After weeks of studying, I now have my broker's license.

I was working on my Sales Associate post licensing education and when I passed it, I decided to jump right back in and get my broker's license while everything was fresh in my mind.

So today, I took the exam at Promissor and I passed, so I officially have a broker's license.

For the time being, I intend to continue with my current employer and work as a Broker Associate.

Now, time for a celabratory dinner and maybe a nap!

One thing I hear over and over is that we have no seasons in Florida.

I want to make an observation and point out to all of the imported folks that we also have four seasons.

They are:

1. Early Summer
2. Summer
3. Late Summer
4. and those two weeks in January

Additionally, I would like to point out that I have never had to:

• Shovel my driveway
• Scrape ice off my car
• Put snow chains on my tires
• Carry a bag of sand in my trunk
• Plug my car in at night to keep it from freezing
• Shovel my roof
• Get bundled up to get the mail
• Attach a flag to a fiberglass rod on my car so people can see me coming around the snow drifts
• Wait till spring to play with my Christmas present

If Florida sounds like a place you would like to live, give me a call at (813) 494-2640.  There's always room for one more!

Geek 1: Did you two hit it off?

Geek 2: Define "Hit it off".

Geek 1: Did she continue talking to you, after you fixed her computer?

Did you know that if you have a bad credit score there are companies that can repair your credit?

Like most things in life, there is only so much that can be repaired, but if you have been turned down for a mortgage due to your credit history, give me a call and I will hook you up with a company.  They can explain how they charge and whether they can help you in your specific case or not.

Once your credit has been repaired, I would like to help you BUY A HOUSE!!!

Right now, the deals the builders are offering are so good, buyers who start out looking at resales, ultimately buy a new home.

What this means to you as a seller is that you need to lower your price if you need to sell now.  Or, if you can wait, maybe the prices will go back up.  But in the mean time, homes are selling.  New ones, and those that have dropped their price.

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning!

Another NAR handout for consumers.

What Not to Overlook on a Final Walk-Through

Be sure that:

• repairs you’ve requested have been made. Obtain copies of paid bills and any related warranties.
• all items that were included in the sale price—draperies, lighting fixtures—are still there.
• screens and storm windows are in place or stored.
• all appliances are operating.
• intercom, doorbell, and alarm are operational.
• hot water heater is working.
• HVAC is working.
• no plants or shrubs have been removed from the yard.
• garage door opener and other remotes are available.
• instruction books and warranties on appliances and fixtures are there.
• all personal items of the sellers and all debris have been removed.

How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a light-bulb?

None - they just declare darkness to be industry standard.

The list of tips below come from the National Association of Realtors.  I view these as a starting point.  For more suggestions, give me a call and I will help you any way I can.  All I ask is that if your house fails to sell, you give me the opportunity.

Open House Tips for FSBOs

Advertise your open house. Ideally you should advertise both the weekend before and the weekend of the open house. Check with the local paper to see when their ad closing deadlines are.

Create a property summary sheet. This sheet gives prospective buyers an overview of your home. Include dimensions for each room, copies of a property survey, summaries of utility costs and property taxes, and a list of when capital items such as roofs and furnace were added.

Develop a sign-in form for prospects’ addresses. You’ll ideally want both phone numbers and e-mail addresses to follow up with prospective buyers.

Put up signs. One or two days before the open house, place directional signs at major intersections within three to four blocks of your house. Be sure you check on anti-sign regulations in your area.

Get your house ready. Remove clutter, clean your house, wash your windows, add flowers, turn on lights, open draperies and blinds, remove valuables and breakables, confine pets, turn on soft music, and set up a table for your property fact sheet near the entrance.

Develop a follow-up sheet. Getting feedback on your home from prospects who attended your open house will give you a better understanding of how to make your home more appealing to buyers.

A truck driver hauling a tractor-trailer load of computers stops for a beer. As he approaches the bar he sees a big sign on the door saying "GEEKS NOT ALLOWED--ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!" He goes in and sits down.

The bartender comes over to him, sniffs, says he smells kind of geeky, asks him what he does for a living.

The truck driver says he drives a truck, and the smell is just from the computers he is hauling. The bartender says OK, truck drivers are not geeks, and serves him a beer.

As he is sipping his beer, a skinny guy walks in with tape around his glasses, a pocket protector with twelve kinds of pens and pencils, and a belt at least a foot too long.

The bartender, without saying a word, pulls out a shotgun and blows the guy away. The truck driver asks him why he did that.

The bartender said not to worry, the geeks are over-populating the Silicon Valley, and are in season now. You don't even need a license, he said.

So the truck driver finishes his beer, gets back in his truck, and heads back onto the freeway. Suddenly he veers to avoid an accident, and the load shifts. The back door breaks open and computers spill out all over the freeway.

