Tampa Bay Florida Real Estate

Florida Property Insurance

2008-02-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

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Updates and Valuable Free Information.

Property Insurance is a hot topic for the main stream media. If a person did not do all the reasearch they might think you could not get Insurance in Florida.

Fortunately, there are many experts in the area to guide you through the sometimes murky waters of the insurance industry.

Here is a new online tool that will allow consumers to compare homeowners' insurance rates in all 67 counties. It's called www.ShopandCompareRates.com They have collected the approved homeowners' rates for 25 insurance companies, including Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, based on the following example: a $150,000 masonry home that is 5-years old, has a $500 non-hurricane deductible, a 2% hurricane deductible, has no claims, and no wind mitigation discounts. Companies have several rating territories in each county, so those rates were averaged into a single rate in each county for each company. They hope to expand this feature to include more companies and more options in the future.

www.floir.com The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation ensures that insurance companies licensed to do business in Florida are financially viable, operating within the laws and regulations governing the insurance industry; and offering insurance policy products at fair and adequate rates which do not unfairly discriminate against the buying public.

www.citizensfla.com Citizens Property Insurance Corp is a State-run insurer
As a last resort, home buyers who can't obtain insurance can turn to the state's Citizens Property Insurance Corp. which is the state's largest homeowners property insurer. The Florida Legislature created the corporation in 2002 by merging two underwriting agencies, Florida Residential Property and Casualty Joint Underwriting Association and the Florida Windstorm Underwriting Association, to provide insurance to people in high-risk areas who can't find coverage in the private market. Citizens Property Insurance is working on a system that would give policyholders the option to pay their premiums annually, semi-annually or quarterly. By spreading the payment, Citizens hopes it will alleviate financial pressures brought on by a high-risk state. But it may also mean that Citizens will have to take on more risk.

Talk to insurance companies early to find the best deal and bind the coverage as soon as possible.
When you have a good idea that you may be purchasing a property in a general area, it is recommended to start shopping around and talking to insurance companies for quotes. It's similar to what you would do for a mortgage.

A binder - is an insurance company's commitment to cover the home buyer. Just as a loan lock is a lenders commitment to lock in a rater for a specific time. Without a binder, real estate deals can be delayed when insurance companies shut off new coverage because of hurricane or tropical storm reports.
Most insurance companies track weather patterns to determine when and where to temporarily stop issuing policies. In hurricane season, before you are ready to go under contract get that binder. Buyers must put money down toward the insurance costs to get a binder, but the money will be refunded if the deal falls through.

June 15, 2007 The State of Florida approves eight insurers, limits who they can cover and pricing.

State insurance regulators have given eight new property and casualty insurance companies approval to write policies so far this year, already doubling the number of insurers that entered the market as of May last year. The companies are limited in who they will cover and at what price. Among the eight insurers approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, four are standard insurers, three are nonstandard insurers -- also called surplus line carriers -- and one is a reciprocal exchange, in which the members pay a first-year fee that becomes the initial capital for the insurer.

Florida Real Estate Market Research

2008-02-16T20:11:00.001-08:00

www.TopTeamWeb.com

Feb 2008 - In the Tampa Bay Florida On Average - Property under 250,000 is in a stable buyers market. $250,000 to $500,000 is in a good buyers market. Property over $500,000 is in an extreme buyers market...meaning more price reductions and better negotiating.

The market has stabilized in certain areas of Tampa Bay Florida. Overpriced properties still exist and sellers are hoping for an uniformed buyer to show up. That will not be you, when you use exclusive buyer representation.

Two years ago many Investors played musical chairs with investments and bought overpriced real estate they intended to 'flip' or sell for a profit. Many since....have sold for losses...sometimes substantial. I represented and negotiated a deal recently for a buyer and the seller took an $85,000 loss on a $425,000 investment property that was a vacant and on the market for over 9 months.

Proper research and facts in this current market are critical. Don't judge real estate nationally...but locally.

Remember, you are probably considering buying only one property at this time.
Listing Agents represent the Sellers....so have a Buyers Agent find out......
How much did they pay and when?
How much mortgage debt remains on the property. Was it a secondary residence?
Is it vacant?
What did others pay going back to when the unit was first built.
How many days has it been on the market with the current listing agent?
How many other listing agents marketed it and for how long?
What are comparable properties selling for in the last 6 months.
What is the condition of the property?

