Tuesday, January 9, 2018

GARAGE SECURITY - IMPORTANT

You have checked all the windows to make sure they are closed and locked, doubled-checked the doors, let the neighbors know you are going out of town, informed the mail so it does not pile up and activated all the passive security systems in your home. However, one area is often overlooked as you pull out of your garage and leave: The garage you just left.

A modern-day garage is a prime spot for thieves to gain access to your home. 
There are three basic types of garages that your home may have and each one requires its own safety measures. The first two are attached garages, and they can be divided into two categories: The front of the house garage that faces the street and the rear garage, which is out of view from the street.
The third type of garage is the detached garage. It is particularly dangerous if this type of garage is not secured properly because it offers a staging ground for thieves to enter the premises.
Here are a few pieces of advice that will help you protect your home:
Use Your Garage. Park your car in the garage when it is not being used or if you are leaving by other means. Many people leave their garage door remote in their car, and all it takes is something like a broken window in your car to give a thief access to your home. To combat this, you can also make sure to remove the remote if you leave your car outside of the garage.
Disable the Electric Motor. If you are leaving for an extended period of time, detach your electric garage door opener. This is usually a very simple thing to do. Most electric garage door openers have a rope or chain you pull down to disconnect the electric motor from the chain that operates the door. This protects you in two ways: First, if a thief used a frequency scanning device to obtain your code, it will be of no use since it is not operable. Second, it would require a thief to physically go to the door, which the neighbors could see.
Bolt It. Use a manual sliding bolt-style lock on the inside of your garage door that can only be opened from the inside.
Keep It In Good Condition. Make sure the garage door is properly functioning and that there is no damage to the panels through which a thief could access your home.
Keep It Contained. Do not leave important items in the garage and make sure to lock the door to your home. If thieves do break into the garage, you want to make sure that is all they can access. Place a deadbolt and anti-kick device on the door that leads to the garage.
The Same Goes for Detached Garages. For the detached garage, make sure you follow the same principles as if it was connected to your home. If the garage is out of view from the street where neighbors could spot a break-in, these rules become even more essential. Most importantly, do not keep valuables in your garage

Monday, December 11, 2017

CONSIDERING A MOVE TO THE OCEAN IN PALM BEACH?

164 oceanfront condos available today in Palm Beach.  Want a custom list of active properties, email number of bedrooms and price range to oceanfrontcondospb@gmail.com. Send #bedrooms, your email, and price range for a custom list of available properties to oceanfrontcondospb@gmail.com.

Studio at the Ambassador, 700 living sq ft, $169,500, GREAT GETAWAY. 

WANT a huge, stunning 5200 living sq ft 3 bedrooms, 5 full and 2 half baths home?  $16,900,000. Lots of beautiful properties in between! 





Views above and below are from Emeraude Condo, 3 bedrooms, $1,075,000, HOA is $1100/month.  Panoramic ICW views, watching the boats go up and down the water.



ICW from Master and Bedroom 2, pool with furnished cabana, fitness studio, library, Club Room and much more.  Both formal dining room and eat-in-kitchen.

Interested?  Call, come take a look and see if it really appeals to you!  561-302-3388.


