Massachusetts Property Blog

For years State Farm Florida Insurance Company has remained one of the few Fortune 500 homeowners insurance companies still doing business in Florida. It is still by far the largest private insurance company in the state for both homes and autos covering 1 million and 2.5 million policyholders respectively.

They deserve credit for that.

After all, following the billions in claims from Hurricane Andrew in 1992, many large insurance companies simply left the State of Florida for good - and never looked back. That left Florida to deal with the problem on its own and caused it to create its own state run insurance company of last resort to help those who simply could not find coverage.

State Farm Florida Insurance Company did not follow this approach.

It has taken a prudent approach to the market that has been present in Florida since Hurricane Andrew. These steps have included:

Strict underwriting criteria for homes selected for new business

Multiline discounts for policyholders with home, auto, and life coverage

Selectively cancelling higher risk older homes closer to the coastline

This approach might have been successful during normal, reasonable periods of history. But things in Florida have been anything but reasonable in recent years:

From 1992 to 2004, no large insurance companies re-entered the Florida home insurance market - leaving State Farm on its own.

Florida hurricane claims in 2004 and 2005 caused billions of dollars in damage. State Farm Florida paid millions in claims and had to request an emergency cash infusion from its parent company to recapitalize it.

While the company was able to get significant rate increases after the 04/05 hurricanes, massive rate increases granted to most of the companies in Florida in 2005 and 2006 caused a major political uproar. Quite honestly, the public demanded rate relief because Florida home insurance was simply not affordable.

The pressure for lower rates was far worse due to outrageous property taxes and the collapse of the Florida real estate market.

The State of Florida reacted to voter pressure. But the results were not impressive.

The 2007 and 2008 legislation had a minimal effect on lowering homeowners insurance rates and shifted billions of dollars in catastrophic risk to the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund - a state entity that has publicly stated that it can’t meet its reinsurance obligation to insurance companies in part due to the frozen bond markets.

As a result, all companies including State Farm Florida are concerned that the Florida Cat Fund won’t be there to pay them back after a major hurricane and are looking for new sources of backup reinsurance.

That, combined with other factors led the company to request a 47% rate increase a few months ago. After state regulators rejected the rate increase, the company appealed that decision in court. Recently a judge agreed with state regulators that State Farm’s 47% rate increase was not justified and also rejected the rate increase.

This brings us to where we are today - a time when many Floridians have to be wondering if State Farm Florida is preparing to exit the state for good. This would not be welcome news and would cause a major shock to the Florida homeowners insurance market as policyholders scramble to find other coverage.

In today’s uncertain times, you have to be ready to face realities. One of those might be that State Farm will cancel or drop your homeowners insurance coverage in Florida. If that happens there are several things you need to do to respond to this:

Shop your policy. Most State Farm Florida agents can only offer you homeowners coverage with Citizens after your policy is cancelled. Find a large independent agent who represents multiple companies in order to give you the best options for replacing State Farm Florida.

There are new Florida base regional insurance companies that have been created over the past 15 years, with many only being recently approved since the start of 2006. Some of these companies might be a good option to replace State Farm but you have to research each and every one of them. Check their financial ratings and customer service history thoroughly.

State Farm Florida insurance agents will be hurt by mass cancellations of home insurance policies. They have spent years building a book of insurance business in Florida. When they lose your home insurance business, they often lose your auto and life insurance business as well. While you can’t help but be sympathetic, you need to know that it is in your agent’s self interest to keep your auto and life insurance business while putting your home insurance coverage into Citizens Property Insurance. Don’t accept being placed with Citizens without looking for other private home insurance companies through other agents that can also offer you auto and life insurance.

Get all the facts if you are thinking about Citizens Property insurance. Citizens has said that it does not charge enough premium to cover the risk that it takes. It too is expecting problems borrowing to pay its claims after a major hurricane in today’s troubled bond markets. Major recommendations being presently considered at Citizens include raising rates, limiting coverage, and mandating certain home hardening measures. Do your home work on Citizens just like you would for any other company.

While we don’t know how the final situation with State Farm Florida will play out, if you follow these steps you’ll be way ahead of hundreds of thousands of policyholders that might be scrambling to get coverage all at once.

