Daytona Beach Real Estate Blog: July 2008

If you're looking for a job in Florida, and possibly a new home to go with your new job, I found some great information for you! First of all, I'm a Daytona Beach native, with family in Jacksonville, and friends in DeLand, Orlando and all over south Florida. Needless to say, I've been all over this state, and have sold real estate all over Volusia county! So if you need to buy or lease a house, condo, townhouse, apartment, etc., I can help you personally, or refer you to an expert in the area where you'll be working.

Now, to view a list of available jobs in Florida, just follow this link. There are many types of jobs, so take your time and peruse the availability of everything.

If you're interested in a job in Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Palm Coast, or anywhere in Volusia county, follow the link in this section.

I did a little bit more research for your convenience, and compiled a list of web sites that provide job information throughout the state of Florida. Check the links below and see if you can find a job that suits you. But be sure to contact Lisa Hill (that's me), for ALL your real estate needs, for the area where you choose to work. Now without further ado, try these job links...

• http://www.floridajobs.org 
• https://www.employflorida.com 
• http://www.jobcentral.com/s-Florida-jobs 
• http://www.job-hunt.org/jobs/florida
• http://www.snagajob.com/jobs/Florida_jobs
• http://florida.jobs.topusajobs.com
• http://florida.preferredjobs.com
• http://www.stateofflorida.com/Portal
• http://www.florida.computerjobs.com
• http://jobs.careerbuilder.com/jobseeker/jobs/jobresults
• http://southflorida.jobing.com
• http://www.federaljobsearch.com/florida
• http://www.findfloridajobs.com
• http://www.nursingjobsinflorida.com
• http://www.nationjob.com/florida

There are many more sites with job listings, but the list I compiled seemed to have the most opportunities, and the sites were easy to navigate.

Now if you're interested in purchasing real estate in Port Orange Florida, visit my Port Orange real estate site at www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com.

For extensive real estate information, the front page of my primary site is a good place to start at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com.

View my Daytona Beach area Real Estate MLS Listings here.

And view my Real Estate MLS Listing Video Tours here.

Find your Florida job, and buy Florida real estate with Lisa C. Hill and Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

I've been meaning to blog about this for a while, but keep finding other subjects that seem more pressing. So I'm finally blogging about a Port Orange event that everyone can enjoy, no matter what city you live in.

The All Saints Lutheran Church, located at 751 Dunlawton Ave. in Port Orange, offers a weekly concert that its sponsored by the Port Orange Ministerial Association.

The title of this mid-weekly event is "Music for Healing: Body, Mind and Spirit" and it's not limited to any particular faith, regardless of where it's being held.

Each Wednesday, from 12:15 - 12:45 p.m., musicians from local schools and churches play instrumental music to help attendees to find peaceful contemplation, reflection, self-care, and meditation.

For more information, call 386-761-9129. I also found a very small amount of information on the Hometown News web site, which for the most part, has already been covered in this post.

But for anyone who needs to take time for themselves... to relax, unwind, and take care of yourself, this might be a good way to take just 30 minutes a week for yourself.

For Port Orange real estate info, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com

Port Orange real estate buyers and sellers, I have some good news for you. I've been tracking the Daytona Beach Area MLS records regularly, so I've known for a while that Port Orange was faring better than Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, or any of the other local cities.

Last week I sold a Port Orange house that's been on the market for a long time. It's a great house on 1 acre, in a fantastic location near Spruce Creek High School. And the sellers were (and still are) great people. But the sale took so long because the price was always slightly ahead of what the market would bear. 2 other agents had it listed before me, but were not able to renew the listing each time it expired. I believe I was able to renew and eventually sell this house because I was honest with the sellers about their pricing, and I maintained contact with them about market conditions. I did my job! But there's an interesting story about the sale of this house...

While I had this house listed, the sellers reduced their price 4 times. But with each price reduction, it was still priced just slightly over the market value. And while it had many showings, it didn't sell... Although we did receive 2 reasonable offers that just didn't pan out, and then 2 absolutely ridiculous offers for $100,000 BELOW the asking price!

Pardon me while I vent for a moment. Being in a buyer's market, does not mean that buyers can go around making offensive offers and expect a positive response from sellers. Not every seller is desperate, no matter how things may look from outward appearances. AND, if the REALTOR® for the buyers that made the lowball offers had asked me a few questions, I could have provided some information that the sellers had given me permission to divulge. This information would have saved the REALTOR and the buyers time, effort and Gas Money! This information was...

1. The house was owned free and clear. There was no mortgage.
2. The sellers were NOT desperate and were also NOT interested in lowball offers!

I believe some assumptions were being made, based on the fact that the house was vacant, and had been on the market for so long. But as you're discovering as you read this, things are not always what they seem. Maybe some REALTORS® should remember this, when working with buyers. One phone call can save you hours of wasted time, and costly gas money that could have been saved.

OK. I'm off my soap box. Now, back to the happy story. This beautiful house has finally found it's new family who will enjoy it for many happy years to come. And here's something that makes this profession worth the headaches we often endure. THIS buyer said she has lived in the neighborhood for about 10 years, and every time she has driven by this house, she has wished she could have it. For 10 years, this house has been her dream home. But she couldn't afford it in the past. So let me share a fascinating turn of events that led to this sale.

As I already stated, there were several price reductions during the time I had this house listed. And before the final price reduction, these buyers had made an offer on a house just 2 blocks away. That house was a Short Sale. The buyers waited for 3 months to get an answer from the bank that was holding the 2nd mortgage. They had received promise after promise regarding the time frame for which they would have an answer. But these buyers were not only buyers; they were also sellers. And they had a contract on their own house. They were running out of time!

• Now let's hesitate for just a moment and think about who was holding up the process on the short sale. It was the 2nd mortgage holder. With a Short Sale, the 2nd mortgage holder would not see one penny of what they had loaned the owners of the home. So they were stalling for time, in hopes of getting a better offer that would put some money in their pockets as well. They didn't care one bit about the holder of the 1st mortgage.

