The Flying Biscuit Cafe had its GRAND OPENING yesterday. After leaving my Tuesday morning office meeting, I decided that I would sneak over to the biscuit before my next appointment. I pulled in off of 43rd and before I even rounded the Hollywood Video corner, I noticed cars as far as the eye could see. Apparently, half the town also thought they would be "sneaky". Unfortunately, the 20 minute wait did not fit in with my strict time schedule, or I would probably (hopefully) be effusing about how good the place is by now.
So what is the Flying Biscuit? Well, the first restaurant opened 15 years ago in Atlanta. The owner of the Moe's Southwest Grill and Heavenly Ham franchises here in Gainesville is opening up one of less than 10 Flying Biscuit franchises in existence.
The novelty about the biscuit is that you can have breakfast all day, or you can partake of their lunch or dinner menus. This is also a vegetarian friendly restaurant, offering Morningstar Sausages, Hummus Wraps, Black Bean Quesedilla, Veggie burgers, scrambled tofu, and so much more. They even offer a Vegan BBQ burrito.
For those who are meat eaters, the selection is no slouch. They have shrimp and grits, a traditional low country favorite, a BLT with fried green tomatoes, turkey bacon, cashew-jalepeno relish and goat cheese, meatloaf, chicken dishes...a whole variety of different things.
Check out the menu to see what speaks to you. There are a few things on the paper to go menu that I took the other day that I do not see on the online version, but this should give you a taste of their offerings:
The Alachua County Humane Society has been at its current location for over 30 years at 2031 NW 6th Street, Gainesville, FL 32609. The size of the current facility is somewhat limiting the amount of lives that they can save and they are seeking donations to help them towards their goal of a larger facility. ACHS needs a larger space so that they can house more deservering companion animals and help them find their forever homes with good people and families.
You can make a donation online by visiting this Building Donation Fund Page on their website. You can also e-mail Kirk Eppenstein at keppenstein@alachuahumane.org or call 352.373.5855 to make a donation otherwise.
Please consider making a donation today to help save the lives of animals in need tomorrow.
There are many loving and wonderful cats and dogs at the ACHS, if you're looking for a new addition to your home and family. Please visit the Alachua County Humane Society website to view the animals available!
Thank you to all who stopped by the Gator Gold Team booth at this year's 6th annual Kids Karnival. Over 10,000 people came through at the O'Connell center to see Nick Live slime some kids, Spongebob Squarepants, a BMX bike show and visit booths with games, fun, food and more.
Our booth had a hula-hoop contest and basketball throw. We also held a drawing for tickets to the Butterfly Rainforest Exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. Congratulations again to Melissa S. of Newberry, FL on winning your 2 adult and 2 children tix!
Gator Gold Team is a proud supporter of the Alachua County Humane Society and we were thrilled to be next to their booth this year. 3 precious companion dogs were adopted at the event and I was lucky enough to snap photos of 2 of the adopted dogs and their new families.
Gator Gold Team Booth at Kids Karvival 2009:
RUGER with his new family
REUBEN with his new family
Thank you again to all who attended! A portion of every completed sale is donated to the Alachua County Humane Society.
At long last, it is time for another Chocolate Night Featuring 36 Chocolate Flavors and Live Music! Make a point to mark this on your calendars now before you forget so you can delight in such flavors as Mexican Dulce Brownie, White Chocolate, Chocolate Rum Cake, Milk Chocolate, Super Honeycomb and so many more.
If you're man or woman enough to partake of THE FAMOUS MYSTERY FLAVOR, step up to the plate and enter your guess to win prizes. Here are some guesses from a previous chocolate night:
WHO: You and everyone you know
WHAT: 36 Flavors of Chocolate Ice Cream!
WHEN: Sunday, April 19, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Sweet Dreams Homemade Ice Cream
3437 W University Ave, Gainesville, FL (352) 378-0532
Rockwood Villas is a condo and PUD community on the coveted list of FHA approved condos for Gainesville, FL. This means that qualified buyers can use the FHA loan program, which allows as little as 3.5% downpayment and up to 6% in seller concessions/contributions.
Rockwood Villas is located at the 900 block of SW 62nd Blvd., which conveniently runs between Newberry Road, past the mall, and connects to SW 24th, which will take you over to 34th and then on to University Avenue! Rockwood is located on a bus route and offers part-time ON SITE property management, 2 community pools, a tennis court and a volleyball court. It is a quiet complex with plenty of trees to shade your car in the summer. Plenty of open parking and places to walk your dog(s) as well!
