“Ocala Rocks” in More Ways than One

It’s been a while since I wrote a blog post… This one is pretty cute. Since my blog is about, “What’s Happening in Ocala” I thought I would share this with you.  Last week was my first experience when I stumbled upon a “Painted Rock” down by the City Hall. I was taking a photo of my grandson by a painted horse, which we have all over Ocala. The note attached to the rock said, “Face book, “Ocala Rocks” keep or rehide. When I got back home I looked up, “Ocala Rocks” on Face Book and learned of this awesome way to spread joy around town. I never heard of this before, but several city’s nationwide has their own painted rocks Face book page. It is the cutest thing. So, of course I had to paint my own to continue spreading some more joy. Once you paint your rocks, then you take them anywhere public and post hints for your face book rock friends to try and find. Some people are very vague with their clues, and make it harder for you to locate, especially since we have a pretty large county. I like giving good clues, so they are not too hard to find. Once you find a painted rock, then you can keep it, or rehide. Most people will paint several, and hide them, so keeping some now and then is perfectly ok. I’ve made about 20 so far, and I just found my first rock tonight (in the picture below- “Shine”).  I will keep this one, but I have several more coming to hide soon. I think there is a little bit of kid in every one of us. I was pretty excited about my first find. Check out this Face Book group page and join in and have some fun by clicking here “Ocala Rocks”. In pictures below are some examples, and a couple of the hide places.

OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Farmhouse Restaurant~ Belleview’s Best Kept Secret

I  found an amazing restaurant about a month ago. Although it is new to me, it has been in business for many years. It’s open for breakfast and lunch 7 days per week. If you have not tried this restaurant, you need to. The prices are great and the service is friendly and warm. Since finding this little gem, we have gone several times now. It’s called “The Farmhouse Restaurant”.

• Farmhouse Menu

  

  Located just behind the new Hardee’s in Belleview

Address: 11077 SE 57th Ct, Belleview, FL 34420

Phone: (352) 307-7100

Hours: Monday- Saturday 7:00 AM- 2:00 PM Sunday 7:00 AM- 1:00 PM

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 OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or  OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

 

NEW HOMEOWNERS~ Change your locks!

Be sure to change the locks right away after moving

into your new home!

One of the first things new homeowners need do is change the locks on their new home.

You have no idea who might have a copy of your keys.

Investing a bit of money upfront can protect you from burglary down the road.

It’s also a good idea to make an extra copy of your keys, and leave them with someone you

trust, so you don’t have to shell out $100 to a locksmith, if you ever lock yourself out.

Better safe than sorry is my motto!

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 OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

BUYERS BEWARE!!!!

SCAMMERS HAVE LEARNED NEW WAYS TO SCAM BUYERS IN REAL ESTATE

 

If you are in the middle of a Real Estate transaction YOU NEED TO READ THIS. It can save you thousands of dollars, and a lot of heartache of being scammed out of “your” money, which could also result in you losing out in the purchase of your home.

What these scammers are doing is hacking into emails of any parties involved in the Real Estate transaction (The Consumer, Realtors, Title Agents, Lenders etc..). Once they have your contact information they learn of upcoming closings and get you to wire closing funds straight to their bank accounts.

I had a recent closing coming up, and I did not pay close attention to the exact name of the title company that sent me the email. It was close to the name of the company I was working with, and I assumed it was them. I completely did not realize it was not legit. I was actually expecting a HUD from First International Title, so looking quickly I did not realize it said, First American Title. I tried to open the HUD a few times, but my anti-virus software prevented it (thank God). I called the title company to ask them to send it to me again as an attachment, so I could open it. The title agent said, they never sent it. I thought it was strange that there was a signature line, but no contact numbers. The Title company told me of many other incidents like this with scammers that they personally have come in contact with recently. It also happened to an agent here locally where the Buyers they were working with wired $8,000 (for their closing), and unfortunately they were not able to recover their money back.

