Broker's Open House - 05/31/07 05:41 PM
In our area, these have not been successful or well attended - no matter how great the food, how magnificent the soiree, or how exclusive the invitations, the results have been disappointing.
Today's e-mail brought a new approach: "The sellers are so sure you'll like this home that they'll pay you an additional 1% commission if you come to the Broker's Open and then sell this home.  With your offer, submit the coupon you'll receive at the Broker's Open and receive an additional 1% commission."
I don't know if this will work, but it's creative.  First time I've heard of this.
Sharon Simms, Real … (17 comments)

Why are you Homeless? - 05/28/07 06:58 PM
St Petersburg has a variety of magnet schools, one of which is Perkins Elementary, a magnet school for the arts. They offer a multimedia course in the primary grades. Andy Levy, a second grader, placed third in the state in a video contest last year, when he was in first grade, with a comedy about his little brother. This year he turned to a more serious documentary and won first place. His topic: homelessness. 
Andy saw homeless people on his way to school every day and had questions about them. Who were they? Why were they there? He and his Dad … (11 comments)

Ritz-Carlton Condos and Hotel for Tampa Bay? - 05/28/07 06:42 PM
Many areas of the country have had successful developments of Ritz-Carlton Hotels and associated Ritz-Carlton condos. The nearest to Tampa has been the Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, a very successful project. Tampa Bay does not yet have a 5 star hotel, so this could be great news for the tourism industry in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties in Florida. There is currently a large inventory of condos in the Tampa Bay are, but condos with a Ritz affiliation should sell well - and they won't be finished until 2010. Click for more information...
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, … (2 comments)

Identity Theft - 05/28/07 06:23 PM
We read about it. Some members have had it happen to them. An article by Jean Chatzky brought out some facts that surprised me:
In the last 2 years there have been nearly 20 million victims (one every few seconds).To fix your credit back takes an average of 175 hours (over a month of full time work) and over $1,000.We know we should shread paperwork. I picked up a free shredder at Office Depot some months ago and use it to shred any credit cards, expired or not; any credit card or check solicitations that come through the mail; checks to use … (8 comments)

LuxuryProperty.com - 05/26/07 09:03 PM
 
 While in Austin, Tami and I met with Dan Waterman and Michael Miller of LuxuryProperty.com and heard about their upcoming website and their creative and extensive program for luxury real estate properties and the agents and companies who handle luxury properties. Dan attended the recent CHLMS class in Phoenix, and Michael attended the CLHMS class this week in Austin. The site will focus, obviously, on luxury properties, but will incorporate listings, blogs, and multimedia, as well as profiles, agent links, and much, much more. Look for the release of a beta version this summer. There are three levels of service, … (10 comments)

Use google as your personal assistant - 05/26/07 08:43 PM
 There are often times when you’d like additional information about something – what’s the phone number for that restaurant where you want to make dinner reservations? Where’s the nearest Fed Ex store or Starbucks? You can ask and get the answers from your text-messaging-enabled cell phone or PDA. Send a text message to 46645 asking what you want to know with a zip code or city and state, for example, “pizza 33711” or “Siena Restaurant Austin Texas” and in a few minutes google will text you back with the answer or closely matching choices
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes … (9 comments)

Widgets and Professional Blogsites - 05/26/07 08:39 PM
There are neat widgets of all kinds, many of which have been referenced on Active Rain and many that are used on some Active Rain blogs. Some of these – the faces of recent visitors, lists of books you like – are great for a social networking site, but do they enhance a professional blog site or detract from it? Do they take away from the topic or purpose of your blog? Have any of you using them on your “other” blog sites had feedback from your clients on whether they’re viewed as positive or negative?
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent … (8 comments)

Vintage Shopping on South Congress – Austin, Texas - 05/26/07 08:37 PM

Vintage Shopping on South Congress
Austin, Texas
 
 
Yesterday we wandered through the Warehouse District of  downtown Austin, Texas, looking for interesting and unique shops. We found a few, but it was hit or miss. Today, on our way to the airport, we stopped along South Congress, a mile or so south of downtown Austin. Now this had some unique shopping: a large boot store, antique jewelry, art, costumes. What a pity we only had an hour to stop. We shopped instead of having lunch (note, Kristal, no eating at this stop) though there were appealing choices. Next time we come to Austin we’ll … (6 comments)

Home For Sale - Prominent "Sign" - Austin, Texas - 05/26/07 08:31 PM
 
While driving along Highway 360, Capital of Texas Highway, in Austin,  from our hotel to the CLHMS class we were teaching, we were looking at the scenery, and of course at the homes. Lining the tops of many of the hills were row of homes, many partially hidden by trees. One large home was out at the tip of the ridge, closest to the highway. This large home had a huge banner hung on the side of the house FOR SALE, with a phone number to call. Easily visible from the highway, this banner advertises to tens if not hundreds … (4 comments)

