Highlands County Talk

Tropical Storm Andres formed overnight off the southwestern coast of Mexico, becoming the first named storm of the season in the Eastern Pacific. Yes, hurricane season is here once again.

Make sure you are ready for this. Below is a list with supplies you should have handy:

Hurricane Kit
· Flashlights and extra bulbs
· Battery operated radio
· Fully charged battery operated lanterns. Candles and kerosene lanterns are fire hazards.
· Extra batteries
· Matches
· Clock (wind up or battery operated)
· Plastic garbage bags
· Working fire extinguishers
· Scissors
· Clean change of clothes, rain gear, sturdy swamp boots
· Inexpensive rabbit ears tv antenna to use if cable goes out

 House Checklist
· Gather supplies early
· Store loose outdoor items
· Anchor smalls sheds
· Trim dead branches from trees and shrubs
· Put chlorine in pool, protect filter motor
· Tape or board up windows
· Fill gas tank of cars, park in safe place
· Remove valuables (furniture and rugs) from floor
· Move furniture away from windows, cover with plastic
· Put important documents in waterproof container
· Get extra cash (ATM's might lose power)

 Food and Water
· Bottled water. One gallon per person per day.
· Shelf package juice and milk boxes.
· Canned and powdered milk
· Beverages (powdered or canned, fruit juices,
(instant coffee/tea)
· Prepared foods (canned soups, beef, spaghetti, tuna, chicken, ham, corned beef hash, fruit cocktail, packaged pudding)
· Canned vegetables and fruits
· Dried fruits
· Snacks (crackers, cookies, hard candy,  nuts)
· Snack spreads ( peanut butter, cheese spreads, jelly)
· Cereals
· Raw vegetables
· Sugar, salt, pepper
· Bread
· Dry and canned pet food
· Right now, buy all the nonperishable foods you will need, put them in a box and leave them alone, except to rotate stock. Stock up on ice and pack coolers as early as possible. Freezing then ahead of time is less hassle than fighting for them at a store.
· Before the storm, turn your refrigerator and freezer to the coldest setting and drape blankets over them, keeping bottom vents clear. Move perishables you'll use first into ice chests to limit opening of refrigerators.
· Designate one cooler you will open regularly; fill that with drinks and less perishable items. Set aside other coolers for more perishable things such as meats and open them only rarely.
· Crank up your ice maker, break out the ice cube trays or fill jugs with water, so you can be making and storing ice in your freezer or coolers around the clock.
· Store cubes or small blocks of ice in sealed bags and containers so you can drink it after it melts.
· Clean your bathtub out, then wash with bleach. Rinse thoroughly.
· If possible, line with plastic. Then fill it for
additional drinking water
· Fill toilet tank; you'll want it to flush after the storm.

Hardware
· Hand tools: hammer, screwdrivers to use now,
shovel and pickax for after the storm.
· Power screwdriver
· 4x8 ft. sheets of plywood 5/8" to 1/2" tick to put over windows. Ask for exterior plywood
· 1/4 machine screw sockets and screws
· Plastic sheeting to cover furniture
· Rope
· Sturdy working gloves
· Duct tape to waterproof items; masking tape isn't strong enough
· Canvas tarps
· Nails. There are many kinds, so look over your
home now and determine what you will need.

 Medical Needs
· Medic alert tags
· Insect repellent sprays and candles
· Feminine hygiene items
· Sunscreen
· Soap
· First Aid kit and First Aid Handbook
· Supply of any prescription drugs
· Extra Over-the-counter medicine (colds,
allergies, cough)
· Children's medicine
· Aspirin
· Bandages
· Adhesive tape
· Cotton tipped swabs
· Antiseptic solution
· Sterile rolls, bandages
· Ear drops
· Thermometer
· Tweezers
· Needles
· Disinfectant

 Baby Needs
· Disposable diapers, wipes
· Formula, baby food
· Diaper rash ointment, petroleum jelly
· Baby medicines (pain, cold, cough)
· Medicine dropper

 Emergency Toilet
· Small can with tight lid
· Plastic  bags for liners
· Disinfectant or bleach
· Deodorizer

 Kitchen Supplies
· Plastic to line bathtub to fill with water
· Jugs or containers to store water
· Water Purification Tablets. 2% tincture of iodine or ordinary household bleach, which contains hypochlorite as its only active ingredient, no bleach with additives.
· Manual can opener
· Bottle opener
· Matches
· Pocketknife-preferably Swiss Army style
· Camp stove or other cooking device and plenty of fuel. Use canned fuel, not charcoal or gas
· Disposable dishes
· Ice chest or coolers
· Paper plates, napkins,, cutlery, cups

As we do every year, we have a downloadable Hurricane Brochure containing valuable information. We have updated the list of shelters in Highlands County and are happy to report that quite a few pet and/or pet-friendly shelters are available now.

Darrin & Andrea Mills
www.millsrealestate.net
mills@millsrealestate.net
863-202-0729

We've had this topic before and things got a bit out of hand (not like that!) because many confused Transaction Broker with Dual Agency, which is  NOT the same, no interchangable terms. I'm in Florida, Dual Agency is illegal, Transaction Brokerage is not.

I'm not sure about other states...if your state allows for Transaction Brokerage, do you sell your own listings?

I have done it twice so far. Both on mobile homes on rented land (our office is licensed for it). It never crossed my mind that I would NOT be on neutral ground. I have limited fiduciary duties to both parties. I always require my sellers and buyers to NOT tell me their bottom line.