Well, after 3 months of waiting, prompted by a rumor amongst the neighbors that my listing had been reduced again, I received a call from this buyer and heard their story. The buyer told me what she could afford to offer, and told me she was afraid to offer it because she felt it was too far below the asking price. She also happened to mention the agent who had been helping them with the short sale. So I encouraged her to call HER agent to view this house, and to make her offer! So they took a look, but the husband wanted to wait a little while longer, to hear from the 2nd mortgage lender on the short sale since that house had a pool and my listing didn't.

So a couple more weeks went by, but the buyers finally ran out of time since they would have to close on their own home very soon! The buyers finally had to cancel the Short Sale contract. And with very little negotiation this buyer was finally able to purchase her 10 year desired dream home, and since they had already been fully approved for financing on the other house, we were able to close in only one week.

There are so many lessons that can be learned from this story. Only it's not just a story, because it actually happened.

Now, who of you are REALTORS® in DeBary or Sanford? I just got a bilateral contract on my brothers house today and he's going to need to move in that direction ;)

For any real estate buyers or sellers in Port Orange, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co.

Looking to buy real estate in Ponce Inlet Florida? How about Resort-Style Living in an upscale, secure-entry community, nestled between the Halifax River and the Atlantic Ocean?

Try Harbour Village Golf and Yacht Club. Just look at these amenities!

• Indoor and Outdoor Swimming Pools,
• Private, No-Drive Beach Club with Pool
  
• Clubhouses,
  
• 4 Lighted Tennis Courts,
  
• Par 3 Golf Course,
• Fitness Center,
  
• Brand New Oceanfront Club House,
• Private Restaurant,
  
• Exclusive Marina Club,
  
• Floating Concrete Docks,
  
• Full-Time, On-Site Dockmaster,
  
• Deep Water Boat Slips,
  
• Bicycle/Walking Paths,
• Fishing Pier,
• Nature Preserve,
• The Marina Club Pub,
  
• Much More!

I've written many blog posts about the exclusive town of Ponce Inlet and all it's wonderful offerings, like the 2nd tallest lighthouse in the U.S., or the Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center. And did you know that Ponce Inlet is a no-drive beach? This is unique for the Daytona Beach area, where we're allowed to drive on our beaches. And with washback turtles nesting on the Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet beaches, you can even Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest to make sure the baby washbacks will safely hatch and make their way to the ocean.

But back to the beautiful Ponce Inlet community of Harbour Village. This is a spectacular development, with several comunities within this unique master development. At the front, southeast portion of the developmen called The Links, where you enter from A1A then make a left turn, you'll find condos with their own secure entrance and private parking garages, as well as their own clubhouse and swimming pool. And every condo has a view of either the river, the ocean, the golf course, or a combination of 2 or more.

If you prefer to buy a house, you can enter the next section of Harbour Village, through the iron gates, to Oak Hammock, where you can even buy a 3, 4 or 5 bedroom villa with private terraces, and a clubhouse on the private deep-water Marina.

And yet another beautiful section of Harbour Village is Rivers Edge Villas, located directly on the Intracoastal Waterway. The views of the marshes, meandering docks, and spectacular sunsets are unbeatable!

Ponce Inlet is an exquisite town, by far, the most exclusive in the Daytona Beach area. But if Ponce Inlet is not your style, or if you'd like to buy real estate in a beautiful, but less expensive golf community, try LPGA, or Pelican Bay in Daytona Beach. There are many other residential golf communities in Volusia County, with a wide variety of housing values. If you're interested in any of these homes or communities, I'd love to help.

Contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®

View Lisa Hill's real estate MLS listings

View Lisa Hill's real estate MLS videos

Daytona Beach and Ponce Inlet Real Estate, Golf Communities. Buy or Sell with the Smart Choice, Lisa Hill and Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. (Golf photos are Creative Commons.) Real estate photos are from the Daytona Beach Area Association of REALTORS® and MLS.

If you're a commercial real estate owner in the Daytona Beach area, with real estate to sell, you may or may not be aware of the fact that up until now, the decline in the national real estate market has been primariy limited to the residential market; at least, that's been the case in Volusia county. But as of this year, mostly due to the lack of buyer's ability to get real estate financing, the commercial real estate market is now in decline as well. And with this impact on the commercial market, I believe we're going to see some big changes in the way commercial real estate is marketed and sold. As a side note to those of you who are not aware of it, commercial real estate in Volusia county, up until now, has been marketed very differently than residential real estate.

But for those of you who have commercial real estate to sell, here's a new option to help you with your sale.

As I previously began to explain, until now, sellers of commercial real estate in the Daytona Beach area have not had treatment equal to the sellers of residential real estate. For my current real estate marketing program, when someone needs to sell residential real estate, as a listing agent I...

• prepare a professional listing presentation, then list the property,
• take high quality real estate photos and video,
• write an appealing, professional marketing description,
• place all of the above on my SEO (Search Engine Optimized) personal real estate web site,
  
• place all of the above on the Adams Cameron real estate, company web site (with excellent SEO!)
  
• place the video on a real estate-specific, professional video web site,
  
• create professional real estate flyers,
• place the real estate flyers in flyer boxes at the property,
  
• distribute flyers to other agents,
• create HTML (internet optimized) real estate flyers,
  
• place the HTML flyers with photos and sometimes video on multiple blogs,
• send the HTML flyers into syndication with hundreds of web sites,
  
• place the property with the high-quality photos and video link, in the Daytona Beach area MLS,
• place the property with the high-quality photos and video link, in the New Smyrna Beach area MLS,
• insert HTML mini-flyers (widgets) on multiple real estate web sites and blogs,
• place video widgets on multiple real estate sites and blogs.
• (Whatever else I'm not remembering right now.) <;o)

Until now, sellers of commercial real estate were able to receive the same treatment as residential sellers in only some of these areas. First of all, many real estate agents do not place their commercial listings in the local Multiple Listing Services. But that is a matter of choice. If you have commercial real estate to sell, be sure to ask any agent you're considering to list your property, if they do the items on my list, AND if they'll place your listing in the MLS in addition to other commercial real estate web sites.

