Welcome!

Happy holidays! Welcome to our November/December newsletter, which has a number of pertinent articles, such as real estate news, technical content, as well as local events and information. We hope you find this issue helpful and informative. You can always explore past issues by visiting the newsletter archive.

If you would like to be notified of new communiqués monthly, just send your email address to newsletter@carlabontenrealty.com. Don't forget to include your email address! Enjoy!

Real Estate & Financial News

Tax Planning For 2003
by Nancy K. Reynolds, CPA*, CVA, CFE

Your browser doesn't support Java 1.1, or Java is not enabled! Here’s some good news:

• We have new tax rate schedules for 2003 that reduces the top rate to 35% and moves the other rates down by 2% in tax brackets 27% to 35%.

• Most dividends will be taxed at a reduced rate of 15% for the period January 1, 2003 through December 31, 2008. Use caution, however, because some dividends do not qualify, and there is a short holding period. Check with your broker.

• Donating appreciated property gives you the full benefit of a tax deduction for the market value and you don’t have any capital gain to pay on the difference between your actual cost and the market value on the date of the gift.

• Don’t forget the maximum rate for qualifying long-term capital gains has been reduced from 20% to 15% and even lower for individuals in lower tax brackets.

Now is an excellent time to plan any year-end tax strategies that will help you reduce taxes.

These tax tips were brought to you by Nancy K. Reynolds, CPA*, CVA, CFE.  For further information you can email her at nreynolds@cpanaples.com.

*CPA designation is regulated by the State of Florida

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Planning The Vacation
Of Your Dreams?

Then let us help you. Carla Bonten Rentals, Inc., sister company to Carla Bonten Realty, Inc., has everything you’re looking for. We know how important your much deserved vacation time is. That is why we always strive to bring you the best quality and service in luxury properties to meet all your needs during your stay here in Southwest Florida.

We provide you with a choice of high-caliber properties that are exceptionally comfortable, turnkey furnished, and self catering for your maximum comfort in your temporary home away from home. We have privately owned beach homes and condominiums as well as homes in the finest golf course communities in Bonita Springs, Naples, Estero, and Ft. Myers Beach.

Our properties are some of the best that Southwest Florida has to offer you with the luxury and service you’ve come to expect from us. Ask our Rentals Team for more details on availability, rates, and specials.

You can see our properties at on the web at www.carlabontenrentals.com and you can e-mail us at rentals@carlabontenrentals.com with any questions you may have. Let your next vacation be “A Vacation of a Lifetime.”

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Carla Bonten Realty News

Carla Bonten Realty is proud to announce our newly designed website! We hope you enjoy our new site. We've enhanced it with all kinds of new information such as the ability to search all area listings, real estate calculators, the ability to send beautiful greeting cards and translate the site into several languages!

Pamela McCall has been in residential and commercial real estate since 1979. After traveling the world with the Department of State/Foreign Service, Pam and her husband Chris returned to the Bonita Springs/Naples area where she has continued her real estate career. She is very active in the city of Bonita Springs and her fluency in Spanish, German, and Portuguese coupled with her specialization in 1031 exchanges makes her, "your favorite realtor in the world," a strong force here at Carla Bonten Realty, Inc.

You can email Pamela at: pamela@carlabontenrealty.com

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New Agents Join Carla Bonten Realty

Carla Bonten Realty is welcomes the following new agents to our group of skilled and highly motivated real estate professionals.

Hank Stewart, Realtor

Hank is a native of Toledo, Ohio where he attended Davis Business College and the University of Toledo. Relocating to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1981, he spent the next eighteen years as founder and owner of Duplitech Inc., a high tech fulfillment company specializing in building upgrade kits for computer driven industrial equipment. From a meager start up of two people, and no orders, Hank directed his company thru two decades of success, with annual sales in the millions.

With an offer to liquidate his interest in Duplitech, Hank had little trouble deciding to make his lifelong dream to live in the land of endless summers a reality. A bonus to this move was the available time to pursue his long time interest in Real Estate. Not just buying and selling real estate, but mastering the disciplines involved in closing transactions, that grow more complex each day.

After moving to Florida, Hank met his new wife who introduced him to Central America, and in particular, Guatemala, where she had lived for several years.  Many visits later, and after making several new friends there, he has developed a new passion for international real estate.

With the magnitude of investment involved in today’s real estate transactions, buying and selling your property is no longer just an emotional decision, but rather an emotional decision based on the right data that can better help you make correct economic decisions. With his background in business, his years of experience living and visiting here in southwest Florida, and his attention to detail, Hank can help you make one of life’s largest decisions, enjoyable, secure, and stress free.

