Tina Allen

Mount Dora Ghost Walk 10/28-11/1

Grab your family and friends for an exciting evening of ghost and ghoul hunting. Stay close and keep your eyes open- they may be watching from the dark, hidden alleyways.

Time: 6:30pm, 7:30pm & 8:30pm

Price: 12 years old and older $7.00 Under 12 is $4.00

Location: Tours originate at the Mount Dora History Museum 450 Royellou Lane

Description: Lantern led tour of the shadowy alleys and streets of Old Mount Dora. History combined with legends and hopefully ghost sightings. The Lakeside Inn, Princess Theatre, Drawdy Lane, Historic Mount Dora Inn and the Haunted Jail Cell are just a few stops on your 1 hour, mile journey.

Complimentary refreshments at conclusion.

Extra Info: Tickets at the Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce (352) 383-2165 or visit www.hauntedmountdora.synthasite.com for information.

Advanced tickets strongly recommended.

Don't miss out on the ghoulish event!

The time has come again for the Mt. Dora Annual Craft Fair. Admission is free- so bring the entire family.

All of the quaint shops and boutiques are awaiting your arrival. This is a great place to find unique Christmas gifts for friends and family.

There are amazing restaurants to try as well as dozens of food vendors serving up your favorite all-time festival dishes.

October 25th and 26th. City ordinance of no pets please.

Have a great time- hope to see you there!

My first few Real Estate transactions involved out of the country buyers who traveled in and out of the U.S. quite a bit. I set up all of the inspections and appraisals.

I met everyone at the home, had some small talk and once in awhile followed them around just to see what they were doing. I tried to stay out of their way and never felt as though I was interfering with their job.

Because I have been used to doing it that way, now even with buyers that can set up and show up- I still feel like I want to be there. I have heard agents say it is a liability for us to be there. I guess I really don't understand how supporting my buyers and showing interest in every bit of their transaction is a liability.

I mean the guy doing the appraisal is taking his job and license just a serious as I do, so by me talking to him, would that really sway what monetary value he puts on the house? Would he really sign his name to something "just trying to help me out"?

I have used the same few home inspectors also. We are on a first name basis and I know they do a good job. Do I expect him to find extra things wrong? No. Do I expect him to overlook something so the deal will go through? No. So what is the harm in getting to know your local inspectors and appraisers and being there while they are doing there job?

I feel as though my buyers need someone to walk them through all of this. There are a lot of things going on and I don't want them to feel for one minute that I am just throwing them to be on their own.

I am sure there are plenty of comments coming my way to explain the "why you shouldn't be there" and maybe I will learn something I was not aware of, but, I see having a close relationship with everyone involved can only show your buyers how committed you are to helping them every step of the way.

I awoke the other night to this irritating beeping sound. At first I didn't know what it was. I thought maybe someone's phone battery was dying. As my husband lay next to me- oblivious to the noise, I got up in search. On the other side of the house- I finally found it- the smoke detector. Why do the batteries in these things always die in the wee hours of the morning?

Besides my husband in deep sleep so was my 12 year old daughter, Tiffany, who just happens to have the room right near this smoke detector. She never moved either. I swear a train could come through the middle of the home and I would be the only one aware.

After the battery was switched.. I could not fall back asleep. Not only am I a light sleeper, but also it takes me a long time to fall asleep. And because I got out of bed- the cat thinks it is time to eat and will not stop meowing. Not being too happy- I elbowed my husband to wake him.. J/K, but I thought about it.

With many thoughts running through my head... I was thinking about work and the contacts I should be calling, e-mailing, etc. I decided to make a brochure with some helpful information for others. Now, with all of these hurricanes coming our way on a weekly basis (I live in Central Florida) what better information than some Hurricane Safety Tips.

Of course, then I really couldn't sleep. I was thinking of how to put it all together and what it would look like. Also, what businesses I would take them to or if I should e-mail the information to others. So, I spent a few hours gathering information placing pictures and printing the brochures.

The brochures turned out great. I dropped them off to approximately a dozen places already. I also made a pdf file and e-mailed to some of my contacts.

Now hopefully I will get some great leads from this...yes, on the back page was my information.

Maybe the other smoke detectors in my home will lose battery power and I will have that little lightbulb go off. It definately doesn't hurt to get a little motivation from somewhere (anywhere) when your stuck in a little rut.

How and when do you brainstorm to come up with ideas that will get your name out there and drum up some business?

Well, Ms. Fay lingered around a little long for me. I believe today was the 5th day that we have had constant rain in Florida. How dreary! I live in Florida for the warmth, wonderful sunshine and beautiful beaches. It definately ruins my daily activities to keep looking out the window and seeing rain, rain and more rain. Where I live did not get flooded like some of the surrounding counties but we have our fair share of puddles. It is kind of ironic that for almost the past year everyone, including a buyer I was showing many homes on lakes to, has been complaining how dry it has been and we need some rain. Well, here it is and now everyone is complaining we have too much! It never ceases to amaze me that people just have to complain- constantly.

I actually live in Mt. Dora which is a quaint, lovely city in Lake County. We have over 1200 named lakes- hence Lake County. It was a double nightmare dealing with Fay and school starting. My daughter, Tiffany, has been excited for the last 3 weeks to start 7th grade. So, she went to school on Monday.. was off on Tuesday and Wednesday, went back on Thursday and was sent home with a note to check a website later that evening to see if school was closed on Friday.. and it was. A little disappointed she was, however, she has a very positive attitude and concluded that it was like having 3 first days of school (butterflies and all) Monday, Wednesday and now Monday. I love her outlook- she makes me laugh all the time- even at inappropriate times.

Anyway- I have been at my office all week, weather and all. Surprisingly, we still had a decent number of calls. (Tornadoes are popping up and people are still driving around looking at for sale signs?) I love the city of Mt. Dora. My office is downtown which is a tourist getaway. We have great little shops and restaurants to enjoy. Sometimes I even hear the horsedrawn carriage outside that carries travelers around the streets. The streets are closed off many times throughout the year for art and music festivals and there seems to always be some type of dragonboat or sailboat race going on.

Anyway, I am not quite sure which direction I wanted to go with this, but I just wanted to give you all a little information about Mount Dora and let you know we are still kicking or should I say swimming down here!

I would have loved to have added some cute pics of Tiffany and Mt. Dora, however, still figuring out how to do all of that... if anyone has any ideas that could help me...next time. Thanks, Tina