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Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

 

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Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

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	Majestic Beach Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida has captured the spirit of life on the beach in a new Florida resort condominium with over 650 feet of beachfront on the Gulf of Mexico. Singles, couples and families of all ages will find Panama City Beach the perfect destination. You will discover the ultimate in gulf-front rental with one of our accommodations - studio, one, two, three or four bedrooms. The beach is a special place where time stands still...a place where your family, generation after generation, has made lifelong memories...a place where you and your friends grew up...a place where you found solitude and revitalization. Your life has revolved around the beach...picnics, cool ocean breezes, suntans, surf's up, long walks, bonfires, surf fishing, crabbing,volleyball, spring breaks, countless hours of summertime fun, sunrises, sunsets and shimmering stars. Majestic Beach Resort is a place where time stands still, as emerald waters melt into dazzling white sand beaches. Spend time with family and friends with poolside gatherings, picnics on the beach and breathtaking sunsets over the glistening waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Book your Panama City Beach vacation and enjoy beach life!

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

Majestic Beach Resort

A dive into the cool frothy surf on a hot summer day is refreshing, but... our favorite time to visit the beach is in the fall. The summer tourist crowds are gone; the Gulf is still warm enough for those invigorating swims after a long walk on the beach. Sometimes the water and the sky are so blue they look like mirrors reflecting all the beauty of the world.

Majestic Beach Resort is a brand new high-rise condominium on Panama City Beach, and it is the best of the best. You have all the luxuries and amenities of the world's finest accommodations and all the simple pleasures of beach life!

Click to continue reading...

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

 

 

 

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For more information, contact: David Greer, 202/383-1128, dgreer@realtors.org   NAR Finds That Despite Rising Gas Prices, More Home Buyers Want Oversized Garages WASHINGTON, August 07, 2007 -  Home buyers in increasing numbers want garages with two or more spaces in their homes, according to the 2007 Profile of Buyers' Home Feature Preferences, released today by the National Association of Realtors®. Since the last survey in 2004, oversize garages saw the biggest growth in terms of what recent buyers considered very important in a home, gaining 16 percentage points to 57 percent. Among buyers who purchased homes without this feature, 56 percent of them said they would have paid more for an oversize garage, compared to only 6 percent in the 2004 survey. Other priorities for today's home buyers include air conditioning, with three out of every four respondents ranking this as "very important," and a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, which was very important to 53 percent of respondents. Hardwood floors and granite countertops each gained 7 percentage points from the 2004 survey, with 28 percent and 23 percent, respectively, of buyers viewing these features as "very important." Gaining 6 percentage points was cable/satellite TV-ready, at 46 percent. The survey reports responses from buyers who purchased homes in 2006. Home buyers were asked about 75 features and room types to assess the importance of each. "Realtors® see hundreds, if not thousands, of houses with their buyer clients every year and know exactly what buyers are looking for in a home," said NAR President Pat V. Combs, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and vice president of Coldwell Banker-AJS-Schmidt. "This insight is one more way Realtors® add value to the real estate transaction and why nearly eight out of 10 recent buyers used a real estate professional when buying their home." According to the survey, nearly six out of 10 recent home buyers took on remodeling or home improvement projects within three months of their purchase. Close to half of home buyers who remodeled or made improvements updated their kitchen, and nearly half remodeled or improved their bathroom. New homeowners spent a median of $4,350 on home improvement or remodeling projects undertaken within three months of purchase. More than half of home buyers believe their home has high investment potential, and another four out of 10 believe it has moderate investment potential. Only 3 percent felt their home's investment potential was low. "The fact that a majority of home buyers quickly remodel key areas of their homes ties into the fact that their home is a good, long-term investment," said Paul Bishop, NAR manager of real estate research. "Regardless of market conditions in the short term, when purchased for the long term, housing is one of the safest investments consumers can make." Energy efficiency was more important to new-home buyers than buyers of existing homes, with 65 percent of new-home buyers saying it was very important compared to 39 percent for buyers of existing homes. Older buyers placed a higher priority on energy efficiency than did younger buyers - 63 percent of buyers 75 and older said it was very important, but only 32 percent of buyers who were 18-24 agreed. The survey identified some regional preferences in home features. For home buyers in the South and Midwest, central air conditioning was a priority, with 91 percent and 81 percent, respectively, saying this feature was very important. Sixty-six percent of buyers in the South thought a walk-in closet in the master bedroom was very important, while 61 percent of Midwesterners valued an oversized garage. In the Northeast, the highest percentage of buyers placed a premium on a backyard or play area (53 percent), followed by central air conditioning at 41 percent. Two-thirds of buyers in the West want oversized garages (66 percent), followed by central air conditioning at 59 percent. Age was the biggest differentiation in what buyers were looking for in a home. Buyers 75 years old and older wanted a single-level home (74 percent) that was less than 10 years old (43 percent) with a walk-in closet in the master bedroom (74 percent). Most buyers between the ages of 25-34 wanted a backyard or play area (60 percent). More than half of buyers over 65 wanted a separate shower enclosure in the master bathroom, compared to only one-fourth of buyers ages 25-34. For those who purchased a home without it, 65 percent of buyers said they would be willing to pay a median $1,880 extra for central air conditioning. One out of four buyers was willing to pay a median of $4,760 more for waterfront property. Homes are getting bigger, but have fewer bedrooms. From 2004 to 2006, the size of the typical home purchased increased by about 100 square feet to 1,840 square feet, while the median number of bedrooms dropped from four to three during the same period. The median home age reported in the current survey is 12 years, down from 15 years in 2004.  To order a copy of the report, visit www.realtor.org/research and click on "Latest Research Products" or call 800/874-6500. The cost is $50 for members and $125 for non-members. The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members in all aspects of residential and commercial real estate industries.                                               # # # NAR at a Glance Economic & Housing Indicators NAR Fact Sheet NAR Officer Bios REALTOR® Logo & Usage REALTORS® in the Community NAR Meetings Federal Policy Priorities   Register for News! Sign up for the NAR listserv. Register now >

