Barry 's Real Estate Blog

Don't Buy Palm Oil and you will Save Orangutans

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:21:34 -0500

I haven't been on to blog in awhile and I usually try to keep it real estate related,.... but,... this is very important. I just saw this on the news. Orangutans are being killed to stop them from eating the fruit that you get palm oil from. So the next time you go to the grocery store, please check your potato chips and other grocery items to make sure they do not contain palm oil in order to stop the needless killing of these special animals that have 99% similar DNA to ours. If you have watched any nature shows you would see how similar they are to us. This is a tragedy that must be stopped.

Places like Sumatra, Indonesia and Borneo Island which is shared by Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia have seen a drop in Orangutan population of at least 10%. Read the full report at .... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5313089

Let it be said that animals have rights too. As a vegetarian, I would encourage you go without eating meat and see how much better you will feel...especially when you don't eat red meat. Red meat takes a lot of energy to digest. You will notice how sleepy you get after eating red meat. This is because blood is diverted away from your extremities and goes to aid the digestion process. I also believe red meat is the cause of much heart disease in the United States. The eating of meat is a completely unnecessary act. We are no longer a hunting society. We grow many different kinds of foods to sustain us and there are plenty of protein substitutes. Give it a try and see how you feel and remember....don't buy palm oil.

HOW TO PREPARE A HOUSE TO BE VACANT

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:53:12 -0500

Here are some tips on how to prepare a house to be vacant.

A vacant house is going to develop smells. You will open the door and it will smell musty. Every smell that was in that house is going to be amplified from having been closed up. Houses need to breath. Dirty carpet is a big culprit for odors so have the carpet cleaned. You could also use Febreze Antimicrobial; it goes a long way to making a place smell good. It kills the odors by destroying the bacteria that cause the odor. It does this with odor eating enzymes.

For pet odors, there's a product called Simple Solution that also has bacteria killing enzymes. http://www.simplesolution.com/products_us/so_remover.html I sprayed it on some outdoor cushions after my cat urinated on them in an effort to mark where a foreign cat has laid. Simple Solution really did the trick. I testify it works.

Make sure the air return filter is replaced with a new one. You don't want that dirty musty smell to keep being recirculated. A new filter will cut down on your dust too. Get a good filter; one that you can't see through. It may be one called Filtrete by 3M.

The toilets in a vacant house need to be tended to. First they should be cleaned thoroughly and then some scented bleach put in the bowl to sit. Keep the lid UP; a down lid will hold the moist air in and cause mold and mildew to grow under the seat lid. If you don't do bleach, flush the toilets every time you go check on the property or once every two weeks.

Know also that when you get ready to do the house inspection with your buyers there, you should go beforehand and run out the water in the water heater. It probably will have developed a strange odor from having sat for so long.

Spiders, they're everywhere. Spiders will build a home faster than you can say sold. Know that general pest sprays will not kill spiders. The can should say "kills spiders". Spray the corners of the rooms with it as a prevention.

For general bugs and roaches, I recommend using foggers. Treat the attic, interior spaces and under the house all at once for an effective treatment, otherwise the pests just migrate. Having a roach show up to your open house or while you're showing is not going to make a good impression.

It might also be a good idea to turn the water off at the meter to a vacant house just in case there's a leak that develops on your watch. I also recommend to anyone with a washing machine that they replace their rubber hoses with wire mesh hoses. They won't burst on you. They run about $12 a piece. #E9WM60 Washing Machine Hose | Hat Creek Outfit It's a great investment and peace of mind knowing that you won't come home to a flooded house...at least not because of a burst washer hose.

In the kitchen, put some dish detergent in the disposal, turn on the hot water and turn it on to give the disposal a good cleaning. You don't want foul smells wafting up from the disposal.

Lastly, get some scented plug-ins. They do wonders. Keep that vacant house smelling good. Remember, smells linger and so do impressions.

One important thing for your sellers to know is that when a house becomes vacant, some insurance companies will go up on their rates so it may pay to hire a house sitter or get a temporary renter.

EMERGENCY CALL PENDANT FOR SENIORS WITH NO MONITORING FEE

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:39:16 -0500

You've probably heard of Life Alert senior call pendant. They advertise their product on tv after midnight. They charge a monthly monitoring fee. What I want to tell you about are some phones that do the same thing and you don't have a monthly monitoring fee. Here is the X10 system. It costs about $160.

X10 Personal Emergency System

This personal assistance system is a non-monitored system and features a wireless pendant that activates a calling control base to get help when needed.

Just pre-program the telephone numbers of 4 friends or family (not designed to call emergency service numbers) and an outgoing voice message.

When an emergency occurs and the pendant is pushed, the system will begin to call the pre-programmed numbers in order. The first responder to answer must press the "O" key on their telephone to activate the base's microphone to listen in.

See this system at: http://www.phonemerchants.com/x10peremsys.html

There is another website that carries two different devices.

One device is a portable pendant speaker phone that automatically calls 911 and lets you speak to them. It costs about $180.

The other device has a pendant and will call 911 or up to 5 preprogrammed numbers and costs about $130.

The website for these devices is: http://www.bindependent.com/hompg/bi/bindep/store/aisles/easierliv/comfort/comfort.htm#Emergency%20Communications

I wanted to share this information as it does allow seniors to remain in their home longer instead of having to go into a care facility. They have peace of mind knowing that if they fall or need help then all they have to do is call for help using the pendant. And best of all, there's no monthly monitoring fee. Spread the word about these devices. They could help a lot of people and save some money too.

