I hate it because I receive more than my share of the obnoxious stuff, it really hate it because it wastes too much valuable time. A little background before I continue might be helpful - my website is with Point2Agent and to make a long story short, I use their POP3 for my email. If I apply even the smallest filter against spam I end up not receiving important email which means nothing gets filtered. I receive several hundred spam emails a day, it's making me crazy!!!
A year or so ago, while looking for a solution I came across www.mailwasher.net. I tried the program but had a hard time getting it to work seamlessly with my mail program - so I uninstalled it. Well.... since I still have so much spam I went looking again and found MailWasher was still around and decided to give it another go. I'm not sure if a larger company bought them out, but the program is working quite well now. The learning curve for the consumer is very slight plus there's a built-in learning curve to teach the program what you consider spam. It's all in your control within the settings. What I really like about it, is the bounce feature which allows you to determine which emails get bounced back to the offender. This creates the appearance of your email address being invalid - it that cool or what!!! I call it
Here's a screenshot of how mail is deciphered within their table:
MailWasher opens in another window so all the sorting is happening prior to any junk making it to your inbox. The choices are all yours. I've only been using it for a few days, but would say it's picking up about 70% of spam. The other 30% seems to slip through but I think it's because of using Point2 for my POP3. I'm using the free version for now but will probably buy the paid program. It's not expensive at $39.95. I looked for a coupon code and came up with this Promotional Code SDFTHGJ to save $10 (US) on MailWasher Pro!! I'm not sure it's still good, but can't hurt to try. They also give a money back guarantee so you can always return to the free version. I sincerely hope this helps a lot of others out there who are being so disrupted by the hated stuff. Let me know how it goes. Also if you have something you're using and are happy with it, please post it here. That goes for POP3 ideas as well. I'm not sensitive to a little hijacking.
Gail MacMillan - BrokerHome Sweet Home Florida Realty, Inc.www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com
MLS Area 104 - State Road 50 (Cheney Hwy) to Kings Hwy - July 12, 2008
105 active listings priced from $69,500 to $1,500,000 *10 short sales11 properties are under contract ranging in price from $88,900 to $875,000 *1 short sale
45 houses have closed since January 1, 200844 houses have closed in the past 6 months (used for Absorption Rate)
The Absorption Rate Formula would indicate the market taking 14.32 months to absorb the current inventory of homes in MLS Area 104. However if I add in the homes under contract (without accounting for any new listings prior tothese closings) the absorption period is reduced to 11.45 months. This isthe second improvement in a row, further supporting an improving market.See links below for comparison. This is a great time to buy Titusville FLreal estate.Real Estate Market Report/Absorption Rates - Titusville FL (MLS Area 104) - May 2008Real Estate Market Report/Absorption Rates - Titusville FL (MLS Area 104) - Feb. 2008
I can help you find your Home Sweet Home in Florida Gail MacMillan - BrokerHome Sweet Home Florida Realty, Inc.www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com
FAWN LAKE - MARKET REPORT - July 12, 2008
There are 18 active listings:$279,900 - $299,900 - 3 listings$309,000 - $397,000 - 6 listings$419,000 - $469,000 - 6 listings$599,700 - $599,900 - 2 listings$799,900 - 1 listing
2 properties are under contract:
3210 Pheasant Trail - Listed $369,000 MLS #4955303065 Green Turtle Circle - Listed $299,900 MLS #511645There have been 4 closings in Fawn Lake in 2008:
5400 Canvasback Dr. closed 1/31/08 - Listed $359,900 Closed $330,000 MLS #489980 5220 Amy Way closed 5/1/08 - Listed $439,900 Closed $405,000 MLS #5030123209 Pheasant Trail closed 5/27/08 - Listed $329,900 Closed $310,000 MLS #4786673095 Fawn Lake Blvd. closed 6/9/08 - Listed $304,900 Closed $275,000 (short sale)
FAWN LAKE - Mims, Brevard County FL - Market Report May 2008 (MLS AREA 101)FAWN LAKE - Mims, Brevard County FL - Market Report Feb 2008 (MLS area 101)
