Cathy Melton

We all have a decision to make every morning, every day. We have to decide if we are going to have either a good day or a bad day. I have chosen to make my day a positive day; or at least I try to. I have found that one way I remain positive is by turning off the TV! I no longer watch the news in the morning. I will click on CNN or FOX News to read the headlines, but for the most part, the television has been turned off.

I started with this approach this past week. I can't take the credit; I received the idea from my son's second grade teacher. They have a NO TV policy Monday through Friday and my son has forgotten about SpongeBob and the Disney Channel (or at least he doesn't seem to miss it). This is a successful program at his school; reading levels are improving, math scores are improving, and for the most part, behavior is also improving. I have determined if it can work for my 7 year old son, then it will certainly work for me.

And, you know what? I'm happier and more productive during the day.

Let's face it; we are in a recession. Unemployment rates are incredibly high and we are in an at-risk profession. There is a lot of anger, bad news, and in many cases, depression. Well, not me. I have made a choice to be happy; for it is a choice. My time management is better and my relationships have also improved. I have a lot to be thankful for and I remind myself every day how lucky I am. We have been blessed with good health and as long as we have that, the rest is easy.

So turn off the television. Hide the remotes so that the temptation is minimal. Just try it for one week. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in your life.

Many blessings for a happier day!

Our industry is getting more and more difficult and the struggles we face as real estate professionals are more and more disheartening. We have seen many properties go onto the market; you know, the non-short sale and the non-bank owned properties. I feel very bad for these homeowners because the only properties that are selling in our market are the bank owned properties. These are apples to oranges comparisons, but the reality of the buying public is that they think they are comparing apples to apples.

The struggles are compounded by the fact that we have not had a "normal" market sale in several months. There are simply NO comps to do appraisals. The last sale I had as a "normal" market sale was early October. The house was absolutely beautiful and since the homeowner had a lot of equity, they were able to sell it at a reduced price. I can't tell you the number of phone calls I have received from appraisers requesting the details of the purchase. The main reason is that the only comps they can find are bank owned properties, which throws their comps out the window.

Buyers are looking for the "deal" and bypassing quality and amenities. It is all about the price and nothing else. I recently heard about one of our local real estate agents purchased a foreclosed home (As-Is of course) only to find extensive electrical and plumbing problems. She thought the price of the house was too good to pass. She may have saved $150,000 off from normal market prices, but she received an estimate to do the repairs at a cost of $160,000; exceeding the so-called savings she received on the purchase. Walls had to be removed to gain access to the plumbing. Carpets had to be replaced. Replace kitchen and bathroom cabinets, new appliances, even a new garage door.

It is also unfortunate that our MLS system does not provide details of the purchase; such as the condition of the property. Typically, the MLS will display one photo of the bank owned property, but doesn't account for the reconstruction costs involved. Many of these properties have had their electricity turned off for one year, which in Florida means automatic MOLD! But yet, the buyers continue to drive down the values of the "good" properties by comparing them to the Bank Owned properties. Another feature the MLS does not display is the fact that many of these foreclosed properties were NOT sold with a clear title. This is at times a HUGE cost to the buyer at the closing table; only to find liens for HOA's still exist on the properties. It is not uncommon to find a $50,000 lien on a foreclosed property.

Even with this, the only homes that are now selling are the Bank Owned properties. This places an unfair disadvantage for the homeowners that need to sell and are NOT upside down on their mortgage. As long as this trend continues, our market values will continue to plummet.

The horror stories are beginning to flow now that the foreclosure rates are hitting an all time high. Renters are being displaced with their security deposits no longer secured.

Case in point: A family contacted me today looking for a place to rent. They had lost their home to foreclosure six months ago and with their bad credit scores, felt very fortunate that they were able to find a nice home to lease at a very reasonable rate. Life was just beginning to settle when they received a notice in the mail that the home they were currently leasing was going to be Foreclosed in 10 days. They tried contacting their Landlord to no avail. The Landlord's phones were disconnected. Since their landlord lived in the UK, they felt they had no recourse. They sent certified letters to no avail. Their $10,000 security deposit was gone and they had now only a few days to find a new home.

The downfall to this story is that this family decided to represent themselves in negotiating the terms of their lease. The Landlord dictated the terms and conditions and used a "handmade" lease contract to create their lease agreement. Neither party adhered to the Florida Landlord and Tenant Act.

It is important for all of us to realize that this market, as with any market, is a fest pool for potential fraud. If it sounds too good to be true, BEWARE! Desperate times produces desperate people and that is when most fraud occurs.

Education is the key to preventing fraud. I encourage everyone attempting to creating a lease, representing a client in preparation of a lease, or for personal representation; to download a copy of the Florida Landlord and Tenant Act at the following web address: http://www.800helpfla.com/landlord_text.html

What you don't know can and will hurt you.

A "Group" indicates 2 or more individuals combining their talents and efforts to work together to reach a goal. However, I have found that a Group also harbors competition within. There is typically no clearly stated goals. Agents within a Group tend to work independently with one person feeling responsible for the success or failure. When agents work individually, there is no sense of urgency. Ultimately, the Group becomes dysfunctional and greedy.

On the other hand, a TEAM approach is deemed more successful because they share a common goal. Typically, a TEAM has a leader. The leader has the "personality", the drive and the experience. A TEAM creates goals in writing. A TEAM structure has clearly written job descriptions. There is also a healthy sense of urgency and specific accountability. There is NO individualism. Instead of one feeling responsible for the TEAM's success, everyone shares the TEAM's success. Instead of competition within the GROUP, the TEAM takes on outside competition.

Along with creating a TEAM, it is essential that the TEAM create a mission statement. I would also encourage the TEAM to create their vision for the future. A TEAM has to define their team's values and beliefs. This will encourage TEAM producitivity.

With the rocky world of real estate, we are seeing real estate brokerages changing; agents are changing brokerages in search of survival. There is always a "weeding" process during difficult times like these and as a seasoned real estate agent, this can be a good thing. However, with this experience, I have also found that a Good Brokerage (Real Estate Company) is now more important than ever.

I would be interested in hearing from other agents what they feel are the top 1-3 items they like about their Real Estate Company. I will list my top 3 and hopefully learn more about others as well.

TOP 3 ITEMS THAT MAKES A GOOD REAL ESTATE COMPANY

1) Team Leadership. A Broker (or team leader) that can motivate with positive energies which can create an office of energizing synergy.

2) Hand-On Broker. A Broker that is available for questions and is in the office.

3) Paying Commissions On Time. Let's face it; we all work for our commissions and when a Broker holds commissions and delays compensation, good agents will leave.

These are just a few. I have several, but I would like to hear from you.