BAMBOO - THE ECO-FRIENDLY MIRACLE PRODUCT - EVEN SHIRTS OF BAMBOO

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:21:31 -0500

Bamboo, it's all the rage AND ECO friendly. Bamboo is actually considered to be a grass. By now, you've probably seen some bamboo flooring. Very pretty isn't it and made from an easily renewable resource. You may have heard that bamboo floors are too soft and dent. There are different types of bamboo flooring and some is harder than others. It depends on the process that was used to make it. Bamboo grows quickly and doesn't need much attention.It reaches maturity in about 4 years and can be grown without pesticides. It's 100% biodegradeable and is antimicrobial ..as least for shirts. Did you know you can make clothing out of it ?

Check out this website: www.shirtsofbamboo.com

I have a shirt of bamboo and it is sooo soft. I just love it.

POSTAGE STAMP GOES UP AGAIN

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 23:40:56 -0500

Ok, so if you haven't heard, a First Class Stamp is soon to be 42 Cents as of May 12. Have you heard of the Forever Stamp ? You buy it for the locked in price of 41 Cents until May 12 and use it "forever". No one can say this is big savings, but I suppose, as they say, " a penny saved is a penny earned ". There will be other savings or shipping changes implemented on the date. For more information go to the U.S. Postal Service website: http://www.usps.com/prices/welcome.htm?from=bannercommunications&page=prices

EUFAULA ALABAMA - RIVER TOWN AND FORMER COTTON PORT - GREAT PLACE TO RETIRE

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 02:34:27 -0500

I just returned from a visit to my hometown of Eufaula, AL. It's a beautiful place and especially in the Spring with all the Azaleas and Dogwoods blooming. Eufaula is located at the stateline of Alabama and Georgia about 60 miles north of the Florida Stateline. Eufaula is called the Bass Capital of the World because of its 45000 acre lake which was created in 1963 by the damming of the Chattahoochee River. Eufaula was named for a tribe of Indians called the Eufaulas that once inhabited the area and was once a major trading post for cotton because of it's location on the river. Eufaula has one of the highest concentrations of ante-bellum homes in Alabama and has many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. You can see some photos of Eufaula if you make yourself a facebook.com account and then copy and paste this: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1789&id=1127837051 Every spring during the first weekend in April, Eufaula hosts a Pilgrimage of Open Houses. See http://www.eufaulapilgrimage.com/ There is also an Antique Show as well as a sidewalk Art Fair. The town is a buzz with activities during the Pilgrimage.

Eufaula has a population of about 14,000 and has a mild winter climate and makes a great place to retire to. You can get a nice 3BR/2BA home for under $150k.There are several golf courses around. Lakepoint Resort State Park. George T. Bagby State Park on the Georgia side. Membership clubs are The Eufaula Country Club and also CCA - Country Club of Alabama. The city of Dothan is 50 miles South and Columbus, GA is about an hour drive and Montgomery, AL is about 2 and a half hour drive.

There is a new developement on the Southside of town called Reflections which is built to look like old fashioned bungalows. It's a gated community on the lake with a clubhouse and swimming pool. I'll highlight this community in an upcoming blog.

If you are looking for a great place to retire or just explore, I'll be glad to tell you more about Eufaula, Alabama. By the way, I know a really good real estate agent in Eufaula that I can refer you to. Here's a view of the Lake and also of the downtown.

TAKE A TOUR OF A NEIGHBORHOOD COURTESY OF GOOGLE

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 23:27:50 -0500

WOW, check out the new street level views on google mapping now ! It's fantastic. Never been in a certain neighborhood ? Well...now you can take a "drive" down the street by clicking on the arrow on the street and it will progress you down the street. This is only available in certain cities around the U.S. currently. It's available for St Petersburg, FL and Tampa. They haven't done every street, but the streets they have done will be marked in blue. Have a look, it's just awesome. http://maps.google.com/

PRECAST CONCRETE HOMES - THE NEW WAVE IN FLORIDA HOME CONSTRUCTION

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:10:23 -0500

Note that The Villas of Date Palm have been taken off the market and will probably be rentals. But, you can still read about the construction of them.

I'd like to shed some light on precast concrete construction. This is also called Tilt-Up construction. In this method, buildings are constructed from cement panels that are poured either onsite or at a factory. The panels have iron loops on them for the crane to be able to lift it up and set it in place. The panels are extremely heavy as they are 5-6 inches thick. I recently watched an addition to a wine warehouse go up. It was amazing to see this crane pick up something so heavy and pivot the panel as workers guided it into place. In this case, the panels were two stories tall and about 6-8 feet wide. Panels are made to specification. Door and window openings are left open when the panel is poured. This method of construction saves a lot of time. Panels go up quickly and can cut construction time by 1/3. Once up, they are joined together with plates and bolts and the seams sealed.

There are alternative exterior options. One such option is to make it a brick pavered facade. Pavers are laid down then the wall poured on top. You can see the application via this link. http://www.tiltupnews.com/tilt-up-articles/tiltup-construction-masonry-brick-wall.asp

It's a wonderful development where the builder "did right". It's called The Villas of Date Palm. They are 3 BR / 2.5 Bath and 2 car garage. Attention to detail is obvious and a year was spent researching what buyers wanted in a townhouse such as a master on the main and a closet beyond the bathroom. There is are two laundry stations, one on each floor. Some units have elevators and thus have all the bedrooms upstairs.

The exterior walls are 6 inches thick with 3/4 inch rigid foam insulation and 5/8 inch drywall on the inside. The 3 unit building went up in four days.

The Villas of Date Palm

The end units have 2075sf, Middle unit with elevator has 2590sf.

