New to the market coach home at Spring Run in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Enjoy two bedroom, bath with tile through out the home and lanai.  The lanai has a lake and cypress preserve view.  To take the visual tour click: Here.This home is offered furnished and is available for sale, as well as, for seasonal rental.  The golf membership is transferrable to tenants. In addition to bundled golf, residents and guests have access to tennis, various community pools and the clubhouse which host the pro-shop and dining room.       Spring Run residents are also eligible to purchase a membership at the Commons Club of the Brooks.  The Commons Club offers a private fitness center, enrichment center, private dining at Rosie Spoonbills and a private beach club membership.  The beach club offers a sh... 11/30/2006

Santa is a Realtor and is "vacationing" in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Santa's sleigh had the rails removed and those big smooshy tires put on so it doesn't get stuck in the sand.Today I had lunch with a first time homebuyer.  I heard the story of how his young son had written a letter to Santa and left it for his dad to mail.  When his father came home the letter was gone.  It seems his son couldn't wait for dear old dad, so he put it in the mail, himself.  The postman picked it up, with no postage....bless their hearts, they do that for Santa letters.Anyhow, I ended up being Santa this season.  I've got a list, and it's growing, of customers and friends that want one mailed to their little darlings.  I searched images and found the North Pole, AK postmark that I print on envelopes and e... 11/27/2006

The next time you're in the post office pick up the FREE "Flat Rate Envelope" and buy the stamps to go on them.  The cost to mail flate rate is $4.05, with no weight limits.  This is great for anyone that mails relocation packages or bundled material.There are a few rules.  1.  There isn't a weight limit, but the envelope must close securely.  It can be taped shut for security.2.  Any tape can not cover the stamp, even if it's clear tape.3.  The envelope has to be delivered to a postal employee in the post office.  It cannot be put in your home mailbox.   It cannot be put in the drop box at the post office.  (Post 911 security)4.  You can often just hand the envelope to a postal agent and avoid the line.  They simply need physically delivered inside to an agent.The great news is that yo... 11/22/2006

5 Tips to Retain Life Long Clients1.  Be Available and AccessibleMake sure your customers know how to find you.  When the time to call you presents itself make sure they have current contact information.  2.  Maintain ContactConnect with your customers, past and present.  Reach out to them through phone calls, email, snail mail and newsletters.  Include past customers when you mail "just listed" and "just sold" postcards.3.  Be Seen and Be HeardGet involved in community affairs.  Become a member of a board of directors, an association, club, high school boosters club or civic group.  You will be working and networking with members of the community and meeting new people.  4.  Be Generous With Hidden PerksWhether its a free art exhibit or little known "Taste of the Town" festival, share ... 11/22/2006

The VisualTour Marketing System is a easy to use system that includes everything that you need to create, host and display your own web or CD based virtual tours complete with your own branding using nothing more than your own digital camera. The main purpose in creating your own virtual tours is to generate more business. VisualTour supplies you with a starter kit of marketing materials to help you in your listing presentations, and offers additional materials at very inexpensive prices.Panoramic images are created from  your own digital camera and "stitched together" to make a panorama.  "Hot Spots" can be added to  zoom in on a feature or to zoom through a door to show what is in the next room.  Additional uses for the hot spot is on a floor plan of the featured home.  Simply add "ho... 11/20/2006

Florida's Housing Market for 3Q 2006: Sales Down, Median Price LevelORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 20, 2006 -- In third quarter 2006, Florida's housing sector continued to mirror the national trend, showing higher inventory levels of homes available for sale in many markets and a slowdown in sales. Statewide, sales of single-family existing homes totaled 43,395 during the three-month period, a decrease of 34 percent compared to 65,364 homes sold during the same time a year ago, according to the Florida Association of Realtors® (FAR).The statewide existing-home median sales price remained stable at $247,900 in the third quarter; a year ago, it was $247,800. In 2001, the third-quarter statewide median sales price was $132,000, which is an increase of 87.8 percent over the five-year period. The media... 11/20/2006

MAYONNAISE JAR AND 2 CUPS OF COFFEE When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the2 cups of coffee.A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items infront of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a verylarge and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golfballs. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreedthat it was.The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into thejar.He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areasbetween the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jarwas full.  They agreed it was.The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.Of course, the sand filled up ev... 11/19/2006

Increase the chance of selling your house faster following a few good guidelines.5 Tips For Seller's In A Buyers Market1.  Plan your work and work your plan.Be prepared to sell your home and price it accordingly.  Not the price the neighbor got for theirs last year, not the price you wish you get, but the price that you should get now.  2.  Check Out The Competition.Get out there and see what your competition looks like, how the competition is priced and the amenities that are offered with the competing homes.  Approach the home search from a buyer's perspective.  3.  Make It Picture Perfect.Make the home 100% perfect.  Clean every square inch, repair anything that is broken, replace anything that is worn or showing age.4.  Sweeten The Deal.Offer incentives to buyers. Besides a low pric... 11/19/2006

