Thought you might enjoy this article for the St. Petersburg Times.  

By Demorris A. Lee, Times Staff Writer
In print: Saturday, December 6, 2008

Using a plastic toboggan, children ride down a snow slide on Cleveland Street at the Miracle on Cleveland Street event Friday in downtown Clearwater.

Juliana Svetlanozich arrived on Cleveland Street about 4 p.m. Friday. ¢ A New Jersey native, she had seen snow before. But her children, 3 and 7, are Floridians and had never felt the cold nip of the white stuff. ¢ Being an hour early paid off as Svetlanozich and her 3-year-old son, Joseph, climbed the stairs to the 30-foot-long snow slide that had been constructed down the middle of Cleveland Street. ¢ Joseph’s eyes lit up as the two, on a black toboggan, zoomed down the ice. ¢ “We were first to go down the slide,” Svetlanozich, 33, said with the enthusiasm of a child. “I was determined to make sure they see snow.” ¢ The slide was part of the first Miracle on Cleveland Street event, which featured the annual Holiday Light Up Downtown to help start the season and lure residents and tourists to downtown. Sponsored by the city of Clearwater, the Downtown Development Board and the Clearwater Downtown Partnership, the event brought vendors, entertainment and a festive holiday spirit to downtown. It also closed Cleveland Street to traffic between Garden and Fort Harrison avenues.”This is what I’ve been dreaming about for a long time,” said David Allbritton, chairman of the Downtown Development Board and a lifelong Clearwater resident. “As a kid, Cleveland Street was an active place, and things are coming back to that. This is just the beginning.”Mayor Frank Hibbard said there will be more events on Cleveland Street in an effort to bring life back to downtown.”This is what we would like to see every Friday night,” Hibbard said. Maybe not every Friday, but for the Downtown Partnership, the activity was a precursor to a Fourth Friday event that it will start hosting next month downtown.On Friday evening, a train, with Santa Claus and elves, rolled up and down Cleveland Street.On a stage, 12-year-old Sally Gatza sang O Holy Night, and Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley characters from the Francis Wilson Playhouse rumbled the streets, passing out candy gold coins. But the highlight of the evening was the snow.”Can we go again?” Joseph Svetlanozich asked his mother about the snow slide.”The line is pretty long,” she replied, with a grin.Demorris A. Lee can be reached at 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com.  10

10 Tons of ice provided by Gainesville Ice was used to create the snow.

30 ‘ Length of the slide, in feet, for sledding and tobogganing set up on Cleveland Street.

70 degrees Approximate temperature as festivities got under way Friday night.

3 Number of hours for the event, which included Christmas caroling, entertainment on stage and, of course, Santa Claus.

[Last modified: Dec 08, 2008 06:29 PM]

Clearwater likely to buy historic Royalty Theatre

By Mike Brassfield, Times Staff Writer
In print: Tuesday, November 4, 2008

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CLEARWATER ” Although they don’t like the price, City Council members are leaning toward buying the historic Royalty Theatre and having Ruth Eckerd Hall turn it into a downtown performing arts center. For details go to: http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article888319.ece

Clearwater Beach towers get green light, but only one starts soon

By Mike Brassfield, Times Staff Writer
In print: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article865244.ece

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A rendering shows a 15-story, 230-room crescent-shaped hotel planned for Clearwater Beach on the site of the old Adams Mark hotel, which was demolished three years ago. Plans for the hotel call for a restaurant, bar, ballroom and five-story parking garage. With city approval, work is expected to begin soon.

With all of the changes happening in the real estate market these days; it is a constant challenge for us to find ways to help sellers get their properties sold. At Keller Williams the Tom Smith Team is learning the processes outlined in The Shift by Gary Keller.   It outlines how top real estate agents can tackle tough times.   You as buyers and sellers of real estate are a part œThe Shift just as much as we are so we will be sharing some of the things we are learning here at Tom Smith™s Blog.