I'm going to just insert my personal opinion here and say, to leave ANY listing out of the MLS is sheer laziness on the part of the real estate agent, and is a huge disservice to the seller. And to the lazy listing agent who tries to convince anyone that commercial buyers do not buy MLS listings, may I suggest that we never know where a buyer will originate? There are many buyers of all types of real estate who will remain loyal to a certain friend or family member with a real estate license. And maybe that agent doesn't specialize in commercial real estate. If this is the case, the real estate agent who normally specializes in residential real estate will only look in the MLS. They're not going to know about Loopnet or any of the other commercial real estate sites. So yes, your commercial listing DOES need to be in the MLS! But here comes an excellent added bonus for having your commercial real estate listed in the MLS!

Now, commercial real estate in the Daytona Beach Area Multiple Listing Service, will also be  placed on CommercialSource.com. If you have not yet heard about CommercialSource.com, it is a relatively new commercial real estate site that is sponsored by a division of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), called the REALTORS Commercial Alliance. From now on, when a commercial listing is entered into the Daytona Beach Area MLS, it will be automatically uploaded to www.commercialsource.com. And the site will be maintained by ePropertyData, which has been recently purchased by NAR. And there is no additional cost to Daytona MLS members, for this new service so if your commercial real estate listings is placed in the Daytona Beach Area MLS, it WILL also be placed on commercialsource.com.

If you have commercial real estate to sell, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS.

Visit my real estate web site here

Visit my real estate video tours here

Daytona Beach Commercial Real Estate. Buy or Sell real estate with the Smart Choice: Lisa Hill, and Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. (Adams Cameron logo is copyrighted. Money clipart and door knob photo are Creative Commons.)

Well, the title pretty much says it all. Earlier this week, I posted to my blog, information about buying real estate in golf communities in Daytona Beach. I plan to post several more, about buying or selling real estate in golf communities in Port Orange, Ponce Inlet, and possibly New Smyrna Beach too. But that's all beside the point for this post.

The very next day after I posted the blog about the Daytona Beach golf comunities, I got a call from a lady who works with a company that targets real estate buyers who are specifically looking to buy real estate in golf communities. She was offering me the opportunity to register my blog or web site with their company, so I could receive the real estate leads for golf communities in Daytona Beach.

OK. So let me get this straight. The fact that this woman found my post about buying real estate in Daytona Beach golf communities means she was able to find that post when she did an internet search. Which also means that buyers will be able to find my post in an internet search (without her help) BUT, I can have the incredible opportunity to pay this company to add my blog information to their database, which will increase THEIR Search Engine Optimization (SEO), at which point they can sell MY own leads that were generated by MY research and MY time spent on writing what was obviously an SEO rich post about buying real estate in Daytona Beach golf communities, BACK TO ME!

Wow! What an incredible deal! I'd be stupid not to accept that offer, right?

So here's my thought. When the people who work for the companies that sell leads, or perhaps those who offer us the "opportunity" for them to help us with our SEO; make the calls to us, with these 'incredible offers', does it ever occur to them that if they were able to find us so easily, that our clientele can find us just as easily? And does the thought ever enter their minds that we might know that?

Here's my final statement. THANK YOU Active Rain, and all the bloggers here, who are so knowledgeable about SEO, and are so willing to share that knowledge with the rest of us! And especially, thank you for helping us to save money and not have to pay someone to do what we can do ourselves!

(And thank you mom and dad, for teaching me not to gullible.) Thank you for teaching me to connect the dots and realize that to fall for what was attempting to be sold to me, would mean I was paying for the leads that I had already generated myself!)

If you're new to Active Rain, you'll find that if you have questions about blogging, web sites, the internet, real estate law, mortgages, staging, creating real estate videos, taking better listing pictures, and anything else you can possibly think of, the answers are right here! You can easily search for blogs or bloggers with the information you need. So before you unnecessarily pay your hard-earned money on leads or SEO, search Active Rain for the answers you need. And keep your money, or better yet, invest it back into your business in a way that will REALLY work in the best interests of you and your clients!

HAPPY BLOGGING!

Real estate buyers and sellers, View my real estate MLS videos here

Daytona Beach Real Estate, Golf Communities. Buy or Sell real estate with the Smart Choice: Lisa Hill, and Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. (Golf photo is Creative Commons.)

Coming up next week, July 21-25, 2008, children in grades 4 through 6, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. can enjoy the Marine Explorer Camp at the Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center. This is going to be a fun-filled week of snorkeling, fishing, kayaking, boating and more. I'm not sure if there are any last minute spaces available, so don't hesitate if you're planning to register your children, grades 4-6, in next week's Marine Explorer Camp. Not only will this be fun, but the children will be learning about Volusia County’s wildlife, habitats, and the importance of preserving our natural resources like, for example, our Sea Turtles since we're now in the Sea Turtle Nesting Season. You might like to Adopt your own personal Sea Turtle Nest!

But back to the Marine Explorer's Camp. If you have children who are a little bit older, grades 6-8 will be having their adventures, August 4-8, 2008, also from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

For more information, or to make your reservations, call (386) 304-5529. The fee for each week is $160. The Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center is located at 100 Lighthouse Drive, Ponce Inlet, FL.

Follow this link for more information about the beautiful city of Ponce Inlet and the 2nd tallest lighthouse in the United States! I think you'll love the beautiful photos of the sand dunes, palm trees, sea oats, and wonderful nature trails.

Last but certainly not least is the next Master Marine Explorer Camp for Marine Explorer Alumni, August 11-14, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This workshop is $180. Students will continue their outdoor activities and some additional outdoor studies.

