Balancing Your Business Life and Your Personal Life

The one basic thing we require to succeed in business is

perseverance. Having a goal and a plan to reach that goal will always lead you down the path to success. Over time, our goals may change which means our plan must change but no matter what, we must persevere. Whether you set daily, weekly or annual goals true success is staying the course even if we fall short of our goal. It takes failure to find success and in the real estate business we must maintain a positive and forward momentum. Let's be realistic. This business is difficult but if we model our business after other successful professionals and use the tools and systems we have access to, there is nothing we can't achieve. When I started out on this crazy roller coaster ride of real estate I looked at the "Top Producers" and created a plan based on what they were doing that worked for them. I remember thinking If only I had as much business as they did I would be so happy. Well, careful what you wish for. My business growth meant that I needed new goals and new systems and a new plan of action to maintain my customer service and keep my customers happy. Being an individual agent I needed to find help with my workload and had to make the decision to refer out a portion of my business so they customer received the service they deserved and required. That was difficult for me to do but I came up with a plan and set it in motion.

Balancing a personal life and business life became a main priority

in my life. What good is success if you don't get to enjoy the spoils of your hard work?  The real estate business can be a 14 hour a day 7 day a week business if you let it happen. Sure your busy and you have a lot of customers and your able to afford a coffee from Starbucks but at what cost? I became unhappy and felt burned out in my business. This may sound crazy but I decided to plan my weekly schedule. I know, novel idea right. I started by committing to not working on Sunday. That day is reserved for my family time. Then I decided that I would put my phone on silent after 7pm on weekdays. Since I am an early riser I created business hours for Monday-Friday from 7:30am-7pm and added this to emails signatures and my outgoing voicemail. Some may think that's crazy to do. It works and it also set the tone for. Y customer relationships that there are boundaries that need to be observed. This had a huge impact on my personal life. I was much happier and had an actual day off a week. I don't feel guilty about not answering my phone since my voicemail clearly informed the caller of my business hours. 

Achieving a work/life balance in your world is not as difficult as some people may think. Vacations and weekend get always are a must. We take 2-3 vacations a year and 2-3 weekend get always as well. This was another big challenge for me since I thought the world would implode if I wasn't there to take care of business. I got over that quickly once I realized that my associates are more than capable of keeping things going while I am away. In order to find balance in business and personal life, we must allow and plan for each. I also learned that telling someone that I was booked for a certain day didn't mean they would get mad or hang up on me. We just scheduled the appointment for a time that worked for both of us. Studies have suggested that having a happy business life makes for a happier personal life and vise versa. Our business and personal lives go hand in hand and our personal goals will usually create a business goal to achieve which allows us to reach our personal goal. Lets say you want to earn more income to buy a bigger home for your growing family. In order to do that you will need to set a new business goal to create more income. The same can be true for marriage or a new vehicle or a long family vacation. Whatever your personal goal is, often times you will need to set a business goal to achieve it. This is why we say our personal and business lives go hand in hand. 

Keep in mind that if something you are doing is not working for you. Change it.  Whether it is in your business or personal life. If your current marketing and advertising isn't giving you the results you want you should try another approach. The same is true for your personal life. If you don't like what's happening at home, change it. We control our lives and we make our own path in this world. If you don't like your career, change it. If you don't like who you live with, change it. If you find your social group is not lifting you up, change it. You have the power to create a happy life for yourself in both your business and personal life. If either part of your life is not a happy experience for you on a daily basis you will need to take the bull by the horns and set a course to make that change. You owe it yourself to be happy and successful. 

You can also turn to the professional services or a Business Coach or a Life Coach/Relationship Coach to help you get your goals set and hold you accountable for your progress. 

Summertree in New Port Richey Florida - Market Report September 2015

Market Report for the Summertree community in New Port Richey Florida for the month of September 2015. All information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.

Homes Active with Contract:
1 - home in Arborwood. 3 bedroom 2 bath, 1,349 square feet AWC at $114,900.00
1 - condominium in Pointe West. 1 bedroom AWC at $32,000.00

Homes SOLD:
2 Condos in Pointe West. One 1 bedroom and One 2 bedroom. $20,501 - $26,500
5 Homes in Arborwood. They range from 2 bedroom 3 bath th 3 bedroom 2 bath. 999 sqft - 1,520 sqft ranging i price from $81,500-$135,000. To clarify, the 999 was not the lowest sale price, that home sold for $93,000.

Summertree is a great community in Pasco county Florida. This gated community offers a public golf course, gated entry, tents courts, heated pool, whirlpool spa, fitness gym and more all on site. The Arborwood section of Summertree has it's own clubhouse and pool reserved for only Arborwood residents.  Ive been assisting people to sell and buy homes in Summertree and I am your local Summertree real estate expert. 

I'm always here to answer any of your real estate questions, you can contact me online and I will get you the answers you want.