This home (not my listing) had been on the market for over 2 years; priced unrealistically. When the last agent got the owner to price it right, it went under contract in 34 days. It needs updating, but considering the location, my buyers got a pretty good buy. They're delighted and the neighbors will love seeing the improvements that ultimately benefit everyone who lives nearby. Its a win/win!Listed: $179,500Sold: $172,000
I can help you find your Home Sweet Home in Florida
Sold by: Gail MacMillan - BrokerHome Sweet Home Florida Realty, Inc.www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com
OWNER SAYS BRING OFFERS FOR THE BEST BUY IN WINDOVER FARMS - 1.22 acres, zoned for horses - 20x21 barn & 20x25 workshop. Country living yet close to shopping, I-95 and Orlando/Airport. Many updates in this well maintained open, spacious floorplan, cathedral ceilings, lots of tile, fieldstone fireplace, inside laundry. Large 12x28 screened porch looks out to small pond. Sprinkler on well and pump, 5 producing fruit trees. Very nice setup suitable for various interests. Come see for yourself :-)MLS# 497696 Virtual Tour: http://homesweethomeflorida.com/Listing/VirtualTour.aspx?ListingID=1497709
Listed by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty, Inc.www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com
Heads-up! This website is making the rounds (via email) and not a word of it is true. It gets people all riled up thinking there's very bad people living around them. I have no idea what what the creators of these menaces hope to gain, but I'm sure it's not good. I received it yesterday and, of course, plugged in my address (minus the street number). Lo and behold the bad guys were everywhere. I was talking with the friend who sent it and she had a felon living on the golf course(?) So we checked Snopes.com and learned the truth: http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/felonspy.asp . It would probably be best if we don't click the link at all! But I had to just once more. I wanted to see if the fake felons were generated from the people who had just put their address in. So I put my girlfriend's address in (minus the street number)....well nothing came up on her street, so that seems safe. I still have a creepy feeling about it....if you have to check it out just don't put in your street number. Let's play it safe.
Gail MacMillan Broker-Realtor®Home Sweet Home Florida Realty, Inc. At Home With Diversity (AHWD)Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)e-PRO Internet Certified (e-PRO)Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI)Relocation SpecialistTitusville, Florida Cell: 321.544.6808
www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com
This is just a gentle reminder to please leave your business card when you have been in a home for a showing. One of my listings is a young couple, a stay-at-home mom with a two-year old. She's very sweet and obliging, always leaving the house for the showing - no small task when rounding up the little one. She has not once mentioned being inconvenienced even if it's nap time or dinner time. We have had a lot of showings, but unfortunately only about 2 or 3 out of 10 have been leaving their card. She'll come back home and call me to see if the people have been there, asking if she should go back out. I recognize that these are tough times and many of us are tired....but we are the professionals, and must remember to conduct ourselves as such. Forgetting to leave a card may seem like a small thing to us, but it's not a small thing for this mother. Thanks, I needed to get this off my mind.
www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com great website - check it out - pass it onhttp://activerain.com/blogs/homesweethomeflorida - my blog
It's Tuesday morning and yesterday's garbage is still at the curb, not just ours, but the entire neighborhood.....and it's going to be there till Friday. The new cans for the automated garbage pick-up system were not delivered in time for this week's pickup and.....so..... the garbage will not be gathered until Friday. That means no pick-up on Thursday either for many parts of the city. I don't want to imagine what it will look like around here by the end of the week. PLEASE....if you can, put your garbage in your vehicle and bring it to the dump - it's not far from anywhere in the city, on South St. between Cheney and Knox Mc Rae. Many thanks.......mine's already gone :-)
UPDATE: Enough of us called the city and they sent the trucks out - YAY!!! But there will be no pickup this Thursday 6/26. Hopefully our cans will arrive prior to Friday's scheduled collection.
