From humble little blogger to weekly columnist for St. Cloud in the News. All the Real Estate News Fit to Print and probably some that  is not.  The best part was my audition was my Blog right here on Active Rain.  As many of you know.... I enjoy writing about lots of different aspects of Real Estate.  Sometimes I have a really twisted sense of what I like to write about Real Estate or Bust  and I always enjoy a good pun and on occasion a good bun Will It Be YOU or ME? I have been known to post some really outrageous photos too from time to timeBe Yourself  But for sure I have at times grabbed your attention, made you think, and hopefully brought a smile to your face. Mostly I write because I enjoy it. Sometimes I have important information to impart, other times I just enjoy the creat... 04/16/2007

 Times have certainly changes. Bi Levels are no longer $14,000, gas is not 70 cents a gallon, the avergae wage is no longer $50 a week and most people don't smoke anymore. It used to be a socially accepted activity. times have changed.... Are you a smoker who feels that smoking has negatively impacted your performance? Has it cost you a sale or a listing? Are you more paranoid that you have a smoke smell about you? Have you not let people in your vehicle because you smoke. Have you shown a home owned by a smoker? Trying to tell our still smoking clients NOT to smoke in their homes is a challenge. It is surprising however how many smokers are aware it could hurt their sales. So what say you are your sales going up in smoke? 03/27/2007

 Did you know that Fourteen percent of the population in America is now of Latin Origin. Latinos represent the largest group of minorities. Their projected spending this year will exceed eight BILLION dollars. Latino buying power has increased with their numbers as well. Latinos are making their mark in television, print, and radio as well as business. Are we changing with the demographics of the American Fabric? Are we adapting to the Latin culture or do we expect Latinos to adapt to American culture?  How will we intrigrate? What percentage of home sales this year will be from Spanish speaking customers?   Are we ready? In Florida we have a wonderfully diverse group of visitors annually. How well are we prepared? The answer simply put...we are not.  Never before have we had to learn a... 03/21/2007

 Revisiting Boot Camp, Why would an active Realtor go back to Boot Camp? Simply to hear one of my favorite speakers   Steven David. A top notch professional who in 1984 was CEO of C-21. He eventually sold out to Cendant who also owns Sotheby's, Coldwell Banker, and Stirling. One of the most motivational speakers with a great sense of humor you will hear. We discussed Intention Manifestation, Can we See The Port in The Storm?  which he demonstrates by power of suggestion during his lecture. We all have it, but few of us utilize it. He intertwines a lot of what we discuss here on Active Rain into Boot Camp.  He also has a very interesting perspective on the business. Sometimes it is not what we do, but rather what we are not doing which makes the difference. He even covered The Importance... 03/16/2007

  Is The Grass Greener on the others Realtors Lawn? No this is not a gardening how to. It is about business. Our perception of our business, and current market conditions.  Ever wonder why one house will sell and the one next to it not? From time to time we all ask ourselves have we lost our touch. Or not.   We are either rolling in green (backs) or in the drought of the dust bowl. When "farming" doesn't work and your competition seems to have the one up on you. What do you you do? Re-seed, recycle and commit.  If your sales are sluggish now is a good time to refresh, rejuvenate, and relearn.Recycle Your Past Success  discusses some of the ways old is new and new can be reapplied. We try many different approaches in our business. Some are more successful than others. Some will work bett... 03/15/2007

 Mrs. Buyer and her Husband are in their 80's. They are tired of living in Polk County and wanted to be closer to the kids and grandkids. Holidays are a time when the family gathers together. They wanted to be more centralized so the kids could all come to them. We looked in Osceola County, in Central Florida. I found them a fabulous house which met all of their needs, but by the time they put in an offer, another offer had already been accepted. "It was a little more than we wanted to spend" said Mr. Buyer.  "I Understand I said-however I have several others which may work for you"  We set an appointment for the following week. I had sent them 3 possible choices in St. Cloud, Florida comparable to what I had shown them. They liked Number one a lot-in town close to ammenties, and near t... 03/08/2007

   You Or ME ?   Who is more likely to put a customer at ease faster You or me?  When arriving at a listing presentation who is more likely to be welcomed in by the homeowner with a smile?  You or Me?   Who is going to get to the kitchen faster? You or me?  Who is the homeowner more likely to remember you or Me? We have both prepared our CMA's, we have both prepared our listing presentations, we are both professionals. But who are they going to remember? There is stiff competition out there. We are always looking for ways to differentiate ourselves from the competition. How we market ourselves and how we are perceived, is just as important as how well we present.Momma always said "Never Come Empty Handed". Good Manners go a long way. You have been invited into someone's home. The fastes... 03/08/2007

