Daytona Beach Real Estate Blog: August 2007

If you use any Instant Messaging software, you might like this gadget. It's an IM program that's compatible with all the major IM services. This includes AIM, MSN, Yahoo, ICQ, Google Talk and Jabber. It's called Meebo.

Meebo runs within your web browser and pops up with a single click. You can create a Meebo account then link it to all your other IM accounts so you can login to any of them from one access point. How cool is that? No more only being able to IM the friends that are on your own network.

Just go to www.meebo.com  

This post will almost finalize my series on the communities in Countryside, located in Port Orange Florida. For a quick re-cap, Countryside is an upscale development that consists of several smaller communities within the large one. Residents of each of these smaller communities have access to the Countryside pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, lakes and common areas.

In this post, I'll briefly describe The Meadows. The Meadows is the only section of Countryside that is maintenance-free. It consists of town houses and duplexes... well; actually they’re more like quads. Each of these little groups of homes are immaculately kept by the association itself. They’re also within walking distance to the pool, clubhouse and tennis courts.

To learn more about the other communities in Countryside, read my posts about The Hunt Club, SteeplechaseThe Villas and .

To move to Port Orange Florida, or anywhere in the Daytona Beach area, visit my web site. I'm a native of this area and can help with all your real estate needs. When you're on my site, also be sure to view my Daytona Beach area MLS listings.

For many years, the one type of neighborhood that was missing in the Daytona Beach area was one that offered a maintenance-free lifestyle. In 2003 that changed.

We now have resort living in the gated,  Winston-James development, The Villages of Royal Palm located on Williamson Blvd. in Port Orange, just minutes from Daytona Beach. This community has the most spectacular clubhouse I've ever seen and the location is unbeatable, with close proximity to shopping, I-4 and I-95. 

Every time I'm in this spectacular community I see residents walking their dogs, playing tennis, cycling and visiting with their neighbors. And they always offer a friendly wave and a smile.

This is just one of many desirable communities in Daytona Beach and Port Orange. A couple of others are the Hunt Club and Steeplechase in Countryside.

If you'd like to buy a house in Daytona Beach or Port Orange Florida, visit my web site at www.DaytonaBeachHomeSales.com or www.PortOrangeHomeSales.com

If you're considering buying real estate in Daytona Beach Florida, you may want to consider Port Orange. Port Orange is located just 5 miles south of Daytona Beach, but is a newer city, out of the way of all the special event traffic and noise. 

To continue with my posts about the gorgeous community of Countryside in Port Orange Florida, today I'm going to focus on the section in Countryside called The Villas.

In The Villas you'll find where Countryside first began, back in 1983. In this section there are affordable 2 or 3 bedroom patio homes. These homes are all on small lots (also known as zero-lot lines; the usual setback rules do not apply) that are easy to maintain. The Villas is also the closest section to the community pool, clubhouse and tennis courts.

As you'll see in the photos, these homes are built around of one the many small lakes that are found in this area. As mentioned in my previous posts, there are several smaller communities within the larger community of Countryside. This is just one of them. To find out about the others, view my posts about the brick section of Countryside called The Hunt Club, and the section that has a South Florida feel, called Steeplechase. 

For other information about Port Orange Florida, view my posts titled Picture Yourself in Port Orange and Plan A Fun Outing in Port Orange Florida.

Don't forget to visit my web site at www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com

View the new Port Orange & Countryside real estate blog at www.PortOrangeRealEstateBlog.com or www.CountrysideNews.com

This blog is about the fabulous Countryside community in Port Orange Florida. Countryside is an upscale community with a pool, clubhouse and tennis courts. There are several subdivisions within Countryside, called

• The Hunt Club
• The Villas
• The Meadows
• Steeplechase

I've been selling houses and general real estate in this area for years and Countryside in Port Orange is one of my favorite communities. It has several lakes, it's a great location and with the different mini-communities, you have a variety of choices in the style of house you want to buy.

