RE/MAX Hilton Head Bluffton Sun City Beaufort SC

PIC above was while the Ray Charles picture was being painted at the RE/MAX Broker-Owner Conference in Denver Colorado.

RE/MAX Painting Raises $50K for Kids

WINNER: Richard Filip, CEO of RE/MAX Texas, poses with RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly and the unique painting he won at auction. By Deborah Ball Kearns, RE/MAX Times Online Associate Editor A one-of-a-kind painting of the iconic RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon by speed painter Dan Dunn triggered a dramatic auction – and a huge donation for kids – at the 2010 RE/MAX Broker Owner Conference in Denver. Richard Filip, CEO of RE/MAX of Texas, outdueled Broker/Owner Scott Yocum of State College, Pa., with a winning $50,000 bid for the painting, which Dunn created live during the Opening General Session. The auction benefited Children's Miracle Network. "We'd like to put the painting up in the lobby at Houston's new children's hospital, opening in December," Filip says. Yocum, who owns RE/MAX Centre Realty, didn't come away empty-handed. Earlier, he donated $11,500 for another painting Dunn created at the Opening Session – a whimsical image of Ray Charles. That auction benefited Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Yocum says the painting will hang in the lobby of his RE/MAX office. You can watch Dunn in action by viewing videos of his act on YouTube. A worldwide painting phenomenon, Dunn has performed his adrenaline-packed "Paintjam" act on daytime TV shows, such as "Ellen," "CBS Early Show," and "Good Day New York." Dunn gained global attention for his unique skills after his teenage daughter posted a few videos of him on YouTube. A video of him painting the legendary Ray Charles has garnered more than 13 million views on YouTube.

© 2010 RE/MAX, LLC. RE/MAX Affiliates may share this article, provided they do not charge for it and this notice is included. All other rights reserved.

Finished result of Ray Charles painting auction off with proceeds going to Komen for the Cure.

Want Platinum? Here's How It's Done By Deborah Ball Kearns, RE/MAX Times Online Associate Editor Her time in the U.S. Army taught Adrienne Lally structure and discipline. It also brought her to Honolulu, where she and her team specialize in serving the military community. The Platinum Club and Hall of Fame member with RE/MAX Honolulu in Kapolei, Hawaii, bills herself as a military relocation specialist. She's also the author of the book "The Honolulu Real Estate Guide." Specializing in a niche, says Lally (ABR, CDPE, FSP, SFR), is the best way to stand out in your market. Here are other tips Lally shares for growing your business: Tell us about your Honolulu market. The inventory is low in certain areas, and buyers are having a harder time getting financing as the guidelines have tightened. We have a huge military population here that still has access to a buyer tax credit, so we're busy right now. The townhouse/condo delinquency rates on HOA dues have skyrocketed. Short Sales are a major part of our business; we have 40 active Short Sales listings right now. Why should agents specialize in a niche? Specializing in a niche gives you the ability to empathize and relate better to the clients you're working with. You develop a deeper understanding of what that buyer or seller is faced with. No matter what, you still give your clients the same great service and attention, but if you have specialized knowledge in a certain area, you can make a name for yourself as the go-to expert. I understand how military buyers and sellers think because I was in the Army for a short time. You get your orders and move around every three to four years. They have a lot of time constraints, and they appreciate an agent who can empathize with them. Plus, I'm familiar with the documentation and programs that pertain specifically to military clients, such as the VA Homeowners Assistance Program and the First-time Homebuyer Tax Credit for members of the military. What's your favorite part of the sales process? I like getting to know my clients and forming a relationship with them. There's a methodical process when you take a new listing. We have sellers come to our office for the first consultation. The interview goes both ways – they're interviewing me for the job and I'm interviewing them to see if it's a good fit. What's the best way to be an effective negotiator? Be a good listener. It's that easy. I set the tone for negotiations at that very first meeting. I let my clients know what to expect and what our process is so there are no surprises. Being empathetic and listening to your client goes a long way, but you also have to be honest and up-front. When it comes to buyers, I refuse to work with people who consistently want to submit low-ball offers. How do you handle objections? We frequently hear the price-reduction objection. Many of our clients are doing Short Sales, so they typically object to the bank's requested seller contribution. We'll usually go back and negotiate that with the bank, or get the buyer to pay for it. The most common buyer objection is to my commission. I circumvent that one by asking them if this major purchase is worth the gamble of hiring a rookie agent with no experience. My team works hard for commissions and we have plenty of people to work with. We're not discount brokers. What are your best marketing methods? I've advertised in Honolulu's Real Estate Book for the past five years using a two-page spread. It's effective and impressive to both buyers and sellers. We also send an item of value to our database every month – usually a coupon from one of our recommended service providers. We also hold a client appreciation party each year to thank our clients for their business, which is crucial to do no matter how busy you are. We use the RE/MAX Design Center for all of our just-sold postcards. These go out after every closing to both buyers and sellers. We also use the Design Center flyers for our open houses. Almost every lead we get from our team website and LeadStreet is put on a drip e-mail campaign. We host a lot of open houses, but we keep them short – an hour at most. It gives us a chance to see into the psychology of the buyers out there, and it creates more visibility for our listings. What kind of mindset creates success? A positive mental attitude is a must. Repeat positive affirmations every day. It's also extremely important to create and follow consistent business practices. Come up with a process that works for you and follow it. What education is most helpful to your career? I attend RE/MAX conventions every year, and I always come back refreshed with new ideas and new contacts. I also get to meet up with my mom, a Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Sawgrass Realty, in Tamarac, Fla. She was my first mentor. I'm a member of the Buffini organization, and their one-on-one coaching has been very helpful. The Certified Distressed Property Expert designation is a must-have. I listen to the CDPE conference calls and apply as much as I can to our business. I was in the Army before getting my real estate license; that's how I ended up in Hawaii. The structure and discipline I learned in the military set me up to be a successful business owner. What's your best piece of advice to other agents? Surround yourself with positive influences. Think about joining a team or forming one. Having a coach who guides me and pushes me to do better has really helped me get to the next level in my career. Take good care of your clients and they will take care of you. Don't be afraid to ask them for referrals. © 2010 RE/MAX, LLC. RE/MAX Affiliates may share this article, provided they do not charge for it and this notice is included. All other rights reserved.

