REALTOR® WEEKLY UPDATE
Weekly Update on PGPCNPREALTORS.com
September 10th, 2009
To view archive editions, please click HERE.
Breaking News!
CONGRATULATIONS PORT CHARLOTTE! Port Charlotte Listed As “Best Place to Retire” – Money Magazine and CNNMONEY.COM have compiled a list of the 25 Best Places to Retire and Port Charlotte, Fl tops the list! The article states “Lots of places in Florida have been battered by the housing bust. But this laid-back Gulf Coast town, just across Charlotte Harbor from pricier Punta Gorda, arguably best hits the sweet spot of great prices and great amenities. Homes here cost less than half what they did in late 2005, and about 40% of them sit on canals and waterways leading to the harbor - which has 270 square miles of cruising waters and 219 miles of protected shoreline…” To see the full list along with the details of the article, click HERE. Share this with your customers and potential buyers!
GOLF TOURNAMENT DATE CHANGED – Did you miss the opportunity to sign up for the Golf Tournament? Would you rather play when the weather is cooler? The GOOD NEWS is that our Golf Tournament has been moved from September 12th to November 7th at Kingsway Country Club. The Association of REALTORS® 3rd Annual Golf Tournament to support our High School Scholarship Fund. This is a great opportunity to hit the links for a good cause and enjoy a day on one of Southwest Florida’s most beautiful courses. Please email David-Logan@comcast.net for more details. Team slots and sponsorship opportunities are still available.
Interested in GRI, how does HALF PRICE SOUND? Do not miss out on this LIMITED TIME OFFER, ONLY 3 WEEKS LEFT! FAR is offering for a SHORT TIME only, the GRI 1 on-line for half price ($150 rather than $300). The Online format means that you have 90 days to complete the course, work at your own pace, attend from home, office, boat, poolside or anywhere you can get an internet connection. Course also counts for 11 Hours of CE Specialty Credit (everything except core law) OR 45 Sales Post-License credit. This is an amazing opportunity that should not be passed up! Also, our Association will be providing the opportunity for all on-line participants to engage in an on-line user group which will meet to discuss questions that you may have and hear from special guest speakers who will help combine the on-line content with real-world experience. Email David-Logan@comcast.net for details.
Two Incredible Educational Opportunities This Week:
Red Flags on the Waterfront: FREE SEMINAR - Due Diligence for Coastal & Waterfront Property 9am-11am September 17th with Attorney & Waterfront Expert David Levin. Topics covered include Hurricanes/Storm Impact on Real Property, Storm Surge/Flooding, Erosion/Scouring of land, Wind Effects, Regulations/Codes, Federal – FEMA, State – DEP, Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL), Local – Setback Lines, Insurance – National Flood Insurance, Zone Designations, and much more. Refreshments provided compliments of Bob Myers of Home Watch Group of SWFL Click HERE for details.
Shift Tactics: Are you learning to deal with a changing Real Estate Market? Would you like to learn how to shift gears by “bulletproofing the transaction” and “pricing ahead of the market”? DO NOT MISS Top Rated speaker Nikki Ubaldini who will present “Tactics to Success in a Shifting Market” based on the best-selling book “Shift: How Top Real Estate Agents Tackle Tough Times”. Nikki is a highly rated speaker on the state and national level and has been recommended by many of our local members, so you do not want to miss this opportunity to hear from her. September 16th from 10am – 2:30pm including a Free Lunch compliments of Jim & Jean Green of Bank of America. Class is FREE to education passport members and $15.00 for non-passport members. RSVP to david-logan@comcast.net to register.
September General Membership Meeting – Mark your calendars for September 25th 12pm, our next General Membership Meeting here at the Association of REALTORS®. Come enjoy a Free Lunch from Wood Street Grill generously provided by Brian Chapman of State Farm Insurance and drinks by Patriot Self Storage. We will be given a demonstration of the brand new Blue Dasher program which will be an added available feature in the MLS, giving you the opportunity to take a virtual driving tour of our area and see a listing’s neighborhood before you drive out to see it in person. Also there will be some exciting information on new benefits provided by your Association. You do not want to miss this meeting. Due to the catered lunch an RSVP is required, email Linda Pizarro at l.pizarro@comcast.net today to reserve your seat.
