A matter of the heart and the pocketbook

At times I feel torn between playing cupid (helping you find a house to fall in love with) and your accountant (finding a house that you can afford). Buying a home is both a matter of the heart and the pocketbook. One really does not outweigh the other. As your real estate agent, I'll help you find a happy balance between the two.

First, you'll benefit from the wealth of experience I bring successfully negotiating and closing deals in the Tampa Bay Area real estate market. I'll help you find the house and the neighborhood that will meet your emotional and financial needs for today and tomorrow.

Next, I'll do everything I can to take the stress out of your home buying experience. There are hundreds of details that go into each real estate transaction, let me handle those for you. And let me help you find a lender, inspector, appraiser and all the other service providers that make for a smooth and worry-free transaction.

Whether you are a first-time buyer or a "real estate veteran", I'm ready, willing and able to answer all your questions about the current real estate market and the home-buying experience. You'll get honest answers to all of your questions.

About the Author: Rick Frissell is a Florida licensed real estate agent with Diamond Dwellings Realty- Florida. Rick's office is in Brandon, Florida which serves eastern Hillborough County. Rick Frissell can be reached at rick@diamonddwellings.com or 813-653-1241.

We welcome referrals!

Remember the times we would all sit in a stadium and somebody would start the WAVE?

At first one, two or three people would take the risk of starting a small wave.  Then foolishly they would turn to those behind them and encourage the others to join in.  This would be repeated until the next section would join in.  Then the next section and the next section and the next section.  Until finally there would be one full revolution around the stadium.  The next revolution more would join and the next reveloution even more.  And soon you would have the WAVE.

Well, I am somewhat new to social internet marketing and for that matter web 2.0.  I have hours and hours of Twittering, Facebook and web site tinkering.  I often wonder ... "What will it look like when I get there?"  Another question I ask is ... "How will I know?"

The video I have included is from the web site Born Again American.  The site allows for song writers, mucisians and, well, Americans to contributute.  You will see that you have the ability to remix the song and theme.   Go to the web site link if you would like to see more on how this web site is a tremendous example of social interent marketing at work.

I viewed this video and saw the talent, creativity and love we have in America.  It just made me feel good.  I hope you do as well. 

Rick Frissell~ Diamond Dwellings Realty- Florida

If you were wondering, I was behind the wheel of the Lincoln Towncar for 57.5 hours over a span of 4 and a half days. The average time driving the client per day was 2 hours. The rest of the time is waiting.

The restrictions were greater than I thought they would be. You have to be 2 to 5 minutes within range of when you are called by the client. That gives them enough time to call down for their driver (me) and take the elevator to the lobby.

I had no surprises and if I had any disappointments it would only be that use of my lap top was more restricted than I thought it would be. WiFi was never available and so blogging as the day would pass was not realistic.

Looking Back

The city of Tampa should be proud of itself. I believe we really impressed our visitors. You could actually see people were enjoying themselves. Our downtown is fresh. Channel Side was wildly popular and Ybor City was a great draw. On one of my runs at midnight, we drove pass the exit for Hard Rock. There were cars lined up back to and on I 4.

If you were a visitor to Tampa this week and you did not have fun, it was your own fault.

The Super Bowl Committee put together venues for all ages and preferences. Concerts were very popular.

The security was prevalent and effective, but not restrictive. Unless you are a trouble maker, then I suspect you would not have liked the security. The police department showed more courtesy than I think I have ever seen. At times, while I was sitting in my car in front of the Marriott, I would see drivers do really dumb things. Not once did I see a police officer become belligerent.

If you are curious as to how I did ...

The team owner that I was dedicated to for the weekend treated me wonderfully. I don't know whether I had any expectations of what it would be like to be driving around our city with a billionaire, but it was no different than if I had just met somebody for the first time at a business meeting and after three days together you have relaxed and enjoyable conversations.

I was tipped $300 and my driver pay will end up somewhere around $1500. But, the experience will last a lot longer than the money quite frankly.

Would I do it again? Possibly. Next year is in Miami. I am thinking of asking the owner to request me for next year as well.

So could I get you to comment?

I would love to hear from you. Our blog visitor count went up 5 times normal for this series. I know that many of you followed along the way.

We have done blogs on special events and places to visit. We will continue to put relevant real estate blogs on here.

But, what would you like to see? Would you like to see more of these job impersonations such as the chauffeur? More restaurant reviews?

We are getting ready to launch foreclosure reviews of particular properties as they first come on the market. What questions would you like answered regarding those properties? What would you like to know most about a foreclosed property?

I want to thank all of my readers. I received phone calls from several of you expressing your interest in the blog. Thank you for those phone calls.

So this is the last blog of the Super Bowl Chauffeur driving you crazy.

Rick Frissell ~ 813 340 6828 Cell

rick@diamonddwellings.com

There have been a lot of news and opinions about how the economy is effecting the Super Bowl.