Thursday, December 7, 2017

3 Trends in Kitchen Hardware to Keep an Eye On


You don’t have to transform your entire kitchen to feel like your kitchen has been upgraded. All you have to do is update some of your kitchen hardware, like the knobs on your cabinets or the handles on your drawers. You’ll get that new kitchen feel for a fraction of the cost. However, choose your new hardware wisely. Here are 3 trends in kitchen hardware to keep an eye on.
1. Artsy knobs
The great thing about the term “artsy” is that it’s totally up to your interpretation and discretion. You can take your pick of colorful knobs, varying sized knobs and knobs of many different styles. Got a theme for your kitchen? Go all out by getting knobs that matches your vision. 
Whatever your method of madness, personalize your kitchen in the subtlest and classiest of ways so you can impress guests. You can peruse the knob section at Home Depot or Lowes for ideas, or you can check out what’s new in the DIY section of the internet.
2. Bar handles
You can make your kitchen seem more modern and sleek without replacing a single panel or backsplash tile. Just incorporate long, straight lines in your kitchen with bar handles.
These handles are most commonly seen in restaurant kitchens: They’re long and slim metal bars that run the length of drawers. They’re not only great for design but also for utility. You can be completely engrossed in a recipe, reach over to grab a drawer handle and grasp it every time, without fail.
Now, if you have a theme for your kitchen, these handles are maybe not the best way to go. If you’re going for minimalist and even futuristic vibe, these handles are for you.
3. Finger handles
Although they may look like it, finger handles aren’t actually tiny shelves for mice (knock on wood that there aren’t really mice in your kitchen). These flat, stainless steel handles work great for the lower, base cabinets in your kitchen. Just slip a finger or two under the small lip of the handle to open your cabinets.
They look great and they’re completely functional. No more bending down to open a cabinet just to discover the pot you were looking for wasn’t even in there.
Pro tip: Updating the hardware in your kitchen is a great way to spruce up your kitchen before showing your house to prospective buyers. When you’re ready to sell your home, give us a shout. We’re here to help.

Monday, October 23, 2017

WHAT IS THE BEST INVESTMENT? REAL ESTATE!


In a quiet corner of West Palm Beach's Presidential Estates, where luxury homes abound, some on the waterfront, you will find WHITEHALL CONDOS.  There are sparkling white buildings with catwalk designs that bring N'Awlins to mind.  Beautiful gardens, flowering bushes, and palm trees are meticulously cared for.  It is quiet, peaceful, and there are a beautiful Olympic-size pool and a small clubhouse on the grounds.  Meandering paths have pretty views and an occasional bench to sit on and rake in the colorful pastoral views.

The new Banyan Cay Country Club is being built next door with a Nicklaus golf course, hotel and clubhouse, and they accept outside members.  Guard gated at the north and south ends, this is a safe secure community.

All units have 1385 living sq ft. They are spacious with a huge walk-in master closet, two bedrooms, two full baths, laundry room with storage space and a bonus room for storage or other usages.  There is a wall of windows at the end of the living room. Some overlook water views, some overlook the golf course.  Others overlook gardens. Kitchens have all the "usual" appliances and a small area for a snack. Some kitchens are updated, some are not. There is a pass-thru window from the kitchen to the dining area.

A property manager can handle "fix-up" that renters request and collect 
the rent for you.

If you are a large investor, this could be a way to start off younger members of your family learning about real estate investments "as they go."

Some of the Whitehall condo owners have two, three or four units that are rented out. Priced at market value, they sell and rent quickly. The units can cost from $114,000 to $140,000, and with many upgrades can cost more.

If you like this idea, give me a call or text me at 561-302-3388 and let me show you some units and the grounds.


Marilyn Jacobs, Realtor

Monday, October 16, 2017

KLUGE ESTATE SPLIT INTO LOTS, ONE IS UNDER CONTRACT, FOUR ARE AVAILABLE



One lot is under contract and the other four are available for sale.  Prices range from $6.895mm to $14.495mm.  The plat won approval in July.  Total acreage is 3.4.  The location is South County Road at the northeast corner of El Bravo Way, four blocks from Worth Avenue in Palm Beach.


The developer who owns the properties might develop homes there himself or with others. He paid $39mm and purchased the property from Columbia University.  Kluge had bequeathed the property to Columbia University.

This is the first major subdivision in recent memory in the Estate Section of Palm Beach Island.

If any of the lots interest you, let's go look (Marilyn Jacobs, 561-302-3388).

Photo is courtesy of Christian Angle Real Estate.


