Brandon Florida Real Estate

SATURDAY June 30th

7 p.m.: DeSoto Super Speedway, 9 miles east of I-75 (Exit 42) on S.R. 6499, Bradenton. Truck races and a demolition derby precede a 9 p.m. fireworks display. Gates open at 5 p.m. $15 adults; $5 for ages 6 to 12; free for ages 5 and younger. 748-3171.

SUNDAY July 1st

Dusk: Colony Beach Resort, 1620 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key. Fireworks will be shot from the resort pier. A beach barbecue will take place for resort guests, and the Monkey Room Patio will be open to the public for cocktails and tropical cuisine available for purchase. Free. 383-6464.

TUESDAY July 3rd

9 p.m.: Fireworks display, Beach House Restaurant, 200 Gulf Drive N., Bradenton Beach. Free. 779-2222.

WEDNESDAY July 4th

10 a.m.: Anna Maria Island Privateers Fourth of July Parade. Starts at Coquina Beach and travels north to Pine Avenue. Free.

11 a.m.: Riverside Park West and along Riverside Drive, Palmetto. A daylong celebration and evening fireworks with live music by Edgar Winter, Rick Derringer, The Dr. Dave Band, Koko Ray, The Blusers, Shaman with Henry Lawrence, and a karaoke contest. Fireworks will be launched at 9:30 p.m. from the Green Bridge fishing pier on the Palmetto side of the Manatee River. Fireworks will also be visible from the Bradenton side near the pier. There will be a Manatee Classic Cruisers car show, pony rides, carnival rides, a giant slide and food. Park at Sutton park, on the soccer field at 14th Avenue West and 10th Street West, or at the Manatee County Fairgrounds. The Palmetto Boat Ramp at Riverside Park West and the lot at the corner of 10th Avenue and Riverside Drive will be closed from midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday. Free admission and trolley rides. 721-2138.

6 p.m.: Sandbar Restaurant, 100 Spring Ave., Anna Maria. Live entertainment and a fireworks display at 9 p.m. Free. 778-1696.

Source:  Herald Tribune

Were you scared, nervous, excited or maybe having second thoughts?  I can tell you I had all of those emotions and more running through me!  First was excitement, then came fear of should I be doing this?  Can we really afford to be doing this?  What if something happens and I get behind on my payments?  What if, what if, what if?  I had every single "what it" scenario running through my head!

The first home I purchased at the age 26 was with my then fiancee'.  It was his grandmother's house that we bought after she passed away.  He always wanted the house if something happened to her because he had a lot of memories in that home, so he was excited to be able to buy it.  Me on the other hand, I was just happy to be getting out of an apartment. 

It wasn't a big house.  It was only 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom and around 800 sq ft.  It was fine for the two of us.  We didn't have kids and only had one Cocker Spaniel dog.  So it suited our needs at the time.  We paid $109,000 for it!! 

This was the first real estate transaction I had ever been through.  I still lived in Michigan at the time and my family was here in Florida, so I didn't have anyone there with me which also made it harder.  All though I did trust the person doing our loan because I knew her, it still was hard not having mom there to look things over to make sure it was A-OK if ya know what I mean!!

I remember the day of closing.  I was so nervous going there.  We got to the closing company and in walks this guy with a stack of papers like I had never seen before.  He introduces himself and then asks me "Are you ready to sign your life away?"  LOL....probably wasn't a smart thing to say, because I was ready to get up and run, I was so nervous!!  I didn't though.  We were there for about an hour or so signing all the paperwork. 

After it was all done and over with, I was actually relieved and glad that we went through with it.  Even though I was scared and nervous and wondering if I was doing the right thing, it all worked out in the end!!

And now that I am in the business.  I look back and wonder why I was so scared.  But being scared helps me to better relate to first time home buyers and the fears I had are the fears they have.  So I can understand what they are going through.

So what was your first home buying experience like?  How old were you at the time?  And what sorts of things do you remember about buying your first home?

That's exactly what should be happening if you're selling a home and you have an appointment for an agent to show your home!  The lights should be on and no body should be home!

Even though you listed your home, and maybe haven't had much traffic through it, your home should ALWAYS be in showing condition.  When you list your home, it should always be ready to show at a moments notice, especially in today's market.  However, if for some reason you are slacking, here are some things you need to do to prepare for last minute showings.

