City of Fort Myers Home Foreclosure Prevention- Hotline  (239)321-7965

National Hotline (Hope)- (888)995-Hope

The Home Ownership Resource Center, Lee County- (239)768-2013

Lee County Legal aid Society- (239)334-6118

Cosumer Credit Counseling Svc- (800)741-7040

Hud Approved Housing Counseling Agencies-(877)532-Help

Emergency Financial Assistance for Housing- (877)891-6445

Lee County Housing Authority- (239)275-5105, ext 105

Bonita Springs Housing Dev Corp- (239)495-7100

In January when the state’s minimum wage jumps 42 cents to $7.21 an hour, the Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation announced Wednesday.

The wage, which amounts to about $15,000 a year for a full-time job, represents an increase of 6.2 percent over last year.

The new state wage is based on an annual consumer price adjustment. The increase for 2009 is significantly higher than the 12-cent, or 1.8 percent, increase a year ago.

The state doesn’t track how many people are making minimum wage, so I’m not sure how many people this will effect.

Restaurant servers, base hourly pay will increase to $4.19, also up 12 cents.

Hopefully, this will help our first time buyers in Cape Coral be eligible to purchase their first home.  There are so many good buys out there to take advantage of.�

The 684 homes sold with the help of a Lee County Realtor was up 32 percent compared to August 2007 when 520 homes were sold. It’s the largest year-over-year percentage gain in the state, according to figures by the Florida Association of Realtors.

About 6,200 Cape Coral property owners can expect to pay out another $154 per month for the next 20 years in exchange for city water, sewer and irrigation utilities.

 SW 6-7 residents to pay $17,041

 Residents have different options to pay.

• Property owners will be able to defer payments on the project up to 10 years. With a special assessment and impact fees, the average two-lot parcel could cost $17,041 for all three utilities.

• Deferring payments for 10 years with a 6.5 percent interest rate would more than double the cost.

• Residents can also tack the cost onto their taxes for the next 20 years, which would mean monthly payments of about $154, totaling about $37,000 in the end.

Looking to buy Cape Coral Real Estate, Check out the advantages of the New Housing and Economic Recovery Act.  

On October 1, 2008 the Housing & Economic Recovery Act of 2008 will begin. This Act will be in effect until September 30, 2011. 

Creates a refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers that works like an zero-interest loan of up to $7,500 (to be paid back over 15 years).

Raises conforming loan limits for the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to $625,500.

Provides couples using the standard deduction with up to an additional $1,000 deduction for property taxes ($500 for individuals).

Credit scores as low as 540 can be accepted 

Only 3.5% down payment needed & that can be borrowed from a family member or employer

Mortgage lates in the past do not disqualify the borrower

City Council members in Cape Coral may start up the Utility Explansion project.  There may be some fundamental changes. Under the new, proposed plan, about 60,000 property owners north of Pine Island Road will get city water over the next three years at roughly $5,000 per property.

And the 6,200 Cape Coral property owners in the Southwest 6-7 Assessment Area may soon end up paying for water, sewer and irrigation lines. The three utilities could cost up to $18,500 — $10,300 in assessments, $6,750 in impact fees and about $1,500 to switch over to their plumbing.

The City of Cape Coral will be considering putting in the water lines first.  If this is done, a rough estimate puts the cost to homeowners at about $5,000 — $3,000 for an assessment and $2,000 for an impact fee.

There is also considerations of eliminating the impact fees.  Without impact fees, the ratepayers pay for the expansion. If the UEP project stops, 51,000 could see their combined water and sewer rates go up. According to the city’s Department of Financial Services, an average monthly bill could go from $76 this year to $94 next year and $116 in 2010.

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Cape Coral will have a new restaurant in town in December, Famous Dave’s Barbecue (1400 S.W. Pine Island Road).  I think it’s great how Cape Coral Commericial Real Estate is growing.

The groundbreaking is at 3 p.m. Friday.

The 30,000 square foot retail facility will feature the eatery as well as spaces for 14 other retail clients including Dunkin Donuts and Pizziolas Italian Restaurant.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 authorizes a $7,500 tax credit for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing homes on or after April 9, 2008 and before July 1, 2009.

What is the definition of a first-time home buyer? The law defines “first-time home buyer” as a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase. For married taxpayers, the law tests homeownership history of both the home buyer and his/her spouse. For example, if you have not owned a home in the past three years but your spouse has owned a principal residence, neither you nor your spouse qualifies for the first-time home buyer tax credit.

In one year, 11,403 people moved to Cape Coral helping rank the city one of the top ten cities.  Cape Coral ranking ninth, just behind Tallahassee.  That 8 percent jump in population has made the Cape the fourth fastest-growing city in the United States, according to census figures released analyzing the population of every city in the country.  It Cape Coral city officials estimate the current population at 168,698.