Tropical Storm Andres formed overnight off the southwestern coast of Mexico, becoming the first named storm of the season in the Eastern Pacific. Yes, hurricane season is here once again.
Make sure you are ready for this. Below is a list with supplies you should have handy:
Hurricane Kit · Flashlights and extra bulbs · Battery operated radio · Fully charged battery operated lanterns. Candles and kerosene lanterns are fire hazards. · Extra batteries · Matches · Clock (wind up or battery operated) · Plastic garbage bags · Working fire extinguishers · Scissors · Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp boots · Inexpensive rabbit ears tv antenna to use if cable goes out
House Checklist · Gather supplies early · Store loose outdoor items · Anchor smalls sheds · Trim dead branches from trees and shrubs · Put chlorine in pool, protect filter motor · Tape or board up windows · Fill gas tank of cars, park in safe place · Remove valuables (furniture and rugs) from floor · Move furniture away from windows, cover with plastic · Put important documents in waterproof container · Get extra cash (ATM's might lose power)
Food and Water · Bottled water. One gallon per person per day. · Shelf package juice and milk boxes. · Canned and powdered milk · Beverages (powdered or canned, fruit juices, (instant coffee/tea) · Prepared foods (canned soups, beef, spaghetti, tuna, chicken, ham, corned beef hash, fruit cocktail, packaged pudding) · Canned vegetables and fruits · Dried fruits · Snacks (crackers, cookies, hard candy, nuts) · Snack spreads ( peanut butter, cheese spreads, jelly) · Cereals · Raw vegetables · Sugar, salt, pepper · Bread · Dry and canned pet food · Right now, buy all the nonperishable foods you will need, put them in a box and leave them alone, except to rotate stock. Stock up on ice and pack coolers as early as possible. Freezing then ahead of time is less hassle than fighting for them at a store. · Before the storm, turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and drape blankets over them, keeping bottom vents clear. Move perishables you'll use first into ice chests to limit opening of refrigerators. · Designate one cooler you will open regularly; fill that with drinks and less perishable items. Set aside other coolers for more perishable things such as meats and open them only rarely. · Crank up your ice maker, break out the ice cube trays or fill jugs with water, so you can be making and storing ice in your freezer or coolers around the clock. · Store cubes or small blocks of ice in sealed bags and containers so you can drink it after it melts. · Clean your bathtub out, then wash with bleach. Rinse thoroughly. · If possible, line with plastic. Then fill it for additional drinking water · Fill toilet tank; you'll want it to flush after the storm.
Hardware · Hand tools: hammer, screwdrivers to use now, shovel and pickax for after the storm. · Power screwdriver · 4x8 ft. sheets of plywood 5/8" to 1/2" tick to put over windows. Ask for exterior plywood · 1/4 machine screw sockets and screws · Plastic sheeting to cover furniture · Rope · Sturdy working gloves · Duct tape to waterproof items; masking tape isn't strong enough · Canvas tarps · Nails. There are many kinds, so look over your home now and determine what you will need.
Medical Needs · Medic alert tags · Insect repellent sprays and candles · Feminine hygiene items · Sunscreen · Soap · First Aid kit and First Aid Handbook · Supply of any prescription drugs · Extra Over-the-counter medicine (colds, allergies, cough) · Children's medicine · Aspirin · Bandages · Adhesive tape · Cotton tipped swabs · Antiseptic solution · Sterile rolls, bandages · Ear drops · Thermometer · Tweezers · Needles · Disinfectant
Emergency Toilet · Small can with tight lid · Plastic bags for liners · Disinfectant or bleach · Deodorizer
Kitchen Supplies · Plastic to line bathtub to fill with water · Jugs or containers to store water · Water Purification Tablets. 2% tincture of iodine or ordinary household bleach, which contains hypochlorite as its only active ingredient, no bleach with additives. · Manual can opener · Bottle opener · Matches · Pocketknife-preferably Swiss Army style · Camp stove or other cooking device and plenty of fuel. Use canned fuel, not charcoal or gas · Disposable dishes · Ice chest or coolers · Paper plates, napkins,, cutlery, cups
As we do every year, we have a downloadable Hurricane Brochure containing valuable information. We have updated the list of shelters in Highlands County and are happy to report that quite a few pet and/or pet-friendly shelters are available now.
We've had this topic before and things got a bit out of hand (not like that!) because many confused Transaction Broker with Dual Agency, which is NOT the same, no interchangable terms. I'm in Florida, Dual Agency is illegal, Transaction Brokerage is not.
I'm not sure about other states...if your state allows for Transaction Brokerage, do you sell your own listings?