1. Turn on ALL the lights.  You want it to be bright during the showings.  The worst thing you can is give the feeling that your home is like a cave.
2. Open up ALL the blinds and/or curtains.  Again, if someone walks in and all the lights are off and all the blinds are closed, it kinda feels like walking into the black hole.  Not a good impression!
3. Boil some water on the stove and add a few cinnamon sticks or a few drops of vanilla. 
4. Or if you're not going very far, maybe just to a neighbors or a walk around the block when they get there, then light some candles.
5. Turn on some music, like smooth jazz or classical.  It sets a nice tone when someone walks in.
6. Vacuum the carpets!!
7. Empty ALL the garbage cans
8. Clean the litter box!!!  No one cares to see the litter-box with fluffy's little surprises in it.
9. Make the beds.  ALL of them.
10. Close the lids to the toilets.
11. Put all the clean and dirty clothes away.  No one cares to see your dirty underwear.  Or clean underwear for the matter. 
12. People look in closets, so don't hide stuff there.  Stuff things under the bed if you have to.
13. If you haven't bothered to wash last nights dinner dishes, you need to.  If you don't have time and you don't have a dishwasher, shove them in the oven and pray no one looks in there.  At least they will be out plain sight.  (Don't forget to pull them back out when you get home).
14. If you have a dog, take fido with you.  If for some reason you can't, then put fido in a dog crate or if fido is small enough and doesn't bark, put a baby gate up in the laundry room or a bathroom and leave fido in there.  HOWEVER, if fido likes to bark, try to get him out of the house.  It's very distracting to have a dog barking non-stop from the time you walk in the door until you leave.  And whatever you do, DON'T let the dog roam free.  Many people are scared of dogs regardless of size.
15. Make sure all the magazines, mail, remotes and other clutter are put away somewhere and not left out in plain sight.
16. If you have kids, make sure all their toys are picked up and out of the way.
17. Now here's the big one.  Are you ready?  And I can not stress this one enough!!!  LEAVE THE HOUSE!!  Yes, you need to leave during all showings.  If you're there, buyers will not feel comfortable looking through your home, opening cabinets and looking in closets because they feel like they are invading your home when you are there.  You being there can be a deal killer!!

So there you have it.  A quick list of things to do in case of a last minute showing.  You only have one chance to make a great first impression.  Make it count!!

So.....Are the lights on in your home, but no body's home?  I sure hope so!!

Someone just forwarded this to me in an email.  And I thought it was pretty cool!!

One day I decided to quit.... I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality..... I wanted to quit my life. I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

'God', I said. 'Can you give me one good reason not to quit?' His answer surprised me...

'Look around', He said. 'Do you see the fern and the bamboo?' 'Yes', I replied.

'When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.

In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. '

He said. 'In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed.

In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.' He said. 'Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.  Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what  it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.'

He said to me. 'Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not give up on the bamboo. I will never give up on you. Don't compare yourself to others.

The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern, yet, they both make the forest beautiful.'

'Your time will come,' God said to me. 'You will rise high!' 'How high should I rise?' I asked. 'How high will the bamboo rise?' He asked in return.

'As high as what?' I questioned. 'Yes.' He said, 'As high as you can.'

Never regret a day in your life.
Good days give you Happiness.
Bad days give you Experiences.
Both are essential to life.   Keep going...
Happiness keeps you Sweet,
Trials keep you Strong,
Sorrows keep you Human,
Failures keep you Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But God keeps You Going

-Author Unknown

Ok, so have you ever noticed in some of your blog posts, the double spacing sometimes of things that shouldn't be double spaced?  You have no clue on how to fix it, because every time you hit enter, it just automatically double spaces it?  It's annoying and it makes the post look kinda weird sometimes, because there are extra spaces in between things that shouldn't have extra spaces!

Well I have the solution for you!!

After then end of the word that you want to have a single space after it, instead of hitting the enter key, hit the "Shift" key and the "Enter" key at the same time and it will only add in a single space.

So what would of looked like this:

Becky Troutt

REALTOR®

Serving Hillsborough & Manatee Counties

(941)962-6820 or (813)944-2907

will now look like this:

Becky Troutt
REALTOR®
Serving Hillsborough & Manatee Counties
(941)962-6820 or (813)944-2907

See!!  That was so easy, even a caveman can do it!   

Ok, since some of you folks on here are pretty creative and pretty hilarious....let's put together a large list of reasons someone should not buy a home right now or ever for that matter......

This will be a list for those folks that just can't ever seem to get off the fence or make a decision about when a good time to buy really is.

Let's see how big of a list we can create.  Let me start it out....

• You don't want to worry about replacing the toilet flapper when it goes bad. 
• You love the thin walls in your apartment, because it allows you to listen in on all of your neighbors arguments.
• You are waiting for a large portion of the great deals out there to get sold and the inventory levels to drop so you don't have to filter through so many listings.

Who's Next?

Ok, I know most of you remember that commercial with the little old lady in a fast food restaurant and when she gets the burger, it's a great big bun with hardly any meat on it and she yells out "Where's the beef?"

She was expecting a big burger with a big meat patty and extras like lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheese, mustard & ketchup and instead she was disappointed to have a big fluffy bun and barely any meat.  Nothing else!

So what's this have to do with real estate?

How many of you have contacted an agent to inquire about listings and then to only get half the information you were expecting in return? 

1. They don't send you everything that is available in the MLS. 
2. They only email you their listings and no one else's
3. They email you listings, but don't include the property address
4. They are manually searching the MLS and emailing you what is available instead of putting you on an automated email search so you get the new listings right away.
5. They don't even belong to the MLS, so you don't have access to those listings
6. They don't offer a way for you to search the MLS yourself from their website

Ok, so you get the idea.  It's disappointing and not to mention irritating!!

