Category Archives: Fort Myers

Fort Myers Florida news and information.

Boomerang Buyers Heating Up the Housing Market

Posted on by

More than 4.7 million homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure or short sale since 2007 nationwide and they’re not taking it anymore.  What are they doing about it?  They’re buying again, and they’re buoying the housing market from coast to coast. Boomerang Buyers Heating Up the Housing Market!

Boomerang Buyers Heating Up the Housing Market
Boomerang Buyers

 

SW Florida certainly saw its share of financial hardship.  Scores of homeowners were forced to short sale or were simply foreclosed upon as the local housing market dived and jobs were lost. Many left the area in search of work.

As the economy has slowly improved over the past few years some of those same people are moving back.  Still others who never moved rented and kept their companies going anyway they could, or worked multiple jobs to survive.  It’s been a tough 7 years for many locals, so it’s no wonder there is much joy in a rising real estate market.

As the market improves so does the economy as sales lead to jobs and construction.  Construction leads to construction jobs and ancillary businesses, which leads to further opportunities.

Many SW Florida homeowners are still underwater even though prices are rising.  They’re essentially trapped in their own homes waiting the market out for a time when they can afford to sell.  A Boomerang buyer is free from the trap because they got out from under the crushing debt years ago.  Lenders at the time said it would take 2-5 years before they could buy again but many had no choice. They had to sell.

Boomerang buyers took a hit on their credit reports and it did prevent them from buying, but they were released from the debt, and once could argue many of these buyers will be in a position to purchase well before some of the trapped homeowners will be.

I just had 2 Boomerang buyers contact us in the past week asking about re-entering the housing market as their business has finally picked up.  I checked with a few lenders to see what the requirements are and found varying requirements.

Chase requires 36 months after a short sale which is fairly typical. I checked with two local mortgage brokers who can lend 2 years after a short sale provided borrower has 20% down. If the borrower only has 10% down it’s 4 years, and can be as much as 7 years with less than 10% down which makes FHA attractive.  A FHA loan is 3 years, and VA is 0-1 years while USDA is 1.5-3 years.

If you’re not confused by now you probably worked in finance at some point in your life. The bottom line is there are options for you if you’re ready to re-enter the housing market.  How long you have to wait depends on which program you finance under and how much you can put down.  FHA, VA, and USDA will be the least down payment required.

Rates are low and prices are on the increase, and now that Hertz has announced they are relocating their world headquarters to Lee County, things are looking up.  Inventory supply is already tight.  I would suggest if you’re thinking about re-entering the market, sooner is probably better than later.

There is opportunity in this market.  Even though prices are rising, they are nowhere near where they were at the height of the market.  Combine that with today’s rates and buying power is strong.  I would argue this market is much healthier and sustainable than it was at the height when everybody was buying.  The herd was wrong at the top of the market.  This, right now, today is the land of opportunity.

I’m not quite sure why people call back in 2005 the “Good Old Days.” There was no real opportunity back then, only heartache to come for so many.  2013 is the “Good Old Days.”  Today is the land of opportunity, and even if you were hurt in the market in the past, you too can benefit going forward.  We all suffered the last 7-8 years, and now we can all benefit.

The hangover is over, so raise your glass and toast to a new beginning, especially for the Boomerang Buyers.

 

Hertz Moving Headquarters to Estero Florida

Posted on by

Hertz Moving Headquarters to Estero Florida

Hertz released the following press release:

LEE COUNTY, FL –

The Fortune 500 company bringing over 700 jobs to Lee County has been revealed.

The Hertz Corporation today announced that the company will relocate its worldwide headquarters to Estero, Florida from Park Ridge, New Jersey.

“This is truly the largest economic event in Lee County’s history and we’ve been established since 1887; that is no understatement,” said Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann.

Hertz CEO Mark Frissora was at Southwest Florida International Airport with Governor Rick Scott to make the announcement.

“We are so grateful for this welcome to the Sunshine State,” Frissora said. “We did not make the decision to relocate lightly. We wanted to know that Florida was not only attractive to us as a company, but also to our employees.”

He added that some of the executives will be moving down immediately. Until the Estero location is built, they will be working out of a temporary location – likely in North Naples.

Hertz made the decision following its recent acquisition of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which was finalized on November 19, 2012.

