The power of "THANK YOU" - 10/31/07 08:02 AM
Have you ever wondered why people who say "thank you" a lot tend to do rather well?
Well Deborah Norville's new book "Thank You Power" might just provide you with the answer.
In it she tells us how Robert Emmons, PhD, has essentially proved that gratitude has measurable benefits.
A professor at the University of California, Emmons took three groups of students and randomly had them focus on different things each week.
Group one focused on everything that went wrong and irritated them; Group two concentrated on things and situations that enhanced their lives such as "my boyfriend is kind and caring" and; Group three … (27 comments)

You CANNOT be serious!!!##@@$%^ - 10/30/07 03:17 PM
Unfortunately for Florida residents, the legislature was indeed serious with its quite frankly pathetic attempt to fulfill the Governor's promise of property taxes dropping "like a rock"
Last night at the 11th hour the House approved a "take it or leave it" proposal from the Senate. The Senate passed the motion and then adjourned meaning that they couldn't even take an amendment.
With the clock ticking (the 90 day prior to ballot rule coming into effect at midnight), the House - with a gun to its head - approved the Senate proposal which will mean savings for the average Floridian of $240!
The … (9 comments)

This week's Home Team Radio Show - 10/27/07 11:26 PM

An exciting show awaits on this Sunday when Simon Conway once again takes to the airwaves as he hosts The Home Team Radio Show on 540 wfla in central Florida and available on line across the country at http://www.540wfla.com/ The Home Team airs at Noon Eastern every Sunday.
This week we will be discussing the Property Tax crisis facing the State and trying to give you our take on who will blink first in this game of Legislative Chicken being played out between Florida's House and Senate.
In addition to that, we will be breaking a very important tax story which I think … (0 comments)

What is going on?? - 10/27/07 11:18 PM
We all know about how famous Florida has become over the assorted chaotic voting problems. if I ever hear about another Hanging Chad....grrrrrr.
Well anyway, Florida seems intent on renewing it's membership of the "laughing stock of the nation" club with the potential for not one, but TWO conflicting amendments on the January 29 ballot for Property tax reform
You see the original proposal was so complicated that a judge threw it off the ballot and sent the legislature into a spin. The Senate appealed the Circuit Court Judge's decision to Florida's Supreme Court and we still don't have that decision.
In the … (3 comments)

Winter heating bills should drive people to Florida - 10/27/07 11:05 PM
Do you live in Boston? Perhaps Buffalo, NY? How about Minneapolis or Washington DC? Perhaps even Philadelphia?
Why do I name these five cities? Because they have the distinct honor of being the five most expensive places in the country to heat a home during the winter.
Now obviously here in Florida we see a lot of out of State tags when the winter starts to arrive, but I never really contemplated the financial trade off it is possible to make between heating your home (not to mention shovelling 6 feet of Global Warming) and actually being in the Sunshine State for the … (0 comments)

Amazing piece of Bay Hill Real Estate - 10/27/07 07:36 PM

 
 
 
 
 
 
What an incredible opportunity this is. Both the two homes next door sold for $2m Plus - and this is slightly bigger than both of them for less than HALF THE PRICE!
So why I hear you ask, is this so cheap? The answer is simple, because although this is truly in "move in" condition with new carpets and fresh paint everywhere, it is house that needs upgrading in terms of a new kitchen, perhaps a bathroom or two and maybe even the creation of a master bedroom down stairs.
Estimates I have seen place this re-furb in the $150k to $200k range … (4 comments)

New Home Sales UP, UP, UP!! - 10/25/07 10:03 AM
The Commerce Department reported today that sales of new homes rose by 4.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 units.
This came against analysts predictions of a DROP of 2.5% so once again, Housing seems to be in far better condition than the media and others are leading us to believe.
Make sure that you know the TRUTH about what is going on, and please don't be taken in by all the doom and gloom that the media is feeding you.
Is there bad news in the market? Sure there is, but it is nowhere near as bad … (9 comments)