Port Orange is located 5 miles south of Daytona Beach FL.  Dunlawton Avenue is the main road that runs through Port Orange, and has direct access to I-95. The Dunlawton bridge runs to the beachside/peninsula and is a direct access point to the beach. You can enjoy a fun outing at a casual seafood restaurant under the Port Orange/Dunlawton bridge. There are several restaurants from which you can choose.

If you can picture yourself living in Port Orange Florida, visit my web site at www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com.

If you read my last two posts, you heard my frustration with trying to schedule appointments to show condos, when all the keys needed to be picked up in the listing offices, or the listing agents had to accompany the showings. After several hours of scheduling appointments, I was finally able to schedule enough showings for my condo buyers who were only in town for 2 days. Their daughter is going to be attending Palmer College of Chiropractic in Port Orange, FL.

We looked at condos in Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet until 8:00 Friday night. They narrowed it down to three units, and wanted some comparables. So they went back to their hotel, and I pulled comps until about 9:30. But Saturday morning, their phone call was not what I expected. Instead of deciding on which condo to make an offer, they wanted to start over, on the opposite side of town, in Ormond by the Sea which is about 30 minutes north of Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet.

After once again spending several hours trying to schedule appointments, we finally started looking. We looked until about 7:00 p.m. and the very last condo we saw was the one! The buyers then went to dinner while I prepared the paperwork at one of Adams Cameron's Ormond Beach offices. After their dinner, the buyers met me at the office and we went through the mountain of documents associated with purchasing a condo. They then wanted to go back to the condo to take some photos, since they were flying back to Michigan this morning. We arrived back at the condo at about 9:30 p.m.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten one minor detail. The Supra lock boxes don't open after 9:00! After calling the listing agent with our dilemma, she called the seller, who doesn't live far from the condo, and the seller drove over and brought us the key. Long story short; I didn't get home until after 11:00 p.m., but at least we found them a condo where they feel their daughter will be safe while she goes to college here. And a very good aspect of this transaction is, the buyers are paying cash. That's fantastic news with the mortgage market being the way it is right now!

(UPDATE! My buyers read this post and reminded me that I forgot one important detail. They're such great people! Actually, it was in the comments, but they were right. It should be in the post!)  =D 

Last week a posted a blog about my personal real estate brochure. I'm getting a lot of questions, so I thought I'd elaborate a little bit more. This time, I'll address HOW I use my personal real estate brochure, in addition to more about what's in it. (Read the comments in my previous post, in addition to the post itself, to find out more about what's in the brochure)

So here are the ways I use my brochure.

1. I mail it to expired listings, with a letter and a color flyer of one of my print ads.
2. I randomly hand them out if I have one handy and real estate happens to enter the conversation.
   
3. I include it in my listing presentation.
4. I include it in my buyer presentation.

Click here to see my real estate buyer presentation. It's a folder with everything a buyer needs to get started. I give it to them and go over everything in it when I first meet with them. 

The biggest advantage of giving my brochure to new buyers is that the brochure is full of personal information about me. It's a conversation piece. While we're driving between houses, my buyers will frequently start browsing through their folder and start reading my brochure. Many times they'll see something we have in common. They then ask me questions about it and volunteer some information about themselves. We now have a stronger connection.

For those of you who have commented that you're working on your personal real estate brochures, I look forward to seeing your post about them when they're finished. 

As REALTORS®, we all do Comparative Market Analyses (CMA's) or Listing Presentations on a regular basis. I even have a section on my web site that's dedicated to sellers. But how many REALTORS® have a Buyer's Presentation? It doesn't have to be anything extravagant. I just mean something that portrays a professional image, beginning with the initial meeting.

Are you a REALTOR® who doesn't have one? Well allow me to share mine with you. It's really pretty easy to set the tone of your future business relationship, with just a few simple steps.