Michael Letcher
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/is-state-farm-getting-ready-to-bailout-on-the-state-of-florida-693141.html

I was looking for something that is medium sized a provides a lot of fruit.
I was thinking about these: mulberry, apple, peach, cherry, or plum.

Any suggestions? Also be specific don’t just say apple please say what type.

Thank you in advance
Hi!! Just a suggestion… rather than asking the "masses", I think if I were you I would go to your nearest nursery and ask them, after telling them what you are looking for and what effect you want when the tree is full grown.
There are just too many variables, when a local person with knowledge of your specific area can give you the correct info you are looking for.
Good luck!

go to the county assessors office in your county.

Custom Cape wonderfully located in a great family neighborhood on a corner lot across from a playground - and on a dead end street! Entertain graciously with the refurbished in-ground pool, deck, 60″ television, spacious brick roomed whirlpool spa, and two driveways offering ample parking. The setting is perfect for pets and kids with a large fenced-in yard and playground across the street. A picturesque two-story two-car heated garage, storage shed, hardwood flooring, cathedral ceiling, and a floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace complete this one-of-a-kind home. Additional amenities include central air, security system and many replacement windows.

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Technorati Tags: 01923, 16, company, Danvers, Drive, Estate, For, home, MA, Palmer, Real, realtors, russell, Sale, vista, visualtour

http://www.HallmarkSothebysRealty.com - Upton, Massachusetts is a town of approximately 6,000 residents located in the Boston metro west area. For more than 100 years, many Upton farmers supplemented their incomes by making boots. In 1837, a straw hat business began flourishing, and hatmaking supplanted bookmaking as the main employer until 1969.
This offering is truly a unique property in both the home and the property.  Nestled in on nearly 2 acres of land, this home has a private lot backed by woods and a stepped lot—there is a lower level side yard with great opportunity for soccer and other field sports.  The upper rear yard is a private haven and in the summer months you will find pure paradise. The landscaping is lush and there is an inground heated saltwater filtered pool surrounded by a custom patio, stone walls, gardens designed by Weston Nurseries, an outdoor fireplace perfect for nighttime fires and smores poolside.  What better place to gaze up into the stars relaxing on your patio and if it is cool, you just pop into the custom cabana with wide pine flooring, granite kitchen area, recessed lighting and heated in the cooler months with a propane fireplace.  The cabana boasts a pergola which you can sit under poolside and take a break in the shade.  There is an office area on the second floor or a playroom.  Your guests will love it here. 
Living does not get much better than this. You are welcomed upon entering this lovely estate with the mahogany farmers porch and can choose to enter via the mudroom front entrance or the formal grand entrance.  
Upon entering the foyer, you will see a library or living room with pillared entry to your left and the coat closet and powder room are around the corner. There is a first floor office or guest bedroom with an atrium door and then the family room with cathedral ceiling, skylights and formal brick fireplace. It is an open floor plan and the kitchen overlooks into the family room for easy entertaining.  The kitchen is replete with a double stainless convection oven, gas cooktop, center island with bookcase, plenty of counter space and a patio door in the eating area which opens onto the custom stone patio overlooking the rear yard and gardens. Truly a splendid view from each room in the home. 
The mudroom is a great place with more closets and plenty of storage and you have direct access into the 3 car garage. 
The kitchen also opens into the formal dining room which is to the right when you enter the foyer. 
There is a double staircase—the rear staircase opens into the kitchen and there is a second floor balcony which overlooks into the first floor family room. 
The second floor has completely been redone with painting and flooring. Beautiful, glossy hickory flooring has recently been installed throughout the hallways and all four bedrooms. 
There is a second floor laundry room and two other bedrooms which share a main hallway bathroom. 
There is also a third bedroom with its own private bathroom,
The master bedroom suite has a sitting area and his and hers walk-in closets.  The bathroom has cherry cabinetry, Jacuzzi tub, separate shower, private commode and a double sink vanity. 
The basement has been remodeled to include an area for crafts with a sink and counter space and refrigerator, and a playroom area plus another space for a media center.   
This beautiful home is truly a unique offering. It is an amazing opportunity to live in Taft Mill Estates neighborhood yet have a private estate like setting that feels like you are on vacation year-round! 
Call today to set up your private tour 
Small and friendly, Upton is primarily is a residential community, still retaining much of it’s original New England flavor. Upton provides its residents with best of both worlds, a quiet environment in which to reside and access to major cities such as Boston and Worcester in under an hour.
Upton’s Historical Society is quite active preserving artifacts from the past, making Upton an attractive community in which to live.
There are three different schools located in Upton. Nipmuc Regional High School, Memorial Elementary School and the Blackstone Valley Technical Vocational school.