You spend a lot of time focusing on what you eat and how it impacts your health. But there’s more to being healthy than what we put into our stomachs.
Here are just a few of the essentials:
·       You need to give your body the right amount of rest.
·       You need to stimulate your mind and expose yourself to beauty.
·       You need to make sure that the air that you breathe is healthy and clean.
Did you know that there are house plants that can meet all those needs? It’s true!
No matter how well you clean your home or how organic the products you buy, toxins in the air are hard to wipe away.
Some can cause allergic reactions and illness. But there are houseplants that remove impurities from the air while they help add to the warmth and serenity of your environment.
They’re easy to find and inexpensive too!
By adding any of these green beauties to your home you can give yourself greater peace of mind and cleaner air to breathe.

1. Boston Fern
Boston Ferns are the most efficient air filtering plant you can buy.
They’re also available for purchase everywhere… chances are good that if your supermarket sells plants, they will sell Boston Ferns.
Keeping a Boston Fern healthy is pretty simple. Give it a dose of plant food once a month and water it regularly. If you live in a dry area, you should mist it once a day too.

2. Palm Trees

These tropical beauties are very good at removing toxins like formaldehyde from the air.
The Dwarf Date is best of all, but other good choices include the Parlor Palm, a Bamboo Palm or a Lady Palm. Palm Trees will flourish in a sunny spot in your home.

3. Rubber Plant
If you think your home doesn’t get enough light to sustain a plant, try a Rubber Plant or a 
They don’t need much sun and they do a great job of cleaning the air.

4. English Ivy
This is another plant that is sold just about everywhere.
Though most people think of English Ivy as a climbing plant that lives outdoors, if you keep it inside it will stay pretty compact.
It needs very little care – just water and mist once a week or so – and it will keep your air free of toxins and mold.
In fact, a study showed that it cuts airborne mold by 94%.

5. Peace Lily
There are a lot of good reasons for choosing a Peace Lily for your home.
This beautiful plant needs very little light and will bloom all year long. It is good at removing all types of harsh gases, and even adds humidity to the air.

6. Aloe Vera

This spiky succulent is not only good at improving your air quality: you can also use the gel that flows through its leaves to help speed healing.
It’s an especially good plant to keep in the kitchen to quickly soothe the pain from burns.
Yours in health and happiness,
Danette May
America’s Leading Healthy Lifestyle Expert

Monday, March 27, 2017

PHOTOS FROM BILL & MELINDA GATES SEATTLE HOME

“XANADU 2.0” IS AWESOME

·       Costing $60MM, it took seven years to build; Bill Gates also bought several surrounding houses for about $14.4MM.  The home has 24 bathrooms. Annual property tax is over $1MM.

·       Pool measures 60’x17’ and has a fossil-motif floor and underwater music system.  Locker room has 4 showers and 2 baths. Dive into the pool and you can come up by an outdoor terrace, going under a glass wall. Fitness gym is 2500 sq ft;  trampoline room has 20’ ceiling.   There is an elevator, but if you are into fitness, set your fitbit and head up or down the 84 steps from the entrance to the ground floor.

·       1000 sq ft dining room seats 24. 150 people can be fed dinner or 200 can be at a cocktail party in the 2300 sq ft reception hall.  Guests receive a pin that interacts with room sensors and can change to your preference the temperature, music and lighting.  This was built in 1995.

·      Guest house has 1 bedroom, 1 bath and is 1900 sq ft.

·       The grounds include an artificial stream and wetland estuary stocked with salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout. The sand on the lake bank is imported from warmer sandier climates, perhaps Hawaii.















Thursday, August 18, 2016

5 Kitchen Design Trends to Take From PULTE'S Model Homes

5 Kitchen Design Trends to Take From Model Homes

The model homes of builders are known for showcasing the latest interior design trends in trying to appeal to home shoppers. So what’s trending when it comes to the kitchen?
PulteGroup’s Interior Designs Team is merchandising about 425 model homes in 2016. The kitchen is a big area that gets a lot of the design team’s focus too.
“Today’s home buyers are willing to spend more in the kitchen – from energy-efficient appliances to quartz countertops,” says Janice Jones, PulteGroup’s national vice president of interior design. “We continuously conduct consumer focus groups to best understand what they want in their kitchens and are constantly refining our kitchen designs and its elements to ensure it delivers on functionality, creative design and easy maintenance across all our buyer groups.”
Jones cites five kitchen trends in 2016 that they are reflecting in many PulteGroup model homes lately. These trends also can serve as inspiration for home owners planning renovation projects or wanting ideas for easy updates, Jones notes.
1. Contrasting materials
Materials are getting mixed in the kitchen. Contrasting colors and styles are combined to create a more unique space. For example, mixed marbles and metals in a space can help highlight gray wood tones.