The Old Pecan St. Cafe in Austin Texas warehouse district - 05/25/07 10:14 PM

 
Austin, Texas - The Old Pecan St. Cafe
Tami and I toured part of downtown Austin today, going through the Warehouse District. We enjoy old buildings, so chose this restaurant for a late lunch. We liked the old wood floors, the brick walls - the windows open to the outside with flowers in the windows and on the tables.
The food was basic and good, fresh, and presented well, with friendly service. We decided it was a good choice, and enjoyed people watching as well as eating. (Yes, Kristal, we were eating again!) 
After lunch we ambled through some of the shops and I … (4 comments)

Upper End Luxury Homes Going Up in a "Down" Market - 05/25/07 10:04 PM
Yesterday USA Today published some statistics from DataQuick:
Last year (2006) home sales slid 8.4%
Last year (2006) residences prived at $5,000,000 or more increased 18%.
In the first quarter of 2007 sales of $5 million or more residences increased 31%!
It seems that sales in the lower end of luxury ($1 million to $2 million) have slowed, but the upper end is more resilient and not as affected by changes in the economy.
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Gulf Beaches and the Tampa Bay area. 
 
… (2 comments)

Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas - 05/25/07 06:53 PM

While spending a "tourist day" after the CLHMS class, we came by this Victorian hotel in downtown Austin, Texas. It's on a corner and the wonderful detailing is evident on both street faces.
It's said that this hotel, built by a cattle baron, is where Lyndon Johnson courted Lady Bird.  With its location just a few blocks from the Capital, I'm sure it's been the scene of more than a few political deals.
The marble floors and stained glass add additional interest to the wonderful detailing of the building.
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Gulf Beaches … (7 comments)

New Record Set for Most Expensive Residential Property Sold in the US - 05/25/07 06:46 PM
The previous record  was set in Palm Beach in 2004 when Ronald Perelman sold his home for $70,000,000 - this week news surfaced that Ron Baron purchased 40 acres in The Hamptons NY for $103,000,000. 4 historic homes were on this property which have been moved and will be the "new" town hall. Who knows how long this will continue to be the record - there are currently homes on the market for $125,000,000 and $135,000,000. This new record is a waterfront property in East Hampton, where Baron plans to build a new home.
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in … (8 comments)

Siena Restaurant in Austin, Texas - 05/25/07 06:36 PM
Siena Restaurant, Austin
After Tami and I finished teaching a CLHMS class in Austin yesterday, one of the attendees, Michael Murphy of LuxuryProperty.com, suggested this place for dinner - whether because it reminded him of his favorite region in Italy or because Tami speaks Italian, I'm not sure. This restaurant is at the intersection of Route 360 and Texas 2222. and well worth a meal.
The atmosphere was wonderful, the service friendly and attentive, the food excellent, from the pate to the lamb to the varied desserts. As a matter of fact, we enjoyed it so much, we're going back there tonight.
Sharon … (3 comments)

Active Rain Keyboard Shortcuts - 05/20/07 08:36 PM
Just as some of us are right brainers and some of us are left brainers, some of us prefer keyboard shortcuts, and others prefer to use the mouse. I find it much faster to stay on the keyboard than to move my hand to the mouse, move the mouse, click and go back to the keyboard. So here are a couple of Active Rain keyboard shortcuts for those of you who prefer them, and may not have tried them.
When you finish typing your blog, just hit ENTER and then TAB and the cursor is right down in the Tags Box for … (11 comments)

New Keyboard - the B's a problem - 05/20/07 08:29 PM
Today I went to Office Depot and bought a new keyboard for my home computer - one that I'd been wondering about for a long time - Microsoft's Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000.  Cost $59.  It's curved and sloped and most prominent of all - the two sides of the keyboard are split.
No trouble installing it - ran the CD, rebooted, plugged the keyboard into a USB slot, and I was ready to go - it was even extra simple to put in my favorites - so I can now get to ActiveRain just by pushing a button.  Easy to adapt to … (8 comments)

Building community testimonials - 05/19/07 11:33 PM
One of the most compelling parts of a blog or website about a community is truth and reality. Direct comments from existing homeowners/condo owners can be a big help in selling a neighborhood.  Whenever you're showing a property and the seller is home, or you're attending a neighborhood meeting or picnic, ask the people you meet - What do you like best about living in ____?  or  What factors made you choose this neighborhood?
Ask owners, workers, anyone you can. What do you like about this area. Then write about that in your blog and on your website. It definitely adds credibility, … (15 comments)