 So Many Realtors...is like trying to chose one banana from the bunch. While they all basically look the same, there will one which appeals to you. How to be the top banana? I was talking with Marc Blasi yesterday, and he "picked" my brain for some marketing ideas. You'll probably see sa "bunch" of new stuff coming out of his office soon. Do smaller offices have advantages over larger ones? Depending on what side you are on...the answer could be yes or no. Who are you Marketing for? First you have to identify your client, for the purpose of discussion it is the small company in Central Florida.We all offer www. capability. We all offer MLS. Does your company go to voicemail automatically? Press One for a Real Person..now press 7 if it is Real Estate Related...now press 2 for English....... 03/06/2007

 All too often we hear the complaints. This is not right, or that is not right, or buyers are not fair, or sellers want too much. Loans cannot get approved...we didn't close. You name it someone is squaking about it. Like the Macaw...a few words can get a lot of attention if said at the right time.  I recently got a bird like this one from a guy who needed cash fast. It was a good deal. I knew it at the time. I also had a buyer lined up who wanted a great deal. Within a couple of hours the deal had been made and everyone was happy. Gee, this reminds me of how Real Estate transactions used to be made. If the bird was priced too high...no sale, if the bird was too low...the buyer would have been suspicious...but the bird was priced just right. SOLD!  We are facilitators of deals. Whether ... 03/06/2007

More and More For Sale Signs are Turning into SOLD signs. This is a sign the Buyers Market is picking up momentum. Many consumers may miss an opportunity to negotiate good deals on Real Estate. Many have made offers a little too late to be competitive. While it is true, there are still many homes for sale in OSceola County, in central Florida, there are homes being sold. 2006 was a slower than expected year for many home buyers. In 2007, however it is a changing market.  Prices have come down sunstantially enough to trigger a new wave of buyers. Lenders are scrutinizing loan applications more carefully, but if you have good credit loans are available. If you are planning a trip to central Florida particularly in Osceola County you will find good values in resales in this area. 03/06/2007

If you missed the Beautiful Victorian Style Home I sold last week fear not. As a local leading expert I have many more. Osceola County is selling fast. There are great values to be had here. If you are tired of the rat race, and are looking for convenience, close proximity to Orlando, Melbourne, the Space Center, or Cocoa Beach here it is! With a population of just over 27,000 Osceola County is growing in leaps and bounds. The road expansion project for Hwy 192 has begun. It will soon be a four lane highway. From Disney to Melbourne. Access to I-95 a major corridor to the Northeast is within a 30 minute drive. The schools rated well in the last report. Most achieving a good standard of education. Noted were Hickory Tree Elelmentary (A) and the Annex at Harmony also received an A- Class ... 03/05/2007

Central Florida- America's playground. Sooner or later everyone will come to Florida. SOme estimates are that 1200 families a year are moving to Florida. Since 2005 several new communities have been built. Harmony, Turtle Creek, Reunion, Stevens Plantation, and more are coming. The East side of St. Cloud is still a haven for country living. Equestrian Communities still exist there. Bay Lake Ranch in the eastern side of St. CLoud is one of them. Located East of county Road 15 (Narcoossee Road) and just 30 minutes to Melbourne Beach-the quiet Country Living can be experienced on large parcels where your horse can graze under the warm Florida sun. Beautiful Bay Lake Ranch is a community of custom built homes on parcels ranging in size from one acre up. ALmost every resident has horses. 4H ... 03/05/2007

 The Market in Osceola County, Central Florida is picking up. At last. For months we heard "I like it But..." "I would buy it.....but"   "I would like to sell But..." "Find Me  A Buyer! ...But"  There are "no buts" about it.  If the price is realistic and the terms are reasonable it will sell. Pretty simplistic huh?. A few buyers recently have had a hard time getting off their butts in time. Waited a tad bit too long too make that offer. "But I made an offer!"  "Yes, I am sorry BUT they accepted another offer which was higher". But, but, but... It is under contract!  Sorry ..It is SOLD!We ordered some new signs last week.  We have seen a sea of For Sale Sign over the past 13 months. What is emerging now are SOLDS. If you want it there can be "NO Buts About It!" 03/05/2007

