FDIC in a press released announced that it would sponsor an upcoming forum centered on mortgage lending for low and moderate-income households.
The release mentioned a Census Bureau report that shows that 68% of Americans now own a home however this number decreases as income levels decrease. The drop is 51% for those who earn less than the median income level to a significantly lower 41% for those at the bottom of the wage earners in the country.
The FDIC believes that the current mortgage mess will only increase the percent of homeowners who will not be able to purchase a home.
The forum will be held in Virginia on July 8th. For more information here is the complete press release.
Related Florida real estate views:
FDIC Chairman, Sheila C. Bair sees no end to housing woes
FDIC offers suggestions to obtain the best mortgage terms
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Jun 8, 2008
Florida condo for sale with ocean view!
New Smyrna Beach is located within an hour of Orlando. 3 bedroom, 3 bath condo with ocean view.
$1,025.000
Contact me for additional details.
Related Florida real estate views:
Deland is only minutes from Daytona Beach
Buy a home that offers fishing and boating
Condo for sale Florida ocean view
- Greg Staker - Watson Realty Corp. - 407-304-0255
How you might avoid foreclosure
Call your lender immediately when you start to fall behind on your mortgage payments; explaining your hardship situation. The lender does not want the home. They will often work with you with a goal of keeping you in your home. Make the call.
Read more about getting help to avoid foreclosure.
Related Florida real estate views:
Florida attorneys offering free help to homeowners facing foreclosure
Washington Mutual helps more than 7500 homeowners avoid foreclosure
Florida foreclosure prevention counseling receives support
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Read more about getting help to avoid foreclosure.
Related Florida real estate views:
Florida attorneys offering free help to homeowners facing foreclosure
Washington Mutual helps more than 7500 homeowners avoid foreclosure
Florida foreclosure prevention counseling receives support
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Positioning ourselves for real estate success in the years ahead
People are retiring and retiring people move to Florida. Maybe not as many as predicted in years past but it would be foolish to think that the retiring baby boom generation will still not consider Florida as a great place to spend their golden years.
Our real estate agents are counting on this migration effect to increase their business in the years to come. As an agent and a Company we must have marketing and prospecting solutions that help us be the 1st contact point for these migrating homebuyers. Once the consumer arrives in Florida and has an opportunity to pick up a Watson Showcase print Magazine or the Orlando Sentinel to scan for homes available, chances are good they have already made 1st contact with a Realtor through their searches online.
Watson Realty’s involvement with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the creation of a new user friendly website, our award winning Relocation department and our individual agents efforts to understand the value and importance of online marketing, are all positive efforts that should help propel us to the front lines of capturing this new business.
Our goals are to continue strengthening our online position, capture more leads without relying totally on lead generating companies. By our accomplishing this coupled with our already strong proven marketing programs, training and management, we will ensure that the future for Central Florida and Watson Realty will be a bright one.
Related Florida real estate views:
Odd recruiting practices of real estate offices.
Landschoot Earns RELO Direct® Service Award
Real estate sales success school starts again
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Our real estate agents are counting on this migration effect to increase their business in the years to come. As an agent and a Company we must have marketing and prospecting solutions that help us be the 1st contact point for these migrating homebuyers. Once the consumer arrives in Florida and has an opportunity to pick up a Watson Showcase print Magazine or the Orlando Sentinel to scan for homes available, chances are good they have already made 1st contact with a Realtor through their searches online.
Watson Realty’s involvement with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the creation of a new user friendly website, our award winning Relocation department and our individual agents efforts to understand the value and importance of online marketing, are all positive efforts that should help propel us to the front lines of capturing this new business.
Our goals are to continue strengthening our online position, capture more leads without relying totally on lead generating companies. By our accomplishing this coupled with our already strong proven marketing programs, training and management, we will ensure that the future for Central Florida and Watson Realty will be a bright one.
Related Florida real estate views:
Odd recruiting practices of real estate offices.
Landschoot Earns RELO Direct® Service Award
Real estate sales success school starts again
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Jun 5, 2008
Is customer service improving as the market weakens?
Regardless of it being fair or not, the public perception of real estate agents has often been less than flattering. Opinion polls often rate real estate agents toward the bottom when considering occupations viewed in a good light.