You can reach Hank at (239) 269-8265 or email him at hstewart@carlabontenrealty.com.

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Mariolina Fleig, Realtor®

Mariolina was born, raised and educated in Pisa, Italy where she got her Certified Teacher and Accountant degrees.

She has the experience to live in 4 Continents throughout the world, which gave her the opportunity to speak different languages and understand different cultures. She worked for the Italian Embassy in Ottawa, Canada and after that moved to United States 26 years ago and started working for the Italian Foreign Service in Detroit

Mariolina has been a Real Estate agent since 1989 and prior to her Real Estate career she also got a degree and worked as Interior Decorator/Design and Artist, another skill she will use to help with the selection of your future home.  She is fluent in English, Italian and French, very patient, hard working and easy going Realtor.

You may contact Mariolina at:

Mobile – (239) 825-0972
Email: mariolina@carlabontenrealty.com

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F. Amoy Allen, Realtor®

F. Amoy moved to Paradise of S.W. Florida from the Big Apple, New York City. She was born and raised in Jamaica, educated there and the United Kingdom. After a successful Book publishing career in New York she decided to move to Florida and enjoy the sunshine. That thought lasted exactly one month and she became a Realtor® specializing in residential and investment property in the hottest market in the USA.

She enjoys helping people achieve their goals, that’s why she has an impressive list of satisfied customers. When working with Amoy, you will experience a Realtor® who can find you the best Deal in the area.

Amoy is a member of Bonita Estero Association Board of Realtors, NAR and FAR. You may contact F. Amoy at:

Mobile – (239) 404-3371
Email: famoy@carlabontenrealty.com

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Ronald McDonald House Update…

For those of you who have been waiting patiently wondering if we were going to have another “For the Love of Art” fund, well, wait no longer. We ARE!!

We are proud to announce that Stock Development has officially given us the word that they will provide us with use of one of their salons in their Magnificent Club House at Grandezza Golf & Country Club. The event will be handled in a slightly different format than last year. We will have both a silent and a live auction starting at 3PM and ending at 7PM on Saturday, January 31, 2004.

In case you don’t know the reason why Carla Bonten is heading this fund-raiser…it’s really quite simple. Our local Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida is still in dire need of an addition of 6 rooms to their existing house. It is a task that will cost approximately $500,000.

You may be asking yourself “why do they need that for?” This is even simpler to explain. You see, the Ronald McDonald House of Southwest Florida serves the ENTIRE southwest Florida region. It provides a living facility to families with very sick or injured children who are receiving medical treatment at the local hospital. In other words, it is intended to help keep families together, especially in unforeseen, hard times. We can give you more details about the house and its functions if you like.

We are currently looking for art donations to be included in the silent and live auctions. If you would like to participate in this event and be recognized as a donator, please get in touch with us for more details on how you can be part of this grand event.

Client Communication
The Key To Success
by Raymond L. Schumann, Senior Attorney
Schumann Law Group. P.A.

So now you have been out there networking, generating calls and receiving business orders and accounts. How do you keep these customers and clients you have worked so hard to obtain? Two simple words: client communication.

More than ever before, clients recognize they have a choice about with whom to do business. There are more people starting their own business now than ever before, which means that competition is greater than before. There are more accountants, lawyers, consultants, etc. trying to lure your clients away from you. Frequently, new clients make their choice based upon referrals from our existing clients and a large part of any business is repeat clients. It is therefore important to build a strong client base. Cementing our relationships with existing clients should be a primary goal for each of us.

Many believe that the way to keep clients is simply to do a good job or to provide quality merchandise. Clients are beginning to convey a clear message that they expect more. Naturally, they want to know they are getting their money’s worth. However, they also want to know that they are important to you. Their problems are your problems and they are counting on you to help them solve these problems. A strong rapport with clients is built on trust. We must be honest and direct with our clients.

Building a Relationship

Communication is the key to building a strong, trusting relationship with your clients. Communicate regularly, whether through is a multi-part marketing assault or simple client memo, stay in touch. Always return telephone calls promptly.

To avoid misunderstandings from the beginning, make sure fees and costs are discussed in detail ahead of time. Put fee agreements in writing whenever possible and always send clear and simple itemized bills. Do not make unrealistic promises to your clients. Be honest. If you are certain you will not make a deadline, tell them so. They will appreciate your honesty. If payment terms and deadlines are in writing, you may avoid having to later deal with a disgruntled client who refuses to pay for services already rendered. In fact, having a written document, which they can refer back to, may help avoid the disgruntled effect.

