FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF MORTGAGE BROKERS OFFERS CONSUMERS TIPS TO AVOID ABUSIVE LENDING PRACTICES

Tallahassee, FL – December 17, 2008 – Deciding to purchase a home is one of the most significant decisions that a consumer will ever make.  It is crucial that the consumer work with a licensed mortgage broker, loan originator or other mortgage professional during the home buying process. While most mortgage industry professionals are honest and ethical, it is still important for consumers to be aware of the following tips as they prepare to enter the largest financial transaction of their lives.   By becoming knowledgeable about the mortgage process, they can protect their financial investment and find a loan that will best serve their needs.

The Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers (FAMB) offers the following tips to avoid abusive lending practices during the home buying process:

City of Clearwater - New Greek Restaurant Earns Fall 2008 Business Beautification Recognition Award

CLEARWATER, FL.  December  12, 2008  -  The Greektown Grill, a recent addition to Clearwater's downtown dining options and a welcome anchor in the city's East Gateway, has earned the City's Fall Business Beautification Recognition Award for 2008.

The building now occupied by the new restaurant at 1230 Cleveland St., has been completely renovated with a new facade, banquet area, a covered outdoor eating area, and a large dining room that includes the kitchen and bar. Outdoor lighting illuminates newly installed signs and provides a dramatic look for the buildings at night.

The award, presented in partnership with the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, acknowledges a business that makes a commitment to improving the quality of life for all residents in Clearwater. The Business Beautification Recognition Award program honors the uniqueness of Clearwater businesses and encourages the business community to maintain or make significant improvements to their properties while providing the surrounding community with a positive sense of place.

Clearwater Downtown Partnership Celebrates the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce 2008 Business of the Year Awards

PostcardMania and Sunbelt Software Founders achieve recognition for best business practices and exemplary growth by the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce at the organization’s annual business awards dinner.

Clearwater, FL, 4 February 2008 — A crowd of about 500 chamber members and guests attended The Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 86th Annual Meeting held on January 31, 2008 at the Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club to celebrate the achievements of many business and civic leaders whom have made a positive impact on the community. Two CEOs of the 5 winners were executive board members of the Clearwater Downtown Partnership (CDP) — Joy Gendusa and Stu Sjouwerman. Hailed as the fastest-growing direct mail postcard marketing firm in the nation by Inc Magazine, PostcardMania was honored as the 2008 Large In-State Business of the Year.

You may have noticed that the news media “Grinchs” have been spreading fear regarding the economy. Most news reports, talk shows, and newspapers spew numerous reports about how bad things are, or how bad they will be.

According to the “Grinchs of Doom” our country is going down the tubes. Unemployment is up, retail sales are down all are touted as major indicators of the economy and how hopeless your future is. The fact is that you and I have very little immediate control over any of these things.

However, we do have control over our businesses, the quantity and quality of the product or services we produce, the speed we produce that product and the price we charge for it.

Downtown Clearwater June 18, 2007  

Historic Telephone Exchange Emerging from a Concrete Cocoon As Cleveland Street undergoes its $8 million makeover, a historic building on the corner of Cleveland and Garden Ave. is fi nally getting the restoration it has been waiting for.

Having spent the last 50 years encased in concrete panels the three-story Telephone Exchange Building is ready to come back to its original look.

Building owner’s Jon and Sylvia Heneghan are overseeing the removal of the panels and removing the bricks from the windows. So far the restoration has uncovered the historic “Telephone” sign on the front of the building. As seen in old black and white photo’s. It is quite possible that no one has seen this building in it’s full color in over 50 years. As Mr. Heneghan has not been able to fi nd any color photo’s of the building as it was before it was encased.

 Station Square — Sales projections ahead of schedule

Clearwater FL, April 2007 Cleveland Streetscape is nearing its second block of completion, and with it, new businesses and future residents are giving downtown Clearwater a new look. “We have pre-sold over 70% of our units”, reports Connie Super of Station Square Realty, “we are ahead of our projected sales.” This is a 13-story building with 126 residential condominium units, and 10,000 square feet of ground fl oor retail including a major restaurant space that sits just west of the Post Offi ce. In addition, the project will provide more than 100 public parking spaces within a structured garage.

Station Square the newest 15 story 126 luxury condo building, with main fl oor retail and a restaurant will be completed in June 2008.

The gorgeous $9 million dollar street scape in downtown Clearwater will be completed fall 2007.

$9.64 million dollar 129 boat slip project at the end of Cleveland Street will have two spaces for water taxi which will be completed 2009. The next closest marina to this project has a 3 to 5 year waiting list. Our boat slip project has also interested US Fish & Wildlife Services into granting Clearwater $1.2 million dollars in federal monies, after we beat out 32 other cities that applied. This was made possible because we were able to prove that at least $4 million dollars of the boat slip project would benefi t transient boaters....who like to travel marina to marina.

Clearwater Downtown Partnership Launches

Clearwater, FL June 2008 - The evening of Wednesday May 28th saw over 100 members of the Clearwater Downtown Partnership (CDP) and city officials including Mayor Frank Hibbard and Vice mayor George Cretekos gathered downtown for the 2008 Momentum Awards for businesses, organizations, individuals and projects that have added to the vitality of downtown. After a wonderful meal catered by downtown Mediterranean restaurant Tangerine, the Mayor reviewed recent successes such as the beautiful streetscapes, a contract to bring boat slips to downtown in 2009 and residential projects such as Water’s Edge, Station Square, and The Strand.

Hard City Hats Tour Water’s Edge

Clearwater FL, June 2008 - The opening gala that commenced at Water’s Edge on May 23rd marked a brilliant light at the end of the tunnel of the seemingly unending residential construction in Downtown Clearwater. Roughly 200 visitors comprised of potential buyers, realtors and city councilmen were wined and dined at Water’s Edge Sales Center located at 401 Cleveland Street in
Downtown Clearwater. The guests were escorted in small groups over to the massive 26-floor luxury residential condominium building to tour one of the newly completed and elegantly decorated units (furnishings by Robb & Stucky).

Grant Cardone a Rags to Riches self-made millionaire who has Doubled his income through every recession and has amassed personally over $100 million in Real Estate will be speaking at the Harborview Center in Clearwater, FL on July 12th at 1pm - 4. 

Grant will be speaking on the subject of Money and "The Economy" and how it pertains to our current situation, "The Real Estate Market" and more importantly "What Can Be Done About it"

  
"The Fact is, ANYONE can make more money in ANY economy using what they have right now."  

                                                                                                                                                        - Speaker Grant Cardone

To make it affordable for everyone to attend Grant has reduced his normal seminar fee by 85% and all the seminar proceeds he is donating back to youth education in Florida.

As The Tampa Bay Informer is a Good News Newspaper dedicated to improving the community it is also sponsoring this seminar and is giving an additional $25 off contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

-or- Get $25 Off  with the discount code of TBI at www.clearwatermoneyseminar.com

 Limited Seating