• When I'm first meeting with real estate buyers who are interested in buying a house or condo in the Daytona Beach area, I have little tent cards that welcome them to my office. I set the card on a conference room table before the buyers arrive. The card just says "WELCOME" on the front and it has a line beneath the word "welcome", where I write their names. The inside of the card has my personal logo, name, phone number and web site. You can create these in just about any program on your computer. The paper can be purchased in any office supply store.
  

• My buyers also get a folder that contains.
  

1. A letter thanking them for allowing me to assist them with this important decision.
2. A 2-page list with 3 of each service provider they'll need during the process. This list is also great for handing out to friends and neighbors, every time they need a specific service. That way, you become known as someone who can help with any type of housing need.
3. Color copies of all the Daytona Beach area MLS listings we'll be viewing that day. I don't believe in giving black & white copies, just to save a few pennies. Don't sell yourself short and look cheap. Many times, as buyers discuss what they've seen, they remember the houses by their color. If the listing sheet is in black & white, how can they refresh their memories?
4. A personalized note pad with my contact information on it. This way they can take notes as they go along, and have a note pad to take home with them.
5. My personal brochure.

That's pretty much it. I do have a few other items that I rotate as I deem necessary for certain buyers. When I put this together years ago, it took some time to compile what I wanted in my buyer's presentation folder. Now is the perfect time to get prepared for your future business. That's what you should be doing during a slow market. You prepare for when things improve. If you wait until you're busy, it's too late and you may lose that buyer to another agent who is better prepared. And yes, I have a section of my web site that's dedicated to buyers too.

If you're a REALTOR who does have a buyer presentation, I'd love to hear about it. How do you present yourself to your real estate buyers when you first meet them?

I’ve recently written several blogs about different things to do around the Daytona Beach area. Ormond Beach is included as part of the Daytona Beach area. In Daytona Beach, so far we've discussed the Daytona Beach Flea Market, which is now listed as one of America's Top 5 Flea Markets, Driving on Daytona Beach, baseball games at Jackie Robinson Ball Park and the Daytona Cubs, Seaside Music Theater, and several other suggestions. As I was about to write this Ormond Beach post, I decided to include some personal memories from growing up in this area.

I lived all but 4 years of my life in the Daytona Beach area. One of the places my family frequented the most was Tomoka State Park, in Ormond Beach. My brothers and I used to love to float around on inner tubes, swim out to the sand bar, hike and fish. We even got stung by a large school of jelly fish one year!

TIP: When stung by a jellyfish, rinse the area with salt water only! Fresh water will further activate the toxins. After rinsing with salt water and if necessary, removing any tentacles (wear gloves), you may then apply vinegar to further deactivate the toxins.

Tomoka State Park is located on the Tomoka River near the convergence of the Tomoka and Halifax rivers. It was originally inhabited by the Timucuan Indians. When hiking the nature trails, you can see the actual site of the Timucuan village of Nocoroco. The Timucuans initially named the Tomoka River, “Rio de Timucas” which meant River of the Timucuans. Early settlers messed up the pronunciation which left us with the present name “Tomoka”.

The park has changed drastically from my childhood memories. But my favorite memory remains. At the end of a long trail is an old statue that tells the tale of Tomokie and Oleeta. What a fascinating story! The basin in front of the statue used to be filled with water and as children we loved to splash around in it.

In 2004, Governor Jeb Bush allocated an additional 400 acres to Tomoka State Park, giving it a total of over 1,600 acres, with 100 campsites with picnic tables, grills and water. Once there, you owe it to yourself to visit the museum and visitor center. Also set aside time for boating, canoeing,  fishing, and bird watching. Time it right and you might see a few West Indian Manatee.

All-in-all, Tomoka State Park is a great place to spend an afternoon, a day, or a week. Just don't forget your insect repellant! There’s plenty to do while you unwind. It’s also close enough to town that you can go shopping or enjoy dining at the local area restaurants.  You might like it so much you want to move to Ormond Beach or Daytona Beach so you can visit whenever you like.

Looking to buy a 4 bedroom house in Daytona Beach? Here's a better option! 4 bedrooms, 2 baths in convenient location, close to shopping, schools and more, located in South Daytona, just 2 blocks from the Daytona Beach border.