© Copyright NATIONAL ASSOCIATION of REALTORS® I Headquarters: 430 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611 DC Office: 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001-2020 I 1-800-874-6500 License Agreement | Privacy Policy | REALTOR.com | Contact NAR | Site Map

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

Dear Brandon Jordan,

As a REALTOR you recognize that stabilizing the current mortgage market turmoil requires an immediate and significant response from Congress.  I strongly recommend contacting your Member of Congress to ask for his or her YES vote on H.R. 1852, the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007 and a YES vote on the Frank-Miller-Cardoza amendment. 

Click Here to TAKE ACTION

 

H.R. 1852 reforms the FHA program by building on the strength and security of successfully insuring mortgages for more than 70 years.  It is the immediate and significant response necessary to return stability to the mortgage market.

The amendment offered by Congressmen Frank (D-MA), Gary Miller (R-CA) and Cardoza (D-CA) raises the single-family FHA loan limits to 125% of area median home prices and permits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to grant additional increases if required by market conditions. 

Click Here to TAKE ACTION

Sincerely,
Pat V. Combs, NAR President

If you need technical assistance with responding to this Call For Action, please call 1-866-711-5643 M-F 8:30AM to 5:30PM EST.

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

I ran across this in an email I figured this would be a good topic to have some debate. 

 

 

The long term viability of the agent, as a group or individual, is going to turn on their ability to deliver value to the real estate consumer. While there is great momentum in our society in favor of using a real estate professional when buying or selling a home, that momentum will slowly erode if the professional fails to deliver value to the transaction.

Consumers, in the absence of any agent value, will initially refuse to pay as much as in the past for the agent's services and eventually move away from the agent all together. Although this is beginning to happen now, we are still a long way from the disappearance of the real estate professional. Nevertheless, agents should not let any more time pass before identifying and creating value they can deliver time and time again to real estate buyers and sellers.

The challenge facing the industry, as in many industries, is that the "value" delivered in the past is no longer considered "value" today, thus forcing the real estate professional to create new value. Before the Internet, the primary reason to work with an agent was to gain access to the MLS. As a buyer, you needed to see what homes were for sale and then access those homes to view the interior. As a seller, you had to list your home on the MLS in order to market it effectively.

Real estate professionals were the gate keepers. Consumers now however, with the help of technology, are storming those gates and are just about inside the castle. Active listing data is widely available on the web. Consumers can list and market their homes on the MLS with the help of discount brokers or on non-MLS associated real estate portals, such as Zillow Trulia® or Google.

In another few years, consumers and agents will stand on equal footing with respect to access to and marketing of homes for sale. In addition, the real estate process is no longer a mystery. Much of the documentation is available online or from low cost providers. If a consumer is willing, there are few barriers to complete a transaction without a real estate agent.

In this environment, the viability of the real estate agent turns on their ability to find new and unique areas of value. So where is the value going to come from?

Answer: Developing an expertise.

 

Find a niche in which you can develop an expertise and translate that knowledge into consumer value in the real estate transaction. On my blog (http://www.realblogging.com/bill-miles-blog), I have identified a number of interesting areas agents are focusing on today to add value to the transaction. Scanning other articles and blogs, there are literally thousands of niches to focus on and dominate. Here are a few: beach properties, neighborhoods, seniors, technology savvy consumers, non-technical consumers, relocation, foreclosure, clients who speak English as a second language, commercial specialist, condos and so on.

