Last month I had the opportunity to go to the Bank Atlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida to see Bruce Springstein in concert. The Bank Atlantic Center is a large, beautiful arena located in Southwest Florida. I have attended many shows there and have not been disappointed yet. Though I was not a big Bruce Springstein fan, I was a huge fan of The Sopranos. Imagine my surprise to find that Sylvio, Mafia hit man on the Sopranos, was actually a musician and a member of Bruce Springstein’s E-Street Band. It was such fun to watch him dueling guitars with Bruce, rather than dueling guns with Mafia targets on The Sopranos.

Many people think of New York and LA as cities with great entertainment, and they certainly are, but South Florida really holds it's own! My family recently went to see "Wicked" at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, a smaller, more upscale and intimate venue than the Bank Atlantic Center. We were blown away by the performance! Last weekend my mother and daughter went to see "Twelve Angry Men" at the Broward Center and loved that as well.

There has been a lot of talk lately in the press about the real estate market and the short sale market in particular. Many people may be confused about what a short sale is. A short sale occurs when a seller owes more then the property is worth and the bank is willing to accept a sale for less than the mortgage amount.

This represents a wonderful opportunity for both buyers and sellers. A short sale avoids foreclosures of South Florida real estate and homes and impacts the seller’s credit much less harshly than a foreclosure as it shows up on the credit report as paid in full.

Additionally, with a traditional foreclosure, the bank can get a judgment against the seller for any difference between the loan amount and the final sale price. In a short sale the bank marks the loan as paid in full and the seller does not owe any additional monies.

Are you an upside down seller? If you need to sell--or simply want to sell--your current home and you owe more on your house than the house is actually worth, then the answer is "Yes."

As an upside down seller you have several alternatives: foreclosure; short sale (under which you, the homeowner, can negotiate a sales contract on a foreclosure property and the lender will often agree to accept less than the full amount owed); or simply bringing cash to the closing of your home to equalize its price with its value.

All of these options are appropriate in some situations. But there is another possibility that can be a winner in the right circumstances. If you are moving now and selling is not a good option, consider putting your home into property management.

I love South Florida, so please don’t take this the wrong way, but it does seem we could do so much better when it comes to our children’s educations.

My children both attended, and my 5th grader still attends, Hollywood Hills Elementary, which was and is a great school.

In our wonderful neighborhood of Hollywood Hills, the big question for parents is what to do about middle school and high school. My daughter attended American Heritage, a wonderful, but very expensive private school for middle school and her freshman year of high school. This year my husband and I were determined to have both of our children getting a great education in the public school system due to (1.) the rising costs of private school and (2.) the inconvenience of having my daughter’s entire peer group living 30-45 minutes away, closer to American Heritage than to us.

I talked to friends that are teachers, politicians and parents and got a lot of good input from them all. Here is what we came up with which is working for the time being.

My daughter, performing in her high school's production of the musical, Tommy.

Property taxes are a big issue in Florida and, no matter whom you voted for in the race for governor, be glad that Charlie Crist lived up to his campaign promises and has offered some significant reform for Florida and our property taxes.

When I first started selling homes in 1998. taxes and insurance were affordable. Since then property values in South Florida have skyrocketed and taxes have skyrocketed along with them. Insurance prices went through the roof as well causing a big problem for Florida homeowners.

Several years ago we considered selling our home in Hollywood Hills and purchasing a home in Emerald Hills on the golf course. The price of the home would have been manageable for us, but because the tax laws at the time would have caused us to lose the tax advantages of prior home ownership if we purchased a new home, we were unable to make the move. The hugely increased taxes made it impossible!

Thank goodness the new tax bill has taken away this problem.

Guest Blogger James Santiago, owner of JS Property Maintenance, shares some helpful tips for homeowners. To contact James, email him at santiago_james@bellsouth.net, or call him at 954.804.9015.

Your home is the most valuable asset you have. Just like your car, your home needs regular maintenance, to keep it running efficiently. Have your furnace, air conditioners, and hot water heater checked seasonally. Things, such as replacing filters, saves on your energy costs, and provides cleaner air for you and your family.

I attended training this week at the Realtor Association of Miami and The Beaches in Coral Gables, FL to learn more about the bond and grant monies available to home buyers.

It was so interesting to learn about government programs designed to help a wide range of people to become homeowners or to move into another property or even to purchase an income property of up to four units.

Federal, state, county and city programs are available which can be used individually or stacked for maximum funds to a buyer. These programs were previously available only to first time home buyers, but through 12/31/10 they are available to anyone in 13 counties (including Dade, Broward and Palm Beach) who qualifies regardless of whether it is a first home purchase or not.

Dade County has a program which gives up to $70,000 towards the purchase of new construction which I found absolutely unbelievable.

I was fortunate to participate in the first course of this kind being offered. I am now certified as a Housing Opportunities Specialist,

On Wednesday, April 30th comes an event that I look forward to in my adopted home town of Hollywood, Florida every year! I would love to say that it is because it has been moved from Harrison Street to our lovely ArtsPark at Young Circle, or that I love the networking opportunities. These are both true, but the real reason I never miss this event is the food!

I pay $15.00 in advance, which gives me a wristband and an opportunity to sample food from most of South Florida’s wonderful restaurants. And children 10 and under are free! This is a family friendly event where they serve everything from pizza to sushi (you’ll find me by the sushi!).

I should mention that the city bills this as the ultimate networking extravaganza with restaurant tasting, corporate displays and live music. That is all accurate, but between you and me, I go for the food!

Looking for something fun and cultural to do in South Florida? Artwalk will certainly provide a good time as well as cultural entertainment. The 3rd Saturday of every month from 7-10 p.m. in Downtown Hollywood, you will be treated to cultural entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, wine and strolling musicians.

If that is not enough, this event is free and also features original art work for sale at participating galleries and businesses. Maps of the event are available at Comfort Zone Studio located at 2028 Harrison Street.

Interested in seeing a foreign film? During the winter, films are shown monthly outdoors at the Arts Park in Downtown Hollywood, Florida at no cost. During Daylight Savings Time, the monthly series moves inside to Hollywood Central Performing Arts Center located at 1770 Monroe Street at US1 at a cost of only $2.00 per person. There is plenty of free parking on site.