It is important that you understand exactly what it is that the client is expecting and accomplish those results. This is not always an easy task. Try to place yourself in your client’s position to more clearly understand the direction from which they are approaching the problem and where they want to go. Often the client is not clear as to what he/she needs or wishes to achieve. Additionally, depending on your business, results may not be tangible. It is therefore your responsibility to clarify the client’s needs and to present your accomplishments to the client in such a way that he/she is aware of the positive impact your work had on his/her business.

One sure-fire way to communicate with your clients is to initiate a feedback program. This may be Client Satisfaction Surveys, Exit Interviews or informal discussion. Your clients’ concerns should become your concerns. This allows you to address and dispel molehills before they become mountains in the minds of your clients. Remember, communication is the key to success.

Raymond Schumann Senior Attorney for Schumann Law Group, P.A., a firm with concentration in Real Estate and Business Transactional legal services. The offices are located at 27200 Riverview Center Boulevard, Suite 103, Bonita Springs, Florida 34134; Telephone 239-949-4529.

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Area Profile:
Self-storage – for you??

As populations rise, long term seasonal stays increase, and the need to store all your “special” belongings becomes more of a headache, self-storage facilities have come to save your day. Okay, they may not save your day completely, but they can help you live more comfortably. You no longer have to trip all over priceless memorabilia or supplies you’ve collected throughout the years…especially if you’re looking to make a more permanent move to our area in Southwest Florida.

So what’s the big deal about self-storage? Nothing really. It’s just knowing whether or not you really need a storage facility. That’s what people mostly contemplate when they move down here from somewhere up north or other parts of the world.

Sometimes people find themselves moving down to good ‘ole sunny Southwest Florida with all their belongings to their brand new homes and, a sense of peace comes about them. But as fast as that peace comes, they soon realize that the home they rented or purchased happens to be just a bit too small to comfortably handle all of their belongings. They have one of three options at this point: get rid of all the extra “unnecessary” things (which doesn’t happen easily), trip over extra boxes and what-not, or place their special, priceless possessions in reputable self-storage facilities located in Lee and Collier counties.

Lots of times though, you may not want to just “let go” of your possessions to a strange storage facility that you’ve never come across before. Issues such as air conditioning, dehumidified units, and yes, security, are big in our neck of the woods. So where do you start? You can definitely open the big yellow-pages for your area and choose from literally dozens of facilities around…and there are lots of great facilities out there and it’s that simple

One that stands out, though, Bonita Storage Inn in Bonita Springs, helps alleviate those feelings of letting go of your special belongings. They are a conveniently located, climate controlled storage facility that is not only great for residential storage, but is excellent for business storage due to their state of the art security system.

They boast 30 video-taped cameras throughout the entire facility; computer controlled access, individually alarmed units (5’x 5’ to warehouse size), automatic fire protection, easy truck access, truck availability with move-in, and other perks such as access from 6am to 10pm – 7 days a week and professional, friendly service. It’s an excellent, top choice.

But we’re not a storage company, nor do we plan to be one, but we know there are lots of great ones out there. Bonita Storage Inn happens to be our choice. If you wish to work with them, you can reach them at 239-948-0700, else you can choose from a variety of self-storage providers southwest Florida offers you by looking in the local yellow pages.

Whatever your choice is, we wish the best of luck to you; and if you’re already on your way here…Let us be the first to say, “Welcome to Southwest Florida.”

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AREA HAPPENINGS:

Art League of Bonita Springs Calendar:

Art League of Bonita Springs is showing its "Students and Faculty Showcase" at the ALBS at 26100 Old 41 Road. The exhibit is a celebration of the learning process and the journey into art. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 2 to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Information: 495-8989.

Holiday Shopping and Demo Day
November 29, 2003
Location: Center for the Arts Time: 9:30 AM
Cost: $no charge
The Art League of Bonita Springs will hold its second annual Holiday Shopping and Demo Day on Saturday, November 29, 2003 from 9:30am to 4:30pm. Local artists will offer a wonderful array of gift-giving ideas. There will be hand-painted porcelain, pottery, jewelry, textiles and much more. The artists will be on hand to answer questions about their craft and to help you choose just the right gift.

The Art Center has many adult and children's classes scheduled! For further information about activities of the Art League, you may call the center at 239-495-8989 or visit the Art League's web page.