Pent Up Demand means Bargains

2008-02-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

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1st Quarter 2008
Realtors around the state of Florida expect buyers and sellers’ pent up demand to generate an immediate increase in home sales following passage of Amendment 1, which allows buyers to take their Save Our Homes tax savings with them when they move.

“People who buy now are getting a great deal because home prices have fallen,” says FAR President and St. Petersburg Realtor Nancy Riley. “These price reductions, combined with portability, will mean a great deal on the taxes owed on their new home.” "Those who have been dreaming of buying their first home will find this the best market in many years.”

Has the Market Bottomed part 2

2008-02-16T19:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.tampabaycondosale.com

Feb 2008 - Each transaction is individual. Many recent sales were rock bottom purchases for the Buyers.

A few recent examples for your consideration
2BR 2BA Waterfront Condo MLS# 7256439 Orig List Price: $525,000 Reduced to List Price: $484,500
2007 SOLD Sales Price: $250,000 Address: 895 Gulfview Blvd S 303 Clearwater, FL
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3BR 2BA Waterfont Condo MLS# 7251356 Orig List Price: $639,000 Reduced List Price: $574,000
SOLD Sales Price: $480,000 Address: 530 Gulfview Blvd S 702 Clearwater Year Built: 2006
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2BR 2BA Gulf Front Condo Clearwater Beach Orig List Price: $524,900 - SOLD Sales Price $406,250

We believe the market is ripe for bottom pickings

Has the Real Estate Market Bottomed

2008-02-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

Record-low mortgage rates, pent-up demand and a large selection of properties bode will for Buyers. http://www.tampabaycondosale.com

The Hot Florida real estate market from 2003 to 2005 has dissipated. From 2006 to the present, there has been an increasing inventory of listings with asking prices well below the actual purchase price. The majority were speculators that got caught up in the frenzy. No one can predict the bottom for national, regional or even local real estate.

The one thing that is certain is the amount of bargains that now exist...that may not be on the market for those waiting for the bottom. A detailed comparable analysis, days on the market, sellers purchase price, sellers current mortgage outstanding, use as an investment or permanent residence is the first step to review on any property that interests. The second step is not to deal with the Sellers Listing Agent...but to use a Buyers Agent... with strong experienced negotiating skills to help you determine an offering price on the property you want to purchase.

Each transaction is individual. Many recent sales were rock bottom purchases for the Buyers.

Florida Property Tax Reform

2007-11-18T22:57:00.000-08:00

http://www.TampaBayCondoSale.com
November 2007 - The final tax reform proposal passed both chambers.

Floridians will have a chance to vote for some property tax relief in January.

The highlights of the Constitutional Amendment are as follows: Expands the homestead exemption. Allows "portability" of accumulated Save Our Home benefits for homestead property owners. 10% assessment cap for all non-homestead and commercial properties. Tangible Personal Property exemption of $25,000 for small businesses.

Florida Special Session to Cut Insurance Costs

2007-01-11T17:57:00.000-08:00

Mortgage Info http://www.floridaonlinemortgages.com
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Florida House proposes range of special session bills to cut insurance costs