Comparing the real estate industry to others that have been impacted by the proliferation of industry data on the Internet, can help us see the future. Ten years ago, when consumers gained access to booking their own flights, cars and hotels, many predicted travel agents were doomed. While many travel agents did change careers, still many others developed specialties and niches of expertise. This came through education and the development of an enhanced service. For example, when you look for travel agents today, you might find specialists offering company sales trips, "all inclusive" family trips or African safaris. However, you find very few that will make a business flight for an executive to Chicago . That market is gone. Those that have developed an expertise are being paid well and will have long careers. They deliver value beyond the traditional areas of service: scheduling the trip and making reservations.

A second example is the stock broker. Over the past 10 years, the Internet has enabled consumers to buy and sell almost any financial product offered in the market. Yet stock brokers have not disappeared. They have focused on financial planning or developed an expertise in certain financial products or industries. In addition, similar to real estate, buying and selling financial products is a complex activity. Consumers will always need experienced, educated advice in this area. As such, stock brokers still exist, but with new value to offer.

I believe the real estate industry will follow a similar path. This puts a premium on education and converting that education to consumer value. Real estate professionals who rely on traditional areas of value, such as MLS access and knowledge of the process and documentation, will disappear. Agents who have intimate knowledge of a neighborhood or senior housing options for example, will become invaluable, and will be viewed more like consultants. More and more real estate professionals will market themselves as Certified Neighborhood Specialists, or as catering to Spanish speaking first-time homebuyers. Many successful agents are doing this now, while others are holding onto the traditional areas of value, not sure what to do next.

In ten years, will consumers be doing their own transactions without a real estate agent involved? I doubt it. Will the requirements of a successful real estate agent change? Certainly, they already have.

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

 

 

Short Sale Tip # 18: Getting the Auction Postponed.

Before we get to today's tip, I want to talk to you about an email I received over the weekend. The email was from Linda J. here in Fort Lauderdale. 

She was lamenting as to how realtors are struggling and how our classes are so expensive and it is a shame we are charging so much. 

I responded to Linda, as I have to some others who have echoed her sentiments. What I responded to her with is the quote from John F. Kennedy above.

There are indeed costs, involved in running a business. Often times we speak to agents who do not realize that they are in business. They do not realize that their most important asset is their knowledge of the industry.

One can either choose not to be in business and lament, or one can take action, take initiative and do what's necessary to succeed. I commend those of you who are doing what is necessary to compete and succeed in today's market and I challenge others who believe the cost is too great to adapt to realize before it is too late, that inaction may end up being MUCH more costly in the long run.

That being said, the same kind of inaction sometimes affects homeowners in foreclosure. After all possible attempts to save their home have failed, they often reach for the phone at the 12th hour.

Most agents and investors will simply walk away from these deals but in reality, these deals can be the most profitable.

As you look at the food chain you have an EXTREMELY motivated Seller, and more than likely you have an EXTREMELY motivated bank. The bank is on the verge of taking back this property. A property they do not want!

So you get the call, you do the numbers and wow..if you only had some time this might be a good deal for you. So what do you do?

You get a postponement. You tell the bank that you are now involved and you need some time to put the deal together and voila..the bank gives you more time.

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

September 2007

News You Can Use

LowesRealtorBenefits.com

 

Rake, rattle and roll!

Convince yourself that raking leaves

can be fun. Rather than wait for a single

weekend, break this chore into stages.

Matted leaves can lead to insect and

disease problems and smother your

turf, especially cool season grasses like

Kentucky Bluegrass.

To fertilize - or not to fertilize?

Cool season grasses like Kentucky

Bluegrass, fescues and perennial ryegrass

often need fertilizer this time of year.

Grasses that go dormant in the winter,

such as Bermuda, Zoysia and Centipede

may not. Visit www.lowes.com for

information on soil testing and choosing

the right fertilizer.

Repair and re-seed. Fall is a great time

to repair a damaged lawn and re-seed. Fill

any holes or bare spots with topsoil and

add grass seed. It's important to choose

the right kind of grass for your growing

zone; go to www.lowes.com to learn

what's best for your area.

Don't forget to water. New grass in

particular needs frequent but shallow

watering. Once the grass is established,

water deeply to reach the roots. To

minimize the threat of fungal disease,

water in the morning or early afternoon

so that the grass blades are not moist

overnight.

Prune with care. Pruning promotes

growth, so be careful not to encourage

growth when plants are about to go

dormant. By all means remove diseased,

dead or broken branches.

