I love my job... - 07/25/06 03:00 PM
My faith in human nature has been restored today. I have been writing e-mail and sending listings to a person in Puerto Rica for around 12 months now. I have never met this man and finally he informs me that he is moving to Florida and he is coming for a visit.
So we arrange somethings and then he says over the phone "can I ask you a personal question?" to which I reply of course. I am afterall an open book. SO this man asks me if I drink! "well socially" I say and he then says, "we'll have to have … (3 comments)

Ohhhh Yeeahhhhhh! - 07/24/06 03:57 PM
I don't need to explain this headline to those of you who "get it". But for those of you who don't, this is about Glenn Beck. Glenn is now endorsing my real estate firm and can be heard doing so on 540 WFLA here in Orlando.
I was the sponsor of his mid life crisis tour here in Orlando and it was a pleasure to be involved and to meet him.
You can catch Glenn on his Christmas Tour when he will be playing Tampa - where it all started!
… (0 comments)

Why rent?? - 07/24/06 02:00 PM
So I put out a challenge on my radio show this week. Give me one good reason to be renting an apartment in our current market.
Not surprisingly there were no takers. Rent has been going up steadily for 10 years at an average of 3% a year. SO if you were renting a $1,000 apartment right now then ten years from now you will have spent more than $137,000 with no increase in your net worth.
If you bought a $210,000 home with $10,000 on the table and a 6.5% fixed rate over 30 years, then ten years from now assuming a … (0 comments)

Changing market - 07/24/06 01:53 PM
Here in Sunny Florida we have gone from a red hot sellers market to something approaching normal with a slight favoring of buyers. This time last year we had just 3,000 listings whereas today that number has soared to an all time record of 18,500.
Interestingly the buyers number about the same with the same number of closings coming to the table each month.
There are many indications of normalcy returning - a dramatically reducing foreclosure rate (down 12% on this time last year) a stabilizing pending homes index to name but two. Most importantly the month on month increase in listings just … (0 comments)

England - 07/12/06 03:36 AM
SO here I am on a quick visit to England and it is amazing to me how much things have changed here since I lived here some six years ago.
America is still regarded as our closest friend, but when reporting on certain events in the world the language is different. For example, last night Israel bombed a Hamas house in Gaza killing six. The news over here reports the deaths as those of Palestinians - which indeed they are. But they were also terrorists which didn't get a mention.
You control the language and you control the message. Its been said … (1 comments)

Pending Home Sales Index rises - 07/07/06 08:45 PM
Simon says: I have been saying for a while (particularly on my radio show) that the change in the housing market in Florida is something that we needed. It is also something that will not burst any bubbles here for a variety of reasons, not least of which is the number of people who move to the State every year (more than 1,000 per DAY when last measured). In addition to that we have many seasonal visitors who spend winters here to escape the harsh north during that time. They all need homes. Now comes the first sign of the soft landing... 
The … (0 comments)

Insurance in Florida - 07/07/06 12:00 PM
So now Nationwide - apparently not on our side anymore - wants a 71.4% increase in premiums in Florida. The average increase in Orlando will be 50%+. State Farm wants 70% so they are apparently not a good neighbor either.
Let's have a history lesson. Prior to the Summer of 2004 - and more on that in a moment - there had not been a Hurricane in the Orlando area for 40 years since Hurricane Donna struck in the 1960s.
In other words Nationwide, along with other insurance companies (for they are not alone when it comes to this) seemed perfectly capable of … (1 comments)

More Glenn Beck - 07/06/06 08:21 PM
As you may know, I was the sponsor of Glenn Beck’s midlife crisis tour in Orlando recently. Glenn Beck has the third most listened to radio show in the USA, a nightly TV show on CNN and a magazine called Fusion.
The live show consists of him on stage on his own and is a mixture of wonderfully funny stand up comedy and stories that will tear at your heartstrings.It was a privilege to be a part of it and if you get the chance, I would make a point of seeing him on his next tour which will be … (2 comments)

Foreign trade leads to real estate boom - 07/04/06 11:28 AM
Foreign trade brings in people by the millions - and may of them want to own thier own pice of the United States.
Last year some of the figures were staggering:
The top five states for foreign (non-immigrant) visitors last year were:
Florida -- 4,925,202 visitors
California -- 4,048,410 visitors
New York -- 3,732,586 visitors
Texas -- 1,994,085 visitors
Hawaii -- 1,755,788 visitors
The state with the fewest foreign visitors was South Dakota, followed by North Dakota, West Virginia, Wyoming and Montana.
I work with a lot of foreign buyers who have found that owning in Florida is a lot easier than they thought. If you would like to be … (1 comments)