2. Decorative lighting
Bold and oversized lighting choices are popular choices. “Decorative lighting is key in the kitchen and adds dramatic flair as well as functionality to the kitchen, especially over the kitchen island,” according to PulteGroup’s Interior Designs Team.
3. Transparency
Switch out some cabinet doors with glass doors. It can help you extend visual boundaries while also allowing home owners to display some of their favorite things and add more personalization to a space.


4. Storage
Home owners are always looking for more storage, especially in the kitchen. Double-stacked cabinets that extend to the ceiling can help maximize storage space.

5. More drawers, less doors
Having plenty of kitchen drawers can add more functionality in storage. Home owners are showing preferences toward more drawers over extra cabinets. Bold hardware can then added to the drawers to add more design appeal, PulteGroup says.

brought to you by MARILYN JACOBS, REALTOR
from REALTOR MAGAZINE

Saturday, June 18, 2016

A GOOD MOVE: IMPROVING DETERIORATING BUILDINGS IN PALM BEACH ON ROYAL POINCIANA WAY



A positive development is brewing in Palm Beach that will have appropriate eyes on re-development issues.  A decade ago the Testa family, restauranteurs, sought to change zoning restrictions, especially the town’s on-site parking requirements which the Testas said discouraged others from investing in the deteriorating buildings, including the restaurant they owned. The town has approved redevelopment by purchasers of the Testa property into a new restaurant, shops and luxury homes with underground parking. 
Adjacent properties have been purchased from a Saudi prince that encompass about 30,000 sq ft of rentable restaurant, retail and office space  and a 1400 sq ft apartment, all within about an eighth of an acre.  Included are Classic Collections (landmarked), Evelyn & Arthur (landmarked), Nick & Johnnies (façade is landmarked), and The Palm Beach Bookstore.  The properties were sold to generate funds the seller plans to reinvest in other capital projects, almost all of it planned to stay in the U.S.  According to news reports, the new owners have talked to other owners of adjacent properties, who don’t want to sell… YET!
This area is just north of “downtown Palm Beach” and The Breakers Hotel on a street with a pretty median, open views and royal palm trees, and some parking. The new owners of the properties are focused on re-energizing the street, improving its walkability, adding the needed underground parking, and stopping the inevitable deterioration and blight. Along with preserving the “small town appearance and character,” and adding upgraded or new businesses, the expected result will be new jobs, new residences and new patrons will come to the area.
The community has members who want to protect the street’s small-town character from over-development. The proposed new underground parking area will counter complaints about anticipated congestion and bring new people to the area.  As this development comes about, we will watch it grow and be proud. The Preservation Foundation (your editor is a member) recently played a large part in restoration in the Royal Poinciana Plaza area, caddy-corner and a bit down the block from the Testa property.  It would not be surprising to find the Foundation involved in this project.
The anticipated soon-to-be owners have engaged an architect who is a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission “to work with us on the landmarked buildings… to properly restore and protect the site’s historically significant buildings.” This should counter objections about the appearance of the street when the area is redeveloped. 
Most (perhaps all) of the buildings they purchased are wood frame, dating to the early 1900’s, and are suffering decay from roof leaks and water damage, mold accumulations and wood rot, termite infestation and structural failures. Electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning systems require complete upgrades or replacements.  Estimates for costs may be equal to or exceed the $10.35mm cost of the properties.
In the US of A, you can’t stop progress, thank heavens. 