790 LaPlaza Ave South in South Pasadena, FL 33707 ( Pasadena Ave to East on Date Palm to end of street )

The building has a wind rating of 295 mph. Let us pause and bow and say Wow. Isn't that amazing ? To "dry in" the building took half the normal time. The concrete panels make for a quiet building and provide a two hour fire rating. This type of building is also very energy efficient - R-18 to R-20 when normal is R-13. It would take more hours in the day to get the walls heated through and through by the sun...so keeping cool is easy in a concrete home. Also, you don't have to worry about termites. Yayyy ! I know when I was in the unit, it was so quiet. How nice. It is estimated that a concrete home is 5-7 percent more expensive than a block built home, but the benefits are many and would pay for itself. I'm Sold !!

If you would like to read the full article published in the St Pete Times about this project, then click on http://www.sptimes.com/2007/10/13/Homes/Precast_concrete_wall.shtml

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL 727-773-6677

SELLERS, PUT YOURSELF IN THE BUYER'S SHOES plus Pinellas County FL Stats Feb 08

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:13:43 -0500

If you happen to be selling your house, then you must put yourself in the buyer's shoes. If you were the buyer, then what would you be looking for? A good deal right? Of course and especially in this market where there are, as of the end of Feb. 08, 11,000 single family homes for sale in Pinellas County ( County of St Petersburg, FL ) and almost 10,000 condos in Pinellas for sale. In the whole Tampa Bay area there are about 36,000 single family homes for sale and about 17,000 condos for sale. So, do you think buyers have a lot to choose from? You bet. What do you think they will be looking for? Do you think they will find it? Yes. The house that they will buy will be the best priced and all fixed up in move in condition...and pretty. If your house lacks curb appeal, then you have your work cut out for you. If it needs renovation and you don't want to tackle it, then you must price the house as a fixer upper. Now, these tips are things that can help you sell your house, but also keep in mind this reality check. For about the past six month, there are only about 500 single family sales a month in Pinellas County and about 250 condo sales. So, you are competing with many sellers and competing for only a few buyers. These are not good odds. So, pricing your home correctly is of utmost importance. Again, put yourself in the buyer's shoes or better yet, get some unbiased people to come through your home and critique it as if they would be buying it. You may learn a few things that you did not know and it might help you sell your home. The big rule of thumb is to tidy up and declutter. Get rid of junk in the house in order to make it look bigger. It's easier for a buyer to visualize more stuff in the space than trying to subtract it. Consider renting a storage unit to store extra clutter. Also, paint is cheap and an easy solution for a tired house. If your house needs cleaning, then jump on it, buyers are immediately turned off by a dirty house. First impressions are lasting.

Selling a house in today's market is not easy, but there are things you can do to increase your chances. Remember the most important element is the price. Price it right and buyers will find their way to your door.

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL 727-773-6677

DECEPTION - IT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME ....TWO GREAT WEBSITES

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:36:01 -0500

I learned about a website called http://www.mouseprint.org/ It's a website that exposes the fine print on Ads, Offers, Bills etc. It's very interesting. While reading it, the title of this blog occurred to me. Deception - It's The Name of The Game.

Everywhere we turn, we are deceived. I'll start with Ads. On the mouseprint.org website, it brings to light Walmart ads for a low price laptop, but read the fine print and it says...only one per store at this price. Credit card companies are notorious for their special gimmicks to get you to subscribe to their card. One trick is teaser rates, then the rate skyrockets. One good thing to know about those balance transfer offers is that if you have a card that is 12% interest rate and they offer you a 3.99% until paid in full....well the low down of what this means is.... what is going to get paid on is the 3.99% amount on the card while the amount you have on at 12% will continue to rack up interest money for the credit card company.

How many 30 day trial offers have you seen where you have to give your credit card number and then most of the time it is extremely difficult to cancel the offer. By now, we should all know that nothing is ever free and companies will do whatever it takes to lure us into a trap to pay. At this point, I don't do any trial - 30 day offers. I've learned my lesson several times. It's just not worth the headache of trying to stop that trial offer so I just don't do them.

I want to mention another great website that investigates urban myths and internet phoniness...for lack of a better word. Fraud wasn't quite right. If you get an email that has been forwarded to you and has probably been around the world....you might want to go to http://www.snopes.com/ and check there to see if there is anything there about the topic of your email to see if it's true or just someone spreading "whoeyha" ..for lack of a better word. I have used snopes.com a good bit. The site is loaded with different topics. You'll be fascinated; I was.

So, the point to my blog was that everywhere we turn we are cajoled, mislead, lied to, tricked and prodded. Can't people just be straight up. Isn't it refreshing when they are?

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg 727-773-6677

INCREASE YOUR REAL ESTATE VOCABULARY

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 19:27:30 -0600

Here are a few words to brush up on. They are on the unusual side, but very useful. They are great words to know.

BALUSTER-short post or pillar in a series that supports a rail, thus forming a balustrade. May be curved or straight.

CANTILEVER-horizontal projection from a building, such as a step, balcony, beam, or canopy, that is without external bracing and appears to be self-supporting.

CLERESTORY WINDOW-window (usually narrow) placed in the upper walls of a room, usually at an angle, to provide extra light.

LOGGIA-a gallery open on one or more sides, sometimes pillared. Also can be a separate structure, usually in a garden.

PORTICO-a roofed entrance to a house with columns, creating a temple-like facade.

PORTE-COCHERE-a roofed structure extending from the side or front entrance of a home over an adjacent driveway to shelter those entering or exiting a vehicle.

QUOINS-dressed stones at the corners of buildings, usually laid so their faces are alternately large and small. Most often in a contrasting color of brick from the rest of the wall. Common accent in Georgian homes.

SOLARIUM-a glass-enclosed porch or room, often used to display flowers and other plants; also called a sunroom or garden room.

