Central Florida school system information

Here is a list of the Central Florida school system websites. Please visit these sites to locate a school or to obtain information on schools in your area or the area you are moving to.

• Orange County Schools - website
• Osceola County Schools - website
• Seminole County Schools - website
• Volusia County Schools - website

You can also find additional information about Florida schools by visiting the Department of Education.

Thinking of a real estate career?

Look at these latest numbers and then decide where you might fit in. Real estate agents brag about million, 2 million, multi-million and bazillion-gazillion dollar clubs and production, lets see what that means in actual money.

The National Association of Realtors 2005 survey suggests the amount of income a Realtor makes relates to the number of years in business. The following is from the article printed on Planet Realtor on August 18th:

Members in business for six to 10 years earned a median income of $58,700 in 2004, up 18.6 percent from 2002, while those who have been in the business for two years or less earned only $12,850.

Realtors with at least 26 years of experience earned $92,600, up 37.2 percent from two years earlier.

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Homebuyers and sellers in Florida may have fewer Realtors to choose from

Agents and bears hibernate.

Orlando Realtor needing food assistance


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

Reporting live during Hurricane Wilma

As live as a blog can be. The storm is crossing the state. All we are seeing in Volusia County is rain and cooler temperatures. Watson Realty offices are closed. Power has flicked off and on. We have windows opened and air conditioner off which is sorta nice. Tornado activity is reported all around the state. Word is it should all pass by mid-afternoon then beautiful Florida skys will return.
I'm available to show homes immediately after the storm passes. Give me a call. : )

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Where is Hurricane Bertha?

Kissimmee - Hurricane Preparation Expo

If a hurricane results in flooding, is your home protected?


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

HUD is starting to list again

HUD has made an announcement that as of today they will be listing their acquired properties. Here is the announcement:

National Home Management Solution will be posting relists and price reductions this Friday, October 14, 2005, and expect to have regular listings next week. Much of our inventory is being allocated for Katrina refugees but properties we have received since September 28, 2005 will be listed.

Here is a great chance to invest in Florida real estate as an investor of owner occupant.

Hurricane Wilma and stuff

This new storm is projected to be here Sunday/Monday. It is still to soon to say if Central Florida will be in it's path. Fingers are crossed. Of course it has already impacted the Florida real estate market as insurance companies are not issuing new coverage so if you waited till this week to get your insurance, you are most likely not closing.

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Conversations in this company, as I am sure in others, has now turned to the real estate market returning back to "normal". Realtors who have joined the industry over the last few years and rode the milk and honey market of name your price , multiple offers and sales in 1 day after listing, will now have to adjust and learn the marketing side of real estate. Full service companies such as Watson Realty look forward to providing the second to none traditional marketing that established Watson as a premier Central Florida real estate company. Sellers will get to see first had the differences between full and limited service brokers.

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This week www.floridarealestategold.com received a page rank of 3. www.gregstaker.com went from a page rank of 3 to 4. That is the good news. The other side of the coin is that google's latest activity that dropped my main site's place in their rankings for some key keywords, is now being seen in my traffic count. Approximately cutting in half the number of unique visitors this week. I am still in a holding pattern to see if my rankings rebound over the next week. Matt Cutt's blog indicates that there is at least another week of activity to come. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Related Florida real estate views:

Reporting live during Hurricane Wilma

Does your agent have enough money to advertise your home?

Fast start


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

Realtor.com survey

I just finished a survey that was emailed to me on behalf of Realtor.com. The questions centered around online marketing and lead generating programs. I came away after finishing it with the feeling that Realtor.com may be looking to offer something similar to the Lending Trees & Homegains of the online world to Realtors. Pay for leads. I've never used Realtor.com for any listing advertising more than the 1 free picture ad all Realtors receive free for being members. I cannot recall the price for increased exposure, but my feelings are that it is quite high.