The Rockwood Villas Association covers the following items with your monthly dues:
1. Exterior repairs, roofs included, with exception to windows, screens, doors and porches.
2. Exterior painting including front doors.
3. Building Hazard Insurance (Owner should purchase additional coverage for the INTERIOR contents. This is called an HO6 policy.)
4. Pest control on exterior bi-monthly and interior pest control by appointment.
5. Termite Contract on the building.
6. Trash compactor and recycling of corrugated cardboard, glass, newspaper and aluminum cans.
7. Lawn and tree maintenance. Owner maintains, plants and waters within their own courtyard areas, however.
8. Recreational facilities: 2 pools, 2 tennis courts and a volleyball court.
9. Road maintenance, common area maintenance, sidewalks and streetlights
10. On-Site Management open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(The above information summarized from the Rockwood Villas association fees form from the property management office). All information is believed to be correct at the time of this article.
If you're thinking about renting an apartment, condo or house and have your first, last and security deposit, reconsider putting that money towards the downpayment on this FHA approved townhouse in the attractive and popular community of Rockwood Villas! Your downpayment using FHA (3.5% downpayment required) would be $4025 on this $115,000 unit!
Rockwood Villas is located on SW 62nd Blvd on a bus route. The community features 2 swimming pools, a tennis court, volleyball court and open parking under shady trees. Please see below for additional pictures and a list of upgrades! Call today and allow my to assist you in getting pre-qualified and to view this light and bright end unit! This is the BEST PRICED FOR THE UPGRADES and one of the lowest priced in the complex! Don't pay more for less!
Please Visit My Rockwood Villas neighborhood profile for more information about Rockwood, what the Association Dues Cover, and photos of the area.
Angela Elliott | Century 21 Classic Properties | 352-256-7038
944 SW 55th Terrace, Gainesville, FL
2BR/2BA Townhouse
offered at $115,000
Year Built
1987
Sq Footage
1,106
Bedrooms
2
Bathrooms
2 full, 0 partial
Floors
Unspecified
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
Unspecified
HOA/Maint
$175 per month
DESCRIPTION
Turn Key end unit townhouse in FHA approved Rockwood Villas. Beautiful new wood laminate floors throughout LR, dining area & upstairs bonus/office. Updated tile in kitchen & baths, newer paint, carpet & water heater. Excellent condition & priced to sell! This unit is a MUST SEE on bus route near mall, shopping & restaurants & located in a community offering 2 pools, a tennis court, & open parking. A/C only approx. 6.5 years old. Unit wired for security system, Direct TV and cable.
Unit also features a tile breakast bar, some updated lighting fixtures, updated mirrors in both baths, vaulted ceiling in living room and screened porch.
The Kids Karnival is an annual event put on by Shands, Cox Cable and the Sky 97.3. There will be lots of fun, games, contests, pet adoptions, a petting zoo and more, so bring your little ones by for all the fun! Nick Live! and SpongeBob SquarePants will also be there.
Make sure to stop by and visit the GATOR GOLD TEAM booth and sign your kids up for a chance to win tickets to the butterfly rainforest exhibit at the Florida Museum of Natural History! There will also be a chance for the kids to shoot hoops to win candy and butterfly mix seed packets (because we know kids love to watch things grow and they will feel a sense of pride and accomplishment when their seeds start to sprout!).
The event is FREE, but you will need to pick up TICKETS. You can get your Kids Karnival tickets at the follwing vendors:
The press for Kids Karnival will START it's launch today, so please call these vendors ahead of time to make sure they have their tickets already before you go!
I am thrilled to share this news, on my 100th blog post (!), about the changes to how our commission will be effected during a short sale process. For any of you who have completed a short sale before, you are well aware that lenders try to slash your commission while negotiating an offer, most of the time. This effects the process negatively in regards to getting the listing sold as Realtors are timid to bring buyers by because there is a widespread belief that they may not even get paid or their earnings will be significantly less than they may have been thinking they would receive. Also, as the listing agent, you spend your money advertising, your time showing and holding open houses, not to mention all the time chasing down the short sale specialist, helping your customers fill out their package, etc. etc., only for your commission to be butchered. I know a lot of Realtors that won't even take short sale listings because of this. They wonder, "Why am I going to do this obscene amount of work only to make very little?" It doesn't add up. Slashing commissions is not fair to the sellers trying desperately to sell their home prior to foreclosure, it's not fair to the buyers who might not be getting to see this house because their Realtor might have strategically "left that one off the list", and it is not fair to the Realtors who are just plugging away, trying to make a living.