MARILYN FARBER JACOBS

Luxury Property Specialist at Heath & Joseph Real Estate

Friday, June 3, 2016

THINGS THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ON PALM BEACH'S ROYAL POINCIANA WAY


The owners of the 1.3 acre Testa property on Royal Palm Way, the Frisbees, are looking to buy the .8-acre site at the east end of the block between Royal Poinciana Way and Sunset Avenue.  They will redevelop the Testa properties and the adjacent four parcels that include Nick and Johnnie’s restaurant, Evelyn & Arthur’s clothing store, Eyes on the Island, the Palm Beach Book Store, Classic Collections boutique, a via and one apartment, owned by Vesenaz Inc.  Closing for these properties is planned for Friday.

It will be interesting to watch the revitalization of this well-known area.  Several of these buildings are landmarked and would need approval for any changes from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.  That includes two Arte Moderne-style buildings, Evenly and Arthur at 100 North County Road, and the Classic Collections building at 118 North County Road.  Nick & Johnnie’s façade is also landmarked.

Other property owners on Royal Poinciana Way, adjacent to Testa's, have been asked if they would be interested in selling their properties.  Two have said no but they are interested in the new developments that are coming.  These owners have been approached by others, including The Breakers, owners of the old Palm Beach Daily News building at 265 Royal Poinciana Way, who at this time do not plan to sell but would consider buying.

With Town Council approval received, the redevelopment of the Testa site will include a new restaurant, shops, luxury condominiums and underground parking. This is a pretty area, exuding Palm Beach‘s glamourous luxe feeling and relaxed environment. The forthcoming condominiums will be sold quickly, in this highly desirable neighborhood.

Will keep the readership advised of developments.  Stay tuned.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

WHAT DOES THE NAME STEVE CASE MEAN TO YOU?

In June 1983, I was at a crossroads. I was twenty-four years old and had spent a year working for Pizza Hut. And while I had a good time traveling the country and stuffing myself, the job was starting to get old. That summer I made a pros and cons list. I wrote down various career options — going to an established company, a startup, or a consulting firm — and ticked through the benefits and drawbacks of each possible move. 

First on my list were established tech companies such as Apple and Atari. Marketing positions at these companies would have provided the tech on-ramp I was seeking, but with big companies come internal politics and red tape. There were some pros to those jobs but also a whole lot of cons.
Co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of America Online (AOL)