I do think Realtors should be the first avenue of lead collecting. It is our business after all. I preach at sales meetings the importance of our associates obtaining an online presence. However, much to the delight of the commercial online lead generating companies, Realtors seem to spend more money and energy learning about and buying the newest cell phone with more bells and whistles that they need than they ever do developing a solid, customer oriented online presence.. When asked about their personal websites, the responses range from "don't have one" or "mine never brings me any business".

I'm not going to pay for leads. It does not matter who is selling them. I'm going to continue to develop sites that are customer oriented, provides valuable and current information and the leads will come. If you search Deland real estate, you will find me and not some major commercial lead generating company, I like to think that is what the customer expects from their online search results. A local Realtor to assist them immediately.


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Imagine an entire real estate office blogging

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Is there a difference between buying an airline ticket and a home online?


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

Google, granddaughters & guessing

My daughter and granddaughter were here for a 5 day visit. I have commented before that one of the biggest perks of selling real estate is the ability to "take off work" without losing pay or job. What a sweet, innocent and tender girl my granddaughter is. I'm sure she exhibits many of the same qualities and actions that her mother use to frustrate me with when she was her age, but in these older eyes of mine, it all looks ...perfect. They flew home last night. My daughter called me today and said my only grandchild seemed happy to be back home, evidently rushing to her favorite toy immediately upon entering. I guess she kept her mom and dad up well past her normal sleep time with chatter and talk that sounds more like gibberish that an 18 month old child would speak. I like to think if it could be translated, she was telling her dad what a great time she had and how wonderful her papa was.

Google is doing something with search results. That is the buzz online and proved by my loss of position with some very important keywords. All seo forums that I have read thus far border on comments that run from "hang the bums" to "let's wait and see". Explanations of why there has been such a drastic change in ranks are varied but without solid proof. I am going to hold onto the hope that keeping new listings available at the consumers fingertips, providing up-to-date information about the Florida real estate market and trends and not duplicating the same old tired stuff Realtors have been using for years on their site, will gain the blessing of all the search engine gods and allow me to be seen by the searching masses.

I'm guessing:

That being sued by the Department of Justice is not a good thing....(I'm not the one being sued, well not directly, search NAR and the Department of Justice for info)...

More Realtor sites have the Realtor's picture on them than the mls search ability....

That real haunted houses take Halloween off.....

That the reported bird flu case in Greece caught the attention of several Watson Realtors.....

That I need to blog more.........


Related Florida real estate views:

I went searching for a bank and found a Neopet

What is Google trying to say?

I... uh, lost my password, yeah...that's it.


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

Texas hold em open

With the poker craze sweeping the nation, I came up with a new contest that we will be doing in January after the Greece incentive trip contest is over. Each time an associate holds open a home on the weekends, they will get to play in a hand of Texas hold em at the weekly sales meeting for marketing prizes. No betting or gambling involved, just being dealt a hand for each house they held open. Texas hold em open.....catchy don't you think?

Speaking of open houses. Realtors and home owners are equally mixed on the effectiveness of these ancient, or tried and true depending on your slant, marketing methods. Some love them, some hate them. In their day, when exposure of a home consisted of a mls book that came out some time after the home was listed, and there was no immediate internet or online mls and ads were often just in the local Sunday paper, an open house was a very powerful marketing tool without much effort being needed by the seller or Realtor. Now the most successful open houses are held by those Realtors and sellers who work together to present the best possible product to the most customers possible.

To increase the chances of an open house being well attended, the Realtor should be mailing out invitations to nearby apartment complexes, they will be notifying local mortgage brokers and lenders inviting them to stop by and asking them to mention the open house to any customers they may be working with who have not found a home yet. The same invitation should also be given to the local real estate agents in the area of the home being held open. Some of the really industrious Realtors will go door to door inviting the neighbors. Ads should run in all the local papers, directional signs, if allowed, should be set up to direct cars from several directions. All these methods will increase the number of visitors that will attend and increase the possibility of attracting a buyer or someone who will recommend a buyer for the home they are holding open.

