Merry Christmas and all the best for 2010!

Whether your Christmas looks like either of these photos(I’m fortunate to have both), enjoy it!

I would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season spent with family, friends and loved ones.  Here is to an awesome 2010 for each and every one of us. I am extremely thankful for a tremendous year and I truly appreciate all of your referrals and those of you that returned to me in 2009 as buyers and sellers. Our market has finally begun to turn, inventory is down 40% and closed sales are up 62% from 2008. If there is anything I can do for you, don’t hesitate to call me.

Jon

Cool New Tool For Homeowners

Check this out, it is a great resource for anyone that is a homeowner.

What is HouseLogic.com?
HouseLogic is a free source of information and tools—from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®—that can help you make smart and timely decisions about your home.  
What can HouseLogic do for me?
With content covering home improvement, maintenance, taxes, finance, insurance, and even ways you can get involved in and enrich your community, HouseLogic can help you increase and protect the value of your home by helping you make confident decisions

Jon

Your Home~December 2009

Wow, it is December 1st already-how did that happen?  In this months edition of “Your Home”,  I have holiday home selling tips and tips on how to avoid online shopping scams.  Our market in South Florida has continued to gain momentum and offers incredible opportunities to those folks looking to purchase real esate.  While the holidays are not the ideal time to sell, buyers looking at this time of year tend to be more serious, and there are fewer homes on the market.  Currently we have 41% less inventory on the market than this time last year and the number of closed sales for homes and condos is up 51% over the same time last year.  These statistics spell out the perfect climate for a buyers market, one unlike I’ve seen in years.  If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling real estate, call or email me for exemplary service in South Florida.  Make it a great month everyone!

Jon

Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

Baked brie, caramelized onions w/french baguettes

Homemade hummus

Glazed roasted duck w/sour cherry sauce

Roasted fall root vegetables-beets, turnips, carrots, onions, leeks, purple potatoes, garlic

Brussel sprouts w/dill, chives & garlic

Homemade ciabatta stuffing

Roasted acorn squash w/spiced butter, toasted pine nuts and sage

Rosemary & garlic potatoes

Sonja’s fabulous homemade cheesecake

Wine, beer, cocktails, coffee

Fantastic New Tool Available

I am so excited about this new tool I have available…

I’ve just begun to use “Announcemymove.com” and I want to share it with everyone that I know!  It’s a fantastic tool that will allow me to create custom web pages for not only my clients, but my friends to share with their network and friends.  You have the ability to customize the page, add photos and embed a video.  You can then send it to your friends and share it with your network on Facebook if you a user.   Click here to see!

Introducing Betty Scherer…

I am thrilled to introduce Betty Scherer.  We have recently joined forces as REALTOR-ASSOCIATES with Century 21 Hansen Realty in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Betty brings with her many years of business experience in many different capacities throughout the United States, Europe and South America.  In addition to being a licensed REALTOR, Betty holds the following professional designations:  CIPS, Certified International Property Specialist; CIIIS, Certified International Investment Immmigration Specialist; TRC, Transnational Referral Certification in addition to being a member of the National Association of Realtors and RAGFL, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale.  Whether buying or selling in South Florida, call Betty and Jon for top notch 5 star services.  Our knowledge of the local market, combined with the worldwide name recognition of the Century 21 Real Estate Network and our extensive internet marketing programs assure you of a win-win situation, whether you are looking to purchase or sell property in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area.  Welcome Betty!

Jon

Las Olas Art Fair

The 22nd annual Las Olas Fair runs today and Sunday from 10:00 until 5:00 p.m.  Ranked as one of the top 100 art festivals in the nation by a leading art publication.

Click here for details and directions.

Jon

The Power Of St. Joseph

I wanted to share this great story with everyone.  It has long been said that burying a St. Joseph statue in your yard is supposed to help you sell your home.  One of my sellers listed his condo for sale on July 2, 2008.  Despite numerous showings since then, we hadn’t had any success selling his unit.  Someone told him the story about St. Joseph and he purchased one at a religious shop on January 14th.  He was at home opening up the package and was about halfway through reading the prayer that is included when there was a knock on the door, an unexpected showing with a buyer from out of state.  Well long story short, 16 days later we received a cash offer, fully executed on the 4th of February and scheduled to close 23 days later on February 27th!  What a great story-if you are local there is a store named Moroney’s located at 535 NE 13th Street in Fort Lauderdale.  Please share this with you family and friends, could be the best $7.95 any seller could spend in todays market-

Jon

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend, and also to leave you with a bit of good news from CNNMoney.com.

Current homes prices are right now the biggest bargain since 2004.  Because of this, 53.8% of all new and existinng homes sold nationwide during the first three months of 2008 were affordabe to families earning the median household income of $61,500(this is up 44% during the first during the first three months of 2007.

Share the good news, and have a great weekend everyone!

Jon

Green Incentives

There is a lot of talk in our business about the benefits of going “green”-remodeling homes to improve energy efficiency, buying enviromentally friendly newly constructed homes, etc.  I found a website where you can go to see a complete of these opportunities-share it with your friends and family.  www.dsireusa.org

Jon