Gary Ubaldini with Keller Williams says that it is a œprice war and a beauty contest in today™s real estate market.   The properties that are selling are the ones that are priced well based on what is taking place in the current market and the ones that œshow the best.   Homes that have been œstaged™ are selling more quickly and for more money.  

A few tips we picked up this month might be helpful to you in œstaging your home¦.this could be helpful for the better enjoyment of your current home, even though you may not be in the market to sell at this time.   For example, this month we sold a condo that was furnished. The buyer wasn™t interested in buying the furniture.   The seller advertised the items for sale on www.Craigslist.com and sold almost everything in the unit. Craigslist is free¦you can put a few digital photos of what you have for sale along with a reasonable price and the results can be instant and amazing.   You might want to consider selling a few of the items in your home so that it will appear larger.   Another inexpensive idea is to combat the œwhite wall syndrome.   It is recommended to select a color that reflects light well (the color name and light reflective value (LRV) is on the back of paint samples.   Just painting a few accent walls in your home can create a fresh and new look.

Thank you for visiting the Tom Smith Blog. We hope you will bookmark this page and come back to get more details about œThe Shift.   For information about our team located here in the Tampa Bay Florida area, please visit us at www.TomSmithTeam.com.

The challenge we face in the real estate market today is that stability is no longer the norm.   In fact, many experts agree that over the next few years, the business environment will become even more volatile.   The changes occurring this month on Wall Street, with Freddie Mac and Ginny Mae, and the bank bailouts confirm these predictions.   We have to constantly stop ourselves from buying into the œbad market mind set. The buyers are coming back into our market.   There are people with money that need to invest.   Based on history, we know that our real estate market will cycle and prices will go up over time. The real estate buyers today will have a great opportunity to see appreciation on the beach and waterfront properties they buy.   We still believe that our local market here on the beach will see a strong recovery because there are still a lot of people who want to live in Florida, especially near the water.    

Albert Einstein said, œWe can™t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.   It™s our goal to be constantly shifting to adjust to today™s market.   We are constantly searching for the marketing, advertising and outreach ideas that will result in attracting more buyers to our listings. Keller Williams offers us and you many resources to improve exposure to your property.   In July, Tom and Vivian attended special training and have now become Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialists. In August, Vivian attended the Keller Williams Mega Camp in Austin that was a thorough review Gary Keller™s latest book œThe Shift.   Bottom line in a shifting market is that we are challenged to shift with it¦we cannot continue to do things the way we have always done them. To get results we have to adjust to today™s real estate market.  

You may be asking about specifics that are a result of this training. First of all, The Luxury Home Marketing Institute was able to negotiate a special advertising rate for us in the Online Wall Street and have promised more opportunities to come.   Additionally, we picked up technology ideas on blogging, web advertising, and tricks to optimize the internet traffic on our website. But we realize now more than ever that communication is the key.   Tom is a real pro at returning calls quickly to get the best results from fellow Realtors as well as prospective buyers.   Vivian has developed an email marketing campaign which targets over 300 beach area Realtors to keep them informed about our listings. Allison backs us up with making sure that all the details of each transaction are taken care of in a timely manner.   If you are considering selling or buying in Clearwater Beach Real Estate¦please check us out at www.TomSmithTeam.com  

We are seeing increased activity of showings on our listings of condos here on the beach in Clearwater, Florida.   We are often asked if we have hit bottom yet.   We will only know that when the prices start to go back up.   We have helped three sellers this week close the sale of their property.   If you plan to sell in this market, we have some new strategies that are attracting buyers.    For now, it is a great time to buy beach property.    We have a large inventory of listings for sale, interest rates are still favorable and this would be a good time to make that second home investment if you have been contemplating a beach getaway.    For more detailed information on our current real estate  market in Pinellas County on the Gulf Coast  less than 25 miles from the Tampa Airport click on this link.  http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/pinellas/proview0708/index.php?startpage=14

Please visit our  website  to do your own search of our MLS for properties that fit your criteria.