Picky Picky Picky - 07/04/06 11:24 AM
Simon Says (now where have I heard that before?): The following is very interesting. I work with a lot of first time buyers and it is actually one of the greatest joys this business has - helping someone into the first home.
They want the best: A national survey by Wells Fargo Home Mortgage shows many first-time home buyers are unwilling to compromise on certain key elements when they shop for a home, and would even consider renting longer if they can’t get exactly what they want.
Among the renters surveyed, four of every 10 are unwilling to buy a home that … (3 comments)

More July 4 - 07/04/06 09:47 AM
Just taking a quick break from preparing our July 4th celebrations here today and it struck me that I am doing this in my new outdoor kitchen.
Ourdoor kitchens first and foremost, are a wonderful invention. I have a 42" grill with rotissarie (big enough to cook a 20lb Turkey when we get to Thanksgiving!), two stove top burners, a fridge and freezer and a sink with hot and cold water. It also lights up at night, has a huge bar area, storage drawers, garbage can space (built in) and has been designed to match my pool deck. It really does look … (0 comments)

Remember those in harms way today - 07/04/06 08:56 AM
As we celebrate the 4th of July today, take a moment to remember those currently in harms way defending our freedom as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.
To each and every person who has ever served in our military I say thank you. And we need to give something back too.
It seems to me that something as simple as a helmet insert costing around 70 bucks should be an automatic equipment upgrade available for our troops in harms way.
Unfortunately and for whatever reason, the Department of Defence is not supplying these inserts. The current helmet without … (2 comments)

More mortgage fraud - 07/03/06 02:50 PM
It is sad but true that every day I seem to encounter yet another Realtor or Mortgage Broker in trouble with the law. As the market cools down people start to do stupid things. Often a hot market can create the circustance for this to happen and that is what I believe is the case with this situation.
One more person has plead guilty in a 30-property mortgage and real estate scam.  Mary E. Bolan admitted she participated along with Todd A. Kolbe, Amy Samelson Kolbe and Kirk McVey in a scheme that involved inflated mortgages and fraudulent sell-offs on 30 properties.
Though … (0 comments)

Why buyers fear the housing market - 07/03/06 02:22 PM
It is a sad but true fact that many buyers are scared of entering the housing market because of the fear of the cost involved.
Many times now I have shown first time first time buyers just how simple the change can be. It is in fact one of the most satsisfying parts of my job - helping people get into their first homes.
The fourth annual National Housing Opportunity Pulse survey says that one out of three Americans worries about their monthly mortgage payments.  The survey also lists the leading concerns associated with owning a home.  Rising property taxes tops the list … (0 comments)

England out of the World Cup - 07/01/06 02:39 PM
It was always going to happen. England losing in the World Cup on penalty kicks. It has happened before and I have no doubt that it will happen again. England are now 0 and 3 in the World Cup when the game goes to penalty kicks.
We have always had coaches who seem to be lost when the circumstance raises its head. Or coaches who put players in the squad who they have absolutely no intention of using.
So once again the millions of england fans will have to wait another four years for another shot. Oh and because it will … (2 comments)

Hurricane Season - State to help pay for retrofit - 07/01/06 02:26 PM
Today is a very important day. Legislation came into effect in Florida which basically means that the State of Florida will match you Dollar for dollar up to $5,000 to improve your home from a Hurrican protection point of view.
Under the program, homeowners who have a homestead exemption on their property would be eligible for a free home-retrofit inspection by a qualified inspector.
Only homes built on-site and with an insured value of less than $500,000 would qualify, eliminating mobile homes from the program.
Along with single-family homes, multifamily buildings up to four units would be included in the program, as long as … (0 comments)

Doing things on the cheap - 07/01/06 02:14 PM
You know it's very interesting how people sometimes think cheap is best. There are a number of Real Estate Agents who offer a cheap service. They will "list" your house - and by that I mean put it in the MLS for you - at a flat rate and then basically they are done. They don't want to know about problems; they don't want to be available to allow inspectors and appraisers into the home; they certainly don't want to track the paperwork and make sure everything is in place that should be in place prior to closing and you will … (4 comments)

 
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Simon Conway

Orlando, FL

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Orlando Area Real Estate Services

Office Phone: (407) 876-8200

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