Investing in real estate? Work with a professional.

Today’s marketplace is full of investment opportunities. It's possible that this is the best time in a generation to invest in real estate.

If you have investing in mind - no matter how serious or modest your goals are - you need an experienced real estate agent on your side.

The Right Agent for You

RE/MAX, with offices in more than 80 countries, has thousands of agents experienced in working with investors, and specialists in all types of investment properties, from foreclosures to luxury homes.

Get the Facts

- With low prices, favorable interest rates and strong demand, most rental properties these days are generating positive cash flow.

- Homeownership rates are dipping in the U.S. This tends to drive rental rates up and keep vacancies down.

As we’ve all seen in recent years, housing values can rise and fall. But even when values are static or worse, those rent checks keep coming in.

Investing Can Be for You!

By the way, you don’t have to be wealthy to invest in real estate. In 2009, half of all residential real estate investors earned $75,000 or less.

Interested in seeing what's out there in the Bahamas real estate market? Search RE/MAX Bahamas Paradise Realty for current listings throughout the Bahamas and contact us for further information on the property. Questions about finances? Call us. We will be happy to assist.

RE/MAX CEO Honored Among Top Women in Banking and Real Estate

This week, RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly accepted an award on behalf of all the outstanding women named Top 10 Women in Mortgage Banking and Real Estate Services at the 'Five Star MPact' event in Dallas. In her acceptance speech, Kelly spoke about the difficulties the real estate industry has faced in recent years and how women leaders have made a difference.

For every distressed property there is a distressed family, she noted. Women leaders had the compassion and understanding to assist these families.

"I’d like to think that because of the many dedicated women working in our industry, we’ve somehow managed to make a real difference in peoples’ lives," Kelly said. "Through compassion and understanding we’ve actually lessened some of the human suffering in our communities.

The Top 10 award recognizes exceptional professional achievements of industry leaders who are shaping the future of the mortgage banking industry. The honorees were chosen for "big picture" thinking, growing and maintaining brand equity and reputation, and a record of accomplishment in their organizations.

"While I thank MPact and Five Star for recognizing these outstanding women and their contributions, I also salute them myself for a job well done in very trying times. I know each one of them has made a huge difference. And I know there are many lives that have been changed for the better as a result of their thoughtful work. We all owe them our gratitude for their unwavering commitment."

The awards were presented during a ceremony featuring former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as the keynote speaker.

RE/MAX International Launches a truly Global Real Estate Listing Website

global.remax.com Offers Customized Search of More Than 60 Countries

(Denver, CO) – RE/MAX, LLC, the recognized real estate leader, has launched a new website, global.remax.com, the first truly global resource for consumers, with hundreds of thousands of home listings in countries around the world. The site features customized search tools that allow buyers to search for properties in 30 languages, translate currencies and find the latest international real estate news. At launch, the site will contain listings from Brazil, France, Italy, India, Portugal, the United States, Canada, Italy and New Zealand - a total of more than 60 countries and territories around the world.

“We make our customers our priority, and they told us they needed a comprehensive resource for international properties,” said William E. Soteroff, RE/MAX Executive Vice President, U.S. and International Regional Development. “We’re seeing an increasing number of foreign buyers looking for property in the U.S. and American buyers looking overseas. global.remax.com is essentially a one-stop source for residential and commercial real estate, no matter where you live.”

Real estate trends differ from country to country, city to city and even neighborhood to neighborhood. Buyers and sellers who visit global.remax.com can stay on top of the latest real estate news and events through an in-depth and detailed news feed. The site will also feature a rotating spotlight on a specific country or region, offering visitors insight into that market and any new developments.

In countries like India, Brazil and China, as the population grows and incomes rise, families are searching for homes of their own and investment properties.

RE/MAX is also growing, adding offices around the globe. Franchise sales were up nearly 15% in the first half of 2011, a mark that looks to outpace last year’s total franchise sales, which recorded an impressive 30% increase over 2009. In Brazil alone, RE/MAX has seen 133% growth over 2010.

“We’re growing because there’s a need for experienced and professional agents,” said Soteroff. “In some countries, RE/MAX has been the first real estate brand to go in and open for business. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

RE/MAX has a presence in more than 80 countries, a reach far greater than any competitor. With more than 6,300 offices around the world and a sales force of nearly 90,000 agents, buyers and sellers can take advantage of the experience and knowledge of the most productive professionals in the real estate industry.