If you're interested in buying or selling real estate in Ponce Inlet, or any of the Daytona Beach area, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

View real estate MLS listings here

View real estate MLS listing videos here

For those of you who hadn't noticed, my last couple of blog posts have included something new. A banner inside the text box, at the top of each post. I've used this banner in the past but I had forgotten about it. Well, after some tweaking, I decided it was time for it to make a comeback. And this will probably be a permanent comeback since it contains specific key words that will help my SEO, at the top of each post.

As soon as I posted the first "new" banner post, I received a message from Lisa Heindel, asking me how to do it. Now I wish I could take credit for the original idea of using this banner, but I can't. I originally learned about it from someone else here on Active Rain. I wish I could remember who it was, so I could give the proper credit, but it's been a long time, so my apologies to the person who showed me how to do it.

So in this post, I had planned to show you how to switch to HTML mode and copy the code I would provide. I was then going to direct you to HTML sites that give you color charts. So imagine my surprise when, while still in WYSIWYG mode, when I pasted in the HTML for my banner, which would allow you to copy and paste, I was not left with just code, but the actual, entire banner. Obviously Active Rain has changed something that allows us to paste HTML and have banners (and possibly other things?) work, while still in WYSWYG mode. Huh. Go figure.

So, after removing brackets, then adding junk code, then more fiddling around, doing everything I could think of to get just the code to show, I finally gave up. And just as I was changing this post to an "ask for help" post, I remembered the Freeware I had downloaded, that enables me to take snapshots of anything on my computer screen. So I pasted the code into a WordPerfect document, then took a snapshot of it. The snapshot is saved as a .jpeg image, so it can be embedded as a photo. So here you go! Below is the HTML code for the banner you see above.

You won't be able to copy and past this code, since I had to embed it as a .jpeg image, but you can type it into your own post. You'll also need to place your own text in the box, and you may want to change the background colors, border colors and text colors.

There are many web sites that offer the HTML or CSS code color lists. I prefer (for obvious reasons) the lists that show the code along with the actual color. But bear in mind, colors look different on every computer monitor.

Here is one list of HTML colors. You'll also notice that if you turn the page on this list, it also provides basic HTML code for a number of things you can do on your blogs and web sites.

You may notice that my color codes are different than the codes on the list above. That's because I used codes from the web color Hexidecimal/RGB chart. (BTW, RGB is red, green, blue) The hexidecimal/RGB chart will allow you to duplicate web colors on print media as well. If you're trying to get an exact duplicate color both on and offlice, you may notice that when using Adobe Photoshop, you can change the colors of objects by entering the precise numbers of red, green and blue.

Lastly, I keep basic HTML, and HTML/CSS color charts printed and clipped together and tucked in the very front of the metal folder holder on my desk. It's great to keep them handy because let's face it. We're REALTORS®, not web masters, but we usually only need the basic codes, which we can easily do ourselves. But it's easy to forget the little parts of HTML code that make a BIG difference in the outcome of your HTML projects! So I recommend keeping handy cheat-sheets nearby.

If you really want to learn more about HTML, but don't want to experiment on your web site, or ruin a blog post while you're learning, here's an idea. Create an extra page on your web site, but don't make it visible to the public. This way you can experiment til your heart's content =) Heck, you might even want to keep that page there and just copy and past what you've created, anytime you need it. I haven't done this, (since I just thought of it) but it would sure save a lot of time in the future!

Good luck!

So are you wondering why I used the coconut head picture?

If you're interested in moving to the area of Daytona Beach FL, and you're a golfer, you're probably just as interested in the golf courses as you are in the real estate. And even better yet would be a residential golf community, and we have plenty of those. Let's start with what is probably the most well known of all the Daytona Beach golf communities.

LPGA. TheDaytona Beach LPGA residential golf community has two world-class courses. The Champions golf course, designed by Rees Jones and opened to the public in 1994, has natural marsh areas, strategic mounding, numerous expanses of sand bunkers and more, and is playable for all skill levels. Also at LPGA is the Legends golf course which opened to the public in 1998. The Legends golf course, designed by Arthur Hills, offers strategic hazards, rolling greens, tight fairways, and water on more than half the holes.

LPGA is one of the largest communities in the entire Daytona Beach area, with a restaurant, Knickers Bar and Grill, with it's own award-winning chef, a spectacular clubhouse, banquet center, catering and more. LPGA also features multiple subdivisions. Among these many subdivisions there are currently 54 homes on the market with townhouse prices ranging from $129,900 to grand-scale houses at $999,900.

Another residential housing and golf community is Indigo Lakes. Indigo Lakes was one of the first of it's kind in Daytona Beach and is one of the more affordable courses to play. Indigo Lakes also has it's own restaurant, Major Moultries, a pro-shop, clubhouse, banquet center, and wedding packages. Indigo Lakes also has several of it's own subdivisions with condo prices starting at $83,000 and housing prices up to $499,000.

Next on the list of popular Daytona Beach Golf Communities is Pelican Bay. Although Pelican Bay is not the newest of the Daytona Beach golf communities, it is very large, and the most secure community, controlled by security guards at both the East Gate and the West Gate, which are the only entrances to this highly popular community. Pelican Bay also has two golf courses: 1 is open to the public, and 1 is reserved for members only. Pelican Bay also has a fabulous clubhouse, restaurant, tennis courts and more. The main housing section of Pelican Bay consists of homes that are all on either a course, or a canal. This main section is laid out in a large loop that runs from entrance-to-entrance. The different subdivisions all extend from the main loop. Being that Pelican Bay is such a huge community, there are currently 98 homes on the market there. The current asking prices are as follows. The condo prices start from $99,900, and traditional housing prices go up to $497,500.

That's it for the most well-known golf courses in Daytona Beach. And of course, as indicated, these are all residential housing as well as golf communities. The great thing about buying real estate in a golf community is that it's easier to sell your house or condo when you're ready to move. There are many real estate buyers who want to buy a home either on a golf course, or on a lake. Golf communities have both. Many real estate buyers also like communities that have plenty of amenitites like clubhouses, community pools, tennis courts, etc. Most golf course communities have these as well.