TERRAZZO-a sturdy flooring finish of marble chips mixed with cement mortar. After drying, the surface is ground and polished.

TRANSOM-small, usually rectangular or fanlight window over a door. Some transoms open to cross-ventilate a home, while others are only decorative.

TURRET-a very small, slender tower. In modern homes, usually only ornamental.

WEEPING MORTAR-this decorative mortar appears to be dripping out between the exterior bricks.

And let me add one....

Water Closet - A small room/closet just for the toilet. ( I run across people that have never heard this term all the time )

THNGS TO THINK ABOUT IN BUILDING A HOUSE - A FIRST HAND STORY

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:29:53 -0600

Building a home is not an easy undertaking. There are a million decisions to be made. You are in the drivers seat and have to select all of your finishes and decide the decor you want. Coordinating all of those finishes is the hard part......as long as you have a good builder handling the actual construction.

A side note to anyone who is thinking of acting as their own Contractor, ask yourself, do I have a reliable crew of workmen ready to build my house. I'll answer that for you. NO. Finding and getting crafts people who will show up and work will be your biggest challenge. It's a hard enough task for builders. Acting as your own contractor is akin to being a substitute teacher. You will get taken advantage of.

So you found some tile that you really like, now you have the task of finding other things to match it. Or you find something to match and the supplier tells you it can't be in for two weeks and your builder needs it in two days. It is best to get an early start on choosing and collecting all the materials that will be needed to build the house. Making the builder wait on some materials will get pretty costly. The builder has a time line and needs to stick to it. He has workers to coordinate and has to schedule them so they can be there when the material arrives. Building a house is very methodical. Project A is done and then project B is done...meaning you don't put in carpet before you paint...things like that. Having to pick out materials for a house in a rush will only frustrate you. It's best to start early. Start a spiral notebook with all your information and believe me there's lots of it. Everything you pick out will have a part number and maybe a style name. You should start a year in advance by looking at home magazines and cutting out and saving house items and features you like.

Picking out all the hardware for your home is not an easy task with so much to choose from these days. Hardware includes lighting, cabinet hardware, faucets and door knobs. You may want to choose a hardware theme for you home, be it brass, silver, brushed nickel or even bronze. Remember that you may want your door handles to match the light fixture or the faucets, but sometimes not. It's certainly a personal choice. Most people do have all the same type of finish for their door knobs and handles.

You may want to hire an interior designer who can help you coordinate all of the finishes into a pleasing palette. The same with an architect. If you just can't find a house plan that suits your fancy, an architect can come up with an original plan or help you modify one that comes close. The architect can also oversee the construction of the house beyond what some builders will do and make sure that it is being constructed with integrity. Otherwise, it is important that you, the homeowner, make regular visits to the construction site to make sure all is going well. However, an architect will probably be more knowledgeable about what to look for.

These days, you have an fantastic selection of hardware at Home Depot and Lowe's. When I was looking through lighting catalogs from a lighting store, I noticed that a lot of the fixtures were also found at HD and Lowe's. You'll save a bundle by going to HD or Lowe's for your lighting and other hardware. Here's a tip. Don't skimp on outside door handles or light fixtures; they get a beating from the weather. Baldwin Hardware would be a good choice as it is super high quality and beautiful.

In building a house, make sure not forget about what storage needs you have for all your garage-ish and outdoor tools. They need a place to go. Consider putting a room off the porch to store cushions. Also Give yourself an ample utility room, some cabinets with storage and a work table for various projects. Every home needs a work / storage room. Make use of under the stairs storage. It's a great place to store card tables and seasonal items.

When I see a home that has the washer/dryer in the master closet..which is rare..I think, "well thought out". Could there be a more practical place than where you take your clothes off ? To have an upstairs laundry room and a downstairs one too is true luxury to me. Let the kids do their own laundry ;-)

Water heaters - Locate them as close to the source as possible. Amen. Who wants to wait for hot water? Also, now available are point of use water heaters. You can have an Insinkerator installed on your kitchen sink and have instant hot water on tap for making hot drinks. Great for washing greasy dishes too ! Side note, have a light installed under your kitchen sink so you can see. My mother did this. She loves it.

There are many sizes of water heaters made today. They make on demand water heaters that heat the water up as it passes through the pipes on the way to you. It's great for small spaces and can be mounted on a wall. I think bathrooms ought to have a point of use water heater under the sink cabinet with ready to use hot water so you don't have to wait for it to travel around the world and heat up the pipes before you end up with hot water.

In building a house, consider your lifestyle and how you plan on using the house. Do you need large public areas for entertaining ? If you do and are on a budget, consider making your bedrooms smaller where you may not spend much time. In short, make the rooms you plan on using the most functional and useable. Good design and making the best use of space and proper storage make a home more livable. There are large homes that lack the functionality that a smaller more well thought out one provides. One thing my mother wished she had done was make the formal dining room larger to give extra room around the table.

Don't forget a good size pantry room for your kitchen...and I mean room...one that you can walk in and have shelves all the way to the ceiling. Having a place to store food and all your handy dandy appliances is wonderful. You'll pat yourself on the head everyday for doing it. Also try to have a room that will be the home office or extra den or guest bedroom or all of the aforementioned.

Make interior doorways 36" wide. It's feels better and in the event that you have to have a wheelchair in the house, it can be accommodated. Make a bathroom which is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair and is handicap accessible or at least can easily be changed into one that is. A shower where you can roll a wheelchair into should be planned for. A handicap friendly home can make your home more saleable if marketed in such a manner since not many homes are designed as such.

Provide a wide staircase with wooden steps as carpet tends to wear quickly and does trip people sometime. Trying to get that four poster bed up a narrow staircase will frustrate you, damage the walls and the bed. Consider using cement roof tiles or a metal roof for long lasting durability.

