Real Estate Listings and Sales Report for Volusia County, Central FL

Volusia County Real Estate. Houses, condos and events. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!"

If you're considering buying real estate in Daytona Beach FL, you probably want to know the current climate of our real estate industry. I'm happy to provide you with that information. I'm way behind on this post, but "better late than never" =)

First of all, click here to view the 1st Quarter 2008 Volusia County Real Estate Sales and Market Report.

Next, click here to view the 2nd Quarter 2008 Volusia County Real Estate Sales and Market Report.

Each of the preceding links also include a data chart to mirror the text, as well as a comparison chart, tracking the annual real estate sales since the year 2000.

Now for this year's 3rd quarter real estate sales and market data. My own real estate sales picked up quite a bit in the 3rd quarter, but I wasn't sure if it was just my own Web 2.0 marketing efforts and real estate listing videos (which got a LOT of views in this time period!), or if our entire are was showing signs of improvement. Well, the good news is, our entire area showed significant improvement. Much fewer real estate listings went on the market in the 3rd quarter, and much more real estate sales were closed in the 3rd quarter. It was an all-around win-win for real estate for Volusia County.

Now if you're not familiar with Volusia County, it is the Daytona Beach area. It also includes Ormond Beach, Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach and several other cities. Here is the text breakdown for our 3rd quarter real estate sales. We'll start with how many new real estate listings were placed on the market during the 3rd quarter (there will be some re-listed properties in this number as well) You'll see a slight separation of the last 2 cities because although the distance between the far north end of east Volusia County and the far south end of east Volusia County, the Daytona Beach area and the New Smyrna Beach are have seperate REALTOR® Associations and MLS's. I'm a member of both REALTOR® Associations and sell real estate in all of east Volusia County. Being a Daytona Beach Native is a huge benefit when it comes to selling real estate =)

Now for the East Volusia County 3rd Quarter 2008 Real Estate Listings Data...

• Daytona Beach real estate listings 466
• Daytona Beach Shores real estate listings 199
• Holly Hill real estate listings 87
• Ormond Beach real estate listings 437
• Ormond-by-the-Sea real estate listings 54
• Ponce Inlet real estate listings 78
• Port Orange real estate listings 336
• South Daytona real estate listings 73
• Wilbur-by-the-Sea real estate listings 9

• Edgewater/Florida Shores real estate listings 152
• New Smyrna Beach 382

And now for the East Volusia County 3rd Quarter 2008 Real Estate Sales Data...

• Daytona Beach real estate sales 122
• Daytona Beach Shores real estate sales 51
• Holly Hill real estate sales 28
• Ormond Beach real estate sales 166
• Ormond-by-the-Sea real estate sales 37
• Ponce Inlet real estate sales 31
• South Daytona real estate sales 34
• Wilbur-by-the-Sea real estaet sales 2

• Edgewater/Florida Shores real estate sales 12
• New Smyrna Beach real estate sales 10

As usual, Port Orange fared pretty well, but all I can say for New Smyrna is "OUCH"!

Keep checking back as I isolate and post the updates for each individual city.

For all your real estate needs, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS.

View real estate MLS listings - video tours here.

Buy Volusia County real estate MLS listings for sale.

Going Green. A FREE Way to Protect Endangered Habitats

Daytona Beach Real Estate & Community Events. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!"

It's called The Rainforest Site. I don't think I could come up with a more appropriate name for a site that offers an easy way to help endangered habitats. It's FREE, and all you have to do is click a button.

A couple of days ago, I posted a blog about my cat's recent life-or-death situation. Apparently, the real estate market is so bad that many people can't afford to keep their pets. And I provided a link to a site where you could just click a button, and provide help for animals who need it. While I was on the site, I clicked around and found there were several other attached sites that offered help for other causes. Protecting endangered habitats on The Rainforest Site was just one of those extraneous sites I found when I was clicking around.

It actually makes perfect sense. People who care about the environment, and people who are interested in helping animals, are usually well-rounded, caring people. So I hope you'll enjoy the site, and don't forget to Click the Button to provide help for Endangered Habitats; Take another step in Going Green.

Click here if you're interested in finding out how I got my kitty when I was showing a vacant house. The real estate sellers had moved out and abandoned their cat.

