Aventura & Sunny Isles Beach Luxury Real Estate

This holiday weekend does not mark the beginning of fall as summer is still upon us, according to the calendar, for another three weeks. However, Labor Day Weekend has traditionally become the turnover to another Season with back to school, no more white clothing, Jewish Holidays in the near future, and ideal travel time for those who like to avoid the crowds of summer. As with so many of the Official American Holiday dates, the true meaning of the holiday gets lost in the shuffle of three day weekends, sales at the mall, and barbecues. The first Labor Day parade was held on September 5, 1882 in New York City. A Labor Day concept was conceived to honor the American worker and use the day to discuss issues and plan for future ideas. It has clearly evolved into so much more over the years. Why not consider this a great time to assess your real estate needs and consider your options of moving. Perhaps you feel the itch for a change; you have cleaned out your clutter over the dog days of summer, or are facing an empty house after college kids have left. Think about it. You don’t have to make any decisions unless you see something that sparks your interest. The only step you have to take is to look around. See what your options are: should I rent or continue to own? Do I want another house or is it time to consider an apartment? Water view or Golf course? With so many choices out there to see, this truly could be your change of season. Why not add an outing to look at a few real estate possibilities to your Labor Day Weekend mix of the trip to the mall and a backyard barbecue? Without venturing out there you don’t know what you are missing. The Sellers are determined to sell as part of their change of season. Join in and take a look. Have a wonderful Labor Day Holiday.

As you read this the Summer Olympics 2008 in Beijing are coming to a close. Everyone will agree they were thrilling, exciting, and often times awe inspiring. From the magnificent opening ceremonies to each and every game and race, you felt compelled to watch and share the thrill with each and every athlete. For years this has been their lives, what they do every day over and over again. Without that determination they could never achieve the level of perfection and drive that they do. I don’t know if it is their skill or the pride with which they carry themselves that makes you stop and think about what you do each and every day. So why do so many of us not take their shining examples and apply it to our lives and what we do day after day? Do we need a ceremony for the entire world to see to perform at our best? Isn’t the sense of skill, accomplishment, pride, and just life itself enough? In your personal family lives, in your professional work lives, and the social arena in which you encircle yourselves, try to do your best every day. In fact, do better than your best … go for the GOLD. Hone your skills, take the time to really be more efficient, kinder, and reach your highest potential. Others around you will notice and be proud. Most of all be proud of yourself. Ultimately, you are your most critical judge and only you know if you deserve that Gold Medal. We’re only in this race once, and your Olympics count, too. Do your best, run a good race, and always shoot for the Gold.

As the real estate market has slowed down, active agents are more anxious than ever to work with any interested prospect. Unfortunately this can lead to harmful incidents. You cannot afford to get sloppy now and put yourself in any dangerous situation. BE AWARE and BE CAREFUL. Encourage a client to meet you first at your office and verify phone numbers by calling back. If you don’t know them, take your own car. You can ask to photocopy their driver’s license and write down the license number on their car. If they are legitimate prospects they will understand this is part of their file. Don’t go alone if you are previewing a property that is vacant. Make sure you are aware of your surroundings and let someone know where you are. Keep your cell phone with you at all times. Always have your car keys with you and as a fellow agent suggested, don’t let your car be blocked in a driveway so you cannot get out. We forget that in this business, we, as agents, put ourselves out there often times not knowing who we are going to meet. We take a lot for granted for the sake of the Sale. And most of the time everything is okay and there are no problems. But every once in a while you hear about a situation that reminds you to put your instincts in check and in high gear. When real estate sales were flourishing we also needed to stop for a moment and remember to take care because we were so busy it was easy to forget about being SAFE. Well, now is the time to take those considerations again. This business can be great as you fi nd the right property for your clients. But, not ever at the cost of your wellbeing and safety. Nothing is worth that. So, make yourself a “Security Checklist” and follow it with each and every new client you meet who you do not know personally. You will feel much more secure and you will make the sale safely.