Real Estate Views from St Pete

This is a comment that I get frequently.

Truth is, it's not at all about "let's send each other business".

That's like a lender or title company meeting me for the first time and saying, "oh, send me some business and see how wonderful I am".  Sorry, No.

Referrals are wonderful - whether other agents, vendors, service providers, etc. But it's not based on just meeting someone. We have a duty to our clients. When we refer someone to them, we need to know they're not only good at what they do, but a good match of what our client needs and wants, and how they'll work together.

That's why link farms and referral groups don't work for me. It's all about the client.

Once I know you, how you think, how you feel, how you work - how you'll mesh with a particular client - then I'll be glad to refer you. But - my clients aren't guinea pigs. I don't use them to "try you out".

Many times I'll have occasion to work with an agent/lender/title company/carpet cleaner/dock builder because someone else has chosen them, or because they've sent me business so that I can see how they work. That's how business starts. Not by giving me cookies, or sending me lots of loan programs, or offering me a higher referral fee.

I just want to see my clients get the best. So - show me that you're the best for them, that you care about them, and that you'll treat them as carefully and professionally as I do.

This morning I went in to my new office on Beach Drive in downtown St Petersburg Florida, ready to assemble furniture, answer phones, and whatever else would be appropriate between Christmas and New Year's.

It was interesting to watch the modes of transportation that passed our window:

First were the bicycles, two lines, one in each direction. I wish I'd had my camera and it's video mode handy.

There were walkers, of course, many with their dogs.

There were joggers and runners.

There were trolley tours - interesting to listen as they went by:  "Here is the largest collection of Fine Arts on the west coast of Florida" or "here on your right are all family-owned businesses" (not true)

There were Segway Tours

Of course there were cars passing in each direction and parking where they could

There were Horse Drawn Carriage tours - Clydesdales, of course.

What an interesting place to sit and enjoy your morning coffee!

How often have you had a conversation with a client

• when you tell them the benefits of using a Realtor when buying a new model home or a condo development?
• when you tell them why they should call you when they know someone moving from Minneapolis to San Diego even though you're in St Petersburg?
• when you tell they why they should call you when they want a ski condo in Park City or a beachfront home in Costa Rica or a Greek island?

Are they surprised to hear about the value of calling you? That's your fault, not theirs. Most agents do a poor job of explaining our value to our clients, potential clients, and their friends and colleagues.

It's currently a balmy 73 degrees in downtown St Petersburg, Florida, with clear blue skies. It's perfect weather to have the doors open and feel the pleasant breeze.

I'm sitting here at my laptop in the reception area of our new office, watching people walk by in shorts. The dog walkers were by earlier, now it's people coming for lunch - and a beautiful day to sit outside for that.

This is the view out the window of our new office, ALVA International, at 238 Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg. It's the Museum of Fine Arts, a flourishing museum in Straub Park, with its new Hazel Hough wing, and a view of the Vinoy Basin and Tampa Bay.

It's a wonderful day to be in downtown St Petersburg, Florida.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or another holiday or none at all - I send you the best of Christmas wishes.

Last night we shared Christmas Eve with good friends, as we do every year - friends gathered from the US, Norway, Scotland and Germany. It's all about good friends, good food, good conversation - some laughter and games.

Later this morning part of our family will gather - the local ones, so we'll have 3 generations here. Sadly the older generation has passed on, and now my husband and I are the "old ones". It's about tradition and caring. We've simplified the traditions over the years, and Florida casualness has superceded New England formality. We enjoy gathering in shorts and later walking along the beach.

We sympathize with all of you who may be stranded in an airport, or suffering without power. Wherever you are, make it Christmas.

I'm in the process of reading Malcolm Gladwell's newest book, Outliers. It makes some interesting points - why do certain people excel? Perhaps because of when they're born. Not in terms of horoscopes, but in terms of when they're born in relation to deadlines. It affect sports stars as well as children in school.

Gladwell previously wrote The Tipping Point and Blink. This one is quite interesting, so far. I read it every morning on my Kindle while on the treadmill.

Have you noticed in the comments section that posts by the original author have a blue background while all the commenters have a white background? That's a great timesaver when you want to read just additional comments from the original poster. It also saves time when you go back to your own posts to return comments as you can easily see where you made the last response.

Thanks, Active Rain, for your constant improvements!

The team gathered at 7 am to load our cars and SUVs with the things that weren't properly packed for the movers. Fortunately we're only moving 2 blocks away, on Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg.

The movers arrived at 8 am, and we were amazed at how quickly they loaded things. We all looked at each other and knew it was worth the price of hiring professionals! I wanted to take a video of one running around each desk with "Saran wrap" as he sealed all the drawers shut.