Sellers can help as well. Make sure the yard is cared for, dishes and laundry put away, beds made. It is also really important to leave your home for the duration of the open house. Give your Realtor the space to do their thing. An open house should offer a comfortable atmosphere for the serious buyers who attend, to take in on the homes features and amenities. The average potential buyer will not, I repeat, will not feel comfortable opening a seller's bedroom closet while the seller is standing their. They will not be at ease to talk financing with the Realtor or onsite mortgage lender. You hired your Realtor trusting in their abilities to sell, let them sell. Give them some space to do their job and you will see the results.

Open houses can be successful in bringing buyers to your home if staged properly or they can be a waste of 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday or Sunday. The proper staging will help increase the chances for your next open house being a success.


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Greece and stuff

Watson Realty Associates enjoy cruise

Watson Realty announces contest


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

If you think you are selling your home too cheaply, just say no

(I wrote this back in 2005 as a result of some slanted media reports.)

One of the network news programs this Friday had a segment that suggested Realtors may not be interested in getting their sellers the maximum price for their property if it means just waiting for a better offer. The inference is that Realtors want the seller to accept an offer on the table, rather than wait for a better one. They even used a survey that indicates Realtors in a certain geographic area sold their personal property for 3%+ more than the average consumer.

Here is my suggestion to anyone who feels they are being pushed by a high pressured realtor who is seeking a fast commission check at your expense. Just say no.

Just say no at the initial listing interview appointment or at any later time, if you get the sense the realtor is more concerned about their check than your interests. Contact the realtor's broker if the feeling persists.

Just say no if they call you and say "we have a verbal offer", which very often are just fishing attempts to see where your bottom line might be. Make them put all offers in writing.

Just say no when an offer is presented and the estimated net proceeds are less than you are comfortable with. Ask your realtor if your listing price is correct and if not, why has it changed? If it is correct, then counter back at a price that is more acceptable to you or reject the low offers outright.

It really falls into the hands of the seller to decide their bottom line. That would seem to be the main reason Realtors showed a higher sales price (3% +/- ) as mentioned earlier. They, as sellers, waited or just said no to lower offers. Are their Realtors in this business that have a house payment due or some other pressing financial matter who are focused primarily on their own need to get paid over the seller's bottom line? To think not would be short sighted. As a seller you have the final say, use it. Just say no

They did have a Realtor on the program who made the point that often the seller is satisfied with the numbers and against the suggestions of their realtor, they accept the 1st offer that comes or one that is lower than may be obtainable with more time. This is true. Each seller's motivation is different. A realtor's job in part is to present the offers as they are delivered, explain the contingencies and provide a written net proceeds report for the seller to use in making their informed decision. A seller may ask for suggestions, but should never let their realtor make the decision for them.

In conclusion, a seller can go a long way to ensuring they sell their property for the best price possible by simply making sure they have hired a true professional who shows by their actions and words that they value the seller as a treasured customer. Spend some time interviewing Realtors as you would any professional service provider you may need. After you have chosen a realtor, the final decision rests with you. Do not be afraid to say no.


Related Florida real estate views:

Orlando home sellers: giving in, selling or losing their home?

Make sure you review an estimated proceeds document before signing an offer to buy your home

Smart home sellers listen to what the market is telling them.


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255

October real estate Olympics

In keeping with the theme of Watson's fall incentive trip, our office has started a new contest this month. We have divided up in to 4 teams and for the entire month will be competing against each other in the "Mortgage and Title Olympic relay games". Points will be given to each member of each team for those who order preliminary title work or send over a pre-qual or attend an education session. Winning team gets to go out for a Greek lunch. Office attitude seems good for this contest.

I'm going to start a link on www.gregstaker.com that is for those people thinking of a career in real estate or may be considering changing real estate offices. I think I can provide information to several interested individuals who visit my site monthly. Watson does have a real estate school here at the Deland office for people to take advantage of.

I see links are increasing on www.floridarealestategold.com I am baby'ing this site along. If you visit it, bookmark it and watch it's progress


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Floyd Wickman is coming to Central Florida

Why you should join Watson Realty, Orlando

Who do you know that is interested in doing something related to real estate?


- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255