Some great comments. Like this one below made by Lenn Harley. It is a strong and unforgiving account of the mess we are in. Lenn's position, often seen in bits and pieces in other comments, is spelled here clearly and with conviction. For those of you, who did not read the blog and comments, here is Lenn's comment :
Show me a morals clause in a deed of trust or note.
Level the playing field and give the home owners the same help given the banks and the Wall Street Gangs.
The United States will suffer for the next 10-20 years for letting the American home owner twist in the wind while saving the butts of the Wall Street Gangs and each other.
Bryant is right. This is not a morals issue. This is financial survival for many home owners.
In my blog I was trying to see how we change our opinion on the changing reality with time. How many of us looked at these issues differently just couple of years ago? How many of us denounced it then, and are more tolerable today? I am not arguing the cause, not looking at the anamnesis. Lenn might be right in her analysis of what & why. I was simply looking at us then and us today.
The dictionary definition (one of them) is "Of or concerned with the judgment of the goodness or badness of human action and character"
For me it can't be just financial OR moral issue. It is both. We can't separate them. Morals define how we, humans, see our actions. We judge, and we judge everything. Yes, it may be OK to do something because it is so rampant and widely used and accepted, but we may still be not at peace with ourselves.
We have an elaborate and all-encompassing system of laws. Do we need morals? Laws is when a person would not steal because of the punishment for the crime. Morals is when the person will not steal even if nobody see it, and nobody will punish. Without morals robbing a bank may qualify as good financial decision.
"Show me a morals clause in a deed of trust or note."
You are right, Lenn, I can't. As I can't show you the soul in any, even the most deserving human being in the world.
Bryant Tutas stepped on our collective toes with his post Morally Wrong....OR...Financially Sound?The post generated 175 comments within just couple of days. Terrific post, terrific comments. Definitely worth reading, so click and you will not regret. He twisted the legal subject and asked whether it was moral.
The reason it is such a passionate discussion, is that we are to make the adjustments, that we did not think we would have to make. We lived in the world, where the promise to pay equalled the obligation to pay, and the moral thing to do and the only right way to do it. Foreclosures were the exceptions, they were not us. Someone else, less fortunate, less diligent, less lucky.
When the fallout started, we kept adhering to the moral stand. We are paying our debts. But the market kept falling, and holding to the principles was wearing us out and getting increasingly frustrated.
At that time if we could pay, we paid. Changing reality was testing us. The notion that acting responsibly and morally was the right thing to do and doing the right thing was supposed to be good and rewarding... but it wasn't.
Our world in the last few years has changed dramatically. We are painfully adjusting to the new reality. We stand to make our choices how we are going to deal with this changed reality. What is moral and what is not. What we would accept as a norm, and what we not.
We are facing changes that we have never faced before. Moral issues will be numerous, and sticking to the morals of 4 years ago may not help us. It is a nostalgic notion to keep the morals of the past working for the present. The world changes, we change, the morals change. I understand that morals are not the condom used once only (we are still rich enough to afford a one-time condom, aren't we?). But by the same token they are not the dogma, that never changes. They should not be the form without substance, without real life, that left.
3-4 years ago the idea of stopping the payments, do a short sale of your property was appalling. It was definitely a "no". It has changed. It is not only people who made poor decisions, and people who were not responsible. People who thought they were acting responsibly are in the same line.
We have already changed. Unless you think that the only place for them is jail, you have changed your stance on that. This is no longer immoral.
Strategic default that is happening now, not 3 years ago, is often nothing else, but the understanding that the real default is around the corner, and turning off the moral life support today will simply help avoid or delay the moment when it turns into inability to feed the family and provide shelter after spending the last borrowed penny.
Because when we say, that if people can pay, they have to pay, we might be pushing them dangerously close to the point that they deplete their credit cards paying for what they would not be able to keep anyway.
Let them walk. This is not fun for them. They are not criminals. They are you and me, greedy or not greedy, it does not really matter. They are you and me, caught in the big mess, that we did not see coming. We should've but we are neither Bush, nor Obama. Big mess that everyone else failed to warn us about.
I knew that there is a gap between American and Russian mentality, but I did not know that it was so wide. This just tells me how different we actually are.