This list has only covered the golf communities actually in Daytona Beach itself. Within the next few days, I'll post information on the golf communities in Ormond Beach and Port Orange. And if I have time, I'll include New Smyrna Beach as well, since we wouldn't want to leave out Venetian Bay, with their recently opened golf course!

Stay tuned for upcoming info on more of the area's golf communities. And for all your real estate needs, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

Make a Smart Choice and get your Daytona Beach area real estate information from the best real estate web site in Volusia County!

View my Real Estate MLS listings.

View my Real Estate Listing Videos.

Daytona Beach Real Estate, Golf Communities. Buy or Sell with the Smart Choice, Lisa Hill and Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. (Golf photos are Creative Commons.)

Daytona Beach residents and visitors will all enjoy this event. If you're a Daytona Beach resident, you're familiar with the Peabody Auditorium. If you're a visitor, you may be looking for something unique for your family to do, aside from the Beach, the Boardwalk, and the Daytona Beach Ocean Walk.

On July 17 at the Peabody Auditorium, The Backyardigans will be performing Live! And you can win FREE tickets to the performance! Follow this link here: Peabody "Backyardigans Live!" Coloring Contest. The link name probably tells you what you need to know =) Practice your coloring skills on the Backyardigans pictures. Pick your favorite picture and start coloring.

The Peabody Auditorium is conveniently located right across the street from The Daytona Beach Ocean Center. The address is 600 Auditorium Blvd., Daytona Beach. Show times are 3:00 and 7:00 p.m., July 17, 2008. Ticket prices are $15.00 - $25.00. For more information, call 407-839-3900.

If your visit here includes looking for a house or condo for a full-time residence, or a seasonal residence, I'd love to help. I'm actually a Daytona Beach native, and have sold real estate in every city in east Volusia County. Make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

View my Daytona Beach area real estate listings

View my real estate MLS listing videos

This is such an overly discussed topic that I'm reluctant to bring it up again; but I'm concerned with what I'm finding on other real estate sites, about the houses and condos that I've listed. I was recently reading a post by Brian Brady about Zillow's new program that allows their advertisers to have their face and links show up at the top of their real estate pages, while Trulia is penalizing their advertisers by inserting the "no-follow" code into their advertiser's links. So I clicked Brian's link and sure enough, his face is at the top of every page I checked. But while I was there, I decided to check one of my Daytona Beach real estate listings, to make sure the information was accurate. Surprise, surprise, they have the wrong price. Over a week ago, this house price was drastically reduced to $100,000! So I checked another one of my Daytona Beach real estate listings. This one is right across the street from the other house, and owned by the same seller. It too was drastically reduced to $100,000 over a week ago. And it too has the wrong information on Zillow. I haven't even gone through all the others yet, but I can tell just by the number of listings under my name that Zillow is missing several of my MLS listings. The first listing that was showing just closed this afternoon =D I wonder how long it will take Zillow to remove it. But not only that, let's bear in mind that this is only ONE of many real estate sites that uses OUR hard-earned listings to pull buyers to THEIR sites, then tries to sell those same leads back to us! And we all know that every one of these types of real estate sites has bad/incorrect information. And they're not getting the wrong information from us! But they don't have to answer to our sellers, so why should they care?

So what does this mean to our sellers, and to us? When I meet with a real estate seller, and they decide to put their trust in me to sell their house, condo, town house or even a manufactured home, they expect me to follow through on what I've promised them. Well, here are a few things I promise my real estate sellers...

• I will take tons of photos, then spend hours editing the photos so they look professional.
  
• I'll write an exceptional description of the home, that will appeal to real estate buyers. I will also listen to feedback from the sellers if they want to add, remove or change something I have in the description of their listing. We'll then discuss the pros and cons of each possible change. After all, we're working together.
• I'll spend a couple of hours filling out all the paperwork that is required, to place their listing in the Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach area Multiple Listing Services (MLS's).
• I'll video tape their home, then spend hours editing the video footage and creating a professional video of their house for sale.
  
• I'll then upload the video to the real estate video sites I've chosen for their professional visual appeal, and the ability to embed the full video as well as the widgets on my real estate blogs.
• I will then spend more hours posting this real estate listing on my primary web site as well as each blog. And my real estate site also provides syndication for my listings by sending them to CityCribs, Yahoo Classifieds, Video Homes, House.com and the Xsites network, in addition to the sites that are covered by Postlets as well... coming right up!
  
• I will create a Postlet about the listing, which will then syndicate the listing to Google Base, Zillow, Oodle, Vast, HotPads, Backpage, Trulia, ByOwnerMLS, Properazzi, DotHomes and other sites as they are added to Postlet's syndication partners.
• I will send all the listing information to our office staff who will place the listing on our brokerage web site, where we now have an exclusive syndication agreement with Bank of America!
• And above all else for these real estate sellers who are trusting me as their REALTOR®, I owe it to them to provide accurate information and professional presentation to potential buyers so we can SELL the listing!
  

This last point, regarding accurate information, is where we experience the biggest problems; not because of the service WE as REALTORS® provide, but because of the many other sites that are picking up the listings that our sellers have entrusted to us. By all means, we want our listings in front of potential buyers! But it has to be accurate! And unfortunately, we have little or no control over the content that is displayed on other sites. They each have their own system of how they pick and choose which information to display. The irony is, in the past when Realtor.com was the only site of conglomerated real estate listings, and endorsed by the National Association of REALTORS®, even 7+ years ago, they had incorrect information.

In the years when I was doing floor time, I would constantly get phone calls from buyers who had found a house on Realtor.com, which I could find nowhere in our MLS. Over and over again I had to try to explain to these buyers that Realtor.com was NOT the actual MLS and that I could not change the information, even though they were looking at a real estate listing that had been sold or expired for several months. Now, years later, we have many sites that offer OUR real estate listings to the public, which if it's correct is a wonderful thing! But the public still thinks they're looking at the actual MLS information, when instead, they're finding outdated or just plain incorrect real estate listing data. Even worse, is finding that those photos I spent hours getting just right by altering the lighting, heightening the details, adding eye-catching borders, straightening them if they're crooked, etc., is nowhere to be found with the listing information on these outside sites! And then I get a buyer or seller on the phone wanting to know why there's no photo on the listing! And don't forget, many of these buyers and sellers still don't understand that they're not looking at the real MLS.