This home has over 1700 square feet of living area, large bedrooms and a huge living room. The kitchen has plenty of brand new cabinets, new Corian counters, new tile floors, a breakfast bar, and a formal dining room.  Home also features a new roof in 2005, a rear patio, new A/C duct work in 2005, and an extra long driveway with a side extension for more parking.

An American Home Shield home warranty may be included with an acceptable offer. Bring those offers now! The home is priced to sell! (It was previously listed with another agent for $239,900) Now $195,000

This home named The Casements, for the many casement windows that adorn the building, was built in 1910 and purchased by John D. Rockefeller in 1918. Mr. Rockefeller also died in the home in May of 1937. The family sold it in 1939. 

This beautiful piece of history is on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a cultural center for Ormond Beach with creative experiences for all ages, including classes, exhibits, events, gift shop and meeting spaces. You can also take a guided tour and see John D. Rockefeller's desk, samples of his stationery, and his high-backed beach chair. You can also view photos of his legendary Christmas parties which still adorn the walls.

Another interesting tidbit is in the fact that John D. Rockefeller was one of the first of the rich industrialists to enjoy spending time in Ormond Beach. It has been credited to his very presence that others soon followed. A few recognizable names are the Astors, Goulds and Vanderbilts, as well as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, the Duke of Windsor, Will Rogers and Al Capone. Many of them stayed in the old Ormond Hotel which was directly across the street from Mr. Rockefeller's home. Unfortunately the Ormond Hotel has now been replaced by The Ormond Heritage Condominiums. (Units are for sale if you're interested in moving to Ormond Beach-just visit my web site listed below.)

For more information on things to do in the Daytona Beach area, view these articles.

• Daytona Beach Florida-Vacation and Second Home Destination
  
• Seaside Music Theater in Daytona Beach Florida
• The London Symphony Orchestra-Florida International Festival
• Plan A Fun Outing in Port Orange Florida
• Daytona Beach's Jackie Robinson Ballpark-Home of the Daytona Cubs

There will be more to come. Check back for updates as I bring you more information on the cultural as well as fun family activities you'll find in the Daytona Beaach area.

If you're thinking about buying real estate here, I cover Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach, Ponce Inlet and everything in-between; actually I cover the areas to the north and south as well =)

Visit my web site for real estate information, MLS listings, listing videos and more. I'd love to help you make your move.

Daytona Beach residents and visitors; are you looking for a way to spend a fun evening? Why not enjoy a ball game with the Daytona Cubs at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.

Visiting Jackie Robinson Ballpark is what Volusia Magazine recently called a "Norman Rockwell experience". This historic stadium that seats 4,000 was originally built in 1940, but many additions and renovations have been made over the years.

I recently found about this fascinating bit of history... It was at Daytona Beach's own Jackie Robinson Ballpark that Jackie actually broke the color barrier in baseball, when he played in the first ever, racially integrated spring-training game. At the time he was a member of the Montreal Royales, in the International League. It was March, 1946. The next year, in 1947, Jackie was promoted to the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Since this year marks the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's entry into major league baseball, on August 25, 2007, at the Daytona Cubs vs Vero Beach Devil Rays game, the game tickets will be free to the public. You can pickup your tickets at any Volusia County library and enjoy "Jackie Robinson Ballpark Heritage Day". Several local celebrities will be in attendance and before the game, the Daytona Cubs will be signing autographs.

Interested in moving to Daytona Beach?  For more information about this fabulous city, read these other articles

• Daytona Beach Flea Market one of the best in the nation
  
• Daytona Beach Colleges
• Lots of things to do in Daytona Beach!
• Driving on Daytona Beach

To view Daytona Beach area MLS listings, visit my web site today. Make a Smart Choice and call Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

We're always talking about keeping a positive attitude. Have you considered how difficult it must be for a soldier who has been deployed to a foreign country, in a life-threatening situation, away from their loved ones? My personal struggles always seem much smaller when I think about our soldiers at war.

