hutchinson island: You do not have a second chance to make a good first impression!
- 10/15/13 10:17 AM
Recently, I was showing a client some of our waterfront condo listings in the Colonnades on our beloved Hutchinson Island, Florida. They were all value priced because so many of the permanent and seasonal 55+ buyers have yet to discover one of Florida's best kept secrets. Every time that I look out across the cove from our boat in our $40 a month slip in front of these condominiums in the Colonnades, I am amazed that we do not have a thundering herd of buyers checking us out!
Now, if this was your view from your condo in the Colonnades … (5 comments)
hutchinson island: Pavlov's Frog...or is it a Dog?
- 10/10/13 11:05 AM
Growing up in rural coastal Maine, a spring ritual was to go up into the "back field" as apposed to the "front field", which was on the Blue Hill Bay, to look for frog eggs. After forcing our way through the alder growth to our winter skating rink, which was now open water, we could find little balls of a gelatin substance with black spots. Frog eggs! And we knew that frog eggs eventually turned into "Polywogs" that eventually lost their tails and turned into real frogs! As was the ritual, we scooped up some pond water with the jelly mass and took … (2 comments)
hutchinson island: Struggling with my dress code!
- 10/07/13 10:02 AM
I am sure that we have all been through or may be going through the "Fake it until you make it" or "Dress to impress" stage in any endeavor. I know I have. Or, maybe I still am! So when it comes to being a realtor, I seriously ask... how do I dress?
It is a real dilemma for me. Since my days in advertising and marketing when I had to "dress to impress," I haven't had to think too much about my attire. You can imagine the dress code for a blueberry farmer, a manufacturer of insect repellent, or a distributor … (3 comments)
hutchinson island: "You're gonna love it here!"
- 10/06/13 09:05 AM
Back in the day, when I was a partner in an advertising and marketing agency, we were challenged by a motel chain to come up with a catchy slogan. Hence, "You're gonna love it here!". As the presenter in our firm, I was excited about this campaign. It had all of the earmarks of a monster hit! I thought that it showed that they had a warmer side to their business which would appeal to a weary traveler. However, after several hours of debate among the board over whether or not the slang in our slogan reflected poorly on their … (6 comments)
hutchinson island: Trying not to get so tied up in "nots"!
- 10/05/13 09:59 AM
I have discovered that it is relatively easy to respond to a "you can't" or "no way" or "that's not possible" or to "not now" with a "Why not?" when it comes from other people. It only is an affront to my personal liberties. The answer to this question gives me the information that I need to either proceed or to back off. I think that we all interact with people pretty much this same way. After all, since childhood have we not been used to asking "why?" or "Why not?" Or, better yet growing up in Maine, it would … (23 comments)
hutchinson island: One in a million? "So you are telling me I still have a chance!"
- 10/03/13 10:32 AM
Maybe not so Dumb or Dumber. This morning we played tennis with some great friends who have relocated to the Colonnades on Hutchinson Island on a full time basis. My partner and I lost the first two sets badly. She kept telling me, we still have a chance, reciting the famous Dumb and Dumber quote! She is really delightful. Whether it was prophetic, wishful thinking, or a conviction that against all odds, "There is still a chance!", we prevailed and won the third set with ease! Reading my latest book, Mega Creativity by Andrei Aleinikov, the author sets the stage that … (2 comments)
hutchinson island: A lot to learn about thinking out of the box.
- 10/02/13 09:48 AM
I just started a new book called Mega Creativity by Andrei Aleinikov, Ph.D. The book was written to help us think out of the box or "Five Steps to Thinking like a Genius." So far after the first three exercises, I am: 1) either daring or stupid (maybe both), 2) normal, and 3) limiting myself by the dictates of others. Not what I would call a stellar start on my way to "Genius" status! However, I am encouraged because fortunately they did not have a "dull normal" classification. I know you are curious, so here were the questions. Draw a circle … (6 comments)
hutchinson island: The Turmoil of Change!