Entering the Twilight Zone - 10/25/07 09:09 AM
A few days ago I blogged about what I referred to as The magic roundabout which talked about the craziness taking place in Tallahassee regarding changes to Florida's property taxes.
Today was supposed to be the day of the big vote, but it became clear that there was no way that the Senate would approve the House plan and visa versa.
In the meantime, the people of Florida continue to suffer under high property taxes while the politicians continue to play politics.
This is in fact the second time through a Special Session (at a cost to the Florida taxpayer of $40,000 a day) … (1 comments)

The magic roundabout - 10/23/07 03:43 PM
So they are at it again in Tallahassee! The House has passed a motion on property tax by a large margin and the Senate votes on it on Thursday. Currently there are indications that it will not pass. And even if it does, once again, confusion reigns supreme!
I would love to tell you what it all means, but I can't. I can paste a part of the summary in for you:
The Bottom Line
The SJR amendment eliminates the "lock-in effect" of Save Our Homes by allowing statewide portability for a period of two years after leaving the former homestead. It accelerates … (0 comments)

Getting THAT parking spot! - 10/23/07 07:23 AM
Have you ever wondered why the one parking spot you seek is already filled when you get there? How you never manage to actually get THAT spot no matter how many times you travel to the same place? Well I used to wonder about that too, but then I saw a movie and believe it or not, parking is now never a problem.
There is a part of the movie "The Secret" where there is an interview with someone all about parking. You see this guy visualizes the parking spot he want and magically when he gets to where he is going, … (17 comments)

American Home Mortgage cleared to issue loan fee refunds - 10/20/07 10:51 PM
A Bankruptcy court has issued a ruling allowing the now defunct American Home Mortgage to refund some $650,000 in application and other fees it collected from more than 1,000 customers who never received loans because the company went bust!
The Judge's order was signed off earlier this week which allowed AM to return the funds and get out from under the pressure being put on it by State consumer protection officers.
If you have a client who lost money, please make sure they are aware of this ruling so they can get their funds back!
Other State officials gave AM a friendly reminder that … (6 comments)

Best of the Ormond Beach homes for sale - 10/20/07 10:07 PM

Take a few steps outside the back of your house, across the paver walkway surrounded by lush grass and you will find yourself on your own private boat dock.
The is probably the best piece of Ormond Beach real estate out there right now and represents a tremendous bargain when you consider that it is priced at virtually the same rate as som lots in the same area. In fact, no details have been left out of this fabulous Ormond Beach Riverfront Property.
This Home Offers Everything You Could Ever Want Or Need! New Hurricane Safe SmartHome features structured wiring throughout, home … (0 comments)

So what's on your plate? - 10/20/07 06:46 PM
One great way to support workforce housing in Florida would be to change your plate! Yes there are now "Homeownership for all" tags available in Florida and by the end of September the State had issued 1,141 of them!
This is a very important number because the State has a minimum that must be sold in a calendar year in order to make the tag available again the in the next year - and this number of 1,141 surpasses the State's minimum.
The tag is available at all local Florida tag offices across the State. The cost is $27 in addition to … (2 comments)

This week's Home Team Radio Show - 10/20/07 05:45 PM
Well it's that time again when I bring you all up to date on what will be heard on tomorrow's Home Team Radio Show which airs every Sunday at noon on 540WFLA right here in Central Florida - and don't forget that you can tune in even if you are not in Central Florida by going to http://www.540wfla.com/ 
Of course we will be talking about property taxes with the State once again seeming to be bogged down by political infighting amongst the Republican controlled Senate, House and even the Governor's Mansion. Last time we were here they produced something that was so … (0 comments)

Is the SEC investigating Mozilo and Countrywide? - 10/20/07 03:57 PM
A report earlier this week suggested that the SEC was paying special attention to Countrywide and its founder and CEO, Angelo Mozilo.
Apparently the investigation is part of a larger look the SEC is taking at a dozen or so companies in connection with the subprime crisis, but it is having a much closer look at Countrywide and Mozilo.
Certainly part of that investigation has to include the issue of Mozilo dumping $130 million of his own company's stock in the first six months of this year.
Apparently North Carolina's state treasurer Richard Moore last week asked the SEC to investigate Mozilo's stock sales, claiming … (2 comments)