You see, for me and my wife the story, even if it was not true, was in line with the Russian mentality and character. It is a different world, where life and health have different value (if you could ever read Babel's "Red Cavalry", you will not only enjoy a first class literature, but will have a deeper understanding of what I am talking about. Believe me, if you read it, screwing porcupines would seem like innocuous fun (in terms of unbelievable cruelty to others and upon themselves)
It is not that Russians are stupid as a nation, but it is that Russians would take so much greater risks than Americans even in situations where they put their well-being and even life at stake. Where Americans religiously stop at breaking the law, Russian would use every chance to do it, even if they risk to get hurt, and even if the results can't give them any benefit at all. You tell the Russians that they can't do something, and just watch them. Like these two guys...
If the guys could go and try to screw a porcupine just out of curiosity, what can they do when they are dead serious... and even more drunk?
After reading Sally and David's comment that it would take the guys to drink a whole bottle of vodka to dare screwing a porcupine, we (with my wife) just burst into laughter, as we both know that guys might have had way more than a bottle of vodka (whiskey in this case) between the two of them. One bottle could have made them look for women, but it would take more than one bottle to look for a porcupine...
Let's forget about sex and think how different we are on this planet. If a simple story about two drunk Russians looks so unbelievable to Americans, just think about how wrong we - Americans - may be when dealing with the Russians. If we deal with Russia assuming that they feel as Americans, think as Americans, and act as Americans, would it be reasonable to say that our actions could easily be plain stupid?
The Russians do not act as Americans in similar situations. But in a sense the Russians are still closer to Americans than Iranians, North Koreans, and a bunch of other nations and nationalities. Russia is a Christian country, and blowing themselves up has not gained popularity there. But there are many other places, where the gap between mindsets is much wider, and where blowing themselves up just to kill others, no matter how innocent they might be is a commendable act.
The fundamental principles for Americans are freedom, respect for life, democracy... There will be very little that would match it with the Russians. But try matching it to the core values of Muslim Iran or socialist North Korea, and they will not be even close.. So, they may blow themselves while Americans would never do that; they will screw porcupines (literally and metaphorically), while Americans would never do that, and they can drop a nuke with no reason (from the American point of view) at all. Because sense and reason are perceived differently. If I see my destiny in dying for the cause, it makes sense to me and it does not make sense to you. We use different scales, different points of reference.
I think the difference between the Russian mindset (or mentality) and American is that Americans come from the undisputed value of the individual, hence the respect for individual rights. The Russians never had much respect for individual. Nor in tsarist time, and even less in socialist times. (If you could read outstanding novels of Nobel Prize winner (Literature, 1965) - Mikhail Sholokhov "And Quiet Flows the Don" and "Virgin Soil Upturned", you would enjoy it tremendously and better understand "The Russian Soul", which, according to Dostoevsky, "the most basic, most rudimentary spiritual need of the Russian people is the need for suffering, ever-present and unquenchable, everywhere and in everything").Do you notice any resemblance to American Core Values? Do you understand that on its deepest level unquenchable need for suffering has nothing to do with respect for life and respect for individual?
It has always been the value of the country over the value of any of the citizens. Country is everything, an individual is nothing. So, do not be surprised that poor and underprivileged would unite under the nationalistic banners and would die for the pride of the nation (in their understanding). You can't imagine how much pride there is. Hence the hype when Putin raged the war against Georgia. The war and victory is feeding the Russian pride and Putin's popularity. And if his popularity would go to dangerously low levels, there may be another war, and it will be a matter of pride again. People in Russia (and not only n Russia) are used to adore the strong hand. Russia, however, would restrain from nuking the world even for the pride (but try running a poll and there will be a lot of people who would be in favor of nuking US). But North Koreans would. They are tremendously bluffing, and tremendously bullish, but cornered they might press the button. As long as the Great Leader (it is such a poor translation, it is not "leader" the way we understand it here, it is more than a father to whom your obedience is unquestioned) would consider death rather then abandoning the great socialist idea, he would push the button. In that system there is no one to stop him, like there was no one to stop Saddam Hussein.
Russia may go with the idea, like Nazis went with the social/nationalistic/ethnic idea. Terrorists usually come from Muslim fundamentalism, and here you deal with a religious idea, and the individual rights are nowhere to be found even under the microscope.
When we come to them offering democracy, freedom, value of individual, and utmost respect for life, are we preaching to the wall?