This information is provided by Lisa C. Hill, a REALTOR® with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®. Click here to Contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

Lisa Hill is an eco-friendly, and pet-friendly real estate agent in the Daytona Beach area. Visit Lisa Hill's web site for all your Daytona Beach area real estate needs. View Lisa Hill's Daytona Beach area MLS real estate listings for sale here.

Senior Expo in Daytona Beach Florida

For all our senior residents and anyone with elderly loved ones, here's something you'll enjoy. On Thursday, October 2, 2008 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., come enjoy the Lovin' Life Senior Expo at the Daytona Beach Volusia Mall on International Speedway Blvd.

Admission is FREE! And there will be...

• Seminars
• Giveaways
• Screenings
• Demonstrations
• Much More

Also, the Daytona Beach Fire Department will be on-site, offering Flu Shots. Medicare is accepted!

The Seminar Schedule is as follows...

11:00 a.m. Physical Therapy with Spinal Decompressions, Daytona Apine & Rehab by Dr. Antos

11:15 a.m. Volunteer Opportunities, at the Talking Books Library

11:45 a.m. Introduction to Pranic Healing, by the Pranic Healing Center of DeLand.

12:00 p.m. Fire and Fall Prevention, by the Daytona Beach Fire Dept.

12:15 p.m. Senior Services, by Council on Aging

1:00 p.m. Belly Dancing Demonstration, by Dottie's Dance Troupe

1:30 p.m. Prostate Cancer, by Dr. B. Thomas Brown

1:45 p.m. Benefits of Acupuncture and Colon Hydrotherapy, by Acupuncture and Skin Care Clinic, Logical Wellness Center

2:00 p.m. Personal Emerbency Response Systems, by Devicon Security Services Corp.

The stage is located by Dillard's Dept. Store, Center Court. Exhibitors will be in the Food Court and Center Court Areas. For more information on the expo, call 386-681-2753.

This information has been provided by Lisa C. Hill, Daytona Beach Native, and area Real Estate Agent with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

Real Estate: No More Buyer's Beware. Now it's "Sellers Be Prepared"

THE Daytona Beach Real Estate & Community Events blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!"

I was recently reading some interesting information about the last seller's market we experienced. The article mentioned a few things I had not previously given much thought. But the one thing that really jumped out at me was the fact that during the fastest and most-drastically peaking seller's market on record, many real estate buyers, upon finding the house they wanted; in their attempt to procure an advantage over other real estate buyers, chose to forego their inspections. They used this as a negotiating point.

Now for those of us who have been in the real estate business a while, we experienced some really crazy negotiations and transactions during the seller's market. I personally had many listings that sold within days, or even sold immediately, along with several other offers at the same time. And of course, many homes sold for well above the asking price. I also worked with buyers who knew they had to make their highest and best offer. So they made offers over the asking price, with a closing date that was as fast as the mortgage (or mortgages - we won't go there) could be completed. Yet sometimes this was still not the most appealing offer to the seller, so another offer would win and procure the sale. Things certainly have changed, haven't they? But I digress.

Going back to my initial thoughts; by choosing to have no inspections, in many ways, real estate reverted back to an industry that was detrimental to buyers. We had gone back to Caveat Emptor or "buyers beware". It was becoming an industry that our government long ago passed laws to change, with the intention of preventing it from happening again. This is why we now have property disclosures, mold disclosures, insurance disclosures, HOA and Condo disclosures, and contracts that are drafted by attorneys, with constant updates. In addition to these addendums and updates, our contracts are filled with clauses that explain every possible scenario and remedy, to help both buyers and sellers of real estate. These scenarios are mostly based on past problems that have been encountered. The knowledge of these problems is what causes our contracts and our industry to constantly evolve. And this constant evolution is why all real estate licensees are required to take continuing education classes and renew their real estate licenses every two years by either taking a test, or producing documentation of the required amount of continuing education credits to renew their real estate licenses.

So what we saw happening in the extreme seller's market, was a trend beginning to develop in which buyers decided to forego the inspections to which they are legally entitled; and where sellers began to assume that they did not have to disclose the known problems about the real estate they were selling; or those same sellers chose to reject any offers that were properly presented (and that might uncover something they had hidden) because they knew that eventually a less knowledgeable buyer or real estate agent would stumble across the real estate they were offering. The entire real estate industry and every party involved, would suffer if we did not have the legal requirements today, that we lacked in the past... back when Caveat Emptor ruled all real estate transactions.