He jumps out and sees a crowd already forming, grabbing up the computers. They are all engineers, accountants and programmers wearing the geekiest clothes he has ever seen.

He can't let them steal his whole load. So remembering what happened in the bar, he pulls out his gun and starts blasting away, felling several of them instantly.

A highway patrol officer comes zooming up and jumps out of the car screaming at him to stop. The truck driver said, "What's wrong? I thought geeks were in season."

"Well, sure." said the patrolman, "But it's illegal to bait 'em."

What do you get when you call most anyone in business and ask a question?  Usually a dry monotone answer.

That's what you get when you call most real estate agents and ask about a home you see advertised.  Dry, monotone, the house is 3500 sf with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths, a two car garage on a large lot with fruit trees and established landscaping.  All this for only $279,900.

As a seller, is that how you want your house described?  I think not.  I think you want a Realtor who likes what he or she does and is passionate about it!

And the poor buyer prospect who called for the information!  Some thoughts the prospect may have had:  What, does the Realtor think I can't read?  Most of that information was in the ad!  I told him I was looking at the ad.  I want to know something new, something that will help me decide if this is a home I am interested in actually going to see.

I think a Realtor should make your home search or the selling of your home, his or her passion!  Get passionate about advertising.  Get passionate about staging.  Get passionte about getting the price right.  Get passionate about searching the MLS and other listings every day.  Get passionate about the home search!  Get passionate about selling that home!

Don't just sit back and wait for things to happen.  Make getting results for your customers YOUR PASSION!!!

Sometimes a geek joke is not about geeks.  Some jokes are geek jokes just because they are funny to geeks.

I find this joke to be hilarious!

A man walks in the doctor's office with a carrot hanging out of his ear, green beans hanging out of the other and a banana hanging out of his mouth and say, "Doctor, I don't feel well."

The doctor takes one look at him and says, "I see your problem, you're not eating right!"

If you are buying a home in Florida, as soon as you are under contract you should purchase or bind your homeowners insurance policy.

If you don't and a hurricane or even a lesser tropical storm comes into the "box", you will not be able to purchase insurance until it passes.  In the meantime, your closing will be delayed until you can get insurance.  As we all know, sometimes these storms come one after the other and there is the potential that a closing could be delayed for many days or weeks.

I also recommend that sellers inquire with their agent or broker to make sure the buyers are aware of this detail.

 The following map and table shows the area that is designated as the box and the dates for recent years where there was a restriction/moratorium on writing and binding policies.

The "Box"

2006 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Tropical Storm Ernesto	8/27/2006 5:00 PM EDT	8/31/2006 11:00 AM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Alberto	6/11/2006 5:00PM EDT	6/13/2006 8:00PM EDT	No
2005 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Hurricane Wilma	10/22/2005 11:00 AM EDT	10/24/2005 5:00 PM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Tammy	10/5/2005 7:30 AM EDT	10/6/2005 5:00 AM EDT	No
Hurricane Rita	9/18/2005 11:00 AM EDT	9/21/2005 11:00 AM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Ophelia	9/6/2005 11:00 am	9/9/2005 11:00 am	No
Hurricane Katrina	8/23/2005 11:00 PM EDT	8/29/2005 5:00 PM EDT	No
Hurricane Dennis	7/7/2005 11:00 AM EDT	7/10/2005 11:00 PM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Cindy	7/5/2005 7:00 AM EDT	7/6/2005 11:00 AM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Arlene	6/9/2005 11:55 AM EDT	6/11/2005 8:00 PM EDT	No
2004 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Hurricane Jeanne	9/24/2004 5:35 AM EDT	9/27/2004 2:00 PM EDT	No
Hurricane Ivan	9/12/2004 11:00 AM EDT	9/16/2004 5:00 PM EDT	No
Hurricane Frances	9/1/2004 11:00 PM EDT	9/6/2004 11:00 PM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Gaston	8/27/2004 5:00 PM EDT	8/29/2004 5:00 AM EDT	No
Hurricane Charley	8/11/2004 5:00 AM EDT	8/14/2004 5:00 AM EDT	No
Tropical Storm Bonnie	8/10/2004 11:00 PM EDT	8/12/2004 5:00 PM EDT	No
2003 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Tropical Storm Henri	9/3/2003 5:00PM	9/6/2003 6:00AM	No
2002 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Kyle	10/11/2002 5:00am EDT	10/12/2002 11:00 am EDT	No
Lili	9/29/2002 8:00 PM EDT	10/4/2002 5:00 AM EDT	No
Lili	9/29/2002 5:00 AM EDT	9/29/2002 8:00 AM EDT	No
Isidore	9/18/2002 5:00 PM EDT	9/26/2002 5:00pm EDT	Yes
Hanna	9/13/2002 5:00 AM EDT	9/14/2002 2:00 PM EDT	Yes
Gustav	9/8/2002 11:00 PM EDT	9/10/2002 11:00 AM EDT	No
Edouard	9/2/2002 2:00 AM EDT	9/4/2002 11:00 PM EDT	Yes
Cristobal	8/6/2002 7:30 PM EDT	8/8/2002 5:00 PM EDT	No
2001 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Michelle	11/1/2001 8:15am EST	11/6/2001 8:15am EST	No
Iris	10/8/2001 8:15am EDT	10/9/2001 11:00am EDT	No
Gabrielle	9/13/2001 11:00am EDT	9/17/2001 8:15am EDT	No
Chantal	8/20/2001 8:15am EDT	8/22/2001 8:15am EDT	No
Barry	8/2/2001 3:00pm EDT	8/6/2001 11:00am EDT	No
Allison	6/5/2001 3:00pm EDT	6/6/2001 8:15am EDT	No
2000 Storm Restrictions
Storm Name	Start of Restriction Date and Time	End of Restriction Date and Time	48 hr. Reinspection Required?
Leslie	10/5/2000 11:00am EDT	10/6/2000 11:00am EDT	No
Keith	10/4/2000 11:00am EDT	10/5/2000 11:00am EDT	No
Keith	10/4/2000 2:00pm EDT	10/5/2000 8:15am EDT	No
Helene	9/21/2000 11:00am EDT	9/22/2000 2:00pm EDT	No

