, "Closed Sales Up Double Digits Again for January!"  In an effort not to bore you to death but keep you well-informed, here is our quick bullet summary.  Are you a nitty-gritty, love all the facts and figures kind of person? We have all the market report PDFs for you on our website - including single family, condo/townhome, etc.

This is the perfect time of the year to be out on the water. Whether you have your own boat or a friend nice enough to take you on theirs (give that friend a hug!), we think there's nothing better than boating to lunch or dinner! So bring a boat, some dock lines, and your appetite because in today's episode, we talk about some of our favorite dishes at these restaurants, and bring you a city-by-city list of waterfront dining options.  We put together a city-cy-city list for you with the different waterfront restaurants that are accessible by boat! To get that freebie download for this week's episode, just go to www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/7

THIS WEEK'S FREEBIE DOWNLOAD FOR THIS EPISODE: To download this week’s freebie, just go to FloridaHeritageTeam.com/6 Have you been open house shopping lately? Do you have different random stacks of printouts, brochures, and flyers with notes scribbled on them all over the place? If that sounds like you, and you’re drowning in overwhelm, we have an awesome resource for you today: The Open House Report Card Checklist. February is prime time for home shopping (and also total overwhelm). By the time you’ve navigated multiple communities, your head is spinning. It usually goes something like this: “Wait, which house was the one with the updated kitchen again?” “Did that one have the white cabinets or the brown cabinets?” “What didn’t we like about that one again?” If only open house shopping were as easy as checking off your shopping list at Target, right? Well, on today’s podcast episode we are sharing a checklist with you that will do just that. Think of it as a comparison report card for each open house you see. Thumbs up & thumbs down, room-by-room, to keep your thoughts organised, on track, and easy to refer back to. P.S. Would you kindly forward this episode to one of your friends or family members that are home shopping and might find this helpful?

Can you feel tax time creeping in? There is nothing Brad and I despise more than doing taxes I have to admit, but when it comes to this time of the year, there’s a sneaky deadline that comes and goes just like that. And if you miss that deadline, you lose out on some big property tax savings. What are we talking about? We're referring to the Homestead Exemption. So if you recently purchased a house or condo in Florida, it is your primary residence, and you have not yet filed your homestead exemption forms with the county, you need to pay extra attention to today’s episode because that filing deadline is coming up fast - and nobody else is going to remind you! Before we get into it, we have to preface this by giving you our disclaimer that we, the Florida Heritage Team, and/or Premiere Plus Realty does not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied on for, tax, legal or accounting advice. You should always consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any transaction. We've put together a quick & easy cheat sheet with links to all the forms you'll need to submit, where to bring them, county addresses, phone numbers, and other helpful info to make sure this is as easy as possible for you! Just go to www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/5 to access that. On another note, if you have a friend or a family member that is thinking about buying a place here in Florida or that just bought one, would you please be their best friend ever and forward this episode to them? This is one of the most common things for new Florida homeowners to forget to file with all the hustle and bustle of moving, and once that filing deadline has passed there’s not much you can do. You’ll have to wait to file for the following year, and will miss out on your tax savings until then!

THIS WEEK'S FREEBIE DOWNLOAD FOR THIS EPISODE: For the addresses & contact info to the local date ideas we mention go to FloridaHeritageTeam.com/valentine Valentine’s Day usually means the most gorgeous February Florida weather, and should be celebrated by doing something fun - outside! After all, we really don’t have long until the humidity returns! So this year, Rebecca and I wanted to challenge our typical Valentine’s Day dinner date with a fun way to celebrate this love filled day in other ways than dinner & a movie. *Spoiler Alert* you can still do dinner, too! Download your 25% off coupon to Lucky Anchor Charters Sunset Cruise or Fishing Charter go to FloridaHeritageTeam.com/valentine Don't want to miss next week's episode? Click here to subscribe on iTunes! If you're feeling extra loving, Brad and I would be forever grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. These reviews help other people find our podcast, and give us valuable feedback to make sure we are putting out the content that you will love. Just click here to review, scroll to "Ratings & Reviews" and give it to us straight! "Hear" you next week!

The first month of 2020 has come and gone - just like that! This is the busiest season to date, and lots of buyers are here home shopping for their own slice of paradise this time of the year. Speaking of home shopping, people have so many assumptions about buying a home in Florida - especially a waterfront home. Assumption #1"I've bought several homes in [insert Michigan, New York, New Jersey, etc.] and know what I'm doing from experience"  Assumption #2"I live on the water up North and know what maintenance waterfront homes need"  Assumption #3 "My brother in law was a contractor before he retired. I'm going to have him inspect the place for me. His help and a standard home inspection is just fine" Well, call us crazy but as professionals that have sold a waterfront home or two (or three or seven - you get the point) we can say with certainty that none of the above is true.  You see, we recently worked with a waterfront buyer that escaped a nightmare money pit of upwards of 100k in repairs. How? He decided to take the necessary steps to ensure his investment in FL was going to be sound one.  What if we told you that having your (trusted) brother in law, or just a regular home inspector take a look at the waterfront home you want to purchase is a sure fire way to get yourself in trouble? On the podcast today, we're sharing a true story of a past waterfront buyer that dodged a 100k repair bullet. We're sharing exactly what specialty inspections this buyer did, why he did them, and what steps he was able to take to end up in his dream home. THIS WEEK'S FREEBIE: "Specialty Marine Inspectors Vendor List" To download the vendor list go to www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/4

