Lisa's Blog

Follow Up to Real Estate Housing Market Hits a New Low? Yikes!

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 00:07:02 -0500

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daytona Beach Houses for Sale: Drastic Price Reductions!

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:35:40 -0500

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

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

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

Volusia County Real Estate Update: 2nd Quarter 2008

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:15:44 -0500

If you're a regular reader of my blogs, you know that for 2007, I did a city-by-city, 2000-2007 real estate report for Volusia County (Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach areas), including graphs of that data. Here are the links to those reports...

Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Holly Hill, Ormond Beach, Ormond by the Sea, Ponce Inlet, Port Orange, South Daytona, Wilbur by the Sea, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach.

I also did a combination city-by-city, all-in-one graph for this data. You can view this data in the graph at the right.

I also did a first quarter real estate report for the beginning of 2008.

We've now just ended the 2nd quarter of real estate for 2008, and I am once again preparing the data for the blogs for this time period. As you probably already know, creating the graph with each city's data is quite time consuming.

So this post is to let you know that the 2008 2nd Quarter Real Estate Graph & Details for Volusia County will be posted shortly. I know that blogs are pretty boring when you're just looking at numbers, with no comparison to previous data. But in order to at least provide some information, here is the short list of the 2008, 2nd quarter real estate data for each city in Volusia county. And over the next couple of weeks, I will be providing the in-depth data and personal market knowledge of each city, as I have done in the past. So keep checking back! And I hope this will tide you over in the interim =)

Without further ado, here is the city-by-city preliminary 2nd quarter real estate listing and sales data for Volusia County, 2008.

Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach Shores
Holly Hill
Ormond Beach
Ormond-by-the-Sea
Ponce Inlet
Port Orange
South Daytona
Wilbur-by-the-Sea
Edgewater/Florida Shores
New Smyrna Beach

If you're interested in buying or selling real estate in Volusia County, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

Real estate buyers and sellers, view my real estate listings and real estate videos. Real estate sellers, this will give you a small taste of how I sell my llistings in the most professional manner. You can browse this blog for more representations. Real estate buyers, you'll find extensive descriptions, then plenty of photos and videos of my listings when you follow these links. If you don't find what you need here, e-mail me and I'll be happy to setup the completely automated system from our MLS, which will e-mail you new listings within your specifications every day. The REAL Multiple Listing Systems that only REALTORS® can access is the only way to find ALL the real estate listings that are available. Public access sites don't present all REALTOR® MLS listings, even though that's what they'd like you to believe. Those sites also don't have full descriptions, all the phots and video tours. The shortening of all this information is due to limited "band width" on their servers.

For full real estate listing data, you need the representation of a local REALTOR®. Lisa Hill is the Smart Choice for all of Volusia County.

Real Estate Housing Market Hits a New Low? Yikes!

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 22:58:44 -0500

We all know the real estate industry is in dire straits. But I just read something that takes the proverbial cake.

I had so many titles running through my mind for this post. Thankfully, I found something appropriate to settle on. LOL

Check this out. For this woman, the housing market is so bad, she's offering her hand in marriage along with an acceptable contract on her home. When I saw the photo of the woman, SOOO many more thoughts ran through my mind, which I am determined not to add to this post. I'll let you form your own opinions. There are just some things that jump out at my darned eye for detail! *crap!* (Umm, I'm sure she's a very nice lady?)

Anyway, here's the link to the article on MSNBC.... Can you believe this actually made it onto MSNBC? And on my home page no less! Single Mom Selling FL Home, Heart Online. The title of her online ad? "Marry a Princess Lost in America" *sigh*

I think I have now officially seen it all, but you can read my follow up to this post here: Follow up to Real Estate Housing Market Hits a New Low? Yikes!

If you need to sell real estate in the Daytona Beach area, and are not quite this desperate ;) I'd love to help. Make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS for all your real estate needs.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

And view my new real estate blog at www.UltimateRealEstateBlog.com!

Bad Real Estate Market? Where is the REALTOR® Responsibility?

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:42:55 -0500

Are the Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, New Smyrna Beach and surrounding areas of real estate market still shifting? Is it up to everyone in the Real Estate Industry to keep the market moving? These are the opening questions and statements by Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman in her recent post about the Hawaii real estate market. As usual, Sally used her unique charm and motivating words to direct us to be the best at what we do. I personally needed the kick in the pants. We all know that the media will only report a negative spin on any subject. Be we're all responsible for our own attitudes. And the old saying, "Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude" will always be true. (Read my previous post titled "Boosting Your Attitude".)