 Remember 2006?  Wasn't exactly a banner year for us in Central Florida, but we held firm and waited patiently. We aadvised our clients (sellers) they needed to adjust their prices based on the market conditions, and slowly, very slowly.... we saw less had expired and more offers were being made. Offers have an expiration date too. Like a carton of Milk. And what has been happening lately is really interesting. When an offer "soured" for one reason or another, or simply expired before the terms were satisfied, another offer was being made on the same property. This has been happening for my sellers at least. We let one offer expire-just didn't like it, and didn't want to banter endlessly. Within two days offer number two appeared. While we were considering that one, offer number three m... 02/26/2007

 Why Osceola County?  Consumers looking to relocate to Florida consider many important things in their decision making process. Location, schools, cultural activites and commuting distance. It is no wonder why Osceola County is one of the fastest growing areas in Central Florida. Located east of Disney and West of Melbourne, Osceola County has much to offer. The schools are well rated, and offer specialty schools as well. There is a community College, Stetson University also has a campus in Celebration, Valencia has a campus and out toward Melbourne there is the Brevard Community College.  Entertainment. Silver Spurs Arena hosts a variety of events and venues. The Rodeo, the Lipizzaner Stallions, Concerts, Hockey, even indoor Arena football. Osceola Center For Performing Arts. Another s... 02/12/2007

 It is hard to imagine living the American Dream- You thought it would last forever.One day you are living the life royal and the next  waking up to realize it has become a nightmare. Trapped in a house you can no longer afford. Creditors calling day and night, bills piling up and no relief in sight.  Equity lines choking the life out of you. The market has done you dirty. Flashback to the depression, a chicken in every pot. Lines of unemployed, and shanty towns life in 1929. The Real Estate Market suffered a severe adjustment in 2006. Many were caught off guard, and were over extended. Living just above their means, it became increasingly difficult to make the payments. Many fell behind. This is great news for investors who waited it out. After twelve months of adjustment, there are so... 02/07/2007

I would like to thank Lloyd Nichols who inspired me to write this post.  "What's she doing?"  "I dunno"   "How long has she been there?"  "A long time"   "Well will you look at that!" The buyers are smiling.  "What did she say?"  "I dunno"   She is coming over..."Mr. and Mrs. Seller....you have an offer coming".   In the Movie Robert Redford sat in the field all night. He never approached the unbroken horse. Remember? Eventually the horse came to him on his own terms. They formed a bond. It took the horse time to determine IF Redford could be trusted. Many had tried to capture the horse before him and failed. He waited the horse out for as long as it took, until the horse decided it wanted to approach him. Once that happened he gradually was able to build on that trust.  Lately, I have ... 01/31/2007

It is Raining here today in Central Florida. Does the weather affect you? It is Soothing? Depressing? Reflective?  Having athritis, makes my body a pretty good barometer. I hurt before it actually begins to rain. Once it rains the pressure changes and generally I feel better. So I tend to be more task oriented when it rains. I use the time to take care of catching up on all the tasks that tend to get side lined when the weather is hot and sunny (A perk of living in Florida) Planning the marketing on newly listed homes, designing the flyers, and brochures, inspired perhaps by the tranquility of the rain....There is a pleasing sound when the droplets gently fall from the drip edge. The leaves on the evergreens planted outside my window, dance lightly and glisten. There is  beauty in the r... 01/25/2007

 Let's Relax a little, and have some F U N! Limbo is like Real Estate. See Mr. Realtor here showing Mrs. Buyer how easy it is to do? How loooow will it go? Sure, set the pole high and they'll walk right through..no thought required. Move it down a notch...and another...and another and they begin to think about how they will proceed. Hmmm.  If the bar gets too low... it is like being upside down in a house...you can't get out from under it! The bar becomes the payment obligations, and no matter how well you bend, flex, and move..it is impossible to navigate your way under it... See Real Estate Can be FUN! Are you humming yet?  Let's look at the evolution of DANCE and how it Relates to Real Estate...2005 The Conga Line of buyers....No one knows where the line is going but everyone wants t... 01/23/2007

George Carlin. Remember him? A great observer. He once said the world is full of "morons and maniacs". Anyone driving slower than you...is a moron. "Move Over you Moron you are blocking the road!" Carlin exclaims. A moment later... Whooooosh..did you see that?  He is driving like a Maniac! Carlin's wit, and ability to observe common everyday things and out them in a humour setting made him a genius.   He brings focus to what many of us miss in day to day life. Perception.What perception do buyers have in todays market? TV is promoting a "new" campaign to the public to bring awareness of Realtors®.  Is having a "Realtor®" the "new" personal trainer of the 21st century?  Once reserved for only the wealthy, having a personal trainer is a status symbol. Having a Realtor® is one too IF you m... 01/22/2007