We really need to think about this...

I have been remiss about posting on this forum.  For that I am sorry. 

In the KEYS we are now hitting the high point of our seasonal market.

Guess what?   Many homes are STILL priced sky high.  People still feel that the market will bear high prices for homes that experienced drastic price increases in 2004 thru 2006.  That is not the case at the beginning of 2009.  Prices have come down.  Maybe not as much as some other areas in the State of Florida but still they have come down.

I still see the hop-la projected by others and I for one do not care to set false standards. 

Don't get me wrong, there are some very very good deals to be had in our little town.  You just need to get past the hype.  You need to bypass the 'bull' and do your homework. 

My personal home has dropped in value by 35% over the past two years.  Why are  similiar home now on the market with that 35% still in place?    Good question...

I firmly believe that with the market conditions we have today if you price your home smartly, IT WILL SELL.   Both the sellers and the buyers will walk away from the closing table HAPPY. 

That is my goal for 2009. 

Well the time has come.  

The big upset in Tx. is winding down.  Not that the destruction is over it is just that the housing inspections are coming to an end.  Galveston is still a mess and will be for some time to come.  Most schools have opened back up and some form of normalcy has come back.  Don't get me worng it will take time.  BUT as you have seen two past presidents came to see it.  They will make it okay...Right!  The money spent bringing them there could have, should have simply been funneled into the community.  It would have helped more.

Thousands of people were/are in need of help.  Unfortunately my role in all this seemed to be working with people that simply wanted to see what they could get out of "the system".  "my clothes got wet"  "I need new ones"   Ans... wash them and they will be fine.   "All my food rotted, see I left it in the fridge for two weeks"  "I want it replaced and now I need a new refrigerator"

Inspectors work from 6AM til around 10PM,  many end up sleeping in their cars, no motel rooms avail.  They are there to help those that need help.

"My car got wet inside,  I left the window open and somehow the rain got inside.  I do not have insurance, see I buy it on Tues to get my plates then I cancel it on Wed to save money, soo I want the government to fix my car".

If you ever have a need to drive thru Tx, make sure you have uninsured motorist coverage.

Soon Ike will be forgotten except by those that needed our help.  I hope we helped those that truly needed it.  I am sure we have helped many that did not need it also.  But that is the way the system works.  At least we have a system.

I am headed home after 48 days.  48 days that I will not soon forget.  I met some wonderful people,and I think I did indeed help them,  I carried a flashlite thru homes looking at damage that had not seen electricity for weeks. 

I got wacked big time by a pit bull . That Hurt...  The dog owner (high on crack) thought it was quite funny.   A Yorkie decided that blood looked good on my ankle.    It took two time, I am a slow learner,  but now whenever I go into a house I make the owners tie up the dogs or put them in the backyard. I have a hacking cough from filtering mold spores through my system.

I think I will remember the dog thing when back selling real estate. 

It feels good to be of some help. 

For all the ups and downs, I know that I will do it again.

I have lost my place at the top of the MARATHON real estate market...BUT

I find that to simply go to a dictionary and copy (plagerize) information is not what this is all about.  I have seen many folks do this and I just do not understand where they are coming from. 

I think that this forum is for people that have some interest in real estate get a 'flavor' for what the market holds.  I am not here to core dump statistical information about how market trends work.  In the Keys the market does not match many statistics.  If you want a house in the Keys, you go for it.  It is that simple.  Most sales are to second home (vacation) or to retirement folks that really want to join us in style and life.  

You really can not cost justify a home purchase in the Keys.

I am in the Houston area, doing my 'give back to society" thing.  Guess what? You can pick up a spanking new 1800 sq ft home for under $125,000.00.  That works out to $69.00 per sq ft...  IN THE KEYS THE PRICE PER SQ FT IS $450.00.

Work on those statistics...Put that in your dictionary...  and here I said I would not do that... Sorry.

As you can see depending on what you want and where you want it can be costly.  I love the Keys.  I am not going to attempt to inform you of things that are not relevant to purchasing your place in the Keys.  I will simply aid you in getting to see all the homes that match you wants and desires.  We will work on the fairest price and the best service from a banks, attorney,  and title companies.    

Been doing housing inspections in La. and got the call to head to Texas...  So, on the road again. (Willie Nelson) I am slowly working my way to the west coast at this rate. 

Got assigned to the Houston area.  Found a place southwest of the city for the motorhome to call home.  Today I did my first 12 inspections.  Hot Humid Sticky and Smelly.  No electric for these folks.  Leaky roofs that have caused the household furnishings to begin to mold and smell.  90 mph winds toppled huge trees.  Streets are stacked with limbs and trunks. 

But guess what!

  I have yet to come across a single individual that was not hopeful and helpful.  From the person on the corner that I ask directs to the owners or renters of the homes I visit. Each and everyone of them has gone out of their way to help me.

