Things To Do In SW Florida

Q: My cousin is getting married and agreed to sell me her apartment for a great price. We drew up a contract so that I could get a mortgage loan, and I interviewed with the condo board. Now, the condo tells us that my cousin must sell it to another owner who already lives in the building. She is only selling it at a discount because we are family. Can the condo do this? — Sean

A: Yes, they can probably enforce this, but you may still have options.

Community associations are formed to help maintain the standard of living of their residents and the property value of their homes. Associations have many tools at their disposal to achieve these goals. For example, they can levy fines for violating the community rules and even foreclose and take a resident’s home under certain circumstances.

Most associations will require a buyer to be screened for fitness to live in the community and their ability to pay the dues. Some associations take it further and include a “right of first refusal” in their toolbox. read more

Katie Kelton | (TNS) Bankrate.com

If you’ve ever found a stray gift card in your car’s glove compartment or the recesses of your wallet, you’re in the company of more than 2 in 5 U.S. adults (43%) with an unused gift card, gift voucher or store credit.

Those unused gift cards add up — to $244 per person on average, according to a new survey by Bankrate. That card you found could be equivalent in value to a flight, nice pair of shoes or tablet.

Learn more about which Americans are most likely to have unused gift money and why they’re not cashing it in.

More than 2 in 5 Americans have at least one gift card, gift voucher or store credit they haven’t used. That’s 43% of Americans who have an unused gift card, compared to 52% who don’t and 6% who aren’t sure.

The average amount in unused gift cards, gift vouchers or store credit is $244 per person. That’s much higher than in 2023, when Americans had $187 in unused gift cards, gift vouchers or store credit.

More than 1 in 3 Americans have lost money with a gift card misstep. That’s 34% total, with overlap among 20% who let a gift card expire, 17% who lost a gift card and 12% who had a store go out of business before they used their gift card. read more