So these changes we've been experiencing in the last few years, may not be all bad. No, I can't deny the negative impact that many people have experienced. Losing a home is one of the worst things I can think of. But from a strictly clinical standpoint, this time of real estate correction, may be more beneficial than we realize.

• In some markets, real estate had become drastically overvalued. A correction was needed.
  
• In the mortgage industry, many standards had become too lax. A correction was needed.
  
• And in the real estate buying process, MANY things needed to change! For starters, too many people thought they could get a real estate license and "get rich quick". In doing so, these agents were not in it for the long haul, therefore they did not treat their clients in the manner which they deserved. As the market cooled, many unethical agents left the business. That is something for which we can all be thankful! (Unfortunately, many excellent, long-term agents have also suffered, so please don't think I'm making light of this real estate market.)
• As my initial topic indicates, one of the benefits of this ongoing real estate market correction is the passing of the slippery slope of Caveat Emptor! Since buyers now have plenty of choices for their real estate investments, and are once again able to take their time in making their decision on how they want to invest, sellers must do whatever it takes to make their property stand out amongst all the competition. One example of pushing your real estate for sale, ahead of the competition is to have a home inspection aheada of time, and make all repairs BEFORE the house is placed on the market. And disclose, disclose, disclose!
  
• Today's real estate buyer is savvy. And with the many choices that are available to them, they have no reason to tolerate anything less than perfection. Todays buyer wants a house that's in move-in condition. And if they see a house that's sub-par compared to the competition, then they expect to pay a lot less, if they're expected to even lift a finger.
  

It's ironic how everything goes in cycles. And what goes around, comes around. Today's real estate market is the exact opposite of the markets of just a couple of years ago.

So if you're a real estate buyer, be sure to have the inspections to which you're entitled. And if you're a real estate seller, be sure to fully disclose all known problems, both past and present, with any residential real estate you're selling. And for both real estate buyers and sellers, be aware that real estate agents are not allowed to give legal advice, or to act in any manner that is outside the scope of their real estate licensing. So if you ever have any questions about your home inspection, you'll need to ask your home inspector those questions. If you have questions about your termite inspection, you'll need to ask your termite inspector those questions. And if you have any legal questions, you'll need to consult with a real estate attorney.

Here in the Daytona Beach area, even though we always recommend our clients have legal representation, it's actually rare for real estate buyers and sellers to be represented by a real estate attorney, other than to hire one to handle their titlework instead of using a title company; or, if there are extenuating circumstances such as divorce, estate settlements, etc. But in some states, the law actually requires that all real estate buyers and sellers be represented by an attorney. Regardless of your personal opinions on the matter, if you have legal questions, you will need to consult with a real estate attorney. Your real estate agent can lose their license for "attempting to practice law".

Also be VERY aware that you cannot under any circumstances, violate the Fair Housing Laws which indicate that you cannot discriminate against anyone who is in a protected class. In real estate, the classes for which you cannot discriminate are race, color, nationality, sex, religion, familial status or handicap. Never, is any real estate buyer, seller or licensed real estate agent allowed to discriminate. And any conversation that ventures into the area of discrimination is banned as well! So DO NOT discuss anything that even remotely touches on any area of discrimination. And definitely do not discriminate!

In closing, Welcome back to a more balanced real estate market. One that is not an antiquated business of Caveat Emptor! So real estate sellers, make sure you're prepared, in THIS market! (Click the preceding link for information on how to prepare your house to sell.)

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

To buy or sell real estate in the Daytona Beach area, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

Vacationing in the Daytona Beach Area? Here are some Unexpected and Fun Things to Do.

THE Daytona Beach Real Estate & Community Event Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!"

If you're vacationing in the Daytona Beach area, there's a good possibility that you're considering buying real estate here. I know this because I've received many calls lately from real estate buyers who will be here within the next few weeks and months, to purchase their winter homes. Before I proceed with this post, I'd like to welcome our new crowd of snowbirds who join us every winter. And a big welcome to my 2 year buyers who have finally sold their 228 year house in CT! We have some great houses lined up for viewing tomorrow.

I wanted to write this post for our vacationers, our seasonal residents, and even our full-time residents who aren't aware of the cultural aspects of our area. Many people visit, or move to the Daytona Beach area with only the knowledge of our beaches and the fact that you can drive on them. To be honest, I was born right here in Daytona Beach, and wasn't aware of some of these activities and events. But that's because so much has been added in recent years. Here are some upcoming events. I've included things to do for people of all ages and preferences. Of course, these ideas are only a small portion of the many options you have to choose from. But it's a nice little sampling.

• Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona State College, 1200 International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. Film Screening by Eric Breitenbach. Aug 26, "When Pigs Fly". Aug 28, "My Father's Son". 12:00 p.m. FREE. For more info call 386-506-4475 or visit www.smponline.org
• Joan James Harris Theater, Atlantic Center for the Arts, 1414 Art Center Ave., New Smyrna Beach. InsideOUT - Visual artist Carsten Nicolai, Digital Media Artist John F. Simon, and Interactive Installation Artist Camille Utterback & Assoc., Aug. 22 at 7:00 p.m. Free to members, $10.00 for non-members. Reservations are requested. Call 386-427-6975.
• All Saints Lutheran Church, 751 Dunlawton Ave., Port Orange. Music for Healing. Aug. 20 - Trall Heitzenrater. Aug. 27 - Vita Fortin. 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Free for all ages. For more info call 386-761-9129.
• Peninsula Women's Club, 415 South Peninsula Dr., Daytona Beach, Mondays at 11:00 a.m., Luncheon followed by Contract Bridge or Canasta. For more info call Pauline at 386-322-8548.
• American Red Cross and Daytona State College, Swim Lessons, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. Swim lessons for all ages by American Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. Pre-Register at 386-506-4386.
• Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Demonstrations, 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet. For more information, call 386-761-1821.
• Marine Science Center, Ponce Inlet, Educational Programs and Recreational Activities, 100 Lighthouse Drive, Ponce Inlet, FL. For information, call (386) 304-5545.
• Former Home of John D. Rockefeller, The Casements in Ormond Beach, FL. Museum and Tours. 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach. For more information call (386) 676-3216.
• Tomoka State Park, 2099 N Beach St, Ormond Beach, FL. Swimming, Camping, Hiking, Fishing and more. Call (386) 676-4050.
• Riverfront Veterans Memorial Park, Palmetto Ave., South Daytona. Playground, picnic areas, boat ramp, kayak ramps, public dock, fishing and more.
• Plan A Fun Outing in Port Orange, FL. Miscellaneous things to do in Port Orange, FL.

This list could go on forever, but this should be enough to keep you busy for at least the rest of the summer. If you're planning on buying real estate in any of the cities mentioned in the blog, and all the other surrounding cities, Lisa Hill is a native of the Daytona Beach area, with experience selling real estate all over east Volusia county. Make a Smart Choice today and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

Vacationing in the Daytona Beach Area? Here are some Unexpected and Fun Things to Do.

If you're vacationing in the Daytona Beach area, there's a good possibility that you're considering buying real estate here. I know this because I've received many calls lately from real estate buyers who will be here within the next few weeks and months, to purchase their winter homes. Before I proceed with this post, I'd like to welcome our new crowd of snowbirds who join us every winter. And a big welcome to my 2 year buyers who have finally sold their 228 year house in CT! We have some great houses lined up for viewing tomorrow.

I wanted to write this post for our vacationers, our seasonal residents, and even our full-time residents who aren't aware of the cultural aspects of our area. Many people visit, or move to the Daytona Beach area with only the knowledge of our beaches and the fact that you can drive on them. To be honest, I was born right here in Daytona Beach, and wasn't aware of some of these activities and events. But that's because so much has been added in recent years. Here are some upcoming events. I've included things to do for people of all ages and preferences. Of course, these ideas are only a small portion of the many options you have to choose from. But it's a nice little sampling.