 

Dollar Thrifty is currently headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Consolidating the corporate offices to one location will allow for increased efficiencies and cost synergies across the company.

Additionally, access to the Florida travel and tourism population will position the company for long-term growth.

According to Visit Florida, there are approximately 1 million employees in the state’s travel and tourism industry, Florida’s largest business segment.

Hertz also noted that Orlando is the world’s largest car rental market, and that Miami is a hub for accelerating travel growth between the United States and Latin America.

Starting this year, up to 700 jobs will be relocated to Florida over a two-year period. More than 2,000 Hertz and Dollar Thrifty personnel will remain in New Jersey, including approximately 150 employees who currently work in Park Ridge.

All other Park Ridge employees will be able to retain their current positions at the new headquarters, scheduled to be completed in early 2015.

Hertz was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1918, and moved its headquarters to New Jersey from mid-town Manhattan in 1988.

“After our recent business expansion, we have been looking for the right location to blend Hertz and Dollar Thrifty head office employees,” Frissora said.

“Florida is the center of the U.S. travel and tourism industry – this move enables us to be closer to leisure and business customers, as well as many travel and association partners. As part of this move, we will open off-airport and retail car sales stores on our headquarters campus, which will enable us to experiment with new services and monitor customer satisfaction first hand. Lee County, on the Southwestern Gulf Coast of Florida, is a well-established travel destination with tremendous growth potential, with easy access to other leading tourism markets including Orlando, Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Tampa/St. Petersburg.”

Hertz and Dollar Thrifty have more employees in Florida than in any other state except California, and Florida rents more cars per capita than any other state.

Florida provides ready access to a vast and diverse talent pool, including 3,000 of our own employees, as we grow our businesses. All of these factors supported the company’s final decision.

Frissora added, “This is the best, most balanced business decision based on market factors as well as the needs of our employees and customers. The relocation results in a positive financial return to the company and we will provide more details during our next quarterly earnings call. Additionally, in no way should this decision be perceived as a slight to our partners in New Jersey and Oklahoma. We recognize the significant efforts undertaken in recent years in both states to create and retain jobs, while improving the overall business climate. In particular, over the last several years we have seen significant improvement in New Jersey’s business climate and our decision should not be interpreted as a reflection of our views about doing business in the Garden State. New Jersey has been our home since 1988 and would have been for countless more if not for our acquisition of Dollar.

 

Because of these efforts, we will continue to grow our car and equipment rental businesses in New Jersey and Oklahoma. We are retaining e-commerce and certain financial functions in northern New Jersey thanks to the state’s strength in the financial services industry. Oklahoma will continue to be our primary home for IT, customer service and financial support driving our North American businesses. Overall, we concluded that it is in the best interests of our company, which is primarily in the travel and tourism business, to be near our largest market.”

“We also want to note that the New Jersey Partnership for Action was very active and effective in their efforts to entice us to remain in New Jersey, and we are grateful for their efforts.”

Hertz chose Lee County, Florida, primarily because of its diverse community appeal, work force availability and accessibility.

The company worked closely with Florida Governor Rick Scott as well as other state and county government and business leaders throughout the decision-making process.

“This is exactly the kind of opportunity the county should be looking at in terms of how can we conduct ourselves with business as a government,” said Lee County Commissioner Larry Kiker.
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral

 

SW Florida Real Estate market Update

Brett Ellis Bio

Emerging Data From Season Shows Price Gains

Posted on by

Data for January and February are in and we’re beginning to see signs that prices have risen the first two months of 2013.  Single family median home sales rose from $140,000 both in January 2013 and December 2012 to $153,890.  Median home prices were up 23.1% over last year’s median numbers. Emerging Data From Season Shows Price Gains.

Emerging Data From Season Shows Price Gains
SW Florida Real Estate Prices

Average single family home sale prices also rose from $215,973 in January to $269,961 in February 2013.  This represents a 35.3% rise over last February numbers.  The average piece can be deceiving as a few large sales in the county can skew the numbers, so this tends to be more volatile.  It is nice to compare both statistics to spot meaningful trends.  The average price was higher in December 2012 at $224,878 so you can see this number can bounce up and down just a bit.

60.27% of the home sales were paid in cash.  Last year 66.13% were paid in cash so financing is rising slightly.