What is a Transaction Broker in Florida Real Estate?

Florida is one of those states where we have a great number of part time residents and many people who live here full time are from another state in the country so we get to work with people from all over the US and Canada. Often times we will not only explain things about the city or state to our customers from other states but we also have to clarify how Florida real estate law is different from other states. One big difference is that we are a "Transaction Broker" state. Let me state right now that a "Dual Agency" in Florida is Illegal. Only Transaction Brokers can work with both the seller and buyer in a transaction.  In order for your Broker to be a transaction broker, they must disclose and act in a Transaction Broker capacity with no fiduciary responsibility to the person or persons who they are working for. 

What is a Transaction Broker:

1. A Broker with a NON fiduciary responsibility to the customer and therefore can assist both the seller and buyer on a real estate transaction.
2. Must deal Honestly and Fairly. Customers are entitled to rely on any material statement related to the transaction by the licensee. 
3. Account for All Funds. Transaction Brokers and all Brokers and Licensees are required to follow the law regarding escrow deposits and commissions.
4. Use Skill, Care and Diligence in the Transaction. Your Transaction Broker and agent are required to facilitate your transaction with the highest level of professionalism and act legally and ethically. 
5. Disclose All Know Facts that Materially Affect the Value of Residential Property that is Not Readily Visible to the buyer. The person selling the home is legally required to disclose any defect of material fact that can affect the value of the home. This includes proposed changes to vacant land near the home, zoning changes, soil settlement etc... IF the Broker or Licensee know any material fact, even if the seller is refusing to disclose, the Broker and Agent MUST disclose the fact to the public. Keep in mind that your agent and Broker are not legally required to discover defects of the home. We rely solely on what the home owner tells us.
6. Present All offers and counter offers in a Timely manner. Unless a party has notified their agent in writing to anything otherwise, All offers, verbal or written are to be presented in a timely manner.
7. Exercise Limited Confidentiality. The main thing to know about this is that we cannot tell the buyer any information about the seller and we cannot tell the seller anything about the buyer that may put either party in jeopardy during the transaction. One great example to clarify this, if the buyer offers less than they are willing to pay for the home we cannot tell the seller that the buyer is willing to pay more than they are offering. 
8. Perform any duties that are mutually agreed to with the party.  Just to clarify, we cannot accept any duty that is beyond the scope of our limited confidentiality or beyond the scope of our license. 

Many people think that a Transaction broker is a "Dual Agency". It is Not. A Dual Agency  in Florida is Illegal and if a Broker is acting as a "Single Agent" for a seller, none of their agents may represent the buyer in the transaction unless the seller agrees in writing to change their brokerage relationship back to a transaction broker. The Broker and their agents cannot have fiduciary responsibilities to both the seller and the buyer as it would conflict with loyalty and confidentiality and full disclosure requirements of a single agent relationship.

In Florida, all real estate licensees are considered to be Transaction Brokers unless requested by the customer and a single agency or non representative disclosure is signed by both parties. 

Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about Florida real estate transactions. If I do not have your answer, I will get it for you. 

Arborwood at Summertree in New Port Richey Florida

Summertree in New Port Richey Florida is a gated community reserve for those age 55 and over. The community offers a public golf course, tennis courts, heated pool, whirlpool spa, shuffleboard, fitness gym, billiard room and more.  Entering the gates of the community you immediately notice how well the neighborhood is maintained. With manicured lawns and beautiful landscaping, the Summertree community is everything you want for your Florida retirement.

Arborwood at Summertree is a neighborhood

inside of Summertree. There are numerous neighborhoods inside the community and Arborwood is one with single family homes and located close to the golf course. There are approximately 325 homes in the Arbrowood section.  The homes are 2 bedroom 1 bath and 2 bedroom 2 bath by original design but some may have been modified. You will find these homes have single car garages and range in square footage from 1,100 - 1,500 (approx). 

The Arborwood section of Summertree has their own HOA like the other sections but Arborwood has it's own pool and clubhouse for just the Arborwood residents. The main pool and hot tub at the Summertree recreation center is open to all residents but the Arborwood pool is only for Arborwood residents. You can enjoy fewer people at the pool when you are an Arborwood resident. You also have access to the entire Summertree recreation center which includes the Billiard room, gym, library, card room, laundry facility and more.

I have been assisting people sell and buy homes in Arborwood at Summertree for years and I have the knowledge and experience you want in a real estate professional. I provide you with Maximum Marketing Exposure both online and in print advertising. You want a Tech Savvy Agent when selling your home. Contact me so I can show you how I am different from other real estate agents in the neighborhood.

