Vote USA

Don’t forget to vote!! Remember, it is a privilege and a right. In some countries, voting is not an option and in other countries one risks their life in order to vote. So, if you haven’t already-get out there and vote! It is going to be a close one.

Okay, I’m taking an official break from work and am on way to vote!! And my youngest daughter gets to vote today too. Hooray!

I Voted Stickers

A weathered statue along Bay Shore Drive.

St. Petersburg, Florida

photographed 10.22.2012

Claudene Christian perished in the tragic sinking Monday of a replica HMS Bounty, after the ship went down in hurricane Sandy-swept seas. She had claimed a a family tie to Fletcher Christian, chief mutineer on the original ship.

When Claudene Christian applied earlier this year for a spot as a mate on the famous tall ship replica of the HMS Bounty, she probably had a little edge: Her family claimed a historical connection to the original ship via Fletcher Christian, who had instigated the 1789 mutiny that propelled the Bounty and its crew into maritime history and Hollywood fantasy.

In an almost inexplicable twist on that family legacy, Ms. Christian is so far the only confirmed casualty from the loss of the 1962 replica, which sank Monday off Cape Hatteras, N.C., in the high seas wrought by hurricane Sandy. The captain of the HMS Bounty, Robin Walbridge, remains missing, though the US Coast Guard has not given up the search.

Maritime historians say the Bounty story as told by Hollywood – the heroic Christian versus the evil Captain Bligh – created a false reality, as actors such as Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Marlon Brando, and Mel Gibson all portrayed Christian. To some, Ms. Christian’s death at sea seems almost as surreal, a bizarre series of events that reads like a Hollywood script.

Read more at Christian Science Monitor….

Watch the Coast Guard Rescue of HMS Bounty…

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Jim Caldwell
Redondo Beach

Happy Halloween St Petersburg, Florida

HALLOWEEN DINNER SHOW 

From St. Petersburg Nights!  Wednesday, October 31st at 7pm   Interactive Murder Mystery Cabaret Show

Perfect for Halloween or Holiday fun! Step into The Hotspot, the most exclusive speakeasy around, for a night of cabaret and cabbage, bloodshed and borscht! It’s the roaring 20′s and you – you lucky stiff – you’ve got the hottest ticket in town: an invite to the American debut of the stunning Siberian sensation, Ruskie Rose Lee. But mayhem soon ensues when the starlet is found dead before she even has a chance to take the stage! Who done it? Was it the vengeful Russian mobster, Boris Badenough? Or maybe the jealous rival, Ivana Berich. YOU help us solve this belly-busting musical murder mystery and win prizes along the way!!! Don’t forget to dress in your finest 20′s garb!

This three-hour show includes a traditional Russian dinner of 3 courses (salad, entrée with two sides, dessert and coffee/tea). Full liquor bar with over 20 kinds of vodkas and unique Eastern European wines available for your enjoyment.

RSVP – (727) 363-3832

St Petersburg Nights, St Petersburg, Florida

PLEASE NOTE: We had a little problem with the book shipments for this weekend. (And this has nothing to do with the US Postal Service destroying $200 worth of my books, which happened after DragonCon.) As a result, I only have 7 copies of A Prophecy Forgotten with me. I will give them out on a first come, first serve basis. (I can, however, be bribed to hold one for you with Starbucks, beignets, Krispy Kreme donuts, dark chocolate, and your credit card number. Unfortunately, beignets are hard to find in St. Pete. Seriously, if you live in St. Pete and know where I can get authentic beignets, I will be your best friend for life.)

***ANOTHER THING TO NOTE***: I have not yet announced this yet, but A Prophecy Forgotten has been acquired by Kerlak Publishing as of tomorrow. It will be out of print for the next few weeks until the new edition is released. These are the last copies of this current edition that will be available–ever. Well, except used on Amazon.

Also be sure to check out yesterday’s blog post, which I posted too late last night to be of use to anyone, and today’s post as well. Both are about creating suspension of disbelief in your readers by controlling your make-believe elements:

• 10/25/12: Writing: Keeping Character Confrontation Results Realistic
• 10/26/12: Writing: Use Realistic Numbers, Sizes, and Time Limits

My Panel Schedule for the weekend is as follows:

I am panel-free today, but you can catch me at my author table!