Some people think that if we do not bug others, they will not bug us. Actually it is the opposite. Because they are not trying to protect their way of living and breathing and thinking. They are trying to make the whole world think like them, as only then there is a justification for their acts. If it is everywhere, then it is unquestionable. They can't keep up with the developing world, so the only way to prove their mission is to keep the world at their pace and to their liking. If September 11 did not show you that, then history is not a teacher for you
You do not need to take it from me. Every statement from the Fundamentalists claim just that, and sets this as a goal. Not to prevent the West from interfering with their way of living on their soil, no. Just destroying the West. Instilling their values upon the world. If you do not like it, you dead.
Just as Hamas' goal is not to have the sovereignty and coexist with others, but destruction of Israel. The whole Western civilization is a bone in the throat of Muslim Fundamentalist movement. You can buy time by bowing to them and appeasing them, but another Munich is not a solution. Did not work before, is not going to work now.
Of course on individual level Americans would hardly have sex with porcupines. But on a national level... maybe. Because when I read that we are bringing our values to the world, I am afraid that the goal is wrong, and the results might be as enjoyable as intercourse with a porcupine. When I read that we want to talk to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it sounds like we want to get in bed with Iran. We will get screwed, in the most painful and unpleasant way.
Can sex with a porcupine be a learning experience?
As others, I just laughed at these still in force laws here in Florida. It was hard to believe that we needed a law like that. I thought that sex with porcupine could be a very effective crime deterrent, but it was difficult to believe that porcupines are really in danger of sexual advances from humans.
Even the thought of tinkering with porcupines with your pants down can get you goosebumps.
Why am I talking about that now? Well, you would not believe it.
I recently stopped by a Russian Deli. I rarely go there, and I use this opportunity to pick up a couple of Russian language local newspapers. Imagine my surprise when I ran into a story about two young guys (30 and 32 years old) from St. Petersburg, Russia, who were vacationing in the US. They had a brochure with funny laws in the country, and they couldn't stop laughing at this stupid Florida Law prohibiting sex with porcupines. However, after way too much drinking, they came up with the idea to break the law. How they were able to find a porcupine is still a mystery to me. But they got a porcupine and proceeded to have sex with it.
I guess they were so drunk, that they did not care about their sex object. And early in the morning they got on a plane to California. By the time they got there, they had to go straight to the hospital. Medics were quite puzzled finding foreign objects in guys' genitalia.
And the story did not end there. Later, when they returned to Russia, they again had to deal with the doctors, as both got severe inflammation. There is something there, guys, so avoid the temptation.
Guess, that was a very memorable sex. Some Russians are great explorers... especially after a lot of booze.
An Orlando couple walked in my office yesterday off a Marquee sign in front of the resort saying "Condos For Sale From $50K". So, I took them to one of the units in Fountain Beach Resort, were my office is, and they were unimpressed. They asked me whether I could show them anything that would impress them.
Sure.
I suggested that we go and look at Plaza, and I told them that I could not guarantee I culd be able to show them the units, but at least they would get the idea of the resort in general.
They wanted to follow me in their car, but I insisted they go with me as on Friday before 4th of July weekend, finding parking could be a challenge.
I know where to find parking, and there was just one space left. Lucky us. We got in and the first thing my party said was "wow". I left them "wowing" and went to see if I could get the keys from Ashley Brannan, Owner Relations Manager, a liaison for Real Estate agents, who want to show units, as the Front Desk would not give keys to agents. Which means that usually you need to call or e-mail to Ashley in advance to get access. Which also means that we are not showing units on Saturdays and Sundays.
I was lucky,Ashley was in her office, and she kindly tried to find anything still available in this busy resort on a busy weekend, and then went to the front desk and ran me the keys for one oceanview and one oceanfront unit. She told me to rush, as both rooms were reserved, and guest could show up at any minute. And when we just walked out of the first unit I showed to my party, people with suitcases were coming to the door.
Oceanview unit is a smaller unit - 372 SF, small kitchenette, granite countertops, 50' plazma screen TV. Everything is quality: furniture, bedding, window treatments. As for the view, for me it is a better view than a direct oceanfront unit offers. You not only see way more of the beach, but you also see the gorgeous pool area. Practically all the time people ask me for direct oceanfront only. I always try to get the keys for both the direct oceanfront and oceanview. And after I show both, I ask them which view they like more. Often times ocean view unit wins.
Did I impress my party? You bet, I did. I will not be surprised to hear from them shortly. My two last sales in Plaza Resort & Spa were to people who are buying site unseen. Actually one closed last Tuesday, but the other is closing in a week. Both sales are short sales, where by the time the approval came, the buyers walked away. Two units on the south side with a great ocean and city view. In both I represent the Buyers. It is funny, but I have not met my client, who closed on the unit last Tuesday. It is all Internet.