I am proud to present this e-mail that I received today, which may help these languishing listings that are just as marketable as some of the non short-sale listings:
"Fannie Instructs Its Servicers Not to Cut Commissions on Short Sales On February 24, 2009, Fannie Mae sent Announcement 09-03 to its servicers instructing them not to negotiate commissions on short sales below the amount negotiated by the listing agent (unless the commission exceeds 6 percent). The requirement took effect March 1, 2009. Fannie Mae recognizes that (a) negotiating commissions for short sales is unfair because getting a short sale to closing requires intensive work over many months, often requiring working with numerous buyers, and (b) compensating real estate agents fairly benefits Fannie Mae because agents play a crucial role in short sales. The Announcement reminds servicers that third party approvals (i.e., private mortgage insurers) may be required and can affect commissions. NAR has asked both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to strengthen their policies against reducing short sales commissions, welcomes Fannie's announcement, and has urged Freddie to follow Fannie's lead.
Internet is inarguably the #1 source for home buyers and sellers looking for real estate information and listings. A few years ago it was fringe, then it became a revolution. Those who did not jump on the internet bandwagon missed an opportunity to be "cutting edge".
Fast forward into the past few years. This is the age of the BLOGGER. This is the newest "revolution" so to speak, and more and more Realtors are realizing the incredible SEO benefits of blogging and the unbelievable platform they have...if they are just willing to take the time necessary to create quality information-rich articles.
So what is the next revolution? Once blogging is widespread enough, it won't be so impressive to present your blog and the hundreds of articles of your condensed extensive knowledge of the real estate market, because everyone else will be using that card in their back pocket too!
I am searching for the next trend, the one that will put me ahead of the curve and set me a part. After all, sellers are looking for the Realtor that is going to give them the most exposure, but they will also most likely be impressed most by the agent that presents a fresh idea: a new way of thinking and approaching the market, if you will. We all provide a "Free market evaluation", so why is a seller going to call YOU specifically?
I have decided to provide my sellers with a video listing platform. I have 2 completed so far and they are showcased below. Obviously a video listing is only an asset to properties in good condition, and to sellers who are willing to price their property accordingly to sell. A video listing might be useful in the case of a handyman special, if you are appropriately marketing the listing as such and have it priced properly. It would be a hindrance and confusing to the customer, however, if you were trying to market a disheveled property with classical music playing in the background and pricing it at the level of a move-in condition property (lol).
I think the video listing is going to be a useful tool and one I intend to employ as my secret weapon on listing presentations. If the house seems like something that will showcase well on video, after my visual inspection of the home, then I will whip that wildcard out. I think buyers would love to tour listings in video format and avoid the nauseating 360 degree rollercoaster ride that is the virtual tour.
Here are the video listings that we just completed. Unfortunately for the first one, all of the original footage was destroyed by the tape rewinder, so this is what could be salvaged. I have heard the 2nd video is a bit long, but the house is enormous and it was the first one we ever did. Quality is usually compromised when uploading to sites like youtube, etc. and this video appears broadcast quality on the TV. I found that YAHOO VIDEO offers a way higher quality picture (less grainy/blurry/messy looking) and even the audio file is a lot better.
Thoughts are appreciated, but more importantly, I want to know your strategy to be cutting edge and set yourself apart in this current market, while setting yourself up for the future.
In our current Real Estate Market, Realtors should be considering the following tactics to BRAND THEMSELVES. Things will turn around and when they do, you will be fresh in the customers' minds, as long as you position yourself in the forefront:
* ADVERTISE: Even though your budget may be affected with potentially less closings, this is not the time to fade away and be cheap on your advertising. Do, however, cut out things that aren't working, no matter how much you like them. Now is the time to step up your game while the other Realtors are starting to cut corners to save money. We're all feeling the heat, but you must keep your presence in the market, lest you fade away.
* MARKET NICHE: Is there an event in your community you are particularly fond of? Does this event have a sponsor or spokesperson? Can you volunteer and brand yourself while doing so? You can create a market niche in several ways:
1) By connecting with an organization in your community. My particular interest is the Alachua County Humane Society and I like to donate with every completed sale. I have a project I am gearing up to undertake (in the form of fundraising) and in the course of helping and doing some good for animals, there are people that will remember me and my profession for when they need real estate services.
2) Your other market niche can come in the form of a specialty. You need to OWN your specialty. I have worked with a ton of first-time homebuyers. I have written a pretty consice first-time homebuyers "Guide to Survival" and am working on marketing to assist this group. You may consider being a short sale specialist if you are in an area that is higher in pre-foreclosures than actual foreclosures. The key is repetition and showcasing that you are the foremost authority on that niche.