Fantasy novelist M. B. Weston is the author of The Elysian Chronicles, a fantasy series about guardian angel warfare and treason. Weston speaks to children, teens, and adults about writing and the process of getting published. For more information on M. B. Weston, visit www.mbweston.com. Find out more about The Elysian Chronicles at www.elysianchronicles.com.

Saturday, October 20, 2012 at Jannus Live, St. Petersburg, Florida

I Am Choice presents “GOTV Unplugged: Rally Our Way Forward with Gloria Steinem”

Do what Democracy demands. And, that is to make change from the bottom up. It is a lie that it comes from the top down. No. That’s what they want us to think—to dis-empower us. No, it comes from us. Like a tree, it comes from the bottom up.

Mitt Romey is the most undemocratic, anti-equality, authoritarian, extremist candidate I have ever seen, and there is the most distance between what he says and what he does.

He has the nerve to say he is for job creation. His entire career has been job elimination. He is not even willing to say he is for equal pay. And it happens that equal pay for women of all races is the greatest economic stimulus this country could ever have.

Equal pay, and I mean for equal work, would put $200 billion more into the economy every year. That means about $137 for every white woman per pay check—something like $300 for every woman of color who are doubly discriminated against. And you know that those women are not going to put that money into a Cayman Islands bank account—they are going to spend that money, and that is going to create jobs.

And he has the nerve, the nerve, and I have never seen anything like it, even in the Eisenhower era, anybody who refused to say they were for equal pay. Even if they didn’t do anything about it, they at least said they were for equal pay, and [Romney] refuses to support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which is crucial to gaining equal pay.

[Romney] has pledged, on the Republic Party platform, to go around the Supreme Court, and achieve the human life Amendment to the Constitution, which would declare the fertilized egg to be a person.

I would like to say that neither the corporation nor the fertilized egg is a person. Pregnant women do not have two votes.

By declaring the fertilized egg to be a person, he would effectively nationalize women’s bodies throughout our child-bearing years. We would be legally restrained for all nine months of our pregnancy if there were reasonable cause to believe we might damage the fertilized egg. And indeed this is already going on with women who are drug addicted. Who really have no options, and yet there is more concern about their pregnancy than there is about them and getting free from drugs on their own.

It would give the government the right to legally search our wombs. To see if we were pregnant or not and if you think that’s impossible, think about the trans-vaginal probe that is legalized rape.

This is the most extreme, anti-equality candidate that has ever existed.

I hope and believe in my heart and in my knowledge that there are many, many, many Republicans that want to free the Republican Party from these crazed extremists that Romney represents.

The great centrist Republican Party needs to come back. In fact Nixon supported the Equal Rights Amendment. Goldwater supported reproductive freedom and Planned Parenthood. Bush supported and Reagan supported immigrant rights. None of them could get nominated by this extremist party now. The fact that we have so many independent is mainly because people have fled the Republican Party.

So I just want to say to all, and I hope you will say to your Republican friends, first of all, I apologize for all the old Democrats who came and took over your party. When the 1964 Civil Rights Act passed it began, because the old racist Democrats left the Democratic Party and started taking over the Republican Party. Think about Jesse Helms, right? Think about all the racist Democrats. They left and started to take over the Republican Party. And this trend has continued with fundamentalist churches that used to be either a-political or Democratic in the south, they have taken over the levers of power of the Republican Party so that there is almost nothing in its platform that most Republicans support.

It is so dangerous to have one of our two great Parties controlled by extremists. It is incredibly dangerous, because when we naturally are not 100 percent happy with one group, we just vote for the other one without understanding that we are voting against ourselves.

So if there are any Republicans here, I personally apologize for the authoritarian crazy Democrats that took your party over.

And the only way to get rid of them is to not only to win this election but to win it big… winning it big is incredibly important in Florida. So it cannot be “fudged” around the edges. In 2000, the morning after the presidential election between Bush and Gore, I was accidentally speaking at Palm Beach County Community College—it was just a college lecture that had been booked, you know, I don’t know how long before. There were 706 people in that auditorium. All we knew was that there needed to be a recount, that the result hadn’t been announced yet.