Book Publishing for Those Who Can't Take Rejection - 05/19/07 09:36 PM
For many years publishers have held the trump cards when it comes to book publishing. They like proven authors, they're a bit afraid to take a chance on the unknown.  It's easier to be wrong in choosing a book than in sending yet another REJECTED slip.
Now we can have books printed by the dozens rather than by the 100,000s - we can even publish it ourselves as an e-book and let the reader download it and print it on his own paper.
There's no longer a reason not to publish. Have a good idea? Write about it. Create an e-book. Share or … (2 comments)

New Development Contracts - 05/19/07 09:23 PM
How often, when we have someone interested in a new condo or a new home development, are we faced with "Here's our contract. We can't use anything else because this has been approved by the state.?  It's true, we can't use our state real estate contract, and we do have to use the developer's approved contract.
What the developer's rep won't tell you, however, is that you can add clauses or addendums to the contract. That's one of the benefits of working with a knowledgeable real estate agent - they know that!
So, yes, you can add a change in terms - … (0 comments)

Concierge has new use - 05/18/07 07:42 PM
Yesterday I was setting up appointments for showings starting at 9 am this morning. One of the townhouses was a "pick up key" showing. My colleague in another office was trying to be cooperative, and we decided that she'd bring me the key and I'd bring it back to her - but it was at the end of the day, my office was closed, and our schedules were far apart in both time and location. 
Since I go to the Renaissance Vinoy Resort every morning to work out, and then enjoy coffee and reading newspapers in the lobby (or veranda if the … (7 comments)

Zoom to the top of search terms - 05/18/07 06:51 PM
I've blogged in the past about positioning I've gained by a combination of my sites - ActiveRain, Localism and blog.ssimms.com to give multiple positions, as in 4 of the top 6 for a condominium building where I recently gave a listing presentation.
Recently I posted 3 blogs on blog.ssimms.com about the proposed Westin Hotel and Condos in St Petersburg, Florida:
April 25, 2007 April 29, 2007April 30, 2007May 15, 2007Yesterday Chris Frericks of Real Estate Blogsites, who is responsible for blog.ssimms.com, send me the stats for the Westin in St Petersburg, and then blogged about the results. There were 7 different search phrases … (3 comments)

Sidewalk Superintendents - 05/18/07 05:45 PM
When a new house is being built in a neighborhood (or a new home after a tear-down - or a major remodel), it becomes like a park in attracting the neighbors. The workmen typically leave between 3 and 4 pm, so when the neighbors come home from work and go out for their nightly run, or leisurely walk, or walk their children by, or their dogs, inevitably they stop, look at the day's progress, and often walk the job site as well.
It's a place to meet and greet, and to speculate. Want to meet your neighbors? Start building. Across the street … (0 comments)

Is blogging worth it? - 05/18/07 05:37 PM
When my team (and my husband) watch all the time I spend blogging, they have to wonder if I'm wasting my time, or just choosing to have fun instead of prospecting.
This week a woman called me, looking for a $1 Million+ condo in downtown St Petersburg. After arranging a meeting so that we could discuss her requirements and what buildings might match them, I asked her how she found me - she responded,  "from your blogs".
So - if that's wasting my time, I'll just keep on wasting it. 
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Gulf … (19 comments)

More choice in posts to read - 05/13/07 09:34 AM
A comment from Ed Christopher this morning led to this suggestion for ActiveRain -
We can now Subscribe to a member's posts and choose them from the Dashboard:
We can choose Members Only Posts rather than all posts that include Localism;
It would be nice to have a button where when we Subscribe to a member's blogs we can also opt at that time to see or not see their Localism posts.
Since time is critical for most of us, when we want to see a member's Localism posts we can search for the member, then look at all their blogs - but not have … (21 comments)

Vinoy Place condominiums St Petersburg Florida Market Update May 12, 2007 - 05/12/07 06:52 PM
Vinoy Place is a condominium development in downtown St Petersburg, Florida, adjacent to the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel. It has four towers surrounded by townhomes, all in a gated community. The towers have gorgeous waterfront views of the Vinoy Basin and Tampa Bay, and most units also have a view of the downtown St Petersburg skyline. The buildings were completed in 2001 and 2002.
There are currently 7 condominiums in Vinoy Place listed for sale in the Pinellas Realtor Organization Multiple Listing Service, ranging from $799,900 for a 1,793 sq ft unit to $2,990,000 for a 4,326 sq ft unit.  Two are under … (2 comments)