This morning I had the unpleasant experience of this malware. I'll describe it's behavior so you'll recognize it if it lands on your computer. It operates as a series of pop-up screens which mimic the look of Windows Security Center. I ran a virus scan but nothing showed up. Still something just didn't feel right so I compared the logos which were close, but not the same. There were 6 or 7 warning screens which eventually all lead to the pop-up requiring registration for the latest updated Windows Security Center(?) - your first redflag. In the bottom right toolbar you'll see a red circle with a white X as well as a shield which looks like the Windows Security Center icon. It's tricky though, because it describes it's own behavior while IT's happening. Arrgg!!! Another screen will start scanning for spyware, it's bogus as well. It's very confusing - just stay calm. I tried going to Microsoft's website but received a message "Navigation Blocked" due to unstable internet browsing. During all this, my system kept shutting down and restarting. I think you have enough here to recognize it if it shows up. The fix:
I ran Windows Defender 3 times only to have the malware come back. It seems it just keeps replicating itself. I tried to reconfigure the start-ups in MSCONFIG only to have the icons reappear upon restarting. Finally I disabled Windows Defender and downloaded Computer Associates Anti Spyware which seems to have put an end to the problem - perhaps! Here is an example of what you might see - but the messages I received were only similar in nature.
This trojan can also change your home page, default search engine, internet security zone settings and enable ActiveX controls. It's a ploy to get you to download it's rogueware and it attaches to the registry. It appears Windows Defender was unable to prevent this malware from reasserting itself. A virus scan will not pick this up because it's not really a virus - it's pop-up malware and requires anti-spy software to remove it. I hope this description helps should you encounter this event. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
There comes a time with every listing when it really is priced to sell. These owners knew their house was overpriced but kept resisting, thereby staying one step behind the reality market. BUT now we're priced right and already the showings have picked up (always a good sign :-)
BEST OVERALL VALUE IN WINDOVER FARMS! 1.22 acres, zoned for horses - 20x21 barn & 20x25 workshop. Country living yet close to shopping, I-95 and Orlando/Airport. A pampered house with lots of updating. Open floorplan, cathedral ceilings, lots of tile, fieldstone fireplace, inside laundry, ample kitchen, appliances stay. Large 12x28 screened porch looks out to small pond. Sprinkler on well and pump, 5 producing fruit trees. Very nice setup suitable for various interests. Come see for yourself!!!
Here's the link with all the pictures, etc.WINDOVER FARMS - Titusville, Brevard County FL - Great Home on 1.22 Acres - Reduced to $239,900
And here's the Virtual Tour
Let me help you find your Home Sweet Home in Florida Call today 321.544.6808 - Thank You
Listed by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty
A BARGAIN HUNTERS DELIGHT: Here's the original link: WHY PAY RENT - Unbelievable buy on a Titusville FL 2/2 CONDO in Brevard County at Village Square - $74,900
Listed for: $74,900 3/30/2008Under contract: 5/13/2008Closed at: $66,000 5/30/2008
Missed this one? don't worry - there are others available in VILLAGE SQUARE! Please understand, this was a very low price and may be difficult to duplicate in this rebounding market. It was not a distress sale, the busy owner just wanted it off her plate. Please call for current availability and pricing!
These buyers are the parents of friends of mine and they were amazing to work with. Every little thing I did was so appreciated by them, it made doing my job very easy. They got a really good buy on a fabulous little home that was very well maintained, well-loved, and had loads of upgrades in a location that's perfect for their busy lifestyle. It's hard to believe that houses like this can cost so little.....but I have a feeling buys like this will become harder and harder to find. THE MARKET HAS CHANGED!
Sold by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty Closed: 5/30/08 - $152,500
www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com Great Website - check it out - pass it on http://activerain.com/blogs/homesweethomeflorida - my blog
CONTRACT FELL THRU - BACK ON MARKETIt only took 30 days to get this little charmer under contract. I probably sound like a broken record, but it's just so true - if a property is priced right it doesn't languish on the market and everybody comes out a winner. Here's the original link so you can check it out:
Lowest Price in Oaktrails at Meadowridge, Titusville, Brevard County FL 3/2 - $159,900
UNDER CONTRACT: I didn't think it would take very long get this fabulous little condo sold. It has so much to offer for a price that probably won't be seen again. As always the key in this market is to price properly from day one and the rest just naturally falls into place. Here's the original link:
WHY PAY RENT - Unbelievable buy on a Titusville FL 2/2 CONDO in Brevard County at Village Square - $74,900
Missed this one? don't worry - just contact me to find out what else is available in VILLAGE SQUARE! And remember, these prices are bottom pickings, you knew this was going to happen. CALL TODAY!!!!