And as people stood up to say what had happened to them, one by one they were saying, ‘Oh that happened to me too; I didn’t know that I voted for Buchannan… ‘ Out of 706 people, about 100 had either been unable to vote at all, though they went to the polls, or they were unable to vote for the people they wanted to vote for. In one auditorium. You know, statewide, what did that mean? And if it had not been for one vote on the Supreme Court, you would have had a recount, and [Al] Gore would have been President of the United States.

There would have been much better environmental policies. There wouldn’t have been a war in Iraq. There wouldn’t have been an abstinence-only, government-enforced sex education policy that has given us the highest rate of unwanted pregnancies in the whole world. There wouldn’t have been a transfer of wealth from government to private hands that has never been matched in human history. There wouldn’t have been a move from a CEO that eared about 30 times the average to a CEO that earned 1,000 times the average. I mean, if you ever think that your vote doesn’t count, just think what happened all because of a theoretical 536 votes in Florida.

This voting day is the one day of our lives and on Earth and I have to say we owe this to people in the world whose lives are dictated by US policy, too, but this is the one day on Earth where the least powerful equal the most powerful.

I hope that however you can, you will make sure that from now until voting day, you make sure people are not only going to vote, take 10 people with you, take 100 people with you—make it a party. Sit with people’s kids so they can vote. And they are not only going to vote, they are going to fight to vote. If we can’t vote, we are going to sit there until we can vote. We are not going to take no for an answer. We are going to get rid of these crazed extremists who do not represent the majority even of their own party.

So I thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here today. I know you don’t need any outsiders to tell you this, us outsiders are just like excuses for you to come together and discover you didn’t need us in the first place. But… be sure that you make your own lives better today. Look around, see people you don’t know, introduce yourself, say what you care about. If you’re here, you share values, you share interests, you’ll meet a new friend a new colleague, you’ll get a new job a new love affair, who knows.

And remember that when you make other people’s lives better, you make your own better.

St Petersburg Municipal Pier 2

Sunshine City Antiques and Collectibles Show   Friday, Oct. 19 at 5 p.m.

Coliseum  535 Fourth Ave. N, St. Petersburg  with more than 100 dealers selling art, jewelry, furniture, books, pottery, glass and vintage clothing. Appraisals available noon to 5 p.m. Sat. and Sun. for $5 per item.   $6, 11 and younger free.

Clearwater Jazz Holiday   Friday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.

Coachman Park  301 Drew St., Clearwater FL      Here’s the schedule for the weekend

Thursday, October 18 – 4:30pm Gates Open 5:00pm – 6:00pm – Carol Stein and Friends 6:30pm – 8:00pm – Maia Sharp  8:30pm – 10:00pm – Bonnie Raitt
Friday, October 19th  – 4:30pm Gates Open 5:00pm – 6:00pm – Common Ground Reunion 6:30pm – 8:00pm – Down To The Bone 8:30pm – 11:00pm – Mindi Abair & Friends featuring Jeff Golub and David Pack

Saturday, October 20th – 1:30pm Gates Open 2:00pm – 3:15pm – Pat Close & The Groove,  3:45pm – 5:00pm – El Nino Garcia and the Latin Knights,  5:30pm – 6:45pm – Tia Fuller Quartet,  7:15pm – 8:45pm – Kurt Elling,  9:15pm – 10:45pm – Esperanza Spalding Radio Music Society 10:45pm Fireworks

Sunday, October 21st  – 2:00pm Gates Open 2:30pm – 3:30pm – Ruth Eckerd Hall / Clearwater Jazz Holiday Youth Jazz Band with Special Guest Mindi Abair 4:00pm – 5:00pm – The Cave Dwellers featuring the Reinhardt Brothers
5:30pm – 7:00pm -Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds  7:30pm – 9:30pm- The Avett Brothers  

** Schedule and Artists subject to change

Dia de Los Muertos Fiesta  Friday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m.