Check out this video posted on You Tube, “Voice for Real Estate” regarding Real Estate scamming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKDbQ2kwHew

This is pretty scary, that these scam artists are very sly in their attempt to get you off guard.

BEFORE YOU WIRE ANY FUNDS FOR CLOSINGS be sure to confirm information by phone with your title company. It’s a shame that there are people that learn ways to scam and cheat people. Don’t be their next target!

 OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or  OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Monkey Junction~ An indoor play center for your children

Ocala has lots to do, and Monkey Junction is a favorite for children.

An indoor play center that’s fun and safe…

Play dress up, shop at the grocery store and load your shopping cart with food, then check out at the cash register. Or you may want to visit the flower shop, play like you are a fireman, train conductor, cook in your kitchen, go to the animal clinic, shoot some hoops, build with large Legos, play with the Barbie play house and many other fun things to do.

Your child will have a blast!

 Monkey-Junction

Hours:  Tuesday – Saturday  11 AM – 5 PM

Located in the Blue Oaks Plaza (near Walmart, Hwy 200 behind Chilli’s)

11175 SW 93rd Ct Rd, Ocala, FL 34481

(352) 291-1009

mj@monkey-junction.com

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 OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or  OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

“The Pickin Patch”

WHAT A GREAT PLACE to take your kids…

 

Pick you own favorite pumpkins!

Click Here

 

​​​​​​​​​​​Open: Sept. 26th – October 25th, 2015

Friday: 3pm-7pm
Saturday: 10am-7pm
Sunday: 12pm-7pm

11000 Rolling Hills Road, Dunnellon, FL.

352-533-4344

Admission: $3 per person, children 3 and under are free!

There is such a wide variety of pumpkins and gourds along with a Sun flower field, corn maze, hayrides, hay maze and hay fort with slides.

REAL ESTATE OCALA FL

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874 Website: www.OcalaBuyersAgent.com

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Market Update…. New Construction Going Up All Over….

New Construction is happening all around our area…. Ocala/Marion County is back on the map!!! That is exciting news that our local economy is on the uptick. When builders start building homes again, recovery is in sight. Several new communities are springing up. Have you noticed that it’s not just new homes that are being built? Commercial Sales are up too. It seems like all the larger car dealerships are building massive new stores. As a Realtor you couldn’t ask for more.

I recently just purchased a new home myself. In my community there are at least 20 new homes being built at the same time with a few different builders. If you are sitting on the fence in your decision making, DO NOT WAIT!!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!! We still have awesome prices and great low interest rates (although prices  and rates have inched up somewhat). Let me know how I can assist you or someone you know.

 OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or  OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

 

WHAT A PERFECT DAY…. for the Art Festival today in downtown Ocala

Believe it or not, I have never been to an Art Festival. It was my first time. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of artists there displaying their beautiful artwork and creative styles.

 

  

Tony Moore~ Artist

It was my pleasure meeting one artist in particular (Tony Moore) that shared with my friend and I that he started later in life at the age of 35. He had not done much prior to that. When you see his art work you can’t image him getting started at that age. He was a real natural and his creative ideas were amazing.

As you can see below depicted in this art piece, a man and woman inside the apple. It represents creation and the fall of man when they sinned against God as they ate of the forbidden fruit.

 Another art piece he did was of Jimmy Hendrix inside his guitar. The caption that went with this drawing says, “When you are very good at what you do, it becomes evident; It’s hard to separate you from the “Tools of The Trade”.

  And another beautiful piece he had was a drawing of the continent of Africa, and a woman with some of the pieces of the puzzle missing. So much has  been taken out of Africa… and now some of those pieces are being put back together.

  To see more of his artwork click here to go directly to his website.

Ocala is a great place to live.

If you are considering a wonderful place to relocate with lots of culture, and many things to do and see, give me a call.

I would be happy to assist you and your family.

