Being in SW Florida, I hear concerns from people about Hurricanes from time to time. We usually end up discussing historical data, newest hurricane codes & then I typically go into 'natural disasters elsewhere'.

Honestly, I cannot think of a single place to live that there won't be something weatherwise to concern yourself with. Basically it comes down to picking the ones that least annoy you, or maybe are least likely to kill you.

Here are some I can think of:

Hurricanes

Tornadoes

Mudslides

Blizzards

Fires

Floods

Heat

Wind

Earthquakes

I found an article put on USA Today that goes into more detail about these things.

They also have a cool interactive map to show you where these natural disasters occur.

So, what natural disasters do you have to explain in your area?

Oh, I almost forget Florida is also the lightning Capital of the World :)

But I can't see myself living anywhere else!

Yours in Success,

Susan Milner

Florida Future Realty, Inc.

Search Cape Coral & other area listings: Cape Coral Real Estate

Susan@SusanMilner.com

COPYRIGHT 2008 Susan Milner of Florida Future Realty, Inc.

Ok to reblog in full - not ok to copy in whole or in part

The end of my voicemail says to "Make it a GREAT day!". One of my agents commented on that one the other day. "I like how you don't say to have a great day, you say to make it a great day, because YOU have to MAKE it, it just doesn't 'happen'.

Yep, that's correct.

I read so much negativity on here. Agents are concerned about sticking it out in the business or moving on to something else.

Other professions are questioning if anyone else is making any money.

Agents are complaining about their competition stating facts.

Some complain about the Foreclosures and Short Sales.

Agents complain about the 'dumb' agent or 'annoying' customer

Those posts get 'featured'.

Why can't we feature something that reminds us to:

Make it a GREAT Day!!!!!

Thats my hope for EVERYONE.

Wake up tomorrow and Make it a GREAT day!

We are here experiencing this life for a reason. It is to ENJOY life!

Sure we all have to make a living but most important before that is BEING HAPPY!

So whatever it is that makes you happy - DO IT!

So let's look to the positive side of life and focus on what we DO want and stop focusing on what we don't want!

This has been a public service announcement from Florida Future Realty, Inc.

Copyright 2008 www.Florida-Future-Realty.com

Feel free to reblog but not copy/paste!

Invest in Short Sales | Cape Coral Short Sales | Ft. Myers Short Sales

Are you interested in Cape Coral short sales? Want to hear the truth about them?

Do you and/or your agent understand them?

One thing that I think is VERY important is to note the source of the information you find.

How many short sales has this agent been involved with? How many have actually CLOSED?

Getting bad advice is possible so you need to understand where this information is coming from.

Would you take advice about building wealth from someone currently in poverty? No, of course not. Then why would you take advice on short sales from someone who has never closed on one?

As of today, 626 residential short sales have closed in Lee County since January 1, 2008. The average days on market was 145. That is from list date to sale date.

I pulled out a ranking report ~ by agent ~ by sold counts as listing agent ~ sorted by # of closed listings.

I rank #5. Susan Milner of Florida Future Realty: #5 in residential short sales closed out of our entire MLS for this time period of Jan 1, 2008-Aug 28, 2008. 2 of the agents listed above me are brokers and take credit for every sale in their entire office. I am also the broker at Florida Future Realty but I do not take credit for my agents' listings. The rankings were all my listings. A couple of them were referred by agents in my office but I was the listing agent.

So, being ranked #5 out of a total of over 5,000 agents in our local board of REALTORS I consider myself a good source of information on short sales.

Do I claim to know everything about short sales? No, of course not. But I would be a better source of information than someone who has never handled a short sale through to the end.

Everyone's situation is unique to them and a seller should seek the counsel of an experienced attorney and/or tax accountant to make sure that a short sale is their best option.

Often times these agents and/or you, their customer, do not have all of the information or knowledge to make an informed decision about short sales. Before you make a decision do your homework.

If you have a question about selling your house as a short sale or a question regarding purchasing a short sale, please give our office a call. We are here to assist you with your real estate needs. Having the added experience with these short sales gives us an advantage in assisting our customers with their short sale buying or selling needs.

