Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILIES A
HAPPY AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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Highlands County Florida - A "Cool" Place to Live

As Highlands County's "Coolest Realtor" I'd like to share with you why I love Highlands County and why it's the coolest place to live. Well, we have some of the coolest communities --- Avon Park, Sebring, and Lake Placid, where the coolest of cool people live. The lifestyle is fun, friendly, cool and causal. In Highlands County, a morning of golf makes for a perfect afternoon and getting dressed for "The Club" translates to socks optional!

We have an affordable cost of living and no state income tax. The median price of a home is $195,000, a lot less expensive than either of the Florida coasts or the urban areas. We are within a two-hour drive of either coast, two international airports, Mickey World, and the rest of the other major Florida attractions. We have luxury homes in beautiful golfing communities, to a cozy cabin on a pristine lake, or a quiet place in the country. For those of you who fly south in the winter, you can find a nice cool (or should I say warm) place to live for less than $81,000. Now that's what I call soooo...COOL!

If you have really cool hobbies and recreational needs, then you will find it all in Highlands County. Whether it's bass fishing on one of our 88 crystal clear lakes, or playing golf on one of a dozen or more championship golf courses, playing tennis, birdwatching, biking, canoeing, playing shuffle board (or as the cool people say shuffling), or antiquing you can find it all here in Highlands County!

Highlands County is a cool place to raise a family. We have a low crime rate, wholesome living, and good schools with dedicated teachers. Cool kids love Highlands County. We have really great sports programs from baseball, soccer, football to just about all cool organized sports. The Children's Museum of the Highlands is very cool for kids, moms, dads and grandparents. But most of all, our great outdoors is the coolest playground of all.

Just click on the Cool Favorite Links. I have put together some of my favorite cool web sites which have more information about the coolest of cool things to do in Highlands County!

Oops ..... I forgot to mention, Highlands County also has a really Cool County Administrator, my husband, Carl Cool.

Moving? - Top 10 Packing Tips

When you decide to make a move to a new home there are a number of things to take care of including the dreaded packing. Not many people enjoy this process, but it can be a lot less stressful if you are organized and make a plan.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Plan ahead and budget for the move. Will you be moving yourself or will you require the assistance of a moving company? If you are planning to use a moving company it’s a good idea to price this out ahead of time.
   


2. Make sure you have plenty of the following: strong packing boxes (more than you think you will need), markers and tags to label boxes, rolls of packing tape, bubble wrap for fragile items, packing paper, scissors and a knife for opening boxes.
   


3. Pack room-to-room keeping similar items together.
   


4. Use smaller boxes for heavier items so it is easier to lift.
   


5. You can use towels, linens and curtains to line the bottom and sides of boxes with fragile items. All fragile items should be individually wrapped. Clearly mark these boxes FRAGILE.
   


6. Make sure that any opened boxes or jars are tightly sealed before packing them.
   


7. Use colorful tags to identify the contents of the box and which room it will be taken to in your new home.
   


8. Pack any rugs last so that they will be the first thing unpacked and placed in the home.
   


9. Make a master list of all household items and personal belongings.
   


10. Finally pack a box with all the essentials and mark it “Open Me First”. This box may contain items such as: a few basic tools (flashlight, pocket knife, masking tape, light bulbs), bathroom essentials (toilet paper, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes & paste, hand towel), Kitchen items (paper towels, coffee maker & filter, paper plates, cups, utensils, pet food, trash bags).

Planning ahead will make all the difference to an overwhelming move. Do your research and make a pla