My hope would be as the market has changed over the last few years, that customer service provided by agents has improved across the board and this improvement will one day be reflected in polls indicating our profession is gaining approval from the public.
It would make sense that customer service has improved. The market continues to eliminate part-time agents and those who had no business being in real estate sales to begin with. These same agents would certainly have had some part in the bad public opinion. Lack of training, lack of education, lack of experience and lack of ethics creates the possibility of bad customer service.
Even experienced agents could be benefiting from today's market as it allows for more quality customer service. Less business means more time for follow up and communication with the customer. Follow up and communication are the heart of good customer service.
Of course an argument could be made that customer service is not improving at all. While it is true that more and more part-time agents are leaving the business, it is also true that more and more full-time agents are now being forced to take second jobs and thus becoming part-time by default. Part-time in this business translates to less follow up, less communication and less time for quality customer service.
We may also have to consider the customer service dilemma created by today's mortgage mess and downward spiraling home prices. These two factors are at least partially responsible for the new "short sale" market that has been created. The listing and selling of homes contingent upon third party approval or a short sale contingency is rife with the potential of bad customer service.
Agents may not wish to admit that they have never successfully closed a short sale transaction. Agents may also not want to admit that they are unfamiliar with the steps and the process. This leaves agents handling this type of business on the fly and well, doing things on the fly can contribute to bad customer service.
So the question remains, is customer service improving among real estate professionals as a group? Time will tell. On an individual basis we can provide extraordinary customer service, which many great agents have done and will continue to do. On an office and company level we need to be confident that those agents with us understand the value of providing the best possible service regardless of the trends in the marketplace. The latter is my responsibility and it is one I take seriously. Those who fail to see the seriousness of the issue will need to correct their thought process' or find another place to work.
I think the public would want it that way.
Related Florida real estate views:
What do consumers want to know prior to relocating?
Selling real estate is not very prestigious
Did we miss your call?
- Greg Staker - Watson Realty Corp. - 407-304-0255
My hope would be as the market has changed over the last few years, that customer service provided by agents has improved across the board and this improvement will one day be reflected in polls indicating our profession is gaining approval from the public.
It would make sense that customer service has improved. The market continues to eliminate part-time agents and those who had no business being in real estate sales to begin with. These same agents would certainly have had some part in the bad public opinion. Lack of training, lack of education, lack of experience and lack of ethics creates the possibility of bad customer service.
Even experienced agents could be benefiting from today's market as it allows for more quality customer service. Less business means more time for follow up and communication with the customer. Follow up and communication are the heart of good customer service.
Of course an argument could be made that customer service is not improving at all. While it is true that more and more part-time agents are leaving the business, it is also true that more and more full-time agents are now being forced to take second jobs and thus becoming part-time by default. Part-time in this business translates to less follow up, less communication and less time for quality customer service.
We may also have to consider the customer service dilemma created by today's mortgage mess and downward spiraling home prices. These two factors are at least partially responsible for the new "short sale" market that has been created. The listing and selling of homes contingent upon third party approval or a short sale contingency is rife with the potential of bad customer service.
Agents may not wish to admit that they have never successfully closed a short sale transaction. Agents may also not want to admit that they are unfamiliar with the steps and the process. This leaves agents handling this type of business on the fly and well, doing things on the fly can contribute to bad customer service.
So the question remains, is customer service improving among real estate professionals as a group? Time will tell. On an individual basis we can provide extraordinary customer service, which many great agents have done and will continue to do. On an office and company level we need to be confident that those agents with us understand the value of providing the best possible service regardless of the trends in the marketplace. The latter is my responsibility and it is one I take seriously. Those who fail to see the seriousness of the issue will need to correct their thought process' or find another place to work.
I think the public would want it that way.
Related Florida real estate views:
What do consumers want to know prior to relocating?
Selling real estate is not very prestigious
Did we miss your call?
- Greg Staker - Watson Realty Corp. - 407-304-0255
Jun 3, 2008
I went searching for a bank and found a Neopet
You can file this in "odd Google search results".
I searched for bank in Google and was surpised to find a link to the online pet game, neopets as the 3rd result.