To wrap this up (since it has turned into somewhat of a rant), I have just a couple more points.

• First, right now, one of my sellers keeps telling me that they were on the MLS and it says the address can't be found. They have told me this several times. And I keep asking what site they were on, but they can't remember. And this is not their fault. Remember, the general public thinks they have the same information as we do. So in this case, my seller thinks I've been negligent with their house because a web site that has pulled only bits and pieces of information from our "data push", has left out, of all things, the address. And even if I did know which site is was, I don't know if I could do anything about it.
  
• Second; In our MLS, we have fields for both the living area (AKA "under air", or actual insulated and air conditioned space of the home), and the total area (AKA "under roof", or all porches, exterior alcoves, the garage, screened porch, etc...or any space that is not part of the air conditioned living area.) So, in the Daytona Beach area, when a local real estate buyer calls and asks us for the square footage, we tell them the "Living Area", or we provide the data from both fields and explain the difference if necessary. (Now here's where it gets interesting, for lack of a better word) Realtor.com pulls only the Total Area, and doesn't differentiate between the two! So a buyer who is shopping online will look at the prices of our listings on Realtor.com and think they're getting a great deal! But it's misleading information, unless they plan on using their garage as a living room.

I could come up with many more instances, but this is getting long enough and I'm sure you don't want to be reading all day and night. But we really do have a big problem when the information from the listings that WE, as REALTORS® and BROKERS are providing on behalf of our real estate sellers, is being misconstrued, then dispersed on a massive scale. There is blatant negligence found everywhere and the ensuing confusion that it causes is not fair to any of the parties involved. I'm surprised we aren't seeing more law suits already.

Now because I don't believe in complaining, unless a solution is offered as well; (That was one of my rules for my agents, when I was in management: Don't come to me with a complaint unless you suggest a genuine solution as well.) my suggestion is that any external site that wants to use information from our MLS listings, needs to be held accountable to a uniform list of the fields of information. And the explanations of each field should be on the site as well. Each listing should have a link at the bottom, to the page with explanations for each field. And the only way to accomplish this would be for each individual Multiple Listing Service to decide on the rules they would require of every site that receives their data "push". And before anyone brings up the possibility of a uniform, nationwide MLS again, just think of how differently business is done even from county to county. I'm a member of both the New Smyrna Beach and the Daytona Beach REALTOR® Associations. Our broker is a member of both of these, plus the Mid-Florida Regional MLS and the Flagler Association of REALTORS®. I can tell you from doing business in every one of these areas, and using each MLS, and dealing with the REALTORS® in each of these areas, that it is just not possible.

I don't know about you, but I take the work I do for my clients very seriously. This is a profesion where we rely on repeat business and referrals in the future. My goal is to go above and beyond the expectations of my clients. Now how can we do this when the multitude of real estate sites that are using OUR real estate listing and sales information, that we've spent MANY hours compiling, to invest in our futures, are taking that information and misusing it, misrepresenting it, and damaging our reputations, individually and as a whole?

I look forward to your professional opinions on this topic.

For expert Daytona Beach real estate information, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS® for all your real estate needs.

Click here to Contact the Daytona Beach real estate expert and top producer.

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In continuing with my series of posts about things to do in Volusia County, this post is about the fabulous Ponce Inlet Lighthouse! I've actually blogged about this amazing light house before in my post titled "Memories of Ponce Inlet Florida-The Grand Old Lighthouse". Did you know the Ponce Inlet lighthouse is the 2nd tallest lighthouse in the United States? And if you want to climb to the top, there are 194 stairs!

Well, tomorrow is your opportunity to test your stair-stepping abilities. But if you can't make it tomorrow, you won't have an excuse, because you'll have another opportunity on July 18! Actually, you can go almost every day. But these days are special because you'll be able to observe the "Canaveral Lens Maintenance Demonstration.

If you click the link and read my previous post about the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, you'll learn some early information about the current navigational beacon so you can be a know-it-all at the demonstration =)

If you're planning to move to Ponce Inlet or the surrounding areas, but are not yet familiar with everything, the address is 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet. The Lens Maintenance Demonstration will be from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. You can call 386-761-1821 for more information, or visit www.ponceinlet.org.

And for Ponce Inlet Real Estate Information, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

New Smyrna Beach residents and even those from Daytona Beach, you all need to mark your calendars for a few upcoming events.

From now through July 26th, you can enjoy a Group Photo Show at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Harris House Gallery in New Smyrna Beach. Since New Smyrna Beach is only about 20 minutes from Daytona Beach and even closer if your home is in Port Orange, this is a pleasant opportunity for everyone.

And to stay abreast of upcoming art shows and events, bookmark/favorite or print the schedule for the Center for the Arts. There are plenty of upcoming events for all ages to enjoy.

If you're not familiar with the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Harris House Gallery, it's located at 245 S. Riverside Drive, New Smyrna Beach. If you have any questions about the gallery or the show, call 386-423-1753.

If you're considering buying real estate in New Smyrna Beach, this particular web site also has a newsletter about "Going Green". You can subscribe to it from the site, and educate yourself on what you want to update when you buy your next house or condo, or if you're interested in new construction, you can have your own set of guidelines. Regardless, whether you're interested in new construction or resale homes, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co REALTORS for all your real estate needs!

Buy house in New Smyrna Beach FL

Buy Port Orange Real Estate

New Smyrna Beach residents and visitors, don't miss out! Tonight, July 10, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. there will be a FREE Concert at the New Smyrna Beach Riverside Park. If you're not familiar with the Riverside Park, it's located at 105 N. Riverside Drive.

