Simon Conway

This week's Home Team Radio Show will be spending quite a lot of time on Countrywide. First of all we have the fact that the States of Florida, Illinois and California are all investigating the Lender and its lending practices.

Secondly we have a warning to those with Countrywide Home Equity ines of Credit. Watch out because the money you thought you were cashing out of your home might not be available to you!

We will of course be looking at Florida's Amendment 1 which passed last week and will bring some relief to homeowners on their property tax bills. But what happens next might be even more interesting.

The war between the State of Florida and Allstate Insurance goes on with the latest victory going to the insurance company. Once again it is allowed to sell insurance in the State, but for how long will depend on a number of issues.

We will be looking at why that "for sale" sign might be a barrier to you getting your home re-financed and also discussing a potential tax credit of $15,000 for homebuyers that a Republican Senator is trying to introduce.

Finally another US Senator is trying to get the country into the mortgage business - proposing the incredible idea that the Government (that would actually be you and me) buys a whole bunch of bad debt - because clearly this is something the country can so easily afford!

All this plus your calls on 407 916 5400 or toll free outside the Greater Orlando area on 1-866-916-5400. The Home Team Radio Show - every Sunday at noon on am 540 WFLA and on the internet at http://www.540wfla.com/

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(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at http://www.simonconway.net/ or http://www.move2orlando.net/

Also remember to check out my weekly radio show - The Home Team - which airs every Sunday at Noon Eastern and if you are not in Central Florida then you can tune in on line at http://www.540wfla.com/

I am nowhere near stupid enough to think I know it all - although it is amazing how many people I encounter in a typical week who actually think they do.

Having said that I do know that exceptional customer service is just one of the many things that sets me apart from my competition.

And every now and then something comes along that reminds you of a couple of things.

First of all - that part of my business I'm doing right. That actually brings me some of the greatest joy to be honest.

Second thing I learnt yesterday, is that the world is full of nice people. Sure there are a lot of jerks out there, but nice people rock!

So let me explain. I have been working with a very nice young couple. They are looking for something quite specific. Right now there are maybe six homes on the market that meet most of the criteria.

Anyway, we went out again yesterday to look at one of them and we also discussed a couple of the others in the kitchen of the one we were in.

The house wasn't going to work and we rejected the other two and so the search continues.

But I guess about an hour later, I received the following e-mail.

Hi Simon! John and I just wanted to tell you what a pleasure it has been getting to know you and beginning the "house hunt" with you! You always respond promptly to our questions and we feel confident that you will help us find the right home.

People often talk about going the extra mile, but you actually live it and it's real.

Thank you for taking us touring again today and for being so helpful. :)

Kim

As I said, exceptional service is something I'm pretty sure I'm doing right. But when people take time out of their day to write a letter like this when frankly we aren't even close to achieving the result they are looking for yet, then I know that basic human nature is still good.

If you are looking for homes in the Windermere, FL, Dr Phillips, Orlando or Central Florida areas, then look no further. Give me a call on 407 876 8200 and let's see if I can help you in the same way that I have so far helped John and Kim.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at http://www.simonconway.net/ or http://www.move2orlando.net/

Also remember to check out my weekly radio show - The Home Team - which airs every Sunday at Noon Eastern and if you are not in Central Florida then you can tune in on line at http://www.540wfla.com/

Actually it's hard to believe, but I am coming to the conclusion that there are real estate agents out there who simply do not want to sell their listings.

First of all, many of them price them inaccurately to begin with and then simply throw them on the MLS in the hope that someone else does their job for them.

Secondly - and perhaps more importantly if you happen to be a seller - there are so many Realtors out there who simply do not return phone calls to pass on showing instructions.

I have some buyers in town right now. They are cash buyers and I have been working with them for six months now. They have finally made their trip here and they are ready to buy.

We have narrowed it down to one community - not bad huh? - and this couple will buy something in the next three to seven days.

We talked on Thursday so I could get us some listings to see. Of the ten phone calls I made just FOUR were returned.

So first day out was yesterday. We had a very nice breakfast and discussed their wants and needs and then we started our journey. We get to the first home ON TIME and knock on the door. We were supposed to be let in. No answer. I couldn't believe it. I called the listing agent who I had spoken to some 15 hours earlier - no answer.

We moved on to the second home and while we were driving there (maybe a four minute trip) I get a call from the listing agent's assistant. "Dave has to leave". Yes, "Dave" was supposed to let me in. But "Dave" got a call and had to leave. I said "I am like three minutes away and I'm EARLY". Well "Dave" had to go, but she would see if she could get him to hang on for another few minutes.