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Jan. 11, 2007 – The Florida House of Representatives unveiled its insurance reforms yesterday. It’s too soon to predict which initiatives will survive, much less find agreement between the House and Senate, but Florida Association of Realtors®’ (FAR) Vice President of Public Policy John Sebree says the House’s proposals go “far beyond where we thought they would go in an effort to cut rates for consumers.”
The proposed reforms will be discussed in a workshop today and considered as six separate bills during the special session of the legislature that begins next week.
According to House leaders, their reform package is “designed to cut homeowners insurance rates by 25 percent, replace Citizens Property Insurance’s Board of Directors and rollback the company’s most recent rate increases, crack down on pup companies and cherry-picking, and ensure that consumers are treated fairly by insurers.”
“Pup companies” are Florida subsidiaries of national property insurance companies such as State Farm Florida and Allstate Floridian. Critics say that the national firms create new Florida-only companies that make overall losses appear worse than they are by comparing hurricane losses only to income derived from state policyholders, ignoring large profits generated derived from property insurance policies in other states.
Highlights of the House reform package:
• Require that existing pup companies increase their investment in Florida by creating a surplus of 133 percent of the minimum required statutory surplus.
• Prohibit the formation of any future pup companies in Florida.
• Require Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation to consider the profitability of national affiliates during the rate review process for current Florida-based subsidiaries.
• Eliminate the practice of “cherry-picking” coverage, affecting insurers that offer other types of insurance policies in Florida, such as auto, and property insurance in other states. If passed, these insurers would have to be “meaningfully engaged in the sales of property insurance in Florida.”
• Require insurers to consider the storm-worthiness of homes, rather than the date of construction, to determine risk.
• Require insurers who purchase low-cost reinsurance through Florida’s CAT Fund to pass 100 percent of that savings onto consumers.
• Repeal the Jan. 1, 2007, Citizens Property Insurance rate filing and refund to property owners any premium already paid.
• Freeze Citizens Property Insurance rates effective on Dec. 13, 2006, for the duration of 2007.
• Require Citizens’ rates to be actuarially adequate, but no longer requires Citizens’ rates to be the highest in the market.
• Eliminate the reinsurance factor used to calculate Citizens’ rates, which should eliminate an estimated 56 percent increase in current rates.
• Allow homeowners to make Citizens policy payments on an installment basis.
• Suspend the provision in law that allows insurance companies to automatically raise rates without review.
• Eliminate regional exemptions to the Uniform Building Code.
• Advocate the creation of a National State Summit on Property Insurance between Florida, other high-risk states, and elected and appointed leaders in the federal government.
• Renew Florida’s commitment to the creation of a National Catastrophe Fund.
• Renew Florida’s commitment to amending the Internal Revenue Service code to allow tax-deferred hurricane reserve accounts.
• Renew Florida’s commitment to amending Internal Revenue Service code to allow hurricane savings accounts.
• Establish Florida’s commitment to amending Internal Revenue Service code to allow a personal income tax deduction for home mitigation.

Florida Insurance Rates

2007-01-05T22:16:00.000-08:00

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Tallahassee Florida - Jan, 2007
Governor Charlie Crist takes office just two weeks before the Legislature convenes in a special session to attempt to solve the state’s property insurance crisis. The new governor didn’t skirt that issue and a second – property taxes – in his remarks.

He singled out an 83-year-old Pensacola woman whose homeowners insurance premium climbed from $1,000 a year to more than $5,000. “Some of our families are no longer able to afford their homes, spending down their retirement to keep a roof over their head, leveraging their children’s future to keep food on the table,” Crist said. “This cannot – this will not – stand.”

He said he will also seek a constitutional amendment to cut property taxes, but he did not elaborate in the speech. On the campaign trail, Crist proposed a constitutional amendment allowing counties to double the Florida homestead exemption from $25,000 to $50,000, and also proposed allowing homeowners to transfer the tax benefits from their homestead status to another home, a concept known as “portability.”

Tampa Bay Condos Florida Disclosure

2006-11-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

More Free Tampa Bay Condo Info> http://www.tampabaycondosale.com

CONDOMINIUM ACT (CH 718, F.S.)
The Florida Condominium Act prescribes the process by which condominiums are created, marketed, and operated. It defines common elements, describes the maintenance and assessment of common expenses, and requires full disclosure of information before the sale of the property. Strong controls govern advance payments and deposits. Developers must warrant the improvements for three years after completion of construction.

For residential condominiums established after April 1, 1992, each unit's share of common elements maintenance must be related to the unit's total square footage or on an equal fractional basis.

Buyers may rescind a purchase contract within 15 days for a new condominium, or three business days for a resale unit. The time period begins when the buyer signs the contract or is given the required condominium documents, whichever is later.

The required documents include the declaration of condominiums, articles of incorporation, bylaws, rules of the association, and a copy of the most recent year-end financial statement.

The 2004 Florida legislature made many changes to Chapter 718, F.S. Among other things:
The requirement that sellers provide a copy of the condominium association's "Question and Answer Sheet" was reinstated, effective October 1, 2004.

