Property Taxes in Florida are an important consideration in estimating your total cost of ownership. In Volusia County there are several taxing districts; Municipalities such as Daytona Beach or Ormond Beach have their own millage rates. Properties in unincorporated areas of Volusia County usually have lower rates. The Spruce Creek Fly-in is located in unincorporated Volusia County.

Florida has a number of exemptions that you may be eligible for. There are several initiatives to reduce property taxes and that, if passed, will provide relief for many homeowners. Visit the Volusia County Property Appraisers Office for details.

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Whether you have a home or are trying to buy a home in the Southeast, bankers in areas hard-hit by foreclosure are starting to listen to market pressure to provide a service people can afford. In places, like Florida, that had some of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation, bankers are becoming increasingly more proactive in helping people buy or keep a home. Some, like Riverside Bank in Cape-Coral-Fort Myers, are even knocking door-to-door on delinquent owners and offering interest rates of 1.99% on revised terms.

Why They Are Doing This

The reason for this is clear: Banks and lenders lose money on foreclosures. It’s far better for them to lose just a little money on an interest rate and keep you paying, than it is to lose the entire amount on their books. The banks and lenders have come to realize that people are struggling and will simply hand in their keys, a term that is now coined “jingle mail,” instead of paying their mortgages. In order to serve distressed areas best, they are being forced to offer creative financing terms that people can afford and some interesting new proactive planning on those that still go into foreclosure.

Were You Priced Out of the Market Before?

If you are one of those people who serve the public day-to-day in low-paying, but community-critical jobs like teaching or fire-fighting, banks want to talk to you. Like Riverside, many are now looking for buyers who earlier could not afford to buy, but now make their perfect customer base, due to falling real estate prices. They will offer attractive interest rates (make sure they are fixed) and special offers on foreclosed homes. There are even bus tours now set up by the local business owners to help sell these distressed properties. Just be careful to check out the inside, as the risk of damage to the home can be higher than one that is not foreclosed upon.

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Newsweek Magazine has again ranked Spruce Creek High School in the top 100 schools in the nation. The prestigious ranking is based on the number of International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement and Cambridge exams schools give compared to their numbers of graduates. This is the fifth year the Spruce Creek school has made the list. By scoring high on those exams, students can earn college credit for courses taken in high school.

All schools that made the top 100 are in the top 5 percent of public schools. The top 100 schools are selected out of the top 1,300 top U.S. high schools. The selection criteria also rates the schools on a "Challenge Index" reflecting research showing a strong correlation between the rigor of a student's high school courses to success in college. For 2008, Spruce Creek High School ranked 92 on the list.

Spruce Creek High School is the Volusia County public school designated for Spruce Creek Fly-in residents. For more information see Newsweek's Top of the Class.

See Port Orange School Ratings

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How do you stay cool during the summer? With water, of course!

KarlHaus Realty has partnered with Wet'n Wild at Universal Studios Orlando to provide specially discounted admission pricing to Spruce Creek residents. The popular park has long been a favorite destination in Florida to visitors worldwide. Wet'n Wild is about a 50-minute drive from Spruce Creek.

A day at Wet ‘n Wild with the entire family especially made for Spruce Creek Residents

Wet ‘n Wild has more for families to do together than any other water park in the area. Mom and Dad can relax and drift away on the lazy River or the Surf Lagoon wave pool, while thrill-seeking teens can experience the ultimate free-fall on the Bomb Bay or the Der Stuka. Little ones love the Kids’ Park with miniature versions of the park’s most popular adult rides – there’s something for everyone to do, no matter how young or young at heart you are! And if the family wants to spend time together, they can enjoy a wide variety of multi-passenger rides in tubes big enough to hold the entire family! With more than 400 lifeguards on duty every day, rest assured of a fun and safe day at this great water park.

A brief history of Wet ‘n Wild, the nation’s first water park

In the mid-1970’s, George D. Millay, founder of SeaWorld, left his successful marine-life theme park to concentrate his efforts on creating the world’s first water park, Wet ‘n Wild – Orlando. The park opened in 1977 and was the first in amusement history to feature participatory water activities and attractions. Today, Wet ‘n Wild – Orlando is owned by General Electric's NBC Universal and is one of the nation’s best-attended water parks.