For more information about RE/MAX global listings, please visit: www.global.remax.com.

Watch a video about global.remax.com.

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About the RE/MAX Network: RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, real estate industry visionaries who still lead the Denver-based global franchisor today. RE/MAX is recognized as a leading real estate franchise company with the most productive sales force in the industry and a global reach of more than 80 countries. With a passion for the communities in which its agents live and work, RE/MAX is proud to have raised more than $100 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and other charities. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX.

To Handle Low-ball Offer, Minimize Emotion

It's a common scenario in today's real estate market: Sellers have their eyes on getting a certain amount for their home. Buyers make a low-ball offer that insults and offends the sellers and they refuse to even consider it. No sale.

How do you, as a seller, turn such a situation around in your favor to achieve a successful sale closer to your asking price? Your motivation plays a major role in your response, says Julie McCoy, a real estate agent with RE/MAX Accord in Lafayette, California.

If you want to sell a home quickly and a buyer is offering less but can close quickly, it's worth considering, McCoy says. When lower-than-expected offers come in, ask for an explanation from the buyer's agent and compare home sales to see how things stack up.

"The emotion has to be removed from the transactions," McCoy says. "Regardless of what kind of offers you receive, you can't take it personally. When someone writes a low-ball offer, it's not an indication of what your house is worth - but rather what they can afford."

Try to find wiggle room by negotiating the terms, such as the moving timeline, closing costs and repairs. You can gain back some money that way, McCoy says. If you're reluctant to touch the price but you're not having a lot of showings, seriously consider your motivations.

"When a seller says no to low offers, that means he or she will be carrying more payments on the house for a longer period of time," McCoy says. "If a seller can afford the daily cost of staying in the home and wants to get the best bang for the buck at closing, then there's not an urgent need to move. "

If you leave your gut reaction out of the equation, it's easier to make an informed decision on whether or not to consider a low offer.

"Motivated sellers will work with their agent, who then works with the buyer's agent, to negotiate - even if that involves countering," McCoy says. "It takes teamwork to arrive at a conclusion that everyone's happy with."

RE/MAX Bahamas Agent Spotlight - Zack Bonczek

After nearly 18 years of sales, and over 10 as a licensed agent/broker, Zack Bonczek is at the top of his game! He is the Sales Manager here at RE/MAX Paradise Realty and he is also on The Board of Directors for The Bahamas Real Estate Association and currently is The Chairman of The Education Committee.

Zack’s biggest focus in 2011 has been to become a great listing agent. Realizing there is an emotional attachment to property, his goals are to explain to seller’s the dynamics of the market, show them where their property fits into the market and to design a specific and tailored marketing plan to ensure success. Pricing properties right and executing the marketing plan has produced excellent results!

Zack takes pride in all of his endeavors and is especially keen on helping agents, both at RE/MAX Paradise Realty and in other companies, grow personally and professionally. It is a rare day when Zack doesn’t have some helpful advice to share with his colleagues. If you’ve never had the opportunity to work with Zack, give him a call or send him an email! You will not be disappointed!

RE/MAX Bahamas Agent welcomes new baby!

Proud parents, Sarah and Kurt Munro recently had a new addition to their family. Xavi Lee was born on the 20th day of September 2011 and weighed 8 lbs 1 oz - A Healthy baby boy!

Congratulations on your new miracle!

Xavi Lee will have a lot of fun growing up with his big brother Zane who is 4 years older.

RE/MAX Bahamas Office Social

This quarter’s event took us to The Harbour Lounge at The Green Parrot, where we dined on succulent starters, such as Lobster Guacamole and Jalapeno Calamari, and divine thin crust pizzas including Frutti di Mare and the traditional Margherita! A meal like this wouldn’t be complete without a couple of tasty libations to wash it all down!

“At RE/MAX Paradise Realty, our quarterly office social has become an important part of our team building! Social interaction outside of the normal business environment allows our team to become a stronger, more cohesive unit”, explains Craig Pinder, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Paradise Realty. “We are already looking forward to the next event in a couple of months!”