Do you know how much they buy for? $44,900. Yeap, no zeros missed, just $44,900. A place which is rented very well, one of the busiest, if not the busiest resorts in the area. Prices now are a bit higher, but there are still great deals there.
I know that the split between the Resort and the owners is 50/50 after the management subtracts 3% transaction fee, 10% of the balance for cleaning, 2% reserve for replacement of furniture, fixtures or equipment. Leaving the owner with 43.65% of the gross income.
I came to the Front Desk and asked them about the rate that Friday night. $259 for city view, $269 for ocean view, and $279 for direct oceanfront studio.
For an oceanview studio, 2 days at this rate will bring the owner $234.84.
Call me 386-405-4408 if you want to become one lucky owner yourself.
Somehow my posts about The Plaza Resort & Spa got some people confused. I am getting quite a number of requests regarding Plaza, and here are many questions and concerns regarding the Association Fee, d Property Taxes and Insurance.
Q. What is the monthly Maintenance (Association) Fee? A. Maintenance Fee is $528.50 a month. There are condo-hotels in Daytona with nearly half of that maintenance, and where your rental income is not enough to cover maintenance fee and taxes.
Q. Does it mean that Plaza with their higher maintenance would cost you money to pay towards maintenance and taxes. A. No, it does not. Oceanfront and oceanview units are in the black (mortgage is not taken into consideration)
Q. What are the property taxes? A. Can't give you the exact amount. The Buyer's taxes will not be the same that the Seller's taxes. There are several factors affecting the taxes, and purchase price is one of the most important. Just to get the idea, use 2.1%-2.3% of value.
Q. Will taxes for the buyer be higher that what the Seller was paying? A. Today it most probably is the opposite. The Sellers paid much more for the units. If you buy for significantly lower, you tax should reflect the loss of value.
Q. Do Canadians have to pay higher tax? A.Property tax will be the same for US citizens and for Canadians (and for everybody else). But Canadians will have to pay 10% to IRS when they sell the property (FIRPTA Withholding)
Q. Do we need to have the insurance? A. The insurance on the Building is part of your Association Fee. However, if the unit is on rental program, you have to have liability insurance for inside the unit. The way it is done in Plaza is that they take care of insuring the units for the owners at $16.41 a month.
If I have not answered all questions, please call or e-mail and I will either write another blog, or simply send you the answer by e-mail.
If you think you are ready to leap from the theory to getting a unit in Plaza at just fraction of a fraction of the original price, call me at 386-405-4408.
We had an open house yesterday, we put the signs, and then tied the balloons to the sign. Unfortunately it lasted only a few seconds, and then the balloons got loose and we could only waive "bye-bye" as they were disappearing in the blue sky.
I rushed to the nearest K-Mart Plaza to buy a new set. There was a lady sitting at the table in front of the store. She had several petitions and was inviting people to sign. I was in a rush, but one of the petitions caught my eye. "Stop development" or something of the sort. Yes, it was against the greedy developers, and it was suggesting that we take charge of our destiny.
The destiny, as I could understand, was to preserve what we have. So, I asked the lady whether she was really willing to take charge. She did not understand me. Then I pointed to the closed stores on the very same Plaza. These businesses could not survive, and they are gone. I told her that this means that there will be less money in taxes coming from the closed businesses. But this is not all. People, who worked in these businesses have lost their jobs and there is not much jobs around, so they are on unemployment, which is money. The owners of these closed businesses also paid their part of taxes for the employees, and now this is gone.
Why is it happening to us? Not enough business. Not enough people coming to this tourist destination, that has done practically nothing to attract tourists. Destination, that is miserably failing to attract, to develop a tourist friendly place. The destination, which is a destination mostly simply because of what G-d has to offer, not what people made of it or added to it. Yes, it has a great warm ocean, gorgeous beaches, warm climate, and ... well, that's pretty much it.
Yeah, we are in recession. Everyone is. Wrong answer. Like real estate is local, tourists destinations are local and their success or failure is to a huge extent in the hands of the people. You either get it and make it attractive, or you don't and then keep it for yourself. But if you do not get the money from tourists, who's paying?