- 10/01/13 11:26 AM
CHANGE! Yuck! I hate it! Windows 8! New contract revisions! New Listing/Buyer reporting software! New everything! When is it going to stop? NEVER! My wife, Pam, wrote a new country and western song. The hook was: "Change is sooooo complicaaaaated! Oooooooh how I hate it!" Okay, enough already! We all know that change is inevitable but why do we resist it so? Because we do not want to go through the stress and turmoil of the change? Change causes us to make a decision. Often the decision is to resist it! I flail my arms and I scream at the unseen … (2 comments)
hutchinson island: The single most question that I get from foreign nationals.
- 09/28/13 10:17 AM
The question is...."Can I buy my little piece of paradise on Hutchinson Island, Florida?" Or if I was to paraphrase the question it would be, "Can I buy property in the United States if I am not a citizen? And all of us Realtors stand up and say......."YES"! It is my understanding that Foreign Nationals are allowed to own real estate in the US. If not, I am in trouble already! In fact, there are very few differences between a foreign and a citizen when purchasing real estate. My only caution to my foreign clients is that purchasing a home on … (3 comments)
hutchinson island: I will sail my vessel until the river runs dry! Garth Brooks
- 09/27/13 06:52 AM
Tonight my wife, Pam, and I are submitting our application to the Fort Pierce Yacht Club which is at the end of the causeway that connects our beloved Hutchinson Island to the mainland. Now, just in case you might get the image in your mind that this is a black tie affair, nothing could be further from the truth. The FPYC, as they liked to be called, is waaaaay too cool for that! Like everything about our Hutchinson Island, they are really laid back and have left any pretentiousness at the door. First of all, you do not need a vessel … (4 comments)
hutchinson island: Running the HASH!
- 09/26/13 08:18 AM
Hashing . . . it's a mixture of athleticism and sociability, hedonism and hard work. Hashing is an exhilaratingly fun combination of running, orienteering, and partying. Harriers and Harriettes chase "hares" (see below) on three to five mile trails through town, country, and beach. All in search of exercise, camaraderie, and good times.
Hashing began in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1938, when a group of British colonial officials and expatriates founded a running club called the Hash House Harriers. They named the group after their meeting place, the Selangor Club, nicknamed the "Hash House." Hash House Harrier runs were patterned … (2 comments)
hutchinson island: If it starts hard, it usually ends hard!
- 09/25/13 10:33 AM
This truism has applied to virtually every deal in every business in which I have been involved in over the past forty-five years. The only difference is that the real estate business has a safety net called the referral fee. In other businesses when the deal started bad and eventually ended bad you lost it all!
In sales you are bound to run into a potential buyer, seller, or a buying/selling opportunity that gets started on the wrong foot. You really do not know why, it just happens. example: The buyer is impossible to please even though you have stood … (4 comments)
hutchinson island: Some porcupines that I have met.
- 09/24/13 08:57 AM
In the words of one of the greatest motivational speakers of all time, Zig Ziegler, said "You can get everything in life you want if you just help enough other people get what they want." And to accomplish that, one must leave their personal motives at the door. With age, hopefully, comes wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. And the assurance that you do not fail as long as you keep on trying! Now, for the porcupines. Porcupines are dull witted. Porcupines as compared to other animals in the wild are really, really, and I mean REALLY slow. I am convinced the porcupines … (1 comments)
hutchinson island: The battle between ANTICIPATION and ANXTICIPATION!
- 09/23/13 06:44 AM
No, my spell check has not spit up on itself! My wife and I coined a new word to help us identify when we have crossed the line between healthy ANTICIPATION and unhealthy ANXTICIPATION. The line that is crossed is usually one that we have arbitrarily drawn in the sand involving a time period that in which we expect something positive to occur. In the beginning of the process we are anticipating that good things are going to happen within the time line that we have set. As the event creeps closer to the time line, we become less and less … (3 comments)
hutchinson island: Buyers are not strangers, just friends that we have not met!