Listed by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty Gail MacMillan Broker-Realtor®Home Sweet Home Florida Realty, Inc. At Home With Diversity (AHWD)Certified Residential Specialist (CRS)e-PRO Internet Certified (e-PRO)Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI)Relocation SpecialistTitusville, Florida Cell: 321.544.6808 www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com great website - check it out - pass it onhttp://activerain.com/blogs/homesweethomeflorida - my blog
I've often been asked how to identify specific MLS searches by the corresponding area number assigned by our local MLS - Space Coast Association of Realtors and Melbourne Association of Realtors. The MLS numbers below will isolate listings specific to the area selected which will help fine-tune your search. This information should be useful to anyone needing or wanting an MLS breakdown for Brevard County FL. and those who are out of State or out of the country who don't know about our MLS: www.brevardmls.com
MLS Area Numbers - Brevard County FL
101 Mims/Scottsmoor102 Mims/Titusville SR 46 - Garden104 Titusville SR50 - Kings Highway107 Port St. John210 Canaveral Groves211 Sun Lake212 Cocoa213 Mainland East of US 1214 Rockledge215 West Rockledge216 Viera/Suntree North of Wickham217 Viera West of I-95218 Suntree South of Wickham250 North Merritt Island251 Central Merritt Island252 North Banana River Drive253 South Merritt Island254 Newfound Harbor270 Port Canaveral271 Cape Canaveral272 Cocoa Beach320 North Melbourne321 Lake Washington322 Palm Shores323 Eau Gallie330 Melbourne331 West Melbourne340 NE Palm Bay341 NE Palm Bay342 Malabar South343 SE Palm Bay344 NW Palm Bay345 SW Palm Pay346 West/Southwest Palm Bay347 Southern Palm Bay350 Barefoot Bay/Micco355 Merritt Island South of Pineda381 North Satellite Beach382 Satellite Beach/Indian Harbor383 North Indialantic384 Indialantic/Melbourne Beach385 South Beaches901 Volusia County902 Orange County903 Osceola County904 Indian River County999 Out of Area
If you would like more information on any property in Brevard County please contact me:
FAWN LAKE - MARKET REPORT - May, 2008
There are currently 19 active listings on the market in this lovely gated community in MIMS, Brevard County FL. They range in price from $289,900 for 2104 square feet under air to $899,900 for 5333 square feet under air. 2 are short sales.
$300,000 - $400,000 - 11 listings$400,000 - $500,000 - 5 listings$500,000 - $600,000 - 1 listings$699,700 - 1 listing$899,900 - 1 listing
There are currently 2 listed properties that are under contract or scheduled to close. 1 is a short sale.
There have been 2 closings in Fawn Lake in 2008:
5400 Canvasback Dr. closed 1/31/08 - Listed $359,900 Closed $330,000 MLS #489980 (my listing) 5220 Amy Way closed 5/1/08 - Listed $439,900 Closed $405,000 MLS #503012
Most of these beautiful custom homes, sitting on an average of 3/4 acres, are priced in line with today's market. It's a perfect time to buy your dream home. It is my belief that the market has stabilized and we are entering a period where the public is beginning to understand that a shift is in progress. We're coming out of a buyers' market which began August 2005. It was long and it was hard, but normalcy is returning to the area. Proposition 1 passed creating added homestead benefits which makes buying right now even more exciting.
If you would like more information on these or other properties in Brevard County please contact me:
Area 104 - State Road 50 (Cheney Hwy) to Kings Hwy
107 active listings priced from $70,000 to $799,000 *8 short sales
17 properties are under contract ranging in price from $89,000 to $875,000 *2 short sales
35 houses have closed in the past 6 months
Applying the Absorption Rate Formula would indicate taking 18.35 months to absorb the current inventory of homes in this particular area. However if I add in the homes under contract (without accounting for any new listings prior to these closings) the absorption period is reduced to 12.34 months. It is my belief that the market has stabilized and we are entering a period where the public begins to understand that a shift is in progress. We are coming out of a buyers' market which began August 2005. It was long and it was hard, but normalcy is returning to the area. What occured is natural in the real estate cycle, but I don't think we are headed for a major sellers' market anytime soon.
