About JamesJames Marks, originally from New York, moved to Florida in 1992. He comes from a family of home builders and craftsmen, who built homes in both New York and Florida.James acquired his real estate license in 2002. He started his successful career in Port St. Lucie, FL, as well as a thriving travel agency. Currently, James resides in Oviedo, Florida with his wife and children. His primary focus is on helping his local and international c
Panic rooms are growing more common in New York’s Hamptons, as luxury homeowners rush to add these bulletproof fortresses into their homes. Residents in the area fear infiltration from the Salvadoran gang MS-13 after the chilling murder in April of four young men behind a soccer field in Central Islip and other recent incidents in the area. Southampton Town Police Chief Steven Skynecki publicly confirmed these fears last year; the news has pr
Homebuilding giant Lennar is reportedly looking to sell its real estate lending arm, Rialto Capital, as builders continue to face a stagnant housing market, The Wall Street Journal reports.Lennar has declined to comment publicly on the recent news reports, but in an investor call last week and in April it did confirm it was considering selling Rialto as part of the company’s strategy of spinning off or selling its subsidiaries. The sale cou
Hurricane Michael gained strength early Wednesday to a powerful Category 4 storm that is threatening to become the strongest storm ever to strike the Florida Panhandle. The storm is expected to make landfall Wednesday afternoon, bringing destructive winds and flooding rain throughout the day.If the storm continues its intensity and makes landfall as a Category 4, CoreLogic, a real estate data firm, predicts that about 84,200 homes in the Florid
Stay on top of trends and opportunities to be valuable and trustedThe times they are a-changin’. It was true for Bob Dylan in 1964 and it’s true for the real estate industry in, well, it’s always true.If you commit to a career as a professional real estate agent, it is vitally important to stay apprised of the market and industry changes. Your continuing education cannot simply be the classes you are required to take to maintain your licens
Tom Ferry asks two superstar agents what they’d do differently if starting their careers over againThey say hindsight is 20/20, so I asked two rockstar agents what they would do differently if starting over today– knowing what they know now.Whether you’re a new agent or simply interested in hearing the strategies and philosophies of these superstar agents, Jeremy Cady and Anne Schreiber, I strongly encourage you to read this article.Give yo
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After an inspector has finished a home report, buyers may feel overwhelmed by any flaws that might have been found. That’s why it’s important they take the opportunity to learn more so that they can move forward confidently in the transaction.A recent article at realtor.com® recommends home buyers ask their inspector clarifying questions like: “I don’t understand this; what does it mean?” or “Is this a major or minor problem?” and
Many buyers may be potentially leaving money on the table by failing to contact more than one lender when shopping for a mortgage. Two-thirds—or 65 percent—of 1,000 buyers recently surveyed said they didn’t shop around for a mortgage, despite it being the biggest purchase they’ll ever make.The study, conducted by PenFed Credit Union, also found a lot of confusion surrounding mortgages. For example, 44 percent of home shoppers believe the
Federal authorities have been investigating whether foreign buyers are using shell companies to buy luxury real estate in the U.S. to launder money. Lawmakers, however, are calling on the government to do more to determine the prevalence of such scams and find more ways to curtail it.Sens. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, are calling on the Government Accountability Office to investigate the occurrence. The se
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