If neopets can rank for the keyword bank I am going to open an account and create a real estate pet.
Related Florida real estate views:
Who is viewing Florida real estate?
Orlando Florida. What is being searched? Who is doing the searching?
Blogs dealing with Orlando housing
- Greg Staker - Watson Realty Corp. - 407-304-0255
I searched for bank in Google and was surpised to find a link to the online pet game, neopets as the 3rd result.
If neopets can rank for the keyword bank I am going to open an account and create a real estate pet.
Related Florida real estate views:
Who is viewing Florida real estate?
Orlando Florida. What is being searched? Who is doing the searching?
Blogs dealing with Orlando housing
- Greg Staker - Watson Realty Corp. - 407-304-0255
Bank of America predicts home sales will level off
From a Bank of America US Economic & Financial Forecast:
Home sales are likely to level off later this year, as affordability continues to improve and credit conditions ease somewhat; however, declining home prices are also a key deterrent to housing recovery, leading potential homeowners to postpone purchases. Even after home sales level off, near-record inventories of homes for sale will delay a pickup in construction...
Read entire forecast
Home sales are likely to level off later this year, as affordability continues to improve and credit conditions ease somewhat; however, declining home prices are also a key deterrent to housing recovery, leading potential homeowners to postpone purchases. Even after home sales level off, near-record inventories of homes for sale will delay a pickup in construction...
Read entire forecast
Jun 2, 2008
Agents and bears hibernate.
hibernate: To be in a dormant, resting state
Today I contacted agents who I have not seen over the past month. Their absence of course mirrors their non-existent business. I understand the market is challenging and feel for agents who are genuinely trying to further their careers or are taking advantage of the down time in order to gain the training and education they need to increase their chances for success in the future.
One agent today though caught me off guard. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hi, I hope you have been well. I would like to invite you to tomorrow's sales meeting and maybe we can spend a few moments discussing an activity plan?
Agent: I hope I can stay active with your office. I have a few people thinking about buying sometime in the future. I am not ready to jump back into real estate full time.
Me: Well it might be good to take advantage of some of oour ongoing training until things pick up for you. When do you anticipate coming back to the office on a regular basis.
Agent: Maybe in a year or two.
I released the agent today.
Related Florida real estate views:
Code of Ethics training to be held in Kissimmee
Does your agent have enough money to advertise your home?
Homebuyers and sellers in Florida may have fewer Realtors to choose from
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Today I contacted agents who I have not seen over the past month. Their absence of course mirrors their non-existent business. I understand the market is challenging and feel for agents who are genuinely trying to further their careers or are taking advantage of the down time in order to gain the training and education they need to increase their chances for success in the future.
One agent today though caught me off guard. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Hi, I hope you have been well. I would like to invite you to tomorrow's sales meeting and maybe we can spend a few moments discussing an activity plan?
Agent: I hope I can stay active with your office. I have a few people thinking about buying sometime in the future. I am not ready to jump back into real estate full time.
Me: Well it might be good to take advantage of some of oour ongoing training until things pick up for you. When do you anticipate coming back to the office on a regular basis.
Agent: Maybe in a year or two.
I released the agent today.
Related Florida real estate views:
Code of Ethics training to be held in Kissimmee
Does your agent have enough money to advertise your home?
Homebuyers and sellers in Florida may have fewer Realtors to choose from
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
June is National Homeownership Month
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today launched a month-long campaign to continue helping families avoid foreclosure. For the duration of National Home ownership Month, the Bush Administration will focus on how Americans can utilize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) as a resource to keep their homes during this time of uncertainty in the housing market. Read full news release
Related Florida real estate views:
FDIC – Home ownership declines with income levels
Puerto Rico has high home ownership rate
Speaking of home ownership
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Related Florida real estate views:
FDIC – Home ownership declines with income levels
Puerto Rico has high home ownership rate
Speaking of home ownership
- Greg Staker Watson Realty Corp. 407-304-0255
Jun 1, 2008
Real estate school starts in Kissimmee
Last call for anyone interested in attending our pre-licensing class to be held in Kissimmee. This class will begin Wednesday evening, June 4th. Call me for details. 407-304-0255
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