The communities: The Melbourne area includes Palm Bay and other southern communities plus West Melbourne, and Melbourne Village in central Brevard up to Viera, Cocoa and Titusville in the north. And it also includes a half dozen beach communities on one long, fabulous barrier island stretching from Sebastian Inlet to Cape Canaveral.About the area Historically, the place that gives this entire area its “name” is Melbourne, the oldest and best-known community on what Floridians call the “Space Coast”. Melbourne is right in the center of a long north-south corridor – coastal Brevard County – that is sandwiched between the St. Johns River Basin to the West and the Atlantic Ocean. Melbourne is a technical center and thus a strong a job producer plus has a great cost of living standard. The r... 10/09/2007

October 23 on CNN Anderson Cooper will begin a series about our planet and climate change.  In one of the segments he interviews a researcher who has been making trips to Greenland for the past 20 years, doing research on the environmental impact of climate change in Greenland.  During his last trip, he stumbled upon an island that had not been there a few years before.  This island had been connected to Greenland by ice but climate change has caused so much of the ice and snow pack in Greenland to melt, this island is now an entity unto its own surrounded by water.  The series promises to show us visually the impact climate change is having on the environment worldwide. 10/05/2007

I hope everyone had a great Wednesday!I am working with a lot of clients that are in need of buying assistance. I always knew about local programs and what was available for sales and rentals, but I didn't realize that the threshold had changed so much in the last year. I expect that it may change again in March 2008.The Melbourne Housing Department has many programs funded by federal and state funds to improve the quality of life for Melbourne's low-income residents and low-income neighborhoods. The programs range from housing assistance to code enforcement activities, demolitions, neighborhood public facility improvements, and funding assistance to a variety of social support agencies.Low Income qualifications for a 1 person family is 32K: Family of 8 is 60K Very-Low Income qualificat... 10/03/2007

For those that are looking to find out more about Melbourne, Florida or Melbourne Real Estate then you have to visit our new page that caters to Melbourne Properties only.You may view all properties for sale including Vacant Land, Homes, Town Homes and Condos of if you like we have even added a few links to only display Melbourne Homes for Sale as well as a Page for Melbourne Townhomes currently for sale.Melbourne is the second largest city / area located in Brevard County, so naturally we thought it best to help our clients keep up with what is going on in the area.If you are looking for a home in Melbourne, then look no further and visit our Melbourne Real Estate page.This page displays all properties for sale via the Brevard MLS, so stop in, look around and when you are ready we will... 09/27/2007

These great tips come straight from our grandmother's generation.  Interesting that we are actually moving back in time, when GREEN living was the norm.1. Cut back on processed foods - a lot of it is already cooked, and it gets cooked again when you heat it up, using even more energy.2. Use powder detergents - Laundry liquids contain 70-80% water.  It costs energy and packaging to bring this to the consumer, which is unnecessary when your washing machine adds it.  And, powder is more effective at cleaning clothes.3. Use biodegradable cat litter - consider wheat, pine or corn based alternatives to clay kitty litter (including clumping), which contains carcinogenic crystaline silica and is obtained by open-pit mining.  Who knew?4. Get a fridge with a freezer in the bottom - the freezer on... 09/21/2007

The 2008 Ikea catalog that is.  Bargains galore!  For example, they are offering a package deal with the following items:1 wall shelf2 free standing bookcases1 coffee table1 sofaall for the low low price of ..............$184.  Yep you read it right $184.  The sofa is available instore only.  Sorry if I misled you earlier.  The month of October they are offering a complete dining table and chairs, metal with glass top for $199, and the November special is a bunkbed set for $79!!!!!So, if you don't have your catalog yet, you can order one at www.ikea.com.  Happy shopping! 09/20/2007