Casa Tina Gourmet Mexican & Vegetarian   365 Main St., Dunedin  with traditional ”Ofrendas” altars honoring loved ones, maps at Pan y Vino, visit participating businesses and sample five fine tequilas. Dress inDia de Los Muertos costume and earn a free tequila for an extra toast. Maps available while supplies last. Part of weekend-long celebration topped off by Fiesta in the Park, in Pioneer Park. $15 tastings.

 St. Pete Oktoberfest   Friday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.

Grand Central District  2429 Central Ave., St. Petersburg   3rd annual Oktoberfest in the Grand Central District with craft beer, food and live music by bay area bands. Special admission to the Homebrewers Challenge includes unlimited samples of beer from Bay area homebrew clubs, appetizers, live music and the opportunity to vote for the “people’s choice” beer. The Oktoberfest Experience includes unlimited beer for two days, T-shirt and a limited edition hand-blown beer glass.  $25 advance, $35 at the gate, $45 Homebrewer’s Challenge, $55 two days, $100 Oktoberfest Experience.

Square Dancing in Largo  Friday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Largo Community Center 400 Alt Keene Road, Largo   Resident caller Allen Snell. No alcohol permitted. $6.

Art After Dark: Five by Five  Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m.

Tampa Museum of Art 120 Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa

This month features 5-inch by 5-inch artworks made by local and international artists, with proceeds benefiting the Arts Council of Hillsborough County. The exhibit and sale will include works embodying photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson’s concept, “the extension of the eye,” in honor of the museum’s current exhibit.   $10, free for museum members; cash bar.

Florida Orchestra Rock Series: Music of Simon and Garfunkel     Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m.

Mahaffey Theater 400 First St. S, St. Petersburg   Vocalists AJ Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle join guest conductor Michael Krajewski and the Florida Orchestra for a musical salute to one of the most popular folk-rock duos. You’ll hear favorites like

Feeling Groovy, America, April Come She Will, Bleecker Street, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Cecilia, Hazy Shade of Winter, The Sounds of Silence and more. $35, $55 and $75 individual concert; $230 for series, includes VIP seating, hospitality and a post-concert musician meet-and-greet.

Now here’s an interesting one–  Hysteria   Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m.

American Stage Theatre Company at Raymond James Theater 163 Third St. N, St. Petersburg This play is based on a meeting between two of the world’s most eccentric men: Sigmund Freud and Salvador Dalí. Set in London in 1938

Hysteria springs from Freud’s mind as he juggles unexpected visits to his home by the famous surrealist painter Dalí and a mysterious young woman named Jessica. Through Oct. 21.  $39-$49; $29 previews and Wednesday matinees; students $20 advance, $10 rush 30 minutes before show.

The Colored Museum  Friday, Oct. 19 at 8 p.m.

Stageworks Theatre 1120 E Kennedy Blvd., Tampa   This 1986 George C. Wolfe play uses stereotypes and satirical sketches to follow 200 years of African-American history. Through Oct. 21.    $26.

******Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading  Saturday, Oct. 20 at 10 a.m.******

University of South Florida St. Petersburg Campus 140 Seventh Ave. S, St. Petersburg  The annual book festival celebrates its 20th year with a roster of more than 40 authors.

http://festivalofreading.com/

  FREE

Greek Food & Wine Festival   Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11 a.m.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral 36 N Pinellas Ave., Tarpon Springs   First annual celebration of Greek culture, wine, beers and cuisine, and live music, entertainment and dancing. Free

Rally Our Way Forward with Gloria Steinem   Saturday, Oct. 20 at 11:30 a.m.

Jannus Live 16 Second St. N, St. Petersburg  This rally brings feminist activist and founder of

Ms 

Magazine Gloria Steinem to rally for I Am Choice. Reps. Kathy Castor and Rick Kriseman and others also speak. Free.

The Bette Set – A Musical Journey to Midler Earth  Saturday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m.

Freefall Theatre  6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg  After a sold-out run last year, local cabaret favorites (and Bette Midler fanatics) Sara Delbeato and Michael Raabe celebrate and interpret the music of Midler, from retro-tastic covers and camp classics to power ballads and movie hits. Feather boa and fabulous shoes optional. Ticket proceeds benefit the Trevor Project.  $15.