Only about an hour away from Spruce Creek...

Located in Orlando, on International Drive, one block east of I-4 at exit 75A, Wet‘n Wild offers extended operating hours during the summer. The park is open year-round with heated pools in the cooler months. For additional information about Wet'n Wild call (407) 351-1800 or (800) 992-9453.

With the KarlHaus Realty Wet'n Wild Discount Coupon, Spruce Creek's special Single Day Admission pricing is $25.95, a full 35% discount from the Adult General Admission of $39.95. Special discounts for annual passes are also available to Spruce Creek residents. Contact KarlHaus Realty for details.

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The finest in real estate
A smarter way to buy or sell your property

KARLHAUS REALTY™ at the Spruce Creek Fly-in is a full service Real Estate Brokerage specializing in Florida luxury residential fly-in, golf and ocean properties as well as commercial and investment real estate. Based at the Spruce Creek Fly-in, the world's most exclusive fly-in community, we are only a few miles from famous Daytona Beach. Visit KARLHAUS REALTY™ for the latest news, insights and special deals in real estate at the Spruce Creek Fly-in, Port Orange, Daytona Beach and rest of Florida.

The Rules Have Changed

The Internet has become the hunting grounds for savvy buyers, and KARLHAUS REALTY has positioned itself at the forefront of this technology to capitalize on this trend. The advent of Web 2.0, social networking and viral marketing have drastically changed the way real estate is researched, bought and sold, making the market more transparent. With Karlhaus’ internet heritage, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) experience and technological expertise you can be assured your property will get maximum exposure worldwide. For Buyers, our proprietary searching methodologies along with trusted contacts in the industry assure premier access to many properties available but not listed in the regular MLS databases.

Old style marketing just doesn't cut it in the new world of real estate. The days of taking a listing, entering it in the local MLS, running a few ads in the paper and sit and wait for a buyer to come bring you a contract are over. In this new world, terms like SEO, Viral Marketing, and Web 2.0 are a foreign language to traditional old-style real estate companies. But these are key technologies that provide the needed worldwide exposure to put together Buyers and Sellers in today’s market.

While other real estate companies pretend these trends are not there, and stagnate along with their frustrated customers, KARLHAUS REALTY has embraced them thanks to its internet heritage. Our founder, Carlos Bravo, is a former internet executive that has founded and merged several wildly successful companies in the manufacturing, management consulting and technology arenas, including taking public the first Internet Applications Services Provider (ASP) ever. As a developer and private investor, he understands the challenges and opportunities in commercial and residential markets.

Worldwide Exposure

KARLHAUS REALTY™ has teamed up with Trulia® and Point2 National Listing Service® to provide you with the most powerful listing syndication engine on the web.

When you place a listing with Karlhaus your property will automatically be seen on our entire partnership network of over 80 sites, including Google Base, Yahoo Trulia and Craigslist. This means anyone conducting a search from any of our partner sites will see your listing. You will also have access to our search engine optimization, where your listings will receive top placement in not only National and Local markets, but the very important, International searches for the Spruce Creek Fly-in. Having a multi-cultural heritage, when an international buyer calls KarlHaus, we are likely able to speak in their native language, be it Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German and others.

The pervasiveness of real estate information on the internet has created a phenomenom in which about 20 million people are browsing home listings each month

Google

Through its network of highly trafficked websites, Karlhaus has created an exceptionally targeted and cost effective marketing channel for property owners and agents to reach tenants and buyers.

More exposure means faster sell time at better price.

Your Expectations Deserve to Be Exceeded

We are, above all, trusted consultants. The foundation of our business model is a legacy from the marketing, management consulting and technology industries, where client's satisfaction determined our success. You expect the highest levels of performance, responsiveness and accountability. Your goals need to be partnered with knowledgeable, experienced professionals. Your property should receive maximum exposure in multiple markets, and most importantly, you require and deserve exceeded expectations.