To add to this, the bible says, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks". If you know someone who is just negative and cranky all the time, you automatically know what's in their heart. Being around these types of people will not help you to get your real estate business back on track. There's another scripture that states that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. (These passages have all been paraphrased, straight from my memory. My apologies. I tend to remember the scriptures but not the passages.)

It was not my intent for this to be a sermon, but if that's what it takes to stick with the "attitude" boost, then so be it. We need this real estate market to change! So, to continue with the TRUTH, here's a direct biblical quote for anyone who is still feeling sorry for themselves, or feeling hopeless about the real estate market, or maybe feeling overwhelmed about their financial circumstances. From www.BibleGateway.com, (NIV), James 1:2-7

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.

Yeah, I know. It sounds harsh. But life really is pretty harsh, isn't it? So how is it that some people are able to rise above their circumstances, while others fall apart at the first sign of trouble? Well, it's really all about attitude and our outlook. Here's verse 12 of the same passage: "12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." This is pretty awesome if you think about it. It means there's an end in sight, and that not only is there a reason for the hard times, but that if we persevere through those hard times, and learn the intended lesson, we'll reap a reward for our willingness to withstand the test. (Insert profit from real estate here.)

One more bible story and lesson. This one packs a punch! (Again from biblegateway.com) Matthew 14:29-31

29"Come," he (Jesus) said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

If you didn't get it, allow me to elaborate. When we keep our focus on Christ, or on the prize/success/sale/end result... we're moving toward that goal, in spite of the circumstances. But when we start looking at all the negative circumstances, listening to negative people, reading or watching negative media, WE SINK!

Yes, it really is that simple. So stay away from toxic people, negative media, or even your own bad experiences. Don't lose focus and don't lose hope. Wherever you're focused is where you're heading.

Every day and even every moment we have choices. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I have some extra obstacles to overcome. And although I usually do a pretty good job of staying focused and upbeat, sometimes I let my circumstances get me down. But I always have a choice. Am I going to choose to lose? Or am I going to choose to win? It's up to me. And it's all in where I'm focused. The scriptures I references are what I need to keep going and not lose focus.

If you'll allow me to shift gears, I'd like to refer back to Sally's post. Here's a direct quote from Sally. "I also believe that it is up to everyone in the Real Estate Industry to keep the market moving forward. With our professional attitudes shining through in all communication and contact with our clients and peers and being thorough in our process through each and every transaction are just a few points to always be aware of."

It's my understanding of Sally's message that we need to take things a step further. I just focused this post on how to keep our attitudes right and how to focus on the positive things in our lives, in spite of the circumstances. But Sally takes it a step further. Sally is indicating that WE, the professionals in the real estate industry... the REALTORS®, mortgage brokers, title companies, home stagers, home inspectors and everyone else involved with real estate should keep EVERY encounter a positive one.

So if you let the scriptures and lessons I discussed sink in and take root, and grow until they overwhelm your thinking and revolutionize your business, along with every area of your life; then combine this internal change with Sally's powerful message about letting your higher level of professionalism shine through in every conversation, WE have the power to change the direction of our real estate climate. Think about the most well-known people in history who have had a positive influence in our culture. Jesus Christ, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa and many more. There were each just ONE person. So what's stopping us ALL from coming together to bring about change? We're each just one person. But we already have a common goal. If we have the determination, and apply truth and wisdom to our thinking, we can be an unstoppable force!

I can't think of a single reason why any ONE of us can't be a catalyst for positive change, not only in the real estate industry, but in anything we set our minds to do. I personally get all my strength from God. On my own, my thoughts and attitudes tend to spiral downward at a pretty fast pace. But with biblical truths and principles, and keeping my eyes on Jesus instead of the storm, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

ONE MORE ADDITION, IN RESPONSE TO SUSIE'S COMMENT: Susie- To clarify, I DO NOT agree with NAR's campaign saying "Now is a great time to buy". And I won't lie to people. But if you think about the way our parents told us "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" and apply that principle... the same way you can look at a person who is very unattractive, but still find something nice to say about them, that's the way I think we should do business.

If you're looking for a real estate agent to represent you in the sale of your home, and not let the negative media keep them from working hard for you, I'd love to help!

If you're a real estate buyer, looking for a REALTOR® to represent your interests and explain each step of the closing process, as well as the real estate contingencies involved in the process, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. Adams Cameron has 2 offices in Daytona Beach, 1 in Port Orange, 3 in Ormond Beach, 1 in Palm Coast, and 1 in DeLand. We have more offices than any other brokerage in Volusia county. Lisa Hill and Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS® are the Smart Choice for all real estate buyers, as well as real estate sellers.

Click here if you're a real estate buyer, having trouble understanding real estate contracts and contingencies.

Daytona Beach 2 bedroom condo/apartment for rent.