A must have are double pane windows that also flip in so you can clean them. They will make your home quieter and also save on your electric bill. If I go in an expensive home and they have single pane windows, I think, they skimped on the windows, what else did they skimp on...not to mention it screams cheap. I went into a $500k townhouse on the beach boulevard and they had single pane windows. The road noise was very obvious. Now, don't you think that affects the salability? Now, what is the value of double pane windows ?

When planning a house it is important to keep in mind what furniture you have and plan on putting in your new home. You must plan the placement of furniture so that you don't end up with a bedroom and no proper place to put the bed and allow for walking space or "traffic" flow. I see it all the time, builders that don't have a clue about the functionality of a room...such as having so many doors or windows so you have no place to put furniture. There are now user friendly inexpensive software programs that you can use to plan out your furniture placement. You can also just draw the house plan to a scale and then cut out paper furniture to use in planning.

Other faux pas builders make are: ...making a HUGE bathroom to the detriment of the size of other rooms. .....making a kitchen so large that you're exhausted just making a sandwich. ...installing a pedestal sink with no place to put your toiletries. ......not putting enough plugs around a room. ....putting a jetted tub in so tiny you can't even stretch your legs out in it. ......no heater in the ceiling in the bathroom. ......a shallow kitchen sink. ....not having a coat closet in your foyer. ...closets so shallow that the hanger touches front to back ....no cover over the entrance to a house. ...no back porch of any kind. ( every home needs a covered rear porch for entertaining. ) Well, I could go on.

Unfortunately, many builders are just out to make a buck and they'll skimp at every turn in order to put more money in their pocket. Always go with a reputable builder. A home may look pretty, but how it's constructed is the true story. Talk to people that have homes built by that builder and ask them what they think and did they have things that needed fixing in the first year and how did the builder respond. Did the builder offer a home warranty? Many times you won't notice the short cuts and shoddy work until you have lived in the home and begin to see every detail.

One final note. Get everything in writing and hold your builder to his word. If you have a large project that needs to be done that falls outside the scope of the builder, say a pool or a large driveway, you probably want to handle the payment of those subcontractors yourself. It just so happened that my parents builder didn't pay the cement company that poured the driveway as he was suppose to do with the money he had been given and then the cement company sued my parents. The builder had already filed for bankruptcy and there was no recourse. Hold your money close to your chest and make your builder accountable for all funds.

Building a house is a process and not for the faint of heart. There will be trials. Arm yourself with as much advice and knowledge as you can and go forth. Educate yourself on materials and their costs. Keep that spiral notebook of facts and figures. Lastly, enjoy the ride. Best of luck to you.

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL

THE VIRTUES OF A HOME WARRANTY / WHAT IT COSTS

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:02:21 -0600

I recently sat down with a representative from American Home Shield home warranty company and was truly amazed at the value that it brings to both seller and buyer. Let me first start by showing what a warranty covers so that you will have that knowledge while you continue reading. This is a list, but may not be complete.

heating system
plumbing system
electrical system
water heater

oven/range/cooktop
dishwasher
built-in microwave oven
garbage disposal

built-in whirlpool motor and pump
exhaust fan
sump pump

The warranty is available to seller's, buyer / consumer's or both, meaning it could be purchased by the seller and then transerred to the buyer and doesn't have to be paid for until the closing. Can you say wow? The seller will be covered if something breaks and all they have to do is call AHS and AHS will arrange to send a repair person. AHS has a network of reputable repair people so you don't have to figure out who to call. Under the agreement, you pay for the service call which would be around $60 under the plan I talk about. There are two plans. The other you pay around $75, but you pay less for the warranty. I say "around" because from my brochure to the AHS website, it's different. There may have been a price change. Some places may be higher such as CT, MA, ME, NH, NJ, NY, RI, and VT where the service call fee is $95. So, the prices I give are the prices before me, but they may have changed. I am going by our Keller Williams / AHS brochure.

The plan that covers both buyer and seller is $465. The beauty of the AHS warranty to sellers is that if the buyer's inspector finds something wrong with any item covered by the warranty, then all you have to do is call AHS and they will arrange a service call to see about the item and if it's broken beyond repair then they will replace it. That is a great value and peace of mind. To cover a washer and dryer is extra at $80 and coverage of a pool and/or spa is extra at $160. A Seller / Buyer warranty covers the heat pump up to $1500 to the seller and up to $5000 when transferred to the buyer. I am totally sold on the value of a warranty.

A regular buyer or consumer homeowner coverage is $395. Condo buyer coverage is $355 and seller / buyer condo coverage is $420. All under the $60 service call plan. Note....if a seller has the seller / buyer plan and they decide to take their home off the market, then they are only obligated to pay $70 which releases them from their contract. I'd say not bad. Side note, permits are also covered.

With some appliances as expensive as they are, a home warranty can make a lot of sense...especially if you have older appliances or older home systems. As a selling tool, it has unmistakable value. A home warranty will take the hesitation from the buyer on any of the homes mechanics.

Also, signing up for it couldn't be easier Realtors. I called the 800 number and within minutes I had a warranty for my sellers.

I hope I have helped and enlightened you on the virtues of a home warranty. I know I am sold on them. A home warranty can easily pay for itself and may help sell a home.