Listing inventory is down from last year’s levels.  Pending sales are up over last year so we would expect inventory levels to be down in March once official numbers are released.

Listing Inventory
Listing Inventory

The Ellis Team had a very productive and busy season, and judging by many of the agents we’ve talked to, others did as well.  In fact, we’ve sold practically our entire inventory.  We don’t even have enough to fill a page in the newspaper.  With recent price gains many are surprised at how much they are able to get for their home today versus just one year ago.

 

Of course, there are some that didn’t realize just how low prices were a few years ago, so when they read news headlines they believe their home shot up more because they’re using a higher baseline.

It’s important to keep in mind that not all homes appreciate or depreciate at the same rate.  Certain communities fare differently than others, as do homes with varying features such as waterfront, etc.

For the first time in awhile we’ve begun to see SW Florida residents making up/down and lateral moves.  We saw so little of this because so many were upside down on the mortgages they couldn’t afford to sell even if they did wish to live in a different type of property.  With the rising prices it is freeing some up to make the move they’ve been thinking about for a few years.

Some residents have felt trapped in their homes because of the values.  The chains are beginning to loosen. Although it will be awhile before everybody is out from those chains.

Some people can afford to sell but just don’t like the prices today.  They’re still not where they were at the height and may not get there anytime soon.  However, if you’re selling today and purchasing another, chances are you’ll make out because its value is much less today than it once was too.

Whatever your situation is, it pays to consult a Realtor that can help you fairly identify your value.  If you under price your home you just give your equity away.  If you overprice it, you’re making decisions based on a false premise and that could bite you in the end.

Give the Ellis Team at RE/MAX Realty Group a call 239-489-4042 and we’ll be glad to help you evaluate your options.  Or feel free to search the MLS at www.Topagent.com

New Trend Reports Available

Posted on by

As Realtors we are inundated with new programs by 3rd party vendors selling us on their ability to do this, syndicate that, or make us more productive somehow.  Literally there are thousands of tools available so sometimes it gets a little tough, especially for new Realtors to muddle through all the stuff to find out what works and what is a waste of time or money. New Trend Reports Available.

New Trend Reports Available

Some of these tools are free, and some cost thousands.  To my way of thinking, even if it’s free, if it doesn’t save you time or promote your properties effectively it’s a waste of your time, and as a Realtor, time is the only thing you have.  Once you give it away, you can’t get it back, so why give it away to technology programs?  And if it costs thousands, it had better work.

Trends Report Median Price

While being bombarded by outside vendors sometimes it’s easy to ignore tools available within the MLS system.  I found such a tool today I’m guessing most Realtors know little about.  I think it’s new since I watched a video on it but I hadn’t heard of it before.

It’s called Trend Vision.  The way it works is a Realtor can ask for reports based upon simple criteria.  For instance, let’s say I wanted to know what the trends were for Town and River waterfront property in the last year.  I couldn’t drill down to just Town and River, but I was able to ask for data on only waterfront properties priced $150,000 and higher in 33919 zip code.  Technically this could include lakefront properties in Whiskey Creek and a few other places, so it’s not a perfect report.  I can also search by MLS Geo Area instead of zip code.

Trends Report Months Supply of Inventory

When finished the system automatically produces nifty reports.  The Realtor can select the time frame.  In this example I selected Dec 2011 through February 2013 or roughly the past year.  Any given month can skew results with so few being sold in a given criteria per month, but generally you may be able to make out some trends.

This is helpful because overall LeeCounty numbers don’t tell the whole story, or what’s going on in your neck of the woods as the Today Show weatherman might say.  At least this drills down to a local level.

Agents can select properties by type, or even single out short sales and foreclosures.  While I haven’t figured out how to drill down to the neighborhood level, this may be helpful in spotting overall trends in a given geographic area.  As a Realtor I can easily spot the holes in relying on a report as Gospel truth, there can be some knowledge gained when using this as an additional tool combined with other reliable data.

If you’re a Realtor, check it out and let us know what you think.  If you’re a customer, you might ask your Realtor to pull some reports for you to see if it brings clarity to your situation.

If you have a property to sell and want to make sure you price it right, give us a call. 239-489-4042. If you’re a buyer, it pays to know the market and the trends.  Call your Realtor, and if you don’t have one yet, give us a call.

