Success in Real Estate Blog 1

There are 1000's of Realtors in the State of Florida. A joke I like to tell is:

I was driving a little over the speed limit on I-4 heading from Lakeland to Orlando when I was pulled over by a State Trooper. He walked up to my car and I rolled down the window. He promptly made the following request:

"I'd like to see your Real Estate License and vehicle registration please" I looked at him as I was a little confused and said: "Don't you mean Driver's License and registration??" to which he replied " No sir, not everyone in Florida has one of those" (referencing Driver's License). Although this is a joke and didn't actually occur it rings very true. There are indeed 1000's of licensed Real Estate Associates out there but the truth is most are not successful in the field and have to work at another vocation to make a living or drop out completely.

I came in to this field (as many do) with a lot to learn. In writing this blog hopefully I can share with you some of the many things I have learned in my 17 years of business!

HAVE A GREAT & PRODUCTIVE WEEK!!

Next weeks topic "Setting yourself apart!"

Success in Real Estate

I bought a home in Lakeland Florida in 2000 and moved to Florida in 2001 full time after selling my automotive business in NW Ohio (Findlay) I was just 49 at the time and had 1 daughter in college and 3 school age children at home so retirement wasn't in the cards.
I had no idea what I wanted to do and had interviewed with a few local car dealers and was going to continue in the automotive business. To be honest I wasn't in any hurry to get back to work full time.
My new home was in a gated sub-division (Emerald Ridge) and I was out jogging when a gentleman flagged me down and introduced himself. It turns out he was a Real Estate Broker and he eventually convinced me that Real Estate was the way to go.
In 2000 the market was soft and interest rates were relatively high, not the best time to enter the business for sure. I was new to the area and had no circle of influence so my work was cut out for me for sure.
This will be the first of a series of blogs that will elaborate on what things I learned and how I was able to build a successful career. I welcome comments (be kind lol) and encourage followers! 

Welcome to 2018

 

WELCOME TO 2018

A great time to be in Real Estate!

The last time I published a blog was July 19th 2013. I think this is a good time to rekindle this method of communication!

 

A lot has changed since we last published. Most everyone went to "Twitter" as a form of getting the word out. That was great if you didn't have much to say. There is a lot happening in Real Estate and with Advantage Realty Florida and I want to share my 17 years experience and thoughts with anyone who's interested.

 

The market is great and we are once again expanding our reach over the 22 County Area that encompasses our MLS. If you are a licensed and experienced Real Estate professional please email me @ AdvantageRealtyFL.com to learn more about what we have to offer. We are a NO FEES & HIGH COMMISSIONS Brokerage that offers great support for our agents!

 



UPDATE- JULY 19, 2013

Business has really picked up, new listing leads coming in daily. The only problem I am having is having enough Realtors to follow all the leads. We are covering the customers but boy are we overloading our associates! I really am amazed that we haven't been able to entice licensed professionals to join our program. AGAIN WE HAVE NO OFFICE FEES & one of the best commission structures out in today's market. If you are someone who has had your license inactive for a while and needs a little help getting back up to speed please keep in mind that we are a small company and with me being the broker I will mentor anyone who needs it myself until they have reached a comfort level. I will share our firms marketing strategies and help you implement them or assist you in sharpening your own. Training will be as much or as little as you need. If you are currently with another company and tired of getting nickel and dimed to death and missing out on your share of the leads then we are the brokerage for you! Our Companies profits stem from you being successful, not from charging you for the privilege of you having your license placed with us. CALL ME TODAY (RICHARD CASTRET, BROKER) 863-640-3127 FOR A STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL INTERVIEW! NOTHING TO LOSE, EVERYTHING TO GAIN!

2013 GOING STRONG!

Just 10 days left and half of 2013 will be in the bag. Real Estate is on the road to recovery and business has been good. It is a totally a different atmosphere out there though and only the Realtor's that work at the art of selling Real Estate are thriving in today's market place. The ones that I have on board that are diligently working at it are doing just fine. We are receiving new leads daily and are feeding them out to our hard working group. My goal as broker is to provide an environment that optimizes their profit potential and provides support and advice to get their transactions closed. We are looking for other associates to share in our work load are you one?

REALTORSA LUNCHEON A SUCCESS!

Thanks to my Realtor and soon to be Realtor friends that attended my luncheon last Thursday. I really enjoyed being able to put together such a nice group of people. My special thanks go to Wells Fargo Mortgage, North American Title and NASSA LLC for providing guest speakers for the luncheon and for helping sponsor it. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome a new member to Advantage Realty Florida, Martha Titus who joined our team after attending the luncheon.
We hope to hold these informational luncheons as often as possible throughout the year in all of our Real Estate coverage area!

http://www.advantagerecinc.com/midFloridaLinks.php

Watch for announcement in your area on this blog!

Realtors Luncheon (Lakeland Area) FREE EVENT

We (along with Wells Fargo Mortgage) are sponsoring an informational luncheon at the Cleveland Heights Golf Club (Lakeland FL) January 31st 11:30 till 1PM. This is an opportunity for area Realtors to meet with Richard Castret (Broker Advantage Realty Florida), Michael McGavin (Branch Manager, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage), Dr. Maria Negron (North American Title) and Michael Newman Esq. (NASSA LLC) a short sale negotiating firm.
Wells Fargo will be presenting on some new lending options that they are offering in regards to "fixer upper properties" and bring us up to speed on the current lending market. Also on hand will be Shelly Mannebach (North Florida Sales Manager) from North American Title. Both Shelly and Maria will be glad to answer any questions you may have on closing and title issues. Michael Newman Esq. will be there to address short sales and questions and concerns in this area. This is a rare opportunity to get people together from different specialties to discuss the issues that we face today in the Real Estate Market place.
THIS IS A FREE LUNCHEON EVENT, however seating is limited so reservations are required. This is an open invitation to all area Realtors so please reserve your seat today! To receive confirmation e-mail Richard Castret (host) @ RCastret@advantagerecinc.com or call Richard @ 863-640-3127.  DON'T MISS OUT! RESERVATIONS WILL CLOSE THIS FRIDAY JANUARY 25TH