The Tom Smith Team

1.           Strong long-term economic and demographic trends:  Florida is forecast to be the 3^rd most populated state by 2010 and increase by 75% by 2030.

2.           An estimated rate of 900 people per day move to Florida: Based on recent trends, Stan Smith, director of UF Bureau of Economic and Business Research, said he expects Florida to add about 300,000 residents a year during the next two to three years unless there is a recession.

3.           Florida ranks high in the Largest Cities Top 200 of the Milken Institute™s 2007 œBest Performing Cities survey, which looks at sustainable economic growth:  Five of the top 15 are in Florida, including the # 1 city, Ocala. A total of 13 Florida cities are in the top 50.  Tampa, St. Petersburg & Clearwater MSA was #44.

4.           Low unemployment.    Florida™s unemployment rate has hovered near 4% for a long time; and was 4.9% in April 2008, according to the latest data available from the U.S. Department of Labor.

5.           Jobs are plentiful, and that trend will continue. A recent study by Bizjournals called œWhere the Jobs Are found that 7 of the hottest 15 job markets are in Florida.

6.           Weather: If you think the hurricanes we experienced are going to have long-term effects on the Florida real estate market, consider this tidbit from Fortune Magazine.  It recently reported, œEconomists and geographers who have studied how natural disasters affect real estate values have generally found there to be no lasting impact.

7.           Hurricanes: Grant Thrall, a professor of what™s called Economic Geography, explains that residents move away and home prices fall only when natural disasters start becoming regular occurrences in an area, not when they happen periodically.  And while the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 may still be fresh in our minds, the fact is, historically it was a fluke.  Eight storms hit the Florida mainland in those two years.  But if you look back at the 50 years prior, only six Category 3 or higher storms hit the Florida mainland in half a century.

8.           Insurance and Taxes: Gov. Charlie Crist, state lawmakers and business groups are committed to finding real solutions to the escalating costs and shortage of property insurance in Florida, as well as much-needed property tax reform. Florida Realtors will continue working closely with lawmakers to help resolve these complicated issues and keep the state™s economy moving forward. For example, 2007 FAR President Nancy Riley sits on the governor™s property tax reform commission, and 2005 FAR President Frank Kowalski served on the governor™s insurance reform commission.

9.           Low interest rates help stabilize market.  Thanks to the Fed™s recent rate cut, we™re already seeing lower rates on home equity and mortgage loans, including jumbo loans. The Fed™s action effectively increases the number of homebuyers able to make a purchase, which should increase demand, and also help support home prices. Home prices continue to stabilize, inventory is plentiful and homebuyers have lots of options.

10.   Homeownership has value: Realtors believe¦ and research supports that belief ¦ that homeownership provides a variety of benefits, tangible and intangible, to the community as well as the individual homeowner.

11.   Home value is the most important single aspect for homeowners: Studies show that home equity is still the largest single source of household wealth, both for the individual homeowner and for homeowners as a group.

12.   Owning a home leads to increased personal well-being: Research shows that people who own their own homes tend to show higher levels of personal esteem and life satisfaction, which in turn helps to make homeowners and their children more productive members of society.

13.   Family benefits: Studies show that children raised in homes owned by their families are more likely to stay in school and more likely to graduate high school. They™re also shown to have a higher lifetime annual income.

14.   Community involvement: People who own homes have a strong financial stake in what happens to their community and tend to become more involved in community and civic affairs. Studies show that homeowners also interact with their neighbors to gain wider influence over their neighborhoods and communities.

15.   Homeowners vs Renters: Homeowners join up to 41 percent more civic and/or nonprofessional organizations such as the PTA or Scouts; vote in local elections 15 percent more often; enhance their neighborhoods with gardens 12 percent more often; attend church about 10 percent more often; and have a 3 percent greater chance of being interested in public affairs.