So I thought I'd share this great web site by Xerox, that allows you send a card to a soldier, for free!

You can select a card from 59 different covers. The card covers were drawn by children. There are also 11 different messages you can choose from for the inside, or you can create your own message. 

This process for creating and sending your card could not be any easier! And it's free! What's more is, you can send as many as like, as often as you like. So why would you not?

Our troops desperately need to know we care and appreciate them. Let's send them our love and prayers.

There's also a section on the site where you can read messages that have come back from the troops. One of the messages said the card he received, was the first one he had gotten since he'd arrived in Afghanistan over 2 months ago!  

Here's the web site www.LetsSayThanks.com. You might want to click on the Partners link too, so you know who else is supporting this effort.

Love is a verb! (And talk is cheap) Let's DO something!

Support our Troops and bookmark that page so you can check back frequently. It only takes about 30 seconds to send a card.

Do you have a personal brochure? Considering the fact that in my area I’ve only seen a total of about 5 in the last 13 years, I’m going to assume your answer is “no”. So my next question is, “why not”?

If you’re concerned about the expense, I can assure you, it’s less costly than you might think, considering you can create them yourself and print them on tri-fold, glossy brochure paper. (I've scanned in the front of mine to the right.)

I’ve purchased my HP tri-fold, glossy brochure paper from Office Depot and from eBay. I buy many items on eBay, but this is one I do not recommend. Several times I’ve ended up with paper that was not scored properly, or had been cut unevenly. Basically, it's defective but even the sellers don't know it. It's not marked anywhere on the box. So stick with buying it in the office supply stores. It's only $29.95 for 100 sheets.

Depending on your printer, the ink may not cost as much as you think. The printer I have now, which is an HP 7210, all-in-one printer, copier, scanner & fax, seems to use a lot more ink than my previous printer which was an HP Deskjet 950C. The Deskjet 950C could print over 100 double-sided brochures with one ink cartridge. And you do not have to use the high ink volume setting. It actually looks better at the standard setting. Since the paper is glossy, when you print with too much ink, it can bleed. As for the cost of ink, I just bought a 3 pack (1 black, 2 color) at Sam's Club for $79.95. Trust me when I tell you that Sam's Club sells the most affordable ink! Again, I do not recommend buying ink on eBay. You can't tell how much ink is actually in the container and you may get ripped off on what you thought was a great deal.

You can create your brochure with Microsoft Publisher. On my brochure, you may recognize the Publisher template, but I made plenty of changes. I get many compliments on this brochure. No one can ever believe I created and print these myself. They always think I had them professionally done. I always include them in my buyer presentation folders and I give them to potential sellers. I sometimes leave them for FSBO's too. I do not however, hand them out as much as I do my business cards. For one thing, they larger and can get ruined, since they don't fit into a wallet. I keep them in my briefcase though, which is usually in the car, so they are handy if I knock on a door.

If you don't know what to print on your brochure, just start with what you have. You're not going to create the entire project in one sitting anyway. You need to take your time, gather ideas, and let your creative juices flow. I filled mine with my photos, testimonials, company logo, web sites, experience, personal bio, etc.... You do have a bio don't you? *sigh* That's another post.

So now let's look at the total expense. From a time perspective, yes, you're going to initially spend a few hours creating it. But you'll also be able to make changes whenever you want. That's a huge plus! As for materials, it costs me less than $1.00 per brochure. That's a double-sided, tri-fold, glossy brochure. There's no way you're going to get someone else to do this for you for less than that. And you won't have to worry about printing them in bulk, then getting a new photo, adding a new designation, changing brokerages, etc. You change and print as you go.

It’s all about finding ways to position yourself ahead of the competition. This is just one more way to do that. So what are you waiting for? Get moving!

Update: I have another post with information about HOW I use this brochure. 