The Northwest Passage is the body of "ice" that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.  Typically, ice breakers have had to be used to clear a path for commercial shipping.  However, according to BBC America this evenin, the Northwest Passage has completely melted, for the first time in recorded history.  Below is an excerpt from Wikipedia.  Personally, I find this information the most alarming indication so far that global warming is escalating at a faster rate than predicted.There has been speculation that with the advent of global warming the passage may become clear enough of ice to permit safe commercial shipping for at least part of the year. On August 21, 2007 the Northwest Passage became open to ships without the need of an icebreaker. According to Nalan Koc of the Norwegian ... 09/14/2007

When you approach the Ocean over the high bridge across the Indian River (the Intra-Coastal Waterway or ICW), your view is sweeping. It is not blocked by condos and hotels, thanks to strict zoning laws enacted well before the current rapid growth and development. For one thing, there are 3- and 4-story height limits, unlike what you find throughout much of South Florida. For another, there is lots of easy to find, easy to use “forever” beach access. Before development there was conservation, and Melbourne and its beachside communities have some of the nicest public beaches in all of Florida Melbourne also has a great Old-Town, downtown area with specialty shops, antique stores, theaters, restaurants and more. There are dining places overlooking both the Indian River Lagoon (the IntraCoa... 09/14/2007

We know everyone would like to get better gas mileage, and we all know keeping our tires properly inflated will use less gas.  But is anyone familiar with "low rolling resistance" tires?  First manufactured by Michelin and poo-pooed by the auto manufacturers, these tires have been around a long time but are now just getting the attention they deserve.  Low resistance tires essentially hug less of the road than the traditional tire, thus reducing the drag produced and garnering up to 4 mpg more in gas mileage.  Several tire manufacturers make these tires, Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, and Yokohama.  I chose the Yokohama Geolander because of reputation, price, and composition. 09/13/2007

Melbourne Arts and CultureThe Melbourne/Brevard County area is extremely welcoming to actors, artists, musicians, photographers and writers in all genres.There are first class Art supply stores, photography, book stores and libraries for supplies and research.The Maxwell King Center brings in national acts, from Rock legends to Tony Bennett.Another important thing is that its very easy to get involved in the community and the Arts scene. I do wildlife photography and have found incredible promotional support from the Brevard Arts society here. It is very professional and very approachable group. email: at brezinal@artsbrevard.orgMelbourne and its communities are definitely receptive to new ideas and creativity.Listed below are a few places/organizations in the area. 09/11/2007

Going Green?  Well you may as well go all the way and include eco-friendly cleaning methods.  Here are just a few:Inside of your stainless steel pots "stained?"  Just boil a bunch of rhubarb for 10-20 minutes.  Rinse and your stainless is, well, stainless.Kids coloring on your walls again?  Use a toothbrush and tooth paste and watch the crayon disappear.Kids again, putting those pesky stickers on walls and doors?  Use a hairdryer to soften the stickers, gently scrape with a plastic putty knife.  To remove left on glue, a little eucalyptus oil on a cotton ball does the trick.Crusty shower and tub?  Mix one box baking soda with laundry detergent to make a paste.  Using a plastic scrubby apply the mixture and scrub, comes off like magic.Cruddy microwave oven?  Beyond scrubbing?  Take a cle... 09/06/2007

In a recent study, with a major space employer in Melbourne, the employees had this to say.Melbourne is a safe place to liveIt has great weather and lots of sunIt’s easy to travel and get to work and there are good job opportunities..There is a wide variety of recreational facilities.It’s easy to get involved in the community.It’s a great place for creative people.Three out of four would recommend a friend or family member to relocate to Melbourne.Melbourne has the amenities that a larger town would have yet it has a small town atmosphere.I call it user friendly.All that and the Real Estate is a good deal. As of this writing (summer 2005) single-family homes, minutes from the beaches can be had from 200,000 up.Melbourne, and its landside communities of West Melbourne and Melbourne Villa... 08/28/2007

Looking for a tire that is not only environmentally friendly but also made in the good old U.S. of A?  Then Green Diamond tires are just what you've been looking for.  Invented in Iceland and made in America, they have distributors in Alaska, Colorado, and New York and can be ordered online. Check out their website www.greendiamondtire.com. 08/24/2007