For more information, visit http://www.ahswarranty.com/index.jsp

Read my other Blogs. I write some good articles :-)

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL

A FIRE EXTINGUISHER PRIMER + MY OWN STORY

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:58:06 -0600

I want to tell you about my experience with fire extinguishers. My first experience with a fire extinguisher was when I lived in a condo building and I was working at my computer with my window open and I noticed a burning smell. I went out to investigate and noticed smoke coming from my neighbors louvered door. The smoke was billowing out mid of the door. I opened the door and hollered my neighbor's name. I looked, but he wasn't home. There were flames in the kitchen. So I ran back to my place and got my fire extinguisher which was a smallish one about a foot high. I ran back and sprayed the stove where a pot of something was on fire and licking up and burning the cabinets. The cabinets above the stove were on fire. I dispensed that extinguisher in a matter of a few seconds. I then pulled the pot off the stove onto the floor as the pot was still on fire. So I ran back to my place and got a wet towel and came and smothered it. Had I not been there, his place and maybe another unit or two would have burned down. This was the top / 4th floor.

I want to let people know how important it is to have an extinguisher on hand and a BIG ONE....cause had that fire been any bigger it would not have done the job. So, after that I made it a point to get a bigger one. Please go and get several extinguishers for your home....a big one for your kitchen and a big one for the garage and one in the back of your home in case you have to battle your way out. Check your smoke detectors now. Change the batteries religiously.

Now it is possible to buy a self extinguishing system to install over your stove. I will have one when I build my house. I will also have a whole house sprinkler system. You can now have a sprinkler system installed when you build your house. You will get a big break on your insurance. Think of the peace of mind in knowing that you won't loose your whole house, but maybe just a room.

Also know that storing a fire extinguisher in your trunk is not a good idea. ..sounds like it...but it's not. I did and mine blew up. It blew up because it got too hot. It was an absolute mess. It looked like yellow chalk all over my trunk. It was a major cleaning project. I'd like to keep one in my car, but there isn't a proper place where it won't get too hot.

Also know that a fire extinguisher won't last forever. They go bad. They have a gauge that should tell you if it's good, but I don't think you can trust those gauges 100%. I've been told you can tell if it's still good if you flip the extinguisher upside down and if you feel the contents move, it's still good. I've done that and couldn't feel a thing....but ...it's better to be safe than sorry, so keep check on the your fire extinguishers to make sure they are still good. A side note. Those fire safes. They are rated for ...like 1600 degrees for about 30 minutes. If your home burns down, that safe probably won't make it unless the fire truck gets there pronto. That safe will be no match to the fire. So, take your film negatives, valuables and important papers and put them in a safety deposit box for safe keeping.

Take time to think; what if a fire breaks out? How will I react? What will I do?

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL

PLEASE NO LEMON IN MY TEA OR WATER

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:35:00 -0600

Ok, this is completely unrelated to real estate, but I saw this on TV and thought I would bring it to light. The story was about how the lemons we get in our drinks at restaurants could be highly "germed" or even contain salmonella. The reporter worked in conjunction with a lab to test 76 lemons taken from 21 restaurants to see what sort of cultures they would grow. The findings were somewhat shocking. They found that about half contained either fecal matter or salmonella. Pretty disgusting huh. You just have no control over restaurant staff keeping their hands clean before they squeeze that lemon in your drink. Oooo. The lab tester did say that most of the time it would not hurt you provided that you had a healthy immune system. But still, who wants icky germy lemons in our drinks ? Not moi. So, from now on I'll think I'll be saying no lemon please.

Here's a health tip I employ and I am rarely sick...ever. One of the main reasons people get sick is that they transfer germs to a point on their body where the germs can get in. They rub their eyes or wipe their mouth or ...uhhh...pick their nose. So, whenever you have the urge to rub an itchy eye or wipe your mouth....use the top of your wrist. And remember, a bottle of Purell works wonders on killing the germs. Keep a bottle handy in your car console for when you go out to eat.

Here's to your Health !

Online Video Converter to Choice of Formats

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:31:32 -0600

Say you saw a video on YouTube.com that you wanted to save, but then once you saved it you could not play it. Well this sight allows you to copy the selected URL onto the VIXY website and then it converts it and you download it. Go to www.vixy.net

I have a friend who likes to download videos and put them on his IPOD. He can then enjoy his selections on the go. There's another website called www.keepvid.com I've never used that one, but check it out.

Check Your Internet Speed With This Website

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:16:43 -0600

If you've been suffering from slow internet, then you might want to go to www.2wire.com and check and see what your speed is. The speed test is at the top of the page. The beauty of it is that you will have a speed figure to talk to your internet subscriber about.

I use to use an Aircard by Verizon and when I first got it it was wonderful and fast and then it got slower and slower. It got slower than what I use to experience with dial up. I was paying $60 a month for really awful service. So, I cancelled it and called ...guess who....Verizon...to come hook up DSL. They were the only provider in my area. But, I've been loving my DSL and the speed it provides. Speed....about 737 kbps Only occassionally does it get kind of slow. It cost about $25 a month. I think they've come down though...at least here. DSL is definitely the way to go. Now, I'm wondering about that FIOS which is even faster. I guess that would prove beneficial for watching movies online...which I've done. Tip. You can open up another window ( or several as I do ) for Internet Explorer and let the upcoming scene be loading while you are watching the previous.

A Free E-CARD Website

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:06:30 -0600

Here's a place where I go a lot. I really like it....because it's good ..and it's FREE. It's called http://www.virtualflorist.com/ There's a wide variety to choose from. Check it out. I really like the Outrageous Characters category. Pick any ecard and you can totally personalize it. It's easy, quick and fun. And, by the way....they do not spam you. I've never gotten anything. It's a simple registration.

What's the difference between Intracoastal and Intercoastal ?

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:32:56 -0600

A word that gets miss used a lot is the word INTERcoastal. Most of the time it should be INTRAcoastal.

INTERcoastal means connecting two or more coast lines. The straight of water traversing Lake Okeechobee which allows passage from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean would be an intercoastal waterway.