If we are so adamantly against greedy developers, who put in a lot of money, we should understand that the needed money, if not coming from flourishing businesses, and which are the result of development, have to come from somewhere else, and this somewhere else is our taxes.
So, I asked the lady whether she was personally ready to take charge and write a check for, let's say, only a thousand dollars, which would only be morally right. She got very upset with me. Why did she need to put money? She wouldn't. Was I stupid or not? It was all against greedy developers, but her taking charge was with the idea that she does it with other people's money.
This is not taking charge. Is when I object and you pay called democracy? These people do not want to lose the services, and they do not want to pay, but they want to say "No".
I asked her, which developments the group, she represented, was opposing to. But it was in general, no particular developments in mind, Wake up, people. Look around, there are too few developments in the work, few if any coming.
Democracy should not be the means of making others pay for your destiny. Next time before saying "no", get your checkbook, and get ready to write a check. At least it will be honest.
But we keep marching on. Preserving... and what the heck are they preserving? Empty stores and empty streets, needing repaving? Empty beaches, and half-empty hotels? Restaurants and other small and medium businesses closing their doors?
I understand that there should be the right balance, but I do not see any at all. Every attempt to bring something to the area is facing a fierce fight. Crowds packing the hearings, and few voices of reason fade in the choir "We do not need it". And it does not matter what is offered. Just no change.
Daytona Beach Shores is a home to a condo row known as the Oceans. They started in the glorious 70s and at that time were quite a statement for a small quaint place on the Atlantic Ocean.
They go by the numbers: Oceans One, Oceans Two and so on, skipping Oceans Nine, and it ends in Oceans Ten. All by one developer, Bellemead. In addition to the Oceans from One to Ten, which are all direct oceanfront buildings, there are also two twelve-story Oceans Atrium and Oceans Atrium One, sitting between Oceans Three and Oceans Four.
Majority of them have already undergone major concrete restoration replacing rusted balconies, some have replaced elevators, and some are in the process of doing it. The buildings, though not new, and far from today's stringent codes, proved to be quite resilient and survived through the hurricane season of 2004 without major problems. Buying there you may reasonably expect that it would cost you to bring it to a sparkling condition.
Rental restrictions differ and you should not be surprised that the minimum can be 3 months. Yes, you can rent it, but renting 4 times a year will not make you Rockefeller.
Oceans One, Oceans Three, Oceans Five, and Oceans Seven are the same architecture. Six units on the floor, zigzagged building provides direct oceanfront from any unit, while allowing for the great views of both the ocean from each unit, and the intracoatal.
Besides direct oceanfront buildings, the Bellemead Oceans complex (not an official name) includes two 22-story towers of One Oceans West Blvd (two rounded towers on the left, built in 1983, and the last building in the Oceans complex - Oceans Grand. Actually, Oceans Grand was not built by Bellemead, it was built by another developer (Callahan & Sons -developer, Yates - builder).
You can see it in the photo to the left. This was the last high-rise built in Daytona Beach Shores, which has set the height limit to 120 ft (12-stories max), but had to allow the construction of Oceans Grand, as it was grandfathered.
There are two more buildings farther north. They are 7-story Coverleaf South and Cloverleaf North. Pretty neat concept, with a circular garage in the middle, so that you can get to your floor, and 4 wings. All of those buildings offer breathtaking views of the Ocean and the Intracoastal. Oceans Grand was competed in the spring of 2006. First pre-construction prices for a two-bedroom were about $250K on the 9th floor, then quickly went to $300K, then went up again. The slowing of the market came with the closings, and the developer was lucky enough with the timing.
The building is with 9' ceilings, double doors entryways, large 2 bdr/ 2 bath units with a den starting from 1,649 SF plus a balcony. Granite standard.
The older buildings in the Oceans series are all with 8' ceilings. 2 bdr/2 bath units on the ocean are about 1,200 SF plus a balcony. The exception is the Oceans Four, where units are much larger. Newer buildings in the series are a bit nicer. All buildings in the complex are not really luxury buildings. They are more bare bone type, which is not surprising for older buildings in Florida.
The complex enjoys enviable location. This is a rare place in Daytona area, where you may live without a car. A shopping center anchored by Publix is just across the street (see photo), two drug stores are right there, plus a bank.
Below is the table showing all available for sale units on MLS. It is accurate as of June 24. There was a rush of sales recently and there is a bunch of contingent and pending contracts, and the prices are up from $140K lowest asking a month ago to $159K lowest asking today. Speaking about falling market...
