Tweet on, Brothers & Sisters!

Today, the Florida Realtor magazine arrived in my mailbox. On the cover it said, "Social Networking with Twitter." Standing on my front porch, I thumbed through the glossy book to page 14. And there it was...a picture of a woman holding a "crackberry" on a Harley Davidson. Upon closer examination of the image, I realized it was me!

The article features the subject of how I use Twitter in my real estate business. From my previewing observations to the day-to-day life, I let all out on my "tweets". Follow me and find out. (Go to Twitter.com and search "kristenhart")

My hat (uh..helmet) is off to the fabulous photographer, Rey Villavicencio. He is a real talent and was a pleasure to work with. (See more of Rey's work at www.reyvilla.com)

And I approve this message

A testimony from Xena...
"As a first time homebuyer, I had a lot of uncertainty with the
purchasing process. Kristen guided me through every step of the way
and always put my needs first. I really appreciated her professionalism and knew I could trust her to work on my behalf.
I couldn't be happier in my new home! "

Xena moved into her new home last week. I stopped by to see her a couple of days ago. Wow! The home is even more charming with a fresh coat of paint and all her furniture in it. Plus, the garage looks even bigger now that the previous owner's bowflex machine has moved out!

"Words of wisdom"

Here are some of the comments that have been shared with me over the past couple of weeks.

1) "Remember to be a lady because folks in the Windy City don't speak Southern."
- Mom, (advice to me for an upcoming trip to Chicago.
Sigh. Good times. Good times.)

2) "Not for the faint of heart. Bring all offers."
- Realtor Remarks for a foreclosed home on the MLS.
(Apparently, the sellers took the toilets out of the house when they moved, too. Light bulbs, I understand. But toilets? Really?)

3) "No matter how tough life gets, a bag of M&M's is going to see you through. It won't solve the problem, but it will help."
- Said to me from an inspirational, multi-million dollar agent in my office.

4) "Outrageous! Cats are living with Dogs!"
- FOX News banner

Rates are going up! The DOW is down 300 points!
Less than three weeks to the election!
40% off at Jessie's Jacket Junction!
You know, with headlines like these, I'm going to stop at CVS for some M&Ms.
Can I get a witness?

"Get your jumpsuit on. Let's crawl!"

That's what the "Queen Bee" said to me as I walked in for the termite inspection on Xena's house.
I looked at her and said, "But I just got my hair done. If I wanted bugs in my hair, I would have come over here on my Harley!"

Of course, the Queen Bee was kidding me. As part of the inspection, she crawls underneath the house to look for activity and damage from termites. "I've been doing this for 31 years. I think like a termite," she says proudly.

Interesting. How does a termite think? Is there such a thing as a Homer Simpson termite: "Mmmmm, wooooood fraaaaaame house." Or because they are "hip downtown termites" do they turn their nose up if it isn't "FAB-Oh!" wood to snack on and other termites can see them snacking?

Ding! Ding!

As contracts are logged into the office, our fabulous DOFI (Director of First Impressions) enters the sale on a giant white board in the main hallway. After she writes the agent's name, she rings a bell! The sound travels throughout the hallways. It is followed by a wave of applause! Agents come out of their offices to look at the board. Big smiles, high fives and hugs are given to the agent that has a sale.

Today, they rang the bell for me.
The last time anyone rang a bell for me, it was for buying a new Harley-Davidson.
Now, it's because I've helped Xena purchase her first home.
Who knew my name on a dry erase board would be so awesome?
RAWK ON!

"Hello, this is Kristen Hart. May I help you?"

"Congratulations! We have a contract," said the seller's agent. "Great! I know my buyer will be excited. May I put you on hold for a moment?, " I said calmly on my crackberry. I put the phone down. Did a quick crazy chicken dance and then picked the phone back up and said, "Thanks for holding. I look forward to working with you."

So now the real dance of becoming a home owner begins...

For the past 2 days, I have been negotiating a deal for my first time home buyer, Xena. (No, that's not her real name but she's a warrior princess just the same!) Xena has made an offer to buy a charming key-west style bungalow in downtown Orlando.

Over the past 30 days, Xena and I have been looking for the right home at the right price for her. She is a young professional that is looking to make a great investment in home ownership. For a few dollars more than what she was paying in rent, she is joining the ranks of smart investors buying in this market.

Once a week, I started up the Caddy and we looked at properties. With over 45 active listings that matched her criteria in a one mile radius, we looked alot. We looked at fixer uppers and the fixed upped. Some homes were fabulous and some wished they were. Some we left wondering, "What the heck were these people thinking installing a toilet out in the garage?"

On Sunday, Xena called me that she had found a house she liked and wanted to see inside. I arranged the showing and 24 hours later, it had a contract on it!

Counter. Counter. Counter. Deal! Now what?
Next up are the inspections. Stay tuned.

It's pronounced "REAL -TOR"

"Yes. Say Real-tor. Not real-uh-tor."
That's what I learned in my ethics class yesterday. Good stuff!

Welcome to my first blog post. I'm Kristen Hart and I am a Realtor® with Keller Williams Advantage II Realty in Orlando, Florida. Honestly, I prefer to think of myself as a wealth building manager specializing in real estate. If you look back in history, property owners were considered among the wealthiest. Everyday, I help people achieve their real estate dreams of buying or selling a home while building wealth for their future.

Many folks ask me, "Why are you in real estate in this market? Wahhhh! Don't you know? Haven't you heard? It's terrible!"
Actually, it's all how you look at it. It's always a great time to be in real estate. Finance guru David Bach says, "Don't wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait." True! There are some incredible deals to be had in this Orlando Real Estate market right now. Wow! I feel like I am at a 75% off shoe sale at Macy's!

Fantasy closets! Chef kitchens! Cats on treadmills!
To know the Real Estate market inventory, I preview over 200 homes a month. It's like an HGTV program in real life here in Orlando. Everyday, I see some great ideas for making the most of your living space. I'll share them here in this blog and on twitter.

"We have been cleared for take-off."
It's 8:25am and I'm ready to go. Thanks for taking the time to read this far.
Join me daily on my journey as I serve buyers and sellers in the Orlando Real Estate market.

Make it a great day,
Kristen