Real estate video tours & photography by http://www.NashuaVideoTours.com

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Technorati Tags: Hallmark Sothebys, home, homes, house, houses, massachusetts, real estate, Susan Moore, Upton

Visit: http://sites.google.com/site/paranormalzonex/ for Paranormal News and Information.

Ladouceur House, Blackstone Massachusetts

The team returns with all new cases. First up is the private residence of the Ladouceur family in Blackstone, Massachusetts. Once when Roxanne, the mother, was sitting on the couch, the couch was stuck with such a violent force that it literally moved while she was sitting on it. Then, while in the basement, the couple’s 17 year-old son Gabriel saw a five-foot tall black mass come towards him at full speed. He was so startled by the encounter that he yelled for his parents to come rescue him. But since the Ladoucer’s can’t just pack up their things and move, they’ve enlisted the help of TAPS.

Kris and Amy kick off the investigation with an EVP session in the basement. As soon as they begin their questioning, they hear a low growl. When they rewind the tape in their digital recorder they interrupted the growl as a voice saying, “Please help me.” Later on, when Jason and Grant conduct a follow-up session in the basement their K2 meter receives off the chart hits. The duo asks the entity if it was trying to make contact with the family, if it wanted the family out of the house, if it was a demon. You know, the usual stuff. And much to Jason and Grant’s surprise, the entity’s responses gave them the notion that it was actually inhuman. Eager to get to the bottom of the case, the Hunters followed additional clues to the upstairs crawl space in the master bedroom. While there, the entity scratched Jason’s leg, but that wasn’t enough to scare them away. They deduced that the entity wasn’t inhuman at all, but rather a human entity masquerading to scare them off.

But really, you’ve got to get up pretty early or lurk really late to fool TAPS, so although the team conclusively decided that the house is haunted, they are certain that there’s no demon in that home. Jason and Grant also recommend that the Ladouceur’s stand their ground against the ghost and make it clear that they will not leave. They’ve paid their mortgage, they’ve decorated their living room-the property is there’s! And of course, if they ever need professional help again, TAPS is just a phone call away.

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Technorati Tags: Blackstone, Entity, EVP, Ghost, help, house, Hunters, Inhuman, Ladouceur, MA, Me, Paranormal, please, Reveal, Spirit

253 Maple Avenue, Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Bill Gassett
http://www.sellmyhomeinmetrowestma.com
Shrewsbury Massachusetts home for sale in excellent commuting location! Features a large family room with a fireplace and bay window, 3 season sun room with four sets of sliders, Nice dining room with built-in corner hutch, Mostly hardwood floors throughout, **Heating system is 4 years old**, Replacement windows, **Nice level backyard with great landscaping on corner lot to dead end street!**, 1 car garage, Convenient to shopping, restaurants and town center, Town water & sewer, Come take look at this awesome Shrewsbury ranch home!
MLS: 71161120
Price: $219,900
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 1
Sq Feet: 1176
Lot Size: 0.18
Year Built: 1952
# of Floors: 1
Garage Size: 1

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Technorati Tags: 253, Avenue, Estate, For, homes, MA, Maple, Real, Sale, Shrewsbury

http://www.monsonmarealestate.com Tour Monson, MA neighborhoods, condominium developments, subdivisions, schools, landmarks, recreational areas, and town offices.

Monson, Massachusetts is nestled in the Chicopee River valley between steep and rocky hills to the east and west. The difficulty of traveling over the hills to the center of Brimfield prompted the region’s early settlers to petition the court for permission to form a new town. Permission was granted and Monson was officially incorporated in 1760.

An industrial economy flourished in Monson’s early days; waterpower was abundant and small mills were scattered over Monson’s 48 square miles. A hat factory, several woolen and cotton mills and the Flynt Granite Company all thrived for more than 100 years. A.D. Ellis Mills, Inc., known world-wide for its fine woolen cloth, was the last to leave, closing about thirty years ago.

