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"I have been in numerous real estate transactions over the years, and bar none, I have never had an agent that has been as attentive to details and to-tal follow up even after the transaction was closed. I have already given her name to some close friends who will be putting their house on the market. In any other real estate transactions that I might be involved in, Veronica will be the person that I retain to handle!"

Calvin C

In This Issue

• Property & Market

Consultants

• Explore Iceland

• Mental Health Goals

• National Association

of Realtors report.

• Is the Era of Abuse at

an end?

Property & Market Consultation - A detailed and valuable service.

Property & Market Consultants

Offering full service in real estate consultation will entail a complete and thorough approach, when handled by detail oriented professionals. Under-standing a client’s needs and objectives takes listening ability, and compil-ing the comprehensive and useful data the client needs is a skill. Tenaci-ty, business acumen, and experience researching via different avenues comes with a background of dealings involving legal requirements and property compliance. The knowledge and understanding of a market is part of the process, but the ability to address important factors intuitively and guide a client by assessing their situation logically, is not a skill easily come by. Contacts acquired by many years of business dealings are also an important asset, as are the right team at one’s disposal to handle a variety of services a client may need, whether locally or globally. Provid-ing a needs analysis is not something an average realtor can do. In addi-tion a true consultant will have the ability to approach the project with clear understanding of what is needed to achieve results and advise their client appropriately, efficiently pointing out the pitfalls and merits of their plan.

First things to consider if needing research • Do I actually know an experienced Property & Market Consultant?

• Do the realtors I’ve talked to understand the stats I need?

• Do I have someone thorough who can guide me?

PROJECT PEGASUS INTERNATIONAL Newsletter Dec / Jan 2018 Issue

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Explore Iceland Iceland is one of those destinations with a mix of exotic and off the beaten track adventures. It is a land of extreme contrasts and stunning scenery. Active volcanoes, blue icebergs, roaring waterfalls, and northern lights, are just some of the experiences you can look forward to when visiting Iceland. With a population of 332,529 and an area of 103,000 km

2 (40,000 sq mi), it

is the most sparsely populated country in Europe.

Enjoy the local cuisine in Reykjavik with a mix of European and traditional fare, then head to one of the geothermal pools at any of the many spas around town. The Golden circle day trip from Reykshavik will take you to see the breathtaking Gullfoss waterfall, the bubbling pools and Strokkur waterspout at Geysir, plus the incredible tectonic rift at Thingvellir National Park. Photo enthusiasts will tell you one of the best ways to experience the rugged terrain of Iceland is with camper van rentals, this way maximiz-ing the experience and time exploring by being able to camp out. Head to the South Coast to witness the waterfalls and even active volcanoes. Ice-land is a wonderland of hidden marvels, one such concealed site is Grjótagjá, a cave near Lake Mývatn, inside the mystical cavern is a warm cave pool, this shimmering body of water is geothermally heated within the Grjótagjá cave. Head to North West Iceland and find an idyllic landscape replete with meadows, farmhouses and barns. Eyjafjörður is the country’s largest fjord, Hólar í Hjaltadal is a historical site that has long been an edu-cational hub and Siglufjörður is a very pretty fishing village. In the small town of Bildudalur, nestled between a tremendous fjord and an imposing mountain range, you can find a fascinating museum dedicated to Iceland’s sea monsters. Skrímslasetrið, or the Icelandic Sea Monster Mu-seum, is a must-see for anyone interested in Iceland’s distinctive folkloric culture Another interesting fact for TV fans, it is also well-known that Iceland’s dis-tinctive landscape has served as the setting for various scenes in HBO’s globally renowned fantasy series, Game of Thrones.

Mental Health Goals

One out of 5 adults suffer from some form of mental illness every year, so mental health should be a priority. In our fast-paced world, it’s too easy to let our mental health suffer. Maintaining and improving your mental health should include some of the following: BEING AWARE. We’re aware of our physical health

because of the way it impacts us, but many of us aren’t aware of our mental health. Take a few minutes every day to be aware of your mental state and use that information to make changes or improvements if necessary.

TAKING TIME FOR YOURSELF You don’t have to open yourself to

others 24 hours a day. Even if it’s only 20 minutes a day, set aside a period of time for yourself and guard it jeal-ously. This is your time — don’t let anyone else intrude on it.

PRACTISING SELF CARE. Practicing self-care can be a great

way to help improve your overall men-tal and physical health. If you’re wor-ried about not having time, consider using the time you set aside for your-self as time for self-care.

GETTING ENOUGH SLEEP. Most adults aren’t getting enough

sleep. According to the CDC, as many as 1 in 3 adults aren’t getting enough sleep, which can be detri-mental for both your mental and phys-ical health. Focus on getting at least 7 hours of sleep a night.

ASKING FOR HELP. Mental health can be difficult to han-

dle on your own sometimes. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from friends, family or mental health professionals if you feel the need. You don’t have to do it alone. There are many resources available!

Rugged Terrain - Icelandic Tours image

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Tax Rate Deductions

NAR will be providing ongoing updates and guidance to mem-bers as well as working with Con-gress and the Administration to address additional concerns through future legislation and rulemaking. Lawmakers have already signaled a desire to fine tune elements of The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as well as address additional tax provisions not in-cluded in this legislation in 2018, and REALTORS® will need to continue to be engaged in the process. The examples provided on the NAR website are for illustrative purposes and based on a prelimi-nary reading of the final legisla-tion as of December 20, 2017. Individuals should consult a tax professional about their own per-sonal situation.

