Anna Maria City trash guidelines

Anna Maria City has always had code regarding the time and placement of trash cans at an owners curb.  Anna Maria City is beginning to see trash cans sitting out at the curb for days.  The city has focused on short term rentals as well as absentee property owners that come out to Anna Maria Island and leave their cans out for the week.

The city of Anna Maria says no more.  The Islander newspaper reported on this topic in August and quoted code enforcement officer Gerry Rathvon, “These containers sit there for days.  They often get blown over by storms, and I go out and pick up the trash.”   It’s an ugly situation, trash cans sitting out everywhere for days.

The city on Anna Maria Island is compiling a list of repeat offenders.  Code

allows fines of up to $250 per day.  There is an easy solution, Waste Management offers a back door pickup service for $3 per month.  Waste Management employees will retrieve your trash at the back door on the assigned trash days.  Seems like a no-brainer.  One fine could be $250, that is 80 months of back door pick ups to pay for one fine.  Wow, what a pay back.

From the Islander, “City code states: Residential containers and garden trash shall be placed out for collection no earlier than 5 PM of the day prior to the scheduled collection and shall be removed from curbside not later than 9 PM of the day of collection.”  All residential containers, garden trash and recycle containers must be on the owners property.

Currently for 2009 the Anna Maria City the trash pick up days are

Monday – Trash/Garbage and recyclables
Wednesday – yard waste
Thursday – Trash/Garbage

Not sure why everyone does not sign up for back door service with Waste Management? One thing is for sure, if an Anna Maria Island property owner is renting their home out seasonally with or without property management the back door service is a no-brainer.

Press Release – Island Real Estate Rental Manager and Rental Specialist

Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island is blessed with fantastic employees.  We have many that have been with Island Real Estate for years.  Carol Bernard and Kacey Freeman are no exception to the rule. 

Carol Bernard is our Rental Manager and leads all efforts in the Island Real Estate Rental Division.  When asked how long she has been with Island you see an immediate glimmer in her eye.  “Since Frank.”  She started her career at Island Real Estate meeting and greeting walk in traffic, moved on to be Frank Davis’s personal assistant, helped run several Davis accommodations and most recently leads the Island rental division.  Carol continues to be an invaluable resource for Island Real Estate and just hit her 15 year anniversary working for Island Real Estate.  Simply amazing. 

Kacey is a rental specialist that has been with Island Real Estate 10 years.  Carol actually hired Kacey to help with the front desk and several years later began helping in the rental division.   Our guests and employees know Kacey for her bright smile and hard work ethics.  

Congratulations to Kacey and Carol and thanks for all your help over the years!   Happy 10 and 15 years!

Happy New Year 2009 from the Island Real Estate team

This year was no different.  At noon on December 31st the staff at the Island Real Estate office celebrated New Years a bit early with sparkling cider, hats, and horns.  We expressed our thanks for our loyal customers and those that are new.  We are blessed to live in our little piece of paradise known as Anna Maria Island.  One by one we gave our New Year’s resolutions, Health & Happiness to all, more great customers, more great owners, and lots of buyers were the most popular wished for 2009.  Of course we wished for no Hurricanes or Red Tide.  John van Zandt was kind enough to snap a picture of the rental team.   First Row Left to Right: Sheila, Carol, Kacey.  Second row Left to Right: Katie, Larry, Lynn, Katie. 

Happy New Year from your Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc team!

Garbage schedule changes for Holmes Beach, Florida residents

Attention owners in Holmes Beach, Florida, the garbage pick up days have changed to Tuesday and Friday’s.  Unfortunately, recycling continues to be on Monday’s and organic waste pickup remains on Wednesday’s.  Looks like the only day Holmes Beach residents on Anna Maria Island leave their trash alone will be Thursday’s.

Due to the Manatee avenue drawbridge closing for repairs your trash, recycling, and organic waste pickup should be curbside by 6 AM.  Once the bridge is open and back up running the normal pick up time of 7:30 AM should resume. 

Hurricane Ike could be an un-invited guest to Anna Maria Island

September 8th, 2008, 12:00 PM - Hurricane Ike 

Life is good in paradise.   The current three day path has Anna Maria Island well out of the path.  We will get some rain and wind but the only folks impacted by Ike will be the surfers.  All is clear and this will be Island Real Estate’s last post on Ike unless conditions change severely.  At this point Island Real Estate WILL NOT implement our hurricane preparation for Hurricane Ike.  

September 7th, 2008, 8:00 AM - Hurricane Ike

 The projected path looks more encouraging this morning.  Although the projected path shows Anna Maria Island will miss a direct hit we are still concerned with the most Northern path which would place the island in harms way of a pretty significant storm surge.  This morning Ike is a Cat 4 but the path continues to be pushed Southward which is good news for Anna Maria Island and worse news for Texas.  Island Real Estate has not yet initiated its hurricane preparation plan for our owners.  We will continue to supply more information later in the day or Monday.