INTRArcoastal waterway means within the natural boundries of the coast. An intracoastal waterway is one that provides sheltered passage protected by a barrier of land. The Intracoastal Waterway is a 3000 mile recreational and commercial waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. Some lengths consist of natural inlets, salt-water rivers, bays, and sounds; others are man-made canals. The waterway consists of 3 non-contiguous segments: the Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, extending from Brownsville, Texas to Carrabelle, Florida, and another segment extending from The Anclote Keys near Tarpon Springs, Florida to Ft Myers, Florida and the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, extending from Key West, Florida to Boston, Massachusetts.

So remember, 99% of the time you'll be right if you say inTRAcoastal.

St Petersburg Florida is a Collection of Towns and Neighborhoods

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:32:46 -0600

Most people have heard of St Petersburg, but what most people don't realize is that there are many smaller towns that make up the greater St Pete area. There are 24 municipalities. St Petersburg is in Pinellas County. Pinellas is a large county and is 38 miles long and 15 miles wide at its broadest point. Its land area covers approximately 264 square miles. Pinellas county is a peninsula with nearly 587 miles of coastline and 35 miles of beaches. The word Pinellas is derived from the Spanish words Punta Pinal meaning "point of pines."

We call St Petersburg St Pete for short, but St Pete isn't a word on the map. There is St Pete Beach and that is the name on the map. It's not St Petersburg Beach either. It's just St Pete Beach. Most of the time Saint is not spelled out. It's just ST and no period...makes it easier.

Ok, so we have St Petersburg city proper which has about 250,000 population. Then you have other smaller incorporated towns nearby. I'll mention the interior towns first. There's Largo, Pinellas Park, Lealman and Kenneth City. City is a misnomer. Then, at the tip of Pinellas County you have Tierra Verde which is surrounded by water and has Ft Desoto County Park at the very tail end. It was voted one of the best beaches in America. You can read about Ft DeSoto at http://www.pinellascounty.org/park/Quartermaster_museum.htm

The next town you come to is St Pete Beach in lower left Pinellas with the world famous Don Cesar Hotel. South of St Pete Beach on a peninsula is the community of Pass-A-Grille, but it is not a town. Traveling North and passing through St Pete Beach on Gulf Blvd, let's jump over the bridge to the right before going further and you have South Pasadena which is a very small town with a population of about 6,000. Some people just say Pasadena, but on a map it says South Pasadena. South Pasadena is on Boca Ciega Bay which is the largest body of water within the intracoastal. ( I'll explain InTRAcoastal in another blog ) To the right of South Pasadena is Gulfport which is a quaint town. You really do believe it is a small town when you are there.

Ok, back to and up the beaches. Traveling north you come to Treasure Island where there is a fantastic sidewalk along the backside of a strand of hotels to take a stroll along the beach. After Treasure Island you have Madeira Beach. Then you have Redington Beach, North Redington Beach, Redington Shores, Indian Shores, Indian Rocks Beach, Belleair Shore, Belleair Beach, Belleair Bluffs ( inland) Belleair (inland ) then Clearwater Beach and inland Clearwater. Next is Dunedin, Ozona, Palm Harbor, Crystal Beach and Tarpon Springs with the famed Sponge Docks .

I hope you enjoyed your tour of Pinellas County. For loads of information on Pinellas County, just visit the www.pinellascounty.org website or www.StPete.org

Barry Smith, Realtor, St Petersburg, FL 727-773-6677

What's a Lanai? A verandah? A Piazza? A Gallery? A Stoop?

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 16:00:31 -0600

Lanai seems to be a term agents like to use a lot. It means... a veranda ( or verandah ) or roofed patio often furnished and used as a living room. The origin is Hawaiian around 1865-1870. I think it is a term that not many people are familiar with. It tends to be a catch all term when the word porch or patio would probably be a better description.

I think of a patio as cement and level with the ground and I think of a porch as raised up. The dictionary defines it as an outdoor space for dining or recreation that adjoins a residence and is often paved. Hmm, I was right. :-) ..Or, a roofless inner courtyard, typically found in Spanish style dwellings.

A courtyard yard is an open space surrounded by walls or buildings. That one's easy.

If you are a Southerner, then you may refer to your front porch as a "stoop" . Why? I don't know. But hey folks, I looked it up. Here it is....a small raised platform, approached by steps and sometimes having a roof and seats, at the entrance of a house; a small porch. Hey, I learned something. It actually is a word. The origin is American around 1670.

Back to verandah. ...which is the way I tend to spell it. The dictionary says it can be spelled veranda as well. It is used, it says, chiefly South Midland and Southern US and is a large open porch that is usually roofed and partly enclosed by a railing and often times extends across the front and sides of the house. The origin is Hindi around 1705-1715.

Then, there is piazza, which is a very interesting word with several variations of meanings. ....A public square in an Italian town. ...A public square with rooms for pedestrians. ...A roofed and arcaded passageway. ...A large porch on a house. I think of the Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy. It's the famous square in Venice you see a lot.

There is also Gallery which is probably a less used term. I think of a gallery as being on the front or rear of a house that gives the appearance of having been a porch at one time and now closed in and usually with lots of windows. In dictionary terms, it is a porch along the outside of a building and sometimes partly enclosed. Gallery is also a roofed promenade along the wall of a building and supported by arches or columns on the outer side. Also defined as a long enclosed passage. This word has the most variation of meanings as you can imagine.

And lastly deck, which is well.....a deck. ..made of wood. A deck is a deck. No ifs ands or buts. That one's easy, aye.

Being knowledgeable about architectural terms will help you to paint an accurate picture when describing a house. I saw a Southwest Home described as Mediterranean in the MLS. Yikes. Big difference. I think I will do some follow up blogs on architectural terminology.