FREE BlackBerry/SmartPhone Advanced Class – Our next FREE BlackBerry/SmartPhone course will be offered on September 17th from 1-2:30pm courtesy of our local partners at Verizon Wireless Zone. This course will focus on phone applications and features and will be a great opportunity to learn how to maximize the use of your existing phone. Presenters will also have an assortment of phones on hand to demonstrate various features and will be glad to help you with individual problems and questions. If you are looking to purchase a smart phone in the future, this is a great opportunity to see an assortment of options before you purchase. Also, if you have a BlackBerry, our local Verizon Wireless Zone partners have developed an FREE App which will take you directly to MFR’s MLS site without having to open your web browser and type in the address. To get this FREE App, email Chris Pizzolato at chrispizzolato@yahoo.com
FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK!!
Karen Rolland, President
My fellow REALTORS® and Members,
Hard to believe we are into September already, isn’t it? Activity has been steadily picking up in our office and all the indications are pointing to an active season…FINALLY!
A couple of things have been going on that you need to be aware of. A letter was sent this week to the HOA President of Heritage Lake Park regarding their recently implemented policy of not allowing any REALTORS® into the community to show properties unless they are the LISTING agent of the property. They now require a copy of the listing with the picture of the listing agent and will not allow anyone else in. It has proven to be quite embarrassing for the agents who have brought customers to look at properties, as you can well imagine. We have requested that they send us a letter with their official policy so that we can communicate it to our members and will let you know the ‘official policy’ as soon as we receive a response. It doesn’t make much sense to me but it is what it is and they can create their own policy; what is irritating is that it has never been communicated to us so that we could keep you apprised of the situation.
Another issue that has come up is that in Vivante, Building 5 units have been coded UNLIVABLE RESIDENTIAL CONDO by the Charlotte County Tax Assessor’s office. This has obviously caused some concern for the current inhabitants as well as for potential buyers. Jack Hackett, our legal counsel, researched the issue with Frank Desguin and was told that the term has nothing to do with the Health Department or any health risk and that it was used as a carry-over from Hurricane Charley days. To quote Jack’s response,
“"Unlivable" is his (Frank Desguin’s) term and has nothing to do with the health department or any building department. He said it could just as well be "unusable" or some other term. From the property appraiser's perspective, the issue started to arise when home owners would call his office for a re-assessment due to the unlivable state of their properties. His staff would send them the Damage Assessment Application developed after Hurricane Charlie. The word "unlivable" was used then and carried over to the Chinese drywall problems.
When he gets the Damage Assessment Application and whatever report they have from a contractor or environmental firm he starts the re-assessment process. He also does it when the city or county building departments gets a permit application that has the hallmarks of CD remediation. At the beginning he had to make the decision to either drop the improvements assessment completely or to adjust for the cost of cure. Because of the nature of the problem he chose to drop it completely, which he believes is consistent with what other counties are doing. Especially in the context of a condo, it may be that one unit is repaired while the other isn't, thus causing continuing problems with the repaired unit. He also recognizes that there may be some stigma on the property for a few years after the remediation which will cause marketability problems.
Of course, his office has no authority over whether someone can actually live in a unit or house or whether it can be sold. To his knowledge (and mine) there is no impediment to an informed seller selling a CD property to an informed buyer. Of course, the Johnson v. Davis disclosure requirements apply, and there are several CD disclosure addenda out there which may be utilized.”
We will, of course, keep you informed as the issue develops. In the meantime, if you have questions you are encouraged to call Frank’s office. The tax records currently reflect land value only and not the value of the unit.
On that note, please plan to attend the General Membership Meeting on September 24th. We have some really great announcements to make that will help you in your business and hope you can work the meeting into your schedule.
Have a great week and happy selling!
Education Corner
FREE E-PRO SEMINAR: Tuesday, November 3rd 1pm – 2:30pm. The rules of business are changing, especially in the real estate industry. NAR’s e-PRO® Certification Program is designed to help REALTORS® thrive in the exciting and rewarding world of online real estate. The Program provides the insight needed for you to remain at the forefront of the online real estate industry. Learn: Options and requirements to Get Connected, Best practices for e-mail communication and online Marketing and How to create and maintain your Internet Marketing and Practices Plan. Don't miss this FREE e-PRO® Workshop with Certified e-PRO® Trainer Steven Seidenberg. At this workshop, he will give you a number of technology tips you can put to use right away to help differentiate yourself from the competition. Register Now! Seating is Limited! To register, simply visit http://ePROworkshop.InternetCrusade.com or call toll free 1-866-ePRONAR (1-866-377-6627). Attendees will also have the opportunity to take advantage of the $60 discount for enrolling into the online e-PRO® course. All existing e-PRO®s (and those currently enrolled in the course) who attend and bring a guest will receive an e-PRO® pin ($25 value). e-PRO® is recognized for elective credit in the designation requirements for CRS (Certified Residential Specialist), ABR (Accredited Buyer Representative), and CIPS (Certified International Property Specialist).