The next Amber Alert  in your city can be text messaged to your cell phone in minutes.  From Bonita Springs to Boise, any city can send notifications.Thanks to a new system, anyone can register their cell phone at http://www.wirelessamberalert.org/ and receive instant notifications if there is an actual emergency involving a child that is missing or abducted.  Simply visit the website, register your phone number and choose the city or zip code of the area in which you are interested in receiving notifications.  A text message will be sent to your phone if there is an actual emergency.  The text will describe the child, suspect, vehicle and other important clues.  Should you see the child, perpetrator or vehicle involved, dial 911 to report it to the police.  There is no charge for the t... 11/19/2006

How Badly Does Your Buyer Want It?Your Buyer Might Have To Ante Up To Win The HomeBuyers in the fast paced markets sometimes need to get serious to win the bidding wars. An escalation clause is a tool buyers can use to make sure another buyer won't out-bid them. Use caution , however, if you're considering this strategy. Win The Bidding WarIn a nut shell, an escalation clause says you will increase any other offer by a certain amount, for example, $500 or $5,000, up to a set ceiling, such as $25,000 over the asking price. The clause should also include a termination date. Of course, if your first offer is accepted by the seller, then the escalation clause is doesn't come into play. If your buyer simply must have the house in their sights, and they can afford to pay that extra $25,000 if... 11/17/2006

  RENOVATIONS THAT BOOST APPEAL TO BROAD AUDIENCE Smart kitchen and bath renovations might boost a home's appeal to Boomers and Seniors. If you're recommending renovations to homeowners or scouting out homes for Boomer and Senior clients, consider the findings of a study Home Depot. It gathered data from more than 30,000 consumers from the baby boom generation and older to uncover housing preferences and their home improvement needs. The majority of respondents, 73%, said the kitchen is the most important room for them. Some design tweaks that benefit Seniors are unobtrusive and likely to appeal to a broad audience. In the kitchen, they include: - Under-cabinet task lighting that brightens countertops, lessening eyestrain.- Pull-down shelving removes effort from pantry access.- Slide-o... 11/16/2006

Clean Up Your Online ReputationHow interesting is it that almost 10% of employers actually search the internet, Blogs, MySpace, FaceBook and other social sites prior to hiring a potential candidate or a position?  I had heard about it before and was reminded again yesterday as a segment mentioned on NPR how start-up companies help clean up online reputations.   NPR is National Public Radio for those of you who do not know.We always knew that buyers and sellers of real estate searched for real estate on the internet.  Maybe we just never knew what would happen if they found information about "Us" that was less than flattering.  There are now services that can be hired for nominal fees to have images, articles and web pages removed from the internet.  It is sort of like a PR firm for the ... 11/15/2006

In the era of the MTV generation, P. Diddy wore a shirt that ready "Vote or Die".  It inspired many young people to vote, or at least register.I have taken my kids to vote every chance I got.  They started out on my hip and now they're teenagers filling out the sample ballot and debating and researching the issues.  Like many other people, my kids didn't think their vote made a difference.  That was until the "hanging chad" issue in Florida.  (We are in Bonita Springs, Florida ) It was one of the best examples anyone could have used to prove how every voted counts....and gets counted again, and counted again.  We had a similar issue/vote in our city a few years ago which was also only decided by a couple of dozen votes.  My plea to parents is to take your children to the poles and let t... 11/07/2006

Quality build, Divosta Homes in Bonita Springs, Florida.  Just minutes to the gulf beaches of Bonita Springs, Village Walk offers the best of carefree, highly amenitized living.  VillageWalk of Bonita Springs has an attractive 24-hour guardhouse entry and lakefront Town Center. The community offers resort style living with no additional membership fees. The Town Center has many convenient amenities. Each home’s lawn maintenance and irrigation are provided by the Homeowner’s Association.  Home prices start at approximately $300,000 and are available in both resale and new product sales.  Bonita Springs offers restaurants, shopping, and parks that are first rate.  As a Certified New Home Specialist it would be my please to accompany you to the sales center and guide you through the proces... 11/05/2006

Just minutes to gulf beaches, SW Florida Regional airport, Florida Gulfcoast State University, the finest dining and world class shopping, The Brooks in Bonita Springs has something for everyone.One of four burroughs in The Brooks, Spring Run offers 18 holes of Bundled Golf, tennis, swimming and optional private beach club membership at the Commons Club.   Resale properties are priced from the $300,000 price point for a condominium to the $600,000's for a single family villa home.  Golf membership is transferrable to tenants so a home in Spring Run may be the rental investment you are looking for.  Call today for the latest availablity.  Current listings may be found at:  Bonita Springs CondominiumsAll homes and condos can be leased up to twelve times per year, with a 30 day minimum occ... 11/04/2006

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release  Chris Elizabeth GriffithKeller Williams Elite Realty239-273-7430www.BonitaSpringsAgent.com         Nov 3, 2006 – Seniors who need advice about their homes and rental properties can turn to Chris Griffith, a Realtor with Keller Williams Elite Realty in Bonita Springs, who has been in the SW Florida real estate business since 1999, recently was awarded the Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) professional designation by the Senior Advantage Real Estate Council® in Phoenix, AZ.              Seniors Real Estate Specialists help seniors make wise decisions about selling the family home, buying rental property, managing the capital gains and estate tax implications of owning real estate, obtaining a reverse mortgage, moving to a senior community, and ot... 11/03/2006