There are many concerts scheduled throughout the summer, but tonight's performer is Bobby Meeks, who will be playing a variety of "Solid Gold Country Classics". For more information on tonight's concert, or for information on other upcoming events, you can call 386-424-2175.

And if you're interested in moving to beautiful New Smyrna Beach, I'd love to help. Make a Smart Choice today and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS® for all your real estate needs.

Buy New Smyrna Beach Real Estate

If you're a resident or visitor of the Daytona Beach area, and most especially those of our surfer crowd, here's an exciting event for you! Yesterday, I posted a blog about the Surf Exhibit at the Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum. But here's something a little more upbeat. On July 12 and 13, 2008, come enjoy the first ever Boards and Waves Expo at the newly remodeled Daytona Beach Resort & Conference Center.

This 2 day event will consist of more than 60 exhibits including surfboard-shaping demos, surfboard painting, a vintage surfboard collection, and information on the new styles, shapes, fins and functions of the next generation of surfboards.

This venture is sponsored by Global Wave Ventures whose president is an avid surfer himself, who consults for the action sports industry. (Follow the link for more info and details.)

Don't forget to mark your calendars for July 12 and 13! The event cover charge is $5.00, children under 12 are admitted FREE. 2 surfboards will be raffled off, each day. For more information about the Boards & Waves Expo, call the Daytona Beach Resort & Conference Center at 386-676-2223, or call Global Wave Ventures at 949-466-4110. You can also email info@boardsandwaves.com

Many surfers enjoy living in the Daytona Beach or New Smyrna Beach areas. If you're interested in buying or renting real estate in these areas, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. Lisa Hill is a Daytona Beach native and expert real estate agent with experience selling real estate in all of east Volusia County.

It's been a while since I blogged about the Daytona Beach area cultural scene, and I think it's time I got back to it. This post is about the Surf Exhibit that is currently on display at the Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum. (The link to the display will change with each exhibit)

This exhibit's featured artists are...

• Marc Barrett
  
• Marlyn Catlow
  
• Christine Colby
  
• Chaz Daugherty
  
• Sandy Fraser
  
• Dave Hettel
  
• Kenny Miller
  
• Melissa Miller Nece
  
• John Peccio
  
• Paul Prewitt
  
• Albert Shelton
  
• Joulia Vitaliy

Also on display in this exhibit, you'll find some rare photos, uncovered by the Volusia County Beach Services. These fascinating pieces of history depict the earliest decades of life guards on our beaches.

During this exhibit, food and refreshments will be served for a small fee, and if you own a local business, you may want to sponsor a portion of this event.

There are MANY other happenings during this unique Surf Exhibit, which runs through August 3, 2008, and I encourage you to visit the Ormond Beach Memorial Art Museum site for more information. But I'd like to draw your attention to one more aspect of this exhibit, which is sponsored by one of my personal favorite causes here in Volusia. The sponsor is the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet, which I have blogged about many times! Feel free to take a little side-step and read those posts...

• Volusia/Flagler Turtle Patrol: Adopt a Sea Turtle Nest
• Visit the Marine Science Center in Ponce Inlet FL
• Turtle Day and a Rehabilitated Sea Turtle, Finally Ready for Freedom

But back to the Ormond Memorial Art Museum's, Surf's Up Exhibition. The museum hours are Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admittance for students and children is free, and a donation of $2.00 is suggested for adults. The museum is located at 73 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach, FL. For more information, you may call 386-676-3347.

I hope you enjoy the Surf Exhibit and don't forget, it only runs through August 3rd! But there will be more upcoming exhibits as well. Keep checking back and I'll keep you posted on the many different types of cultural, family and just plain fun events that are frequently occurring all over Volusia County.

And if you're interested in buying real estate in the Daytona Beach area, make a Smart Choice today and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs! I'm a Daytona Beach native, familiar with every city and almost every neighborhood in east Volusia County!

How do you measure success? When you think of success, do you limit your definition to business and money? Or maybe you include marriage and family in your definition. Or perhaps you just have a specific dollar amount in your head that is your bottom-line prerequisite for anyone you consider successful. Or maybe, since we're in real estate, you think it has to be a certain amount of sales per year....

I was just reading LaShawn Norden's post on "How Do You Measure Success?" So I can't claim any credit for this "original" idea. LOL. However, I decided to post something similar, because I always love this question. First of all, it's always interesting to hear how people define success. And most people thnk of success in terms of money or business. And because we're in real estate, most real estate agents wll have a definition that corresponds with this industry. Most people measure themselves against their local competition first, then expand their definition and goals outward as they climb their personally defined "success ladder".

Now before I give you my definition, I want to tell you that I'm interested in hearing YOUR definition, as it stands right now! I say this because my definition might just make you think, or even reconsider your own. But remember, I want to hear your current definition, as of right this second, before you read mine.

For my definition, unfortunately, I can't claim much originality it, anymore than I can take credit for the idea to write this post. What you're about to read is from a song by the popular Christian music group, 4HIM. This song is at least 12 years old, but it has always stuck with me. On LaShawn's post, I only commented on the chorus. But I just grabbed my CD off the shelf, and when I read the words to the entire song, I remembered just why this song has stuck with me all these years. Here are the words to the song "Measure of a Man" by 4HIM. They're also posted below the video I found on You Tube. (It's the only one I could find since the song's pretty old, and I don't think 4HIM is recording or performing anymore.)

So that's it. 4HIM wrote what I consider to be the perfect definition of how we should see ourselves and others, and how we should live our lives. The words of this song also make it clear that even when we fall short... no matter how many times we fall short... God still loves us and forgives us, because He sees us through the eyes of mercy and love; like the perfect Father He is =)

Lisa C. Hill, the Smart Choice for all your real estate needs.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

Each year, the Daytona Beach area Association of REALTORS® sponsors underprivileged children, to help them get all the supplies they need for the upcoming school year. And each year, this program is an overwhelming success! The last couple of years, I've sponsored children through my church as well. But to focus on the Daytona REALTORS® who participate in this program year after year, here are this year's details and the goal.