I have done it twice so far. Both on mobile homes on rented land (our office is licensed for it). It never crossed my mind that I would NOT be on neutral ground. I have limited fiduciary duties to both parties. I always require my sellers and buyers to NOT tell me their bottom line.
The latest "two sided" transaction is pending right now. Two weeks of negotiating, I'm not kidding! I never once gave a personal opinion about asking price or the offer. Of course the buyer asked me if his offer was fair. I asked him if it seemed fair to him. He said yes. Voila! Seller did the same thing. I asked her if her asking price was fair to her, she said yes, voila. Dead deal! At this point in time I told the buyer that we can always shop for other mobiles in the area and I told the seller that other buyers would come along. Yes, I could have pushed both of them because I want to get paid but I wasn't hired to get paid. I was hired to sell the sellers mobile and find the buyer a mobile he wanted, which happened to be the seller's mobile. I didn't call the buyer back, HE called ME! "Let's give this another try!" he said. Alright! I tell the seller that the buyer is asking her to reconsider his offer. She takes two days and comes back telling me she would. We negotiate again. He wants to move in before closing date, she refuses. I deliver messages, not my personal opinion. He asks me why a seller would refuse letting a buyer move in prior to closing. I explain to him there might be liability issues; what if he breaks something? Who will pay for it? Etc. He nods and understands what I mean. Next, we're still in disagreement over the sale price. He wants to pay less than she's asking for. Not ever would it occur to me to talk him into offering more and I would have never told her "well, your asking price is a bit too high" - just to get the deal done.
If either side nailed me down on giving an opinion I would present them with market stats for mobiles in the neighborhood. This is what's selling, this is what's not. I still don't give an opinion, just the facts. Both parties would see the exact same stats. I would tell both sides to take a good look and then make a decision based on the facts. I've done the exact same thing before and it worked great. I'm the expert, I have the knowledge. I pass my market knowledge onto both parties and ask them to make a decision. I don't coach, push, or suggest anything. We're on a tennis court and I sit on the net. My feet never touch the ground (I know, sounds uncomfy but it works).
Once buyer reaches a decision I ask: What do you want me to tell the seller? I deliver the message and ask the seller what she wants me to tell the buyer. Deal? That's great! No deal? That's fine too, both parties move on - either way.
I'm a Gemini and maybe that gives me a bit of an advantage because I have no problem being two things at the same time. It's like switching roles or being two agents in one. If I had two children, would I love one of them more than the other? No! Same principle!
And just for kicks, if I had a dollar for everytime a cooperating agents tells me "Uh, my seller will take less / my buyer will pay more!" I could retire. No kidding, few weeks ago a buyer agent told me "My buyer can make up the $5.000 and go full asking price!" Funny, how they always add "...but that's between you and me!"
With Short Sales on the rise and becoming the dominating force in the market, wouldn't it be nice if you had several of them pending but wouldn't have to spend any time on the phone with the lender? Wouldn't it be nice if all you had to do was to approach the client, explain to them how short sales work, take the listing and hand the file over to a designated "Short Sale Person" in your office that takes care of the transaction from that point on - from the time of listing all the way to the time of closing? All you had to do was getting more short sale listings to submit to your "Short Sale Person".
Wouldn't it be great if your broker hired someone like that to help you out? Wouldn't it enable you to get more listings, show properties and do what you're supposed to do instead of being on the phone with a lender for hours and hours? Wouldn't you be a happier agent?
I'm wondering how many agents actually have this luxury and if brokers are considering the investment to increase listing inventory. It's a win-win-win-win-win situation!
We didn't think it would stay on the market for too long when we listed it just a few weeks ago. This forclosure in exceptional shaped started receiving showings almost immediately and we were not surprised. Built in 1995, it has a pleasing floorplan, cathedral ceilings, plant shelving, a bonus room in the back. Unlike most foreclosures, it didn't have any damage to it.
Even though the previous owners took all appliances with them, they did take good care of the home. Close to shopping and all conveniences, this home is located in a quiet neighborhood with all surrounding homes being in great shape and well maintained. Arched windows and landscaping add instant curb appeal.
The buyers didn't wait around and made an offer quickly. The property had been shown a lot, even while we were already negotiating the contract. Working with the bank/owner went quickly. We had an accepted offer almost within hours. We are expecting to close by the end of the month.