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 20:49:12 -0500

Just last week a posted a blog about the Daytona Beach condo-conversion project I have listed, with 42 units for sale or rent in this completely remodeled building. In that post titled Buy or Lease a Daytona Beach Condo, I said we only had 5 units left, and they were all 1 bedrooms. However, due to an eviction, we now have ONE, 2 bedroom unit available! That apartment is now cleaned up and ready to be re-rented.

If you're interested in a 2 bedroom apartment for rent, in the heart of Daytona Beach, just blocks from the ocean, call or e-mail me today! I'm scheduling appointments for tomorrow afternoon so don't hesitate!

Surfside Villas Unit 105

Move into this 2 bedroom unit within just a couple of days, for only a $500 deposit, $40 for background and credit check, and rent is $750 per month. Small pets are allowed with $100 pet fee. Water is included in your rent, and their is a laundry room on the premises. Sign a one-year lease and the last month is FREE!

As I said, these apartments are completely remodeled, with beautiful tile throughout every unit, plus brand new kitchen cabinets and appliances, granite counters, new bathroom sink, toilet, cabinets, and fixtures; and the exterior of the building has tall foxtail palm trees and other tropical foliage.

For Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, Holly Hill and Edgewater real estate photos and video, visit www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com.

And view these Daytona Beach condos and apartments for sale or rent at www.DaytonaSurfsideVillas.com.

View my primary real estate web site with houses and condos for sale or rent at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com.

REALTORS® selling For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings, and the Daytona Beach Real Estate Market

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:13:25 -0500

Last week I wrote a Daytona Beach real estate blog that provided general information, updates and listings. In that blog post, I mentioned how over the years, there have been times when, as a REALTOR®, I've sold houses that were not actually listed in the Daytona Beach area Multiple Listing System (MLS). In this post, I'm going to elaborate on the real estate conditions of a few years ago, in contrast with today's real estate market, and how it affects the way real estate agents conduct their business.

With the current Daytona Beach area real estate market being such a strong buyer's market, and plenty of real estate listings in our Multiple Listing System (MLS), it's not often that REALTORS® need to sell houses that are listed For Sale By Owner (FSBO). We already have more listings than we need, and our real estate buyers are overwhelmed by too many choices.

As a REALTOR®, upon 1st contact with a real estate buyer, I have to get specific information from them regarding what they need in their real estate investment, in order to narrow down the list of available properties for them. The Daytona Beach area MLS provides that information, and enables REALTORS® to fill out only the fields their buyers need so that we as REALTORS® don't have to spend an additional 2 hours, weeding out the properties that will not be of interest to the buyer we're helping at that time. Even if a real estate buyer only wants to purchase a house in a particular neighborhood, or a condo in a particular building, when we drive by and see a FSBO sign, we only know what the property looks like from the outside. We don't know the condition of the inside, or what upgrades have been made. We could pull the property up on the Volusia county tax assessor's web site and gain a little bit more information, but it still wouldn't be enough, and we would have no reason to when we already have plenty of other properties on the market in that neighborhood or building, located in the MLS. (Of course, there's always the possibility that a buyer will request that I call a FSBO for them, and in that case I will gladly do so.)

However, this market is a stark contrast when I look back at the real estate circumstances of just a couple of years ago. At that time I would frequently call FSBO real estate sellers who did not have their houses listed in the Daytona Beach area MLS, (or New Smyrna Beach MLS: I'm a member of both REALTOR® Associations.) in a desperate attempt to find something that would meet the needs of my real estate buyers. During the seller's market, it was common for me to sell FSBOs. At that time, we couldn't keep enough real estate listed in the MLS, so to help our buyers find what they wanted, we worked with sellers who did not have their houses listed with REALTORS®.

Now let's look at the number of listings that were in our MLS during the seller's market.

During the sellers market of just a couple years ago, the Daytona Beach area MLS only had an average of 1400 listing for all of Northeast Volusia County. Think about it. Only 1400 listings for 9 cities! In that real estate climate, if you wanted to buy a house, condo, townhouse or even a manufactured or mobile home... you had to look fast, make a decision, and make an offer as high as you could go, then cross your fingers and hope someone else didn't come along and offer more than the asking price before the seller had a chance to sign your contract. I wish I had kept track of how many real estate listings I sold above the asking price, usually within a few days of the property being listed.

As we all know, today's real estate climate is much different than the seller's market of 2002 - 2005. In mid 2005, the real estate inventory in the Daytona Beach area MLS began to climb. Being of a nature that notices these types of details, each day when I logged into our MLS, I noted the total number of residential listings on the market. And as I saw that number continue to climb, I started printing the home page of our MLS so I could track the change for myself. As the speculators who thought they could make fast money continued to buy more and more residential real estate, and put those same houses and condos back on the market at massively inflated prices, real estate buyers were forced to pay more and more for their homes.