A mandate that any amendment to the condominium association's bylaws of that restricts a unit owner's rights relating to the rental of units applies only to those unit owners who consent to the amendment and unit owners who purchase their units after the effective date of that amendment. This was a response to court decisions allowing associations to restrict rentals by majority vote.

A high-rise condominium exemption from installing sprinklers, if three-fifths of the owners vote for the exemption.

Effective January 1, 2005, before the buyer signs a contract to purchase, Florida real estate licensees must give a property tax disclosure that includes the following wording:
PROPERTY TAX DISCLOSURE SUMMARY

BUYER SHOULD NOT RELY ON THE SELLER'S CURRENT PROPERTY TAXES AS THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY TAXES THAT THE BUYER MAY BE OBLIGATED TO PAY IN THE YEAR SUBSEQUENT TO PURCHASE. A CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP OR PROPERTY IMPROVEMENTS TRIGGERS REASSESSMENTS OF THE PROPERTY THAT COULD RESULT IN HIGHER PROPERTY TAXES. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING VALUATION, CONTACT THE COUNTY PROPERTY APPRAISER'S OFFICE FOR INFORMATION.

Real Estate Settlement Procedures

2006-11-22T13:46:00.000-08:00

More Free Mortgage Info> http://www.floridaonlinemortgages.com

The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) was enacted in 1974 to protect buyers by requiring disclosure of the amounts and types of charges they must pay at closing. Transactions involving a federally related mortgage loan secured by a lien on residential property are covered by the Act.

Following are four principal areas of the RESPA:
Uniform Closing Statement: the closing agent must use the HUD-1 form.Borrower's Special Information Booklet ( Settlement Costs and You): Must be given to the borrower at the time of loan application or within three business days of loan application.

Good-Faith Estimate of Settlement Costs: Must be given to the borrower at the time of the loan application or within three business days of receipt of application. It itemizes closing costs known to the lender.Selection of the Closing Agent: The lender must disclose the business relationship and the charges of any closing agent if the lender requires that the loan be closed by that agent.

No Kickbacks: Service fees may not be paid unless a service was actually performed by a person licensed to do so, and all parties are informed. Referral fees between brokers are permitted.

Purchase of Title Insurance: A seller may not make it a condition of the sale that the buyer purchase title insurance from a particular company.

Web Link U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: RESPA: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/res/respa_hm.cfm.

How to Increase Your Credit Score

2006-11-22T13:40:00.000-08:00

More Free Mortgage Info> http://www.floridaonlinemortgages.com

Increasing one's personal credit score is a long-term process.

Following are some of the most important steps to a better credit score:

Pay bills on time. Late payments and collections can have a serious impact on the FICO score.

Do not apply for credit frequently. Having a large number of inquiries shown on your credit report can lower the score.

Reduce credit-card balances. Persons who are "maxed out" will find their score declines.

Be certain to obtain enough credit to establish a credit history. Not having sufficient credit can negatively impact the score.

How to increase a personal credit scoreFreddie Mac has found that borrowers with credit scores above 660 are likely to repay the mortgage, and underwriters can do basic reviews of the files for completeness. For applicants with scores between 620 and 660, the underwriter is required to do a comprehensive review. A very cautious review would be made for persons with credit scores below 620.

The secrecy surrounding credit scores is inherently anticonsumer. Because a prospective borrower doesn't know his score, he might be charged far in excess of what he might get at another lender. Predatory lending is a term used to describe a lender who takes advantage of less sophisticated borrowers to charge unconscionable interest rates and points.
Borrowers who are quoted higher-than-market rates should shop among many lenders for the best terms. If borrowers had access to their scores and more knowledge of the lending process, they could obtain better loans. In this endeavor, a real estate licensee can be very helpful.
While most consumers have full credit bureau reports used by lenders to evaluate credit risks, approximately 54 million Americans (young people, recent immigrants, or newly divorced or widowed consumers) have no reports on file. Because these situations make it difficult to qualify for mortgages, FICO has developed a new credit score program that lenders may elect to use. This program evaluates "nontraditional" data, such as how well consumers handled payday loans and retail payment plans. The FICO score will also review how responsibly individuals used their checking accounts' overdraft protections.
Is credit scoring valid?With credit scoring, lenders can evaluate millions of applicants consistently and impartially on many different characteristics. To be statistically valid, the system must be based on a big enough sample. When properly designed, the system promotes fast, impartial decisions.

