Let's Talk Real Estate

In our Season 2 opener, we sat down with rockstar agent and partner at Darr Schackow Insurance, John Darr, to discuss the importance of insurance policies for both buyers and sellers when entering into post- and pre-closing occupancy agreements. Buyers and sellers alike usually don’t amend their Insurance policies when entering into these commonly used agreements, but John warns that not doing so...

A new season of Let's Talk Real Estate With Anna Olcese.

Today‘s episode is a rebroadcast of one of our very first, which was released early in 2020 and was recorded in late 2019 before all of the madness. The “madness” - surprisingly - is NOT COVID. It’s the crazy low interest rates that we’re seeing lately. All time low, in fact! If you decide to take advantage of the low rates, then listen to refresh your memory about the different types of mortgages...

Custom building a home can evoke feelings of stress, panic, and outright rage in those who have gone through the process or have heard nightmare stories from others who have. Today, Bob Butts and Mike McDonald of Advanced Building Concepts, a custom building company in the Gainesville area, describe how they approach the process, why every detail matters, sticking to the client’s budget, and how t...

Property taxes are a necessary evil that every homeowner has to deal with. However, there are many nuances to property taxes and the amount that the homeowner pays varies depending on a number of factors. Today, Susan McQuillan, who is a Realtor running for Alachua County Property Appraiser and has decades of experience in a variety of real estate-related sectors, gives us the run-down about prope...

As a Realtor, Anna has worked with hundreds of buyers and throughout the years has realized that buyers oftentimes don’t know exactly what they must have in a home, which can make it challenging to find “the one.” While buyers usually have a general idea of their likes and dislikes, sometimes their “must haves” and “would like to haves” are interchangeable and even major criteria like location and...

Rockstar Segway Group team agent, Kathleen Weinert, joins us today to talk about her huge success in 2020, the pros and cons of being a single agent vs. a team agent, and why being on a team has skyrocketed her career. During the first six months of 2020 alone, Kathleen has helped over 20 families buy and sell homes and has done this while being a mom to two young boys, a wife to a stay-at-home da...

Consider Kevin Groff your home’s “check engine” light. His company, A Reliant Home, was created to help homeowners identify small issues before they become big ones. As homeowners, we’re often too busy to scan our homes on a regular basis and check for potential problems. And sometimes, we’ve had problems so long that we forget they’re even there! Admit it, there may be more than one missing fire...

Mike Cotton of Cotton’s All Lines insurance is a 47-year insurance industry veteran. He knows the ups and downs of every kind of personal insurance, and his agency is one of very few that specializes only in personal lines instead of personal and commercial. What does that mean to us, the consumers? It means that this guy really knows what he’s talking about and can simplify even the most complica...

If you search for “Selling a Home” you’ll often find articles that cover the top questions that sellers should ask their agents. What you usually don’t find are questions that a good agent will ask a potential seller. These questions are key to helping the agent best serve as a consultant to the seller and to understand how much money the seller needs to net from the sale, the seller’s timeline an...

Homeowner’s insurance is one of those topics that we can all find really confusing...and probably really boring. However, insurance on your home is a must if you intend to get a loan, and it’s strongly suggested even if you pay cash. Insurance adds a small cost to homeownership while also saving you thousands of dollars should something go wrong. From floods and fires to someone tripping and falli...

Inspections aren’t sexy but they’re absolutely necessary. If you’re buying a house an inspection is imperative, and a good inspector can mean the difference between buying your dream home and a nightmare. Selling? You can also benefit from a home inspection before listing so that you can take care of any potential issues and your home can sell for top dollar. Learn all about the ins and outs of th...

Lauren and Steven Keys describe themselves as middle-class millennials who, at the age of 29, essentially found financial freedom at a time when most people find themselves buried in a mountain of debt. With just a few tweaks to their spending and saving habits, this young couple managed to save enough to buy their first home for cash in their mid-20s, quit their full-time jobs, and proceed to tra...

Jason Dougherty may not be a real estate agent, but he definitely has his finger on the pulse of the Gainesville area real estate market. As the owner and publisher of Gainesville Real Producers, a monthly magazine that targets the top 300 agents in our area, he has important conversations with industry professionals about what the market is doing now and what their predictions are for the future....

Sister city to Gainesville, this once sleepy northern neighbor is seeing an explosion. Under the leadership of city manager, Adam Boukari, the town is flourishing and growing at a rapid pace, becoming a center for innovation and technology. Forward-thinking Boukari knows that the city can be even more than it is, and with vision, action, and strategic planning, he’s doing what others haven’t. As a...

Considering a move to Gainesville? Luckily, our relocation specialist, Angela Foote, and Anna work with dozens of people who relocate to the Gainesville/Alachua County area each year. Trailing partners, interviewees, and recruits alike typically ask similar questions, and Angela and Anna thought it would be helpful to cover the five most asked questions about moving to the area. Angela even threw...

Does someone want to give you money for your home purchase downpayment? Lucky you! In this episode you’ll hear from Dan Coffey, Mortgage Banker at Ameris Bank, who gives us the rundown on gift funds: who you can get them from, how you get them, and how much of your home purchase down payment they can cover. Your dream of homeownership may be more attainable than you think, especially if someone is...

Whether you’re a first-timer or a repeat buyer, you’ll inevitably have questions about the home buying process. Today we cover the Top 5 Buyer Questions that we are consistently asked, particularly in the Gainesville/Alachua County market. For fun, Anna added her post-COVID buyer request predictions and her personal experience of what life is like when everybody is working from home. Let’s just sa...

Pinner’s Fine Shoes is a Gainesville icon. For 53 years, Duke Pinner and his family have served generation after generation of discerning Gainesvillilians who desire only the best in fabulous footwear. Duke himself is as recognizable as his store, and on this episode he discusses why he loves Gainesville and its residents, how he’s seen the area boom, how he’s adapted to meet today’s more challeng...

Fiscal fitness is as important as physical fitness, and a good financial planner will help you to reach your goals so you can take on whatever life throws at you. Today’s guest, David Hanson, Senior VP of Investments at Raymond James, draws from his experience and knowledge to serve as our financial personal trainer. Whether it’s building an investment portfolio or building a new home, having a fi...

Is this a good time to buy your first home? Surprisingly, yes! With some of the lowest interest rates we’ve seen in years and with the opportunity to save now more than ever, first-time buyers have a huge opportunity. Listen as Anna shares some useful and important info regarding what you need to know both before and during the buying process and how the COVID-related changes could positively impa...

Kevin Balukas is Segway Group's newest agent and already an invaluable team member due to his outstanding attitude, willingness to absorb as much information as possible, and never ending optimism and positive attitude. He shares what it's like to become an agent, what it takes to get licensed, what the transition is like from another career, and what the challenges are now that he's ready to go i...

Real estate teams are a fairly new concept and many people don't quite understand how they work or why they're useful. This episode will explain the dynamics of a real estate team and how working with one to buy or sell a home is ideal.    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/segwayre/ Website: https://segwayre.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/SegwayRE Insta: https://www.instagram.com/segwayre/

Segway Group team member Angela Foote couldn't wait to become an agent...until she did and then realized she hated it! Here she discusses real estate agent perception vs. reality and how she finally found her ideal role doing what she loves.

Eric Godet, President and CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber of Commerce, joins us this week to discuss the Chamber's response to the COVID-related issues that our area's businesses are facing and how the Chamber is working to help them during this time. From assisting with PPP loans to an eat and shop local initiative, the Chamber is advocating for our area's businesses more than ever. And wh...