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City Spotlight: Hialeah

admin — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:00:00 +0000

City Spotlight: Hialeah is a beautiful city in Miami-Dade county which still has opportunities for people who want to start a business or change professions. Although it has seen a decline in population in the last few years, it continues to draw people who are creative and want to take a chance. New businesses are always welcome and the diverse population continues to demand interesting and needed retail stores. There are many opportunities for someone who is willing to meet the needs of the community.

Real estate has been slow in the past, but most experts feel it has hit the bottom and is on it’s way up. This is a great time for someone in Hialeah to begin a career in real estate. The area offers several professional schools and the savvy student will want to take advantage of one of them. The market is in the rebuilding stages and people are buying and selling. This area of Miami-Dade county is wide open and will soon be offering new opportunities for residents and businesses alike. Once called the playground for the rich, it still offers great recreation opportunities and it certainly should be included on any list that features great places to live in Florida.

City Spotlight: Orlando

admin — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Rarely do you find a city that is great for business, singles and family life. Orlando is that city! There is literally something for everyone to do here and the city thrives on almost every level. The job market in Orlando is one of the few in Florida that are stable. Orlando is Florida’s 3rd largest city and has consistently stayed under twelve percent unemployment rate. There are hundreds of jobs due to an abundant supply of hotels, theme parks, attorneys, etc. There is also amble opportunity to start home businesses in the travel and tourism field as Orlando is “vacation central”. Speaking of vacations, Orlando is the perfect place to do everything you’ve ever dreamed of doing while on vacation. There are clubs for every type of single person, tons of activities for family trips, and even romantic getaways for couples. Vacations could become a regular treat when attractions are basically in your backyard! The vast majority of schools in the Orange County Public schools receive passing grades and they have a great reputation for going the extra mile for their students. Even the real estate market is stable in Orlando. If you’re willing to do the work, finding a great deal is virtually guaranteed. With all that Orlando has to offer, it’s no wonder it continues to grow each and every year!

City Spotlight: St. Petersburg

admin — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Welcome to the bay area! Home of the famous Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lighting, St. Petersburg is one of three cities that sits on Florida’s west coast. The fishing industry is in full effect here, with fancy restaurants for family and friends. Tourist visits the city, mostly during the holiday or football season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers attract fans from all over the world. They are one of the best football teams in the NFL today.

Restaurants To Visit
1. Ker’s Wing House
This is by far one of the best restaurants to dine at. Their food and customer service are spectacular. Customers can choose from wingitizers, burgers, fries, wraps, sandwiches, desserts, soups and salads. Wing House gets busy during the NBA and football season. Seats are mostly full-on game days, reserving a table is recommended.

Original & Buffalo Wings
5 WINGS 4.39
10 WINGS 7.99
20 WINGS 15.99
50 WINGS 32.99

Naked Wings
5 for 4.99
10 for 8.99
20 for 16.99

Ker’s WingHouse
6445 4th Street N
St Petersburg, FL 33702
727.520.7700

Fourth Street Shrimp Store is another great restaurant to visit. Their menu features a variety of sandwiches, burgers, salads, sides, pasta and shrimp specialties.

Fourth Street Shrimp Store
1006 4th Street N
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
727.822.0325

Your First Showing

admin — Sun, 12 Jun 2011 00:00:00 +0000

When you’re starting out in real estate, it’s easy to let the jitters get the best of you before a showing. Here are a few things you should consider before taking a client into any home and before any type of showing.
Parking: It’s important to consider where everyone’s going to park when they get to the showing. If there’s street parking, try and reserve a spot for your client and if parking is left in the driveway, go in first so the client can back out.
Locks: Make sure you know the code to the lock box or have a key before you go to the home to avoid a potentially embarrassing struggle getting in the door. If you do have an issue, be sure to have a contact number to get in touch with the home owner or listing agent to get in the property.
Security: If the house you’re showing has security systems, be sure to get the code before you take clients in. The last thing you want as a new agent is a blaring alarm that you can’t turn off or for the police to show up!
Showing your first property can be nerve-racking, but following these simple tips should make the whole process easier.

Welcome Back

www.callscore.com — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:51:14 +0000

Sorry it’s been awhile. We hope you continue to check Call Score for your Florida Real Estate needs. Check out our new page on Real Estate schools in the area, and get started on your new career path!

Your summer real estate reading list

www.callscore.com — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:15:49 +0000

When you begin your studies at Florida’s IFREC Real Estate Schools, you owe it to yourself to be prepared for class. One of the most important ways to get set is to make sure your reading list is complete. What books will be most helpful to you? Read on and find out.

The Essentials of Real Estate Investment, by David Sirota, is a definitive resource on how to invest wisely in the real-world market. The book focuses on both real estate theory and actual experience, and offers plenty of examples showing, step-by-step, how to work through an investment.

Florida Real Estate Principles, Practices, & Law, by Linda Crawford, is specialized for use in the IFREC courses. Along with the Florida Real Estate Exam Manual, this will take you through the details of being a real estate agent in the Sunshine State. Most importantly, the book is updated to include changes made in legislature since 2007.

Essentials of Commercial Real Estate, by Joseph Petrole, is a slim book (less than 150 pages) that does just what it promises: takes you through the industry step-by-step and provides plenty of examples, so you’ll know how to buy and sell both office buildings and retail sites. Employing a multimedia tactic, the appendix offers web sites to take you even further in your studies.

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries, by Terri Morrison, Wayne Conaway, and George Borden, may be the most important resource in today’s global economy. No longer will you have to wonder about the correct response when dealing with multicultural business partners, and you’ll learn important factslike that in Australia, making the thumbs-up sign is actually considered rude.