FICO has recently completed NextGen, designed to more precisely define the risk of borrowers because it analyzes more criteria than the old model. Using the new model, lenders can evaluate credit profiles of high-risk borrowers in terms of degrees, rather than lumping them into the same category.

What are the future uses of credit scoring?
Many experts believe that residential lending will begin to use credit scoring the same way it is used in automobile financing and consumer loans. Freddie Mac is currently conducting a pilot program with large lenders. Interest rates on home mortgages may be based on the credit score. Today's "6 percent mortgage" may be tomorrow's "5¾ percent for A+ borrowers, 6 percent for A, and 6¼ percent for B+."

Web Link Fannie Mae Home Page: http://www.fanniemae.com/
Freddie Mac Home Page: http://www.freddiemac.com/
FHA Single Family Insurance Page: http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/insured.cfm.
Federal Reserve Board: http://www.federalreserve.gov/
U.S. Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: http://www.va.gov/

Your Credit Scores

2006-11-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

More Free Mortgage Info http://www.floridaonlinemortgages.com

Your Credit Scores
The most commonly used credit score today is known as a "FICO" score, named after the company that developed it, Fair Isaac Corp. FICO scores range from 400 to 900. The lower the score, the greater the risk of default.

According to FICO, the breakdown of a person's score is as follows:
35 percent of the score is determined by payment histories on credit accounts, with recent history weighted a bit more heavily than the distant past;

30 percent is based on the amount of debt outstanding with all creditors;

15 percent is produced on the basis of how long the borrower has been a credit user (a longer history is better if there have always been timely payments);

10 percent is comprised of very recent history and whether the borrower has been actively seeking (and getting) loans or credit lines in the past months;

10 percent is calculated from the mix of credit held, including installment loans (like car loans), leases, mortgages, credit cards, and so on.

Tampa Bay Buyers Market

2006-11-14T18:08:00.000-08:00

Supply and Demand - Inventory Search
Free Search of All Available Listings on this web site
http://www.tampabaycondosale.com

The Tampa Bay Florida Market is now in a Buyers Market

During buyers' markets, homes may sit on the market for awhile before selling, so sellers become more flexible and usually drop their asking prices. Buyers Agents have stronger negotiating power for their clients, especially those that are pre-approved for a loan or are all cash buyers.

During sellers' markets, homes sell quickly and sellers have a lot of pricing power. As a result, prices rise more rapidly than at other times. The Tampa Bay Florida market was red hot in pricing increases from 2002 to the end of 2005. It has now cooled off considerably. We have saved thousands for our buyers in this current real estate atmosphere.

The market is determined by supply and demand, interest rates and the overall economic conditions.

In real estate, the relationship between supply and demand is calculated as "available inventory." At the current sales pace, how long would it take to sell the total number of houses available on the market? That is how the real estate industry measures inventory.

Inventory is measured in weeks and months. Longer inventory times are associated with buyers' markets. Shorter inventory periods are associated with sellers' markets. Some buyers and sellers hope to time their purchase to take advantage of market cycles.

Mortgage Fraud in Florida

2006-11-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

Free Loan Information - Web Site http://www.floridaonlinemortgages.com

FACING FORECLOSURE? Don't become a victim to vultures with rescue programs.

Gripped by fear, many financially troubled South Floridians are falling victim to foreclosure schemes that can rob them of their homes and their equity.

Real estate experts say the occurrence of fraud is growing with the number of foreclosures, which has soared in Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade. According to a study of 100 metropolitan areas released Friday, Fort Lauderdale has the second-highest rate of homes facing the possibility of foreclosure, behind only Detroit. Miami ranks No. 4 and the Palm Beach area is No. 13.

Firms making dubious claims approach homeowners and promise to help them keep their property. While some so-called foreclosure rescue companies are legitimate, many fleece people who are so desperate that they agree to deals they don't fully understand.