FREE MAMMOGRAMS! PLEASE HELP! - 10/19/07 09:53 PM
A long time ago I lost my mom to cancer and it started as breast cancer. I was 22 when she died, but I had lived with it for ten years - and this was back in the dark ages when today's treatments would have seemed like the height of luxury. Certainly my mom felt like she was being tortured half the time she was in treatment.
Anyway, here is something that you can all do for free and perhaps save some other kid and his mom going through what we did and it will not even take a minute of … (7 comments)

Best of the homes for sale near Disney - 10/17/07 10:27 AM

LESS THAN $200,000 buys this incredible home that is so close to Disney, you can almost feel the magic.
Four beautiful bedrooms, an amazing pool and a fenced in yard on top of that. You could be living here before you know it and getting to know your neighbors in time for the Holidays.
Just two miles from I4, this 'close to Disney' home gives you access to both coasts within an hour. You could be spending Christmas with your feet in the Ocean.
"The cleans" live in this perfect home so it is "move in" ready for you and your family. All … (7 comments)

For our nation and our soldiers, you MUST watch this! - 10/16/07 01:55 PM
Lizzie Palmer is a 15-year-old girl. She made a movie and put it on You Tube this week. I understand it is the hottest thing on the internet right now, but I don't go to You Tube and so I missed it. I am grateful to my niece for sending me the link which I am going to share with you in a moment.
We live in troubled times. Some of you think we have no business being in Iraq or Afghanistan and some of you think our President did the right thing for the right reasons.
Frankly from a soldier's point of … (27 comments)

50,000 points and counting - 10/14/07 08:28 AM
So I'm doing some work on the computer yesterday, just minding my own business. I was reading through the blogs, looking to pick up tips or help where I could. I blogged myself - AR Cheats use comments to Game the system! proved to be very popular and Closing the door on Open Houses? provoked some interesting discussion.
The main thing I was doing was preparing today's radio show which airs at Noon Eastern on 540WFLA and if you are not in Central Florida, then you can tune in at www.540wfla.com I blogged about that too - This week's radio show
Anyway … (29 comments)

This week's radio show - 10/13/07 06:58 PM
Yes it's time to let you all know what will be in store for you when you tune into Orlando's number one real estate radio show - The Home Team- which airs every Sunday at Noon Eastern on 540 WFLA. For those of you not in Central Florida, you can pick it up over the internet at www.540wfla.com
First up we will be talking yet again about the property tax crisis in the State.
A fourth special session got underway on Friday - ten minutes after the end of the Third Special Session. And talking of wasting our money, we still have … (0 comments)

Closing the door on Open Houses? - 10/13/07 06:28 PM
OK - before we get into this, I think it is only fair that I point out that the home I live in was bought because of an Open House.
It had been a particularly frustrating day of house hunting for myself and my wife. It was a Sunday and we had just stopped off for Brunch at a wonderful restaurant called Timpanos (best Brunch in South West Orlando!) and we were going to head home afterwards.
The thing is we were looking to upgrade from our then home to a better location and more house. We used to live on almost an … (15 comments)

The best of the Bay Hill homes for sale - 10/12/07 10:08 PM

When it comes to Bay Hill Real Estate in beautiful South West Orlando, it is rare to find a bargain - especially one that is not foreclosure or pre-foreclosure. Afterall, who wants to have to deal with the Banks?
Anyway, this particular piece of prime Bay Hill Real Estate could very well be the answer to your desires.
More than 5,500 square feet for less than $1m! This incredible home is being offered at substantially below it's appraised value.
THIS IS PRICED TO SELL!! 5,500 square feet in Bay Hill for this price?? This is NOT a joke! This home is being marketed at $250,000 … (0 comments)

Al Gore wins the Nobel Peace Prize! Gimme a break!! - 10/12/07 04:39 PM
OK - so let me get this right. Al Gore makes a movie which is pretty much a slide show and contains numerous inaccuracies. He predicts a temperature rise of .7 of a degree and he predicts a sea level rise of 20 feet (no scientist gives that particular one ANY credance whatsoever), but he leaves out the part that says "if things stay the same for millennia!
He also fails to mention that warming and cooling are naturally occuring cyclicle phenomena. He doesn't even want to discuss the fact that Mars is warming, but then again we did put those … (22 comments)