Looking back 12 months, more homes are selling faster and for a lot less money than in January 2008. Now is the time to get back into the game as we are nearing the bottom of the market. The Absorption Rate has gone down by 4 month since December, by 8 months since November. We currently have 21.85 month of inventory on the market. On average, 82 homes are being sold each month. Prices had a monthly average decline of 25% in 2008. The average sale price only declined by a little less than 4% in January. Most transactions in January were cash (29), 26 conventional, 6 FHA, 2 VA, 1 assumption. The hot spots in Highlands County are Sun'n'Lake, Sebring Hills and Harder Hall. 166 transactions are currently still pending/contingent.
Like millions of other Americans, I watched the Inauguration on tv yesterday and tried to catch a glimpse of the new First Lady's ball gown on the re-runs today. She looked beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous!
I was impressed by the President's speech yesterday. There were no campaign promises, no mentioning of what he will do during his term, not a single word about how everything will be better now that Change Is Here. That by itself impressed me.
He went on to speak about the Founding Fathers and what this country is about. He spoke about the American Spirit and how it cannot be broken, not by a depressive economy and not by terrorist threats. "We will not be defeated."
When I arrived in the US in 1995, I began to explore and experience what America is about with a newcomer's eyes. Almost like the pilgrims but without the hardship. The first thing I came to know, the first thing that struck me with awe was the American Spirit. The way Americans display their flags with love and pride, being careful to not ever let it touch the ground and disposing of it in a most respectful way once it is worn out. I'm not even touching Independence Day.
Witnessing America's love affair with its history, its spirit, itself -I couldn't help but falling in love with it as well - hook, line and sinker. I couldn't help but wanting to be part of this........wonderful thing called America.
Lately, especially during the last year I sometimes wondered where the American spirit had gone. Everyone is tired of the war, nothing but negative news......about America. I caught myself wondering if my family wouldn't be better off if we lived in Germany even though the news from across the big pond aren't much better than here. I wondered what it would take for America to put itself back together again and do what it does best - be the greatest country in the world.
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
...and there it was........once again - the American Spirit.
Andrea & Darrin Mills | ERA Advantage Realty | mills@millsrealestate.net | 863-202-0729
5721 Golden Road, Sebring, FL
Don't keep up with the Jones'. Be the Jones'!
4BR/4BA Single Family House
offered at $650,000
Year Built
2007
Sq Footage
4,953
Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
4 full, 0 partial
Floors
1
Parking
Unspecified
Lot Size
43,550 sqft
HOA/Maint
$0 per month
DESCRIPTION
Attention Entertainers! Huge living room and 13 foot ceilings make entertaining your guests a piece of pie. Situated on a fenced 1 acre lot you will not be disappointed by the space this impressive home has to offer. Big sliding glass doors in the living room open up to the pool deck, heated and with spa of course. Rainy day? No problem, you can still entertain your guests by the pool underneath the covered lanai. Your guests will feel pampered in their own guest suit with bathroom. Two additional bedrooms sharing one bathroom are generously sized. FREE Homewarranty to the lucky buyer of this unique custom home. Video
Tour
This home sits in a secluded area and can't be seen from the street due to its winding driveway leading up to the detached two car garage. The wrap around porch welcomes visitors to sit and relax for a lemonade to enjoy the views of nature. On the inside you will find Brazilian wood floors, cathedral ceilings in living room as well as dining and kitchen area. The impressive wood burning fireplace serves as an architectural focal point and will provide coziness on those chilly winter nights. The custom kitchen features an abundance of counter space and stainless steel appliances. After dinner, relax on the screened backside of your porch, big enough to entertain all your friends, cozy enough for an intimate get-together.
This home has it all! Call us for a showing!
Darrin & Andrea Mills
863-202-0729
www.millsrealestate.net
I'm sure I'm not the first one to discover this but I think it's phenomenal nonetheless. Below is one of our bank owned listings. With a few mouse clicks, clients can "walk" the neighborhood in the comfort of their own home! How neat is that? Now I'm wondering if that can be added to our listings on Craig's List.
Go to Google Maps, type in the address, find the home, click on "streetview" in the little window that pops up and voila! You can iframe the link or email it to your clients. I'm loving this! No longer do we have to describe neighborhoods, we can now have potential buyers from out of state or out of town walk the neighborhood themselves to get a feel for it.
I always wanted to "re-blog" something on Active Rain just for the heck of it and also to see how it works and why.
Second, I provide Absorption Rates for my market in general and its 3 participating cities and find the numbers rather interesting (as do my clients, btw). I never thought about breaking up the numbers, maybe by zip codes to better understand where the hot markets are. I sort of know by heart where the popular areas are but it would be so neat to be able to give my clients a clearly understandable chart.
This is a great article about creating and understanding "Absorption Rate".