Being caught in a rain storm can be a daily occurrence on muggy Florida afternoons. This past Saturday was no exception for me. The good news is, I got stuck in Sam's Club! So I spent an hour on the book isle and found a couple of great motivational books. 

I'm usually reluctant to buy so-called "motivational" books since most of them have become cliche'. But I found a couple of good ones on Saturday. I previously wrote a post called "Is Positive Thinking Enough?"  I wrote that post because I generally don't think it is. Trying to be positive all the time can be downright tiring. Enter... rain storm while shopping in Sam's Club and accidentally finding not one, but two attitude-building books.

1. Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Gold Book of Yes Attitude
2. Talent is Never Enough by John C. Maxwell

In Jeffrey Gitomer's book, he has a really cool analogy about the feeling of Yes! It's one of those moments of accomplishment when you're so excited that you want to pump your fists in the air and shout "YES"!  His approach is that instead of trying to be positive, your goal should be to approach your boss, clients, friends, phone calls, etc., all with that YES feeling. That makes sense to me. The book elaborates a lot more, but 1. I've only read a few pages so far and 2. He has everything COMPLETELY copyrighted!

The title of John Maxwell's book, subtitled "Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent", immediately got my attention because I've spent much of my life with one person or another telling me how talented I am. No I'm not bragging, because in most of the areas people are complimenting, it's just something that's above average. Being about average in a few areas is not my idea of a huge talent and it's not like I'm getting rich on any of those things anyway. And that's pretty much the premise of this book.

There are many talented people in this world but most of them are not getting rich. If talent was enough, everyone with a good singing voice would have a best-selling album. And people that don't have good singing voices would not have best-selling albums. (I won't mention any names on that last one!)

Each chapter of John Maxwell's book elaborates on one of these 13 basic principles.

1. Belief lifts your talent.
2. Passion energizes your talent.
3. Initiative activates your talent.
4. Focus directs your talent.
   
5. Preparation positions your talent.
6. Practice sharpens your talent.
7. Perseverance sustains your talent.
8. Courage tests your talent.
9. Teachability expands your talent.
10. Character protects your talent.
11. Relationships influence your talent.
12. Responsibility strengthens your talent.
13. Teamwork multiplies your talent.
    

I highly recommend either or both of these books. Just flipping through them, and reading a little bit while waiting out the rain in Sam's Club, the words hit home with me.

You can get Jeffrey Gitomer's book here, on Amazon.com  and John Maxwell's book here on Amazon.com, or in your favorite stores.

I also previously posted a blog called "Pump up your Sales" that recommends a couple other books by Jeffrey Gitomer. My husband loves his books!

Be blessed; be encouraged and be successful! 

Did you know that Daytona Beach Florida has some great colleges? I’m not talking about your standard, every day, run-of-the-mill colleges. I’m talking about really great colleges!

I’ll start with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This university’s aerospace engineering program is number 13 on U.S. News & World Report’s list of America’s Best Colleges for 2007. Embry-Riddle offers over 30 bachelor and master degrees in aviation, aerospace, engineering, business and other fields, and is the only accredited, aviation-oriented university in the world.

Also according to U.S. News & World Report, coming in at number 5 on their list of America’s Best Colleges for 2007, is Stetson University. Stetson is located in DeLand FL, which is just 15 miles west of Daytona Beach.  Stetson University holds Florida’s oldest private, liberal arts college on a 165 acre campus. Stetson’s student-faculty ratio is one to 21 and their 4 colleges and schools have all been ranked among the best in national college guides for various special programs and accreditations.

In the heart of Daytona Beach, you’ll find Bethune-Cookman University. Bethune-Cookman has a fascinating history as a predominantly black school that has been continuously growing and evolving since 1904, when it was founded by Mary McLeod Bethune. Bethune Cookman University offers 37 different majors, plus 6 degree-granting academic schools. But you haven't seen anything until you've seen their marching band!