At the Wine Lounge: Pictured left to right - Craig, Sarah, Zack, Lorraine and Michelle

RE/MAX Ranks #1... in more ways than one!

Supported by two major consumer studies that add even more layers to the network’s industry-leading position, RE/MAX will aggressively market itself as the No. 1 brand in real estate, Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger told a crowd of nearly 1,000 at the 2011 RE/MAX Broker Owner Conference in Los Angeles Monday morning.

"Do you like this logo, combining the No. 1 and the RE/MAX Balloon? We’re going to put it on everything," Liniger said at the conference’s Opening General Session, noting that RE/MAX was already the clear leader in transactions, advertising, professional education and many other metrics. "We are No. 1, and we ought to be saying it."

The excitement is fueled in part by the recent J.D. Power and Associates announcement that RE/MAX ranked highest in customer satisfaction among both buyers and sellers. Dave and Gail Liniger received matching trophies during the session.

"We accept this on behalf of all RE/MAX Sales Associates, whose high level of service made this recognition possible," Dave Liniger said. "This honor belongs to them."

A second study, conducted by national research firm Synovate, adds even more weight to the idea that RE/MAX is No. 1 in the eyes of consumers. In this survey, buyers and sellers ranked RE/MAX highest, by a large margin, in top-of-mind awareness, recalled advertising, firm most likely to work with, firm most likely to recommend, and many other categories.

When asked what real estate company first came to mind, 34 percent of the respondents said RE/MAX, easily outdistancing Century 21 (25 percent), Coldwell Banker (11 percent), Prudential (4 percent) and Keller Williams (3 percent). Overall, 95 percent of the participants were aware of RE/MAX.

This type of brand power brings business to RE/MAX Sales Associates, Liniger said. And when they combine their individual skills and talents with the "800-pound gorilla" of RE/MAX brand marketing, they have an unbeatable edge.

"Anyone who says brand isn’t important is either lying or stupid," Liniger said. "Advertising doesn’t cost; it pays. It brings more customers to our agents, makes things easier and generates business for them. And when they follow through with excellent service, they create repeat clients and referrals."

Custom marketing materials, Liniger said, will help Sales Associates use the results of both studies in their listing presentations and other promotions.

"We are developing all sorts of things for agents to use on the front lines," Liniger said. "This is their achievement, and they will directly benefit from it."

Broker/Owners in attendance were pleased at the news.

"Being No. 1 in one thing is great, but being No. 1 in lots of ways is much, much better," said Bob Carlseen, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Praecelsus in Chula Vista, Calif. "Sales Associates are looking for messages that resonate with consumers, and this will give them something very tangible to use."

Paul Turcotte, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Destiny in Cambridge, Mass., agreed.

"Every year, the tools keep getting better," he said. "And we have the proof to back up what we’re saying. Data doesn’t lie. I love the new direction."

Other highlights from the session:

• A new quarterly RE/MAX magazine, called Above, will debut in October in print and in an electronic version.

• RE/MAX CEO Margaret Kelly said the launch of the new remax.com site has been delayed by IDX policy changes at the National Association of Realtors. But while the site’s listing functionality has been impacted by the changing rules, work on the design and content has continued, and Kelly shared a glimpse of the fresh and user-friendly home page. She also emphasized that the current remax.com is completely compliant with existing IDX rules and would not be affected by any decisions at the NAR national convention in November.

Home Buyers and Sellers Prefer RE/MAX

RE/MAX Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction in 2011 J.D. Power and Associates Study

DENVER, CO – Results from the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Home Buyer/Seller StudySM, recognize RE/MAX for providing the highest overall consumer satisfaction for both home buyers and home sellers. In last year’s study, two different companies ranked the highest in each category, but this year home buyers and sellers both rated RE/MAX the highest.

“It all comes down to professionalism and a commitment to a premier level of customer service,” said RE/MAX Chairman and Co-Founder Dave Liniger. “Because RE/MAX agents average more experience and training than other agents, they are better prepared to deal with home buyers and sellers in any kind of market. And, consumer preferences tell the story . . . nobody sells more real estate than RE/MAX.”

