There are so many variations to the occupation of "self employed".  People who work from home, Professionals with degrees, Licensed Professionals such as Realtors, etc....Per the Merriam-Webster dictionary self employed is defined as follow: "Main Entry: self-em·ployed : earning income directly from one's own business, trade, or profession rather than as a specified salary or wages from an employer".The occupations may vary, but one main similarity remains.  Get to work or don't get paid.  Some self employed individuals have the flexibility of making their own schedules and actually scheduling appointments, other's depend on walk in traffic and marketing. Some have assistants or workers.  But at the end of the day, if the services rendered are yours, you make the money.  You are respons... 09/20/2007

Today I have a better understanding of blogging.  I've made several attempts in the past to blog on this website and others.   However, today as a member of Century 21 Sundance Realty's WOW Group, led by fellow Active Rainer, Midori Miller, I have been enlightened.  I now have a clue regarding spacing, linking, tags and all the other lingo that goes along with it.  I saw my ranking on the website bump up with a couple of well placed words.  Exposure is the key and blogging is the door.   I am so excited, that this is my third blog today.  So, blog on everybody.  I hope to catch up with all of the news out there and hope you'll keep up with mine.  09/19/2007

Real estate is not just a job for our team! Service is the name of the game and that's what we deliver. We have a lot of fun and get to meet people from all over the world who become our friends for life! We are happy to say that a lot of our business comes from referrals, friends and family!Another great source of business for us is the internet! What would we do without the internet? As I am writing to you this morning I am responding to a lady who contacted us approximately a year ago from New Jersey. Shirley and her husband, Bob, initially found Team Gagliardi on the internet under Port Orange Homes and Port Orange Real estate . Shirley emailed me indicating she and her husband were in the process of putting their home on the market in New Jersey and they were moving here to be clos... 09/17/2007

The Sanctuary On Spruce Creek is a premier gated community located off Williamson Blvd. in Port Orange, FL with incredible deals!!! Port Orange homes for sale in this Port Orange community were built by Intervest Construction or ICI from 1995 through the early 2000’s. Lush tropical landscaping and palm trees enhance the gated entrance to this sought after Port Orange neighborhood. These Sanctuary single family homes for sale range from 1500 SF of living area to over 5000 SF. Three to five bedroom Port Orange Luxury homes and estate homes are available.Spectacular, elegant & spacious models include the Saratoga, Preakness, and Kimberly built by ICI which have all the features you need or want!Valued Features include: Vaulted tray ceilings Open floor plans Screened heated pools Oversized ... 09/13/2007

Rollings Hills is an upscale Port Orange FL neighborhood with plenty of space to roam with city amenities nearby. Rolling Hills is a luxury subdivision of Paytas built Port Orange homes that sell at an average price of $800K and an average of 4000 square feet of living space and up. Lots are one acre or more, a scarcity in the city of Port Orange, FL. In Rolling Hills, buyers get deep front yard setbacks, wide sidewalks, and long driveways! Ponds and wildlife accent the common areas of pine, oak and flowering trees. Many of the Rolling Hills residents enjoy outdoor living with features such as screened lanais and pools, detached cabanas and gyms, and in law suites with attached garages. The sprawling lots lend to many owners who have built RV garages.   Ultra-luxurious, sprawling, custo... 09/12/2007

Port Orange Area Real Estate Blog. Information and Reports by Lisa Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" If you're considering buying real estate in Port Orange Florida, make sure you don't overlook Port Orange City Center when making your decision! As a REALTOR®, I make sure my clients have the opportunity to see the beautiful lake with 3 fountains that anchors our Police Department, Library, YMCA, Utilities Department, Ball Fields and Amphitheater. This gorgeous setting is meant to entice people of all ages to walk, jog and enjoy the outdoors. Every year in October, thousands of people come to the City Center for the weekend of Port Orange Family Days where you can enjoy concerts, a midway, and obtain information from the local businesses that help host this much-anticipated annual event. This y... 09/10/2007

As Volusia county home sales remain sluggish sellers need to be proactive and come up with new strategies. Sellers have to go the extra mile now!Sellers need to look outside the box and consider non conventional approaches to selling their homes with a pre inspection! When the market was busy and we bombarded our sellers with multiple offers they didn’t have to worry about the condition of their home. When Port Orange Real Estate was hot someone was going to buy!!A home inspection obtained by the seller in advance to listing their property is without doubt a great tactic. A seller’s inspection is not in lieu of the buyer’s inspection , however it should signal good faith to buyers and also detect unpleasant surprises.Remember though the preventative seller’s inspection means that the se... 09/05/2007