So, here you have porch, patio, stoop, verandah, lanai, deck, courtyard, piazza, and gallery. Who knew? ....you could have so much fun with words.

A Page Translator for your Website

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 11:24:13 -0600

Here is the link for Babel Fish: http://www.babelfish.altavista.com/ You can use it to translate text or a whole web page. Although I've never done this, it seemingly gives the capability of putting a link on your website to be able to translate your website into other languages at the click of a button. I've seen other agents with it on their website. Pretty nifty huh.

Online Language Translator

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:52:39 -0600

I have some French speaking Canadian clients who don't speak English very well. I'm not completely sure how well they read English either; however, in an effort to make things easy for them, I've employed the use of google's translator tool. You can find it at http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en All you do is type what you want to say, click from what language to what language and then poof...you have your translation done. Just copy and paste it into your email. Your clients will think you are wonderful. Now, time to brush up on my French even though I've take 3 years of French classes. S'il vous plaît excusez-moi

Phone Service for just $20 a year ? Yes, it's true. Read about Magic Jack !

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 19:30:07 -0600

Here it is, a gadget that doesn't pack a punch to your wallet. It puts money back in your wallet. We realtors could use that ;-)

Magic Jack is a usb device you plug into your computer and connect to a regular phone. It will become your new Telephone Service Provider using a process call VOIP which stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol.

For $19.95 a year you get a local phone number and can make and receive phone calls just like with Vonage ($24.95 per month) or Skype ($99 per year). Unlike Vonage or Skype, with this device, you can take it anywhere you travel and still have your home phone with you provided that you can hook up to a DSL internet connection.

The USB device itself costs $39.95 which includes the first year of service. The only drawback is that you have to have your computer on and connected to broadband internet to make or receive calls; however, the voicemail will answer your calls if the computer is off or the internet or power goes down.

It also includes 911 service, directory assistance, voicemail, three way calling and call forwarding.

WOW what a product. To read more about it go to http://www.magicjack.com/ There's a video about it on the website.

You can also find it for sale on EBAY. If you buy off ebay, make sure the seller has a 99% or greater approval rating and they must have a money back return policy. If they don't, skip'em.

1. MagicJack will only work with Windows XP right now, but MAC capable is in the works. 2. Must have a USB port. 3. Must have high speed internet. 4. You can use a regular phone with it.

Happy Calling :-)

Pricing Your Home Correctly

Barry Smith (Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast) — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 22:51:18 -0600

If you went shopping for some jeans and found two pair that you liked, tried them on and found they were virtually identical....except for the price, which one would you buy? Of course, the less expensive pair. It's the same with house buying. If the Smith's down the street have a house for sale almost identical to yours and in like condition and they have theirs priced at $10,000 less than yours, which one do you think will sell first ? Buyers are looking for the best house they can get for the least money.

Price is the single biggest factor in determining how quickly your house sells. You must take into account the current market conditions and price accordingly. What's going on in the market right then and there is what you have to look at. You must ask yourself, do I want to sell in today's market? If so, that means pricing it for the here and now. It doesn't matter what you paid for your house or what you think you should get as a return. The reality is the market will determine the value of your house.

It's great to fix your house up and make it pretty to sell, but you can over spend and never get your money back. You may have heard that it is good to buy the least expensive house in a neighborhood. This idea is because the more expensive houses will bring the value of yours up. If you had such a house, you could probably add a pool and then get your money back out of it, but if you owned a house in a neighborhood where each house is valued roughly the same, then adding a $25000 pool would probably not pay for itself. So, take into account your neighborhood values before you start a major remodeling project and even better, call a Realtor to give you a home valuation. Projects that have a high rate of return are remodeling of the kitchen or bath. A side note, closing in your garage will usually decrease the value of your house and make it less saleable. Increased square footage does not equal more money in the end.

The value of your home is directly related to the law of supply and demand. Given the fact that there are so many houses on the market right now, this excess inventory brings down the price of houses by increasing competition among home owners each vying to sell their home. To come up with the right saleable price, you really need the help of a Realtor to accurately assess your home compared to those in your neighborhood that have recently sold and also those currently for sale. A Realtor can show you all kinds of useful information including days on the market, list price versus sale price, local trends and more. We have a wealth of information available to us through our MLS system that will benefit you in getting your home sold. Your goal is to be the best priced home in your area. You need to determine if you have an exclusive area; meaning, would someone wanting to buy in your area only want to live in your area or is there a similar area elsewhere. If so, then you have to broaden your scope and consider comparables beyond your immediate neighborhood. Here in St Petersburg, FL we have many waterfront homes all around the county as we are a peninsula surrounded by water. So, if you are trying to price a waterfront home in St Petersburg, you have to consider like houses in other areas.

Most people think that you should price high and negotiate down. I believe you should price your home no more than $15000 above what your Realtor thinks will be the selling price. I have found that the difference in List Price and Sale Price is usually between $10000 to $15000. So, if you price it too high, you will miss out on the buyers looking in the price range of where your home should be priced. The high price will scare buyers off and they won't even look at your house. Then, when you decide to lower it, your window of opportunity will have gone by. A house on the market will usually get the most activity during the first 30 days from buyers and other real estate agents. If you don't price it correctly, you will be chasing the market to make a sale. You need to price your house to be the best deal around, then you'll be the house that buyers look at first. If you don't price it well the first time, you will most likely end up with less in the end. It is statistically proven; the longer your house is on the market, the less you will net. Your first offer is usually your best offer.

A good Realtor will have the expertise to price your home correctly and get it sold.

Barry Smith, Keller Williams Realty Gulf Coast, St Petersburg, FL