This is the fourth annual study of home buyer and seller satisfaction with the largest national real estate companies, conducted by J.D. Power and Associates. For the home buying experience, three factors were considered: agent/salesperson, office and a variety of additional services. Four factors were examined for the home-selling experience: agent/salesperson, marketing, office and a variety of additional services.

Details from the study indicate that on a scale of 1,000, homebuyer respondents ranked RE/MAX with a score of 805 and home sellers put RE/MAX on top at 791. The 2011 study includes more than 4,200 evaluations from 3,680 respondents who bought or sold a home in the U.S. between March 2010 and April 2011.

In two other 2011 industry surveys of the country’s top real estate brokerages, RE/MAX agents averaged more transaction sides than agents at the other national franchises. The RIS Media Power Broker Survey and the REAL Trends 500 both showed that RE/MAX agents averaged over 14 transactions sides, more than double the average of many competitors.

The success of RE/MAX agents is the result of its comprehensive educational platform, RE/MAX University, which offers over 1,100 educational programs on-demand, and available online, on television, on smart phones and in classrooms around the world.

About the RE/MAX Network: RE/MAX was founded in 1973 by Dave and Gail Liniger, real estate industry visionaries who still lead the Denver-based global franchisor today. RE/MAX is recognized as a leading real estate franchise company with the most productive sales force in the industry and a global reach of more than 80 countries. With a passion for the communities in which its agents live and work, RE/MAX is proud to have raised more than $100 million for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and other charities. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX. Please visit www.remax.com or www.joinremax.com.

About J.D. Power and Associates: Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

10 Summer Safety Tips for Kids

Make Sure to Know where your kids are at all times!

Beware of the Sun! - It’s going to be a really hot summer this year. Be sure to always apply sun screen on you and your children often. Kids young skin are very susceptible to burning more so than yours so even if you think that you are not going to be in the sun for a long period, still apply the screen. It’s also a good idea to get some sun-shirts; they work like sun screen without the reapplication.

Drink lots of Water – The heat is going to get you if you do not stay hydrated this summer. Make sure to consume water often throughout the day.

Pool Safety – Be sure that young children are never unsupervised in or even around the pool area. Injuries often occur in a small space of time, sometimes when the supervising eyes are distracted for only a few minutes.

Boat Safety – A lot of people are going to be utilizing their boats this summer. It is always a good idea to be prepared (like a boy scout) for an outing. Make sure that you have a First Aid kit with all the usual Band-Aids, gauze bandages, scissors and tape etc. A flair gun is also very good to have on your boat. Make sure that your flair gun is stored in a place that is fairly easy to get to in case of an emergency, but not easily accessible for your children. Also make sure to have ample life vests and a fire extinguisher in case of a real emergency.

Bikes & Skateboards – Children love to ride their bikes and scooters; Make sure that they always wear the proper gear to protect their heads, elbows and knees. Teach your children that they must be aware of their surroundings at all times because cars can fly out of nowhere. Make sure they know that if they are riding their bikes, scooters, or boards in the road that they are in the way of the cars and that they have to move quickly out of the way if one approaches.

Insect Bites – Be sure to protect yourself if biting insects are attacking you and your children. Diseases are spread sometimes by these insects such as mosquitoes and ticks. The best insect repellent to use contains DEET, but these products are not the best for your skin and especially not good for your younger ones.

Barbequing – During summer time a lot of people are drawn outdoors for events and love to have a grill-out. It is imperative that your children stay away from the grilling area when food is being prepared. They may burn their little hands or they may get in the way of the chef and adversely cause an incident. Water is always a good idea to keep on hand in case the fire gets out of hand.

Water Sports – Thrill seekers enjoy occupying their summer with activities such as Jet skiing, parasailing, tubing, kayaking, and windsurfing, etc. It is important to know where your children are at all times during these activities because injuries can happen in a blink of an eye.

Buckle Up! – Make sure that your kids are properly secured in their seat whether it is by car, airplane, train etc. Don’t think nothing is going to happen because accidents happen.

Traveling abroad – Are you going somewhere on vacation this summer? If you are, it’s a good idea to have your children carry your contact information on their person in the event they get lost.

Have a Great Summer!