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Search MLS For Free

 

New Sales Numbers Show Price Jump in 2013

Posted on by

We’ve been reporting price gains throughout 2012 and new sales numbers for January 2013 by the Florida Association of Realtors bears this out. We’re changing once again how we report numbers and going back to the Florida Assoc of Realtors data for a simple reason.

As of today we still have data from the Cape Coral and Fort Myers MLS. Sometime down the road Cape Coral is going to pull out of a technology venture so the MLS’s will be separate. While it’s not a big loss, it will affect less than 10% of the sales data. I like to report apples vs. apples and when the change occurs later this year, it will be apples Vs apples with a bite or two taken out.

New Sales Numbers Show Price Jump in 2013

New Sales Numbers Show Price Jump in 2013
Florida Realtors January 2013 Sales Data

So let’s focus on what we have. Pending sales are up about 24% over last year which could lead to some nice closed sales figures when we’re all done. Average price is up over 6% while median price is up over 24%. This tells me there is breadth to this market and the rise is widespread.

Days on the market are down 5 days. Essentially, if something is on the market, available to be shown, and priced correctly, it will sell. The Avg percent of list price/sold price is up as well. The higher priced homes skew this number lower.

Florida Realtors sales data January 2013 SW Florida real estate
Days on market by Price Range January 2013 SW Florida real estate sales data

Not all homes sell at the same rate. Let’s look at Avg days on market by price range. As you can see, the lower the price generally results in lower the days on the market. This can be for a few reasons.

First off, there are more buyers at the lower prices. 1st time home buyers, lateral buyers, baby boomers, and investors compete at the lower end. There are only so many luxury buyers out there.

Additionally, even though an investor may be able to afford higher priced homes, they tend to look at return on investment. The lower priced homes return a cash flow not seen in some higher priced homes. There is a limit to what some homes can rent for. Taxes, HOA fees, mandatory club fees, etc all eat into an investors return which caps what they’ll pay for certain properties. This leaves many higher priced homes to end users which limits the market and the buyer pool.

Some higher priced homes rent well. Some have limitations as to how many times per year they can rent.

The bottom line is our market is recovering price wise. We still receive calls from sellers who want too much for their home. Of course, we still receive calls from buyers wanting a home close to the beach, with a pool, under $100,000 too. In any market there will always be people who want to sell for more than the market will pay and those that seek to underpay. The market seeks its own level, and the key to successfully navigating the market is understanding where it’s at.

Our market is kind of like the ocean. Tides come and go, and sand bars move with each passing storm. A wise captain has a depth chart and depth finder, because charts are mere guides to the waters as tides rise and fall and sands shift.

Our real estate market is subject to ebbs and flows like the tides, and an occasional storm which shifts the bottom. The key is to not run aground and get from point A to point B. If you’re finding it difficult to tell where the bottom is or where the tides are heading, please give us a call. We have the latest depth finder and our captains are the best in the business.

Our depth finder is the MLS and our captains are our agents who read charts everyday and will help you interpret the market. Our market is constantly moving so it pays to work with people who understand the changes. If we can help, call us at 230-489-4042

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Search SW Florida MLS for Free

 

Selling Your Home in Today’s Market

Posted on by

Successfully selling your home in today’s market takes at minimum 3 key ingredients.

1. Proper Pricing
2. Marketing
3. Agent that can navigate the waters and get home from pending to closing

Selling Your Home in Today’s Market

Hiring an agent that helps the seller accept the correct contract and navigates it to closing is probably the most important aspect because you never wish to have to sell the same home multiple times. It’s always best to select best offer and close it first time.

If the home is marketed and priced correctly in many cases there will be multiple buyers, not because the home is under-priced but rather because it’s properly valued and substantially exposed to the market.

So let’s set aside marketing for a moment and discuss pricing. Some properties are fairly easy to value, especially when there are similar floor plans in a subdivision and several recent sales to choose from. Not all homes are located in defined subdivisions, and sometimes in today’s market there is an absence of like kind properties that have sold.

For years agents have compared subject properties to all available comparables the agent could find. While the research was important and the best available at the time, there is now a new way to look at the overall picture. Several factors beyond what neighbors sold their home for affect the value. For instance, job growth, population growth, community lifestyle, schools, safety, affordability, potential appreciation and more affect a buyer’s decision on which home to buy.