Fourth of July Fireworks in Beaufort South Carolina are a huge event! We actually have 2 firework shows that you can see from The Sands Beach in the Town of Port Royal.

For The Sands Beach in Port Royal:

Starts at 4:00: Get a spot early for a great view of the fireworks show from Sands Beach, in Port Royal. BBQ, Hot dogs, hamburgers, Berry Island ice cream, beer and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase. We will have a DJ providing music and fireworks start following the fireworks at Parris Island, across the river. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, and bug spray.

For Parris Island:

Starts at 3:00: Independence Day Celebration at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. This event is free and open to the public - gates open at 3pm! Enjoy free food, soft drinks and ice cream, bounce houses, face painting, live music, obstacle course, dunk tanks and of course...an amazing fireworks show! Gates open at 3pm, concert starts at 8pm!

Enjoy!

New-Home Sales Dip 33% in May *Editor's note: This report includes excerpts from a National Association of Home Builders press release Sales of newly built, single-family homes declined dramatically in May following the expiration of a popular homebuyer tax credit program in the previous month, according to newly released figures by the U.S. Commerce Department. The data show that sales fell 32.7 percent from April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 300,000 units, the lowest number on record since the government started keeping track in 1963. That figure combined with an annualized 5.66 million existing home sales for May (according to NAR) means that new-home sales comprise just five percent of the real estae market. "While today's numbers are sobering, they were to be expected at the conclusion of the tax credit program and are in keeping with the results of our latest home builder surveys," says Bob Jones, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). "Clearly the tax credits were very successful in drawing potential buyers back to the market. Now we are seeing the lull in activity you'd expect following the program's expiration." Sales of new homes declined across every region in May. The Northeast registered a 33.3 percent decline, the Midwest a 23.9 percent decline, the South a 25.4 percent decline, and the West a 53.2 percent decline. The nationwide inventory of new homes on the market declined by half a percent to 213,000 units in May; this was the lowest level in nearly four decades. However, because of the slower sales pace, the months' supply of homes rose from 5.8 in April to 8.5 in May. © 2010 RE/MAX, LLC. RE/MAX Affiliates may share this article, provided they do not charge for it and this notice is included. All other rights reserved.