Next we’ll look at Daytona Beach Community College, which is now a four-year degree granting institution. This year marked the first graduating class with Bachelor of Science degrees. DBCC also got a $26 million addition this year in the Mori Hosseini Center, a state-of-the-art hospitality and culinary training facility. The Mori Hosseini Center also houses the Southeast Museum of Photography.

I personally have taken miscellaneous classes at DBCC over the years, as different subjects sparked my interest. And last year, my daughter, as a junior in high school, participated in the Dual-Enrollment program that allowed her to take college courses while still in high school for FREE! The credits from these classes went to both her high school and her college degrees.

As a branch on the campus adjacent to DBCC, is the University of Central Florida. This UCF branch offers a variety of graduate and postgraduate degrees. It also offers several undergraduate and graduate degrees, in partnership with DBCC.

Also offering post-graduate studies in Daytona Beach, is a satellite site for Nova Southeastern University. Nova Southeastern offers masters degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and Doctorates in Business Administration (DBA).

In recent years, we saw the new addition of Palmer College of Chiropractic-Florida, located in Port Orange Florida. Port Orange is part of the greater Daytona Beach area, located just 4 miles south of Daytona. Palmer Chiropractic saw it’s first graduating class  in 2003. By 2006 the school had reached capacity for enrollment.

And last but not least, we have Keiser College, a career-oriented institution with 9 campuses in Florida. The Daytona Beach campus offers 11 associate and 2 bachelor degrees.

So how is this information relevant to real estate investors? The great thing about having so many colleges in one area is the opportunity to rental income on any investment properties you own. This is crucial in a down-market, when real estate is sitting on the market for long periods of time.

If you’re considering investing, now is the perfect time to buy real estate, when prices have dropped and real estate buyers are scarce. Many sellers are in need of the a sale, and smart buyers will look for ways to make extra income on their investment.

In this area, a Smart Choice would be to list your investment properties with a local agent who will not only use traditional marketing techniques, but will look beyond the obvious and target their marketing to where your next tenant may be.

Are you ready to make a Smart Choice?

Florida is one of 12 states that requires drivers to carry "no-fault" insurance, in addition to the remainder of their auto insurance policies. Unless something drastic changes fairly quickly, the requirement for Florida drivers to carry "no-fault" insurance will cease to exist on October 1, 2007.

Obviously, this change in the laws will affect many insurance companies with a lot at stake. There's even an auto-insurance company by the name of Florida No Fault Insurance.

I'd like to point out that Florida drivers are still required to carry... 

• $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP), and
  
• $10,000 in property-damage liability coverage.

For anyone who's interested, the 11 other states that currently have No-Fault Insurance laws are Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico & Utah. Colorado previously had a no-fault system, but it ended in 2003.

And for you brainiacs who are interested in the specific details of No-Fault Insurance, follow this link Current No-Fault Statute.

The many questions that are arising from this decision that has been heatedly discussed in Tallahassee, seem to be never-ending. I don't have the answers to these questions, but here are a few to mull over.

1. Will changing this law lead to more uninsured drivers on the road?
2. Who will pay the medical bills if someone gets hurt in an accident?
   
3. Will the lower insurance bills be worth it in the long run, if someone is injured and has no medical insurance to pay for treatment?
4. Will health insurance rates be raised, when the health insurance companies have to pay for injury claims that were previously covered by No-Fault insurance?
5. If No-Fault is eliminated, will drivers even know what insurance they need, to make up the difference?

Here's the really scary part. According to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, when PIP is eliminated, drivers will not have to prove they have property-damage coverage. That seems like a sure way to have more uninsured drivers on the roads!

Florida residents should consult their auto insurers on how these changes could affect them.  And perhaps some insured motorists from states that do not require PIP can share with those of us who do (or have until now), how their systems work. Educate yourselves now and change your policies accordingly. I wouldn't want to see anyone suffer when it could have been avoided.

I guess my blog is starting to look like an on-going series about the merits of Daytona Beach FL. Apparently there are plenty of merits to discuss, since this post is no exception.