You need to have an agent that is going to email you everything available in the MLS to you that fits your criteria.  Your agent should also have you on an automated email search so that you aren't dependant on waiting for that agent to email you the homes, instead the system will automatically email you as soon as something comes on the market.  This way you never miss a new listing that just came on the market. 

Also, if your agent is emailing you listings, yet not providing you the addresses so you can drive by them.  Get rid of that agent.  They are doing nothing but wasting your time.  Every single time you find a home you like, you have to call them to get the address?  Give me a break.  Find someone that will give you ALL the information and not waste your time.

Is your agent leaving you with the thought of "Where's the beef?"  If so, it's time to find another agent that will give you everything you expected and more!

Don't work with someone that only gives you half of what you expected leaving you wonder, "Where's the beef?"

I'm one that never takes a vacation.  For some reason, I can't seem to ever find the right time to take off, so I have never really been on a vacation anywhere.  I know we all need to force ourselves once in a while to take time off of work, but I have to admit that it's a very hard thing for me to do.  If I'm not working, I'm always thinking to myself of the things I could be doing or working on instead of taking time off.

There are a lot of places I would love to go and see, and maybe one day I will.

Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?  What was so great about it and why would you want to go back?

Maybe hearing some of your stories will make me want to take some time off and start visiting places!!

Bored?  Tired of sitting at home watching TV and need to get out of the house?  Well here is a list of things to do in and around Manatee County.  I tried to find things that weren't the "norm" like beaches, fishing and restaurants & tried to find other things to do. 

You are bound to find something to do in this list!

Manatee County

The South Florida Museum
201 10th Street West
Bradenton, Florida 34205
941-746-4131

Island Players Theatre
10009 Gulf Drive    
Anna Maria, Florida    
941-778-5755

Manatee Players Theatre
102 Old Main Strees
Bradenton, FL 34205
941-748-0111

DeSoto National Memorial Park
3000 75th Street NW
Bradenton, FL 34209
941-792-0458

DeSoto Super Speedway
21000A SR 64
Bradenton, Florida 34202
941-748-3171

Regal Oakmont 8 Movie Theatre
4801 Cortez Rd
Bradenton, FL 34210
941-954-5768

Royal Palm 20 Movie Theatre
5125 26th St E
Bradenton, FL 34208
941-727-7469

Gamble Plantation Historic State Park
3708 Patten Avenue
Ellenton, Florida 34222
941-723-4536L

Village of The Arts
Bradenton, FL

Mixon Fruit Farms
2712 26th Ave E
Bradenton, FL 34208
941-748-5829

Schomburg Farms 
2504 24th Ave E
Palmetto, FL 34221
941-729-2884

Myakka River State Park
13208 State Road 72
Sarasota, FL 34241
941-361-6511

Sarasota County

Sarasota Jungle Gardens
3701 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, FL 34234
941-355-5305

Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
777 N. Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-955-7676

The Golden Apple Dinner Theater
25 N. Pineapple Ave.
Sarasota, FL
941-366-5454

Sarsota Players Theatre
838 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-365-2494

Asolo Repertory Theatre
5555 North Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, Florida 34243
941-351-9010

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
811 South Palm Avenue
Sarasota, Florida 34236
Phone: (941) 366-5731

Mote Marine Laboratory
1600 Ken Thompson Parkway
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-388-4441

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
5401 Bay Shore Road
Sarasota, Florida 34243
941-359-5700

G.WIZ, The Hands-On Science Museum
1001 Boulevard of the Arts
At the Blivas Science & Technology Center
Sarasota, FL 34236
941-309-4949

St. Armands Circle
Sarasota, FL

Sarasota Classic Car Museum
5500 N. Tamiami Tr.
Sarasota, FL. 34239
941-355-6228

Hillsborough County

Tampa Electric Company Manatee Viewing Center
(open November through April 15)
Apollo Beach, FL
813-228-4289

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
3605 E. Bougainvillea Ave.
Tampa, FL 33612
813-987-5280

Florida Aquarium
701 Channelside Dr
Tampa, FL 33602
813-273-4000

Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo
1101 W. Sligh Ave.
Tampa, FL 33604
813-935-8552

University of South Florida Botanical Gardens
4202 E. Fowler Ave.
Tampa, FL 33620
813-974-2329

American Victory Mariners Memorial & Museum Ship
705 Channelside Dr
Tampa, FL 33602
813-228-8766

Henry B. Plant Museum
401 W. Kennedy Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33606
813-254-1891

MOSI - Museum of Science & Industry
4801 E Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33617
813-987-6000

Tampa Bay History Center
600 N. Ashley Dr.
Tampa, FL 33602
813-274-8130

Ybor City Museum Society / Ybor City State Museum
1818 E. 9th Avenue
Tampa, FL 33605
813-247-6323

Channelside
Tampa, FL

If there is anything that you have found fun to do and I forgot to add it on here to this list, please feel free to share!

I hope you enjoy this video! May it inspire you to become an even better person than you already are! Remember to be kind to others, be thankful for what you have and to thank others for things they do for you! Live every day like it's your last, and tell the people in your life you love them and are grateful they are in your life! And when the going gets tough, don't ever give up. You can make it. You can do it!