Now to compare the number of real estate listings in today's Daytona MLS, with how that number effects why a REALTOR® will or will not sell a FSBO.

The Daytona Beach MLS now has an average of 6100 residential real estate listings. Thankfully, that number is down from an average of 7400 in 2007. But the supply still by far exceeds the demand. And since there is far too much real estate listed in the MLS to be purchased by the limited number of real estate buyers that are currently interested in buying, REALTORS® rarely have any reason to call FSBOs. (For the actual statistics of how many listings are on the market in each city, and how many sales have occurred so far this month, view the home page of my web site at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com.)

I frequently receive e-mails from FSBO sellers, offering me a (lower than usual) commission to sell their house, condo, townhouse, or manufactured home. But with 2.3 years of inventory already listed in the Daytona Beach MLS, not only do I not have need of any more inventory, it actually messes up my system, to add FSBOs into a list of potential properties that I've prepared for a particular buyer. I also don't have the complete property details that I can find for properties that are listed in the Daytona Beach area MLS, nor do I have the necessary photos and video, and last but certainly not least, I'm unable to e-mail the FSBO listing data with the MLS listings.

In closing, I'd like to mention an even bigger concern, which has always been a problem. And that is the lack of representation for the sellers. If I have to sell a FSBO, I have the sellers sign a "Notice of Non-Representation", since they'll be representing themselves. And most sellers, while being familiar with the general process of selling a home, are not experienced with all the details that they don't usually see the agents do. It's not that I fault them for this. I mean, considering that every single transaction I have brings new questions, problems and experiences, how could a FSBO seller possibly foresee even a small percentage of what REALTORS® have had to work through? And if you're a FSBO seller who is reading this, I apologize if this sounds patronizing. That is not my intent. It's the simple truth. It's my full-time job to be an expert in my field. Yet, this industry is constantly evolving. If I didn't have my finger on the pulse of real estate every single day, then I wouldn't be an expert.

With few exceptions, in my experience with selling FSBOs, the sellers were either unable to answer my buyers questions, or needed me to explain every addendum and clause. In other words, I was doing the job of the listing agent but without the pay that a listing agent would have received. I was receiving the amount of commission that is paid to a REALTOR®, for representing ONE side of the transaction, but doing the work of both sides of the transaction.

So in today's buyer's market, in my experience, fewer FSBO listings are being sold by REALTORS®. And if anyone was wondering why this is the case, now you know! =) But feel free to call me if you have any further questions. I'd love to help.

Daytona Beach area real estate buyers and sellers, make a Smart Choice and call Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

Daytona Beach Real Estate Information, Advice & Listings

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:56:02 -0500

Summer's here, and as every year, many people consider this the best time to buy real estate in Daytona Beach. The reason? To get the kids settled into their new schools in time for the next school year.

But before I continue with the rest of this post, if you want to buy real estate in Daytona Beach, first of all check out my real estate MLS listings here. At this time, I have listings of houses, condos and townhouses, in Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Port Orange and Edgewater. You can then check the Volusia County School Zoning and Demographics for a particular house, condo, townhouse or apartment. Just type in the address of a particular piece of real estate, or general location, and the Volusia County School Board will provide you with all the information you need, and then some! Just follow the link above.

For more real estate listings, bookmark my web site so you can keep checking back, or ask me to add you to our automated MLS system, which will check for new listings within your specifications each day, and e-mail them directly to you. This way you'll never miss what might be the perfect house for you! You can also use the National Association of REALTORS® IDX system, which is the feed that ALL public access real estate sites use, to let potential real estate buyers know what properties are in the MLS systems. (Side note: Each site may look different, because they've chosen to publicize the information in different formats. But IDX is the system being used by ALL public-access sites.) To check the IDX listings from the Daytona Beach Multiple Listing Service (MLS) just follow this link.

To continue with my house hunting tips and experiences with my Daytona Beach real estate buyers... many people don't realize or just don't think about the fact that Florida has a tropical climate. (This is why I keep a box full of umbrellas in my car.) In Daytona Beach, almost every afternoon, like clockwork, usually around 3:00 or 4:00 p.m., in the middle of our hunt for that perfect home for my real estate buyers, the clouds start rolling in, the thunder starts booming and as my buyers start looking concerned, I tell them not to worry. Yes, we are going to have a torrential downpour. But it will only last around 30 minutes to an hour. And most of the time, they don't believe me. LOL! I guess when you're moving here from another state where, when you see clouds like that, you're about to see rain for days. If you're not used to it, it's unexpected to have a large storm blow through in 1 hour. I guess since I'm a Daytona Beach native, I'm not the least bit surprised or concerned when the daily storm clouds start rolling in. I can't tell you how many times I've been thoroughly soaked while out looking at real estate with buyers.

