VanDyk Mortgage - November 2019

VanDyk Mortgage - November 2019

NOVEMBER 2019

Letters From the Hart Give us a call! 239-437-4278 Or visit www.TimHartJr.com Corporate NMLS #3035 www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

UNSOLVED CASE OF THE FORT MYERS 8 'The HartBeat Show' Meets 'Paradise After Dark'

“Yeah, because that would make me feel better,” Ken added sarcastically.

This month, I have something special for you true crime junkies out there. Be warned, if murder mysteries and unsolved crimes aren’t your thing, you might want to jump ahead to our other articles, because this story gets pretty gnarly. We’re talking about the Fort Myers 8. In 2007, the skeletal remains of eight victims were found in Fort Myers. Only three skeletons have been identified, and to this day, the case remains open and unsolved. I was born and raised here in Southwest Florida, but I had never heard this story until I happened upon a local podcast, “Paradise After Dark.” Hosted by Lauren and Ken, this podcast covers “the dark side of the Sunshine State.” After hearing Lauren and Ken talk about the Fort Myers 8, I invited them to discuss this terrifying case on my podcast, “The HartBeat Show.” When I first heard about this story, I was blown away. They found these skeletons near Rockfill Road in Fort Myers, in an area full of houses and not far from a baseball facility. During our conversation, Lauren mentioned that when the bodies were first reported, the lead investigator, Detective Jennifer Soto, didn’t expect to find anything. “That area is known for people throwing out pig carcasses and things like that,” Lauren explained. “She wasn’t expecting human remains, let alone eight full skeletons, to be found.” When Detective Soto and her team realized they had found human skeletons, all within 50 yards of each other, it launched a bunch of theories, ranging from “possible” to “completely off the wall.” There were theories that the skeletons were victims of a funeral home dump, part of a mass suicide, a mob hit out of Tampa, or passengers on a plane who had gone missing in the Bermuda Triangle. But according to investigators, the most likely theory was that this had been the work of a serial killer. “This was most upsetting to the residents of Fort Myers,” Lauren mentioned. “But then the investigators came out and said, ‘If this is the work of a serial killer, you don’t have to be worried. Whatever happened here happened a long time ago.’”

Investigators believe that these bodies were left between 1987– 2001. The serial killer theory is the most likely because there was a serial killer active in Fort Myers in the early ‘90s. Daniel Conahan is better known as the Hog Trail Killer because he would leave his victims on hog trails. One of his victims was found within a mile of where the Fort Myers 8 were discovered. I’m not going to go into Conahan’s crimes here — gotta save something for the podcast — but I will say that I agree with Lauren and Ken when they name Conahan as their prime suspect. If you’re interested in the details, or if you want to know why Ken’s nickname for Conahan is “The Pickle Poacher,” check out the full episode of the podcast titled “The Unsolved Case of the Fort Myers 8.” We went on to discuss details about the case, profiles of the victims, and how much investigators can tell about you just by your teeth, but the most interesting part of my conversation with Lauren and Ken came toward the end. True crime is an interest to a lot of people, but for “Paradise After Dark,” it’s also about getting closure. In the case of the Fort Myers 8, five of these people are still unidentified. They were left in the woods for maybe 20 years with people missing them but having no idea what happened. If bringing attention to these stories helps get new answers, it can bring some sort of closure to the victims and their families. I want to give a huge thank you to Lauren and Ken of “Paradise After Dark.” Talking to them was a really cool experience. If you’re from Fort Myers and you’ve never heard about this case or if you’re a true crime enthusiast, you can hear the full episode of my podcast, with all the unsettling details, at TimHartJr.com. You can also find “Paradise After Dark” anywhere you get your podcasts.

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Engage Your Kids on Thanksgiving With These Gratitude-Themed Games

Guess Who?

Every year, tourists flock to Disney’s “Magic Kingdom” and marvel at Cinderella's iconic castle. As fun as it is to see this Florida-based attraction, it would be even more magical to step back in time and visit a real medieval citadel. What if you could walk the same ramparts as Roman legionnaires and climb the same towers as French kings? If this idea gives you goosebumps, pack your bags for Carcassonne, France. A four-hour train ride from Paris, towering above the rolling vineyards of Southern France, you’ll find one of the most intact, accessible castles in Europe. With sweeping, concentric walls and 53 elegant towers, the Cité de Carcassonne is a breathtaking sight. Once an impenetrable border fortress between the kingdoms of France and Aragon, the gates now stand open Thanksgiving is an excellent time to teach children about gratefulness. By planning some fun, gratitude-themed games, you can impart a valuable lesson and spend some quality family time together. Get your kids in the holiday spirit by adding a Thanksgiving twist to these classic games. Want to bring out your kids’ creative sides? Pictionary is the perfect way to encourage artistic expression and grateful thinking. Try adding a rule where players have to draw something they’re grateful for. This will get your kids thinking beyond turkey and stuffing and give them an imaginative way to express their gratitude. Plus, who doesn’t love a good art contest? Pictionary

To play gratitude- themed Guess Who?, have each participant write down their name and something they’re

without disturbing the others. However, by using colored sticks that represent different kinds of thankfulness — such as places, people, or food — you can make players think outside the box. This will ensure you get a wide range of creative, thoughtful answers whenever the kids pick up a stick. These modified games are great for helping your kids realize how much they have to be thankful for. Use these to spend some fun, educational, quality time with your family this Thanksgiving.

thankful for on a slip of paper and put it in a bowl. Then, at the dinner table, have each person draw a random slip and read what it says without saying the name while everyone else tries to guess who wrote it. While Pictionary may get your kids talking about what they are thankful for, Guess Who? will tune them into what others around them are thankful for too.

