Chicago and Southern Illinois Real Estate Happenings

ActiveRain© does it AGAIN!! I told everyone a while
back about a phone interview I had with John Morell
of "The Street.com", a financial advisory website that
is top notch and has a GOOGLE page rank of 7.

(You can click on the image of "The Street" logo on
the right and read the interview if you so desire. I
MIGHT be partial, but I LIKED it!)

"The Street" gets THOUSANDS of HITS every month from
people looking to invest money in a smart and timely
manner... I am honored to be interviwed by Mr. Morell to
be able to give advice to readers who want professional
advice about real estate.

Mr. Morell found me in ActiveRain© and gave me a
phone call 2 weeks ago. He apparently interviewed
another agent, Tawny Stanton -- with the Schwartz-
Stanton Group in Lake Tahoe, Calif and included her
in his article also.

I was asked by John what I would say to owners of
real estate in Orlando and central Florida to help
them get their properties sold fast and for the
highest possible price.

I told Mr. Morell quite a lot on the phone and he used some snippets of the guidance I would give to owners of Orlando and central Florida real estate. To see the whole article, you will HAVE to click on The Street picture above...do ya THINK I WANT you to click on that link?? YOU BET I DO!

I was just notified that the interview came out and I
popped over to see it. I can tell you I was VERY excited
as I clicked on the link to the interview. (The link is
above on the right..... can ya tell I am excited about it??)

After reading reports of Broker Bryant, Margaret Rome
and other ActiveRain© members being interviewed by outside
sources, I started praying for this also. After posting regularly
in ActiveRain© about central Florida real estate for 2 years,
it finally happened!

Knowing what to do to help owners of Orange, Osceola and
Polk Counties in Florida get properties sold as quickly as
possible in this buyers market is part of our services to the
real estate owning public who partner with The Knights Team.

This just goes to show members of ActiveRain©, if you are
consistent about blogging and have relevant local knowledge
of real estate in your area, leads WILL get generated from and because of your use of ActiveRain©... SO MIGHT INTERVIEWS! 

ActiveRain© is doing AWESOME THINGS for my business

Are You utilizing it to the MAXIMUM you can in yours?

This post about ANOTHER ActiveRain© boost
in the arm for my real estate business is
brought to you by:

Alexander Harb, PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Since last months market report, here are the
changes in the Baldwin Park area in central Florida:

• There are 170 single family homes, townhomes,
  condos and villas for sale as of the date of this report.
  That is UP 7 properties since one month ago.
• The LOW asking price is $255,000, holding steady
  from last months drop from $230,000.
• The high offering price is for a fantastic 7300 square foot estate -- $5,244,000 which is unchanged from when it first went on the market almost 2 years ago.
• There are 24 homes in special circumstances: These include being bank owned,
  in foreclosure, in pre-foreclosure, having an assumable mortgage, the owner will consider financing, the owner will pay closing costs, or the property is a fixer upper.

In Baldwin Park that is 4 properties MORE than there were last month in special circumstances.

Baldwin Park has come a LONG way from when it was
a military installation. When the base was closed down in
1999, investors took over and the result is QUITE a transformation!

Downtown Orlando is just 2 minutes away and the Orlando
International Airport is 8 miles away. You will spend MINUTES,
not a half an hour or more driving to go dancing, shopping, out
to a picnic, the ballet or an Orlando Magic basketball game. There
is easy access to highway Interstate 4, Route 408 or Route 417
to get you anywhere you want to travel.

The Baldwin Park Community Network provides owners access to a
business directory, resident directory, calendar of Property Owners
Association events and parties, developer updates, club information,
current neighborhood news, classifieds, a photo gallery plus links to
recreation, shopping and others areas of interest.

Clubs in Baldwin Park currently include a Maj Jong & Canasta Club,
Sand Volleyball Team, Aviation Club, Book Club, Walking Club and more.
All clubs and organizations are sponsored by residents.

There are four major parks and recreational facilities in Baldwin Park:

• Cady Way Trail is a very well-known jogging and bike trail in central Florida that has over 50 miles of walking paths with benches and tranquil rest areas alongs its route.
• Blue Jacket Park, a 55-acre City of Orlando park, sports lighted baseball fields and concession stand, a track and field complex,tennis courts,  picnic areas with covered pavilions, two children's playgrounds, basketball courts, a great lawn for soccer and field games, fountain plaza and grand stairs. Reservations are made through the City.
• Enders Park is a recreation center for residents only that offers a state-of-the-art fitness room, a community gathering room, large pool and kiddie pool, playground and much, much more. Swimming lessons and fitness classes such as Pilates and yoga are available. This facility is access-controlled.
• Grace Hopper Hall is another beautiful residents-only recreational
  facility that offers many of the same features as Enders Park. Grace
  Hopper Hall is access-controlled and also home to the Property Owners
  Association office.