The following events were taken from the Naples Daily News:

AREA HOLIDAY EVENTS:

Festival of Trees at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts, 5833 Pelican Bay Blvd., runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, through Thursday, Nov. 27, in the Philharmonic Center Galleries. The 15th annual holiday family tradition features dozens of decorated trees, wreaths and other seasonal treasures. The Evergreen Express, a giant tree of model trains, will run each day. Admission is $8 for adults and $2 for children; all proceeds benefit the Phil Orchestra and its youth music education programs. Information: 597-1900.

Third Street South Festival of Lights festivities kick off from 5 to 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 24, with a tree-lighting ceremony, live entertainment and a Naples-style snow shower. Festivities continue nightly through Saturday, Nov. 29 (except for Thanksgiving), with more free entertainment and snow flurries. Information: 649-6707.

Annual Christmas Boardwalk Walk on the Boardwalk at 1100 Sixth Ave. S. one block west of Tin City takes place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28. Christmas carolers, a harpist, singers and Santa will be on hand. Information: 596-7990 or 435-PETS.

Fifth Avenue South Christmas Walk and Avenue of Lights takes place from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, up and down Naples "Main Street." The event kicks off with a tree lighting ceremony conducted by Santa Claus and Naples Mayor Bonnie MacKenzie. Live entertainment and open houses are on the agenda. The public is invited to this free event. Information: 435-3742.

Charlie Brown's Holiday Party sponsored by Ben & Jerry's takes place from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7, at the Promenade at Bonita Bay in Bonita Springs. Dogs are invited to enjoy free ice cream, party hats and treats. Photos will be available for a small donation. All proceeds benefit the Animal Refuge Center, a no-kill shelter. Information: 418-1542.

Bonita Springs Boat Parade: December, 13, 2003. This 18th annual tradition begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Fish House of Bonita Beach, which will host a bon voyage party preceding the parade. The route starts in Estero Bay. Spectators can view the festive lighted boat parade from the Imperial River Boat ramp, where the City of Bonita Springs will provide bleachers. Other viewing areas include along the Imperial River and the Little Hickory Bridge on Bonita Beach Road.

Naples Bay Boat Parade, which travels from Naples City Dock to Bay View Park and back, starts at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. The theme is "A Tinsel Town Christmas." Boats are eligible to sign up now and donations are welcome. Information: 261-0882.

Even the waters of southwest Florida will be jolly and bright when the 16th annual Fort Myers Beach Boat Parade takes place on Saturday, Dec. 13. Starting at 6 p.m., the parade will run along the back bay of Estero Island. A holiday party and presentation of prizes will take place afterwards. People interested in participating should pre-register at no cost, and meet at the Pink Shell Resort on Fort Myers Beach at 5:30 p.m. For details, contact Chris Christensen at (239) 437-6482.

Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, led by resident conductor Clotilde Otranto, will perform a free outdoor concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at Cambier Park, 755 Eighth Ave. S. The repertoire will include classical favorites from composers including Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to musical selections from popular American composers, including Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" and John Phillip Sousa's "The Thunderer March." Participants are urged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. Information: 213-3058.

The Irish Tenors bring their 17-city United States Christmas Spectacular tour to Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28. The Tenors will be accompanied by a 47-piece orchestra and perform timeless selections from their new holiday album, "We Three Kings." Tickets are $75, $65, $55 and $45. Information: (239) 481-4849 or (800) 440-7469.

Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre’s most popular holiday show returns for the 2003 season. “White Christmas Revue” will bring audience members into the holiday spirit with over 30 secular and sacred songs, such as “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “Go Tell It on the Mountain”. The show will run from Nov. 27 through Dec. 27. For more information and ticket prices, call the box office at (239) 278-4422 or visit www.broadwaypalm.com.

The Southwest Florida Symphony will also bring a heartwarming holiday production to the family with their pop series, “Let It Snow”, at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on Dec. 18 and Dec. 19. Show starts at 8 p.m. both nights. Single tickets will be available early November at the box office. For more information, contact the symphony at (239) 418-1500 or view www.swflso.org.

The Sarasota Ballet and Southwest Florida Symphony join for the holidays in “The Nutcracker” at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in Fort Myers. Audiences will be transported to a fantasy enchanted with magic, sugarplums, and snowflakes. The show’s beautiful music, dancing, and costumes will dazzle all family members. Tickets range from $15 to $43, but reservations should be made in advance because there are only three shows available. On Dec. 5, there will be one evening performance at 7:30 p.m. On Dec. 6, there will be a matinee at 2 p.m. and an evening show at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact (239) 481-4849 or visit www.bbmannpah.com.

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Need an idea of what dining experiences are in our area? Click here for a list of some of the best!