September 6th, 2008, 8:00 AM - Hurricane Ike

Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island, Inc will be tracking Ike for our owners and concerned absentee owners.  What has us concerned is the severity and the projected path.  The 5 day path has Anna Maria Island ever so close to taking a direct hit from Hurricane Ike.   Currrently Ike is a category 3 down from a category 4 and Ike is very organized.  The dry air from the North is slowing it down but this also results in a more Southward direction.  Each Forecast I have seen continues to push more and more to the South.  The BIG trouble with the current path is that it puts Anna Maria Island to the West of the eye which is where storm surge is most significant and a category 3 is going to create 10′+ storm surge.  We will keep an eye on Ike and lets hope the cone continues to be pushed South.  Island Real Estate has NOT started storm preparation as of yet for our owners.  We will let everyone know if and when we initiate our storm preparation. 

Tropical Storm Fay – Timelines and Information

8-19-08 : 8:00 PM

No rain. Not much wind.  This will be our last entry unless Fay loops around from the East Coast.  All is well in paradise on Anna Maria Island. 

8-19-08 : 4:19 PM

Sunshine has come out on Anna Maria Island!!  About 4 minutes of rain up to this point today. 

8-19-08 : 2 PM

No rain yet…Not much wind either… 

8-19-08 : Noon

No rain as of yet on Anna Maria Island.  Wind is not extreme and maybe 5-10 mph so far.  Sky is fairly overcast and looking to the West you can see some patches of blue skys.  Manatee county closed all shelters at 10AM today and sent everyone home.  Manatee County schools will be in full session tomorrow, 8-20-08.  All after school activities for 8-20-08 will be scheduled business as usual.  Island Real Estate is open for business. 

8-19-08 : 6:30 AM

The conditions on Anna Maria Island.  Overcast, No Rain as of yet, and just a little wind…from 5-10 mph.   The 5 AM advisory has moved Anna Maria Island out of a Hurricane watch into a Tropical Storm Watch and we are no longer in the potential path of Fay!  Good News

 8-18-08 : 10:00 PM

Weather Channel says Florida dodged a bullet.  Tropical storm Fay thankfully just could not get her act together.  The latest update shows Fay moving North so landfall will occur earlier than predicted and it appears Fay will hit Naples.  For now we remain cautiously optmistic that Tuesday will be no more than a rainy windy day.   The Weather channel implied the East coast of Florida would see more of an event than the Tampa Bay/Anna Maria Island Area.  There remains a Hurricane watch for Anna Maria Island however the watch continues to move South and the island is the most Northern point at this time. 

I took the dusk picture tonight to give everyone an idea of the continued calm before the storm although you can see the clouds look a bit “stormy.”

Just a few minutes ago an alert flashed on the local channel…”Manatee county has a voluntary evacuation for low lying areas.  Anna Maria Island to Tarpon Springs under a Hurricane Watch for the next 24 hours.” 

8-18-08 : 5:15 PM

The entire team did a great job today.  All Island Real Estate owner properties have been reviewed for outdoor projectiles.  All guests have been contacted and are comfortable with securing outdoor items at their property.

This statement has been put out by Manatee County;

The 11:30 a.m. Manatee County advisory  states that the county is currently under a Hurricane Warning.  Beginning  at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, August 19, Manatee County will experience tropical storm  force winds, with gail force winds beginning at 10 a.m., followed by hurricane  force winds at 1 p.m. expected to last until 4 a.m. on August 20, when the storm  will slow down to tropical storm force winds.  Proper precautions should be  taken by residents and visitors to secure their  safety. 
 
Manatee County schools and all County offices  will be closed Tuesday, August 19.  We will be providing industry updates periodically as information  becomes available.  The next EOC update will be at 8 p.m. this  evening.  Right now the islands are NOT under any type of mandatory  evacuation, except for mobile homes. 

8-18-08 : 3:00 PM

Manatee School system just cancelled all classes for 8-19-08. 

Anna Maria City has requested that all stick in the ground signs be removed from properties.  

All planned maintenance for the day is more than 3/4 of the way complete.  Our storm plan is right on track and expect no issues with supporting our ownership to move all potential projectiles inside.  Island Real Estate anticipates a very limited staff here in the office prior to noon Tuesday, 8-19-08 with more updates the morning of 8-19-08.  

8-18-2008 :  11 AM

The update from the National Hurricane center places the eye going North and later North East.  Winds are currently at 60 mph and Fay has had trouble gaining intensity although the experts expect the storm to gain some intensity in the next 12-24 hours due to the warmth of the Gulf waters.

Island Real Estate personnel are calling guests that are in place verifying they are comfortable to move any potential projectiles inside.  If they are not comfortable we will be sending an outside service to move in furniture that can be blown around.

Properties that are empty are currently being visited by outside personnel to move in all potential projectiles.

