REALTOR® WEEKLY UPDATE
Weekly Update on PGPCNPREALTORS.com
June 11th, 2009
To view archive editions, please click HERE.
Breaking News!
REALTOR® District Conference – June 19th 2009 9am – 4:30pm. Prizes and Giveaways, including a BlackBerry Storm (courtesy of our local Verizon Wireless Zone stores) as well as much more. Download the conference flyer and registration form by clicking HERE, or email DistrictConference@gmail.com for more information. Click HERE to pay online with PayPal. In honor of the year 2009 member registration is only $20.09. See “From the President’s Desk” below for more details.
New CE Class “Providing Alternative Means of Financing” - 3 Hours CE Credit, June 12th 9:30am-12:30pm. Allan Roth will discuss 401k, IRA-LLC, 1031 Exchange and 1031 Rescue options for financing. Allan teaches property owners and investors to leverage capital gains deferral tax strategies and techniques to invest in real estate. Learn about tax advantaged strategies which enable your clients to infuse capital from their retirement plans to purchase investment properties. For more information, click HERE. RSVP to David-Logan@comcast.net to reserve your space today. Class is FREE to Education Passport Members or $15 for non-passport members.
Professional Portraits – June 17th 12-3pm. This is a product specifically tailored to the needs of Realtors at a discounted price ($59.95). This is NOT a mug shot. You will receive:
A PROFESSIONAL portrait session
A minimum of 10 digital images
One digitally re-touched image
Re-touched images is cropped and sized for your business cards, website and printed marketing materials
Re-touched image comes to you via e-mail within 48 hours of your selection
Full rights to use of images belong to YOU
Appointments are limited. To schedule yours today, please call or e-mail Anthony today at: abarbacane@gmail.com or 941.224.1246. Session will be held at the Association Office 3320 Loveland Blvd in Port Charlotte.
Last week’s winner!!
Chris Jones- $20 Gift Card to Carrabba’s compliments of Adams Homes. For over 18 years, Adams Homes has perfected the expertise of creating quality homes. Using the best materials and employing experienced professionals, Adams Homes strives to deliver the best value to the home buyer. Whether you are a first time homebuyer or an "empty nester, Adams Homes is committed to building communities that exceed the expectations of today's homebuyer. Call us today for your new home! Creekside 575-1476; Deep Creek 235-1963; North Port/Port Charlotte 613-2240
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK!!
Karen Rolland, President
My Fellow REALTORS®/Members,
The good news is you only have to hear about the joint District Conference for another week or so. The bad news for you is that if you miss it, you will be missing a really great opportunity! We have such a great community and so much to be proud of in this county and it isn’t very often we get to really show it off. So PLEASE get out there and show our fellow REALTORS® up and down the coast just what Charlotte County is all about. You will have an opportunity to network with people from Marco Island all the way up to Manatee, Sarasota, and Bradenton, so take advantage of it. We have some great speakers, Paul Bishop, Ph.D, one of the leading economists in the country for one, an unbelievable lineup of educational break-out sessions Kim Dickey, Barry Grooms, John Sebree (VP of Public Policy FAR), and Phil Wilson, to name a few, and a trade show featuring over 50 exhibitors. The leadership team of the Florida Association of Realtors will also be here along with the candidates running for office in 2010. Breakfast and lunch are included as part of your registration fee and the cost is only $20.09!!! You really CAN’T afford NOT to go!
We had a great turn out for the Realtor.com presentation last week and welcomed many visitors from our neighboring boards in Venice, Englewood, Naples, Marco Island, and Fort Myers. There was standing room only and I think everyone walked away with some information they could use in their business planning for the coming year.
Have a great week and I hope to see you at the District Conference next Friday, June 19th at the Event Center. Special events and discounts have also been planned for REALTORS® attending the Punta Gorda Gallery Walk on the evening of June 18th (thanks to Nancy Bell) so try to make it there if you can and help to make our visitors feel welcome!
Education Corner
June 18th – BlackBerry Seminar –June 18th 10am-11am our Association will be hosting a FREE training opportunity with representatives from our local Wireless Zone stores. This representative will be here to demonstrate the various phone models and teach you to use some of the most popular features and apps. Bring your phone and get some great hands on training. RSVP David-Logan@comcast.net to reserve your seat today, seating is limited.
Unlock the Power of Microsoft Office - Our very popular Microsoft Classes will resume in May. Class topics include “Email Marketing and Contact Management with Outlook”, “Upgrading your Presentation with PowerPoint”, and “Design and Marketing with Word and Publisher”. All classes are taught by our very own Microsoft certified instructor Mary Tombs. Visit our Education Calendar for dates and times or email David-Logan@comcast.net to RSVP or with any questions. All classes are “hand on” and space is limited. Classes are FREE to Education Passport Members and $15 for Non-Passport Members.