Rare opportunity on the Butler Chain in South West Orlando - Have Shaq as a neighbor! - 10/11/07 07:24 AM

Yes you can have Shaq as a neighbor if you are lucky enough to buy, one, two or all three of these side by side one acre plus direct lakefront plots on beautiful Lake Sheen!
Watch the sunset every night from your own backyard on this stunning Butler Chain lake.
It is hard enough to find one lot on this chain, but to find three all next to each other is not something I have seen since I have been selling real estate.
This is a genuine rare and Unique opportunity awaits the buyer of this breathtaking lakefront lot. Three side by side lots … (2 comments)

This week's Home Team Radio Show - 10/06/07 10:04 PM
After a very busy week last week, with State Senator Mike Harridopolos, Chair of the Florida Senate Tax and Finance committee as my guest, this week I return to our more normal format - covering all the news from around the State and indeed around the country, that is relevant to my listeners.
First up I will be discussing the demise of so called discount broker Foxtons, who closed their doors for the last time this week. They blame the market, but actually I blame the fact that they offer no service to their clients. So in a boom market they can … (0 comments)

Buy a new home in Dr Phillips - 10/05/07 10:11 PM

Wonderful Dr Phillips area home for sale!Fantastic schools and a fantastic house for your kids to come home to! Open kitchen with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.
Manicured lawns, large fenced in backyard with no direct neighbors behind home. Beautiful 4 bedroom, plus den/office executive home.  There's three and a half baths too! Heated pool with large lanai on spacious 1/2 acre plus lot, tile roof and move in ready. 
YES, there is land with this home in addition to the fabulous pool area - something that is extremely hard to find in this area, especially at this price!
This … (3 comments)

Buy a new home in Arrowtree Reserve - 10/03/07 10:09 PM

ACT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!! CALL TODAY! This is THE best valuein the community - and the best price as well. 2700 square feet of luxury including a beautifully landscaped acre of land, wood floors and corian in the kitchen.
Pre-wired for surroundsound and all for A LOT less money than the builder wants! BUT THIS PRICE WILL NOT LAST SO CALL TODAY!
Very bright and homely with formal living and either formal dining office or den. The large family room will be the center of everything in this home sitting as it does just off the large and well … (4 comments)

Buy a new home in Lake Markham Preserve - 10/02/07 10:17 PM

Not only are we able to offer you a $15,000 contribution with our preferred lender to closing (as of 9/12 Jumbo Loans available in the 6s), but we will also be delighted to place a brand new 2008 C300 Sport Sedan in one of the garage bays for you!
This is an AMAZING OPPORTUNITY to acquire a custom built home on a one acre home site in Lake Markham Preserve. This beautiful Mediterranean Estate's incredible features include exquisite beautiful tropical landscaping with lighting. Patterned brick pavers;3 Car Garage; Faux Paint and Iron Work Detail; Dominating Mediterranean Themed Stone Work and Wraught … (1 comments)

NEW Waterfront estate - cheaper than lots in same area! - 10/01/07 10:30 PM

No Details Left Out Of This Fabulous Ormond Beach Riverfront Property.This Home Offers Everything You Could Ever Want Or Need! New Hurricane Safe SmartHome features structured wiring throughout, home audio, home theatre and expandable electronics ready.
Fully equipped 105' dock into intracoastal waters, deck area w/ hot tub, water and GFI outlet. 16k lb cradle boat lift w/ remote & 4k lb jet ski lift.
4 bedrooms, 2 master suites.
Lower level master suite walks out to pool and river. Upper level master suite has private balcony overlooking pool and river. . 3 full baths, and 2 3/4 baths including 3 whirlpool … (0 comments)

 
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Simon Conway

Orlando, FL

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Orlando Area Real Estate Services

Office Phone: (407) 876-8200

Cell Phone: (321) 624-3174

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For the best information on Orlando and Central Florida real estate - especially Windermere, Dr Phillips and the rest of south west Orlando, this is the place to be. Here you will find information on Orlando and Windermere homes for sale and general real estate information.


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