* COMMUNICATION, CONSISTENCY, QUALITY AND FOLLOW-THROUGH: I have had a lot of customers that I work with compliment me for being so responsive. I feel that I am simply doing my job by responding to phone calls and e-mails and following through with customer inquires. It's amazing how time and time again I will hear about the "Realtor that never called back" or the "Realtor that promised to _____ and never did". These simple things are the foundation of this business, and if you cannot stay in communication and follow up with a response to customer questions or concerns, then you need to take some time to reflect on whether or not THAT is the reason for your lack of closed transactions. It's easy to blame your lack fo success on the economic woes, but you will weed yourself right out of this business if you continue to make EXCUSES. Service is the basic tenant for this profession and if you find you are not service oriented, you might need to re-evaluate your career choice.
* BE POSITIVE: Coming off the heels of that last paragraph, it struck me that it is imperative to mention the need to be positive. YES there are a lot of problems with the current market, lending, yada yada. Are you going to continue to place blame, create a negative mindset and energy about yourself, make excuses and continue on GIVING UP and being DEFEATED?? That is all you're doing by being negative: setting yourself up for defeat and to abandon a business that mandates perserverence in the face of adversity! THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IS CYCLICAL and what comes up, must go down. We are going through an adjustment period and it could last some time while this mess is sorted out. But if you continue to operate under the assumption that there IS NO LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, how do you plan on surviving in this business? However bad the situation may be, there are still buyers and sellers that need your services. People still need a roof over their heads, and when that is no longer commonplace, then I'll cool my jets.
Get in the habit of thinking "It is a good time to buy because interest rates are awesome, there is a lot of inventory and selction and prices are LOW" NOT "The market sucks. No one is buying anything, foreclosures are everywhere, I can't make any money". The negativity is absolutely transferred to your buyers and they can SENSE it about you, even if you're faking a smile and "acting natural". You might inadvertently scare buyers who are already on the fence by not believing in your product and being negative!
* CONTINUE TO EDUCATE YOURSELF & KEEP YOUR EARS OPEN FOR PROGRAMS THAT HELP PEOPLE: If your business is slow and you already went to write a {positive} blog and you just went to update your incredibly organized and easy to navigate website, take some time to research something real estate related. How much do you know about Starker Exchanges? What is AmeriDream? What are the FHA approved condos in your area? What are some tips to increase energy efficiency in your home and your customer's homes? No one has all the answers and there is always something new to digest. Knowledge really IS power: the power to realize that you are successful because you have the right tools in your tool box and the resources to help people when you are presented with a challenge that your competion might not know how to overcome.
* ASK FOR REFERRALS AND NEVER STOP PROSPECTING: This is so well known it is almost embarressing to bring up, but when was the last time you asked a past customer for a referral? Think about all of the customers you've worked with over the years and how many people they all know. Someone is bound to need a Realtor. Continue to keep prospects in your pipeline, even if they are 6 months+ out from buying a home. 6 months goes by really fast and you could help that prospect with something when they are ready.
* KEEP IN TOUCH: When was the last time you spoke with a past customer? Did you remember to send out holiday cards? Have you sent a useful article (real estate related or not) to anyone via e-mail recently? Have you offered to perform an up-to-date market analysis of the home that bought 3 years ago? Did you link a customer to a community events calender so they can stay up to date with fun things to do in the area? Or have you recently simply said "Hi, just wanted to check on you and make sure everything is going well". Your job does not end with the commission check, my friends and not keeping in touch is just throwing away an opportunity to be that customer's friend/relative/co-worker/etc.'s Realtor in the future, if your past customer doesn't think of you and only you when they think real estate. No matter how close you were during the real estate transaction, people move on and will forget about you, unless you keep in contact periodically.
* KEEP WEBSITE FRESH: Websites are not something you can "set and forget". Sure, your basic template, theme, and even most of the content may stay the same for a long time. But make it a point to add a new link, article, photo(s), section, etc. so you can keep your content updated and let the search engine optimization work for you. No one ever got to page one of google overnight, so make sure no matter how busy you are, do NOT neglect your website (and ideally you won't neglect your blog either!).
OK, NOW GO SELL SOMETHING!
What are some things you're doing to rework your plan of action and stay in the business? How are you branching out to be noticed in your community and how are you acquiring prospects (write a blog about it and post the link here).
Your source for Alachua Co./Gainesville real estate! Please contact me for your free MLS property search or market analysis of your current property! ;)
A portion of all my closed transactions will be donated to the Alachua Co. humane society!
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Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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