Parkshore Plaza condos downtown St Petersburg Market Update May 12, 2007 - 05/12/07 06:48 PM
Parkshore Plaza is a luxury highrise condominium in downtown St Petersburg Florida on Beach Drive NE. Retail shops, a restaurant and city homes fill the three stories that rise from the sidewalk - the tower site back on the site. Views are across Straub Park to the waterfront - Vinoy Basin and Tampa Bay beyond that. The building was completed in mid 2006.
There are currently 19 condominiums on the market in Parkshore Plaza, ranging from $569,000 for a 1,422 sq ft townhouse to $785,000 for a 2,384 sq ft condo in the Parkshore Plaza Tower, to $3,500,000 for a 5,600 sq … (0 comments)

Broadwater homes Pinellas County Florida Market Update May 12, 2007 - 05/12/07 06:38 PM
Broadwater is a neighborhood in southwest St. Petersburg, west of US 19 and north of the Pinellas Bayway. Most of the homes are waterfront homes, primarily on canals leading to Boca Ciega Bay, with some homes directly fronting on Boca Ciega Bay. Most of the homes were built in the1970s, with a few from the 1960s and a few in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. Some of the homes have been torn down and had new, large homes built on the lot.
There are presently 24 homes on the market, 23 of which are in the Multiple Listing System.
Broadwater waterfront … (0 comments)

Luxury Listings in Pinellas County Florida May 12, 2007 - 05/12/07 06:11 PM
According to the Pinellas Realtor Organization, there are currently 1,038 properties in Pinellas County that are listed in the Multiple Listing Service at over $1,000,000.  These are fairly equally divided between single family homes (55%)and condominiums (45%).
Single family homes are fairly equally divided - the beach communities have 37%, south Pinellas County (including St Petersburg) 33% and northern Pinellas County 30% with the highest number in Tarpon Springs, followed by Palm Harbor and Belleair.
Condominiums are heavily concentrated on the Gulf of Mexico beaches with 78%, and twice as many in south Pinellas County (15%) as north Pinellas County (7%). 
Sharon Simms, Real … (1 comments)

Rattlefish coming to St. Petersburg - 05/11/07 05:18 PM
RattleFish Raw Bar & Grill is coming to downtown St. Petersburg. This casual seafood restaurant has been popular for years at Bayside Marine on Tyson Avenue in Tampa. Now this lively restaurant is coming to St Pete, in the location formerly occupied by Julian's at the Heritage, which closed in April. Its location at 234 Third Avenue N (actually the entrance is on 2nd St) is just across from Baywalk, so you can combine your meal with some shopping, multi-screen movies including IMAX, or a walk along the waterfront just two blocks away.
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. … (6 comments)

Sun Plaza Isles - St Petersburg Florida - Market Update April 2007 - 05/11/07 04:19 PM
Saint Petersburg, Florida, May 11, 2007:
Sun Plaza Isles is an older neighborhoods in the northeast section of St Petersburg, Florida. Most  homes were built in the late 1950s or early 1960s and are typically smaller and with less garaging than we build today. Homes typically range from 1100 to 1700 sq ft. Most have one car garages, many have none and an occasional one has a2 car garage. There are both waterfront and nonwaterfront homes. Canals are generally narrow and not very deep, and you have to go under low fixed bridges to get to Tampa Bay. There's great fishing nearby … (0 comments)

Sunlit Shores - St Petersburg Florida - Market Update - 05/11/07 04:15 PM
Saint Petersburg, Florida, May 11, 2007:
Sun Lit Shores or Sun-Lit Shores is an older neighborhoods in the northeast section of St Petersburg, Florida. Most of the homes were built in the late 1950s or early 1960s, so are typically smaller and with less garaging than we build today. Homes typically range from 1100 sq ft to 1700 sq ft. Most have one car garages, many have no garage - some have been converted to living space - and an occasional 2 car garage. There are both waterfront and nonwaterfront homes. There is a boat ramp for public use also. The canals … (0 comments)

naked diet: The Naked Diet - Part VI - 05/11/07 03:30 PM
 
 We just hit the 5 month point - Amy (on the right) is down 81 pounds and I'm down 61 pounds. We both feel great and have lots more energy.  Look how far we've come:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Gulf Beaches and the Tampa Bay area.   
… (26 comments)

Blogs and Google Positioning as Listing Tool - 05/10/07 06:10 PM
Yesterday I met with the owners of a luxury condo in downtown St Petersburg. I was one of the agents they were interviewing about listing their condo.
After we talked about my knowledge of the building, track record in the building, and awareness of the past sales and the reasons for each owner selling, we began to talk about marketing. It was very helpful when talking about my internet marketing vs newspaper and real estate magazine marketing (which I no longer do). To illustrate my point, I showed the results of google searches for the name of their building, with perhaps 6 … (5 comments)

