Watson Realty: February 2010

Fun in The Sun

 

The ultimate in vacation homes. Escape to the Bahamas. We have a Realtor on Long Island in the Bahamas. He has building lots and vacation homes availaable for those seeking something different than Florida. Long Island is at the southern end of the Bahamas chain and is untouched by the crowds. This is truely an island to escape to!!

Call me for further Information
Glenn Weilbacher
888-236-2579

A Cold Winter in Florida

The sunshine state is experiencing the coldest winter in may years. Growers are struggling to save the citrus crop as record cold has visited the state. I myself have been using bed sheet tents and heat lamps to protect the plants in my flower garden.

We have lost hundreds of Manatees as they are warm water mammals. They are often found near the warm water outlets from power stations but this winter they are really struggling to survive. The friendly Manatees are often browsing in the creeks and canals off the Intracoastal. They are gentle creatures that will come right up to humans. I have had Manatees come up alongside my boat and drink the fresh water draining off the decks when I was washing the boat.

Here in St Augustine we have had a record low of 24 degrees. I have friends in Georgia and South Carolina who are digging out from under snow today.

I certainly expect to see a busy tourist vacation season this Spring as Northerners seek to escape the winter weather in the Northeast. In another four weeks the temperatures will be in the 70's and 80's. We are certainly looking forward to it.

St Augustine Real estate

Take a photo tour of a St Augustine neighborhood. It's almost as good as a drive through.

 This is Anastasia Dunes in St Augustine. It is a neighborhood of custom homes just a block from the ocean.

Our website has more tha 50 neighborhood tours. Stop by and take a tour.

St-Augustine-homesearch.com

Listing Pages That Sell Homes

I am constantly amazed by listing agents who put up minimal photos on a listing. All the text description in the world will not accomplish what a nice photo presentation will.

Getting the Listing
Even when sitting with the seller in the listing presentation showing examples of listing pages it is the photos that will get you the listing. We have had sellers say "Wow is that my house?" when they first see their listing on line. Photos are the way to market a home.

Doing the Photos
If necessary bring in some plants and other interesting accessories to "stage" the home for the photos. It is possible to make a sows ear out of silk. Put the toilet seats down and clear the kitchen counters. It is sometimes better to take exterior photos just before twilight

Create a Web Page
Our MLS limits us to 12 photos and that just doesn't do the job. So, we create a web page and link to it from the listing. Look at this page Listing 118815 A page done like this sells a home.

A Stand Out Listing
Our listings are competing with others and by making ours better presentations of a home we get more inquiries.

 A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
by Michael A. Russer, AKA Mr. Internet
Due to the marketing power of the Internet and the fact that 87% of buyers use this as their source for finding a home, it becomes clear that having eye catching photographs is vital! Recent studies show that listings with 20+ photos have over 15 times more views and nearly 10 times more leads as listings with a single photo. The average number of days on the market also has a direct correlation to the number of photos posted.