In Daytona Beach commercial real estate news, plans are continuing for The Pavilion. The Pavilion will be a 551,384 square foot shopping center on 73 acres, near the northwest corner of I-95 and Taylor Road in Port Orange. (Just a couple of miles from my home!)The corporation that owns the Volusia Mall on International Speedway Blvd., (just up the road from the Daytona International Speedway) CBL & Associates is developing this shopping center. They're calling it the "Lifestyle Center" and say they expect to have a mix of retail, services, and entertainment, laid out in a village-style setting, with a pavilion overlooking a lake. It sounds wonderful! According to the latest Florida Retail Report of the International Council of Shopping Centers, anchor stores are expected to be Circuit C... 08/31/2007

If you are thinking of moving to the Greater Daytona Beach area and looking for a family friendly neighborhood, stop the car and call me now for information about Port Orange Plantation.Port Orange Plantation is located off Williamson Blvd. and in the highly desired city of Port Orange. Port Orange Plantation is just minutes from I 95 and I 4, schools, and beaches. There are many single family detached resale homes built by DR Horton available and ready for immediate occupancy! There are pool homes, homes with preservation areas for privacy, lakefront homes and homes located on cul de sacs! Resale prices range from $229K!Port Orange Plantation Homes For SaleAmenities include community sidewalks, street lighting, lakes and more…Low HOA fees cover maintenance of common areas.Port Orange S... 08/30/2007

Port Orange Real Estate & Information Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" This post will almost finalize my series on the communities in Countryside, located in Port Orange Florida. For a quick re-cap, Countryside is an upscale development that consists of several smaller communities within the large one. Residents of each of these smaller communities have access to the Countryside pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, lakes and common areas.In this post, I'll briefly describe The Meadows. The Meadows is the only section of Countryside that is maintenance-free. It consists of town houses and duplexes... well; actually they’re more like quads. Each of these little groups of homes are immaculately kept by the association itself. They’re also within walking distance to the pool, clubhous... 08/29/2007

For many years, the one type of neighborhood that was missing in the Daytona Beach area was one that offered a maintenance-free lifestyle. In 2003 that changed.We now have resort living in the gated,  Winston-James development, The Villages of Royal Palm located on Williamson Blvd. in Port Orange, just minutes from Daytona Beach. This community has the most spectacular clubhouse I've ever seen and the location is unbeatable, with close proximity to shopping, I-4 and I-95. Every time I'm in this spectacular community I see residents walking their dogs, playing tennis, cycling and visiting with their neighbors. And they always offer a friendly wave and a smile.  This is just one of many desirable communities in Daytona Beach and Port Orange. A couple of others are the Hunt Club and Steepl... 08/28/2007

Port Orange Real Estate & Information Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" If you're considering buying real estate in Daytona Beach Florida, you may want to consider Port Orange. Port Orange is located just 5 miles south of Daytona Beach, but is a newer city, out of the way of all the special event traffic and noise.  To continue with my posts about the gorgeous community of Countryside in Port Orange Florida, today I'm going to focus on the section in Countryside called The Villas. In The Villas you'll find where Countryside first began, back in 1983. In this section there are affordable 2 or 3 bedroom patio homes. These homes are all on small lots (also known as zero-lot lines; the usual setback rules do not apply) that are easy to maintain. The Villas is also the closest sect... 08/28/2007

     Port Orange Real Estate & Community Events. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" This blog is about the fabulous Countryside community in Port Orange Florida. Countryside is an upscale community with a pool, clubhouse and tennis courts. There are several subdivisions within Countryside, called The Hunt Club The Villas The Meadows Steeplechase I've been selling houses and general real estate in this area for years and Countryside in Port Orange is one of my favorite communities. It has several lakes, it's a great location and with the different mini-communities, you have a variety of choices in the style of house you want to buy. Port Orange is located 5 miles south of Daytona Beach FL.  Dunlawton Avenue is the main road that runs through Port Orange, and has direct access to I-95.... 08/26/2007

I spent my Saturday at Silver Sands Middle School in Port Orange, Florida.  It was a martial arts competition. ATA,  The American Taekwondo Association.            Adult Orange Belts waiting to show their form and prepare to spar.....I love it!         See these little guys, well one of them is the reason why I attended.  Our very own Nancy Dance, no not the Nancy Dance who owns the company.  It is her daughter in law's son (grandson) who participated in the competition.  We have 3 Nancy's, I often refer to them as the Nancy's!  Nancy Dance, Nancy-Ellen Dance-Otte and Nancy T. Dance (married to George Dance).           I was honored to be there as I witnessed Kevin Dance take 2nd in form.  I was really impressed.  It was fun to watch the little guys all the way to the adults.           ... 08/26/2007

There are many beautiful and affordable Port Orange FL pool homes available on the market!Close your eye's and imagine floating adrift in the Caribbean on a soft float with dual drink holders! BTW, this is a pic of our pool from the lanai!  I took this pic with the use of AutoStitch a program that Jeff Turner recommended in a Gadget Blog. It is very user friendly and free! Try it and see what you think!Below see Stats for Pool Homes SOLD in Port Orange from June 1, 2007  thru July 15, 2007. Stats taken from Daytona Beach MLS.BEDROOMSBATHSLIST PRICESELL PRICEDOMSELL/LIST21124600129600184104%221299009350010472%321550001350004587%3215990015700038298%321690001580005093%3216990014500013385%2216990016000014294%2217290016500015495%3217900016000010789%2217990016490020392%3218200017500022396%321... 07/18/2007

THE Port Orange Real Estate & Community Events blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" This is not my first blog about the benefits of living in Port Orange, Florida. For those of you who are not familiar with Port Orange, it lies about 10 minutes south of Daytona Beach and is part of the Daytona Beach area. For more information about living in Port Orange, read my posts titled... Picture Yourself In Port Orange Plan A Fun Outing in Port Orange Countryside-Upscale Port Orange Community with pool, clubhouse, tennis The Villages of Royal Palm- Country Club Style Community in Port Orange But for the meat of this post, I wanted to boast once again about this fabulous city, whose motto is “Unique by Choice, Not by Chance”.  I just found out today, that the state Bureau of Emergency Medic... 07/03/2007

Good friends of mine that I work with on the Bikes & Blues Committee for St. Jude have put together ..  A great day of fun and entertainment in Port Orange for the Fourth of July!!  Where? Kenneth W Parker Amphitheater at the City Center Park beginning at 4PMThere will be a special place for you park your Classic Car or Hot Rod to show off those beauties!There will be live music, food, exhibits and a kids area! Live Music? You betcha! Rock On Productions always has good live music!You will be entertained by .. Lauren Ellis, Gail Force AND The Brass Band Of Central Florida from 4-9PM  Then .. At Nine PM .. All eyes will turn to the sky to watch a spectacular fireworks display!! Come on down and join my friends at Rock On Productions and have some fun this Fourth Of July! Remember! Celebr... 07/03/2007

I have to share this story of how a sale that got way off track, a few years ago, due to an appraisal problem on a house I sold in Port Orange FL. It started with the Port Orange listing I had for a family I have known for many years. The buyer for their house was someone who went to church with them. After many twists and turns in her financing, she was finally able to close.On the flip side, I was also working with the family whose listing I had, to help them buy their next home. We found them a nice house with some acreage, so they could start breeding horses. Negotiations went smoothly and the financing was going OK. But as things progressed, I was finding it more and more difficult to reach their mortgage brokers  (husband and wife team). I would leave them specific messages, as th... 06/15/2007

Today on the Daytona Beach Bulletin Board I read that '...the Port Orange Police Department would like to advise our community about a group of individuals that are going to neighborhoods posing as potential home buyers. The suspects usually go in pairs as a black male and a black female buyer.  In this scam, the suspects during the tour of the residence attempt to distract the seller or Realtor by asking to see another part of the residence or the back yard so the other individual can steal credit cards, jewelry and check books from the residence. Investigations have shown that the credit cards are used almost immediatelybut definitely the same day as the theft at various stores such as Target, Wal-Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, Publix, Walgreens and convenience stores. These crimes are occu... 06/13/2007

Port Orange Real Estate & Information Blog. By Lisa C. Hill, "THE SMART CHOICE!" As you're probably realizing, although I'm a REALTOR® who sells real estate all over Volusia County, I'm quite partial to Port Orange. I love living in Port Orange. I specifically love my own neighborhood in Countryside. This is my second post about the smaller subdivisions within the upscale Port Orange Florida community called Countryside, where residents can enjoy the community lakes, pool, tennis courts and clubhouse. My last post focused on The Hunt Club in Countryside, which is the brick section of this community. This time we'll focus on Steeplechase in Countryside, which is the section that feels like you just entered a South Florida, luxury location. All the homes in Steeplechase are bright, open ... 06/07/2007