Rick Frissell- Realtor Brandon Florida Area

Day 1 as a chauffeur is all about training. Would you believe there are over a hundred Power Point cells for training. Thank goodness the real estate exam was easier. (Just kidding)

Some rules are obvious, such as, no smoking in the car. Now I have never smoked so that is no big deal. But, would you believe we are not to offer our hand for hand shake to greet our client? The reasoning: There is an increasing concern about the spreading of germs and we are to never put our clients in an embarrassing position of refusing or not wanting to shake our hand.

Dress attire. Now that was an interesting exercise we went through. Our email and phone communications made a big deal of bringing our black suit and white shirt (they provide the tie as part of the standard uniform.) Many of the people got the message to wear their suit. I couldn't believe how many different suits there could be that are black. The inspection consisted of making sure the suit was solid black. No pin stripes or patterns of any type were permitted. But that was it. I'm looking around the room and some of these suits look like they have been slept in for days. Maybe they're the professional chauffeurs. White is not always white either. There is gray white as in worn out. But, those were the exception for sure. There were hundreds of drivers and I would say 95% or more looked great.

There was one major snafu for the day. There were four sperate training classes for the day and I was in session 3. After an afternoon of training, they discover, suddenly , that there are not enough cars to assign to every driver. On the surface that would seem solvable and it is. But not until the next day. Well, they instructed us to be dropped off because there was not enough parking for our personal cars and we would be getting a car anyway. So now there are probably 50 people without transportation home and the day is over. I got a car! As I was leaving, quickly I might add, staff was on the phone making shuttle arrangements for the shorted drivers.

Day 2, today as I write this, is a little confusing. We are supposed to be ready for airport shuttle runs, but there was conflicting information as to whether we will actually be dispatched today. So, I will let you know. Remember, you can follow me on Twitter @RickFrissell

Rick Frissell ~ Diamond Dwellings Realty

Re-printed from: Brandon Florida Real Estate Blog

I guess I mentioned that everything was a little unorganized during the Training Day. Well it spilled over to me.

At the training class we were told we needed a long sleeve white shirt. I don't own a long sleeve white shirt. I prefer light blue for my dress shirts. So I run to the local department store to buy a shirt, five minutes before closing.

"Good evening shoppers, thank you for shopping at Steinmart. We will be closing in 5 minutes. Please bring your purchases to check out." Yipes, I just arrived.

Okay okay, let's find the size and get out of here. Rush rush, white shirt - check, 17 inch collar - check, 34 inch length - check ... go, go, go, let's get to check out. All done in less than 3 minutes!!

So I get up yesterday morning with a full schedule. I have to write a blog, answer my real estate emails, check new listings for my clients and iron my white "long sleeve" shirt.

So why do they fold new shirts with a hundred straight pins? It must mean something when you can buy a shirt faster than you can open the package. But, I am running behind so I have to get going. The steam iron is now cooking, sending a spiral of steam from it's nose and hissing at me as a cobra ready to go. I always follow the same order. Press the collar, nice and crisp. Now the sleeves. The sleeves. The sleeves ... oh no! The sleeves have french cuffs! I can't use this shirt!

Thinking fast, I remember about the commercials of how Men's Warehouse saves people that are in a jam. I bought my black suit (also required and also something I did not own) from Men's Warehouse. I will take my new Men's Warehouse black suit still wrapped by them and buy a white shirt there. I can also have them press it (after all this is an emergency and it's their advertisement, not mine) and I can get dressed right there in the changing room. Well, that plan worked and the day is back on track.

Except. Except that my Nextel phone they gave me does not have a signal. Now Nextel is no Men's Warehouse. My family has been down that route when we bought two Nextel phones for my wife and son. Same problem, no service coverage. No sympathy. No help. No refund.

Let's Get This Show on the Road

I get to "Command Center." No kidding, this is set up military style. We even use military time and we have a field van called "Mobile Operations Center" or MOC. I let Command Center know that my Nextel won't work in Valrico (and likely a lot of the rest of the area) and they take it to check it out. Well, it wasn't the usual Nextel signal problem. It was a "not working" Nextel phone. Now how is one able to tell the difference? Anyway, the "not working" part is fixed. The signal part is a problem related to where my house is located and I am not going to move.

At 1:30 PM I get a contact from dispatch for a pick up at the airport, at 1950. That is 7:50 PM. "Stand by and we will be contacting you with instructions."

Six hours of stand by? That's okay, I wanted this gig.

Another part of the training the day before is that we be "in the cell phone parking lot 20 minutes ahead of arrival." I am there an hour ahead. Thirty minutes to go and my personal cell phone rings. It is dispatch. They had called my home and my wife gave them my cell phone number. This time the Nextel problem was the operator, me ! They had told us to keep the volume down so as not to disturb our clients. But, they did not tell us to mute it. They had been trying to reach me for an hour and were not getting a response from me. Okay, un-mute.

Well my client arrives on time and I am taking one of the broadcast booth announcers from NBC. Now I am not allowed to mention names, but there are only three, so you guess.

VERY nice people! We are driving to the Harbour Island Westin. I grew up in Tampa. Been to downtown Tampa probably thousands of times and in thousands and thousands of times I have only gone the wrong way on a one way street once. Now let's make that two.

What a headline: "NBC Super Bowl announcer did not make the game and is in the hospital after a head on collision by a local Realtor pretending to be a chauffeur at the Super Bowl."

Well, thankfully there was no oncoming traffic, no accident and no tip. I would not have accepted one after I could feel the death grip on the back of my Lincoln Towncar luxury leather seat by the announcers wife. What does it mean when you stop the car and your clients run? They did not teach us THAT in chauffeur school.