We saw it, but "Dave" chased us around this listing - almost a $500,000 listing I might add" and gave us no time to feel our way through it.

This is a crazy situation. There is a good chance my buyers might purchase some new construction now - which I'm fine with, but how can sellers of re-sale homes find this acceptable? The answer is of course that if they knew, they wouldn't.But they don't know and NAR says I can't tell them.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at http://www.simonconway.net/ or http://www.move2orlando.net/

Also remember to check out my weekly radio show - The Home Team - which airs every Sunday at Noon Eastern and if you are not in Central Florida then you can tune in on line at http://www.540wfla.com/

I am constantly amazed at some of the stories I hear. Yesterday I was showing one of my listings. It is a truly great home - the picture is of the master bathroom and you will find a link to the virtual tour at the bottom of this blog.

Anyway the point is, my clients who live in the home, were out of town and they asked me if I could let the various people in. We actually had three showings of this property in a single day.

Showing number one was another Realtor and her client. I gave them the quick tour and then sat quietly in a corner while they went through again and then was available to answer questions.

Showing number two was a delightful young couple who had called me to inform me they were relocating and there were in town for this weekend only and could I show them the house. Of course I could. We had a very nice tour and lots of questions. they were in the house for 45 minutes. At the end of the showing as I was escorting them out, they told me their Realtor was out of town and they had wanted to see two other homes, but the listing agents had said "no - not unless you are prepared to sign papers with me that says I get both sides of the deal".

This is a true disgrace! There are two high end listings (we are talking in the $1.2m plus bracket here) that did not get shown to a couple who are relocating with no home to sell in the next six weeks. How is that serving the best interests of the sellers?

I was stunned when they left - only to be told exactly the same story by the third couple, except they are not relocating, merely buying a home because they just sold theirs!

Now let me make this clear. It is perfectly legal in the State of Florida to represent both sides of a deal. It is called Transaction Brokerage. But it is also impossible to split yourself in two and get the best deal for both clients. This is why I will not do it. Period.

But even if I did not have that ethical stance, there is no way I would behave in the way that these particular listing agents did. Once again they thought about their own paycheck ahead of their clients' best interests.

And of course, the Realtor Code of Conduct says we cannot call those sellers and let them know what their agents are doing. How can that be right?

If you are looking for TRUE representation in the Orlando, Windermere or Central Florida markets, then please give me a call on 407 876 8200.

Here is the Virtual Tour of this fantastic home!

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at http://www.simonconway.net/ or http://www.move2orlando.net/

Also remember to check out my weekly radio show - The Home Team - which airs every Sunday at Noon Eastern and if you are not in Central Florida then you can tune in on line at http://www.540wfla.com/

A law dating back hundreds of years to English common law, has been invoked in Colorado to steal a lot a couple were planning to use to build their dream home on.

Boulder couple Don and Susie Kirlin bought a piece of land in the early 1980s some 200 yards from their home. Raising a family delayed their construction plans until 2006 which is when they discovered the land had been stolen by neighbors - although what you and I might call theft, was in fact perfectly legal.

Their neighbors - a former judge and his lawyer wife used something called "adverse possession" to claim the land as their own, even though the Kirlins had paid property taxes and homeowners association dues on the lot for more than 20 years.

And that time period is important.

The judge and his wife pointed out that they owned the land under adverse possession which requires a person to use their property in a way that indicates obvious and exclusive ownership for a required length of time that varies by State. In Colorado it is 18 years - in Florida it is SEVEN.

The Kirlins also lost out because the judge and his wife had used the land. They had walked their dogs on it, created trails, held political fund-raisers - all without the knowledge or permission of the Kirlins. Under the law, the Kirlins did not explicitly prevent the other couple from using the land.

The best ways to avoid this are to walk the land regularly and if you suspect someone is using it without your permission, put up a fence and post "NO TRESPASSING" signs. And most important of all, consult with an attorney.

Last October a district judge awarded one third of the land to the judge and his wife - an estimated $1m value and now the Kirlins are going back to court to see if they can have that decision overturned.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(Copyright © 2008 By Simon L Conway All Rights Reserved.)

Please give me a call if you have questions about the Central Florida real estate market. You can reach me on 407 876 8200. Also visit my web site at http://www.simonconway.net/ or http://www.move2orlando.net/

Also remember to check out my weekly radio show - The Home Team - which airs every Sunday at Noon Eastern and if you are not in Central Florida then you can tune in on line at http://www.540wfla.com/