ST. AUGUSTINE & ST. JOHNS COUNTY BOARD OF REALTORS ® MAY 2013 VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5 BOR FORWARD INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Officers & Directors 2 Calendar 3 REALTOR/Affiliate Spotlight 4 New Members 5 May Events in St Augustine 6-7 Builder Council News 8 Go Green 9 Tech Tip 10 April General Membership Meeting 11-15 Rally in Tally Photos 16-17 Hurricane Awareness 18-21 Wally Conway 22 Monthly Statistics 23 June Preview Staff Contact Information 24 BOR PUBLIC WEBSITE: www.stjohnsrealtors.com
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St Augustine & St Johns County May 2013 BOR Forward Newsletter
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ST
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M A Y 2 0 1 3
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 5
B O R F O R W A R D
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Officers & Directors 2
Calendar 3
REALTOR/Affiliate
Spotlight
4
New Members 5
May Events
in St Augustine
6-7
Builder Council News 8
Go Green 9
Tech Tip 10
April General Membership
Meeting
11-15
Rally in Tally Photos 16-17
Hurricane Awareness 18-21
Wally Conway 22
Monthly Statistics 23
June Preview
Staff Contact Information
24
BOR PUBLIC WEBSITE: www.stjohnsrealtors.com
Page 2 B O R F O R W A R D
BOARD OF REALTORS® Roy Barnes Jr., PRESIDENT St. Augustine Realty (O) 824-3331 / (F) 825-2685/ (C ) 669-1430 [email protected] Andrew Birchall, PRESIDENT-ELECT St. Augustine Realty (O) 824-3331 / (F) 825-2685/ (C ) 392-3362 [email protected] Roberta Odom - SECRETARY Re/Max 100 Realty (O) 461-9500 (F) 461-9501 (C ) 466-0114 [email protected] Dianne Pittman – TREASURER Watson Realty (US1) O) 797-8600 (F) 797-8606 (C ) 540-9644
R E A L T O R ® S P O T L I G H T – T E A M J O H N S O N
W A T S O N R E A L T Y — U S 1
A F F I L I A T E S P O T L I G H T — L E O N A B R O W N
S T J O H N S B U I L D E R S C O U N C I L
Page 4 B O R F O R W A R D
TEAM JOHNSON is a full service professional real estate team. Gene, Libby, William, Dori, and Shalynn Johnson bring commitment and focus to all the demands of buying and selling homes in a
challenging market. Established in 1994 and led by senior member Gene Johnson, TEAM JOHNSON has grown to be one of Northeast Florida’s most successful real estate teams. We believe in the highest quality
of service for our customers. TEAM JOHNSON is available to assist buyers from preview to purchase, to answer questions about home ownership and assist home sellers to get their properties sold as quickly as
possible and for top dollar.
Team Johnson brings diversity to the real estate industry. We are not five members doing the job of one. We each
hold designations in our areas of expertise. Gene Johnson specializes in Corporate Owned Real Estate and brings over 17 years of experience in the bank owned and distressed properties market. He holds The 5 star REO and REOS
designation and is a FORCE member. Only elite REO agents that successfully sell over 100 REO properties in two years are able to become FORCE members. Libby Johnson is a Luxury Homes specialist and holds designations as an
Integrated Marketing Specialist and CREN designate. William Johnson specializes in investment real estate transactions, and holds an OICP designation. Dori Mackoul Spradlin handles all areas of real estate in the
Jacksonville market and has been a multi-million dollar producing agent with Watson Realty Corp for many years. She has been nominated as a “Five Star ***** Best in Client Satisfaction Real Estate Agent” for three years in a row
through a survey done by Jacksonville Homebuyer magazine. Shalynn Johnson is TEAM JOHNSON’S marketing director, bringing the highest level of social media and technological skills to the market. Shalynn’s vast knowledge
and cutting edge systems keep Team Johnson’s level of service among the best in the real estate industry.
TEAM JOHNSON led the Watson (U.S. 1 office) in most listings taken and most listing sold for 2011 and 2012. We
were awarded the Silver Pinnacle Award in 2011 and the Gold Pinnacle Award in 2012. We are members in good standing of the National Association of REALTORS®, Florida Association of REALTORS®, St. Augustine/St. Johns
County Board of REALTORS®, Flagler County Association of REALTORS® and Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS®. This means when you chose TEAM JOHNSON, you gain access to real estate in all of Northeast Florida,
not just one city or county.
TEAM JOHNSON services St. Johns, Putnam, Duval, Nassau, Clay and Flagler counties. We are members of Real
Estate Companies of the World, the largest real estate relocation company in the world, and can assist with reloca-
tions and referrals across the country or the world.
