Bonita Springs Florida Central

For all of you who want to vent without loading up someone's post and hurting their feelings, have at it.  Post your pet peeve about less than above board blogging.  I'm sure we would all be interested in learning to avoid "no no's".

Blogging Etiquette 101

http://activerain.com/groups/manners

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 everything. I give it to the parents, I don't mail it.  I sign the letter with a big swoopy "Santa" and it's authentic.  I saved it in .doc form for any other Realtor Santa's out there.  Just ask.

HO HO HO

Inspired by DONNA MILLER

The Object:  To network. To Meet New People.  To Make A Sale or Get A Listing.

The Challenge:  Market Yourself Purposefully.

The Risk:  None

The Reward:  Business

Choose one or all ten of the following challenges to grow your business.  Perform the actions within the next seven days.  Report your success stories back to Active Rain.

10. 10 Business cards per day.

• Hand them to people reading the real estate section at the local breakfast joint.
• Give a handful to your neighbor that "knows everybody" and ask for referrals.
• The next lesson, practice or meeting you have with your child's teacher make sure they get a card, ask them if they know anyone looking to buy or sell?
• Pass out cards at the next team meeting.  Pledge to the local high school team of your choice a donation of 50% (net) of the commission earned as a result of a direct referral from a student, teacher or parent that sends a buyer or seller.

9.  Mail nine listing flyers to "buyers" that left their name and address at your website in the past.

8.  Call eight people you haven't spoken with in the last six months to say hello, and ask for a referral.

7.  Buy a seven day classified add for your best valued listing. 

• Don't forget to run   your website address.
• Use the area code with your phone number.

6.  Attend a community event, festival, art show, chamber of commerce event.  

• Collect six business cards from six contacts you make. 
• Mail them a follow up letter. 
• Be sure to include your card and ask for business.

5.  Choose five real estate agents to mail your latest listing flyer to; preferably agents that farm in or have listings in the area. 

• Invite them to tour the property, also. 
• Follow up with a personal email that has a link to the unbranded visual tour that they can forward to a prospective buyer.

4.  Call four expired listings and ask for their business.

3.  Ask three agents in your office how they received that last listing lead and their last buyer lead.

2.  Take a designation class.  Better yourself and learn something new. 

• Do not forget to network with the other students. 
• Take promotional materials. 
• Take the class in a different city or different state. 
• If you go north (south, east or west) to visit family, take a class there and network. 
• Ask for those referrals.

1.  Send a 25% referral fee from any sale you make to Chris Griffith. 

I am joking, just joking.  Take someone to lunch that will appreciate the time you spend with them. 

• Remind them that you are a realtor and if they hear of anyone buying or selling.... 
• Follow up the lunch with a note or letter stating how good it was to share lunch. 
• Pop a business card in the envelope.

Be sure to post your success stories.  Share your creative networking ideas, too.

Chris Griffith is a Realtor in Bonita Springs, Florida with Keller Williams Elite Realty.

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 you can buy your flat rate envelopes with postage attached, as well as, stamps online, too! 

It's an awesome way to send a small gift or a local paper to a potential buyer that may live out of town. 

I've used the flat rate envelopes for my "Bonita Springs Relocation Package" for years. 

5 Tips to Retain Life Long Clients

1.  Be Available and Accessible

Make 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 Contact

Connect 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 Heard

Get 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 Perks

Whether its a free art exhibit or little known "Taste of the Town" festival, share the information with your customers.  It gives you a reason to call them and helps them get involved in community events, as well.  Make sure you invite them to any event in which you are participating and get more mileage from your community service. 

Let your customers know about the local park that offers free Eco-tours or the new home community offering complementary helicopter tours of the neighborhood.

5.  Sponsor An Event

Throw a party, a barbeque or holiday -together for buyers and sellers.  Sponsor an event such as a little league team or the high school band's trip to perform in a parade.  Hold a neighborhood food drive to help stock the local pantry.  The possibilities are endless. 

Chris Griffith is a Realtor in Bonita Springs, Florida with Keller Williams Elite Realty.  For more information about Chris visit http://www.BonitaSpringsAgent.com

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 "hot spots" on the plan and link the hot spot to the corresponding room panoramic photo.  The "hot spot" feature is great to use on community site plans, also.

Visual Tour also offers vertical (ceiling to floor) panoramic photos.  Which works great for small rooms, powder baths or other tight spots that are too difficult to photograph well.

Take a tour that features the hot spots.

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW 

The condo featured is located in Spring Run at the Brooks, Bonita Springs, Florida.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Chris Griffith is a Realtor with Keller Williams Elite Realty in Bonita Springs, Florida.  For futher information visit http://www.bonitaspringsagent.com/

Passed down from my friend and client on Bonita Beach.  You have to love her style.

My lemon turkey recipe.  .....  Enjoy  (Photo of finished bird attached)     Ingredients:   

1 whole Turkey (weight is dependant on how many servings Are required)   

1 large lemon, cut into halves   

Sprig of rosemary   

Salt and pepper to taste   

Butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer   

Method:  Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees  

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the Turkey until it is completely coated.  

Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat.  

Slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up so that  the juice  from The lemon will coat the breast.  