Jennifer’s Bio – Vacation Rental specialist

Jennifer is originally from Warren, Ohio and joined Island Real Estate Vacation Rentals in 2007 originally as a property inspector.  She used her experience checking properties to assist us in creating our stringent property rating criteria.  It’s a 10 category over 10 page document that details a scoring methodology that ultimately determines if our vacation rental is a 5 star-Platinum, 4 star – Gold, 3 star – Silver, or 2 star – Bronze.  Jennifer enjoys living in Anna Maria City with her husband and young child about to start Elementary school.  Jennifer and her son are a fish out of water and the whole family love to visit the fabulous Anna Maria Island beach every chance they can get.  If you need local advice on where to eat, where to bicycle, where to walk the beach, or Tampa and Orlando attractions be sure to catch up with Jennifer.   

Kacey’s Bio, Anna Maria Island rental specialist

Kacey is a 29 year old vacation rental specialist who has been working for Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island Inc. since 1999.  She was born and raised in Bradenton, Florida, and is fifth generation to this area.  She started at the front desk as the receptionist and was promoted in September of 2004 to her current position.  Kacey is an important member of the rental team and often fills in as a leader to the rest of the Rental Team.  Kacey’s longevity is well known among guests and owners.  Many look forward to catching up with Kacey upon arrival and there will be lots to talk about in 2008 and beyond with the new addition of her beautiful baby girl.  Some of her hobbies include singing karaoke, shopping, traveling and spending time with her family and new baby. 

No Brainer Property Investment on Anna Maria Island

Anna Maria Island single residential real estate even after our 2006-2007 correction appreciates at 10% year over year on average.  So if you can find an investment that pays for itself through vacation rentals, life is really good!  Right?

On Anna Maria island vacation rentals are extremely popular.  Anna Maria Island is located on the Gulf Coast of Florida and there are two buildings above 37′ and that is it…no more.  So no chain hotels which lends itself to an very good vacation rental market.  We have seven miles of Gulf Coast and about two miles of the Tampa Bay Coast and the island at its widest point is about 10 blocks.

Currently there is a 4-5 bedroom on the market for $425,000.  It’s  2 blocks to the Gulf which means it should rent fairly well.  There is no pool but a GOOD pool would cost $40k and furniture, fix up would be another $50k….so up front capital of $80k down, and $90k for pool etc…$325,000 mortgage should be about $2,000 per month, property taxes $6k/yr, insurances $5k/yr, op costs $500/month.  So, carry the one, hmm, hmm, yup if I did my math correctly $3400 expenses per month including DEBT expenses.

Now for gross income.  The gross income on similar properties would be at least $55k with an UPSIDE of $65k minus a commission of 20% for management.  Lets remain conservative, income AFTER commission = $44k.  Income per month ——-$3666 per month.  Ta Da!!!

So, expenses per month INCLUDING DEBT service = $3400
NET Income per month                                         = $3666

Lets just call it break even.  

In summary, for $170k in capital you too can create a 10% deferred savings account of $1,100,000 that you can cash out in 10 years.  That’s almost 6.5 X your original investment of $170k!  Boy who doesn’t love Real Estate!!!

For more information on Anna Maria Island Real Estate visit www.IslandReal.com or our website.  For more information regarding the specific property listed in my blog visit 407 80th..if the link is broken the home has probably sold but give me a call or visit our web site for additional deals.  See the picture below.

Of course there are always risks to investing.  Hurricanes, red tide, oil spills, recessions… of course all figures above are estimates however call or comment with more questions.  The analysis is NOT perfect but it is within 5-10% and in no way is this a commitment of rental income or appreciation.

Rental Division Team…Island Real Estate of Anna Maria Island

As all leaders know, it takes a strong team to follow through with a vision.  The “organizational” vision was to supply a rental service that is superior to our competition.  The team continues to take constructive criticism from Owners, Guests, Vendors, Internal Sales Associates, and finally myself.  I demand never-ending-improvement from our team and they consistently accept the challenge.  When you create an environment of continuous improvement, it spreads like wild fire.  Just a few days ago I overheard a Reservationist inform an incoming guest that her porter service would arrive in minutes.  Porter service?  The team then informed me that a guest made a special request and they made it happen.  I am extremely proud of our rental team.  I want to thank each team member for the personal sacrifices they have made on behalf of Island Real Estate and thanks to their hard work and efforts we continue to re-define ”service.”  After all, we take the business of creating life-time memories pretty serious.  Thank you Island Real Estate Team! ~ Larry Chatt 

Meet our Rental Division Team….

                               
Larry Chatt                                                         Carol Bernard
General Manager                                                Rental Manager
          

                                  
Kacey – Vacation Rentals                                     Amy – Vacation Rentals
Reservation Specialist                                        Reservation Specialist      

                             
Jennifer – Vacation Rentals                                Lynn – Annual Rental
Reservation Specialist                                        Annual Specialist

For more information on Anna Maria Island Real Estate and surrounding areas visit our website.

For more information on Anna Maria Island Vacation Rentals visit our website.

Happy Anniversary Carol and Kacey!

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