At the Ellis Team we’ve invested significant money and research into developing systems to gather data, analyze, and report these factors and ratings. All Realtors in the Fort Myers/Cape Coral MLS have access to certain reports like ReaList that we reported on a few months ago. Zillow also offers some limited information. ReaList, Trulia, and Zillow offer their free home valuation tool, and pretty much everyone in the industry agrees it’s a fun informational tool but cannot be relied upon as fact when determining value.

We like to look at them because buyers look at them and think their estimate is Gospel, so agents spend a lot of time educating public about how accurate they may or may not be.

The Ellis Team at RE/MAX not only looks at comparables, estimates from third party sites like those mentioned above, and tax data, we also utilize additional research that helps our sellers better price their home. Sellers overprice in any market regardless of whether it’s going up down, or sideways. Our goal is to get you out at the best price and expose your home to the masses so we can select the best offer available.

If you’re thinking of selling, give us a call 239-489-4042 or email me at brett@topagent.com We’ll be glad to sit down and show you how we market, how we negotiate and select the best offer, and how best to price your home.

Chamber of Commerce Weather in SW Florida

Posted on by

I kind of feel bad posting this given the blizzard that’s hitting the Northeast this weekend.  While others will have to deal with so much fallout from the blizzard, I want to offer a solution to help those in need.  Just take a look at our weather as provided by NBC-2 here in Fort Myers. Chamber of Commerce Weather in SW Florida!

Chamber of Commerce Weather in SW Florida
SW Florida 7 Day Forecast

 

I remember weekends like this back when I lived up North.  I longed for the days I could one day call Florida my home.  I didn’t know much about Florida only that it looked great on TV and that I was cold and miserable up North in the winters.  One day back in high school I got the chance to travel to Fort Myers and visit my great grand-mother.  From the minute I arrived I knew SW Florida was my home.  I just needed to convince others that’s where we were going.

I graduated from college on a Saturday and within 2 weeks I was in Florida.  My mind was made up a few years prior, and that’s how it goes for so many that call SW Florida home.  It seems everybody comes here from somewhere.  When you visit here they call you a snowbird.  When you move here you’re instantly one of us.  I say that like I’ve lived here all my life when the truth is I used to be a snowbird too.

And this is where the power of choice comes in.  When you’re sitting at home snowed in, or in an airport stranded feeling badly about missing work remember one thing.  Where you live is a choice.  The pay scale is less in Florida and many can’t afford to move right now because of their jobs.  Some don’t want to leave family.  There are lots of reasons not to move.  Moving isn’t right for everyone.

Many of you are saying I will someday.  Bear in mind we each have a set amount of time on this earth, and there is a cost associated with wasting days  in places we don’t want to be.  So I ask you, how long do you want to live somewhere you don’t want to be?  For me the answer was not a day longer than I needed to.  It was easy as I didn’t have roots yet of my own, and my family coincidentally had just taken jobs in Florida.

Many decisions go into a move, and housing is just one of them. Work, schools, lifestyle, etc. all play into the decision.  Maybe your time to enjoy paradise isn’t today.  You can at least dream of paradise and ponder what if.  What better time to search for properties in paradise than in the middle of a blizzard, assuming Internet and the power is still on.

So sit back and view some homes.  You can search the MLS for free or view our Virtual Tours

Fort Myers Beach Sanibel Island Video

January 2013 SW Florida Market Update:

 

2013 SW Florida Real Estate Market Headed in Right Direction

Posted on by

Official sales numbers are out for December and by all accounts the market looks in pretty good shape.  Now that we have 12 months of data we can calculate year end sales numbers.  I will say upfront my calculations differ from the Board of Realtors numbers.  We’re both using the same numbers so I have a call into them to see how they’re calculating numbers.

2013 SW Florida Real Estate Market Headed in Right Direction

2013 SW Florida Real Estate Market Headed in Right Direction

For the record, I don’t think it makes a whole lot of difference.  They are reporting, media sales prices rose 29.9% from $97,000 in 2011 to $126,000 in 2012.  We are reporting sales prices rose 24.31% from $105,469 in 2011 to $131,108 in 2012.  I used a methodology used by the Florida Association of Realtors.  The Board must be using another methodology.  I’m not saying either is right or wrong.  In fact I have a call into the Board to look at their method, and if that method makes sense we may restate our numbers.  Keep in mind both methods are based upon same set of monthly numbers so that’s not in doubt.  The difference is in the calculations, and both tell a similar story.