Our goal for this year is to "adopt" 1,000 kids. Each "adopted" child will need...

• One new backpack
• One new outfit for school
• Six new pairs of socks
• One new pair of shoes, sandals or flip flops
• Six new pairs of underwear
• Personal Items/Toiletries
• School supplies- (Wal Mart, Office Depot and other stores have the list of needed supplies for each grade and each school at the front of the stores!)

To "adopt" your child, call Deanne at the Association at 386-677-7131 or e-mail dmcash@daytonarealtors.org, to get your child's Personal Bio Sheet! This will help you make this experience and the next school year the best one possible for your adopted child! This can mean so much to them. And going the extra step by receiving a personalized list of "your" child's preferences can actually help the child receive a better education!

You do not have to be a member of the Daytona Beach Association of REALTORS® in order to help children get their school supplies. As I alredy said, I've participated through my church, and I'm also pretty sure our Board will accept donations from the public. If not, then feel free to contact New Life Church.

Other local businesses who are associated with the Daytona Beach REALTOR® Association are...

• Professional Title, 386-299-6512, Cyndi@ProfessionalTitle.com, www.professionaltitle.com
• Pillar to Post Home Inspections, Wendy Evans, 386-847-0561, Wendy.Evans@PillarToPost.com

BTW, Ray Evans, our local Pillar to Post Home Inspector is my preferred home inspector ;)

If you're unable to purchase all the items listed, you may also make cash donations. Make your checks payable to "Adopt-A-Child". All donations are tax deductible!

School starts back on August 18th, so we need to have all the backpacks and donations in by August 4th.

If you're a real estate buyer or real estate seller in the Daytona Beach area, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS® for all your real estate needs.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

I recently wrote a blog post titled "Real Estate Housing Market Hits a New Low? Yikes!" That post was referencing the sotry about the woman who was offering her hand in marriage along with the sale of her house. I guess there's a reason for the old saying "desperate means call for desperate measures".

In my comments I was told that someone else had posted a blog about this story also. That's no surprise. We all have access to the same information. And I've seen mixed comments about this woman who was so desperate to get married and to sell her house, that she decided to offer both in one "sale". She's selling herself! Think about that!

Now before I ask the next question, I'll go ahead and reference the old days when a woman's hand in marriage came with a dowry, and that marriages are "arranged" in other countries. So aside from those instances, in todays time, place and culture, since when is the act of marriage about a sale? (Unless you're a gold-digger.)

There were mixed comments on my blog post and I really don't want to draw attention to anyone in particular, since most of you know that I believe in the biblical Proverb that says "He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." (This does not only apply to "close friends". The bottom line is about gossip and spreading rumors.) With that being said, I'm going to have to choose my words carefully.

When I wrote my post, I was focused on how bad the housing market has become. But I'm now thinking about the desperation of that woman; not to sell her house, but to get married. How can someone have so little self esteem they they would defile the sanctity of marriage just to sell a house? Let me guess. Did her thoughts go something like this? " I really need to sell this house but I can't afford to reduce the price anymore, so how about if I throw in the washer and dryer, the hot tub... oh, and ME!"

I've run across many women that have displayed this level of desperation. They're the ones who will let a man walk all over them, isolate them, control them, beat them, belittle them, call them disparaging names, harm their children, etc. These women will constantly complain about their circumstances, yet never do anything to change them. And when you try to help these women, they first act appreciative, but then they run right back to their abuser(s). Eventually, they turn on the very people who try to help them; often because the abuser will not allow his "property" (the woman) to associate with anyone who might build her self esteem. And before you say it, yes I've met a few men who were pretty pitiful too. But in my own experiences, it's mostly women. I used to feel sorry for them, but you can't help people who are unwilling to help themselves. I hate to say it, but now I'm pretty much disgusted by their weakness and won't even get involved. (Unless God gives me the grace to do so and really pushes me in that direction.)

Now I don't know this woman personally, so I can't say that she is of the nature that I just described. But in reading her story, that's what I see. And if she actually gets what she's advertising, she's likely to get a lot more than she bargained for. She's going to get a man who is as desperate as she is. Unfortunately, the MEN who are attracted to the types of women I described above, will almost always fall into the following categories... controlling, abusive, manipulative, and insecure. They're the ones who will keep the aformentioned women from ever developing enough self esteem to find their way into a healthy relationship.

So before you think this woman is being creative, clever, imaginative, or opening up a new line of thinking, (God help us.) try looking beneath the surface of this story and consider the fact that this woman's "offer" is an example of just one more avenue being used to chip away at the sanctity of marriage. It's my guess that any man and woman who have been married long enough to have weathered the storms of life, and still love and respect one another after seeing each other at their worst, are going to find this woman's offer either offensive or at best, they'll be saddened at what they're seeing.

And we wonder why people in other countries show so much disdain for Americans.

Look at these 3 Daytona Beach houses for sale! These were already affordable, but now they're downright cheap.

1. 3 bedroom, 2 bath Daytona Beach house with enclosed garage for large family room or 4th bedroom has bright front living room and large fenced yard. Reduced to $100,000!
2. Right across the street but on corner lot. Another 3 bedroom 2 bath house with enclosed garage for 4th bedroom. This one has tenants- great for investor. But tenants are paying month-to-month so it's all yours if you need it for your family. Also has fenced rear yard, out-building and rear glassed FL room. Also reduced to $100,000!
3. Last but not least: Zoned residential or commercial. Cozy 2 bedroom, 1 bath house with front porch and fully fenced yard. Nice for small family, single person, retiree or anyone who doesn't need a lot of space. Or, use it as an office or business space. You can even live there whil operatin gyour business. Now only $40,000!

Act now! The Daytona Beach real estate market is picking up. Sales are up and inventory is down. Buy today! Don't miss out on your dream home while prices are this low!