Street lights out everywhere.  I spent 10 hours going from place to place.  EVERYONE did it right.  Complete stop at each intersection and the first to arrive was the first to go.  So nice to see people that care for others. 

I inspected a home today owned by a young man.  In his front yard an old generator cranked away.  Three wires came out of it.  Only one 15 amp went into his house.  A twenty amp line ran acrosss the street to an elderly couple and the other 20 amp linee went next door to a lady's house that had two small children. 

I  imagine that as soon as Galveston opens up I will be trucking down the road to that town.  I think Texas hospitality will follow me there. 

Feels good.  It is a spiritual experience.  Nice place-nice people.

FOR YEARS I was a major taker. 

 I worked in Corp America for years, I sold mainframe software to Fortune 500 Companies.   Not considering rents and salaries we sold accounting software to these cash rich folks for hundreds of thousands of dollars for the cost of a few reels of tape and a few manuals.  Maybe $299. bucks... 

Along with my first of many mid-life crisis encounters I found that I needed to GIVE back.  It first hit on Aug 21, 1992 two days before my  44th birthday.  I filled my 1972 24 foot Champion motor home with every tool I could carry and drove down to the Miami area to help rebuild from Andrew. (Hurricane),

I NEVER LEFT...

Ended up in the Keys.  Called my trusted RE agent and had her plant the "For Sale" in the front yard of my home in Atlanta. 

A few years ago I started to feel that it was time to again begin giving back. 

So...  Here I am in Louisiana... Sixteen years later...  Flood waters, wind driven rain,  1000's of homes with no power.  People that at the beginning had little and now they have ABSOLUTLEY nothing.  Folks that go to work every day and do overtime to catch up from Katrina and they get hit AGAIN. 

No, I did not bring my tools.  They are all rusty,and I am now too old too weild them.  I now do home  disaster inspections for a company that is under contract with FEMA.  

If you would like to know more about this way to help, please give me a call.  I work from 7AM til 11PM daily and I love it.  IT FEELS GOOD...   I 'm helping people.   You can too...

How can you NOT help?

What is it doing to me?  Well, I am sure my real estate business is going to 'H' in a handbasket.  Can I deal with that?  I think so.  I have worked with so many people in this industry in the Keys that are simply 'takers'  that it simply reinforces my 'give back' attitude.   

I might be here for several months,  I may be sent to Tx.  Okay with me I love TexMex food.  There is a positive in everything that you do.

I keep track of the market in the Middle Keys and will continue to function as a dedicated Real Estate agent .  I will be back, but NOT before I have done what can be done to help those in need.

Please keep these folks in your minds and hearts, they need you support. If you have every toured a 3rd world country you know what it is like here.

P.S. Don't get me wrong, I am not living on the streets down here.  The Motor Home is much newer and  has expanded in size some and I have almost all of the comforts of a true home.

P.S.S.  If you are in Marathon, Need a haircut or Styling?  Go to Headhunters and have Cindy do your hair. Diesel is not cheap and that is what this motor home drinks.

I'll be back...  Real Estate is my life ...

Gee, last week it was necessary for me to 'get off the rock'. 

  You got it ... here comes a hurricane.  Left the dog and my other half to deal with it.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I did not leave just to leave them in harms way, I had to be in other parts of the country in short order. 

I must say, she did great, close up the house,  Nine sliding glass doors,  Eighteen window, not to mention the boat, pool and lawn furniture.  It is going to cost me BIG time when I get back home.

So,  Here it comes,  Cat 4 directed right at my back door.  Same song, different tune... 

As you know now the KEYS got nothing, nada, zlitch...nunca... 

But what happens,  CNN, ABC et al hone in on us and paint a 'stupid' picture.   And guess what?  America believes them.  None of them could find the Keys on a map if you gave them an hour.

But, boy do they know how to screw up an entire economy.

Believe me the best time to be in the Keys is Sept thru Nov. It is soo nice, water temp is good,  the fish are biting.  And yes occasionally  the wind will blow.  Hell, what's a little wind?  I've been in Kansas and seen 60mph winds on a Tuesday.  No biggy... 

Come on down and see us.  We have some great pieces of property for sale that you really do not want to miss.

Forgive Me...

I have not been here for some time now and I see that a bunch of folks have surpassed me numerically.

Oh Well...

Our market is not what it should be.  Blame it on anything you want.  Elections?  Banking snafu's? Crappy economy? Bad weather? Business down turn?......  The list is endless.

Bottom line is that NO market, anywhere in America is strong.  Oh yes, some will say we are going gang busters.  Yea, right!   This is the strongest buyers market I have seen since I began selling real estate back in the 70's.  

Are things going to change?  YES..  We have no option,  They must change.  We do not have a choice.  We can start by looking at what we buy.  Can you go to a WalMart style store and purchase anything MADE IN AMERICA?  Whose fault is that?  Look in your driveway and look at the car you are driving. 