Around this time of the year, we love being outside and try to soak up every last ounce of nice weather. Not too hot, not too cold - usually just right.  This same time last year we got to see real life manatees in the wild, and that's a Floridian right of passage! The only problem is, these creatures can be very elusive and we haven't seen them much since - because they don't like the heat! Back then we posted a video on our Facebook Page of a manatee we saw. It is one of our most popular snippet videos to date, and several people messaged us privately asking for tips on where and when to best see these beautiful creatures this time of the year. We thought it would be fun to turn all those responses into another episode.   If you love Florida wildlife like we do, then you're in for a treat. Temps are "low" and this means the manatees are mingling!   In this week's short but sweet episode, we cover exactly where, when what and how to seeing these critters for yourself.    For this week's free download summarizing the steps and giving you directions to the manatee park, just head to www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/3

Does the idea of surprise guests at your door step spin you into a fit of frenzy?  If you have pets you could be the cleanliest person but there will still always be fur on the floor - am I right?  Maybe you had a busy day and you just didn’t get around to doing the dishes quite yet. Your kids could have left hand prints all over the freshly washed windows. Cue a nosy neighbor popping by, ringing your door bell, your dogs go into over drive, there’s barking and tails knocking over vases, and all in all you just aren’t ready for guests. Well, imagine that your home is for sale, and you have not only a surprise guest show up at your door step, but on top of that this surprise guest might be the most important guest that’s ever been to your home. After all - if they like your house and want to buy it, you can finally move back home closer to the grandkids like you’ve wanted, or upsize into that larger 2 story your growing family needs so badly…! Your future could be riding on this one showing!  So today, we are giving you quick and concise tips on what to do, room-by-room and category-by-category. We even have a fool-proof checklist to prepping your home for a showing or open house quickly. Get ready for brutally honest advice, and some funny stories of things Brad and I have had to do in a last minute panic when we’ve sold our own homes in the past because nobody is perfect at this - not even real estate agents that do this every single day.

The first week of 2020 is almost over at the time of this recording. Everyone is talking about setting goals, and personal/business growth. That got us thinking about area growth - there's lots of it. You’ll leave this episode informed and excited about the major growth happening in Ft. Myers. We have 5 top new attractions coming, and we’ll go into detail on all of them, as well as what that growth means for our area. We’ve put together a short guide summarizing all of these. So if you want details on their location or you want something to print out to share with your spouse or a friend, head on over to www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com/1 Because we work from people from all over the country, we would love to know what state you are listening from. Don't want to miss next week's episode? Click here to subscribe on iTunes! If you're feeling extra loving, Brad and I would be forever grateful if you left us a review over on iTunes, too. These reviews help other people find our podcast, and give us valuable feedback to make sure we are putting out the content that you will love. Just click here to review, scroll to "Ratings & Reviews" and give it to us straight! "Hear" you next week!

Hello and welcome to the Fort Myers Homes & Lifestyle show. My name is Rebecca Kroseberg and I’m joined by my husband and business partner, Brad Graves, who just so happens to be a Fort Myers native. Hi everyone - excited to get this show on the road and thank you for listening in. Our goal with this podcast is to share our expertise and knowledge about the greater Ft. Myers area from real estate to lifestyle topics in a fresh and exciting way, so you can get to know our little slice of SWFL paradise - or get to know it better if you’re already here. Together as a husband and wife duo, we founded the Florida Heritage Team and are both real estate agents with Premiere Plus Realty here in the greater Fort Myers, Florida area. We’ve been licensed since 2007, and have more than 18 years experience between the two of us. We’ve lived in Naples, Bonita Springs, and now Ft. Myers, and felt it was time to share our knowledge and expertise about our business and the lifestyle in the area. We work with all sorts of buyers and sellers from all over the country, and see them struggle with the same things we struggled with. We’ve moved around in and out of state quite a bit ourselves during my former aviation career with Boeing and GE Aviation, and always struggled a little to connect to a new area. We thought it’s about time to breathe some fresh air into your common boring real estate blog content that you can google yourself. Maybe you’re thinking about making a move in Ft. Myers or this general area, or maybe you’re already here. But either way, having a podcast like this that talks about not only relevant real estate topics but also the area lifestyle would have been a huge help to us in the past, and we hope it will be to you. We’ve worked hard at creating and planning out weekly content for you that will cover topics relevant to the time of our recordings. That means we have a great mix of real estate and lifestyle related content planned for you. There are so many important and interesting topics to cover as Ft. Myers continues to grow and believe me - as a Fort Myers native seeing that growth over the years has been astounding - so we have lots to talk about. Each episode and the show notes will include valuable topics and valuable downloads from checklists to short how to guides, cheat sheets, quality lists of tips, secrets, area insights, or recommendations from us. With that being said, we hope you are ready for a fun and fresh approach to Fort Myers Homes and the Lifestyle. If you don’t want to miss out on any future episodes, please subscribe, rate, and review this show. We want to get to know you better, and part of that is your valuable feedback so we can give you the kind of content you want to hear about. If you’d like to learn more about us, you can always check us out on our website at www.FloridaHeritageTeam.com. Thank you again so much for listening in, it means the world to us. We look forward to being your trusted resource for everything local - for as long as you need. Bye for now!