NBC Today Show Filming   Sunday, Oct. 21 at 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

University of Tampa Plant Hall 401 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa In their coverage of the 2012 presidential election, the NBC

Today Show with anchor Lester Holt will broadcast from the University of Tampa. The filming is open to the public, but parking on campus is limited. Free.

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Clearwater Jazz Holiday 2012
Friday – Sunday Oct. 19-21
Coachman Park
301 Drew St.| Clearwater, 33769
(727) 461-5200 | Website: clearwaterjazz.com

The 33rd annual Clearwater Jazz Holiday is a four-day smooth jazz concert performed on stage at Clearwater’s Coachman Park. Headlining artists include: Bonnie Raitt, Mindy Abair, Esperanza Spalding, and The Avett Brothers.

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St. Pete Octoberfest
Friday – Saturday, October 19-20
Grand Central District
2429 Central Ave. | St. Petersburg, 33713
Website: stpeteoktoberfest.com

Join 10,000 beer enthusiasts for St. Pete’s largest and best annual craft beer festival. Price: $25 advance, $35 at the gate. Hours: Friday 7-10pm, Saturday 5-10pm. *21 and up only.

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Top O’ Bay Oktoberfest
Thursday – Sunday, October 18-21
Tampa Bay Downs Racetrack
11225 Race Track Rd. | Tampa, 33626
(813) 855-4401 | Website: utbchamber.com

The Upper Tampa Bay Chamber Oktoberfest with authentic German food, German beer and a Munich style tent is considered by many to be the largest, most authentic Oktoberfest in West Central Florida. Carnival rides,log sawing, barrel rolling, stein holding, keg tossing plus, German food, Beer & music. Hours: Friday 5-11pm | Saturday 11-11pm | Sunday 12-7pm. | Cost: $5 – 12 and younger free (carnival rides additional).

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Rattlesnake Festival
Saturday – Sunday, October 20-21
32819 Pennsylvania Ave. | San Antonio, FL 33576
(352) 588-4444 | Website: rattlesnakefestival.com

Only a short drive from Tampa, this festival features gopher races, snake shows, arts and crafts and ample food options along the streets of San Antonio. Admission is free, parking is free and most of the entertainment is free. The Snakes Alive snake show, as well as the reptile show, costs $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12. To get to the Rattlesnake Festival, take Highway 52 to San Antonio and follow the signs.

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Hellview Cemetery
510 49th Avenue N St.| Petersburg, FL 33703
Website: hellview.net

Dates & times: Saturday: October 20 – 7pm – 10:30pm. Full Run: Friday – Sunday: October 26, 27, 28, 31 – 7pm – 10:30pm. Free (donations appreciated).

Related: Scariest Haunted Houses In Tampa Bay This October.

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Repticon Tampa Reptile & Exotic Animal Show
Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10-4pm
Florida State Fairgrounds
Charles M. Davis Special Events Center
4800 North US Highway 301 | Tampa, 33610
Website: repticon.com

Admission: Adults – $10, Children (5-12) – $5, 4 & under – Free

Related: Best Reptile Stores In Tampa and Pinellas

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SPCA of Tampa Bay 3k Pet Walk
Saturday, Oct 20 from 9am – 1pm
South Straub Park
198 Bayshore Drive NE
Saint Petersburg, 33701
Website: spcafl.org

Join WQYK’s Dave McKay for a fun, 1.8 mile walk along the waterfront in downtown St. Petersburg in South Straub Park. Register today and walk with thousands of other animal lovers. Pet Parade, best dressed pet competition, doggie Fun Zone / agility course, & K9 demos.