Transplant trees and shrubs.

Autumn is a great season for transplanting

trees and shrubs, allowing roots to get

established before the cold sets in. Also,

heat stress is not a concern. Visit your

neighborhood Lowe's Garden Center for

a broad selection of trees and shrubs that

can bring new life to your landscape.

Spruce up flower beds.

Replace warm-weather annuals with

seasonal favorites like pansies and mums.

Clean out summer perennials and add

a fresh layer of mulch, which can help

protect plants from hard freezes.

Divide established perennials.

If your perennials are looking a bit

lackluster or overgrown they may need

to be divided. The best candidates have

large, healthy clumps and have been in

the ground for years. By dividing these in

the fall, you'll enjoy healthier plants in more

places next spring.

Plant ahead for spring. Foolproof

and fabulous, spring-flowering bulbs

put gardening within everyone's reach.

When choosing bulbs, focus on your

favorite color, or try shades that accent

already established plantings throughout

your garden. For more information on

cutting gardens, see "Bulbs in Bloom"

at www.LowesCreativeIdeas.com/

OutdoorLiving.

Curb Appeal 101:

9 Tips to Make Your Landscape Shine

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.

 Recruiters: The Real Secret to Mastering Objection Responses

By Carla Cross
Carla Cross Seminars, Inc.

One of the biggest concerns recruiters have-even seasoned, experienced recruiters-is answering objections. They are fearful that they won't know the 'magic words' to say when the recruit throws them an objection. In fact, it's such a fear, causing such anxiety, that managers unwittingly avoid situations where they may get an objection! This causes them to avoid making a contact (and usually that first contact) with some candidates who may be looking for them right then! (I've found this out firsthand in coaching managers. They will give me very creative excuses regarding why they can't make those recruiting calls. I'm starting to think that they just need to be that clever in making the calls, instead of avoiding the calls!)

You know good agents are the biggest key to your profitability. So, it's extremely important to your company bottom line that you learn the communication skills necessary to handle those objections.

Now, I don't want to disappoint you. This article isn't about giving you all the right answers. That's not the most important aspect to answering objections (but you thought it was!). Here's the principle:

It's not the answers that allow you to control the objection-handling process. It's applying a communication process to work through your candidate's concerns.

How NOT to Handle an Objection

When a manager doesn't know better, she spends lots of anxious hours memorizing what she feels are snazzy, clever answers to all the objections she can think of. Then, she waits impatiently until an unsuspecting recruit throws that objection at her. Ready with the answer, the recruiter provides the answer even before the objection is out of the candidate's mouth! This does get a response, but, not the one this manager wants-or probably expects!

The Effect of a Poorly Communicated Objection 'Answer'

Jumping in with the "right" answer right on top of the candidate's objection makes the candidate feel as though he's in an argument. And, you know what happens in an argument. Each person really takes 'goes into his corner' to take sides! So, when you don't use a process to handle that objection, you actually make an enemy, rather than solve the problem.

It's Better NOT to Know the Answer!
Managers/recruiters would get a better result with candidates to not answer the objection at all, than to answer in a way that creates adversaries. That can make the candidate feel dumb or pressured. You don't want that.

Grasp and Practice a Process to Handle Objections

There are several process approaches to handling objections. Being a simple person, I created one I call the "Triple A" Method. So help you learn the process easily, I've created a CD and flashcard series. There's a series for buyers, one for sellers, and one for recruiting. They're called Objection Busters, and they will help you avoid creating adversaries. They'll also greatly lower your anxiety and fear in finding and working with your recruit candidates. I've not only shared the Triple A Method on the resource, I've also role played with a recruiter and written many answers to objections for you to study. See Recruiters' Objection Busters, part of Cross's Recruiting Mastery System.

Mastering your sales communication skills is a 'must' for managers who want to recruit agents who are right for them. Start the process now, and practice until you have mastered not only the 'answers', but, more importantly, the process. You'll recruit better and easier, and see your profits soar.


Carla Cross, CRB, MA, is a real estate leadership coach and speaker, and is president of Carla Cross Seminars, Inc. and Carla Cross Coaching. She's author of six internationally published books on real estate sales and management, and ten systems. Carla's recruiting, training, and coaching systems are used by thousands of real estate professionals, and many are endorsed by CRS and CRB. Reach Carla at 425-392-6914 or www.carlacross.com.

Florida Real Estate with Brandon Jordan, your Northwest Florida Realtor and ActiveRain featured Realtor for Okaloosa County since 2007. We provide this information and much more on our site for you at no charge, so please remember us when you're looking to buy or sell real estate.