When considering the possibility of joining a marketing consulting firm in San Francisco, I noted that while it would be fun to work in Silicon Valley, I had three concerns: “stuffy, tough sell, don’t like consulting.” So that was a pass, too. 
Finally, there was CVC, the startup I ended up choosing. I saw a lot upside to going there: an exciting idea, promising technology, a chance to make a big impact in a growing market — and, best of all, the opportunity to work alongside and learn from entrepreneur Bill von Meister. I listed only one downside: “future uncertain.” 
Everything about the CVC job was up in the air, from my future role in the company to the future of the company itself. Of course, you know how the story ends (the company became AOL), but at the time this was a big concern. In a way, though, that uncertainty was as much a pro as it was a con. Sure, an uncertain future meant I could be out on the streets looking for a job in a few months’ time. But it also meant a chance to make my own destiny. A chance, as it turned out, to play a role in making the Internet a part of everyday life.
I’m often reminded of the famous newspaper ad Ernest Shackleton is said to have placed before his 1914 attempt to explore Antarctica: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.” That’s the beauty of entrepreneurship, and that’s what drew me to CVC. 
The bottom line is that when I was twenty-four, I had no idea where my own “hazardous journey” would lead me. I didn’t know whether my stock options would even be worth the paper they were printed on. All I knew was that in the uncertainty lay immense challenges — and enormous opportunities. There was a boundless electronic frontier to explore, an online Antarctica filled with peril and possibility. And I knew that I needed to be a part of charting that uncertain future. 
When I think about what the world will look like thirty years from now and try to anticipate what problems we need to solve — to say nothing of the problems we face now — I see another uncertain future. But I also believe that, as in my case, this uncertainty isn’t a disadvantage. Once again, we’ve got a pro masquerading as a con. Once again, we have the opportunity — and, I believe, the obligation — to set a new course. Now we just have to think about what all of us — entrepreneurs, business leaders, government officials, everyday Americans with good ideas — can and must do to make sure we arrive there. 
Ride the wave
The Third Wave of the Internet is coming, the moment when the Internet transforms from something we interact with to something that interacts with everything around us. It will mean the rise of the Internet of Everything, where everything we do will be enabled by an Internet connection, much in the way it’s already enabled by electricity. 
This process will lead to the transformation of some of the industries that are vital to our daily lives, which will make the barriers to success higher, and the need to form partnerships much more central, as a way of building credibility, opening doors, and getting past industry gatekeepers. One such partner will likely be the government, which has an interest in regulating the industries most affected by the Third Wave.
Don’t confuse your views of government with the role of government, which can be either an impediment to progress or a driver of it, and which cannot be ignored. Much Third Wave innovation will come from impact entrepreneuring focused on building “profit plus purpose” companies that have a measurable impact on the world. And this innovation will be geographically dispersed, as the rest of the country (and the world) rises up to complement the innovation now occurring largely in a few places, such as Silicon Valley. The challenges in the Third Wave will be vexing, and as Thomas Edison reminds us, “Vision without execution is hallucination.” But if we rally together, and execute with precision, we can remain the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial nation.
So that’s my thesis, in a nutshell. Think of it as the CliffsNotes — or BuzzFeed — guide to the Third Wave. One more parting thought before I go. 

A message to corporate America 
To corporate leaders, it’s time to develop a perpetual sense of paranoia and curiosity. It’s time to both fear the future and seize its promise, to restlessly drive to master it, no matter what it holds. Regardless of where you and your company stand at the end of today, you can always wake up tomorrow to find that things have changed drastically. You jeopardize your position if you don’t strive to anticipate how it will change. 

Keep your finger on the pulse of technology, and consider what its beat might mean for your business. Take stock of trends. Resist the temptation to dismiss up-and-coming technologies. 
Empower your team to ask questions and, where no answers exist, to create new ones. Give them the space to innovate and experiment. Take more “shots on goal.” Allow more crazy ideas to bubble up, because the very best ideas often sound ridiculous when first proposed. Surely, executives at Marriott and Hilton would have thought that the idea of renting an air mattress or a room in an apartment was insane. But in 2015, seven years after starting, Airbnb was valued at $25 billion, making it worth more than either of the hospitality powerhouses, both of which have been around for more than half a century. And it’s not just about relative valuations: it’s also about sudden shifts in market dynamics. As Senator Marco Rubio has pointed out, Airbnb is now the largest hospitality provider, yet they don’t own a single hotel. Similarly, Uber is the largest transportation company, though they don’t own a single vehicle. And neither company existed a decade ago. 
Remember that disruption has broadened. Your competitors won’t just emerge from the low end of your industry. Increasingly, they’ll come from other industries, too. Apple wasn’t in the music business, nor was Google in the mobile phone business — until suddenly they were. So build a network in and around your company — and look for the opportunity in every direction.
The future belongs to those who endeavor to create it. That’s why we go into business — because we have a vision for the future that we want to see through. So don’t let temporary successes permanently blind your future ambitions.
You have the resources — human, capital, otherwise — to take on ambitious projects. And so you must decide — is it better to use those recourse to resist change or to drive it? 
And remember this: In the Third Wave, partnerships will become more important. You’ll have more opportunities in the next decade than you did in the past decade. So don’t just play defense, play offense. Don’t just defend, attack. But don’t go it alone. As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.” 

This post has been adapted and excerpted from Steve Case’s new book, “The Third Wave: An Entrepreneur’s Vision of the Future,” on sale now from Simon & Schuster. This article is from LINKED IN.