Tropical Storm Hanna in now way up the east coast dropping rain. However, Hurricane Ike is over the Bahamas and looks like it will run the entire length of Cuba if the projected path is correct. After that it looks like it will be headed out into the Gulf of Mexico and could be making a move towards, of all places, New Orleans! You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Hurricane Ike, as of noon Saturday, September 6th.

The outer edges of the cone of the 5 day projected path show that there is a slim chance that our area could get hit, but at least we are not in the center of the target. We will just have to keep watching this one daily to see where it is going to move to. As I said yesterday, might not be a bad idea to get some preliminary supplies on hand, just in case.

Do be aware that if storm warnings or watches go up in Florida, property insurance underwriting on new policies will likely be suspended. Most contracts used by real estate professionals in Florida address this possibility. See your real estate and insurance agent for more information.

Much of my information comes from the National Hurricane Center. They follow tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from birth to death. It can be a useful site to visit. If you would like to try it out, click on the following link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov I suggest you "bookmark it" or "make it a Favorite" for future reference if you live in an area that can be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes. You will find it interesting and helpful.

Some other sites of interest concerning hurricanes and tropical storms are:

• http://ww.noaa.org/
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• http://www.floridadisaster.org/
• http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444

Tropical Storm Hanna is now leaving our area and heading for the Carolinas. No one is wishing them any bad luck, but here in Florida we are glad that it seems we will be passed by again. But still, you never know when these weather systems can intensify and change directions.

However, Hurricane Ike is heading for the Florida Keys according to the five-day forecast. This is the one that has most of Florida concerned at the moment. The weather experts cannot seem to say if it will head up the east coast or go over the Keys and into the Gulf of Mexico. It is already pretty strong so it bears watching. If the last couple of storms did not motivate you to stock up on necessities, then you may want to take the opportunity to do so now. Remember, if you do not need them, you can always use them up over the winter. You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Hurricane Ike, as of late Friday, September 5th.

Do be aware that if storm warnings or watches go up in Florida, property insurance underwriting on new policies will likely be suspended. Most contracts used by real estate professionals in Florida address this possibility. See your real estate and insurance agent for more information.

Much of my information comes from the National Hurricane Center. They follow tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from birth to death. It can be a useful site to visit. If you would like to try it out, click on the following link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov  I suggest you "bookmark it"  or "make it a Favorite"  for future reference if you live in an area that can be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes. You will find it interesting and helpful.

Some other sites of interest concerning hurricanes and tropical storms are:

• http://ww.noaa.org/
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• http://www.floridadisaster.org/
• http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com  where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444

My September 2008 Real Estate Newsletter is now available for download as a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file. Just click on the following link: Download September2008Newsletter.PDF

If you would like to receive these newsletters automatically in the future each month, just send me an e-mail and let me know. I would be glad to add you to my e-mailing list. You can e-mail me at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com

I also invite you to visit my my website where I think you will find a lot of useful information. To get there just click on the following link: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com

Today 9/4/08 Freddie Mac reported that average mortgage interest rates have dropped a bit more. Nationally the average mortgage interest rate for 30 year fixed-rate mortgages was 6.35% (6.34% in the southeast), down from 6.40% a week ago. The average interest rate for 15 year fixed-rate mortgages was 5.90%, down from 5.93% last week. A year ago the 30 year rate was 6.46%.

Recent reports say that consumer spending may be slowing, and this, coupled with a 4 day work week due to Labor Day worked to lower interest rates again. In the second quarter the economy grew at a rate of 3.3%, helped by the smallest trade deficit that we have seen in 8 years.

On the negative side, personal income fell 0.7% in July. This was the first time it has gone down in 3 years! This will likely be the cause of decreased consumer spending in the fall. In my opinion, higher energy prices will continue to be a weight around our necks for a while as well. Kind of the elephant in the room. Hard to ingore, whether the federal government mentions it or not.

If you want to learn more about Freddie Mac or see the details of their survey, go to: www.freddiemac.com and click on the link for "Current Weekly Survey". They break down the survey by specific regions in the United States so you can see how your state compares to other parts of the country. They also explain the mission of Freddie Mac and offer a lot of useful information for consumers.

If you would like to speak with a lender you can find some at my website: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com . You can also speak with your own bank, credit union, or mortgage broker to see what your particular interest rate would be, should you decide to finance a home purchase.

