David Barr's Sarasota and Venice Real Estate Blog

I've added more unique content to my real estate website, http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/ . I have personally rated over 50 areas and neighborhoods in Sarasota, Manatee, and Charlotte Counties on 5 separate categories:  beaches, boating, accessibility, value, and amenities.  This is a first for a Sarasota real estate website. I'm always looking to provide information that buyers search for when investigating Sarasota real estate.  After all, a well-informed customer is the best customer! See this new feature in action by visiting http://www.davidbarrhomes.com/longboat_key.html .

I just received this month's Realtor Magazine.  Predictably, the letter from the Editor is a plea for support for NAR and it's efforts to increase dues to fend off the banks and to lobby to keep the mortgage deduction.  Supposedly, the NAR is providing us all this added value in the form of government activism, Realtor.com, and this fantastic resource, Realtor Magazine. I'll tackle Realtor.com another day, but the Realtor Magazine is a real gem. On page 18, under Sales and Marketing, the article titled "4 Ways to Perk Up the Open House" is a real winner.  One suggestion is to change the time and day.  One Realtor in California suggests "twilight" Open Houses, to attract buyers after work.  That's a great idea, I can't think of one other thing I'd rather do after a full day of work. Another is to pick a theme, like a block party with an open pit BBQ, popcorn and champagne according to a Realtor in Baltimore.  So the house is open to

It's not just Obama wildly spending money and driving us off a cliff. Now the National Association of Realtors wants to raise our dues by 50% to fund lobbying for the Realtor Party Political Survival Initiative (RPPSI). I have two simple things to say about this. 1)  Get politics out of real estate.  You can't spend my money on candidates I don't support.  2)  Get big government out of real estate.  As NAR says, all real estate is local.  Let us handle our real estate issues at the local and state level. It's time to start thinking boycott of NAR if this continues.  Who else is in?