Floor
Name
Bedr
Baths
Size
Price
Price PSF
View
21
Oceans One
2
2
1297
$159,000
$122.59
direct oceanfront, penthouse, needs TLC
18
Oceans Five
2
2
1062
$169,900
$159.98
Oceanview/front
5
Oceans Seven
2
2
1200
$175,000
$145.83
Oceanview/front, furnished
16
Oceans Seven
2
2
1200
$179,900
$149.92
Oceanview/front
15
Oceans Five
2
2
1252
$184,900
$147.68
Oceanview/front, furnished
2
Oceans Three
2
2
1028
$188,000
$182.88
Oceanview/front
6
Oceans Two
2
2
1299
$188,900
$145.42
Oceanview/front, designer unit, furnished, storm shutters
10
Oceans One
2
2
1297
$189,900
$146.41
direct oceanfront
12
Oceans Five
2
2
1028
$196,900
$191.54
Oceanview/front
15
Oceans One
2
2
1162
$198,000
$170.40
Oceanview/front
4
Oceans Five
2
2
1112
$199,900
$179.77
Oceanview/front
I checked the
inventory of condos on the beachside (between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean), and it has decreased quite a bit. A year ago or so, there were 1063 condos on the beachside, and today only 831. That's about 20% decrease, which is a very good indication of the changing market. I am watching this process, that started in January, it is steady, so it does not look like a seasonal fluke.
You see the photos, and the areal photo below gives you a better idea of the Oceans complex
Summer came with noticeable heat and the temperatures quickly climbed to the near record high with heat index hitting 107F. Channel 13 is showing a map of Florida all in red with only a thin orange line along the Atlantic Ocean. Red is over 100F. Orange is over 90F. This is only along the waters of Atlantic. And that's where I am.
I live in Ponce Inlet, in a condo across the street from the Ocean.
I got up too late to go to the beach in the morning, the sun was already unforgiving, and I had what to do in the cool comfort of my condo. I had to do some work and sitting at the computer I was glancng in the window to see the ocean, which was unusually calm on Sunday.
My time comes at about 6 P.M. You walk out of the door into a balmy air. Here on the island the temperatures in summer are usually a few degrees lower than on the mainland, and a few degrees higher in winter, which works fine for me.
But all it takes is to cross State Road A1A (Atlantic Ave), and take the walkway to the ocean, and you feel the cool breeze. That is the beauty of the Ocean. The sun is low and tender on your skin. The ocean is very calm, water is 80F, you walk into the gently rolling waves, the water is clean and you see the bottom. A big crab is running away bit I still manage to bother another one a few feet farther, and I scream taken aback when it gets me by the toe. A few steps later I step on a small fish, that slips from under my foot.
I like that time of the day. All colors are more dramatic and pronounced. Setting sun changes the colors every 5 to 10 minutes. The Ocean is always fascinating and different. It depends on the sky, and with all the variations in the clouds, their shape and color and height and speed, it never stops to surprise you.
Where the waives break, the white is turning pink in the last rays of the sinking sun. The beach is dotted by crab holes. You only see crabs when they move. Otherwise they blend with the sand perfectly and you would walk by and not notice them.
Sandpipers are busy following the waive and finding something that only they can see. Pelicans patrol the waters graciously gliding on top of the waives without touching the water.
Sunday is Fathers Day and there are many people on the beach. Of course, by our standards. And when we can see 12 people on the beach, that's a lot. That is many for us.
If you can picture yourself on this quiet and secluded beach, give me a call at FUN (386)-255-5355.
With over 150K members, we are like a medium size city, and in a city of this size it is easy to live next to someone and never meet that someone, and never hear about this someone.
As real estate professionals, we usually have the knowledge of the areas we serve to the point that we have the sixth sense of this area. So that when the Buyer calls, we do not need to tell her/him that we would pull the information off the MLS and would call them later.
But will this call come? Are we sure that it will come, and that we have done everything that our phone rings? We complain that business is slow, and buyers are sitting on the fence, but the truth is that if we are not closing, someone does. If our phone rings on big holidays only, someone else's phone is hot. If that were not the case, everyone would be in the same situation, but this is not true. Some are leaving the industry, some are barely surviving, and some are dong well. And believe it or not, some are doing phenomenal.
We are complaining that the buyers are sitting on the fence and we can't get them to listen to us. It is very frustrating. But are we using the right words? Are we touching their hearts?