• Southeast Museum of Photography, Daytona State College, 1200 International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. Film Screening by Eric Breitenbach. Aug 26, "When Pigs Fly". Aug 28, "My Father's Son". 12:00 p.m. FREE. For more info call 386-506-4475 or visit www.smponline.org
• Joan James Harris Theater, Atlantic Center for the Arts, 1414 Art Center Ave., New Smyrna Beach. InsideOUT - Visual artist Carsten Nicolai, Digital Media Artist John F. Simon, and Interactive Installation Artist Camille Utterback & Assoc., Aug. 22 at 7:00 p.m. Free to members, $10.00 for non-members. Reservations are requested. Call 386-427-6975.
• All Saints Lutheran Church, 751 Dunlawton Ave., Port Orange. Music for Healing. Aug. 20 - Trall Heitzenrater. Aug. 27 - Vita Fortin. 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Free for all ages. For more info call 386-761-9129.
• Peninsula Women's Club, 415 South Peninsula Dr., Daytona Beach, Mondays at 11:00 a.m., Luncheon followed by Contract Bridge or Canasta. For more info call Pauline at 386-322-8548.
• American Red Cross and Daytona State College, Swim Lessons, 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach. Swim lessons for all ages by American Red Cross Water Safety Instructors. Pre-Register at 386-506-4386.
• Ponce Inlet Lighthouse Demonstrations, 4931 South Peninsula Drive, Ponce Inlet. For more information, call 386-761-1821.
• Marine Science Center, Ponce Inlet, Educational Programs and Recreational Activities, 100 Lighthouse Drive, Ponce Inlet, FL. For information, call (386) 304-5545.
• Former Home of John D. Rockefeller, The Casements in Ormond Beach, FL. Museum and Tours. 25 Riverside Drive, Ormond Beach. For more information call (386) 676-3216.
• Tomoka State Park, 2099 N Beach St, Ormond Beach, FL. Swimming, Camping, Hiking, Fishing and more. Call (386) 676-4050.
• Riverfront Veterans Memorial Park, Palmetto Ave., South Daytona. Playground, picnic areas, boat ramp, kayak ramps, public dock, fishing and more.
• Plan A Fun Outing in Port Orange, FL. Miscellaneous things to do in Port Orange, FL.

This list could go on forever, but this should be enough to keep you busy for at least the rest of the summer. If you're planning on buying real estate in any of the cities mentioned in the blog, and all the other surrounding cities, Lisa Hill is a native of the Daytona Beach area, with experience selling real estate all over east Volusia county. Make a Smart Choice today and contact Lisa Hill for all your real estate needs.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

Avoid the Summer Heat. Buy Real Estate in Port Orange Florida!

THE Port Orange Real Estate & Community Event Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!"

I've previously posted many blogs about the beautiful city of Port Orange, which is just south of Daytona Beach, FL. It's so close that many people don't realize it's not part of Daytona Beach. Click here to read about the closeness of the cities in the Daytona Beach area.

If you're not aware of this, August is by far, the hottest month of the year, every year! And trust me. It's HOT! When I have real estate buyers who need to buy real estate in July or August, I actually leave the car and air conditioner running, and bring my spare key in with me. Otherwise, even if we're only in a house or condo for 5 or 10 minutes, by the time we get back in the car, everyone is dripping with sweat. Sound pleasant doesn't it? The good news is, it's only this hot for a short period of time each year AND it usually rains every afternoon, which brings down the temperature. And to compensate for the sudden afternoon downpours, I keep 5 or 6 umbrellas in my car at all times. (I try to cover all the bases.) So if you're planning to buy real estate in the Daytona Beach/Port Orange area, I've got you covered while we're looking =)

On my last post, I announced the good news about a new public swimming pool and mini water park in Daytona Beach. That's fantastic if you buy a house that doesn't have a swimming pool. But there's another option too. Have you considered living in a neighborhood with a community swimming pool? We have MANY neighborhoods like this. In this post, I'm not going to list them all, but I thought I'd draw your attention back to a community I featured a while back. Well, actually it's a master community, with several mini communities within. It's called Countryside, and it's one of the most conveniently located communities in the city of Port Orange. I say it's conveniently located because you can walk to banks, restaurants, doctor's offices, dentists, gyms, lakes, the river, the beach, churches, even a hospital! And to tie it in with this post, Countryside has a community clubhouse, library, tennis courts, and swimming pool. It's an absolutely beautiful community. As a matter of fact, the entire city of Port Orange has a personal motto: "Unique by Choice, Not by Chance". I'll wrap this up by directing you to some of my previous posts about Port Orange. Within these posts, you you'll find links to other posts as well. So with a few extra clicks, you'll be able to learn all about Port Orange and more.

• Port Orange FL: A Great Place to Live
• Plan A Fun Outing in Port Orange
  
• Port Orange FL-Butterfly and Hummingbird Gardening
• Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange

For all your real estate needs, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa C. Hill with Adams Camerron & Co., REALTORS®.

www.PortOrangeRealEstateSales.com

www.UltimateRealEstateBlog.com

Daytona Beach and Volusia County, Commercial Real Estate Changes

THE Daytona Beach Real Estate & Community Event Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!"