One of my favorite radio programs is on at 7:55 AM on channel 970, Earl Pitts, great american hero.

Earl has a way of bringing complex issues to where I can understand them.

As Earl would say "Take the economy and how it is effecting the Super Bowl." Now I can't begin to espouse the wisdom of Earl Pitts as well as he does, but as the Super Bowl Chauffeur, I have some Earl Pitts views.

This mornings Tampa Tribune ran an article interviewing the "little people" and what they thought about all the rich and famous coming to Tampa to party and "spend their money."

Debate continues about income distribution and whether to increase taxes on the rich and pass it down to the middle class. Conservatives argue that it is the rich that provide jobs for the middle class.

Here is what I can tell you as the Super Bowl Chauffeur. As we were driving yesterday, my team owner's wife told a friend in the car that the NFL had canceled one of their two owner parties. The friend asked why, and the owner's wife speculated that they felt it would not be in good taste to have two parties with economic conditions as they are.

Add this Tribune article earlier to the mix. It reported that private air reservations for corporate planes were dramatically off. Corporations were coming, but on commercial flights instead.

Also reported were fewer employee award trips and dealer/distributor trips.

So we might say, oh poor souls, they can't party as much and they have to fly like the rest of us.

Here is what it has been like in the street with all of my fellow $7.50 hourly (my pay not including gratuity) wage earners.

By Wednesday of this week 50% of all of the drivers had been laid off. On Friday, another 50 drivers laid off. On Saturday, another 30 drivers laid off.

At the private airports that have no corporate jets arriving, the men and women that refuel the jets are out of work hours and tips. Extra staffing was not needed because of the low reservation count. Overtime hours for the air traffic controllers vaporized.

Waitresses and waiters assigned for the second owner's party were canceled.

I don't have a degree in economics, but I can see what is going on in the street, literally, because of the rich not spending money. It is not because they don't have it to spend. It is just considered "poor taste" to spend it.

As my friend Earl Pitts would say, "Wake up America!"

Follow me on Twitter @RickFrissell

Rick Frissell ~ 813-340-6828 Cell

I will be submitting as many posts as I can today, but it is shaping up to be a busy day for the Super Bowl Chauffeur.

Let me first begin by digressing. Yesterday was my second day as the driver for the wife of one of the owner's for a NFL team.

So what is it like to be plugged in to a super rich person that has come to town for the Super Bowl? Well, it is just as if I were driving for any of you that read this if you were here on vacation. You may question that, but in my two days with this lady and her friends, I have seen nothing but down to earth people on vacation.

We went to the mall to buy a sweater because it was cooler in Tampa than expected. A birthday present for a friend was purchased while there. Friends going out to see the sites. Of all of the places that they could visit, Bush Gardens, Channel Side, Orlando mega monster mouse ... they chose Lowry Park Zoo. And, they were impressed.

Now, for today. It is now 2:18 PM as I am writing at this moment. The build up during the week is now about to erupt into what we usually expect on Super Sunday.

Earlier this morning I was asked to "stage" at the NFL HQ hotel Marriott Waterside. The valet and hotel traffic managers who have been working hard and long have a noticeable increase in seriousness as everything begins to move. Fans are milling about and buses that will carry the coaches and support staff to the stadium are in place for their cargo to be loaded.

The police have been surprisingly patient and courteous. But security, which has been in the background, is now very visible. Dogs are sniffing ... and not for a place for them to park their thoughts.

Downtown traffic is nearly non existent. I have spent two full days in downtown and the mob has been huge. This morning, you could hardly tell there was an event in town except for all of the Pittsburgh jerseys.

And to that point, I would bet (and I am being conservative) that for every obvious Arizona fan there are 100 Pittsburgh fans. And the bars are aware of it as well. Every food and beverage location I have seen have banners stretched across their building shouting "GO STEELERS!" I have yet to see a Cardinals banner.

So picture this. Pretend the Steelers were really the Redskins. Who would the other team mascot be? That mascot does not exist in the NFL. It would be Custer and his 198 soldiers.

I can almost imagine what it would be like, after seeing the Steeler fans in Tampa, for General Custer. The Cardinals are going to enter the stadium and they will look up as if they are in Little Big Horn. And surrounding them will be thousands and thousands of Steeler fans with their yellow/gold and black war paint all over their faces. Instead of tomahawks, their hands will be moving in a frenzy with Steeler towels.

Well, I won't be able to see that. Chauffeurs stay out in the parking lot. But, good news! They are putting on a tail gate party for the chauffeurs during the first half of the game. Food, ice tea (alcohol would not be looked upon favorably for chauffeurs) and a giant screen TV. We were told that we would need to be back at our cars following the half time show.

I hope to have another post before the game. The balance of my posts will be via Twitter. I will get as many Twitpics out to you as time permits. You can follow me @RickFrissell

Until then, this is the Super Bowl Chauffeur driving you crazy!

Rick Frissell ~ 813-340-6828 cell