Related: Tampa Bay’s Best Dog Beaches And Parks

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Florida Home Show
Friday-Sunday, October 19-21
Florida Sate Fair Grounds
4800 North US Highway 301 | Tampa, 3361
Website: bighomeshow.com  

Friday: 11am – 6pm | Saturday: 11am – 8pm | Sunday: 11am – 6pm | Admission: Adults: $8 | Seniors: $7 | Children under 12: FREE

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New Orleans Saints vs. TB Buccaneers
Sunday, October 21 at 1pm
Raymond James Stadium
4201 North Dale Mabry Hwy | Tampa 33607
Tickets: $30-$255 | Website: ticketmaster.com

Cars: $25 at all parking lots. Buses/Campers: $75 – $100. ALL public parking lots open at 9:30 a.m. General admission gates (A, B, C and D) open at 11:30am | West and east club/suite entrances open at 10:30am.

For more Raymond James parking and tailgating info click HERE.

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Also, it looks like I might have an opportunity to film a non-profit agency in November.  The group is looking into a grant to pay for a 3-minute spot.  It’ll probably take 2 – 3 hours of filming, then editing, etc.  Someone else had also mentioned needing someone to film a wedding at the end of November, but I’m getting the feeling that there are cold feet involved.  Even if the couple backs out, I can live with that.  In this business, it’s best to learn how to roll with the punches…

The rest of this week will involve working on my thesis, working on more editing, and brainstorming for more documentaries…

FABULOUS WATERFRONT/GOLF-FRONT PROPERTY in St Petersburg, Florida!!! This beautiful Snell Isle home has been recently renovated into a charming English cottage meets beach bungalow home. This 3 bedroom/2 bath home was renovated top-to-bottom, completed June 2012. Upon arrival you will notice the NEW 2-car garage, large circular drive and front views to the Vinoy Golf Course. The home features an all NEW open floor plan, hardwood floors, vaulted ceilings, and awesome water views of canal and Smacks Bayou. Dockable, dredgeable water. All NEW gourmet kitchen, with solid marble counters, granite backsplash, custom bead board cabinets with rope lighting above, Kenmore Pro series 6 burner gas stove and Electrolux stainless steel appliances. Outdoor living and entertaining at its finest. French doors open onto the 400 sq. ft. screen porch that leads to 1,200 sq. ft of pavers, built in grill and fire pit where you and your guests will enjoy wonderful water views. The master bedroom features a wood burning fireplace and french doors opening onto the screened porch. Fully renovated master bath with marble tile and his/hers vanities. Custom details are everywhere. Second floor office/bonus room opens onto 400 sq ft. upper deck for even more views and outdoor enjoyment. This prime location in St Petersburg, Florida is convenient to Neighborhood Parks, Downtown St. Pete Waterfront Restaurants, Saturday Market, Shopping, Art Galleries, and more. All the work has been done, come and start living the Florida dream. Short commute to Tampa and Airports.

The other house is: 310 89th Ave N, St. Petersburg.  It will be open from 1-4pm.

cell: 727-804-6566, email: aweller@prutropical.com
www.aweller.PrudentialTropical.com, http://annalisaweller.wordpress.com
Prudential Tropical Realty, 2331 4th Street N, St Petersburg, Florida 33704

Listed in my website are folks who have helped my clients or me with their house or the transaction related to their house. On the website, click on the tab “about the area” and “service providers”. There is an alphabetized listing of categories with as much information about the service provider as I know. Some of the vendors listed do not cross the bridge to other counties.

My brokerage has a fairly comprehensive list that includes anything a real estate agent or home owner/buyer might need in the way of home related services. The agents in my office or their clients have used most, if not all the vendors on the list. Feel free to send me an e-mail, or comment on this post, requesting information.

Within my Listingbook website under the services tab, there are three categories. The first category provides a very robust list of vendors for home services. I really like this list as it covers a broad spectrum of categories and compiles many real estate agent’s choices. Drawbacks to the list: being on the list is based on the networking capability of the vendor, and not all the service providers are known to me. Read through the third tab titled “consumer information” for tips and questions to ask of those that you contemplate hiring. If you are curious about why I have few “preferred” providers, feel free to read the section below, or maybe you are a service provider interested in expanding your network.