Today, September 3, 2008, the Florida Supreme Court has ordered that Amendment 5, which deals with property tax reform, be taken off the November election ballot. Previously a circuit court judge had ordered the amendment's removal from the ballot saying the wording was "misleading". This ruling was appealed to the state's Supreme Court which upheld the circuit court's opinion. They did not issue an opinion today, but said they would give one soon. So that should take Amendment 5 off the ballot for good, this year.

This amendment would have lowered most of our property taxes by 25% to 40%, with the lost revenue replaced by other "sources". Would this be from increased sales taxes, tourist taxes, user fees, etc? That has never been made really clear, and perhaps was why the court took issue with this amendment. After all, the money has to come from somewhere. That or you have to cut services. We had Amendment 1 pass last winter in a special election and that already has reformed some of our property tax system.

In my opinion, it would be nice to see how that reform goes before we change things even more. You do not want to call the police or fire department and find that their number has been disconnected. I know that the Florida Association of REALTORs is supporting Amendment 5, but I think we need to proceed with caution. I like having my taxes go down, but I realize that nothing is free and I want to make sure that all of us do not lose important services that we need and depend on. I also want to make sure that we do not rely too heavily on sales taxes. When we have a bad economy, like right now, those revenues go down since people spend less, and this in turn puts a severe strain on local governments.

I suspect Amendment 5 will appear in some other form in the near future, and we will have to wait and see if it passes legal and electoral muster. At least by that point we can see if the consequences of Amendment 1 have been positive or negative.

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com  where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444

Tropical Storm Hanna's projected path has moved more to the east and at this time appears to not touch Florida at all. As it looks now it appears that it will make landfall somewhere in the Carolinas. No one is wishing them any bad luck, but here in Florida we are glad that it seems we will be passed by again. But still, you never know when these weather systems can intensify and change directions. You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Tropical Storm Hanna, as of Wednesday, September 3rd.

Also keep in mind that we still have another tropical storm called Ike further out in the Atlantic. It is still way to the east of Puerto Rico and a long way away, but we will keep an watch on its movements. Hopefully it too will either weaken or pass to the north or south of us here in the Sunshine State. Right now we have sunny, warm weather with a light breeze. Hard to believe it is now September.

Do be aware that if storm warnings or watches go up in Florida, property insurance underwriting on new policies will likely be suspended. Most contracts used by real estate professionals in Florida address this possibility. See your real estate and insurance agent for more information.

Much of my information comes from the National Hurricane Center. They follow tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from birth to death. It can be a useful site to visit. If you would like to try it out, click on the following link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov I suggest you "bookmark it" or "make it a Favorite" for future reference if you live in an area that can be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes. You will find it interesting and helpful.

Some other sites of interest concerning hurricanes and tropical storms are:

• http://ww.noaa.org/
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• http://www.floridadisaster.org/
• http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444

Hurricane Hanna has now been downgraded to a tropical storm and is passing over Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as it moves towards Florida. It had been a hurricane but apparently weakend as it passed over the islands. The projected path of Hanna does not seem to carry it right over Tampa and Zephyrhills, but does bring it close enough that we need to keep an eye out for it. It may affect us more than Gustav did and we need to keep an eye on it to see where it is going and if it strengthens. The water in the Atlantic does not seem to be as warm as the Gulf of Mexico, so hopefully it will not become a very strong hurricane. Also, here in Zephyrhills, storms coming from the east have to pass over a lot of land so when they get to us they are usually somewhat weaker than when they come ashore. But still, you never know when these weather systems can intensify and change directions. You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Hurricane Hanna, as of Tuesday, September 2nd.

Also keep in mind that we have another tropical storm called Ike further out in the Atlantic that the Weather Channel says could become a hurricane tomorrow. It is still a long way away, but we will keep an watch on its movements.

Do be aware that if storm warnings or watches go up in Florida, property insurance underwriting on new policies will likely be suspended. Most contracts used by real estate professionals in Florida address this possibility. See your real estate and insurance agent for more information.

Much of my information comes from the National Hurricane Center. They follow tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from birth to death. It can be a useful site to visit. If you would like to try it out, click on the following link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov  I suggest you "bookmark it"  or "make it a Favorite"  for future reference if you live in an area that can be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes. You will find it interesting and helpful.