Not only are the community features excellent, but so are the schools!

• The Winter Park High School campus borders Baldwin Park.
• Audubon Park Elementary School is now located within the neighborhood.
• Glenridge Middle School borders Blue Jacket Park and is just a short walk for many residents.
  
• Excellent private schools are nearby, as are esteemed Rollins College in Winter Park and the University of Central Florida.

Here are some recent news articles and press releases about Baldwin Park:

• TenUnited Wins Top National Award for Baldwin Park 
  
• Medical offices also call Baldwin Park home 
• Baldwin Park Home To Nine Parade of Homes Winners  
• Baldwin Park's Landscape Architect Wins Award  
  
• Baldwin Park is #1 in the Top 10 Urban Areas

This Baldwin Park Community information
and market update is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Hello everyone,

A while back I told everyone about a nationally
recognized builder that had called me on the phone
and asked me to help them market their inventory
of new construction homes in central Florida.

Well, after a couple of weeks and getting most of
the needed information about the homes they have
to sell, it is official:

I am working for Mercedes Homes!

Now, granted, this IS NOT an hourly position. BUT:

• I get a 5% commission on any new construction
  home  NOT finished being built that comes to closing
  through me.
• I have the entire sales staff of Mercedes Homes to
  help me if I don't have the time to bring my client(s)
  to a model home tour. AND I WILL STILL GET the 5%
  commission! It's like havin my own office assistant
  right there to complete all the paperwork!
• They have a Creations Office, with everything to pick
  out for decorating a new home: Carpeting, paint colors,
  fixtures, appliances, landscaping...EVERYTHING except
  furniture!

This is a DREAM come true!!!

• The KNIGHTS TEAM will GIVE 1% of any sales price to
  buyer(s) who use OUR services in purchasing a new
  construction home! That is a LOT of money!

For example:

A home priced at $350,000 will get the buyer a check for $3,500.00 in COLD HARD CASH at closing! They can use it for part of a downpayment, furniture, a vacation...or anything they want!

I will have more information on
the homes available soon!!!

WooHOO!!!!

Alexander Harb, PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Hello there!

After over 2 years of blogging in ActiveRain©, I am
being seen even MORE!

I just got interviewed via phone call by John Morell of "The Street.com", a popular financial website that has stock quotes, financial market and business news. This site has a Google
page rank of 7!!!

I was asked about what I would do and say to owners of
homes in this troubled real estate market to help them sell
their homes.

The first thing I told him was get a GOOD agent that
will do a current Comparative Market Analysis on the
home, based on the last 4-6 months of comparable homes that have been sold.

I then went on to describe other things I would do for and say to owners of central Florida real estate to help their home sell for TOP DOLLAR, regardless of the current market.

When the interview comes out I will post a notice about it!

About 2/3 the way through the interview, I asked John how he found me. He said he found me in ActiveRain©!

Here are some past posts about how we do business
at The Knights Team:

• What a seller can expect from The Knights Team....
• What The Knights Team expects from our clients..... ya had to ask.....;-)

Is ActiveRain© doing GOOD things
for my business
besides getting me
MORE GOOD LEADS??

OH YES IT IS!!!

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.

Hello again!

This is the Hunters Creek Market report for 10/14/2008.

As of this date:

• There are 166 Single Family Homes for sale in Hunters Creek, down 2 from my last report in August.
• The high asking price is $719,000 which is unchanged form the last report.
• The low asking price is $170,050, DOWN $19,850 from my last report!!! There are some GREAT DEALS out there!
• There are 44 homes in special circumstances:
  That includes: Pre-foreclousure, in foreclousure, seller will consider financing, seller will pay closing
  costs, bank owned, assumable mortgage or a fixer-upper. That is UP 9 properties from my last report of 35 homes.

Hunters Creek is right on the border of Orange and Osceola Counties,
convieniently located near Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and
downtown Orlando. Routes 528, and 417 are just a minute or so away,
so you can get ANYWHERE in central Florida FAST!

This is a community that prides itself on excellence and professionalism,
from the landscaped medians with palm trees and flowers, to the types of
businesses in the area:

• Target Retail Super Center
• Publix Grocery store
• The Loop and The Loop West with all upscale retailers
• Numerous casual and some fine dining restaurants

Hunter Creek schools are consistently ranked at or near the
top of the scoring system for Florida schools. You know your
children will be getting a GREAT education when they attend
schools in the Hunters Creek area.

This post about Hunters Creek real estate
for sale is brought to you by:

Alexander Harb PSEM®, E-Agent®
The Knights Team Sales Leader

Beach and Luxury Realty Inc.