SW Florida Distressed Sales Versus Traditional Sales

Another newly released chart I like to look at is the breakdown of traditional sales versus distresses sales and prices.  While traditional sales remained at 64% for the 4th qtr of 2012, prices for those traditional sales rose $12,500 to $162,500. Foreclosure sales rose in price $15,000, and short sale prices rose $7,000 in the 4th qtr.

Back in 2009 approximately 70% of all single family sales we distresses, and today that number is down to 36%.  This is one reason we see rising prices, and as prices rise more and more SW Floridian’s can afford to sell.

In quarters past we’d see price movement in one type of property but now we’re seeing it across the board.  Inventory rose just about 400 homes in the 4th qtr however we’re still at a 4.0 month supply of homes on the market which is fairly low.  Buyers coming for season will have a harder time finding properties and there will be more multiple offer situations.

Look for 2013 to be the beginning of builders getting back into the market.  Prices probably aren’t high enough for a full onslaught of building like we saw in the early 2000’s but we should see an uptick just the same.

As we build more and as the economy improves the SW Florida real estate market is poised to takeoff.  All the numbers line up for a market headed for much higher ground.  The only variable holding us back is the overall economy.  Once that improves, watch out.  This market will be all green light Go.

Buyers from up North have been buying the past year.  They knew prices were headed higher and they’ve reacted.  Buyers this year still have much opportunity ahead of them but prices are rising currently so the sooner you find your dream home the sooner you’ll lock in today’s prices.  If you’re in a solid financial position to purchase I’d say buy now and then pray the economy improves versus the other way around. Waiting could really cost you money.

If you’re a seller looking to trade out of your property keep in mind that as your property goes up in value so does the one you’re looking at buying.  Talk to a real estate professional about your particular needs.  You can always call the Ellis Team at 239-489-4042 if you need help.

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Top Realtors Meet for 3 Days of Sharing Marketing Strategies

Posted on by

January is one of my favorite months.  Not only is January a new month, but it’s the beginning of a new year with fresh goals, resolutions, and outlook on the future.  It also happens to be the month the CyberStars meet each year.

Cyberstars Top Producing Realtors Technology

Perhaps you’ve never heard of the CyberStars.  They are a group of top producing agents who are on the cutting edge of technology and learn ways to apply those ideas and techniques to their already successful real estate practice benefiting their clients in any market conditions.

The CyberStars are 225+ agents from the US, Canada, and as far away as Australia. I love attending the Summit held each year because the information shared is so incredible.  For years the Ellis Team has innovated and brought new ideas to SW Florida, but one person or one team can’t know it all.  Sure, we’ve gladly shared what we’ve developed with Realtors from across the country, and we do so with CyberStars as well.  The real treat in attending this conference is it’s a chance to sit back and listen to what other innovative top producing agents are doing to help their clients.

Top Realtors Meet for 3 Days of Sharing Marketing Strategies
CyberStars Discussing a Hot Topic

Believe me, if an idea works in California, Texas, or Australia, it’ll work in Florida.  Sometimes we just need to get out of our little sandbox and see what the rest of the world is doing.

This year on the 2nd day there is a session on using video in your real estate business. This is an advanced session and I’m excited to get some new ideas in this area.  Most people locally know we produce a show on the Internet.  It can be found at www.YouTube.com/brettellisfl  It currently has about 108,000 views so anything we can do to add to the content and value to the public will benefit our team and the local real estate market.

There is another section on Virtual Tours.  Again, we do this and they can be found at www.TopAgent.com, but I’m thinking there will be some new and neat tips on bettering our tours.

Mobile marketing is a big topic today as more buyers are using their mobile phones and tablets to search for properties.  I’ll be teaching a session on this along with a few other agents, but I have a feeling I’ll be taking lots of notes as well.  I believe mobile marketing is only going to get bigger and bigger and we want to lead, not follow if that’s where buyer’s eyeballs are headed.

Social media is another topic we can all learn tips on.  We use LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook Fan Pages, our Blog, Pinterest, and several more.  These are time consuming and I’m hoping to pick up tips on how to be more effective and more efficient with our social media strategy.

In addition to 3 days of learning sometimes the best ideas are shared at lunch or dinner strategizing with other forward thinking agents.  Sometimes I go out there with an idea and an agent points something out that would really improve that idea.  It’s so nice to hang around agents who use technology and see the vision.  These people are truly the creators and they love to share.

So if you bump into us next week chances are we’ll be all pumped up with new ideas to bring back to SW Florida and implement here locally.  If you’re thinking of buying or selling your home, give us a call.  We’ll be glad to show you how we’re reaching today’s buyers using traditional marketing and today’s technology, CyberStar style!  We can be reached at 239-489-4042 or on the web at Topagent.com

Real Estate Industry Loses a Legend

Posted on by

If you are in the real estate industry you were influenced by Howard Brinton whether you knew him or not.  Howard was the founder of Star Power Systems, the most powerful training organization in the real estate industry.  Real Estate Industry Loses a Legend!

Real Estate Industry Loses a Legend Howard Brinton
Legendary Trainer

Howard was a top producing agent selling around 500 homes per year in his prime.  Howard burst onto the scene nationally as an instructor for CRS (Certified Residential Specialist).  Howard always believed success leaves clues so he set out to interview Top Agents throughout the country and identify what they did that worked.

The Ellis Team attended sessions Howard did at national conventions, CRS classes, and Star Power conferences.  The information Howard and the Stars shared worked.  It was proven on the street.  The Ellis Team was so influenced by Howard and the Stars over the years that brought back many of the ideas to SW Florida.

The Ellis Team was the first true real estate team in SW Florida.  Many agents worked as loose partnerships, but none as a true team until Howard taught the systems to make it work.  We ran an ad in the early 90’s that we picked up from Star Power that read “By the Year 2010 All Agents Will Operate as a Team .”  This was quite controversial in its day, and many agents called up and complained.

Several years later teams spread across the country and a large volume of business was handled by teams.  Not every agent works as a team, but Howard sure changed the landscape.

Get out of Judgement Get Into Curiosity

Howard also taught Realtors how to effectively price homes, answer objections, and how to listen to uncover needs.  He called it “Going 3 Deep.”  I hear agents complain “Buyers are liars.”  Howard taught us they’re not liars, you just didn’t ask enough questions.  Buyers will tell you everything you need to know if you just ask the right questions and listen.

Howard taught us the concept of getting out of judgment and into curiosity.  I recall hearing ideas early in my career and thinking, “I can’t do that, or that won’t work in my market.”  The truth is, those were judgment statements.  By suspending judgment we learn to listen and say “What if?”  If we stay in curiosity chances are more answers will come to us than if we just dismiss them at first glance.

We were fortunate to grow and become a top team in the country because of Howard.  In 2001 Howard asked us to become a Star and share our knowledge with Realtors across the world.  It was truly an honor.  A few years later Denny Grimes was selected to become a Star based upon many practices he put into place from Star Power.

When you went to a Star Power conference you’d hear ideas coming at you a mile a minute, almost as if it was shot out of a fire house.  You couldn’t implement all of them at once, but you knew if you didn’t, someone else at the conference would.

The Ellis Team was the first in SW Florida to incorporate many things, but not everything.  Denny actually beat us to the punch with a moving truck for clients, an idea presented at Star Power.

This is why I say even if you never heard of Howard you were influenced by him because you were either implementing ideas or your competition was and you were forced to react.

We know that by sharing our ideas to Realtors across the world that many would be copied here locally, but that’s OK.  Howard always said, you can innovate faster than people can copy, and most people won’t copy all your ideas anyway out of fear.  Many ideas cost money, and we had the vision because of Star Power to know the idea would work.  People copying didn’t have that vision, they only saw what you were doing.

One page isn’t nearly enough to describe Howard.  He was generous, a leader, humorous, and a true friend.  We’re so privileged to have known him and worked with him.  Whether you knew Howard or not, please say a little prayer for his family.  Chances are Howard paved the way and made your work or personal life better because of his ideas, and to that we can all be thankful.  God reclaimed a good one.  I’m sure he was needed up there.  And I’m sure he has them laughing and learning!