THIS IS A BIG IMPROVEMENT OVER THE LAST REPORT DONE 2/22/2008 IT'S ALL GOOD :-)
I saw this house the week before while showing some out-of-town buyers. A very pretty home with all the bells and whistles: beautiful tile, granite counters and stainless appliances, built in 2003 with almost 2100 SF under air. It was well cared for and showed like a model....AND I knew immediately who was going to buy it. I called another person I had just started working with and said I'd just found her dream home and could hardly wait for her to see it. She thought I was being funny (or dramatic) until she walked in. The look on her face said it all......we went to contract immediately and closed four weeks later. It feels so good........the perfect pairing :-)Let me help you find your Home Sweet Home in Florida Call today 321.544.6808 - Thank You
Sold by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty Closed: 4/15/2008 - $238,000
New listing in one of Titusville's nicer subdivisions. With it's hilly (yes! a hill in Florida :-) entrance, mature trees, and short walk to an excellent Grade School, this quiet neighborhood is a great place to live. This wonderful starter/downsize home is a terrific buy at a very no-nonsense price. Here's what you get:
PRICE------------------------------------------------CONDITION---------------------------------------------LOCATION
Charming, sophisticated, and delightfully AFFORDABLE! Great curb appeal and WOW factor on the inside. Feels much larger than it's size. Shows like a model-no disappointment here. High ceilings, open floor plan, tile floors, decorator colors, move-in ready, appliances stay. Large private backyard with shade trees and room for a pool. Close to schools, shopping and airport. You'll be hard-pressed to find a nicer home in as nice an area for the small price tag on this beauty. Come take the tour:-)
Tour link: http://homesweethomeflorida.com/Listing/VirtualTour.aspx?ListingID=1697353
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car garage, 1697 square feet, 1242 under air. Meticulously maintained, squeaky clean, nicely landscaped, great curb appeal AND priced right!
I just listed the most adorable condo in a fantastic location. In the center of everything Titusville, I can't imagine this will last very long; so cute, I'm tempted to buy it as an investment for myself!!! Here's the MLS write-up and pictures. The virtual tour and lots more pictures are on my website. I'm really excited about this one :-). It's not about how much it costs, it's about saleability and getting the job done.
WHY RENT??? when you can own at such a tremendous value! This 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo is fresh, open and spotless. I'm told it's the only building in the complex that has cathedral ceilings in second floor units - very, very nice! A/C, hot water, fridge, dishwasher new 2006. Lightly lived in - shows like a model and overlooks pool and clubhouse. Excellent location, close to shopping, beaches, I-95, airport. $200/mo maintenance fee covers your building insurance, pool and clubhouse, lawn care, pest control & all exterior maintenance. Just move right in and the rest is done for you :-) You can have it all: PRICE - LOCATION - CONDITION. Come take a look today!
Here's a breakdown of what your payment would be if you put 10% down.$74,900 - $7490 = $67,410 at 6.125% for 30 years = $410.00 P & I 75.00 Estimate for real estate taxes 200.00 Monthly maintenance
So you pay approximately $685.00 a month to live in a nice condo overlooking the pool then get the tax advantages come April 15th. Can you see why I'm excited! Give me or your favorite real estate agent a call today.
Good just got better! Are you looking for affordable acreage close to shopping, close to Orlando International Airport, close to the wonderful beaches of Canaveral National Seashore, close to Merritt Island Natural Wildlife Preserve - AND - priced so very competitively. The house is spotless and comfy with 2 outbuildings/workshops on property which means not having to rent somewhere else to store your "must-haves". Definitely worth considering, please call if you have any questions. Here's the link to the original post with pictures, etc.