T E C H N O L O G Y C O M M I T T E E “ T E C H T I P ”
K E Y B O A R D S H O R T C U T S , M O U S E S H O R T C U T S A N D P A S S W O R D T I P S B Y : L I S E H A Y S
Page 10 B O R F O R W A R D
Here are five popular tips you might find helpful: 1. When an application freezes on your computer, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Delete. This shortcut opens the Task Manager where you can then select the unresponsive application and quit it.
2. Triple-click your mouse to select a URL in your browser’s address bar. This makes it easy to copy and paste the URL. You can also triple-click a para graph or double-click a word for faster selecting.
3. Need to find a word or phrase on a page with lots of text? Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F and a search box will appear on the page. You can then type the text you wish to find and it will be come highlighted on the page. If it appears more then once, press Enter to move to the next in stance. This tip is especially useful when trying to find something in a long list of data.
4. Can’t find a file or application that you downloaded? Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D to open your Downloads folder.
5. Use a password manager like LastPass to re-member all your passwords. When you sign into this application (with your master password) it will automatically input usernames and pass-words into the sign on pages for the accounts you use. It will even generate strong passwords when you sign up for new accounts.
Develop a family hurricane preparedness plan before an actual storm threatens your area. If your family hurricane
preparedness plan includes evacuation to a safer location for any of the reasons specified with in this web site, then it is
important to consider the following points:
If ordered to evacuate, do not wait or delay your departure.
If possible, leave before local officials issue an evacuation order for your area. Even a slight delay in starting your evacuation
will result in
significantly longer travel times as traffic congestion worsens.
Select an evacuation destination that is nearest to your home, preferably in the same county, or at least minimize the distance over which you
must travel in order to reach your intended shelter location.
In choosing your destination, keep in mind that the hotels and other
sheltering options in most inland metropolitan areas are likely to be filled very quickly in a large, multi-county hurricane evacuation event.
If you decide to evacuate to another county or region, be prepared to wait in traffic.
The large number of people in this state who must evacuate during a
hurricane will probably cause massive delays and major congestion along most designated evacuation routes; the larger the storm, the greater the probability of
traffic jams and extended travel times.
If possible, make arrangements to stay with the friend or relative who
resides closest to your home and who will not have to evacuate. Discuss with your intended host the details of your family evacuation plan well before the begin-
ning of the hurricane season.
If a hotel or motel is your final intended destination during an evacuation, make reservations before you leave.
Most hotel and motels will fill quickly once evacuations begin. The longer you wait to make reservations, even if an official evacuation order has not been issued
for your area or county, the less likely you are to find hotel/motel room vacancies, especially along interstate highways and in major metropolitan areas.
If you are unable to stay with friends or family and no hotels/motels rooms are available, then as a last resort go to a shelter.
Remember, shelters are not designed for comfort and do not usually
accept pets. Bring your disaster supply kit with you to the shelter. Find Pet-Friendly hotels and motels.
Contact your veterinarian or local humane society for information on preparing your pets for an emergency.
BEFORE THE DISASTER
Make sure that your pets are current on their vaccinations. Pet shelters may require proof of vaccines. Have a current photograph .
Keep a collar with identification on your pet and have a leash on hand to control your pet. Have a properly-sized pet carrier for each animal -
carriers should be large enough for the animal to stand and turn around. Plan your evacuation strategy and don't forget your pet! Specialized pet shelters,
animal control shelters, veterinary clinics and friends and relatives out of harm's way are ALL potential refuges for your pet during a disaster.
If you plan to shelter your pet - work it into your evacuation route planning.
DURING THE DISASTER
Animals brought to a pet shelter are required to have: Proper identification collar and rabies tag, proper identification on all belongings, a carrier or cage, a
leash, an ample supply of food, water and food bowls, any necessary medications, specific care instructions and news papers or trash bags for clean-up.
Bring pets indoor well in advance of a storm - reassure them and remain calm. Pet shelters will be filled on first come, first served basis. Call ahead and
determine availability.
AFTER THE DISASTER
Walk pets on a leash until they become re-oriented to their home - often familiar scents and landmarks may be altered and pets could eas-
ily be confused and become lost. Also, downed power lines, reptiles brought in with high water and debris can all pose a threat for animals
after a disaster. If pets cannot be found after a disaster, contact the local animal control office to find out where lost animals can be recov-
ered. Bring along a picture of your pet if possible. After a disaster animals can become aggressive or defensive - monitor their behavior.
Don't forget your pet when preparing a family disaster plan.