Few people are familiar with Daytona Beach's very own musical theater, Seaside Music Theater. Last year, SMT moved to it's new location in the newly constructed News Journal Center for the performing arts. I've attended many fabulous performances at SMT and every one has been a breath-taking experience.

Seaside Music Theater is the only professional music theater in the Southeastern U.S. that combines a full-pit orchestra with their productions. Right now, SMT is nearing the end of it's summer season. During the month of August, SMT is presenting Peter Pan. Follow the link for show dates and times.

Click on the following link to listen to a clip of "Follies Bergeres" from SMT's "Nine".

Follow this link to move to Daytona Beach FL

For interested parties, I thought some random sales data from around east Volusia county, for July 2007 was in order. This data is from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of the Daytona Beach Area Association of Realtors and is strictly a random sampling from the total sales for the month of July, 2007. The total number of residential sales was 245 out of a total of 6925 listings.

• Foxboro in Port Orange FL: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1815 sq ft of living area, built in 1986, sold for $197,000. 79 days from list to closing.
• Ashton Lakes in Port Orange FL: 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage, solar heated-screened pool, 2059 sq ft of living area, built in 2001, sold for $350,000, 356 days from list to closing.
• Fiesta Heights in Ormond Beach FL: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1563 sq ft of living area, built in 1961, sold for $235,000, 280 days from list to closing.
• Royal Dunes in Ormond Beach (beachside): 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1754 sq ft of living area, built in 1963, sold for $275,000, 50 days from list to closing.
  
• Towers Nine in Ponce Inlet (beachside): 3 bedrooms, 3 baths (condo) underground assigned parking, built in 2000, 2366 sq ft of living area, sold for $800,000, 327 days from list to closing.
• Oceans Eight in Daytona Beach Shores (beachside): 3 bedrooms, 2 baths (condo) 1 assigned parking space in garage, built in 1996, 1965 sq ft of living area, sold for $430,000, 71 days from list to closing, however, this unit was on and off the market for 2 years.
• Ortona in Daytona Beach (beachside): 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1 car garage, 1628 sq ft of living area, built in 1960, sold for $218,000, 312 days from list to closing.
• Pelican Bay in Daytona Beach: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1631 sq ft of living area, built in 1987, sold for $215,000, 149 days from list to closing.
• Coventry Forest in South Daytona: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, 1388 sq ft of living area, built in 1976, sold for $177,777, 394 days from list to closing.
• Oak Meadow in South Daytona (townhouse): 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, no garage, 1442 sq ft of living area, built in 1984, sold for $127,000, 256 days from list to closing.
• Daytona Gardens in Daytona Beach: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1008 sq ft of living area, no garage, built in 1941, sold for $60,000, 71 days from list to closing.
• Fairglen in Holly Hill: 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 1 car garage, built in 1972, 1140 sq ft of living area, sold for $144,900, 77 days from list to closing.
• Rolling Hills Estates in Port Orange: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 3 car garage, screened pool, built in 2006, on 1 acrea, 2700 sq ft of living area, sold for $562,450, 90 days from list to closing.

To buy or sell real estate in Volusia County Florida, visit my web site or call me today. I'd love to help!

Hello fellow Realtor Associates... and anyone else who cares to read along  =0)

I just wanted to give a quick follow-up to my previous post titled Real Estate Listings on Craig's List.  Since my last post, I've received 2 more inquiries about my listing of an oceanfront condo on Daytona Beach, (which I sold to the 1st gentleman who contacted me), and 1 inquiry about a piece of vacant land (3.25 acres) I have for sale in New Smyrna Beach.

I know that many of you said you had received no inquiries on your listings you had posted on CraigsList, but I wanted to encourage you to stick with it. And to look for other free sites in your area, where there is high traffic and good search engine placement. As I'm sure you already know, the more avenues you use, the greater your chances to sell your listings.

It has always been my philosophy that you never know which avenue a buyer will use, so you have to think like a buyer and try multiple avenues. Our sellers depend on us for this.

Good luck and happy selling!