Kay Steele Faulk knows how to do it. Because this is exactly what she is doing for living. Writing irresistible words.
I like how she writes, and I like her decency and class. She is not pushy, not overly aggressive, but she sure has great talent, skills and experience. I am surprised that on AR she is not followed the way I thought she deserves. There are not many comments on her blog. And I thought that we might be missing on a good opportunity to follow someone who really knows what she are doing. And I thought that if I can sort of introduce her to you, guys, you would not be disappointed. No kickbacks are involved, and she does not even know about this blog post (but I will send her the link after posting).
I am sure that many of us could greatly benefit from using the right words. But we are all gurus, and rarely see where we are missing, and rarely understand what we do not do right. And I am not the exception.
On one of Kay's blogs I ran into this video, Historia de un letero (A story of a sign). I simply could not resist the temptation of putting it here for you. Watch it, you will enjoy it immensely. It is in Italian, and the sign says "Have mercy. I am blind". Look closer at this guy with the attache case. This is Kay. She may look different, but this is what she does.
I bought her 5-letter series. As everything in this economy.... at deeply discounted price. And if this will make my phone ring only once, it is a heck of a deal.
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Show me a morals clause in a deed of trust or note.
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When the fallout started, we kept adhering to the moral stand. We are paying our debts. But the market kept falling, and holding to the principles was wearing us out and getting increasingly frustrated.
You see, for me and my wife the story, even if it was not true, was in line with the Russian mentality and character. It is a different world, where life and health have different value (if you could ever read Babel's "
The fundamental principles for Americans are freedom, respect for life, democracy... There will be very little that would match it with the Russians. But try matching it to the core values of Muslim Iran or socialist North Korea, and they will not be even close.. So, they may blow themselves while Americans would never do that; they will screw porcupines (literally and metaphorically), while Americans would never do that, and they can drop a nuke with no reason (from the American point of view) at all. Because sense and reason are perceived differently. If I see my destiny in dying for the cause, it makes sense to me and it does not make sense to you. We use different scales, different points of reference. 
As others, I just laughed at these still in force laws here in Florida. It was hard to believe that we needed a law like that. I thought that sex with porcupine could be a very effective crime deterrent, but it was difficult to believe that porcupines are really in danger of sexual advances from humans.
I guess they were so drunk, that they did not care about their sex object. And early in the morning they got on a plane to California. By the time they got there, they had to go straight to the hospital. Medics were quite puzzled finding foreign objects in guys' genitalia.
Did I impress my party? You bet, I did. I will not be surprised to hear from them shortly. My two last sales in Plaza Resort & Spa were to people who are buying site unseen. Actually one closed last Tuesday, but the other is closing in a week. Both sales are short sales, where by the time the approval came, the buyers walked away. Two units on the south side with a great ocean and city view. In both I represent the Buyers. It is funny, but I have not met my client, who closed on the unit last Tuesday. It is all Internet.
Prices now are a bit higher, but there are still great deals there.
Q. Does it mean that Plaza with their higher maintenance would cost you money to pay towards maintenance and taxes. 
I was in a rush, but one of the petitions caught my eye. "Stop development" or something of the sort. Yes, it was against the greedy developers, and it was suggesting that we take charge of our destiny.
So, I asked the lady whether she was personally ready to take charge and write a check for, let's say, only a thousand dollars, which would only be morally right. She got very upset with me. Why did she need to put money? She wouldn't. Was I stupid or not? It was all against greedy developers, but her taking charge was with the idea that she does it with other people's money.
Daytona Beach Shores is a home to a condo row known as the Oceans. They started in the glorious 70s and at that time were quite a statement for a small quaint place on the Atlantic Ocean.
Summer came with noticeable heat and the temperatures quickly climbed to the near record high with heat index hitting 107F. Channel 13 is showing a map of Florida all in red with only a thin orange line along the Atlantic Ocean. Red is over 100F. Orange is over 90F. This is only along the waters of Atlantic. And that's where I am.
I got up too late to go to the beach in the morning, the sun was already unforgiving, and I had what to do in the cool comfort of my condo. I had to do some work and sitting at the computer I was glancng in the window to see the ocean, which was unusually calm on Sunday.
Where the waives break, the white is turning pink in the last rays of the sinking sun. The beach is dotted by crab holes. You only see crabs when they move. Otherwise they blend with the sand perfectly and you would walk by and not notice them.
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