16.   Personal Investment: 2007 Florida Association of Realtors ® (FAR) President Nancy Riley says, œFlorida Realtors know buying a home is a very personal investment “ an investment in a family™s future. Although research shows it is the largest single investment most families make and helps to provide security for the future, owning a home isn’t just a financial investment. Ownership is about having a place to call home: a place where families build a future and become part of a community.

17.   Home Values Increasing: Over the past five years, the average homeowner has seen an increase of 50 percent in value, according to the National Association of Realtors ® (NAR). Here in Florida, the statewide median home price has shown an increase of 52.5 percent from November 2002 to November 2007, according to FAR records. NAR housing industry analysts project that prices will rise about 2 percent next year, and in coming years, average home price appreciation should return to historical averages of around 6 percent.

18.   Florida is a great place to live and work: According to Enterprise Florida Inc., the Sunshine State has one of the nation’s strongest tourism industries; it is fourth in the nation in high-tech jobs; is the third largest exporter of high-tech goods and services; and is ranked as one of the best states in the nation to be an entrepreneur.

19.   Housing market is improving: Orlando-based economist Dr. Hank Fishkind recently said in several media reports he believes that œthe worst of the so-called housing crisis has probably been mitigated by the actions of the Fed. Recovery will take a while, but it has begun. Another economist, Dr. Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors, predicts that the Florida housing market will get stronger in 2008 and will be booming again by 2010.

20.   Florida™s Lifestyle: And let™s not forget the things that brought people to Florida in the first place, and will continue to attract them “ beautiful beaches, fabulous weather and a friendly business climate, with no state income tax.  It™s no wonder that Florida™s combination of temperate climate, outstanding recreational amenities and economic opportunity has consistently put us at the top of Harris Poll™s œmost desirable places to live survey.

Article courtesy of FloridaRealtor.org http://media.floridarealtors.org/greattimetobuy/TimeToBuy/

Congratulations to those of you with little ones in your lives: kids, grandchildren, neighbors, nieces and nephews, cousins, etc. you™ve made it through another school year!

Charles Sykes wrote œ50 Rules Kids Won™t Learn in School but the below 11 were recently used in a speech given by Bill Gates to a graduating class.  I bet he especially loves Rule 11

From œ50 Rules That Kids Won™t Learn in Schoolby Charles J Sykes

Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent’s
generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television on is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.  

RISMedia Power Broker Report and Survey

Every year, RISMedia and REAL Trends release two of the real estate™s most comprehensive surveys: the RISMedia Power Broker Report and the REAL Trends 500. Both surveys rank the largest residential real estate brokerages in the U.S. based on both transaction sides and sales-dollar volume, and these reports are frequently used as referral tools and are referenced by thousands. This year, Keller Williams stormed onto the lists with a very strong showing.

KW offices dominated the Power Broker Report “ with more offices listed in their top 700 list than any other franchise brand.   The survey also named Keller Williams Realty as the industry leader in terms of number of agent teams.   And, 102 KW offices were listed in the Companies to Watch section “ making up 55% of the total list!

As for the Real Trends 500, which lists the top 500 brokerages in the nation, Keller Williams Realty had the second highest amount of offices listed both transaction sides and sales volume, among the top franchise brands.

Even further proof that it’s always a great day at Keller Williams!

To find out more about these lists, visit RISMedia™s Website or REAL Trends™ site.

At a recent Keller Williams/Gulfside Realty meeting we learned that several changes have been made that might allow you to save money on your home owner™s insurance in the state of
Florida. ·                 Some insurance companies will give discounts for wind mitigation inspections & 4 point inspections. ·                 New insurance companies have been admitted to the state that are backed by the state of
Florida. ·                 Now, before June 1, is the perfect time to re-evaluate your insurance and take advantage of these potential savings.  

There is a simple one page form that you can complete and fax for a quick quote. I did it today for our personal insurance policies and it only took a few minutes. If you are interested we urge you to contact your insurance company today or we would be happy to give you the name of the independent insurance company that made the presentation to our office.