If you're a commercial real estate owner in the Daytona Beach area, with real estate to sell, you may or may not be aware of the fact that up until now, the decline in the national real estate market has been primariy limited to the residential market; at least, that's been the case in Volusia county. But as of this year, mostly due to the lack of buyer's ability to get real estate financing, the commercial real estate market is now in decline as well. And with this impact on the commercial market, I believe we're going to see some big changes in the way commercial real estate is marketed and sold. As a side note to those of you who are not aware of it, commercial real estate in Volusia county, up until now, has been marketed very differently than residential real estate.

But for those of you who have commercial real estate to sell, here's a new option to help you with your sale. (Read the rest of this blog about Daytona Beach Commercial Real Estate at www.UltimateRealEstateBlog.com)

Volusia County Real Estate Update: 2nd Quarter 2008

If you're a regular reader of my blogs, you know that for 2007, I did a city-by-city, 2000-2007 real estate report for Volusia County (Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach areas), including graphs of that data. Here are the links to those reports...

Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Holly Hill, Ormond Beach, Ormond by the Sea, Ponce Inlet, Port Orange, South Daytona, Wilbur by the Sea, Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach.

I also did a combination city-by-city, all-in-one graph for this data. You can view this data in the graph at the right.

I also did a first quarter real estate report for the beginning of 2008.

We've now just ended the 2nd quarter of real estate for 2008, and I am once again preparing the data for the blogs for this time period. As you probably already know, creating the graph with each city's data is quite time consuming.

So this post is to let you know that the 2008 2nd Quarter Real Estate Graph & Details for Volusia County will be posted shortly. I know that blogs are pretty boring when you're just looking at numbers, with no comparison to previous data. But in order to at least provide some information, here is the short list of the 2008, 2nd quarter real estate data for each city in Volusia county. And over the next couple of weeks, I will be providing the in-depth data and personal market knowledge of each city, as I have done in the past. So keep checking back! And I hope this will tide you over in the interim =)

Without further ado, here is the city-by-city preliminary 2nd quarter real estate listing and sales data for Volusia County, 2008... Read the rest of this post and

view the real estate listings vs sales charts here.

If you're interested in buying or selling real estate in Volusia County, make a Smart Choice and contact Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

For full real estate listing data, you need the representation of a local REALTOR®. Lisa Hill is the Smart Choice for all of Volusia County.

Real Estate Video for Beautiful 3 bed, 2 bath pool home in Central Florida

Most of you know that I create full video tours for my real estate listings if at all possible, and have been doing so for about two years now. I've never been a fan of virtual tours because of the distortion factor, and could never understand why REALTORS® weren't just video taping their listings. Two years ago, the only place to host the videos was on You Tube (hardly the most professional platform). But now, we have a plethora of choices of professional real estate video hosting sites.

I have to admit, this particular video should have been done weeks ago. But for starters, I had to install a new hard drive on my computer, then get my video editing software up and running again. (It didn't want to cooperate!) But I also added a couple of features to this video that I haven't used before... and no, I'm not talking about accidentally leaving my camera bag on a chair when I was filming. D'oh! (I hate when that happens!) The extras I added were some royalty free sound effects, and it took me a while to find what I wanted. And no, I can't take the credit for this idea. I actually noticed in another real estate video here on Active Rain.

But that's enough of my rambling. Without further ado here's the video for my listing at 1808 Umbrella Tree Drive in Edgewater, FL. I'd love to get your feedback on the sound effects during the outdoor footage. I think this is the longest real estate video I've ever created, but that's because of all the outdoor footage. I rarely have a real estate listing with such a fantastic pool, spa, lanai, tiki bar, and lush landscaping. All that just HAD to be included.

After watching the video, if you need more information, follow the links below the video to read a couple of my previous blogs of this beautiful house.

Ultimate Florida Dream Home

New Smyrna Beach/Edgewater 3/2/2 Pool House for Sale

Move to Central Florida. Look at all these Beautiful MLS Real Estate Listings!