Story Time! I think my fondest (NOT) storm memory was of the time I had out-of-state buyers in my car who needed to buy 2 properties. The mother needed a house, and the daughter needed a townhouse. And the other daughter was along for the ride. Be honest now, most of you enjoy house shopping even if you're not ready to buy yet =). Anyway, as we stepped out of the car, umbrellas in hand, the rain suddenly started coming down in buckets! By the time we got to the door, our hair was dry, but that was ALL that was dry! Fortunately the real estate sellers were home and were not the least bit uptight. They were the perfect hosts, holding the front door open for us as we came running toward them. (A good frame of mind if you're trying to sell your house!) We were all afraid to step inside and drip water on the floor, but this house had a tile foyer, so the water wasn't going to hurt anything anyway, and these wonderful sellers gave us towels and told us to take our time and feel free to wait out the storm. (Smart sellers! Keep us in the house longer even if we're soaking wet!) We ended up all sitting on the back porch, watching the peaceful rain hitting the fruit trees and flowers, as it subsided in about 20 minutes. Then we were off to continue our search! BTW, the best thing about these afternoon storms is that they bring down the temperature... for a little while.

As I'm wrting this post and thinking about those particular real estate buyers (Hello Sandy and Beth!) I just remembered, I ended up selling one of them a house that was a For Sale By Owner (FSBO). I contacted the sellers on behalf of my buyer and the sellers agreed to sign a "One Time Showing Agreement" which is just a one-page, short form that states that if I sell the house to that particular buyer, within a short period of time, the seller agrees to pay me a commission for bringing them a buyer. Read my new post that addresses the details of how that works, since I've sold several homes this way over the years: REALTORS® Selling For Sale by Owner (FSBO) listings and the Daytona Beach Real Estate Market.

To wrap this up, if you're a real estate buyer who's interested in buying your next home in Daytona Beach, I'd love to help! When you've visiting my web site (I've provided links to quite a few different pages above), keep clicking around. You'll find more information than you have time to read, and answers to any questions you may have. And if by chance you can't find the answer to a question, feel free to e-mail me and I'll direct you to the applicable section of the site, or I'll answer the question in my response to you.

To buy real estate in Daytona Beach, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill. Don't make a move without me!

View my real estate listing videos at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

Buy or Lease a Daytona Beach Condo

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:56:40 -0500

As most of you know, for quite some time I've been blogging about the condo conversion project I have listed, Surfside Villas in Daytona Beach. I originally listed these beautifully remodeled condos "For Sale", but with the real estate market moving at the speed of sludge, the seller decided to lease the units while waiting for them to sell.

We now have only 5 of the 42 units left unoccupied. The remaining unoccupied units are all 1 bedroom units. Unfortunately, all of the 2 bedroom units have been leased for quite some time. But the 1 bedroom units are absolutely beautiful as well. And we have ALL sizes of units available For Sale!

Every unit in this entire building has new 16 inch tile throughout, and sliding glass doors that step out onto private balconies or patios. Every kitchen has brand new maple cabinets, granite counters, double sinks with restaurant-style faucets, new Frigidaire appliances: including microwave and dishwasher. Each bathroom has an oriental flair with new cabinets, sinks, faucets, toilets, tubs and showers; not to mention that the showers have tiled walls and decorative tile insets.

Finally, this lovely building has a private elevator, laundry room on premises, tropical landscaping, and a great building manager who is willing to help at a moment's notice.

If you're looking for a great real estate investment, Surfside Villas may be exactly what you're looking for. Prices range from $135,000 to $155,000. Call today for your private viewing. I'd love to help you with your real estate investments.

Make a Smart Choice and call Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

Surfside Villas Unit 104

Investor's Alert! Ormond Beach Townhouse with Tenant- Price Reduced!

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:05:06 -0500

This beautiful 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath Ormond Beach townhouse has a quality tenant with a 1 year lease. This is an excellent investment opportunity and the price has just been reduced to $137,900.

You enter this welcoming home through your private patio/garden and step into your welcoming foyer.

Enjoy meals from your breakfast nook in the front eat-in kitchen, or from your convenient breakfast bar. Or make things more formal from your combination living/dining area which also includes a wet bar and wine rack.

The interior has so much more to offer, but lets move on the the fabulous rear screen porch and patio overlooking the peaceful canal.

The community also has a public dock on the flowing lake, a public pool, clubhouse and much more!

Don't wait! Bring your offer today!