"I Treat You Like Family"

11919 Boynton Ln. New Port Richey Florida - Condominium For Sale

Are you looking for an affordable condominium for your Florida retirement or winter residence? Look no further. This charming 1 bedroom 1 and a half bath condominium is priced under $35,000 and is located in the highly desired community of Summertree in New Port Richey. The Pointe West condominiums are a great place to call home in a great community.  The condominium at 11919 Boynton Ln has updated windows and sliding glass door off of the bedroom which leads out to the screen enclosed porch. The back porch has windows that open and paneling to give it the feel of a Florida room and added living space. The storage closet in the back porch gives you a bit more room for your items and also houses the washer and dryer which are included in the sale.

The master bathroom has a full shower/tub combination and the condominium also provides a half bath for your guests. The Master bedroom has closet space along on entire wall and you will find even more closet space in the hallway across from the guest bath.  The kitchen is very functional for a smaller space but you can renovate and add a counter island where the wall is that separates the kitchen from the living room.  The A/C system is functioning well and the condominiums roof was replaced in 2014. The windows were replaced in 2013 with high impact windows. You will enjoy how quiet and efficient these windows make the home.

Summertree is a gated community reserved for those age 55 and over. The amenities include a public 9 hole golf course, fitness gym, billiard room, heated pool, whirlpool spa, tennis courts and more.  Your monthly condominium maintenance fee includes the amenities of Summertree as well as roof repair and replacement, building insurance, irrigation, landscaping, basic cable and trash removal. 

I have assisted many people in the Summertree community. Please contact me if you or someone you know is interested in Selling or Buying a home in any neighborhood in Summertree. Call me before you call any other agents in the area and give me the opportunity to show you what makes me different from the rest.

11640 Bayonet Ln. New Port Richey Florida - Condo For Sale

Enjoy resort style living in this affordable 2 bedroom condominium located in Pointe West at Summertree. You can relax by the heated pool or enjoy a dip in the whirlpool spa while basking in the Florida sunshine.  If you are into fitness, you won't need to join a gym. The Summertree recreation facility has a fitness gym complete with Mens & Ladies locker rooms which have showers and facilities right on site. Maybe the gym isn't your thing. Thats ok, Summertree also offers Tennis Courts, Shuffleboard, Bacci, a Billiard room and a public 9 hole golf course. 

The condominium at 11640 Bayonet Ln in New Port Richey Florida has a remodeled and updated kitchen that has been done in a timeless and elegant style. The screened Florida room on the back patio is complete with a storage closet with a stack able washer and dryer which are included in the sale of this condo. If you like your home to light and bright, this condo is for you. The homeowner has had several tube slights installed to allow a lovely natural light into the condo without adding additional heat to your home. You will also enjoy the savings of using less electricity during the day.

This home has been well cared for and you can add your own personal touches with paint color or window treatments. The kitchen and dining area are tiled and the large living room has nice laminate wood style flooring of ready care. Both bedrooms are carpeted and your guest bedroom has a sliding door to give access to the screened rear patio.  Offered for under $38,000 this condominium is a great option for anyone looking to enjoy their winters in Florida or to retire to our great state and New Port Richey as a year round resident.

I work extensively in the Pointe West condominiums and other neighborhoods thought the Summertree subdivision and I am here to answer any questions you may have. Before hiring another agent for assistance in Summertree, give me a call. Let me show you how I am different from all other agents in the area.

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Why is Florida Luxury Realty Your #1 Choice When Selling Your Home

I know that when it comes to selling your home in Trinity or New Port Richey Florida you have many choices in real estate Brokerages to chose from. You may think that all real estate agents are the same but that is far from accurate. The real estate professional you chose to assist you in selling or buying a home is only as good as the training and education they receive from their company. Florida Luxury Realty is the #1 office in western Pasco county Florida in sales volume because the company puts education of the agents above all else.  Being an instructor for Florida Luxury, I can attest to our dedication to fill our education calendar with classes. On average our 4 office offer 2-3 classes a week at each location. 

Technology is a large part of real estate today and Florida Luxury has full time staff members who insure our technology is working properly and they also develop and implement the technology in house which is not offered by most real estate offices. We provide you with 4 offices and a full administrative staff who are there to assist us and you, in any way possible. Our focus is on providing you, the customer with stellar customer service. My team and myself attend as many education classes as possible and we stay abreast of the newest technology and ways we can assist you better. My reputation is paramount in my business and I would not chose a real estate brokerage that did not have the same reputation.

Being active with the West Pasco Board of Realtors is another way I gain knowledge and skill to better serve my customers.
West Pasco Board of Realtors Orientation Committee Chair 2015
West Pasco Board of Realtors Education Committee Chair 2014
West Pasco Board of Realtors Education Committee Co-Chair 2013
Instructor at West Pasco Board of Realtors
Instructor at Florida Luxury Realty

Contact me for your no obligation real estate consultation and see how my team and Florida Luxury Realty can make your next real estate transaction a smooth and enjoyable experience.