Before I began my career in Real Estate, I had often heard the terms "sellers market" and "buyers market" but I had never stopped to think at all about what these terms really meant.
Now that I am engaged in this career, and am being looked to as an expert by my clients, I thought I should boil this down in a way that would make it easy to explain to the consumer. In addition, a recent conversation with Jeff Bellonger tipped me to the fact that this simple concept may be misunderstood by other professionals in the industry also, so this article goes out to everyone who ever wanted to know, and to those who never realized they didn't know about this fundamental measure of market conditions.
ABSORPTION RATE is the mathematical representation of the relationship between supply and demand. The total amount of available product is divided by the total amount of product sold in the previous month. The resulting number represents the number of months it would take, at that same pace, to sell the entire inventory of product.
"Normal Market" conditions exist when the Absorption Rate is between 5 and 6 months.
"Sellers Market" conditions exist when the Absorption Rate is lower. (1-4 months)
"Buyers Market" conditions exist when the Absorption Rate is higher. (7+ months)
Here is a (fictitious) example:
Anytown, USA has 252 homes currently on the market.
In the past month, 78 homes sold
252 / 78 = 3.23
This would be a Sellers Market, but is approaching "normal" conditions.
CAUTION SHOULD BE TAKEN however. Don't think that Absorption Rate is all you need to look at to determine the condition of the market. In fact, many people misuse or misunderstand the application of this important ratio, and overlook several important factors:
To have real meaning to you in your practice, or in understanding the market you are buying or selling homes in, you need to look at not the overall conditions, but the local, price-range specific conditions.
The ratio reflects a general condition. That is, it is not specific. Specific property features, condition, and price will do more to determine how fast it will actually sell than any mathematical formula will.
I recommend calculating the Absorption Rates in your specific areas, but broken down into several geographic areas and price-range specific categories.
Calculate based on County-wide figures,
Calculate based on School District figures, and
Calculate based on Municipality figures.
This will help you identify such things as which School Districts are "sought after" and which Municipalities are "highly desired." (I often see those terms used in MLS descriptions, and I wonder what objective criteria if any were used, or if the listing agent just liked the sound of them.) If districts or municipalities have lower Absorption Rates than the County-wide rate, then that is an objective measure that those areas are in higher demand than others.
You should analyze the absorption rates in several price ranges: (for example:)
Under 300K (total number of homes actively listed under 300K divided by the under 300K sales in the previous month)
300K to 500K
500K to 800K
800K to 1M
1M+
Use ranges that are significant in your market, or significant to your client.
Failure to look at the local data, can result in an unclear picture of the market. You may inadvertently render poor advice to a client, because your information is too broad in scope, and not specific to their situation. Telling a buyer that they are in a strong Buyers Market, with an Absorption Rate of 10.6 will ill prepare them for the reality of negotiating the purchase of a 200K home in Anytown, USA, if the Absorption Rate in that price range is actually 1.5.
HOW IS KNOWING ABSORPTION RATES VALUABLE?
FOR SELLERS Knowing the market conditions can help you determine the appropriate asking price for your home, based on your need for a timely sale. If the Absorption Rate in the 300K to 500K is 4.2, while 500K to 800K is 17.4, and you were considering pricing around 510K, you might want to reconsider and price at 499K instead if you need a faster sale. If you can afford to have your home on the market for a year or more, then pricing it at the 510K would be fine.
FOR BUYERS Knowing the market conditions in the specific areas you are looking to buy in will prepare you for negotiating. It the Absorption rate in Springfield is 3.1, while in Shelbyville it is 15.2, and you want to negotiate a lower than asking price, you can see that in Shelbyville that may be more likely than in Springfield.
FOR AGENTS Knowing your market conditions will help serve your clients as you evaluate pricing, negotiate offers, etc. If your client is looking for that negotiating edge, you will be able to show them where to find it. By demonstrating your knowledge of the market with prospective clients, you will also be able to attract more business. It is very valuable when dealing with unrepresented sellers (FSBOs) since they often lack the access to the very data that is used to calculate the information, they may tend to overprice their property, and simply hope for the best. Show them your expertise, and you can win their business, too.
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.
Posted by 
Central A/C
Before I began my career in Real Estate, I had often heard the terms "sellers market" and "buyers market" but I had never stopped to think at all about what these terms really meant.
CAUTION SHOULD BE TAKEN however. Don't think that Absorption Rate is all you need to look at to determine the condition of the market. In fact, many people misuse or misunderstand the application of this important ratio, and overlook several important factors:
In a separate post, I will discuss the correlation between Market Absorption Rate, and Market Value. Stay Tuned.
;)
;)