Two rather geeky engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second geek replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, 'Take what you want.'"

The first geek nodded approvingly, "Good choice. The clothes probably wouldn't have fit."

Today, the National Association of Realtors and the local board of Realtors published the latest numbers for the area.

An example of what was published is shown below:

Zip Code:33558

Average Price:$423,700

Price Change:-5.49%

Total # Homes Sold (Quarter):43

% Change in # homes sold:-34.85%

Average Days on Market:67

% of Asking Price:96.2%

If you would like to know the statistics for your zip code, call or email me and I will look it up for you.

In the same report, they have declared that the market for Hillsborough County is a Buyer's Market.  No surprise there!

On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being a buyer's market and a 5 being a seller's market, they have placed the Hillsborough County market at a 1.  My interpretation is that this means we are in a full fledged buyer's market!  What do you think?

On September 13th, the National Association of Realtors submitted testimony to the Senate Banking Committee hearing on the economy.  Buried among the many statistics and facts was the statement: "the seller's market is transitioning to a buyer's market."

What does this mean to you?  If you are a buyer, the implications are obvious. Stop reading now and go buy a house!

But for sellers,  this can also be good news. Most people sell their current home with the intention of buying a newer and bigger home.

Let's say you have a home in a subdivision that you know is worth $200,000 because your neighbor across the street sold the exact same home last year for $200,000.  He reminds you how smart he was to sell when he did, at the top of the market.  He says you will have to wait a few years to get the kind of deal he did.  He's almost beating his chest as he gloats and brags about his impeccable timing.

For some strange reason you want to move up to a bigger house that is right across the street from your old neighbor.  You are buying the exact same model he paid $300,000 for a year ago.

There is some good news and some bad news in this story.  First the bad news, your current house will probably not sell for what his sold for.  The good news is, you can probably buy the house across the street from him for less than he paid.

Using round numbers just to make the math easy, assume you have to discount your home by 5% to sell it.  So instead of selling for $200,000, you sell for $190,000.  But when you purchase the new home, you pay $285,000 instead of $300,000.  This means that last year your "move up" would have cost you $100,000 out of pocket and this year you get it for $95,000.

On top of that, you are paying real estate commissions, title insurance, documentary stamps, etc.. based on a lower sale and purchase price, saving you even more money.  Long term, it gets even better.  And now for my favorite, you save money on your property taxes for years to come.  For example, your neighbor paid $300,000.  The county will assess it at full market value, or $300,000.  Take away the $25,000 homestead exemption and he will pay taxes on $275,000.  With a typical millage rate of 24, his annual tax bill will be $6600.  Yours will be $285,000 minus $25,000 times 24, making your tax bill $6240.

So by waiting until this year, your net out of pocket will be $5000 less,  plus you will save money on the transaction costs, both selling and buying, and you will continue to save year after year on your taxes.  If the prices have dropped by more than 5% in your area, then your savings will be even greater.

Who's the smart one now?

If you are ready to sell your home, pick up the phone and call your favorite Realtor now.  You'll be glad you did!

 I originally wrote this article for Our Town Apollo Beach in September 2006.