If you are a service provider for real estate, either to agents or homeowners, feel free to get in touch with me. I recognize each relationship is important, and positive relationships lead to business growth. Some of the web sites, such as Zillow or Listingbook, allow for referral placement. Those sites do require that we have an e-mail correspondence and invitation process, and this may allow those organizations to  ask your company for paid subscriptions and placement. Feel free to discuss this further with me if this sounds good. If you don’t know me and want to  discuss your products/services that could help homeowners, I’d like to meet with you. Once I have seen examples of your work and attention to client service, then I will consider your information for my website and for submission to my office’s list of service providers.

Thank you for your time in reading this: if you are a home owner, or a service provider in the Tampa, Clearwater, Seminole, Hillsborough county or Pinellas county area, or are seeking home ownership in this area, subscribe to or follow my blog. I provide detailed and helpful tips to all things real estate, including local analysis on select areas.

1.TAKING ADVICE FROM FRIENDS AND FAMILY, who do mean well but…

This one to me can be one of the biggest huddles to overcome as a Realtor in the St Petersburg-Tampa-Clearwater Florida area. Every real estate transaction is different because every buyer and seller have their own  tastes,  time line, circumstances, income, debt ratios, credit scores,  personalities, etc…  Also, the real estate market is constantly changing, and what was true a year ago, or last week, may be completely different in today. Loan officers and Realtors that are working in the business every day, have up to date knowledge, and current experience with available loans, local ordinances, appraisals, market values, seller concessions, and more, which unfortunately your friends and family most likely do not. As a first time buyer, it’s important that you trust what your Realtor and/or loan broker tells you.  It is important to get a second opinion in many cases but make sure always that is from another real estate industry professional with all details of the home, contract and your financial situation.

2. MAKING LOW OFFERS ON HOMES

As a first time buyer, you want to get a “good deal” especially with the way the market has been in the last few years. Here in the St Pete Florida area, the inventory is low so you may have to offer full price, or above asking price, on a home that you want to buy.  Homes are moving quickly right now, and desirable properties sometimes have multiple offers submitted on them. If you offer below market or asking price you could end with no home, a broken heart and having to start all over. Many homeowners in the St Petersburg are not in a hurry to sell and well-educated on the local market by their listing agent.

3. NOT MAKING AN OFFER WHEN THEY FIND THE RIGHT HOME

Many times first time home buyers hesitate to place an offer on a home because have just started their search and think that there might be something better. They think that they can’t possibly put on offer on the first, second or third home that they have seen. However, other buyers may have already been searching for months, and the home you love or that tics most of your boxes may very well be under contract and pending by the time you decide to make an offer.

4. BUYING THE MOST EXPENSIVE HOME THEY QUALIFY FOR

Becoming a homeowner in the St Petersburg-Tampa-Clearwater area or anywhere is very exciting for a first time buyer. Remember that there are additional costs when one becomes a homeowner besides just the loan. This is perfect to discuss with friends and family because they can give you great advice from their own experience. Other expenses you may have include insurance, maintenance and upkeep, taxes, water, electric, yard service, pool service and more.

5. LOOKING FOR A HOME JUST LIKE THEIR PARENTS

home in St Petersburg

It’s extremely important to remember that most first time home buyers do not buy their dream home. Sometimes second or third time home buyers can not afford their dream home. Your parents, family members and friends, probably started out in a smaller house or a condo. Most people trade up to a larger waterfront home with a pool and a brand new high-end kitchen over time, especially in the St Pete area. I know that it may be difficult to lower your expectations but if you do, you may find a great home with the right price and incredibly low interest rates here in Florida.

Buzzfeed describes the moment:

Romney described meeting the boy, who had leukemia, at his home not long before he died.

“He said, ‘Mitt, what’s next,’” Romney said. “He called me Brother Romney. What’s next? And I talked to him about what I believe is next.”

“I went to David’s bedside and got a piece of legal paper, made it look very official,” Romney said, recounting a meeting shortly afterwards at a hospital. “And then David proceeded to tell me what he wanted to give his friends. Talked about his fishing rod, and who would get that. He talked about his skateboard, who’d get that. And his rifle, that went to his brother.”

Romney quoted from one of his favorite TV shows, “Friday Night Lights,” to describe the character of Oparowski.