Green Cars? What about natural gas? - 05/09/07 07:15 PM
We hear lots about hybrid cars and several manufacturers are making them, but what about natural gas? That's the cleanest fuel, and bought commercially it would be just over $2/gallon or fueled in your garage would be just over $1/gallon, according to an article today in USA Today. Only Honda is currently making a natural gas fueled car that's commercially available.
Back in the 80s when we were producing natural gas in Tennessee, and there was an oil shortage, we were selling natural gas so that school districts could run their school buses on natural gas. Companies like Tenneco used natural gas … (9 comments)

What's Plan B when your Florida property doesn't sell? - 05/05/07 10:16 PM
Today I was exchanging e-mails with an investor who has not been able to sell their condominium that closed last August. Their St Petersburg condo is beautiful, in a great location, a well-built building, and is priced well. But no buyers. We were discussing the possibility of renting the unit for a year.
Our investor and recent property owner clients who have opted to rent for a year in hope that the real estate market would improve, are generally only able to rent for half of their costs. It was interesting to see that Shirley Rigo, a local real estate agent … (10 comments)

Pinellas County Florida attracts Europeans - 05/05/07 10:09 PM
According to reports from the St. Petersburg/Clearwater (Pinellas County) Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, the most international visitors in 2006 came from Europe (886,191) followed by Canada with 339,817 AND Latin America with 25,740. 
According to reports from the Tampa Bay Convention & Visitors Bureau, in Tampa Canadians took top billing with 640,000 followed by England with 510,000, Brazil with 238,000 and Germany with 146,000.
Despite the value of the US dollar against other international currencies, and despite our immigration and border regulations, we continue to have international visitors and home buyers.
… (0 comments)

St Regis Resort & Residences opens in Ft Lauderdale Florida - 05/05/07 10:03 PM
Starwood Hotels has now opened the first St. Regis Resort in Florida. This Fort Lauderdale property has a 166 room hotel, 28 private condominium residences and 34 hotel condominiums. Starwood is planning another St. Regis Resort and Residences in Bal Harbour.
St, Regis joins the Ritz Carlton in the Florida market in offering hotels, hotel condominiums and condominiums adjoining hotels and sharing hotel facilities.
Most vacationers spend no more than six weeks in their vacation home, so hotel condominiums offer them an opportunity to recoup some of their costs from rentals. The integration is seamless so that the hotel guest has no idea … (0 comments)

Florida Property Insurance - Legislature votes on Citizens Property Insurance - 05/05/07 09:57 PM
The citizens of Florida had high expectations for the state legislature concerning both property insurance and property taxes. The voters wanted relief. The voters, when questioning candidates last fall, ignored the campaign objectives and asked specific questions, What are you going to do about property insurance costs in Florida? What are you going to do about property taxes in Florida?
So what resulted?
Property Insurance: Pinellas County and other coastal area homeowners with homes insured for more than $750,000 will need hurricane shutters in order to get insurance from Citizens Property Insurance, beginning July 1, 2008. No more premium increases for Citizens until … (2 comments)

So Teams are Impersonal and Lack Personality???? - 05/05/07 09:50 PM
In a recent discussion among agents from around the country, a few single agents were making broad comments about real estate teams - that they were impersonal, and that they lacked personality.
Hmmph!
Painting "teams" with that broad a brush is a bit brash, to say the least. What about husband and wife teams? What about parent and child teams? What about family teams? What about a few friends who've been close for years teams? What about large teams with a charismatic leader whose personality shapes the entire team?
Teams - and individual agents - and companies  ....  have as many styles and personalities … (18 comments)

Flat Jonathan's on his way to Kansas City - 05/05/07 09:44 PM
Farewell, dear Jonathan!
We'll miss you in St. Petersburg, and hope that you return soon - in your non-flat version, with Sara.
At the CyberProfessionals conference in Albuquerque you were named an Honorary Member, and given your own name tag to wear, but that's for Linda Davis to report.
Last night you went out to dinner with Tami and I and Kristal Kraft and her husband, Larry. You had such a good time you wound up in an ambulance - but that's Kristal's to post.
You are SO bad not to already be in Kansas City, where Fran had a BBQ planned. Yes, … (4 comments)

 
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Sharon Simms St Pete FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS

Saint Petersburg, FL

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ALVA International, Inc.

Address: 238 Beach Drive NE, St Petersburg, FL, 33701

Office Phone: (727) 898-2582

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