WINDOVER FARMS - Titusville, Brevard County FL - Great Home on 1.22 Acres - Price Reduced to $269,900
After messing around for about a month trying to negotiate on a Fannie Mae foreclosure, getting bid up over list price, having a dismal home inspection, my buyer finally gave up and we went in search of a home NOT undergoing some foreclosure or short-sale procedure. What a rigmarole to put someone through (but that should be the subject of another post). There are plenty of regular folks just selling their properties the old-fashioned way that it makes me wonder what's going to happen to all those troubled houses out there on the market when the public gets sick and tired of playing that game? I don't think the happy new owner of 2422 Larkwood has any regrets about not getting the FNMA contract through.If you have any questions about short-sales or foreclosures, please drop me a line and I'll do my best to answer them. Thank you.Let me help you find your Home Sweet Home in Florida Call today 321.544.6808 - Thank You
Sold by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty Closed: 3/20/2008 - $167,000
www.HomeSweetHomeFlorida.com great website - check it out - pass it on
This beautiful 1 acre piece of vacant land located in the Jade Tree subdivision in Melbourne FL is going to be the homesite for the new owner's dream home. The transaction got a bit bumpy when the appraisal came in low. It is my opinion that the appraiser used 1 bad comparable, but in this conservative lending climate, we just had to deal with it. Considering the previous owners had paid $233,500, they undoubtedly felt they had given enough. Fortunately we had a willing buyer and seller so were able to get the transaction closed. In the end everyone accomplished their goals. I can help you do the same!
Sold by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty Closed: 2/29/2008 - $191,000
This was another first-time homebuyer contact through my website: http://www.homesweethomeflorida.com/ Young people these days really know what they want and respond quickly when they are paired with the right property. Kirk emailed on Jan 7th, I showed he and his fiance the house of his inquiry the next day. That wasn't it. After listening to their wish list, we scheduled a couple of evenings to look at a few more homes in the area. We found the right house 2nd time out, but after looking for almost 2 years, making the commitment was harder than they thought. By Jan 27th they were ready, we wrote the contract and closed on the 27th of February. It's a beautiful home, they are thrilled, the seller is happy and life is good :-) Let me help you find your Home Sweet Home in Florida Call today 321.544.6808 - Thank You
Sold by: Gail MacMillan Home Sweet Home Florida Realty Closed: 2/27/2008
When it comes to homeowners insurance FLORIDA gets a lot of bad press. I frequently get calls from out-of-towners wanting to move or invest in Central Florida, but worry they can't get reasonable insurance to cover their investment. I've sold manufactured homes as well as older frame homes and have yet to see the buyer refused coverage. In fact, in the last year I've seen some quotes that were surprisingly low. Rather than me go on about it, let me show you an article from The Florida Association Of Realtors website today. New insurance companies are mentioned by name along with their phone numbers. Hopefully this will help quiet the perceived insurance issue in Florida. It's a bit wordy but worth the read:
Smaller insurers, more options TAMPA, Fla. - Feb. 22, 2008 - As the big national insurance companies such as State Farm, Allstate and Nationwide continue to pull up stakes in Florida, smaller unheard-of companies have stepped up to fill some of the void.They're writing new policies, lowering rates and giving homeowners an alternative to state-run Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida's insurer of last resort. In fact, after months of tremendous growth, Citizens, the state's largest property insurer, has about 9 percent fewer policyholders than last fall. Citizens' policy count has dropped from a high of 1.4 million in November to 1.274 million now, a loss of about 126,000 policies.The reason: A handful of smaller Florida-based companies have taken thousands of homeowners policies out of Citizens. Last year, insurers removed about 248,000 policies from Citizens, up from nearly 68,000 in 2006. What's more, the new carriers have prevented hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Florida homeowners from joining Citizens in the first place."We are writing a lot of homes that would otherwise be in Citizens right now," said David Howard, chief executive of St. Petersburg-based Edison Insurance, a small but growing company. "The Florida domestics are picking up the slack. They're writing the majority of business right now."Between January 2006 and September 2007, the industry wrote more policies than it dropped. During that time, nearly 4 million homeowners policies were dropped while 4.4 million new policies were written.The smaller companies employ different strategies. Some take policies only from state-backed Citizens. Others prefer to compete in the traditional marketplace. One writes policies only for homes worth at least $1 million that meet current building codes."We have a tremendous appetite for business on the west coast of Florida," said Ross Buchmueller, CEO of Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange, a