Our advice comes backed by over 25 years of experience providing sound advice with integrity. While we follow the golden rule (“He who has the gold makes the rules…”), at Karlhaus:

We will never tell a client what he or she would rather hear if we don't believe that to be reality.

We will not enter into a client relationship if we know what is expected of us cannot be done in good faith.

We'd rather lose a sale than a friend. This is not just basic integrity, but also good business sense. Happy customers attract more customers, simple.

Someone once said: “If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.” That succinctly sums up our philosophy.

Spruce Creek Real Estate

Karlhaus Realty has partnered with, SolutionHaus Ltd, a marketing and management consultancy boutique and web developer. Solutionhaus is the creator of the popular online newspaper of the Spruce Creek Fly-in: The Spruce Creek Journal. The Spruce Creek Journal newslink has become the central online news source of the Spruce Creek Fly-in community. It includes the real time community calendar of events, timely articles, commentaries and the latest local news through its real time newsfeeds. The interactive site allows readers to post comments and also includes a community forum.

The Spruce Creek Fly-in information site is also run by SolutionHaus and is the internet gateway to the Spruce Creek Fly-in community. This site is visited by internet buyers from all over the world.

We at KARLHAUS REALTY™ at the Spruce Creek Fly-in not only sell the Fly-in lifestyle, we live it! Starting with our managing broker, who is not only an avid pilot, aeronautical engineer, real estate investor, developer and owner of multiple aircraft ( including one of the best WWII specimens in the world), he has made Spruce Creek his family's home. At KARLHAUS REALTY™ you have a real estate broker in the Spruce Creek Fly-in that actually resides in a hangar home and can talk first hand about Spruce Creek Fly-in real estate and great lifestyle.

Our Advertising production capabilities are second to none, learn more: Karlhaus Advertising in Spruce Creek

Make your voice be heard

We at KARLHAUS REALTY want to listen to you. Feel free to add your comments to any post in this interactive site. You don't even need to disclose your name if you don't want to (or, if you desire, just enter a fake name. The names of your college buddy in Iowa, or your aunt's in Topeka are time honored favorites...) Regardless, we truly welcome ideas to improve our site and technology model.

Jobs at Karlhaus Realty

We are actively recruiting technology-savvy experienced real estate agents. Our benefits include tuition reimbursement, a liberal bonus program and many exciting opportunities to prosper together. See the Jobs section for more information about joining our team.

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You don’t have to invest a ton of money to make your home more appealing to potential buyers – a few tips and tricks might just do the trick. Here are seven steps to stage your home for maximum effect.

Step 1: Start outdoors

For homebuyers, the first impression starts before they even get out of the car, so make your front yard and walkway as appealing as possible. Plant some flowers, rake any leaves, remove weeds, paint the fence and porch—make sure everything is in tiptop condition.

Step 2: Clear the clutter

Put away knickknacks and any odds and ends that wouldn’t be in a model home. If you’re in a hurry, just stick them in your car, inside desk drawers, or in other places the buyers won’t look.

Step 3: Let the sun shine in

Open up your blinds and curtains; light makes a room look bigger.

TIP: Appealing aromas like coffee beans and freshly baked cookies make people feel at home and put them in a good mood. So put on a pot of good coffee and pop a roll of cookie dough in the oven.

Step 4: Pare down

Put extra furniture in storage and clear the kitchen counter of appliances like the microwave oven and toaster. Besides making your house look bigger, it will help prospective buyers picture their own belongings in your home.

Step 5: Throw around pillows

Steal a page from the home décor magazines: add throw pillows to make rooms look warm, comfortable, and inviting. And put soft, fluffy comforters on the beds, even if it’s summer.

Step 6: Make it less personal

Remove family photos and your kids’ artwork from the fridge. Homebuyers like to imagine what it would be like to live in the house; your photographs subconsciously prevent them from doing that.

Step 7: Splurge on fresh flowers

Put fresh flowers throughout the home. The sight and scent of flowers are proven mood boosters, which will help buyers look more favorably upon your home.

FACT: Industry surveys show that staging your home can make it sell three months sooner, and for 3% more!

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