We also handle bank owned properties. Often times these homes are priced so well that buyers are experiencing multiple offer situations and the properties typically sell for higher than list price in these cases.

We price our short sales correct with the market. This provides a much higher likelihood of the short sale being approved and it provides for an easier process for all involved.

Want to see our current short sales?

Cape Coral short sales

Fort Myers short sales

Lehigh Acres short sales

E Ft. Myers short sales

N. Ft. Myers short sales

Estero short sales

You can search for all of the properties available in Lee County right online from the comfort of wherever you have internet access. Our website contains a user friendly real estate search engine and is 100% free to use. Go ahead, check it out: Lee County Real Estate Compare properties, see photos, get notified of new listings that match your criteria, save your favorites, schedule showings and more!



We look forward to hearing from you!

Yours in Success,



Susan Milner

Florida Future Realty, Inc.

239-542-8521

Copyright 2008

(I didn't provide a link to the post because it is a members only blog and that wouldn't be right, but it is a featured blog right now so you can easily find it)

Well I just read a blog from another active rain blogger who wrote a post about how some children should not come with parents to look at homes as they are a distraction and oftentimes a safety hazard or possible liability (break something).

While I totally agree that children should be watched by their parents I also do not see the issue with the real estate agent assisting in the entertaining of the child(ren). On many occasions I have had children in my car, or their parent's car along with showings.

While I will draw the line at changing diapers (yes, seriously nearly asked once); I have no issue to keeping little Sally or Tommy involved and out of trouble. I have allowed kids to color while in my car, listen to their favorite music, stop for snacks/potty breaks, open lockboxes, etc.

Of course I can still answer any questions my buyers my have. Usually buyers can look through a house themselves. I've already told them the high points of the house. Obviously you keep an eye on the buyers too - they shouldn't be wandering alone either in some cases just in case.

They shouldn't have to be bothered with hiring a babysitter. They shouldn't exclude their children in the process, in my opinion. And if they do decide to exclude their children in their home buying process then I believe that that is THEIR decision and NOT their real estate agents.

Moving is a family event in my eyes. Involving them will make the entire transition smoother for all involved.

While I definitely believe that there are extreme cases of bad parents and possible bad kids, I think that overall having the entire family along for the trip is a good idea.

Besides, if you are in line with your ideal client/customer then I'm sure you'll enjoy their whole family.

If you are attracting customers who have rotten kids or customers who don't involve their children at all then maybe that isn't the right customer to attract. On the contrary, if you truly hate children then don't send out the thoughts to attract families. Focus on YOUR ideal client.

In conclusion, I was truly amazed at the number of real estate agents who commented on the other blog about their ‘awful' experience with children on showings and just the general distaste of children in general.

I just can't imagine the person who cannot see the good in children. But that's a personal choice I suppose. Just be clearer on the type of customer that makes a good customer for you and the ‘wrong' customers just won't be attracted to you.

Yours in Success,

Susan Milner

P.S. All of our SW Florida real estate agents are happy to assist you and your entire family, or lack thereof, in your home search.

Search Cape Coral Real Estate now.

Copyright 2008

Florida Future Realty, Inc.

Tropical Storm Fay turned out to be less of an impact on our area, Lee County, than some may have expected. With lots of wind and rain over the late night and early morning hours, all is back to normal at my Cape Coral house.

In fact, some of the worst weather we experienced here was from an initial storm band that came through on Sunday evening. I posted a brief video of it: Tropical Storm Fay in Cape Coral.

Lee County schools are scheduled to reopen tomorrow, Wednesday, August 20, 2008 as usual.

Many businesses are now posting that they are opened as well. We will be opened as normal, tomorrow, August 20, 2008 at Florida Future Realty, Inc.

Those in central Florida and along the Eastern coast should still be using caution and remain prepared. Tornadoes and flooding are very likely.

As always, should you, or anyone you know have a real estate question, contact us at Florida Future Realty, Inc.

Search for Cape Coral real estate anytime online at our very user-friendly website.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours in Success,

Susan Milner

Real Estate Broker, Florida Future Realty, Inc.

239-542-8521