“I’ve seen the character of a young man like David, who wasn’t emotional or crying. He had his eyes wide open. There’s a saying, clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose. David couldn’t lose. I loved that young man,” Romney said.

He also recounted meeting an old friend from his graduate school days at an Atlanta fundraiser three weeks ago. The man, Billy Hulse, was a quadriplegic following an accident.

“And I put my hand on Billy’s shoulder and I whispered into his ear, and I said, ‘Billy, God bless you, I love ya,’” Romney said. “And he whispered right back to me — and I couldn’t quite hear what he said. He tried to speak loud enough for me to hear.”

“He died the next day,” Romney recounted, as the crowd deflated and expressed sympathy.

Fresh off a debate victory on Wednesday night which proved his bolstered his “presidential” image, Romney is trying to seal the deal with voters by allowing them to see his oft-hidden emotional side.

A third story recounted the story of Jane Horton, the wife of a military sharpshooter who was killed in Afghanistan:

On the day she’s packaging up some goodies to go in his birthday package, a knock comes at the door, and they inform her that her husband had been killed, and she decides to devote herself to helping the families of others who have lost their loved ones. He was killed on September 9th 2011. And this was a time when some very misguided people were protesting at the funerals of our servicemen and women—you recall that? And they came to the funeral of her husband. And she was asked, what do you think about this, and this is the quote—she said this: ‘Chris died for them to be able to protest.’ Chris died for them to be able to protest. This is quite a nation we live in, with some extraordinary people.

See if for yourself. Okay, mostly you can hear it. This section begins at around the 10:00 mark. Watching this video gives you a true feeling of the energy greeting Governor Romney.

Romney deserves it. Romney should now go bury Obama.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows Mitt Romney attracting support from 49% of voters nationwide, while President Obama earns the vote from 47%. Click Here

Online Donations, Bigger Crowds Gives Campaign Hope Click Here

St. Pete brings international dragon boat racing to a 350-meter course in Bayboro Harbor, with 18 teams competing in St. Petersburg’s first race of this 2,000-year-old southern Chinese sport which originated on the Yangtze River. Dragon boats usually have beautifully handcrafted dragon heads on the bow of the boat with bright colors painted all the way to the dragons tails. Generally the crew consists of  22 people-20 paddlers in pairs facing toward the bow of the boat, 1 drummer or caller at the bow facing toward the paddlers, and 1 sweep (a steerer) at the rear of the boat. There will also be an educational village set up in Poynter Park with paddle-elated seminars and demonstrations for kayaking and stand-up paddleboards in the water opposite the racing. Also, food vendors, beer garden and an awards ceremony with live music. The first qualifying races begin at 8:30 a.m., the educational village and vendors set up 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by awards ceremonies.

Day’s events

8:30 am – 4:30 pm Dragon Boat Racing in Bayboro Harbor at the Waterfront of the University of South Florida St Petersburg
9:30 am – 4 pm Kayaks, canoes and paddleboard demonstrations/activities will take place along sea wall of Poynter Park opposite to the dragon boat races
9:30 am – 4 pm Educational Village and merchandise vendors in Poynter Park (these pack up at 4:00 to allow the lawns to be clear for the awards ceremony/band/after party)
9:30 am – 4 pm Food and Refreshment open
11:00 am – 6:30 pm Beer and Wine Garden open
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm Awards ceremony/band in Poynter Park for athletes as well as general public
6:30 pm After-party at Jonny Reno’s on The Pier

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This incredibly beautiful totally renovated building is for sale. If you are looking for a one of a kind property, something really special, look no further.

Right now it is a restaurant (La Fogata) connected to a bar (Bellini’s), separate  retail (Can San) and office space. The building has nearly 10,000 square feet on two levels plus a gorgeous outside patio. It sits on a corner and has high visibility from well know Beach Blvd and 29th Ave.

This is the opportunity of a lifetime, let your imagination flow. This awesome complex has endless possibilities and can accommodate all kinds of businesses and entrepreneurial ideas.

2834 Beach Blvd is prices to sell, do not let this one slip by, call me today 727 410 7777  and I will be happy to give you a tour and show the property.