To buy or sell real estate in Ormond Beach or the Daytona Beach area, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

Port Orange FL - Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardening

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 22:01:30 -0500

If you live in Port Orange, or any of the surrounding cities, you might find this to be a fascinating, educational seminar. It's being hosted by Full Moon Natives. Full Moon Natives is a well-stocked plant, flower and tree nursery. But the best part about Full Moon Natives is their knowledge of native plant species and how to plant your garden with the native plants that will help conserve our precious water resources.

If you're not familiar with Florida's water resources or lack thereof, read my previous post about the pollution in the Floridan Aquifer, which is our primary source of drinking water. The chemical pollutants found in our Aquifer are beyond belief! You may also be interested in my post about Florida's Vanishing Wetlands, and Protecting Florida's Wetlands, which lists many of our endangered or threatened species of animal life. You may also be interested in my most recent post about Recycling, Our Ecosystem, Saving Energy, and Going Green.

On Saturday, June 21, 2008, Full Moon Natives will be offering a Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardening Seminar. They're located at 1737 Fern Park Drive in Port Orange FL. Participation if FREE! The clas will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. If you need more information, you can visit their web site (link is embedded above), or call them at 386-212-9923. You can also e-mail your reservation to the Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardening Seminar.

And if you're interested in buying or selling real estate in Port Orange and anywhere in the Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach areas, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS. I'm a native of this area, so not only am I interested in preserving our resources for genereations to come, I'm familiar with just about every nook and cranny of East Volusia County. I look forward to helping you with all your real estate needs!

(I found this butterfly on my walk the other day.)

Are you Going Green or Wasting Energy? Do you even know?

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:18:30 -0500

This post is going to address recycling, the ecosystem, saving energy, and associated "green" topics. Before I get started, I'd like to direct your attention to some of my previous posts of similar nature.

Side note and Segue: As of today, June 14, 2008, I have 115 Active Rain subscribers to my blog, in addition to my clients and future customers who may not be subscribed through Active Rain, but are reading my posts through their computers' bookmarks/favorites...although I only get an average of about 4-10 comments per post, unless it was featured... But I'll get to the point =)

As my regular readers know, I blog about MANY different topics. But what is probably the most important topic I have blogged about is Florida's ecosystem and the associated problems. (And of course, my clients' listings that need to be sold. That's extremely important!) But today I'm going to briefly touch on a subject that is rapidly growing in interest, and that is, "Going Green". I'm afraid that many people have heard the term thrown around quite a bit, but don't really know what it means. Well, the bottom line is, our planet is increasingly entering a more desperate status, and we all need to do our part to preserve it. So how do we do that? Keep reading.

Most of us have been recycling for years. But did you know that there are still parts of the country that have no means to recycle? I'm sorry, but that is completely unacceptable. Recycling is the most basic thing we can all do to keep our planet "green" and healthy.

I recently heard some amazing statistics on the subject of recycling. Did you know...

Every time you recycle ONE aluminum can, you save enough energy to run a TV or computer for 3 hours!
For every 4 foot stack of newspapers you recycle, you save a 40 foot fir tree.
By paying your bills online, you can help to save over 1.6 billion TONS of solid waste every year!

Do you find these statistics as amazing as I do? I think these numbers are almost unbelievable! But moving on... last month, our clothese dryer finally went to the home appliances graveyard. As usual with these types of things, it was unexpected. We had to make some quick decisions! I wanted to make sure we were doing our part to do more to go green, but we didn't have time to do any research. Thankfully, we found a helpful salesman at the Home Depot who was quite knowledgeable about his products. So we are now the proud owners of an high efficiency LG front-loading, Tromm washing machine (we went ahead and replaced the washing machine too), and an LG front-loading XL Load Capacity with NeveRust Stainless Steel Drum. Having our last washer and dryer for 10 years has given us an unbelievalbe comparison of how much quieter the new machines are! And our new LG washer and dryer more than comply with the new Federal Energy Efficiency Requirements. I could go on for quite a while, raving about my new washer and dryer, but I'll nip it in the bud right here and address my last points.

I don't sleep well, and have lately taken up walking in the middle of the night. As soon as I started my late night walking, I noticed how many home owners had left on their outdoor, decorative lighting. My first late-night walk was around midnight. I thought surely, these people weren't leaving their outdoor lighting on all night, but I figured they might be on timers that had not yet turned off. But my late night walking has continued. I have now walked at 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. (My husband says I'm a vampire.) Those same homes have still had their decorative lighting on. Considering I never run into anyone else out at these times, I think it's safe to assume that these decorative lights are not impressing anyone. And I don't work for Florida Power and Light, but exterior lighting that stays on all night, every night, MUST have an impact on the home owner's electric bills. Is it possible that this many people have not heard about "going green"? Or do they just not care? These are probably the same people that never change the temperature of their AC or heat, even when nobody's home. They must be leaving one heck of a carbon footprint!