The latest "two sided" transaction is pending right now. Two weeks of negotiating, I'm not kidding! I never once gave a personal opinion about asking price or the offer. Of course the buyer asked me if his offer was fair. I asked him if it seemed fair to him. He said yes. Voila! Seller did the same thing. I asked her if her asking price was fair to her, she said yes, voila. Dead deal! At this point in time I told the buyer that we can always shop for other mobiles in the area and I told the seller that other buyers would come along. Yes, I could have pushed both of them because I want to get paid but I wasn't hired to get paid. I was hired to sell the sellers mobile and find the buyer a mobile he wanted, which happened to be the seller's mobile. I didn't call the buyer back, HE called ME! "Let's give this another try!" he said. Alright! I tell the seller that the buyer is asking her to reconsider his offer. She takes two days and comes back telling me she would. We negotiate again. He wants to move in before closing date, she refuses. I deliver messages, not my personal opinion. He asks me why a seller would refuse letting a buyer move in prior to closing. I explain to him there might be liability issues; what if he breaks something? Who will pay for it? Etc. He nods and understands what I mean. Next, we're still in disagreement over the sale price. He wants to pay less than she's asking for. Not ever would it occur to me to talk him into offering more and I would have never told her "well, your asking price is a bit too high" - just to get the deal done.

If either side nailed me down on giving an opinion I would present them with market stats for mobiles in the neighborhood. This is what's selling, this is what's not. I still don't give an opinion, just the facts. Both parties would see the exact same stats. I would tell both sides to take a good look and then make a decision based on the facts. I've done the exact same thing before and it worked great. I'm the expert, I have the knowledge. I pass my market knowledge onto both parties and ask them to make a decision. I don't coach, push, or suggest anything. We're on a tennis court and I sit on the net. My feet never touch the ground (I know, sounds uncomfy but it works).

Once buyer reaches a decision I ask: What do you want me to tell the seller? I deliver the message and ask the seller what she wants me to tell the buyer. Deal? That's great! No deal? That's fine too, both parties move on - either way.

I'm a Gemini and maybe that gives me a bit of an advantage because I have no problem being two things at the same time. It's like switching roles or being two agents in one. If I had two children, would I love one of them more than the other? No! Same principle!

And just for kicks, if I had a dollar for everytime a cooperating agents tells me "Uh, my seller will take less / my buyer will pay more!" I could retire. No kidding, few weeks ago a buyer agent told me "My buyer can make up the $5.000 and go full asking price!" Funny, how they always add "...but that's between you and me!"

It's not! It's between them and their ethics!

Greetings, Andrea Mills - sleeping well at night!
www.millsrealestate.net

With Short Sales on the rise and becoming the dominating force in the market, wouldn't it be nice if you had several of them pending but wouldn't have to spend any time on the phone with the lender? Wouldn't it be nice if all you had to do was to approach the client, explain to them how short sales work, take the listing and hand the file over to a designated "Short Sale Person" in your office that takes care of the transaction from that point on - from the time of listing all the way to the time of closing? All you had to do was getting more short sale listings to submit to your "Short Sale Person".

Wouldn't it be great if your broker hired someone like that to help you out? Wouldn't it enable you to get more listings, show properties and do what you're supposed to do instead of being on the phone with a lender for hours and hours? Wouldn't you be a happier agent?

I'm wondering how many agents actually have this luxury and if brokers are considering the investment to increase listing inventory. It's a win-win-win-win-win situation!

Looking back 12 months, more homes are selling faster and for a lot less money than in January 2008. Now is the time to get back into the game as we are nearing the bottom of the market. The Absorption Rate has gone down by 4 month since December, by 8 months since November. We currently have 21.85 month of inventory on the market. On average, 82 homes are being sold each month. Prices had a monthly average decline of 25% in 2008. The average sale price only declined by a little less than 4% in January. Most transactions in January were cash (29), 26 conventional, 6 FHA, 2 VA, 1 assumption. The hot spots in Highlands County are Sun'n'Lake, Sebring Hills and Harder Hall. 166 transactions are currently still pending/contingent.

Like millions of other Americans, I watched the Inauguration on tv yesterday and tried to catch a glimpse of the new First Lady's ball gown on the re-runs today. She looked beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous!

I was impressed by the President's speech yesterday. There were no campaign promises, no mentioning of what he will do during his term, not a single word about how everything will be better now that Change Is Here. That by itself impressed me.

He went on to speak about the Founding Fathers and what this country is about. He spoke about the American Spirit and how it cannot be broken, not by a depressive economy and not by terrorist threats.
"We will not be defeated."

When I arrived in the US in 1995, I began to explore and experience what America is about with a newcomer's eyes. Almost like the pilgrims but without the hardship. The first thing I came to know, the first thing that struck me with awe was the American Spirit. The way Americans display their flags with love and pride, being careful to not ever let it touch the ground and disposing of it in a most respectful way once it is worn out. I'm not even touching Independence Day.

Witnessing America's love affair with its history, its spirit, itself -I couldn't help but falling in love with it as well - hook, line and sinker. I couldn't help but wanting to be part of this........wonderful thing called America.

Lately, especially during the last year I sometimes wondered where the American spirit had gone. Everyone is tired of the war, nothing but negative news......about America. I caught myself wondering if my family wouldn't be better off if we lived in Germany even though the news from across the big pond aren't much better than here. I wondered what it would take for America to put itself back together again and do what it does best - be the greatest country in the world.

Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America. 

...and there it was........once again - the American Spirit.