Anthony Barone: Real Estate Broker

To my closest clients family & friends,

Let me start by saying thank you for all your help and support throughout the years. I am proud to announce that I have affiliated myself with Re/Max & the Children's Miracle Network. As many of you may know I was a multiyear top producing agent in my old company and moved on in my career to obtain my NJ Brokers license and manage 3 different offices in Ocean County at that company with over 100 licensed agents. I have listed some of my accomplishments below. My wife, Fiona, and I have decided to start our own business with Re/Max as they are the largest & most successful real estate company in the world with a great support system and plenty of opportunities; including national and international real estate sales, residential and commercial real estate development and a professional work environment. As we are building our business, I would like to ask for your help. If you or anyone you know is considering a sale or purchase of a home or business could you please keep us in mind. If you have any questions regarding real estate you are always welcome to contact me anytime.

· 2006 - Seniors Real Estate Specialist Certification

· 2006 - 1st Quarter Production

· 2006 - 2nd Quarter Production

· 2006 - 3rd Quarter Production

· 2006 - 4th Quarter Production

· 2005 & 2009 Graduated from the most recognized real estate training courses in North America & Canada "Sweathogs" with Ed Escobar

· 2006 - Former company Presidents Club

· 2006 - Company Top Producer

· 2006 - Most Units Listed

· 2006 - Highest Unit Sold

· 2006 - Highest Income

· 2006 - NJAR Circle of Excellence Sales Award

· 2007 - NJAR Circle of Excellence Sales Award

· 2008 - Obtained NJ Broker's License •2008 - Member of the Grand Jury for the MCAR grievance committee & 2009-Co-chair of the MCAR grievance committee

• 2009-Managed 3 offices in New Jersey with over 100 agents & then Joined Re/Max at Barnegat Bay

2008 has been an eventful year for the world economy. The U.S. financial markets have been severely marked by these events, but as far as the Mexican Caribbean is concerned, these negative changes are actually positive benefits for the foreign investor.

The instability of World Stock Exchanges has caused the disparity between the American and Mexican currencies to vary greatly in the last few months. As it now stands, the Mexican Peso is at its all-time low, as compared to the Dollar.

This newly-created Bear Market is great for investment. Basically, since your money is now worth more when exchanged into Pesos, you get the obvious benefits. Getting more Pesos for your Dollar positively affects many aspects of your investment in the Mexican Caribbean.

As you may know already, land taxes on oceanfront lots on the beautiful shores of the Yucatan Peninsula were very low to begin with. Now, with the higher exchange rate, these low fees are even more appealing. Yearly land tax on an oceanfront lot for example, would only set you back about $35 USD.

Another major cost saving with the new "stronger" Dollar has to do with the already-low cost of living in Mexico. As it is, daily living expenses in Mexico are a lot less than those in the U.S. or Canada (about 60% less). The new exchange rate means that you'll be able to afford a lot more, including help around your new beachfront home.

In light of these events, there has never been a better time to start building your beachfront dream home. More Pesos for your Dollar means more home for your money. Building costs are now lower than ever before. Because of the new exchange rate, you can now build the beach home you have always dreamt of with huge savings!

With all the changes in the world economy this year, now you can come out a winner. Wise investment decisions are made in this kind of market. If you invest now, the same beautiful Caribbean beach lot will be yours at a discounted rate.

If you've been dreaming of owning a piece of Caribbean Paradise, let the devalued Mexican Peso help you. Take advantage of these great cost savings and have a very Merry Beach-Owner Christmas. If you are intrested please feel free to contact me and I will put you through the proper channels.

With 2009 rapidly approaching, we must consider the changes that have occurred in our market, and plan for what we will experience in the coming year. While 2009 will be a difficult year for many, it will also bring unprecedented opportunities for the few who choose to adapt now, before it's too late.

1. Prices will continue to fall but dramatic price drops such as those we saw between 2006 and 2008 are unlikely.
2. Affordability will drive an increase in existing-home sales. Proper pricing, as always, is essential.
3. More real estate agents will be leaving the business as they fail to adapt to market changes.
4. Mortgage defaults will remain elevated as job and economic growth slows and the next significant wave of mortgages reset.
5. Short Sales will increase as loan modification efforts are exhausted and the majority of existing loan mods default again. Sellers will ask themselves if they are better off selling their homes on a short sale, absorbing the hit to their credit reports and becoming renters for a few years.

Real estate agents who specialize in short sales will see an increase of business.

Like all things technology related, digital cameras get better and cost less every year. If your camera is 3+ years old you should consider replacing it with a new one. There are a variety of small, easy-to-use, high quality cameras in the $300 -$400 price range that will take great real estate photos.

Things to consider:

• Megapixels - Contrary to popular belief, more megapixels does not mean better pictures. It just means that you will have the ability to create larger pictures (like 8X10 or larger) at full density - hardly a necessity for most real estate photos.

While most cameras today have 5+ megapixels, anything more than 3 megapixels for online photo use is excess. Additionally, photos taken at the maximum size will take substantially longer to upload to the Internet. You can either change the photo size setting in your camera or reduce the size of the photos after they have been downloaded to your computer to reduce "upload" time.

• Camera Size - Compact "Point and Shoot" cameras have the advantage of size and convenience. Their disadvantage comes in some areas that are important to real estate photos. Typically, their "low light" capability and the "maximum width" of their lenses are not as good as a larger camera. But there are a few compact point and shoot cameras that will provide the features you need, as noted below.

• Quality - Newer cameras (less than 2 years old) will usually have improved image processing chips and software so the quality of the photos will typically be better than an older camera of the same caliber. Higher priced cameras in the same megapixel range as lower priced cameras will typically have better image processing chips, software and lenses which will result in better photo quality. In other words, you usually get what you pay for.
• Features to look for:
  • Low Light Capability - Interior shots are almost always taken in "low light" conditions so it is important to get a camera with a good "low light" sensitivity rating (referred to as the "ISO range"). Cameras with average to poor low light sensitivity will produce grainier photos in low light situations. A lower priced camera will typically not have as high an ISO range as a similar higher priced camera. Your camera choice should produce good quality photos at 800 ISO or higher.
  • Wide Angle Lens - Most Point and Shoot cameras have a minimum focal length of 35+ mm. A few cameras have a minimum focal length of 28mm which will take a wider angle photo without distorting the picture. While the difference between 28mm and 35 mm doesn't sound like much, getting more of a room into the shot is important when taking real estate photos.
  • Image Stabilization - A camera with image stabilization will reduce natural hand shake and take a clearer photo. Also, in low light conditions the shutter stays open longer to let more light in making image stabiliztion even more important, since so many real estatephotos are shot in low light conditions.

Hopefully these tips will help you make a more educated purchase the next time your in the market for a new camara!!!

For those whoe have no idea where this town is, here is a quick note about the area:

Forked River is in Ocean County, in the New York metro area.

The community was named for its location at the head of the Forked River NOTE: This is not the only community in New Jersey named Forked River.

The latitude of Forked River is 39.839N. The longitude is -74.19W.

It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 13 feet.

The population, at the time of the 2000 census, was 4,914.

If You would like more information about homes and land in this town please feel free to contact me anytime!!!