Now, if you have a house or condo for sale or rent, I'd love to help! We're still in a strong buyer's market and the real estate sales are few and far between. The only properties that do sell are the ones that are priced WELL below the competition! Without exception, there have been no other sales in a long time. But there have been rentals. Of course, the rentals still have to be priced competitively, but lately I'm leasing a lot more houses and condos than I'm selling. So if you need the help of a professional REALTOR® to sell or lease your real estate, make a Smart Choice and call Lisa Hill with Adams Cameron & Co., REALTORS®.

Get all your real estate info at www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

Are you Going Green or Wasting Energy? Do you even know?

This post is going to address recycling, the ecosystem, saving energy, and associated "green" topics. Before I get started, I'd like to direct your attention to some of my previous posts of similar nature.

• Florida's Vanishing Wetlands
• Florida's Aquifers (Vanishing Wetlands part 2)
• Protecting Florida's Wetlands

Side note and Segue: As of today, June 14, 2008, I have 115 Active Rain subscribers to my blog, in addition to my clients and future customers who may not be subscribed through Active Rain, but are reading my posts through their computers' bookmarks/favorites...although I only get an average of about 4-10 comments per post, unless it was featured... But I'll get to the point =)

As my regular readers know, I blog about MANY different topics. But what is probably the most important topic I have blogged about is Florida's ecosystem and the associated problems. (And of course, my clients' listings that need to be sold. That's extremely important!) But today I'm going to briefly touch on a subject that is rapidly growing in interest, and that is, "Going Green". I'm afraid that many people have heard the term thrown around quite a bit, but don't really know what it means. Well, the bottom line is, our planet is increasingly entering a more desperate status, and we all need to do our part to preserve it. So how do we do that? Keep reading.

Most of us have been recycling for years. But did you know that there are still parts of the country that have no means to recycle? I'm sorry, but that is completely unacceptable. Recycling is the most basic thing we can all do to keep our planet "green" and healthy.

I recently heard some amazing statistics on the subject of recycling. Did you know...

1. Every time you recycle ONE aluminum can, you save enough energy to run a TV or computer for 3 hours!
2. For every 4 foot stack of newspapers you recycle, you save a 40 foot fir tree.
3. By paying your bills online, you can help to save over 1.6 billion TONS of solid waste every year!

Do you find these statistics as amazing as I do? I think these numbers are almost unbelievable! But moving on... last month, our clothese dryer finally went to the home appliances graveyard. As usual with these types of things, it was unexpected. We had to make some quick decisions! I wanted to make sure we were doing our part to do more to go green, but we didn't have time to do any research. Thankfully, we found a helpful salesman at the Home Depot who was quite knowledgeable about his products. So we are now the proud owners of an high efficiency LG front-loading, Tromm washing machine (we went ahead and replaced the washing machine too), and an LG front-loading XL Load Capacity with NeveRust Stainless Steel Drum. Having our last washer and dryer for 10 years has given us an unbelievalbe comparison of how much quieter the new machines are! And our new LG washer and dryer more than comply with the new Federal Energy Efficiency Requirements. I could go on for quite a while, raving about my new washer and dryer, but I'll nip it in the bud right here and address my last points.

I don't sleep well, and have lately taken up walking in the middle of the night. As soon as I started my late night walking, I noticed how many home owners had left on their outdoor, decorative lighting. My first late-night walk was around midnight. I thought surely, these people weren't leaving their outdoor lighting on all night, but I figured they might be on timers that had not yet turned off. But my late night walking has continued. I have now walked at 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. (My husband says I'm a vampire.) Those same homes have still had their decorative lighting on. Considering I never run into anyone else out at these times, I think it's safe to assume that these decorative lights are not impressing anyone. And I don't work for Florida Power and Light, but exterior lighting that stays on all night, every night, MUST have an impact on the home owner's electric bills. Is it possible that this many people have not heard about "going green"? Or do they just not care? These are probably the same people that never change the temperature of their AC or heat, even when nobody's home. They must be leaving one heck of a carbon footprint!

If you've read or skimmed this post without knowing what the heck I'm talking about, try following the embedded links to learn more about going green, energy efficiency, carbon footprints, recycling, problems with our ecosystem, and what you can do to help save our planet.

Take this quiz to determine your carbon footprint.

If you're interested in buying real estate in the Daytona Beach area and want to buy a home that has been built with all the considerations of "going green", read my post about the beautiful community of Chelsea Place, located in fabulous Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona.

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateSales.com

www.DaytonaBeachRealEstateVideos.com

Read many more blogs on my primary blog at www.RealEstateBlogConnect.com