It took about twice as long to unload as to load, but that's because they were resecuring the Ls of the desks and placing furniture and boxes in the various rooms of the new office.  They were done by late morning. It's good we haven't bought the new conference room table and chairs yet, because that's where we had them put all the boxes. Better to take them our one at a time and unload, rather than live in a "construction zone".

It felt SO GOOD to be in our newly renovated offices, just the way we designed them. We love our new location, and it's exciting to be our own, new company.

Earlier I showed you that it's ready (the new office and company) but as you can see, we're not quite ready.

We thought we were, and Tami and I went in to the old office today for half an hour or so to finish things up - well, 28 boxes and several hours later, we still wern't all ready.

Notice the yellow walls we're leaving? We painted those 5 years ago, and are using the same happy yellow in our new offices.

It's amazing, after all the culling and many trips to the dumpster, we still have more stuff to move than I thought possible.

We're only moving 2 blocks away, to Beach Drive, with a glimpse of the waterfront across Straub Park - we're right across from the Museum of Fine Arts, on the best walking street of St Pete.

It'll be a few weeks getting settles, but come see The Simms Team at our new company, ALVA International, Inc. at 238 Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg, Florida.

This was late Friday afternoon - the walls are up, the moldings are done, the painting is finished, and the carpet is in.

From the beginning of the build-out, it has been 10 working days - a fantastic accomplishment, especially considering that 4 inspections were required from the City of St Petersburg: framing, plumbing, electrical and final.

One of my clients, CRS Building Construction, did the work, and they have been fabulous to work with. Every day I was impressed by the crews they had working on this build-out.

So - even though the phone and internet lines aren't ready, we're planning to move in on Monday the 22nd. We still have some furniture to buy, but the incredible amount of daily decisions is basically behind us.

So - ALVA International, Inc. will be opening on Monday, December 22nd, at 238 Beach Drive NE in downtown St Petersburg. Come on over and visit!

Residential sales are lagging.

Commercial sales and rentals are lagging.

OK - so they why is it that when I found a commercial space I wanted to lease, I had

                                         Competition?

Yes, even tough there wasn't yet a sign on the property, someone else wanted it, too.

We can see the same situation in residential properties - hundreds (or even thousands) are languishing on the market, but when you represent a buyer who wants to purchase one - it seems to be the same one that's attracting others.

Reality isn't about averages - it's about individual properties in individual neighborhoods. It's about right pricing - which takes into account location as well as condition. Yes, even in this market, you may need to offer above the listing price.

The bottom line is YOU. Is this a property that works for you? Does it work better than the other properties for you? Then do what it takes to buy it (or lease it).

I love working with a family team - my son, my daughter, and my "assumed daughter" for the last 20+ years. We talk about things a lot, and it's interesting since each of us approaches a situation from a different perspective.

• Do we want to open our own office?
• Which contractor shall we choose?
• Do we want to take this listing?
• What more can we do to market this property?
• Where can we find what this client needs?
• What are our goals for 2009?

We all know all of our clients, and we think as a team. Brainstorming is wonderful, and the whole is definitely greater than the parts.

Want to have the team/office buy-in? Then get their input before the decision is made. It doesn't mean that majority rules (after all, it's my money) but it does mean that I listen to all the input, and consider all the points of view. Then the buck has to stop somewhere, and

The Buck Stops Here.

"We don't handle rentals" - well, mostly. We do handle rentals in downtown St Petersburg condos, and we do handle rentals for our clients whose homes haven't sold and who want to do a "For Sale of For Lease, whichever comes first." and yes, we do help our clients and their families find rentals when they need them. So - with all these exceptions increasing, we're more involved than ever in getting credit reports on potential tenants.

A few years ago, a Foreclosure or Bankruptcy would have been the Kiss of Death. Today, however, it's the situation for most of the people looking to rent. They were too optimistic, or their business failed, or they lost a job, couldn't make their payments, and lost their house. So now, former owners are potential renters.

In many cases, the mortgage was their only default - the rest of their credit is good.

In many cases, these are people who know how to take care of a home and maintain it.

In many cases, these people really really want to live in a nice home in a nice neighborhood.

So, don't be too hasty to judge - some of these could be great tenants.

How many cameras does a person need? Don't know - haven't found my limit yet. I hate when you have to buy something because what you have breaks or stops working, but that hasn't been the case with my cameras - there's always something with a new twist.

I have a Canon Rebel (digital) EOS which is a great camera with interchangeable lenses - but it's too heavy and too big to carry around in my purse all the time.

So then I bought a Sony Cybershot DSC-W150. That's really easy to carry around with me, but the location of the selection wheel is such that it often changes without my knowing it, and since I don't check every time, I take things with the wrong settings. It's also a rectangular box, and I miss having a handgrip.

So - my friend Petra just came back from Germany to spend the winter here in Florida and was showing me her new camera (for someone who resisted digital cameras for so long, she keeps buying new ones, too) and told me how happy she is with her Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. I liked it, and now I bought one, too.