If you've read or skimmed this post without knowing what the heck I'm talking about, try following the embedded links to learn more about going green, energy efficiency, carbon footprints, recycling, problems with our ecosystem, and what you can do to help save our planet.

Take this quiz to determine your carbon footprint.

If you're interested in buying real estate in the Daytona Beach area and want to buy a home that has been built with all the considerations of "going green", read my post about the beautiful community of Chelsea Place, located in fabulous Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

Real Estate Video for Beautiful 3 bed, 2 bath pool home in Central Florida

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:15:53 -0500

Most of you know that I create full video tours for my real estate listings if at all possible, and have been doing so for about two years now. I've never been a fan of virtual tours because of the distortion factor, and could never understand why REALTORS® weren't just video taping their listings. Two years ago, the only place to host the videos was on You Tube (hardly the most professional platform). But now, we have a plethora of choices of professional real estate video hosting sites.

I have to admit, this particular video should have been done weeks ago. But for starters, I had to install a new hard drive on my computer, then get my video editing software up and running again. (It didn't want to cooperate!) But I also added a couple of features to this video that I haven't used before... and no, I'm not talking about accidentally leaving my camera bag on a chair when I was filming. D'oh! (I hate when that happens!) The extras I added were some royalty free sound effects, and it took me a while to find what I wanted. And no, I can't take the credit for this idea. I actually noticed in another real estate video here on Active Rain.

But that's enough of my rambling. Without further ado here's the video for my listing at 1808 Umbrella Tree Drive in Edgewater, FL. I'd love to get your feedback on the sound effects during the outdoor footage. I think this is the longest real estate video I've ever created, but that's because of all the outdoor footage. I rarely have a real estate listing with such a fantastic pool, spa, lanai, tiki bar, and lush landscaping. All that just HAD to be included.

After watching the video, if you need more information, follow the links below the video to read a couple of my previous blogs of this beautiful house.

Ultimate Florida Dream Home

New Smyrna Beach/Edgewater 3/2/2 Pool House for Sale

Move to Central Florida. Look at all these Beautiful MLS Real Estate Listings!

Now, if you have a house or condo for sale or rent, I'd love to help! We're still in a strong buyer's market and the real estate sales are few and far between. The only properties that do sell are the ones that are priced WELL below the competition! Without exception, there have been no other sales in a long time. But there have been rentals. Of course, the rentals still have to be priced competitively, but lately I'm leasing a lot more houses and condos than I'm selling. So if you need the help of a professional REALTOR® to sell or lease your real estate, make a Smart Choice and call Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

Get all your real estate info at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

Port Orange Real Estate and Things to Do

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:54:02 -0500

I'll start this Port Orange blog post with the details of a great house for sale on an acre. The house is located at 822 Bayridge Lane, has almost 2400 square feet of living area, formal living, dining and family rooms, a beautifully remodeled kitchen and a peaceful rear screened porch, reduced to $299,000. Watch the video below for a preview. Then call me to see it today! It's in a fabulous neighborhood!

Lovely Home on 1 Acre Lot-Priced to Sell

Port Orange is a wonderful place to live. I've written many posts extolling the virtues of this fabulous city...

Port Orange City Center,
Port Orange Restaurants,
Port Orange Family Days,
Port Orange Schools,
the Port Orange Christmas Parade,
Port Orange New Construction and several others.

Since I've already mentioned the City Center, here's something fun to do there. This summer, enjoy Afternoons at the Movies at the Port Orange Regional Library, located at 1005 City Center Circle. Unfortunately, if you haven't yet attended any of these movies, you've already missed two. But there are still three more this month, on June 16th, 23rd, and 30th.

For movie times and titles, call 386-322-5152, extension 2 for details.

And keep checking back, for more Port Orange information. It's a great place to live and play! Find Port Orange real estate information here, at www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com.

And last but not least, here's the latest Port Orange real estate market update.

Congratulations to Me. 200,000 points and counting!

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 22:58:52 -0500

This is a silly, lighthearted post. My comments today just pushed my points beyond 200,000. And my last post was my 400th. So here are my official stats...

BTW, I found this cool, freeware tool for screen captures like this. Follow the link to get yours. This is one of the most simplistic pieces of software I've ever seen, but it's not like I needed something fancy for a screen shot.