These early industries have been replaced in part by the plastics industry and by Zero Manufacturing Company. Monson Developmental Center has been the town’s largest employer for many years. This facility, housing severely handicapped residents, has a pleasant campus setting on 700 acres of land.

Memorial Hall, built in 1884 from Monson granite, anchors the southern end of a National Register Historic Commercial District. The building houses a fine Civil War Museum and auditorium. Other museums in Monson include the restored 1811 home of attorney Jacob Thompson and a 58-acre farm housing the only known button museum in Massachusetts. This property adjoins the 128 acre Flynt Park, which offers opportunities for bird and foliage tours, picnics and passive recreation. For other town tours visit http://www.virtualhomes.com . For towns in MA visit http://www.ma-virtualhomes.com . For MA relocation information go to http://www.relocationma.com . For a MA MLS map search visit http://www.virtualhomesmls.com .

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Technorati Tags: americantowns, condos, Estate, homes, houses, land, MA, massachusetts, Monson, Real

Buying a new home is great! You get to choose where your home will be built, add a sunroom here, third garage bay there and before you know it you are moving into your dream home. With all the options to choose from it is very easy to overlook crucial elements to your new home buying experience that could cost you greatly in both time and money.

Choosing upgrades with the lowest ROI or too many upgrades, period. - This is truly the most common mistake made by new home buyers who don’t consider the resale value of their home in the future. When buying a new home be sure to stick with the essential upgrades like two sinks in the master bathroom, high quality cabinetry and above all else, top quality padding under the carpeted areas.

Not examining your lot choice thoroughly enough. - A recent United Feature Syndicate by Lew Sichelman highlights some very important aspects to choosing a lot for your new home to be built on. Among them are: terrain, noting that people psychologically feel more secure looking down at the street rather than up, location and lot shape which can affect your surroundings including the possibility of facing the rear of a neighbor’s home.

Finding communities first, vitals second. - When you are buying a home you have to shop differently than you would if you were buying a car or shopping for clothes. To save yourself much heartache and frustration, be sure to hammer out your lifestyle requirements before even searching for a community to build a home in. For example, if you commute to New York City and have school age children you would want to find a school district that you approve of in an area with multiple mass transit options (train, bus, highway) and then locate new home communities within close proximity to both.

Overlooking the “inspection” clause in builder contracts. - A dirty little secret in the new home industry is the fact that some builders, national builders included, send out contracts with a clause stating that they don’t allow home inspections by an independent, third party home inspector until after you close on and own the home. They offer to do a walkthrough of the home with you before you close but chances are, unless you are a licensed home inspector with many years of experience, you won’t notice any red flags beyond the superficial.

Not using a buyer agent. - When looking for a new home, be sure to find a buyer agent who specializes in new homes. There are numerous important steps when buying a new home that a new home buyer agent will be prepared to work with such as price negotiation, lot choice, researching future development around the community and the pros and cons of building materials your builder will use in the construction of your new home. At present, the buyer agent’s services are paid for out of the builder’s marketing budget.

Using the builder endorsed financing company out of convenience. - Many large builders have their own in-house financing company and they often offer incentives on their products by tying in the use of the incentives to financing through their in-house lender. In some instances you will find that the builder’s in-house lender financing and incentives will cost you more money in the long run than if you had financed your purchase through an outside lender. Rule of thumb: Always check your financing options with the builder’s in-house lender, a mortgage broker and a loan officer for a direct lender before committing.

Believing everything you read in advertisements. - If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Always verify everything you read in real estate advertisements including newspaper ads and the community’s standard features list. Aside from the obvious typographical errors that occur I have also seen blatant false advertising. For example, I have seen new home community literature advertising the community’s short “less than an hour” drive to New York City despite the fact that it would take at least 90 minutes on a good day from that community.

Buying a new home is a wonderful, dazzling experience that will cater to your every need. By using reasonable care and professional guidance you will enjoy many great years in your new home and reap substantial rewards from your diligent buying efforts when selling your home in the future.

Joshua Ferris
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/top-7-new-home-regrets-686528.html

I will be leaving active duty next novemeber and and wondering which reserve unti i will be joining.

http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=UTF-8&fr=ytff1-sunm&p=94th+arcom+army+reserve&rs=0&fr2=rs-top