• All individual provisions are generally effective after Decem-ber 31, 2017 for the 2018 tax filing year and expire on Decem-ber 31, 2025 unless otherwise noted. The provisions do not af-fect tax filings for 2017 unless noted. The new law provides generally lower tax rates for all individual tax filers. While this does not mean that every Ameri-can will pay lower taxes under these changes, many will. The total size of the tax cut from the rate reductions equals more than $1.2 trillion over ten years.

• The tax rate schedule retains seven brackets with slightly lower marginal rates of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35%, and 37%. The final bill retains the current-

law maximum rates on net capital

gains (generally, 15% maximum

rate but 20% for those in the

highest tax bracket; 25% rate on

“recapture” of depreciation from

real property).

*See full report at https://

www.nar.realtor/tax-reform/the-

tax-cuts-and-jobs-act-what-it-

means-for-homeowners-and-real-

estate-professionals

2017 Closed as Record Year for Sales.

National Association of Realtors WASHINGTON (January 24, 2018) — Existing-home sales subsided in most of the country in December, but 2017 as a whole edged up 1.1 percent and ended up being the best year for sales in 11 years, according to the National Association of Real-tors®. Total existing-home sales

1, which are completed transactions that include

single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 1.1 percent in 2017 to a 5.51 million sales pace and surpassed 2016 (5.45 million) as the highest since 2006 (6.48 million). In December, existing-home sales slipped 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million from a downwardly revised 5.78 million in November. After last month’s decline, sales are still 1.1 percent above a year ago. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the housing market performed remarkably well for the U.S. economy in 2017, with substantial wealth gains for homeowners and historically low distressed property sales. “Existing sales concluded the year on a softer note, but they were guided higher these last 12 months by a multi-year streak of exceptional job growth, which ignited buyer demand,” said Yun. “At the same time, market conditions were far from perfect. New listings struggled to keep up with what was sold very quickly, and buying became less affordable in a large swath of the country. These two factors ultimately muted what should have been a stronger sales pace.” Added Yun, “Closings scaled back in most areas last month for this same rea-son. Affordability pressures persisted, and the pool of interested buyers at the end of the year significantly outweighed what was available for sale.” The median existing-home price

2 for all housing types in December was $246,800, up

5.8 percent from December 2016 ($233,300). December’s price increase marks the 70

th straight month of year-over-year gains.

Total housing inventory3 at the end of December dropped 11.4 percent to 1.48 million

existing homes available for sale, and is now 10.3 percent lower than a year ago (1.65 million) and has fallen year-over-year for 31 consecutive months. Unsold inven-tory is at a 3.2-month supply at the current sales pace, which is down from 3.6 months a year ago and is the lowest level since NAR began tracking in 1999. “The lack of supply over the past year has been eye-opening and is why, even with strong job creation pushing wages higher, home price gains – at 5.8 percent nationally in 2017 – doubled the pace of income growth and were even swifter in several markets,” said Yun. First-time buyers were 32 percent of sales in December, which is up from 29 percent in November and unchanged from a year ago. NAR’s 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers – released in late 2017

4 – revealed that the annual share of first-time buy-

ers was 34 percent.

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CONTACT

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your needs and objectives.

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Boutique Real Estate

PO Box 748

Hobe Sound, FL 33475.

Is the Era of Abuse at an end? The sudden focus on Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and accusations of sexual

misconduct, unleashed a ripple effect worldwide where past indiscretions and outright

abuse by others not just in Hollywood, are coming to light. Is it really possible that the

era of abuse is coming to an end? Sadly while disturbed and powerful individuals

exist it will continue, however at least this incredible shift in society to point out the

abusers, is actually beginning to empower victims to not be afraid and come forth, no

matter how long ago it happened. It seemed we had grown used to the steady sor-

did stories of defrocked priests and has-been celebrities, but suddenly it changed,

perhaps it was because of the sheer volume of well known victims that stood up and

garnered headlines. With this account of a powerful and influential Hollywood mogul

the shift was palpable. The fact is physical, mental, and emotional abuse is rampant

like never before. Where once in generations past, it mostly took place when some-

one had prolonged contact with an abusive person, particularly in a position of power,

it can now happen via a variety of ways online. Cyber bullying is a sick trend that we

constantly hear claims lives on a daily basis, driving distraught victims to sui-

cide….many of these just children. The use of social media and other sites have

been utilized by predators to lure victims to them. The dark web is a term many of us

have heard, where criminals and highly disturbed individuals, that you would often

never suspect, involve themselves in crimes that would sicken any normal person.

So, can we really have faith that things are turning around when it comes to abuse by people in positions of power? The new era of accountability gives us hope that at least those that fear recrimination, and those that to a lesser degree were guilty of just having the wrong attitude, and passively participated with inappropriate com-ments, will now think twice. As a responsible society those in positions to bring about change, can and should make it a priority to tackle the blatant permissive atti-tude of, “oh well that’s how it is or how it’s always been.” Even more disturbing that with all the fund raisers and millions of dollars going to the environment and other noteworthy causes, there is a greater cause that many seem to not care about….. the “real environment problem’’ abuse that permeates the world. Maybe one day this will change, perhaps exposing the abuse of high profile and famous victims was needed to blow the lid off this rampant issue. Now the focus needs to shift to the biggest source of danger, online chat rooms and social sites, it’s everyone’s responsibility to report when they witness criminal behaviour, only then can we start to see greater results.

Producer Harvey Weinstein - catalyst for the spreading accountability. ProjectPegasusInternational.com

Info@ProjectPegasusInternational.com

1 (561) 308-5982