- 09/21/13 12:09 PM
My wife and I had an appointment today with a couple from Fort Lauderdale who were looking for a retirement home on Hutchinson Island. We showed them all of the amenities of our Colonnades community. I could tell that they loved the relaxed atmosphere of our community as well as the ambiance of Hutchinson Island. We took a liesurely walk through the amenities as we headed for our first showing. Now, these buyers are from European descent and do not taking buying a retirement home on the same level as purchasing a loaf of bread. It took us almost an … (0 comments)
hutchinson island: "Sittin' on the dock of the bay watching the tide roll away..."
- 09/20/13 07:29 AM
Yesterday morning as I was out and about doing real estate stuff on Hutchinson Island , I happened to catch this old tune by Otis Redding on the radio. As I listened to the lyrics and pictured Otis looking out over San Francisco Bay I suddenly realized that it had been awhile since my wife and I had taken a leisurely stroll on our beach. Not that we had become couch potatoes because our motto is, "take a little vacation in every day." Here on Hutchinson Island there is enough vacation in every day to fill a lifetime. But, we had … (3 comments)
hutchinson island: "There is more than one way to skin a cat!"
- 09/19/13 02:09 AM
I really do apologize for putting that image into your mind, but do you ever wonder how these old truisms started? I can just imagine five or six seasoned trappers sitting around a wilderness trading post discussing skinning techinques over a tankard or two. Each of them upheld their own methods, but in the end, all of them got the job done. As a life long entreprenuer, I have learned that to be successful in business, one must be a problem solver. One must always have the philosophy that there is more than one way to attack a problem. Unfortunately, most … (1 comments)
hutchinson island: Living large on a budget on beautiful Hutchinson Island Florida.
- 09/18/13 03:04 AM
Hutchinson Island is a gorgeous twenty mile strip of Florida that is less than a mile wide which is located between the Indian River and the Atlantic Ocean. South Hutchinson Island is connected to the mainland by three modern causeways which makes shopping, medical facilities, airports, and industry accessible within minutes. Hutchinson Island itself was created for, and is being maintained for its unique quality of life. While I cannot really speak for its creation, I can attest to its maintenance!
The first thing my wife and I noticed as we passed over the causeway to Hutchinson Island from Fort … (1 comments)
hutchinson island: Every deal has a life of its own!
- 09/17/13 06:37 AM
One of the most valuable lessons that I learned early on as a start up entrepreneur was just that, "Every deal has a life of its own." I liken this philosphy to the common cold. You come down with a cold. You can ride it out without all of modern "cures" and it will go away in about a week and a half. Or, you can pump yourself full of pills, liquids, sprays, and lozenges and your cold will be gone in about ten days! You may feel better during the ride, but it will take the same amount of time … (1 comments)
hutchinson island: The peace of mind that comes with a pre-listing home inspection.
- 09/16/13 08:32 AM
One of the most nerve wracking parts of getting a deal done to the satisfaction of all parties, including the realtor, is the home inspection. We have all heard the horror stories or worse yet, been part of one. Even in newer homes there are things that may be found in a home inspection that will not be noticeable to the untrained seller, buyer, or realtor's eyes. The best laid plans of mice, men, and realtors can rest on the results of the home inspection. I just recently closed on a single family home where the seller was not going to … (4 comments)
Pam and I have been busy learning everything we can about our beautiful Hutchinson Island, Florida. We have been blessed with a great place to live, play, and to expand our entrepreneurial opportunities in real estate. We will be regularly updating our page with all of the experiences and news on the Island. In the meantime, if you have any questions about Florida's best kept secret, please let us know. We look forward to almost any excuse to go exploring for you.
Recently, I was showing a client some of our waterfront condo listings in the Colonnades on our beloved Hutchinson Island, Florida. They were all value priced because so many of the permanent and seasonal 55+ buyers have yet to discover one of Florida's best kept secrets. Every time that I look out across the cove from our boat in our $40 a month slip in front of these condominiums in the Colonnades, I am amazed that we do not have a thundering herd of buyers checking us out! 
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