BABY FRIENDLY SARASOTA

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting and shopping at Everyday Baby in Sarasota. They are housed in a lovely old home just off of Fruitville at 329 Gillespie Avenue. My daughter has told me all about how great they are but it was my first trip personally. With all of the big box stores selling the same things, it is refreshing to find a local shop (everyone knows how passionate I am about shopping local) that carries unique, healthy and organic items for your baby and you.

If you are expecting, are a new mother or even a grand mother (like me!), I highly recommend you visit Everyday Baby!

Here are their links for their website and their blog.

http://everydayaxness.blogspot.com/
http://www.everydaybabystore.com/

Keller Williams: Get the App

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Health Care in Sarasota

There were so many great things to do this past holiday weekend. Beach, boating, picnics and more. I, however, was scheduled for surgery at 6am Saturday morning. Not exactly my ideal plan for the weekend, but it had to be done. As that was how I spent my weekend, I thought I would give a thumbs up to Sarasota Memorial Hospital. The surgery was performed on time and the post operative care was compassionate and thorough. I am sure the Doctors, Nurses, and Aides all had better ideas of how THEY wanted to spend their weekend as well, but you never would have known that. I was well cared for and when I was ready to leave at 6pm, the discharge went quickly and effortlessly. So, if you are planning a move to Sarasota for all the great cultural and outdoor activities, rest assured that should you need health care, it is of the highest quality!
http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/fl/sarasota-memorial-hospital-6390052

VAN WEZEL PERFORMING ARTS HALL, SARASOTA, FLORIDA

Choosing what to do on any given night (or day!) in SARASOTA is always a challenge! There are SO many options! SARASOTA has many, many wonderful and diverse restaurants and bars, live theater, concerts, symphony, ballet, gardens and on and on! The VAN WEZEL Performing Arts Hall is always hosting something or someone special. I was fortunate to see Aaron Neville there a few years ago. It is a beautiful venue, inside and out, right on the bay front.

Friday night I decided to go to the Reggae Fest on the grounds of the Van Wezel. The band, Impulse, played energetic reggae, both covers and originals, as well as Zouk and Calypso and had the audience on their feet for hours! I was up and dancing with singles, couples, kids and a lovely senior "hippie" with pig tails who never stopped smiling! Vendors provided food and drink and Mother Nature provided a stunning sunset for the background.
 I highly recommend checking out the up coming schedule and putting the VAN WEZEL on your "to do" in SARASOTA list!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ar8xWbZDog

ADVANTAGES OF MAINTENANCE FREE LIVING

I am working at home in SARASOTA today, on the computer, at my desk in the kitchen. LOVE LOVE LOVE having a desk right in the heart of my home...I can cook and work at the same time! Today there is a lot going on outside. The landscape crew is busy pruning, weeding, mowing, raking and more. I moved to a maintenance free community from a single family home a few years ago. I still have the advantage of a free standing home with a yard and a lanai, where I can plant (with approval..no big deal) my own garden. HOWEVER, I have a crew that shows up and cares for it all! They haul away the debris and I get to enjoy the results. So, I still have fun digging in the dirt, planting and watching my choices grow and flourish, while someone else cares for them!

Last spring, during some very heavy rains, I noticed wet spots on my bedroom ceiling.  I called the property management company and promptly the roofers were out inspecting the situation. Within a few weeks, I had a brand new barrel tile roof and skylight! I am not sure exactly how much a brand new roof on a 1500 sq ft house would be, but I venture a guess it would take YEARS of my monthly fee to cover that!

This spring, it was time for power washing and painting all the trim on my home and that was done quickly and painlessly! Even the driveway was power washed. I had just asked for an estimate from an independent contractor as I was not aware that was included! In 4 more years it will be time to re paint the entire exterior. I get to choose from a pallet of colors and, again, it's paid for!

Particularly for couples or singles who travel a lot, maintenance free living is a great choice. You can leave and come back months later and everything will look the same! No checking up to ensure your landscaper has kept up with the lawn and trimming in your absence. Since the sprinkler system is also automatic (and, in my development, comes from a holding pond), there is no need to worry if your beautiful plantings have wilted in a drought.

Each association is different, so be sure to find out what is included in your monthly payment. In my SARASOTA  neighborhood of LONGWOOD RUN, the exterior homeowner's insurance is also included. Buyers often shy away from these neighborhoods because of the monthly cost, but I always point out that these are things they would be responsible for on their own and they have to take that into consideration.

For me, it's an easy choice! Then again, each association has different fees and some neighborhoods are more expensive than others so always find out what is included.

Have a great weekend in YOUR neighborhood of SARASOTA!

COMEDY IN SARASOTA

Real Estate can be extremely rewarding and often stressful! Living in SARASOTA, there is a great release for tension found at McCurdy's Comedy Theater http://www.mccurdyscomedy.com/
Prior to the show, I enjoyed GREAT Chinese food at YUMMY HOUSE (right across 41 from McCurdy's). I highly recommend the Salt and Pepper Shrimp and Sesame Chicken, which is actually crispy! The wait can sometimes be a bit long, but the food makes it worthwhile! Coming from New Jersey, my standards for Chinese food are high, and with YUMMY HOUSE, Sarasota finally has a winner.
After dinner, it was time for the show at McCurdy's. Wednesday is open mic night, so there were 3 comedians on stage prior to the headliner. They were actually pretty funny. The main act, Ron Feingold  http://www.ronfeingold.com/ had me belly laughing all night. His impersonations and creative use of  a capella combined with jokes was hysterical. I really loved every minute of his performance. I had never been to McCurdy's before and will go back for sure. It is a small intimate venue, where you can have light fare to eat and great drinks as well.
There is no way you can hang on to tension or worry about anything while you are laughing, and the effect has lasted into today. Thank you Ron Feingold for a great dose of lightening the load!

So, this past week I learned there is one area in the Real Estate training that is lacking, and that is effective handling of people!

 In each transaction, so many personalities are involved on so many levels: sellers, buyers, insurance agents, mortgage brokers, attorneys, title companies, secretaries, receptionists, appraisers, inspectors...the list is endless!

 It gets particularly "dicey" when dealing with family or friends. Bottom line, however, is that everyone involved should be treated with respect and dignity. Whether their level of expertise is years and years or they are newbies...all should be treated the same.

I think we need to be trained more effectively in people skills! Patience, listening, resolving, thanking, etc. etc. 

I would love to hear from anyone on books they have read or courses they have taken which address effectively dealing with all those involved in any transaction.

I learned gratitude, patience and persistence last week. I learned to ask more and more questions if I was not comfortable with the answers and not to be ashamed to ask! In return, I must remember that when my clients are asking me endless questions, I need to reply with respect and clarity.

In the end, we all want the same result, which is a smooth, successful closing that leaves everyone happy with the result and with the people who have been involved.

Susan McDavit
http://susanmcdavit.yourkwagent.com
www.facebook.com/SMcDavitKWagent
susanmcdavit@kw.com