Market to the World on a Shoestring Budget: Come experience how you can reach out to the world on a shoestring budget with technology expert Barry Grooms. Topics include Web 2.0, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogging, Postlets, Listing Syndication, and Google for Grownups. October 22nd 9am – 12pm. Class is FREE to education passport members and $15.00 for non-passport members. RSVP to david-logan@comcast.net to register.
FREE Hands-On MLS Training! Courses include “Design Web Page & Capture Leads”, “iMapp: interactive tax and mailing labels”, “Tools: MongoFax, RatePlug, ShowingTime and MLX Wireless”, “Creating a Professional CMA”, and “MLXChange Advanced” and more. Classes are HANDS ON with laptops provided. Click HERE for class schedule, additional details and to reserve a seat, space is limited!
Looking to Improve your Public Speaking or Leadership Skills? - Come join us for our next meeting of Toastmasters International 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. The club is open to REALTORS® and Non-REALTORS®, so invite your friends, neighbors, or co-workers. You will have the opportunity to see what a meeting is like and discover how Toastmasters can help improve your communication and leadership skills and network with other professionals. Remember, 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
Market Watch
Florida ‘remains No. 1 for British buyers’ - HomesOverseas.co.uk editor Marc Da-Silva says Britons continue to favor Florida when looking to buy properties in the United States, and favorable exchange rates make this a perfect time to do so. “Florida is basically the most popular place for Brits looking to buy,” says Da-Silva. “It is always going to appeal to people looking to move overseas for, arguably, a better quality of life, as well as holidaymakers.” He notes that the Britons prefer the Sunshine State’s climate, and daily flights to and from the United Kingdom make Florida easily accessible. Source: Safestore (09/07/2009) Governor, Paul © Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688
Have You Read the Fine Print on the $8k Tax Credit? - After closing on his first home earlier this week, 83 year-old Alget Campbell got some disappointing news Thursday: He would not qualify for the first-time home buyer tax credit. The fine print of the tax provision, which gives a credit of up to $8,000 to buyers who have not owned a home in the last three years, disqualifies individuals whose spouses have owned a home during that same period. Michael Dobzinski, a spokesman for the Internal Revenue Service, said there are plenty of misconceptions about the so-called first-time home buyer tax credit so it always pays to be familiar with the details before buying. In Campbell’s case, his wife, Hermine, owns the home in Southwest Miami-Dade County the couple has occupied and plans to rent out to cover the mortgage on the townhome they bought for some $71,000 on Monday. Joan Grant, Campbell’s daughter who helped him through the home buying process, said she was disappointed that her father, a former Publix clerk, would not be getting the credit. Read the full story and find more information by clicking HERE.
Landlords Find Creative Ways to Fill Retail Spaces - When the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theatre first approached Galleria Mall about leasing rehearsal and classroom space, the organization knew it was a long-shot. Would the prime regional shopping mall in Fort Lauderdale be willing to rent space at a below market rate to a nonprofit organization? In the midst of the real estate boom, the answer would have been a resounding “No.” But times have changed. Bankruptcy has left a trail of retail vacancies including Circuit City, Linens ‘N Things and Sound Advice. Plus many national retailers are putting the brakes on expansion plans. That’s forced some South Florida landlords to get creative in order to fill space. Read the full story and find more information by clicking HERE
Real Estate Trivia
This Week’s Question
Question: You may know that the World’s Largest Homes are measured in hundreds of thousands of square feet, but do you know about the World’s Smallest Home? This quaint residence measures less than 100 square feet total and includes a built in desk and fireplace in the main room; a kitchen; wet bath; and a loft upstairs
Answer: click HERE to check out the pictures and details of this truly TINY home.
Last Week’s Question
Question: What is the most unique home that you have ever seen; a house shaped like a plane, or one looking like a shoe? How about homes shaped like toilets, domes, cubes, and other odd shapes?
Answer: click HERE to check out some of the most unusual homes from around the world.