PET DISASTER SUPPLY KIT
• Proper identification including immunization records
The Low Down on Licensing and Permits by Wally Conway, Host of The Home and Garden Show, Saturdays 7 to 9 AM on WOKV AM690 and 106.5 FM, and President of HomePro Inspections
904-268-8211 WOKV AM690 and 106.5
Page 22 B O R F O R W A R D
HomePro Inspections is your go-to source for agent liability reduction and customer peace of mind!
Infrared technology separates the professionals from the pretenders in the home inspection industry,
and only HomePro utilizes infrared technology on every exclusive 5 Star Inspection™ Package. Call
for your 5 Star Inspection today – 904-268-8211.Have Wally Conway speak at your office or for
your favorite group! Wally is a speaker, writer, FREC instructor, host of HGTV’s “House Detective”,
host of DIY Network’s “Finders Fixers”, and host of The Home and Garden radio show on WOKV AM
690 and 106.5 FM. And don’t forget to pick up Wally’s book, “Secrets of the Happy Home Inspector”,
available at GoHomePro.com or Amazon.com. Book Wally for your next speaking event today!
HomePro Inspections is your best source for agent liability reduction and
client peace of mind! Your client’s one stop for: Environmental Testing (mold, radon, water, lead paint, meth lab); Wind Mitigation Evaluations, Chinese Drywall Assess-ments, Insurance Inspections, Energy Audits, Home Inspec-
tions, Termite Reports, Construction Consultations, Infrared Moisture Instruction Investigations, and More!
904-268-8211 GoHomePro.com
Would you ever consider having a broken arm repaired with duct tape?
Of course not! And no Doctor would even think that duct tape was a reasonable remedy for a broken leg. Your doctor completed years of
training, testing and experience that was required by the State of Florida to become licensed to practice medicine.
You would not argue that repairs as well as upgrades to your body deserve and requires the services of a professional medical person,
properly licensed by the State. Why then, when it comes to repairs and upgrades to your homes, is it that people often refer , seek, and
hire unlicensed contractors?
Florida licensed contractors have proven to the State that they have the education, insurance and qualifications required to earn their license.
For instance, they’ve had a criminal background check.
Unlicensed persons often disappear after taking your money, and the department cannot discipline an unlicensed person, help get your
money back, or require the person to finish or improve the work done. Why? Unlicensed persons are considered criminals!
Scams in the construction industry, especially home improvement, are sadly widespread. Con artists pose as contractors and often target
vulnerable people and take advantage of homeowner’s need for urgent property damage repair. Unlicensed contractors typically do poor
quality work or do not finish the project, leaving the homeowner on the hook to repair or finish the project.
When you have a dispute with a licensed contractor, you call the department, which has the authority to discipline and even revoke the license. This gives the licensee
more incentive to play fair. However, this type of action is not available against unlicensed contractors and homeowners often find the only answer is an expensive, and
generally futile, civil suit. What’s worse, you can even end up liable for personal or financial injuries to others! An unlicensed contractor is typically uninsured and will have
no way to pay you back for any property damage. In addition, most homeowner policies require that work must be done by a licensed contractor and provide no coverage
for work that is not done by licensed tradespeople.
Most projects, even small ones, require permits and inspections that unlicensed contractors ignore or are unfamiliar with. If your project isn't permitted or doesn’t comply
with the building code, you may have to remove or repair the work at your own expense and be subject to fines by local government. You may also be subject to liens placed
on your property by subcontractors or supplies.
So, according to Florida Statue, what is a contractor? A Contractor is “someone who demolishes, subtracts from, builds or imp roves any building or structure for
compensation.”
Examples of compensation are cash, goods, services, etc. Essentially, if you pay someone to construct a building or a structure, make structural alterations to load bearing
walls, or perform services such as plumbing or air conditioning work, that person has to have a state-issued contractors’ license.
So what is a “handyman” or “jack of all trades”? Truth be told, they do not exist, or at least they don’t according to the F lorida Construction Industry Licensing Board.
What about a person who claims to hold an “occupational license”. Again, no such thing! Next time someone claims they have one, ask to see it! I’ll bet that piece of pa-
per doesn’t say “Occupational License”…
Here’s a short list of items that generally require a contractor’s license when an installation or repair is made:
And don’t forget about your permit! While the State of Florida Construction Industry Licensing Board issues contractor licen ses, it is the individual municipality that issues
construction permits. Here’s another reason to ensure you only hire properly licensed people, permits can only be issued to properly licensed people! Another protection
for you.
An exception to the permit rule is that a homeowner doing work on their homesteaded property can be issued a permit. Remember, a licensed contractor would never ask
you to pull the permit for work on your own home. It is against the law!
For your own protection, it is imperative that you verify the license status of the person or company that you are considering before hiring them. Likewise, you should en-
sure that proper permits are issued, required city inspections are completed, and the permit is finalized. You can do both these things as well as gather additional informa-