RE/MAX Grows in the Caribbean & Central America

Top Real Estate Franchisor Adds Offices to Expanding Network

Denver, CO - April 6, 2011 - The RE/MAX network continues to expand its reach around the world, announcing five new offices in four countries in the Caribbean and Central America. RE/MAX is now in more than 80 countries, after increasing franchise sales nearly 30 percent in 2010 and outdistancing all competitors.

“We are changing the way real estate business is conducted in many of these countries,” says Ricardo Cardenas, Regional Vice President, RE/MAX Latin America and Caribbean. “Our blueprint for the industry is based on training and professionalism and that is what is drawing so many new offices to RE/MAX.”

In Honduras, the Broker/Owners of RE/MAX Bay Islands in Roatan have opened a second office in West Bay. Larry Schlesser and Janine Goben have named the new office RE/MAX Western Sunsets, and staffed the location with experienced agents who are long-time residents. Schlesser and Goben hope to double the staff at Western Sunsets this year.

“Tourists are returning to this area and many of them are prospective investors,” says Goben. “We expect to see as many as a million prospective clients come in on cruise ships this year and we have to be ready for them.”

In Puerto Rico, one new office is open and another will launch in June. Enrique Morales is the Broker/Owner of the new RE/MAX Divine office in greater San Juan. Broker/Owner Sandy Ramos will open RE/MAX Real Estate Group, in the heart of the island’s tourist area. The office will serve the townships of Rio Grande, Canovanas, Luquillo, Fajardo and Humacao.

“The buyers we see in the area around Rio Grande are second home buyers that live outside Puerto Rico,” says Ramos. “RE/MAX is a name they know and trust, and we’re thrilled to be able to bring first class customer service to them.”

In Panama, Yenci Milano converted her independent office in Panama City to RE/MAX Golden Dream Realty. Milano believes the change will help her agents better serve their buyers and sellers.

“The market has started to move again and there is great interest from investors from other Latin American countries, especially from Venezuela,” says Milano. “RE/MAX will give us more exposure to better serve the growing international clientele.”

And, in Costa Rica, a new office is scheduled to open in Playa Dominical, in the province of Puntarenas. New Broker/Owners Dave and Debra West are long time real estate professionals. They’re looking forward to helping buyers who are searching for properties along Costa Rica’s pristine southern Pacific shoreline.

“We’re focusing on the coastal region surrounding Playa Dominical and extending to where the mountains meet the ocean,” says Dave West. “This area is truly unique and once you’ve experienced it, it’s hard to leave. We’ll be busy assisting families in finding the home of their dreams.”

Zillow.com Partners With RE/MAX

Today I am pleased to announce a partnership which enables RE/MAX to automatically feed all of their listings to Zillow. This is great news for RE/MAX agents because their listings now automatically appear on the Zillow/Yahoo! Real Estate Network, the largest real estate network on the Web, and across Zillow Mobile apps on the iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Mobile.

RE/MAX joins the Zillow Listings Feed program, which launched in November 2007 and has grown to more than four million for-sale listings, and hundreds of thousands of rental listings.

Originally written by: Spencer Rascoff / Zillow.com

2011 Bahamas Realty Search - Are you ready?

It's the start of another New Year; The perfect time to begin your search for real estate!

If you have been keeping your eye on the Bahamas real estate market waiting for that perfect home or condo to pop on the scene, you may be waiting for a while. Needing a place to move into and looking for another place are two different priorities all together. On one hand you are actively engaging with real estate agents whilst you pursue websites and neighbourhoods looking for what is available, and on the other hand you are simply looking at pretty pictures.

If you are serious about purchasing real estate in The Bahamas you need to get your ducks in a row. The first step is sitting down with a Loans Officer to see what you qualify for and to figure out what you can afford. Once this step has been completed then you can actively search for real estate possibilities.

Contact an Agent or Agency to assist you in finding your perfect real estate match. Research which real estate agent or agency will represent you best in your endeavor. It's best to work strictly with one agent or agency otherwise it gets confusing because there will be duplicate work being done. Make sure to work with an agent that you gel with nicely.

Are you planning on purchasing real estate this year? Are your ducks in a row? If they are and you would like to inquire on some real estate listings we would be happy to assist you. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the RE/MAX Paradise Realty Team via the Contact Form or telephone (242) 325-3000.