As always, when I see something I think all of us stagers can use to make our jobs easier, I try to post to the groups.  Here's another one I just saw on TV.  The website includes a video.  These moving straps are amazing.  I just ordered a set to try out myself.  Check out the website!www.buystraps.com 08/16/2007

Maybe AR is not the place for a medical blog, although I've seen several off-topic issues presented here. But for all women this information is important. If you've never heard of Inflammatory Breast Cancer, then you don't know the symptoms, and could be at risk of losing your life to this disease. This video is a good presentation of the disease, symptoms, and diagnosis. I post this in the hope that it may save at least one other woman. 08/02/2007

All you home stagers out there must be aware by now that Vitus Lau of Vitallia Insurance is a reliable, competent source for our staging insurance needs.  I contacted Vitus last week and got an immediate quote.  He was able to save me almost $800 per year on my staging insurance, and got me substantially more coverage than I was previously carrying.  Doing business with Vitus was nothing but pleasure.  He returned my call promptly, provided me with a quote, counseled me on my insurance needs, and is reading my contract to see if it needs any tweaking.  Usually I don't do business over the phone.  I prefer a face to face meeting.  But Vitus put me at such ease during our first phone conversation, I got over my need to see a face, and decided doing business with him was in my best interes... 06/27/2007

Selling a house in Brevard County?  Home staging is a must.  Vacant property on the market? Home staging is a must.  But post remodeling home staging?  That was a new one to me until I received three calls this week from women who had just had their homes remodeled and wanted a different look and feel to their homes.  They need help with various projects from selecting paint color to hanging curtain rods and re-arranging furniture.  All three clients have hired me to "stage" their homes, and not one is planning to sell.  They just need some professional guidance, and called a home stager for help.  So just when we think there are only one or two markets for our profession, another one pops up.  My next marketing material will include something about helping put the final touches in a ho... 06/22/2007

In the next few weeks, Congress could vote to DOUBLE the amount of greenhouse gases America produces from our cars and planes.1It's the greatest single threat to solving the climate crisis in a decade.It sounds crazy. But Congress is rushing through a package that could lock us into liquid coal as our country's new energy source for transportation. For every mile driven, coal-based fuels produce as much as twice as many greenhouse gases as petroleum.2 That means even a Prius would drive like a Hummer.The coal industry has been lobbying for this break for years, and many in Congress don't understand the facts. "Liquid coal would be a disaster in our fight against the climate crisis. Congress should vote against tax breaks and subsidies for coal."The legislation would take billions in tax... 06/06/2007

Hurricane season starts today and it promises to be an active one.  Here are some things you need to do now to prepare:1. Photograph everything you own.  Open drawers, closets, storage containers, you name it and take pictures.  Make sure to include all furniture, electronics, appliances etc.  On the back of each picture write the approximate cost of the major items and when purchased.  It will save you hours and hours and hours of time should you have a claim, trying to recreate what you own and what it cost.2. Have at least two sets of photographs.  Keep at home sealed in triple zip lock bags in the fridge.  The fridge is waterproof and pretty much fire proof.  Or put them in a fireproof safe.  The second set is in the safe deposit box at the bank.3. Have duplicate copies of all impor... 05/31/2007

Yesterday's Blue Light Special on Aisle 4 was my find of the week, or so I thought.  After 6 hours of shopping I came home with everything I needed, except art work.  So this morning I headed out and decided to stop at Family Dollar.  Every now and then they have some nice little accessories so thought I'd check it out.  I was totally surprised to see all the art work I needed, right there.  The prices were $5-10, definitely cost effective.  All of them were in nice high-end looking frames and the pictures were generic botanicals that can be used anywhere.  I bought enough for the upcoming staging job, and a few extras.  At those prices you can't walk out with too many pictures!Terry Haugen - STAGE it RIGHT! 04/30/2007