My New Blog

There are areas where Sales Associates are claiming that the market is down, it's in Foreclosure heaven, yada yada yada. 

Every market is different!  A downturn in one area may or may not affect another.  Even regions have different economies and different home markets.  A city that has just laid off it's factory workers, which may be the majority of its population, will see a change in the marketplace much sooner than the area that just picked up a factory or business that shut down in another area.

When it comes to cities, you can see the same shifts.  Flagler county has just picked up manufacturing at its Sea Ray plant, and Edgewater (in Volusia county, just lost their plant).  It will be a slow turn (as real estate does not flow with the economy, but has a delayed reaction) but you can bet that homes in Flagler will receive a benefit in the next six months and homes in Edgewater, or around that area, could suffer. 

Want to know what's going on in an area you're looking to buy or sell in?  Ask a local Realtor®.  Keeping up with the changes in the local economy is important to anyone who has a need to buy or sell in a certain area!

    I am amazed that some people do not know what the MLS is about in this information age.  I was just visiting a website where an offer of a flat fee MLS listing service is shown claiming that "you don't have to pay a commission unless your home sells", or that "all a listing sales associate is going to do is place your home on the MLS", another favorite is one of the FSBO sites which claim to place a home on the MLS and send the poor owner to a website that has nothing to do with the Multiple Listing Service. 

    First and foremost, the Multiple Listing Service is a local fee based service which is offered between Realtors® to share income when performing our duties (our jobs) in marketing properties.  We understood that to market a home, sharing sellers and buyers in the marketplace is tantamount to earning the meager salaries which we use to support our families, pay for independent business licenses, social security, and income taxes which are not paid by an employer. 

    Ours is not a salaried job, each Realtor® works for him/herself and when we pay from our pockets to advertise properties (one magazine ad can exceed $750.00 - and it takes up to 3 or 4 to really put a property out there), ensure the property is properly staged for buyers, hold open houses, host a sales associate caravan, and offer to pay a fellow sales associate for bringing a buyer by paying for the gas involved in driving a buyer around, the contract and closing paperwork and the detail that goes with it, we are a fortunate group to earn what we do to live off.  No wonder the turnover in this business is so high!

    Realtors® do these things because we love what we do.  We are not keeping the public from showing their homes by not allowing them to list in the MLS, we are paying for use of the service through annual and monthly dues and we use a Code of Ethics to ensure that all who participate, participate fairly for the public and other Realtors® sake.

    Any company that  states it can place your home on the MLS without having to pay a Realtor® is NOT placing your home on the MLS!  Any sales associate who states they will place your home on the MLS and you can negotiate your fee, is not being honest (a Realtor® requirement)as a fee must be offered to allow a listing on the MLS. 

    There are websites that proport to be MLS sites masking the word MLS in with other items on their listing address.  This will not make your home visible to any potential buyers unless they know this address!  Buyers who are looking for homes will search the MLS for the area because they know that the most homes for sale are available there. 

    If you're looking to sell your home and want it marketed to as many potential buyers as possible - use a Realtor®. This is our business and we have the right tools to bring you and your next buyer together!

Super Tuesday for Florida was an exciting event!  Yes, we chose a Republican Frontrunner and a Democratic hopeful, who could have a tough time being nominated with 57 delegates missing from her national convention - but the best part about January 28th was the passage of Amendment 1, Florida's Homestead amendment act. 

If you sold a homesteaded property in Florida in 1007 and qualified for a new homestead in January 2008, you have until March 1st to file for your portability and excemption.  Go to the Florida Department of Revenue website at:  ( http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/sb4d.html ) for more information.

Congratulations Florida in arriving at a tax break opportunity for those who have wanted to upsize or downsize their homes but couldn't afford the taxes.  This is a step in the right direction.

We all make them, or have made them.  .   .  It seems December 31st of the year is the perfect time to determine where we want to be in the following year.  Whether it is your intent to buy or sell a property in 2008, doesn't matter.  What matters is making the commitment, then following through. 

There are a lot of emotional issues when it comes to selling or buying a home.  There are also a lot of tasks to ensure that you've covered all the requirements for selling and that you've seen all the homes that meet your criteria if you're buying.  The MLS is a powerful tool for selling your home, but is it enough?  The World Wide web has many tools for buying and selling, but some of these sites do not protect your personal information.

Some FSBO sites sell information to Real Estate sales associates whom they charge a fee to in turn provide your personal information.  These sites also sell buyer information to sellers as they retrieve their information.  Another practice is to send your email address to spammers who will, in turn, fill your email box with unwanted solicitations.

It is important that you, as a consumer, know if a site may sell your personal information.  Check the site and ensure there is a disclaimer that states they will not sell or give your information to others.  If no such disclaimer is on the site, contact the webmaster or site coordinator and ensure your personal information is safe. 

Make your New Years Resolution and get your home ready to sell or start looking for your perfect home.  Be careful when signing on to websites to ensure your personal information isn't being passed around the net.  Of course, if you're looking to sell or buy in Palm Coast, my door is open and my phone is never too busy!  Email or call me if you would like more information on protecting your personal information when online! 

Do Not Call list closing -- act now to avoid telemarketers (Courtesy of aol)

Posted Sep 10th 2007 11:05AM by Jonathan Berr
Filed under: Products and services, Consumer experience, Rants and raves, Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising