Melbourne Real Estate News, Brevard County Florida by Sandy Shores Melbourne FL Realtor

If you are considering the purchase of gift cards this holiday, you may want to stop and think twice. 

We have seen more and more companies closing their doors and going out of business.  The prognosis is that more retailers and restaurants will be going out of business due to the strain of the economy.  If this happens, then what happens to your unredeemed gift cards? Right now, your gift cards becomes void, when the company goes belly up!

There are currently no government regulations on how defunct companies must handle unredeemed gift cards. 

So, a gift card to a loved one may be a risky choice.

I am attaching a link to consumer advocate, Clark Howard's website.

This holiday season be cautious with your hard earned cash!

As a footnote, if you do choose gift cards, be careful, some cost money to purchase (which I think is ridiculous).  And some begin to lose value after a certain period of time.

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

In screening perspective tenants for rental properties, do you call current or previous landlords for references? Often times it can prove to be an exercise in futility. On the other hand, sometimes it can open a pandora's box of information.

Current and previous landlords don't always provide a "true" picture of the tenant. 

I typically don't do rentals on other's properties.  I take care of my own. As a landlord, when I receive a call for a reference on a current or previous tenant, after I have asked for written authorization from my tenant to release information, I am careful to only provide very general information...'Yes, the tenant paid as agreed' (if they did). And, I will confirm the period of time in which they rented from me.  That's pretty much it!  I typically do not give out any additional information.  On occasion, if I have a great tenant I will happily tell the new landlord that I would happily rent to them again!

As landlords, with our own tenants, we must be careful what kind of information we provide to a new landlord. I am very cautious in dealing with deragotory information.

What if I have a tenant that has always paid his rent late?  

What if this tenant was difficult through the term of the lease?

What if he has destroyed my property? 

As a REALTOR and a professional. I must be careful what I tell a new landlord. I don't want to be accused of/or sued for slander. 

What if you have a tenant that you have filed eviction proceedings against?  He hasn't paid rent in 3 months and you can't get him out of your house? You know he must rent something first, or find another place to live in order to get out of your property? 

Let's say you get a call from another landlord for a reference on this tenant... 

What are you going to tell them? 

Will you tell the perspective landlord that the current tenant is living in your house for free?

And, that he has made your life miserable and done $5000 of damages to your house and you can't get him out?

'Oh my gosh, I wouldn't rent to this guy if he were the last tenant on earth.' 

Unlikely you're going to say any of these things, as you could potentially be sued for slander!

AND, if your tenant can't find someplace else to move because you're telling all of his new potential landlords that he's awful, you'll never be rid of him!

Eviction filings are public record.  So, anyone call look them up.  Here in Brevard County Florida, we can find  information on local tenants on the Brevard County Clerk of Courts website. Criminal records and histories can also be found online. It's amazing the amount of information I have been able to find online in reference to a perspective tenant.

Look at the other side of the coin...would this difficult tenant of yours be likely to give out his correct landlord information to a new perspective landlord?  Probably NOT, many of the bad ones don't!

I've had perspective tenants give me incorrect information about their current or previous landlords, inadvertently or otherwise: incorrect names, phone numbers and property addresses.

On the other hand, I have talked to landlords that have provided a slew of information about their previous or current tenants. Often times, they have given me an earful, sometimes good and sometimes bad. And, sometimes it depends on whether that bad tenant is a PAST tenant of theirs or a CURRENT tenant!  Often, I know they have told me much more than they should!

In all of the checkpoints we have in screening for tenants, I think that all of them combined can give us the  an all around complete picture.  And often, we have to decipher fact from fiction - that in itself tells us something about whether we should rent to this tenant.

So, as a landlord or property manager do you call current and/or previous landlords for references?

Let me preface my post in saying that I have some wonderful people that I have rented to for years - some over 10 years.  And, I feel that the number of deceptive tenants that are looking for a rental today are certainly the minority. This post is not to say that perspective tenants are in anyway bad.

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

I recently spent the afternoon at Gleason Park in Indian Harbour Beach FLorida. The park is located at South Patrick Drive and Yacht Club Boulevard.  It is situated on a full 27 acres.  It has a competiton size swimming pool, volleyball, shuffleboard, 2 playgrounds and exercise trails. 

But, remember no swimming or fishing in the lake...

We were up at 4:15 AM and out of the house by 5:00 AM. We were standing in line at Staples by 5:30 AM and we were about #50 in line - not too bad!  A handful of people had camped out in front of the store the night before.  They were there to buy an HP Laptop with printer for $399. It was a $300 savings.  My 13 year old daughter reminded my that she could sure "use" one of those laptops.  And, I reminded her that she already had a computer.

My sister, Jean. who was visiting from Ft Walton Beach and my 2 daughters and I found some great deals at Staples, That's always my first stop the day after Thanksgiving.

We headed from store to store. 

When we got to the Melbourne Square Mall it was an absolute madhouse. It was absolutely packed.  JCPenneys looked like Disney World.  And, the lines at the cash registers were 15-20 deep.  I personally didn' t find anything at the mall that I couldn't live without.  So, we were in and out of there very quickly.

By the end of the day we were so giddy, that everything was funny (after all we only had about 4 hours of sleep).

We finished our shopping around 3:00 PM and were pretty well "shopped out".

I wondered this year,  if things would be tighter due to the condition of the economy, and whether or not people would be spending less.

Here in Melbourne Florida, I didn't really notice any difference in the number of people out shopping, the amount of items in shopper's carts or the amount of money people were spending this year vs. past years.  No one seemed to cutting back.. In K Mart the layaway line was at least 25 people long with carts spilling over the top!  I was very surprised!

All in all we had a great day out looking (we didn't spend much, as we did tighten our budgets this year).

Did you go out shopping for Black Friday and did you notice buyers cutting down in spending or did it seem the same as in years gone by?

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

Yesterday, I finished the last of my Thanksgiving shopping. 

Wal Mart was packed.

The aisles were crowded and buyers were hurrying to gather their purchases. 

Checkout lines were backed up.

I heard from more than one person comment that the store was a mad house.

Traffic was backed up.

What a hectic time of year…

Having 15 people coming to dinner today, I know the feeling.

Rush, rush, hurry, hurry and did I remember to buy everything I needed?

Thanksgiving is a time of giving, and sharing and a time to love one another.

 We must stop and take a breath.

Today, take a moment to step away from the hustle and bustle to remember why we are here.

Today we must remember to:

 Reach out and lend a helping hand to those around us.

 Take time to help those that are less fortunate than we are.

 Be sure that all of your loved ones know exactly how important they are in your life.

 Take time to reflect and be thankful for all that we have.

God Bless All and Have A Beautiful Thanksgiving Day!

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

This morning, I got a knock at my door. I work out of my home office. When I'm home alone, I never open the door for anyone. I peep through the blinds, "Hi, how have you been?" The stranger says. I've never seen this man before in my life. "So, good to see you again," he continues.

I try to take a closer look, without opening the door.  "Yes, can I help you?" I ask through my locked door. He's holding up a little pamphlet, but far enough away so I can't really see what it it.

"Your neighbor, right next door told me that you would want to see this," as he pointed to the North.  Well, I'm here to tell you that my neighbor next door is a dear, sweet 85 year old woman that won't open the door for anyone! She's very sharp! And she is very suspicious of everyone!

"What is it?"  I asked.

He was selling some type of all purpose cleaning product.

"No thank you."  I never opened the door.

I think he was legitimately selling a cleaning product.  I think he was probably harmless.

But, I couldn't help but wonder if this was creative sales tactics he was using, to get people to open the door, or was it downright deception?

Homes during the holidays are some of the most beautiful homes I've ever seen.  What a wonderful time of year! Homes for sale are decked to the hilt with festive trees, ornaments and family keepsakes. Expensive gifts are purchased and placed under the tree and often the home is filled with loving family members.

So, it's very common for home sellers to ask if they should take their home off the market over the holidays.

I have mixed feelings on this.  I think it must be looked at on a case by case basis.

And, I believe there are so many factors that must be taken into consideration:

How long has the home been on the market? 

Is it growing stale?

What is the sellers time frame?  What is their target move date?

Are they motivated to sell or are they just fishing?

Will they be home over the holidays?

Do they have family members coming to stay in their home?  For how long?

Are they still comfortably making their mortgage payments? Or are they past due?  Is it a short sale?

I could go on and on.

I think there are pros and cons on whether houses should stay on the market over the holidays.

Pros:

Homes during the holidays often show beautifully.

Homes feel warm and inviting.

Out of town buyers are often in town, looking to relocate to the area.

If you must sell, it is important to keep it on the market.  All you need is ONE buyer!

Cons:

Sometimes the house is in chaos, with getting decorations up, presents wrapped, etc.

Family members are often in town.

Expensive presents are in homes.

Scheduling for showings can sometimes conflict with your entertaining.

Money becomes tight and buyers schedules become full. So, many buyers temporarily drop out of the market, as they are spending money on Christmas presents. The market slows.

I have sellers here in Melbourne Florida ask me this question at this time of year.  I really don't know the right answer to whether or not a home should stay on the market over the holidays. So, my question to you, is...

SHOULD SELLERS TAKE THEIR HOME OFF THE MARKET DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON?

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

I once read an article that indicated that 50% of buyers call an agent from the for sale sign in the yard. Are those stats still correct today? So, are you using brochure boxes/home information tubes outside of your listings? Some of those calls are going to the clients buyer's agent.

Does it depend on the listing? The area? The price range?

As a SELLER, would you like to see your agent use them?

Over the years I have heard varying views on this question.  

I. personally, do not use home information tubes outside of my listings. I do not care for them.  

I have found myself at the kitchen table with many sellers on their expired listings. In my listing presentation I have a section which addresses outside flyers.  I don't use home information tubes as I don't want a sheet of paper standing between a prospective buyer and the front door of one of my listings. 

When buyers begin looking at homes, their first job is to RULE OUT out those homes that do not suit their criteria.  When they are driving through neighborhoods and they are pulling flyers, typically they are not with a REALTOR. So, some are making a decision on a home based on information on a sheet of paper. 

What if the flyer is ugly? What if you the interior shots of the property are poor?

What if the flyer is poorly written? What if the buyers doesn't find all the info they need on the flyer?

What if they don't want a home with 3 bedrooms? But, a 4 bedroom?

They are going to rule out this home, and may not consider it as a home that should be on their "to see" list. 

There's a reason they're driving through this neighborhood.  They have typically determined that they like it here, they want to live in this area. 

THESE ARE SOME OF THE MOST SERIOUS BUYERS IN THE MARKET!

We want to TALK TO THESE PEOPLE ON THE PHONE!  We don't want them to drive away without ever looking at the inside of the home, based on something they read or didn't read on a flyer!

What percentage of homes sell without the buyer ever stepping foot inside it? I would guess, less than 1%.

BUYERS MAKE A DECISION TO PURCHASE A HOME WHEN THEY'RE STANDING INSIDE IT or after they have viewed the inside of it!

      How many houses have you driven by that have empty home information tubes or brochure boxes?

A recent seller, on his expired listing, told me that he loved his home information tube outside.   He told me that in the first two weeks of his prior listing 35 flyers were taken. 

I asked, "During that period of two weeks, how many calls did your REALTOR receive on the home? How many showings did you have?"

"Well, I don't know.  I don't think she got any calls and there were no showings," he replied.

I continued, "You had 35 people interested enough to drive down your street and stop in front of your home to pull one of your flyers. And, your REALTOR didn't get a single phone call during that period of time? So, that means that your agent lost the opportunity to talk to 35 people about your home! And, some client's buyers agent did not get the opportunity to talk to them about your home, either."

Now don't get me wrong, I know that 10 of the 35 flyers pulled could have been taken by neighbors. Some are trying to find out how much their home is worth, But, who better to help you sell a home than someone that lives in the neighborhood?

I do agree, that home information tubes are able to weed out people that aren't in price range of this particular listing. But from a REALTOR standpoint, what about other listings?

But, after viewing the inside of a home, how many times have you heard a buyer say, 'Oh this house looks so different than the picture? Oh, I didn't know there was a bonus room, that would make a perfect 4 bedroom.  Those room sizes sounded so small on the listing, but look how roomy it feels.'  I could go on forever...

I repeat, Buyers make a decision to purchase a home after looking at the inside. Buyers are "HOT" when they are standing inside a listing. 

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*****AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...***

THIS IS FROM A REALTOR STANDPOINT

REALTOR SIGN CALLS bring agents buyers for other properties, don't they?  They give agents customers to work with, don't they? Maybe not a customer that wants to buy this particular house we have listed, but they give agents buyers to work with, don't they?

ISN'T THAT WHAT REALTORS ALL NEED,,,MORE SERIOUS BUYERS TO WORK WITH??? (NOTE, I said SERIOUS)

REALTORS sit open houses all the time. The number one goal is to sell the property that they are sitting in.  But, isn't it also to get buyers to work with so the agent can  help them buy ANY property?  So, why would an agent lose an opportunity to talk to additional buyers in OTHER PRICE RANGES THAT they MAY BE ABLE TO WORK WITH?????

(I suppose this could be a difficult situation in a large office, where the list agent doesn't get the calls coming in on their own listings.  However, the calls are still coming into that companies office.) 

REMEMBER, YOU'RE NOT JUST selling ONE PROPERTY, THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PROPERTIES IN THE MULTIPLE LISTING SERVICE THAT ARE AVAILABLE FOR SALE, FOR PREAPPROVED BUYERS TO CHOOSE FROM!

__________________________________________________________________

However, if an agent is going to use a brochure box, they must always make sure you have plenty of home brochures/flyers on the kitchen counter, so prospective buyers can take one with them.  Include financing options sheets. also.

Remember, if you're going to use them be sure to always keep them full!

So, as a REALTOR do you use home information tubes or brochure boxes outside of your listings?  Why or why not?

As a seller, would you like to see your REALTOR use a home information tube outside your home?

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

I got a call the other day from a man that indicated he was "good friends" with my seller over on 12345 Main St. here in Melbourne Florida. He indicated that he had looked at my seller, 'Bob's' house for the second time in a week and he wanted to buy it.

I smelled skunk. RED FLAG #1 - I have known my seller for years. And he's very conscientious. Why was this 'buyer'  calling me and Bob hadn't called to tell me this ahead of time? Not like Bob, at all! AND, I know I had not made any appointments this past week for showings on this particular property.

He told me that after speaking to Bob, inside of his house for 45 minutes today, he and 'Bob' had come to terms on a sales price. I smelled skunk! RED FLAG #2!  Again, not like Bob!

"Are you working with a REALTOR?, " I asked.  figuring I already knew the answer to this question.

"No, I'm not."

"How long have you and Bob been friends?" I asked.  I wanted to sniff this skunk out!

"Oh, well, umm, well, umm," he stuttered, "we met this week." OFFICIALLY A SKUNK! I KNEW IT! RED FLAG #3! Three strikes and you're out.  Dead in the water.  I knew it! HE LIED TO ME - EVEN WORSE!

My first thought was...OH NO, my seller let a perfect stranger into his house without even knowing who he was! This is one of my greatest fears in being an agent!  And, the first sentence out of the guy's mouth was a lie! OH NO!

When I take a listing I always tell sellers NOT TO LET ANYONE IN THEIR HOMES unaccompanied by an agent!

 I don't like lies and deception and I especially don't like people that play games. I was not happy at all. I wanted to get this guy off the phone.

"So, what is your offer?"  I don't like to do anything verbally in real estate. I like everything in writing. But, I could imagine what this guy was going to tell me next!

"Well, Bob and I have already agreed to everything, but he told me that I needed to talk to you before we went any further."

This guy continued on and on and on, as I interrupted and interrupted and interrupted because the more I talked to him the more I thought the guy was a wheeler dealer - the type that I really don't care for! I wanted to get him OFF the phone!

"Look," I said, "just get to the bottom line here, what is your offer?"

Well, the bottom line was, he had no lender, he was offering $160,000 on a $120,000 listing. But, told me that he'd like to have 2 separate contracts with 2 different sets of numbers on them. (Don't waste my time, buddy!) He wanted to take possession of the property immediately, with an open date for closing.  He even had the gall to tell me that he would give me a $5000 kickback, after closing, if I would agree to do this transaction and not tell anyone about the kickback! Unbelievable! I WAS APPALLED! He reminded me 6 times that he and my seller had already come to terms on this transaction.  I was not at all surprised by his offer. When he was finished, he added that he and I could go into partnership together and make lots and lots of money together! He said he could show me all "kinds" of creative ways to make serious money!

Under the circumstances, I remained very professional, and hung up on this joker.

Needless to say, the minute I got off the phone, I contacted 'Bob' immediately.  As, I previously mentioned, we have know each other for years.  I know I sounded like his mother.  "What are you doing letting a perfect stranger into your house?  You don't know him, you know better, yada, yada, yada..." I spewed.  When I finished giving him his 40 lashes, I asked him if he had arranged a "deal" with this guy. I presented the offer to my seller, as my job is to present any and all offers, verbal or written.

"Sandy, I told this guy that this sounded illegal and I would not do anything that is illegal and I would not do anything at all without my REALTOR!"

I commended Bob.

Bob also told me that this guy was adamant about NOT getting Bob's Realtor involved.  Said they could do it without a Realtor and it would be more money to Bob.

Well, needless to say what this guy was proposing was 100% ILLEGAL!

SELLERS BE CAREFUL!  DO NOT LET ANYONE IN YOUR HOME THAT IS UNACCOMPANIED BY YOUR REALTOR OR A REALTOR THAT HAS A PRESET APPOINTMENT TO LOOK AT YOUR HOME! BOB was LUCKY!

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.

Let's face it, we all live our lives based on our own perceptions and experiences. And, that is OUR reality! But, for some, is that TRULY the reality of what is going on in the world today?  Not necessarily. But, maybe that's EXACTLY the way they like it! Some don't really want to see, hear or feel the reality of the real world. And that's how they live their entire lives - numb, unfeeling - with no sense of what is going on in or around them.  That's how they choose to live their lives ANd, that is certainly their choice!

On the other hand, there are others that want to know exactly what's going on.

Give me the good with the bad and let me deal with it all. I want to know what's going on. I don't always like want I see and hear, but it is what it is.  I must face it and deal with it.

And, who determines who is living their life the correct way?  Interesting question... with a simple answer...NO ONE! We all have the choice to live our lives the way we see fit.

We can sugar coat life's ups and downs anyway we want to, but that doesn't change the reality of what is really going on.

For me, I'm a big believer in saying it like it is.  And, that's not always the popular approach.  A situation is what it is.  So, why beat around the bush? Sometimes people want to hear it, and often times people don't! I'm not interested in forcing my opinions down someone's throat, but if you ask, I'm going to say it the way I see it.

You know, just because you don't say something, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

And, just because you don't choose to see something that appears to others to be right in front of us, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

And, just because you choose not to hear some type of bad news, it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist.

Your sense of reality determines how you perceive things going on around you in the world.

People's perceptions are different and always will be.

And, that's what makes the world go 'round!

This article is authored by Sandy Shores, Melbourne FL REALTOR.

It is the exclusive property of, and may not be used without the written permission of Sandy Shores, Brevard County, Florida Space Coast. All information is believed to be accurate, but is not warranted. Copyright 2008.