The Lumix has a wider angle than the others (28 mm) has a hand grip, and is much lighter than the Canon. Does up to 18x telephoto, and the dials and choices are in much better locations, and so far haven't changed without me. Lots of scene choices if you don't want to customize, including one for Food.

I still had a few questions - sometimes the instruction manuals just don't make things too clear, so I spent some time today with Petra, over coffee and German Christmas stollen, and learned the things I didn't know, as well as some hints I hadn't even thought to ask.

You can buy this in the $200s - just don't buy it from Broadway Photo. If you want to know why, contact me off line.

So, here's my new toy and gee - it's for professional purposes, so I can write it off as well.

The skyline of downtown St Petersburg seems to change weekly.

This is one view of Signature Place, a downtown St Pete condo expected to be ready for occupancy in the spring on 2009. Every unit has a waterview. Though the building looks wide here, it's nearly perpendicular to the water, so that the narrow building offers waterviews from condo units on both sides of the building.

There are numerous floor plans on each floor, offering an interesting variety of shapes and plans. The developer still has some units for sale, and most of us know of some prospective owners who are looking to sell before completion.

This is an architecturally striking building and is truly a signature for its developer, Joel Kantor, and for its architect, Ralph Johnson.

The Z Grille has already opened on the ground floor. It's currently open for dinner Monday through Saturday, an expects to soon be open for lunch as wel.

From our pool lanai we have two views - one out to the canal, where we can see boats going in and out of Maximo Channel - and the other out into Boca Ciega Bay, with the illuminated Don ceSar Hotel across the bay on St Pete Beach.

From our sunset room, however, which is perced on top of our roof, we can see water on 3 sides (and we used to be able to see downtown St Petersburg, before the oak trees next door grew tall enough to block the view).

In addition to that, we can see beautiful sunsets. We can watch the sun fall to the horizon, and when it hits, it's only a moment until it disappears behind the horizon. Then we can enjoy the afterglow of soft colors making waves in the sky.

At this time of year we have lights strung around the roofline of our sunset room, so we have a nice illuminated "tower room". (Secretly - we keep them up all year, so that we can turn them on for parties and special occasions.)

This is the view from Parkshore Plaza, looking northeast. Over Grayl's Hotel you see 400 Beach, the newest completed luxury highrise condo in downtown St Petersburg, and to the right of that you can see the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel. Undistinguishable in the photo is the vinoy Basin, with boats at dock and boats moored in the basin.

Christmas lights have been turned on in the parks, so you have not only the lighted trees that are there throughout the year, you have the lighted Christmas displays as well.

Downstairs you can enjoy sidewalk dining at the Parkshore Grille, and then amble through Straub Park and over along the waterfront.

Winter? You don't even have to wear a jacket on some of these balmy evenings. Weather it's sunny days or starry nights, we truly live in paradise here in downtown St Petersburg, Florida.

This weekend, December 6-7, 2008 is the combined 2008 St Petersburg Boat Show and Strictly Sail at the Mahaffey Theater Yacht Basin and Albert Whitted Park in downtown St Petersburg, Florida.

The adjacent street is blocked off (the same street that will become part of the annual Grand Prix races in St Petersburg - this year from April 3-5, 2009. so that you can walk across from Mahaffey Theater.

It's not as crowded as usual this year, so you should have no problem going aboard any of the boats you're interested in. Whether you're interested in power boats or sailboats, there's something here to interest you.

St Petersburg has several boat shows. This particular one is the merger of two successful, long-standing shows into a single "super boat show".

There's even a free kids' fishing clinic on both Saturday and Sunday. Come by car or come by boat - or - if you're lucky enough to live in downtown St Petersburg, just walk on over.

We're so often creatures of habit. Every weekday morning my alarm goes off at 4:45 am, I get up and drive to the Renaissance Vinoy Hotel where I read my Kindle on the treadmill, and most days work out after that. Then I go upstairs to the historic lobby and have coffee with my "Kitchen Cabinet" - or should I call it my "Lobby Cabinet"?

Then I drive a few blocks to my office, typically taking the same route. One day in September I decided to go a block further south before turning away from the water to my office. I saw what appeared to be this empty office  -  so I circled around the block, parked, and went to look in the windows.

Indeed, Beach Drive Optical had moved out of this prime location, to a building just across from Bayfront Hospital.  Hmmm - best location I can think of for a real estate office. No "For Lease" sign - I wonder if it's already been leased - and if not, if the rent is so high as to preclude any thinking of taking the space .....

Why did I change my route? Who knows - but I did.  Serendipity? Kismet? Fate? Divine Intervention?

That change of usual route on a day back in September set a whole chain of events in motion, leading to ALVA International, Inc.