One thing I'd like to point out about my stats. I have way more comments than I do posts. It's a way of paying it forward. We should all support each other and comment on each others posts. It helps everyone's SEO, when there are comments on the posts. It's also a good idea to join plenty of groups. It's an easier way to meet people when you're members of a group of common interests. And it's a great way to find interesting posts all grouped together. I suggest you join my own group, "Things to Do/Places to Visit", but that's just a suggestion. HINT, HINT!!! =D

So, "hello" to all my Active Rain friends that I've made since a year ago on April 3rd. You guys RAWK! <:oD Now why don't you all make yourselves useful and find me some real estate buyers for all the listings I've taken, from the real estate sellers who found my blog here on Active Rain.

I'm now going to get started on my next 400 posts. I need to add some fun Daytona Beach activities to my Things to Do/Places to Visit group.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

REALTORS® on Wikipedia.... and in other countries?

Lisa Hill (Daytona Beach REALTOR®) (Adams Cameron and Company) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:23:38 -0500

I'm just going to get this post started with the opening topic. This is a question for my REALTOR® Associates, regarding the use of the word REALTOR® in other countries. We all know that the word "REALTOR®" can legally only be used to describe a real estate agent who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and subscribes to the REALTOR® Code of Ethics. Most REALTORS® also know, but are just too lazy to print the word in it's proper form, as I've done in this post. (REALTOR®)

Now since it's very likely that there are members of the public reading this post, who may or may not be aware of the legalities involved in the use of the word REALTOR®, I'll reiterate a couple of simple facts before I continue with the subject at hand.

The word REALTOR® is associated only with real estate agents who are member of the National Association of REALTORS® and subscribe to the REALTORS® Code of Ethics.
There are very specific ways the word "REALTOR®" can and cannot be used.

Now for my question. I was on Wikipedia, where I stumbled upon a page about REALTORS®. The page talks about the usual stuff, and proceeds to discuss the law suit a few years ago, by the jerk man who thought he should be able to call himself a REALTOR® even though he's not. As far as I can tell, at that point the Wiki page appears accurate in it's facts on that matter.

But then I noticed several places that said "citation needed". I also noticed that there were several pages attched to the one I had found. I managed to find a site that held some of the information that would qualify for the "citation needed", and added it to the post. But then I found some more information that seemed very slanted and questionable. Unfortunately, I clicked through a few pages, and couldn't find the original page with the questionable information. But I clearly remember the context.

The page I found on Wikipedia stated that around the world, the term REALTOR® is commonly used to describe ALL real estate agents, except in the U.S., where NAR controls the use of the word. I'm assuming this information was provided by the same person who slanted the wording of several other paragraphs within the articles, all of which can be discussed in the "talk" section.

So I'm asking you all. Do you know if this information is true? Is the word "REALTOR®" used casually and improperly in other countries? I did a little bit of research but all I could find was a blurb on the NAR site that mentioned NAR having a large presence around the world. But that doesn't specifically address the usage of the word "REALTOR®" around the world.

Anyone? Do you have the answer to this? If you do, PLEASE see if you can track down the page that contained the negative information on Wikipedia. You may also want to chime in on the discussion in the "talk" section, about this and other information about REALTORS®. I already spent a couple of hours cleaning up the improper presentation of the word REALTOR®, and adding the needed "citation" to another section. I also provided information to someone in the "talk" section who thought the word REALTOR® did not need to be capitalized at all. I supplied the applicable link to the NAR site page that addresses all uses of the trademarked word and symbols. (My Wiki name is "brattygirl" ... sounds appropriate, no?) =D

I believe it would serve us all well if we took some time to clean up the Wikipedia information about our industry. You can follow the links in this post to get started, and click around from there.

I already know that we're a tightly-knit group of professionals who look out for each other. I've seen it many times here on AR, and I've experienced it in person. This is one of the reasons that I'm PROUD to be a REALTOR® and will fight to make sure it's used properly. Yes, we have to compete against each other, as well as negotiate for our clients, but that's business. True professionals are able to separate their business and personal lives. I have proof of this in my REALTOR® friends. I will fight for the best interests of my clients, and then have lunch with the REALTOR® for the opposing party. We see attorneys do it to a far greater extent than us. At least we're not yelling and slinging mud like they do... or at least we shouldn't be! But my point is, I believe this is one of those time when we should all pull together.

As for the handful of REALTORS® who are not proud of the Code of Ethics and/or their Title that is supposed to serve as a higher standard of professionalism, remember what your mother and/or father taught you. As I've said before... "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Do it if for no other reason than because there are MANY of us who are proud of our profession, our industry, our Code of Ethics, our title, and more. Please don't make us look unprofessional. Let's not see any in-fighting on the Wikipedia pages. Only post what is factual, and be sure to provide the NAR links to support any information you provide.

Thanks! HAPPY MONDAY! I hope you all have a great week.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

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