So my second day as a chauffeur and my first day of driving was over. Tired, embarrassed and down, I went home and thought of the less stressful days of real estate.

Rick Frissell~ Realtor

About the Author: Rick Frissell is a 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.

If you are interested in a career in real estate or associating with Diamond Dwellings Realty, please contact Rick! All calls and inquiries will be held in the strictest confidence.

The idea for this blog began when I got an email from our local association of Realtors® (GTAR) announcing that there was a need for chauffeurs for Super Bowl week.

"Drivers are needed as chauffeurs for VIP, entertainers, NFL players/Cheerleaders and celebrities." Wow! What a blog I thought. I sent a communication of my interest in working that week. After all, who would I possibly meet and why not make some needed money at the same time.

I submited my paper work and was invited to an orientation. Paperwork, background check (FBI) and drug test and you're hired. So they tell you to come back for training, which will be on January 26th and at that time you have a car assigned to you, a dispatch radio, a gas card and notification that you are on call 24x7 for the next week.

So what will the blog look like? Well, I'm afraid that part of the paperwork was an affidavit that we will not disclose any client names, events or conversations. Well, that sounds like a boring blog.

So, here is the alternative. I will be sending pictures of sights and destinations that the partiers will be attending. Which bars, dance clubs, parties, restaurants and attractions will be captured is yet to be known.

The pictures will be delivered from my cell phone through TwitPic and on my Twitter account. You can follow me @RickFrissell. The first three days were explained to be between the airport and hotels and everything else is beginning Friday. We will at least record the day of a chauffeur through our Twitter blog. I hope to see you following me!

Rick Frissell~ Diamond Dwellings Realty

813-340-6828 Cell

The Tampa Bay area, hosting its fourth Super Bowl on Feb. 1st, has something for everyone. This huge event is unique in all the sports world. This years Super Bowl is being played at the Raymond James Stadium, better known to the locals as the "Ray Jay".

Tampa has its skyline, port, museums, world-class aquarium and Busch Gardens plus a hockey arena and outdoor amphitheater that draw the concert calendar's biggest acts. Some of the hottest game week parties open to the public will happen in the clubs and restaurants of Ybor City, the former Tampa Latin Quarter that was redeveloped as an entertainment district before the city's last Super Bowl in 2001.

Around 150,000 people are descending on the Tampa Bay area for Super Bowl XLIII. Here's a little more about what they can expect:

New in Tampa since the last Super Bowl is the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, which is not only full of brand new slot machines and black jack tables, but also some top-notch restaurants. In fact, NFL legend Mike Ditka will make the hotel his home base for a dazzling event put on by the Gridiron Greats charity.

Music: There is something for everyone the week leading up to the game: Celine Dion (Jan. 28th), The Eagles, Jan. 29th, Rihana, Fall Out Boy and Lifehouse, Jan. 29th, and the Latin-flavored Pepsi Musica concert, Jan 30th are among the shows scheduled. Also showing up for the festivities will be comedian Dane Cook, Jan. 31st. The annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration is Jan. 30th, and the SuperLX Live! jazz concert in Ybor City, Jan31st.

Parties, Parties everywhere: Although the economy may put a small dent in Super Bowl partying this year, celebrities ranging from rappers to TV celebrities putting on their must attend events. Big-time sports agent Leigh Steinberg is holding his own exclusive Super Bowl party at the Lowery Park Zoo in Tampa.

Food: The Taste of the NFL sponsored by the NFL, features 32 top chefs, one from each NFL city, paired with a current or former NFL player for an event Jan 31st at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg. Attendees can sample some awesome food and wine, and meet the players/chefs.

Floating Hotels: Tampa is a year around cruise port and several large cruise ships will make Tampa their port of call for the Super Bowl, including the very exclusive The World cruise ship. They will provide both entertainment and coveted rooms with a view in Downtown Tampa.

And then there is the football game it's self, almost an after thought after all that's going on the week leading up to the game. Steelers Vs Cardinals should be a great match up.

Rick Frissell, Agent- Diamond Dwellings Realty

813-653-1241

The first thing you should know about buying a Tampa Bay Area bank owned property is that you have greater negotiating leverage if the property has been on the market for a while. When a foreclosure first goes on the market, the bank may be unwilling to negotiate down on its asking price as it wants to get as much of what was owed on the original loan back as possible. However, once a home or condo has sat too long on the market with few bites, a bank becomes more willing to take what it can get since its primary goal is to get the asset off the books and increase shareholder value. Banks have no desire to be in the real estate business. So, here are some tips on how to negotiate with a bank when buying a property that they own.

1. Make offers on Tampa Bay Area foreclosures only if they have been on the market for more than 30 days.

2. If the bank rejects your offer, wait another 30 days and re-submit it. Over time banks become more willing to negotiate with buyers and will be willing to take less.

3. Hire your own attorney to review the bank's Purchase Contract. Since most banks use their own attorney to write the Purchase Contract, it will not favor the buyer so you need a good real estate attorney to review it.

4. You are not obligated to obtain your loan through the bank offering the property for sale. They may ask you to submit a loan application to pre-qualify you for the purchase, you can still seek a loan from another bank with a better rate or terms.

5. Make sure you have an approval letter from your lender before you submit an offer that assures you your loan will not run into unexpected delays because the selling bank may charge additional fees if the closing date is delayed.

6. Since most bank owned homes are sold "As Is," make sure your offer is contingent upon having a home inspection done. Some times sellers damage the property or strip assets from the home before they leave.

Please allow us to assist you in your search for that perfect property and represent your interests in the negotiation process.

Rick Frissell, Agent- Diamond Dwellings Realty 813-653-1241

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Tampa Florida Bank Owned Properties- AKA Foreclosures

5 Foreclosure Laws You Should Be Familiar With