Toastmasters International is an organization devoted to helping you “Become the Speaker and Leader You Want to Be”. A new club is in the process of forming which will meet right here at our Association. Come join us for our next meeting on Wednesday from 7:30am – 8:45am, there is no cost to attend the meeting and you are not obligated to join, come see what this is all about. You will have the opportunity to see what a meeting is like and discover how Toastmasters can help improve your communication and leadership skills as well as become a charter member of this important addition to the area’s professional community. Good communication skills are the keys to success in business and real estate! For more details or to RSVP for the meeting, please email David-Logan@comcast.net you can read more about Toastmasters on the web at www.toastmasters.org
Making the most of your Mid-Florida Membership? Sign up for additional FREE training and unlock the tools to help you succeed! See the list of FREE Mid-Florida educational opportunities. Courses include “Design Web Page”, “iMapp: interactive tax and mailing labels”, “Tools: MongoFax, RatePlug, ShowingTime and MLX Wireless”, “Creating a Professional CMA”, and “MLXChange Advanced”. Most classes are HANDS ON with laptops provided. This additional training is included in your Mid Florida membership, so do not miss out on these opportunities. Click HERE for class schedule, additional details and to reserve a seat.
upcoming events
“Happy Hour” Social at Madison’s Bar and Grill in the Port Charlotte Town Center Mall – June 23rd 5:30pm. The Association’s Business Partner Committee invites you to come join the Members and Business Partners for a time of Networking Fun. Enjoy FREE APPETIZERS, DRAWINGS, DOOR PRIZES, and SOCIALIZING. Do not miss out on the opportunity to mingle with fellow REALTORS and Business Partners, have some wonderful food, expand your social network and increase your business opportunities. RSVP to David-Logan@comcast.net click HERE for a map and details.
Market Watch
$8,000 Tax Credit Tips- When it comes to the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, it seems there’s a new program every week to help tap that money today. The credit can be claimed on 2008 or 2009 tax returns. Homebuyers who get a loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration can use the money to cover closing costs and other fees, and at least 10 states offer ways to use the tax credit faster.“There are some real neat tax planning strategies you can apply now,” said Bob Meighan, vice president of TurboTax. To be eligible, a buyer cannot have owned a home in the past three years. So if you’re ready to buy, here are some tips: For the full story, click HERE.
Court Fees: Foreclosure will Cost the Lender more – The cost to file for a foreclosure in Florida courts just took a sizable jump due to legislation that takes effect this month. Banks and other lenders will have to pay for the fee increase, which is part of a package of laws predicted to generate $220 million for the state’s court system. Prior to June, the filing fees were $295 and they are not set at a sliding scale. For properties valued at less than $50,000, the fees increased to $395. For homes and businesses between $50,000 and $250,000, new fees are $900. And for properties over $250,000, fees jumped to $1,900. Read the full story HERE.
Bernake: Economy On Pace for ’09 Turnaround - The pace of economic contraction is slowing, indicating the economy could bottom out and then turn up later this year, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told the House Budget Committee on June 3. He cited recent reports, including a flattening out of the decline in consumer spending and signs of a bottom in the housing market. For the full story click HERE.
MLS TIP OF THE WEEK
Did you see this week that Mid-Florida Regional MLS has changed its name to My-Florida Regional MLS? This will help to increase recognition of the public website www.MyFloridaHomesMLS.com which is approaching 3 Million in-depth property views in the past 6 months! There is also a change to the MLS rules which will help our agents market waterfront property.
Did you know that if you have a waterfront property listing you can upload an aerial or water view photograph into the first slot on MLXchange? It's true, as long as you upload a front exterior view in the second slot. With the abundance of Florida's natural beauty of lakes, rivers, the bay and the gulf, now you can market those waterfront properties with more prominence. To read the full story, click HERE.
Real Estate Trivia
This Week’s Question
Question: North Port’s Warm Mineral Springs has been in the news a lot lately. How much do you know about the world famous springs?
What is the average year round water temperature?
How deep is the water?
How many Millions of Gallons of water are produced each day?
Some of the underground water is estimated to be how old?
What are the oldest human and animal artifacts have been discovered at the site?
Answer: Click HERE for more information on this historic landmark.
Last Week’s Question
Question: Many of our members and residence relocated to Florida from other parts of the Country and around the World. How much do you know about Florida and its history?
Answer: Click HERE to take a short quiz and see how much you know about The Great State of Florida.