What courses are right for you?

www.callscore.com — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:08:18 +0000

When you begin your education at IFREC Real Estate Schools, you’ll have some important choices to make. Move or commute? Where to get lunch? And, oh yeahwhich courses to take. IFREC offers a great varietysome of them are highlighted below.

Qualifier Plus Calculator Class may be one of the first you choose, for the important reason that it’s free. They even loan you the calculator if you don’t own one, but if you’re serious, it’s probably a good idea to invest in one. Some of the topics covered are amortization, PITI payments, and qualifying buyers.
Broker Courses: IFREC offers both pre- and post-license courses. In the introductory class, you’ll get acquainted with the basics of appraisal and investment, along with how to be ethical in the modern market. Afterwards, you can choose specialized courses on managing an office, residential property management, and investment analysis, in which students go through all the steps of buying, developing and selling their own property.
Foreclosure/Short Sale Courses: This one-day course packs a lot into a little, as it teaches buyers what to look for in a foreclosed home, and what options are available to the homeowner. It goes even further to show how to prevent foreclosure in your own home. Along with the one-day class, the course involves online hour-long webinars to complete the education.
Sales Associate Courses: Designed for both pre- and post-license students, these courses demonstrate the many aspects of being a modern real estate seller. The classes combine theory, practice, and legal aspects to provide a well-rounded education. The post-license course provides experiential training to bring everything you’ve learned into the real world of real estate.
State Exam Prep: This last, self-explanatory course could be the most important one you take. Make sure you’re prepared to put everything you know into action, and get started on your new career.

Keeping abreast of the Florida market with “Florida Realtors”

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 18:03:53 +0000

It can be hard to stay informed of the market with a busy professional career, so luckily Florida Realtors does a lot of the work by bringing together news, tips, and community. On June 29, Florida Realtors posted the new versions of the Purchase Contract, As-Is Contract, and Comprehensive Rider. The changes to these documents have been in the works for four years, and the site details the changes made to each one.Florida Realtor publishes their magazine both in print and online, so the prepared agent should always have a copy with them. The website offers many more resources, of course, including programs to organize your transactions online, or find specific properties by MLS ID, type, city, or price. You’ll also find all the forms you could ever need (or want). Obviously, Florida Realtors is dedicated to making sure you don’t waste any more time than you have to on finding the correct paperwork.You can find plenty of testimonials to the site on its page, as well. It won the Outstanding Realtor Association Web Site award from the National Association of Realtors, but “Winning Words” are also located at the bottom of most pages. Awards are well and good, but when it comes to being out in the field, it helps to know that someone else has been there too.Florida Realtors has entered into the social networking age as well. They have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and have an RSS feed to keep you informed 100 of the time. Even more, they support sharing that information on blogs and websites, just like I’m doing here. Not only is Florida Realtors an informative resource, but they’re a generous one as well.

IFREC real estate school offers great opportunities

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:49:17 +0000

IFREC Real Estate Schools have been providing great education since 1983. They offer a variety of courses to help students get up and running in the business as quickly as possible, including classes focusing on appraisal, commercial real estate, and escrow management. No matter where in Florida you live, you’re sure to find something close byIFREC courses are offered in a variety of sites across the state, including North Orlando, Stuart, and Vero Beach.IFREC also has the honor of being the only school in Florida offering both NAR REBAC and RealtyU courses. REBAC is a branch of the National Association of Realtors focusing on the area of buyer representation. RealtyU is a consortium of real estate schools with its roots in the early ’90s, when six notable schools started collaborating in order to provide even stronger education. The group now includes schools nationwide that have been selected according to careful guidelines.Along with real estate licenses, IFREC also provides education in mortgage brokerage, appraisal, and home inspection. Students can get in on the program at a discount in July, when IFREC offers class specials on the broker, short sale & foreclosure, sales associate, and CAM (common area maintenance) courses. The CAM course is especially recommended as it’s required in order to manage real estate associations over 10 units, or with a budget over 100,000.IFREC’s website is a great resource for students looking to register, or just gain more information. You can check out information on the variety of courses, or take online prep exams which offer hundreds of possible questions. If you’re still not convinced, you can read testimonials by actual students, detailing their bright futures.

How to find deals in Florida real estate

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:43:16 +0000

Sunny beaches, swaying palm trees, and gorgeous waves. You’ll find them all in Florida, but not if you’re too busy surfing the web or poring over classifieds to find the best deals. Luckily, there are ways to take the pain out of searching, and then you can hit the beach without wondering where to hang your hat.Great deals have been going on this summer, with Palm Beach Gardens and Weston homes going in the mid 300,000s. Sites like BlockShopper record these deals and offer big bonuses to both shoppers and sellers. If you’re interested in buying, you can find what the going rate is and maybe bag yourself a bargain. Agents, on the other hand, find it an effective way to get their listings to the top of the search engine listings. More hits mean more bodies in your open houses, and that translates into more competitive prices.Checking the foreclosure listings is also a great way to pick up homes for cheap. Foreclosuredeals offers an easy-to-use system that avoids meaningless learning curves and lets you search their extensive listings. These include homes from public, private, government, and corporate owners. You can even add widgets to your site to keep visitors abreast of the newest listings as well. In addition, there’s a good variety of educational materials on the site as well.Becoming a pro in real estate can take some time, but with resources like these, it’ll be easy to improve as either a buyer, seller, or agent. Make sure you check out Florida Realtors and the IFREC schools as well to complete your education.