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 OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or  OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Why Realtors are Therapists too…

 I recently read an article about Realtors being Therapists, and boy did I ever agree with it. I have always been a people person. I love People! It doesn’t matter if you are two or ninety two, I can find a common ground with any age, and can relate. I love different cultures too. At times I have even (or at least tried to) communicate with people that don’t even speak my language. One thing we all have in common is the need to feel loved, and that somebody cared.

To me Real Estate is all about people. Yes, it is about buying and selling homes, but we must connect with people first before the transaction happens. It’s one of the biggest decisions that people will make in a lifetime. Yes, it can be very scary and emotional. That’s why it is important to have an agent right by your side, so you never have to go it alone.

I had a buyer in the past that wrote a contract, then completely changed their mind and canceled it the very next day. Yep, she got cold feet! She typically had such a hard time making decisions. This happened after taking them from one end of the county to the other (several hundred miles) looking for a home with land for her horses. I ACTUALLY HAD TO STAY FORCUSED ON THIS ONE! They went back up north, and then decided that they really wanted a home in Florida, and thus we searched again for the right home and property. After another full day… the perfect home (for them) was located… SHE LOVED IT!!! The contract was accepted, and half way through the process, she began to doubt that she made the right choice. Talk about emotional! When I called to follow up, she decided that she did not want to talk to me. So, I said to her partner, that is OK, but would you mind to put me on speaker phone, so I could talk where she could hear me, but she would not have to respond. I said to my customer; Let us go over your dreams and goals… Why did you want to purchase a home in Florida… her biggest reason was being in the sunshine, so I reminded her of that, and lots of it! She dreamt about this for years. Also, it was a great area for her horses, and for her to be more involved in the horse community. So, as a Real Estate Therapist (I’m not really a therapist) I just needed to share with her that these dreams and goals were hers, not mine. I just had to remind her of what brought her here in the first place. It was a struggle through it all, and I was not even sure she was going to show up for the closing, but she was there! After she closed on her home, she told me that I really should have been a Therapist. She let me know what it meant to her that I never gave up, and how I was there right by their side through the process.

Realtors do not have it easy… but good agents are up for the challenge, and will find ways to assist you through any situation making your home buying and selling experience as stress free as possible!

Thank you for the opportunity to earn your business. I look forward to hearing from you! 

 

OCALA FLORIDA HOMES

Looking to purchase or sell a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, REALTOR, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874

CLICK ON LINKS BELOW TO CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE:

OCALABUYERSAGENT.COM or  OCALAFLORIDAHOMES.NET

Going the extra mile with a smile!

Ocala Strawberry and Craft Festival

Habitat for Humanity

1^st Annual

Strawberry and Craft Festival

Downtown Ocala

WHAT A GORGEOUS DAY to have OCALA’S first STRAWBERRY AND CRAFT FESTIVAL.

~So much was going on all over the DOWNTOWN area.

~The event went from 8:00 AM-5:00 PM.

~BANDS played throughout the day entertaining the crowds on two different stages.

~Two of the main entertainers were VICTORIA SEXTON from Ocala

 

and

CHUCK WICKS with Dancing with the Stars

(To hear his famous song~ Stealing Cinderella click here).

 

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~There was no shortage of food, as FOOD VENDORS lined the streets, which included Mojo Grill.

~CRAFT VENDORS came from far and wide.

Some of the ACTIVITIES included:

LOCAL PERFORMERS, A PET PARADE, DANCE TROOPS, KARATE DEMONSTRAIONS,

FACE PAINTING, NASA SIMULATOR, AND A KID ZONE (with 9 inflatables).

The event was a huge success!

REAL ESTATE OCALA FL

Looking to purchase a home… I can sell any home in Marion County…

Call me today for more information regarding all your Real Estate needs.

Teresa Fikaris, (Realtor) Buyer’s Agent, Fontana Realty

Cell: 352-208-5874 Website: www.OcalaBuyersAgent.com

Going the extra mile with a smile!