Season skin of the Turkey to your preference, and place sprig of rosemary  into it.  

Cover and place in oven for 30-45 minutes. 

Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear,  basting every  15-20 Minutes depending on the size of the bird.  

If you've followed these steps correctly, your Turkey should look  like the   one   In the attached photo.  Bon Appetit! 

We are all bombarded with publications from various branches of the real estate industry.  Just one more, for those of you who enjoy reading them and would like to subscribe.  http://www.magazinereality.com/

It sort of reads like a blog with a how-to and what-not-to-do approach in the articles.  A lot of the articles are currently based on how to best perform and flourish in the cooling market.

I'd be interested in knowing if anyone has received it before.  I'm not sure if it's a new trade publication or not.

Enjoy

Florida's Housing Market for 3Q 2006: Sales Down, Median Price Level

ORLANDO, 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 median is a typical market price where half the homes sold for more, half for less.

To gain insight into current trends in Florida's real estate industry, the University of Florida's Center for Real Estate Studies recently conducted a new statewide quarterly survey of industry executives, market research economists, real estate scholars and other experts. The threat of spiraling insurance rates was mentioned as the biggest concern, followed by the softening housing market as the second most-mentioned trend.

Still, even if a sharp downturn in the housing market occurs as some analysts predict, Florida will be less affected by it than other states because of the insulating effect of its high population growth rate, said Dr. Wayne Archer, director of UF's Center for Real Estate Studies. Despite some people's worst fears, housing is unlikely to suffer the same fate as tech stocks at the beginning of the decade, he said. "Unlike tech stocks, housing has a use, which means it can't just evaporate," he said.

According to David Lereah, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), the housing market is showing signs of life and sales may be leveling out. "Many potential buyers who have been taking a wait-and-see attitude or are being methodical in the search process are being enticed by lower home prices," he said.  "Given a positive economic backdrop of lower interest rates and job creation, we expect sales activity to pick up early next year."

NAR's latest economic outlook calls for existing-home sales to be fairly stable in the fourth quarter, with 2006 expected to be the third strongest year for sales after consecutive records in 2004 and 2005.

The U.S. economy experienced relative tranquility in the third quarter, analysts pointed out, noting that the Federal Reserve declined to raise interest rates when policymakers met in August and also in September. According to Freddie Mac, the national commitment rate for a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.65 percent in third quarter 2006; last year, it was 5.76 percent.

Looking to Florida's existing condominium market, sales of existing condos also decreased during the quarter, with a total of 12,538 condos sold statewide compared to 21,240 in third quarter 2005 for a 41 percent decline, according to FAR. The statewide median sales price for condos decreased 3 percent to $204,300 for the three-month period; a year ago, it was $210,900.

Among the state's larger markets, the Miami metropolitan statistical area (MSA) reported 2,137 existing homes sold for the quarter, a decrease of 30 percent compared to the 3,070 homes sold a year ago. The market's existing-home median sales price increased 4 percent to $377,700; a year ago, it was $363,300. A total of 2,264 existing condos sold in the market over the three-month period, down 28 percent from a year ago, while the existing-condo median price declined 4 percent to $258,200.

The Pensacola MSA, one of the smaller markets in the state, reported that 1,324 homes changed hands in the second quarter, down 14 percent compared to 1,540 homes sold a year ago. Over the same period, the market's existing-home median home price declined 1 percent to $168,800; a year ago, it was $170,800. A total of 127 existing condos sold in the market during the second quarter, down 32 percent from a year ago, while the existing-condo median price declined 2 percent to $161,700.

Two charts showing statistics for Florida and its MSAs is attached. One chart compares the volume of existing, single-family home sales and median sales prices in the third quarter of 2006 to the third quarter of 2005, based on Realtor closed transactions from local Realtor boards/associations within the MSAs. The second chart compares the volume of existing condo sales and median sales prices in third quarter 2006 to third quarter 2005, based on Realtor closed transactions from local Realtor boards/associations within the MSAs.

The Florida Association of Realtors (FAR), the voice for real estate in Florida, provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its more than 155,000 members in 68 boards/associations.

Hello fellow CRS Designees.  I thought I'd make sure you caught this announcement in the latest "The Residential Specialist" Magazine. 

The council has just added another useful tool for members who are looking to improve their Internt presence.  This FREE service lets CRS Designees create their own personalized Web page on www.CRS.com

"A member site is a great place for CRS to explain who they are and what they're about," says Colleen McMahon, director of member services for CRS.  "We're excited to offer this benefit to our designees."

Creating a member sit is fast and simple.  Patti Parisi, CRS, says, "The site is very user-friendly and simple with easy-to-follow directions."  Member sites help visitors get to know the agent, view home listings, link to local web pages and read helpful tips for home buyers.

Early adopters are already raving abou the benefits of their personalized member site.  "I truly believe in the power of the Internet, and I believe it's a must-have for anyone wo wants to be successful in our industry," says Luther Tsinoglou, CRS. "I am thankful to the CRS orgainization for putting together a professional Web site. I highly encourage other agents to get involved."

To set up you own member site at www.CRS.com , simply log in to your Advantage account and click on the "CRS Member Site" banner.