Coldwell Banker's 10-10-10 Sales Event!

Coldwell Banker is launching a Nationwide Campaign to help the sellers we work for to sell their property! It's called the 10-10-10 Sales Event because for 10 Days, select properties will reduce the asking price of their home by 10% starting on October 1st, 2010. The event ends on midnight of 10/10/10.

You can see all of the properties that are participating in the Florida Keys by clicking here!

Most importantly to me, my listing on Shark Key is participating in the 10-10-10 Sales Event and have reduced our listing price by 10%! To learn more about that property, please visit: www.12CannonRoyal.com

I chose to work for Coldwell Banker Schmitt Real Estate Co. because of their reputation for educating their agents far more than the competition. Since I've gotten here I've also learned that we work harder to sell your property than the competition. During the months of August, September and October Real Estate in the Florida Keys becomes notoriously slow as it is outside of our "Tourist Season" except for Fantasy Fest which comes towards the end of October (I'll be blogging about that soon enough!). To help get buyers and seller together we are participating in the 10-10-10 Sales Event. Just another example of how we try harder to sell your property and deliver the best customer service.

No matter where you live in the United States, Coldwell Banker's 10-10-10 Sales Event might be knocking down sales prices in your neighborhood. Keep your eyes and ears open for the marketing and remember, it's a great time to buy!

My Summer Vacation - 2010

In beautiful Key West, FL we don't really have the true four seasons that I grew up with in Connecticut. With a latitude of 24.55 degrees, we are just 72 miles North of the Tropic of Cancer so one could say that we are in the tropics so we have more of a 2 season kind of climate - Wet and Dry. None the less we cling to the perception of the four seasons and celebrate the holidays that remind us of the different times of the year even though it really is like Summer 365 days a year.

For the first time in my adult life I had the freedom to truly be on vacation for a serious amount of time. Being married to a teacher makes it difficult to sit in a cubical, filing paperwork for nine hours a day when I could be with my wife (MJ), sipping a daiquiri by the pool... or something. Last year, as a banker, I had five days of vacation that were preceded and then followed by weeks of hell. If I could pinpoint one exact reason I retired from banking and became a self employed Realtor, it'd be that I could spend the Summer with my wife doing exciting things.

While MJ was teaching Summer School through the first week of July, I was prepping my clients and coworkers for my departure. Even though I wasn't going anywhere, right away, I wasn't going to be in the office. Thanks to the iPhone I was able to stay in constant contact with everyone I needed to via e-mail and phone. It was great. First up was a visit from my good friends from college, Dan and Heather (and unborn baby X) as they celebrated their one year anniversary of marriage and last hurrah before becoming parents. We did some jet skiing, hot sauce tasting, drinking, eating and relaxing. Have visitors come to my island always makes me appreciate where I live just a little bit more.

After they left, MJ and I went to visit her family in Miami Springs. We brought our dog, Kilo and my golf clubs. I got in five rounds of golf in four days at the Miami Springs Municipal Golf Course which is larger, more forgiving and in better condition than the course I usually play at. I consistently broker 100 (which has long been a goal) until my last round where I couldn't shake my case of the shanks. I stopped keeping score, started drinking jack & diets and swore off ever playing another round of golf in my entire life. On the bright side, MJ's family is wonderful, loving and all about cooking. Works for me because I love to eat! So long healthy diet... We enjoyed our time in Miami. Below is a picture of MJ & Kilo hanging out at her parent's house during Tropical Storm Bonnie.





Next up we spent a full week with my parents in Danbury, CT. These are my old stomping grounds and I loved every second of it. On different visits home I like to see certain groups of friends and family so on this trip I decided it would be all family. My Mom was very happy to have us at the house and stay in every night! The cool night time temperatures were awesome and sat on the deck almost every night soaking it in. While in Connecticut we also visited my brother for a few nights and caught a rock concert at Mohegun Sun. That was pretty cool but kind of loud. Made me feel old... MJ & I went to the movies with my parents - twice, painted vases for my Mom, mowed the lawn, grocery shopped, read books, etc. We tried to pretend like we lived there just to see how it felt.



We then made our way to Ithaca, NY to spend some time with my sister's family. My sister is one of the greatest people I know and it had been a long time since I visited her in Ithaca. I was excited to have remembered how to get to her house, which is a 4+hour car trip, without the aide of a map or electronic device. They live a life of goodness up there and we were so happy to have been able to gel into their family. We went to a picnic, hiked multiple gorges, ate fresh black berries right off of the vine, hiked some more and got to meet up with my brother-in-law's parents whom are excellent people themselves. The highpoint (for me) was being able to take one of my nephews to his first NASCAR race at Watkins Glenn. It was my wife's first time attending that specific race and I had been there multiple times before. It was loud, hot, smelled of burned rubber and gasoline and we loved every second of it! Pictured below is MJ and I in a gorge!




The picture below is of my nephew and I at the race:


On the return trip we spent some more time with my parents in Connecticut, a few more days in Miami and then finally got back to our condo in Key West after 23 days of being away. Never has it felt so good to be home! Now the only question is, what will we plan for our Summer Vacation of 2011?

Key West Poker Run

We survived! This past weekend my wife and I did the "Peterson's Harley Davidson Key West Poker Run." It started at Cutler Bay (just south of Miami) and finished in Key West. Since we started in Key West that made for a 320 mile round trip that took approximately 9 hours. We were a little timid about the Harley crowd but they played nice and we minded our own business for the most part.

The first stop was at "Gilbert's" at Mile Marker 108 in Key Largo, FL. It's underneath that huge bridge at the beginning of the 18 mile stretch. There weren't very many bikers there so we got our cards, had a drink of water and hopped back on my cruiser and began heading South (West I guess).

Next stop was at "Smugglers Cove" in Islamorada. They had live music, drink stations, big barbecue, t-shirts and inflated prices. I dropped $30 on a cheeseburger, Corona and a diet soda. We enjoyed the shade and the music and were hopeful that the next stop was only 30 miles away.

Poker Run Stop #3 was "The Island Tiki Bar" at Mile Marker 54 - just outside of Marathon. For the first time in our trip we saw hundreds of motorcycles. We had passed thousands that were going South as we were headed North but it felt like we had just caught up to the end of the pack. We almost always go to Keys Fisheries exclusively when visiting Marathon but they have more to offer. The service at this restaurant was awesome - food good and they kept my waters coming quickly.

Over the seven-mile bridge and through Big Pine we went and got to "Boondock's" in Ramrod Key. Place was packed with the wonderful customer service you can always expect from the staff there... Finally saw some friends we knew there and that was nice. Diet soda for me and the Mrs. and dropped $6... So it goes during bike week I guess...

Last stop on the Poker Run! "Schooner Warf Bar" in Old Key West. I haven't felt that accomplished since I rode from Hartford, CT to Big Pine back in 2005. We were exhausted but took the time to mingle with the other bikers and tourists. That was nice and we felt very cool in our leather jackets, pulling up to the bar. One Miller Lite was enough for me and we headed home.

On the way home I decided to take Duval Street. It was INSANE. Hundreds and hundreds of bikes parked on both sides of the street. No cars allowed - just tourists walking along taking pictures of the motorcycles. It was very cool to idle along Duval through all of the madness.

Once we made it home - quick shower, nap and I was ready to watch some college football. It was an awesome trip, lots of fun and nice to end up where we started just 9 short hours before.