Fort Lauderdale-based insurer known as PURE, which specializes in large homes worth $1 million or more.Also, the smaller companies have an advantage over the insurance giants. They're more flexible because they have fewer investors to answer to and can adapt to customers' needs more quickly. What's more, they're committed to one market: Florida.American Integrity Insurance (1-888-359-5515)American Integrity Insurance, a Tampa-based insurer with 105,000 policies, got all of its business from Citizens. All the takeouts were voluntary, an important element that should be preserved, said Bob Ritchie, the company's CEO.It's important to be "a true consumer's choice," Ritchie said. "It allows companies like mine to compete on service and relationships. At the end of the day, people like to do business with people they like."The company, established in September 2006, will begin selling coverage in the traditional voluntary market in April, Ritchie said."We are writing both older and newer homes," he said.In Florida, a successful property insurer must acquire plenty of reinsurance, keep rates competitive and spread the risk, Ritchie said."When you look at our portfolio, it is optimally spread throughout the state," he said. "We're not betting the storm is not going to happen."Edison Insurance (1-800-657-6618)St. Petersburg-based Edison Insurance has about 24,000 policies and a network of about 500 agents. It hopes to add 8,000 more policies this year, said Howard, the CEO.Edison, established in 2005, is writing policies on homes of all types. Most of its policies are in South Florida."Because the market has gotten so competitive, our sweet spot is much larger than it used to be," Howard said. "There's really not a lot of homes we wouldn't write. We write within 1,500 feet of tidal water."Edison's portfolio doesn't include any takeouts from Citizens."The only time we would consider that is if the market gets too competitive," Howard said.Edison cut its 2008 rates by more than 30 percent. Premiums for Edison's policyholders average about $1,800 a year, Howard said.The new Florida-based insurers are picking up thousands of policyholders that were dropped by State Farm, Allstate and other insurance giants, Howard said."They're writing the majority of business right now," he said.Most of the smaller companies, he said, are well-funded and have sufficient reinsurance, backup coverage for insurance companies. Edison, he said, has enough coverage to pay for damage created by multiple storms."You got to make sure you have a very strong reinsurance program that protects the surplus of the company so you can be there to deliver when the storm hits," Howard said.PURE (1-888-813-7873)PURE provides coverage to a specific market. The homes must be worth $1 million or more and built to standards that equal or exceed building codes."A quarter of what we do is beachfront," said Buchmueller, the company's CEO. "Our business is extremely selective. The criteria to gain entry is very narrow."The member-owned insurer has about 2,000 members and 3,500 policies, including auto policies. Buchmueller expects the company to double in size by year's end.In addition to its selective coverage, PURE is unique in that its members contribute 10 percent of their premium to the company's cash surplus each year."We do not resemble in any way any other company that you could speak to," Buchmueller said. "If we broke even, we would still grow surplus by 10 percent a year."Also, PURE limits its membership to 425 members per county, a policy that helps keep risk and exposure reasonable, he said.PURE's growth is poised to soar next year. That's because, beginning in December, state law requires state-backed Citizens to drop customers with homes worth $1 million or more."It's almost $20 billion of insured values," Buchmueller said. "All of this business is going to find its way into the private market, and we think we're well-positioned to take large chunks of that."American Strategic Insurance (1-866-274-8765)American Strategic Insurance of St. Petersburg was established 10 years ago and has 260,000 policyholders, up from less than 200,000 in 2005.The company has lowered its rates about 24 percent, on average, and is writing new policies. But the company doesn't want to get much bigger, citing the escalating cost of private reinsurance.However, American Strategic CEO John Auer said his company is working with investors in hopes of licensing a new Florida-based insurer."We don't want to grow ASI substantially bigger, but we will find other companies that do want to grow the insurance business in Florida," Auer said.Auer attributed the company's lower rates to a combination of reduced reinsurance costs and "good trends in both losses and expenses." Last year, the state expanded the Hurricane Catastrophe Fund by $12 billion, which allowed companies to buy more reinsurance at a lower rate than the private market.American Strategic's business doesn't include any takeouts from Citizens."We've tried to win business through giving good service," Auer said. "We try to assign a rate to every risk. If the rate is low enough, we get it."As a series of hurricanes struck the state in 2004 and 2005, many insurers stopped writing new policies. American Strategic, however, continued to grow."We never closed," Auer said. "We've grown every year."Copyright © 2008 Tampa Tribune, Fla., Russell Ray. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.