Back to real estate...  YES, we have around 500 properties available in the middle Keys.  Prices have dropped to a more realistic level.  We have some VERY GOOD BUYs now. 

If I was looking to buy, NOW is the time.  Condos' listed for $699k are now $400K.  Waterfront homes down into the $300's.  WOW,

Key Colony Beach 1/2 duplexes a year ago at $800k now in the 5's. 

No matter where you live or what you do to make a living try to think of those around you.  Buy locally.  Do your thing to keep your neighbors employed.  Many of the litle things that we do daily have a HUGE impact on our total economy. 

So, just what do these three have in common when this is about Real Estate?

I'm glad you asked...

This past week everyone in the Keys found it necessary to crank on the furnace.  Now I ask you, what happens when your furnace has not been on for over three years?  You can hear those little dust mites screaming as the heat flows through the duct work.  NOT a pretty sound.  Not to mention the smell.

Our temperature plummeted to 44 degrees and the National Weather Service kindly provided us with the useless wind chill factor. 39 degrees. 

The Iguanas of the Keys do not care for cold weather.  They are considered 'exotics' and their true habitat is many miles south of us where it never gets this cold.  These guys hang out in the trees trying to stay warm.  When it gets too cold they go into a catatonic state.  You guessed it.  The darn things FALL out of the trees and just lay there like they are dead.  Kind hearted home owners feel sorry for the little (up to 5 feet long) guys and bring them into the house to warm up.  Talk about havoc when they come out of their self induced stupor.  These guys go NUTS and tear around the place trying to get out.  Not a great thing to have happen.

And now moth balls...  Yes, even in the Keys we have long pants and long sleeve shirts.  Sweaters and jackets can be found in every home.  Thing is we have them stored since we seldom use them unless we travel north in the summer to see family and friends.  Moth balls help stop the little critters from munching on our clothing. 

So here we are in the American Caribbean, the small slice of paradise attached to main land American.  We need to vacate our homes due to the smell and while out in the open, dodge falling iguanas and all the time trying not to breath in that stink of moth balls.

See, even here life can be difficult.  But, in a day or two your duct work is cleaned out,  the iguanas are back in the trees where they belong and the coats and sweaters are put away once again.

It is back to fishing, diving and all around pleasant times.

We have some real great homes to pick from in the Marathon Real Estate area.  Come on down we are back to as normal as we get...

Yes, you heard right.  It is gone again for another year.  But, I found that the feeling of Christmas can continue.  I am finding that fewer and fewer people agitate me.  My Christmas spirit is continuing past the actual date. 

I wonder why??? 

I did the required trip to the northeast this year to see family etc.  New Jersey was cold, overcast, windy and rainy the entire time.  I ate and napped.  My belt is two notches farther out.  The remains of the Christmas spirit drink is still working its' way out of my system.

Every year we watch the video about the grinch that stole Christmas.  It is very inspiring to say the least.  Well this year we crossed the Hudson and took in the musical of the grinch.  The part about his heart growing two sizes bigger.  It struck me that we all could use a little enlarging of the heart even if it is no longer Christmas. 

So now, as the snowbirds flock south, I let them cut me off on the road,  I do not mind them standing in the middle of the aisle reading every label on Campbells Soup cans as though these cans in the Keys MUST be different ingredients than those up north.  Nor do I let the longer lines bother me. 

I am thankful that they are here.  They help the entire community, not just the real estate market,  but the retail stores,  the hair salons, churches, and our restuarants.

So, thanks for coming,  enjoy your time in our little piece of paradise and as you head home in the next few months I hope that you too will find yourself being a little kinder to those you encounter.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year...

Sometimes you need to take control and just do it.  Some get really carried away and others of us keep it small. 

I found a Dewalt 18v drill with two batteries and a charger for only $97.00.  Now, two batteries alone cost $104.00 so this was a deal.  Problem being is that I have two other Dewalts and six batteries plus two Ryobi 18v drills and four batteries.  I know, you can only use one at a time.  She keeps telling me this.

My next find was a GPS for the car.  It's really cool.  It sticks on the dash and tells you where to turn and all sorts of good stuff.  Rebated it cost ONLY $99.00.  What a GREAT deal.  Must have, Gotta have, Really need, Can't live without.  I self justified this thing to the hilt. 

NOW !!!

I live on an island with one main road.  The island measures 3 miles by 7 miles.  I have lived here for 16 years.  I know every street and every location you would want to know.  Do I need this GPS?  I think not.  Do I need another 18v drill.  NO.

But wait, that is not the point.  I've worked hard all year so if I want a new toy then okay get it.

That is how I look at the Marathon Real Estate market.  With the prices in line and good mortgage money, it is time for you to take control and just do it.