Some other sites of interest concerning hurricanes and tropical storms are:

• http://ww.noaa.org/
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• http://www.floridadisaster.org/
• http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com  where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444

Hurricane Gustav made landfall mid-morning today, Monday - September 1st. Now that it is over land it has been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane and the weather reporters I am watching are saying it will weaken even more as it moves further inland. Seems like their main worries there now are brisk winds, lots of rain, and threats of tornadoes. But does not look to be as bad as they had predicted over the weekend. In Zephyrhills, Florida the skies have a few puffy clouds and quite a bit of sun. Very warm. So we were basically unaffected by Gustav. We could have used a little of the rain from it. So unless Gustav does a loop-de-loop, it would seem pretty certain that we dodged this bullet, this time.You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Gustav, as of Monday, September 1, 2008.

Tropical Storm Hanna has reportedly become Hurrican Hanna is hanging off to the east of Florida. At the moment the Bahamas are getting hit. The projected path of Hanna does not seem to carry it right over Tampa and Zephyrhills, but does bring it close enough that we need to keep an eye out for it. Just in case. We may be affected more by this storm than we were by Gustav. You never know when these weather systems can intensify and change directions. You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Hurricane Hanna, as of Monday, September 1st.

Do be aware that if storm warnings or watches go up in Florida, property insurance underwriting on new policies will likely be suspended. Most contracts used by real estate professionals in Florida address this possibility. See your real estate and insurance agent for more information.

Much of my information comes from the National Hurricane Center. They follow tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from birth to death. It can be a useful site to visit. If you would like to try it out, click on the following link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov I suggest you "bookmark it" or "make it a Favorite" for future reference if you live in an area that can be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes. You will find it interesting and helpful.

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444

Now that some serious storms are appearing on our horizons, I thought that it might be helpful to post some information that could be useful to my readers and help them prepare their homes for the possible arrival of a hurricane. (People in Minnesota and Wyoming can probably ignore this post). NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has created a brochure that contains basic information to assist you in preparing your home and family for a natural disaster like a hurricane. You can download a copy at the following link: Download hurricane_safety.pdf

You can also click on the following links to go to sites that also offer important information about hurriane preparedness. Some are national, some are state sponsored, and others may be local. The main idea of all of these sites is to make plans and preparations now. When a storm is a day away, that could be too late.

• http://ww.noaa.org/
• http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• http://www.floridadisaster.org/
• http://www.pascoemergencymanagement.com/

I hope that you will find these links useful. You may wish to bookmark one or more of them so you can easily access them in the event that a hurricane or other natural disaster hits our area.

As always, you can contact me at: 813-783-4444 or e-mail me at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com  I also invite you to visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com

Hurricane Gustav is still heading across the Gulf of Mexico and 5 day projections show it heading almost straight for New Orleans. From what I see on television, it looks like people are heeding the warnings and are evacuating the city this time. Here in Zephyrhills, Florida at 4:30 PM on Sunday, August 31th, we have grey skies, 3 drops of rain, a light breeze and that is about it. They say we could get a little more rain, but should be largely unaffected by Gustav. The dangerous areas of the storm are not predicted to come near Tampa and the surrounding areas. If you see the satellite image on the television you will see the very outer edges of the storm just grazing by us. That is what is causing our grey skies here. So unlike Louisiana, Texas, and Alabama, we appear to have dodged this bullet.You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Gustav, as of Sunday, August 31th.

Tropical Storm Hanna is now over the Bahamas and looks like the projections have it going up the east coast of Florida. I just heard a reporter on the Weather Channel say it was still pretty disorganized. However, it still bears watching. You never know when these weather systems can intensify and change directions. You can click on the image to the left to see the projected path of Tropical Storm Hanna, as of Sunday, August 31th.

While it appears that Gustav will not come anywhere near the Zephyrhills and Tampa areas of Florida, it will pay for residents of these zones to keep an eye on this storm as it marches northwestward. As well, as watching the progress of Tropical Storm Hanna. See the link to the National Hurricane Center in the next paragraph. Do be aware that if storm warnings or watches go up in Florida, property insurance underwriting on new policies will likely be suspended. Most contracts used by real estate professionals in Florida address this possibility. See your real estate and insurance agent for more information.

Much of my information comes from the National Hurricane Center. They follow tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes from birth to death. It can be a useful site to visit. If you would like to try it out, click on the following link: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov  I suggest you "bookmark it"  or "make it a Favorite"  for future reference if you live in an area that can be affected by tropical storms or hurricanes. You will find it interesting and helpful.

I invite you to also visit my webpage at: www.jelwell.century21bnr.com  where you will find links to many interesting sites dealing with real estate. You are always welcome there.

I can also be contacted via e-mail at: jelwell1@tampabay.rr.com or by phone at: 813-783-4444