Bonnie Barbieri, TRC, GRI, AHWD, CIPS CANDIDATE

We have been looking forward to this for a while. We have now had some good years. People are getting off the fence and buying. We are seeing incredible deals. We listen to the "powers that be" and one tells us we are at the bottom and someone else says not yet. Who knows, I just know we are very busy. Our sales are in the $100,000 - $200,000 range. That's ok if you sell enough, you still make some money. I am not happy with the short sales. They take such a long time and who knows if they will even close. You kill yourself and the banks won't work with you. You wind up with buyers walking and a seller even more frustrated. We really try to educate our buyers but as much as we talk, they don't listen. We had a buyer walk away from a short sale today. They have a contract on their home and they couldn't wait any longer. They bought from a builder. The neighborhood they wanted to be in has nothing but short sales in their price range. Homes that originally sold in the $500K range are now selling for $250K but they are short sales. They didn't want to take the chance so they walked. We have an agent who was working very hard to get this closed and a seller who is now wondering what is next. What do you do?

We have an agent in our office who loves to keep track of the statistics for the office. He advised us this morning that prices in our area are inching up. In January the average price of homes listed was $101,000 inched up to $114,000 in April.

Foreclosure prices went from $86,000 to $100,000 during the same time frame. Interest rates will follow. Now is definitely the time for buyers to buy if they still want a deal! Things will change and we are seeing that now.

The banks are still being tight with the money but if a person has good credit, some money to put down and a job they can buy a home. For first time homebuyers, its the perfect time.

We have to get out and shout it from the rooftops that people need to get off the fence - if you have been thinking about it - now is the time.

We started in this business when it was going downhill so we have never seen it really good. We have had to work really hard to get our business. We learned everything the hard way. We spent a lot of money getting our names out there and it seems to have worked. We had a great year in 2008 and were the #1 Sales Producing Team at our company which happens to be the #1 Company in our County by millions.

We have had this thing happen that we aren't sure about - we are so busy we can't breathe. We are not complaining but we have not seen this side of the market before. We find we are working twice as hard for 1/2 the amount of money. But we are selling homes and our sellers and buyers are happy! Perfect world - almost. We have short sales hanging out there and foreclosures - but they seem to be selling. I hate short sales because they are so frustrating but they are a reality. So we live with them.

We see people in pain and we don't know what to say other than we will do the best job we can to help you. I'snt' that what we do? We are the keepers of the land. I will never forget how I felt when I first heard that. I take it very seriously.

We changed our marketing because the high end homes aren't selling but the homes that are affordable for first time home buyers are. Those are the sellers we are working with now. These are the people who are buying and they should be. Its a wonderful time for them. They can live the American dream that is our right. Its exciting to see someone buy their first home and watch them when they sign the papers. Its wonderful.

Our team is excited and looking forward to the future in this business. I love it!

Jake is my English Mastiff who had his 7th birthday in January. Unfortunately Mastiffs don't have a very long life span. They are truly gentle giants. I've learned a lot from Jake. He likes to lay on soft things - it makes sense to me. He greets everyone with a happy face. He is always happy! I have learned if I greet people with a happy face - that is what I will get in return.

He gets a lot of rest so he is always refreshed. I learned if I get my 8 hours of sleep at night - I'm much more able to tackle the stresses of the day.

He drinks water and limits his calories. I'm working on that one!

He always looks forward to seeing me when I get home. He sits in the front window with his head on a table watching for my car. That is love. He's very loyal. He never leaves me alone in the living room at night. He naps while I take care of last minutes details. Then he will follow me to bed. He has shown me what its like to be a friend.

Jake won't be with me forever but for the years I have left with him, I will hug him every day and tell him how much I love him. He does the same only without words. I think if we could be more like our pets, it would be such a better world. I wish I knew how to post pictures because I would let you see his beautiful face. He has a step sister - Stella. She's a newfoundland and he doesn't care. He loves her and enjoys playing with her. He accepted her into our family with a wagging tail and a happy face. He received the same in return.

Hernando County has many fine neighborhoods. We also have several gated communities. A few have golf courses. We have two 55+ communiites with a pool, clubhouse, restaurant, tennis, golf, activities, you name it. One of those is Timber Pines. This is a larger, older community but has been maintained very well. There are ponds and beautiful golf courses. They have three you can play with no additional fee. The Grand Club Course requires an additional fee but its very reasonable.

They have tennis leagues and some pretty darn good tennis players. They have bocce and a card game for everyone.

The Wellington is another 55+ community. Its smaller and newer than Timber Pines. They don't have a golf course but they are located across the street from the Seven Hills Public course. Seven Hills has a pro-shop where you can have a beer and something to eat after your game. Just like Timber Pines, there are all kinds of activities. They have a beautiful community pool and tennis courts.

Silverthorne and Glen Lakes are two golf and country club gated communities. They both have excellent restaurants. The golf courses are maintained as you would expect. There are villas and houses available in both communities. Silverthorne is near the Veterans Parkway and is a more established neighborhood. Its near shopping and restaurants and schools.

Glen Lakes is further north but also near everything you need. There is a new grocery store and Walgreens that have just opened outside their gates. There are lake front and golf course homes here as well as homes on private lots.

There are families in both communities. Glen Lakes tends to have an older crowd but there are families.

Prices for homes in Glen Lakes range from the mid $100's to $900,000. Silverthorne tends to run a little higher.

There are great homes available in our area for everyone. The seasonal folks tend to like the gated communities. It gives them a sense of security when they have to leave. Its also a great way to meet new friends easily.