In one common scheme, the fraudster persuades the homeowner to sign over the property and pay rent to keep living in it. When the owner-turned-renter believes he's eligible to regain the title, the fraudster refuses to cooperate.

Signatures, documents and all sorts of data are forged or fabricated in the most blatant cases. The victims are typically poor or working-class homeowners with little knowledge of real estate transactions.

"It's pure, unadulterated fraud," said Roy Oppenheim, a Weston lawyer who handles real estate cases. "You've got to be so depraved to do that."

There are no easy solutions for someone facing the threat of foreclosure. But people too often make bad decisions because they are overtaken by "a sense of paralysis, like a deer stunned in the headlights," Oppenheim said.

Here are six don'ts that can prevent you from falling for a foreclosure fraud:

Don't agree to anything if you are being rushed

Fraudsters often say a contract needs to be signed quickly or the opportunity will pass. Call them on their bluff. They're probably trying to get you to sign what they want before you ask a more knowledgeable person to look at the deal. Jackie Scott learned that the painful way. Last year she was panicking over the prospect of losing her Fort Lauderdale house. She fell six months behind on the mortgage and wanted to get some cash out of the home's equity.
A Miami mortgage broker proposed that she sign a warranty deed giving him ownership. She said he promised to get her the money if she paid him rent. Scott claims that she never received a penny. The broker tried to have Scott evicted from the home, but was unsuccessful. They later reached a settlement allowing Scott to keep the house if she agreed not to sue him, but the monthly mortgage payment has increased from $900 to $1,166 and she needed to take a second job to pay for it. She also had to put the home in her stepfather's name because of her poor credit rating. "I was too hasty to make a decision," Scott said. "As long as I had the house, I could have gotten a loan. Or I could have sold it." She said she should have sought advice and taken more time before signing the deal.

Don't sign away ownership via a quitclaim or warranty deed without consulting a lawyer

Signing over ownership is risky to begin with because the other side could find or invent a reason not to give you back the home. The National Consumer Law Center, in Boston, says you should be suspicious of any deal to pay rent for your home in order to buy it back over time.
A staff attorney at the law center, said homeowners without a lot of resources could contact their local Legal Aid office, which can help with the case or suggest a lawyer who can. She also recommends contacting the National Association of Consumer Advocates, an organization of more than 1,000 lawyers who represent consumer fraud victims.

Additional information on hiring a lawyer without spending a fortune can be found through the Florida Bar and the American Bar Association. Attorney Oppenheim points out that even the poor can go to a public library and look for lawyers by logging onto the Internet and entering groups of words such as "South Florida real estate attorneys" into a search engine.
To be sure, the poor are at a disadvantage in fighting foreclosure fraud. Many lawyers are reluctant to take cases from indigent clients, "even though that's what we're supposed to do," says Aventura attorney Lawrence R. Metsch. He is representing a Miami-Dade woman who says she has been defrauded by a foreclosure rescue firm. However, Metsch admits, "It's hard to run a practice if all you're doing is good works."

Don't do business with a company or people you know nothing about

Rescue firms learn of impending foreclosures through public records. Some show up at the front door trying to persuade homeowners to enter a deal. Real estate attorneys say you should be suspicious of such companies. Research the firm on the Internet. Type the company's and owner's names into a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. Check with state agencies to determine whether the company is licensed. Visit http://www.myflorida.com/ and look for "licensee search." Call the state Department of Business & Professional Regulation to see if it has any information on the company. Also check with the Better Business Bureau.

Don't be fooled into thinking you have no other options

"Sometimes you can negotiate with the lender," Metsch said. "Usually they don't want to take [the home] back." You can also try to refinance the home, especially if mortgage rates are low. Or you can simply sell it.

Don't sign anything you don't fully understand

Diane Fiala wasn't facing foreclosure, but the lesson she learned is universal. Fiala was tricked by someone who offered to help her find a house to buy in North Lauderdale. She didn't know that the papers she signed gave the man -- the husband of an acquaintance -- ownership of the home. "I believed him," Fiala said. "I didn't read through all the documents. I went into the process blind."

Don't ignore your gut

At first, Fiala resisted signing the papers. "I said no twice, and the third time I said yes," she said. "Listen to your inner instincts." FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nov. 14, 2006South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Ian Katz.