Pick-Up Sticks

Like regular pick-up sticks, the goal is to remove a stick from a haphazard pile

Carcassonne The Real Magic Kingdom

to anyone curious enough to walk its cobblestone streets.

In fact, you can stay in the ancient city yourself. The five-star Hotel de la Cité Carcassonne occupies a former bishop’s palace and overlooks the inner ramparts of the fortress. With medieval tapestries and gorgeous woodwork in the hotel’s interior, you’ll feel like you’re living among French royalty. Of course, if you’d prefer lodging with the commoners, plenty of quaint bed-and-breakfasts exist just across the Aude river. With rustic cafes, fresh crepes, and bustling crowds making their way down the twisting cobblestone streets, the surface-level experience of Carcassonne would be enticing to anyone wanting to explore the French countryside. But for those who want to delve into the history

of this storied castle, grand narratives await you. Just walking the walls of Carcassonne paints a picture of the past. While the outer fortifications were built by Louis IX and Phillip III, a section of the inner wall is far older. The red brick used in this part of the construction dates back to before the existence of France itself. Roman troops first fortified the hillside town around 100 B.C., giving every stone of this site a story to tell. If you’ve ever dreamed of experiencing medieval life for yourself, your adventure awaits in Carcassonne.

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4-Point Inspection This inspection determines whether the house is even insurable and can make or break a deal. During a four-point inspection, the inspector looks at four key areas: • Roof • Electrical • Plumbing • Heating and cooling Four-point inspections are almost always required for older homes. If you’re buying a home that’s 25 years or older, you’ll likely need a four-point inspection. That said, during our conversation, Troy noted that some insurance companies have been requiring four-point inspections on homes as new as 10 years old. The reason many people will get a four-point inspection done when they get a home inspection is because they’ll be able to get it done during their due diligence period. If the

inspector comes back with any items that need to be repaired for the home to be insurable, you can negotiate with the seller. If you wait until after that period, you might be out of luck. No lender is going to give out loans on houses that aren’t insurable. If you've ever had a deal fall through after an inspection, whether you're a buyer or a Realtor, you know it can be a devastating experience. Home inspectors like Troy are often accused of “killing deals.” But, as we mentioned earlier, no one wants an unpleasant surprise after buying their new home. “The bad part of my job is sometimes we have to give people the bad news they don’t want to hear,” Troy said. “When I see my clients in the second round, I tell them, ‘The second one almost always works out better. I think you’re going to be much happier.’ More often than not, the second house is much better and they are much happier.” Home inspections can be frustrating, but they’re an important part of the process. If you have questions about home inspection or any part of the home-buying process, get some answers by calling 239-437-4278 today.

SUDOKU

VanDyk Testimonial

Solution on Pg. 4

Trivia Question: Who does Tim think is responsible for the Fort Myers 8?

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Inside This Issue Tim Hart, NMLS #354676 8280 College Parkway Suite #101 Fort Myers, FL 33919 'The HartBeat Show' Goes True Crime PAGE 1

Give us a call! 239-437-4278 Or visit www.TimHartJr.com

Gratitude-Themed Games for Kids

Stay in a Real Castle PAGE 2

Testimonial PAGE 3

Secrets From a Home Inspector PAGE 4

What Inspection Do I Need? WIND MITIGATION AND 4-POINT INSPECTIONS EXPLAINED

H ome inspections are a key part of the home-buying process. No one wants to find any nasty surprises after they’ve moved into their new home. The outcome of an inspection can make or break a deal. I sat down with Troy Thornhill from Healthy Home Inspections, and he gave me the scoop on the different types of inspections beyond your

of your house to calculate any discounts, including the age of the house and roof and the presence of hurricane shutters, but the two features that will affect your insurance the most are hurricane straps and the shape of the roof. • Hurricane Straps — This is what’s called roof-to-wall attachment. It’s what holds the roof down and connects it to the exterior walls of the house. New homes have single wraps, which are metal connectors that wrap up and over the top of the roof trusses. Older homes have clips, which don’t wrap over the trusses. If those clips are secured properly, it can make a huge difference in your insurance. • Roof Shape — This isn’t something you can really change about the house. Basically, if you have a hip roof, you could see a nice discount on your homeowners insurance.

standard home inspection that you need to know about when buying a house in Florida. Wind Mitigation Inspection This kind of inspection will save you money on your homeowners insurance 90% of the time, according to Troy. Most insurance companies require this inspection for homes built prior to 2003, so if you’re buying a new house, make sure you check with your insurance carrier to see if you need a wind mitigation inspection.

A wind mitigation inspection is essentially a hurricane study on the house. There’s a list of things inspectors go through, and there are certain discounts the insurance company will give based on their findings and how the house is constructed. Your insurance will look at various features

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