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This show is going to kick off a different kind of podcast for us.  This is a brand-new episode, AND it’s the first of multi-episode series from our recent RPCRA Housing Symposium that took place on April 14, 2022! The symposium featured several local community leaders that discussed the housing situation here in SW Florida, with planning and action being taken to help our neighbors in need of affordable housing. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast to ensure you can listen to the entire episode and and all the other episodes that will follow – INCLUDING all of the archived content from The Royal Podcast! Now, please enjoy part 1 of the RPCRA, HOUSING SYMPOSIUM! Part 2 – coming soon!

The following is a "Re-Cast" of the last episode of a 3-part series with attorney, Ned Hale.  Ned discusses the Florida Homestead Exemption – one the best in the United States and how you can take full advantage of it.  Enjoy this popular episode as it was originally presented! 

The following episode is a “Re-Cast” of the second, of a popular 3-part series with attorney, Ned Hale about Wire Fraud in GENERAL – it’s everywhere. We’re working hard on bringing you new, informative content very soon! – In the meantime, please sit back, relax and enjoy this popular episode! 

Originally broadcast on July 21, 2020, this episode of The Royal PalmCast is a Re-Cast of part 1 of a 3 part series.  Florida real estate attorney Ned Hale talks about wire fraud — what it is and how real estate professionals can avoid becoming a victim of it. Ned talks about the telltale signs that wire fraud is afoot and what Realtors must do to shut down the scam, which can cost home sellers their life savings. Plus, we really get to know Ned during our Lightning Round.Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.  

Joanna Rowell, current chair of the YPN for the Royal Palm Coast Realtor® Association, provides valuable insight and information about the Young Professionals Network, mixed in with a little history and how it benefits association members.

This episode is where it all started. The very first episode of The Royal PalmCast with our guest, Realtor® Sheena Reagan.  See where it all began as Sheena helps us kick off this show which has now published more than 100 episodes, had thousands of downloads and even more  "listens" via our multiple online social media platforms. The Royal PalmCast will return with new content soon!

What happens when real estate clients are a little less than considerate of Realtors®?  Realtor® Broker members, Jennifer Derosiers and Jenny Moorhead discuss that with us and more on this episode of The Royal PalmCast.

There are a few basic common sense rules that Realtors® need to follow beyond punctuality and returning phone calls promptly.  Expectations are high for professionalism in real estate and in today's episode of The Royal PalmCast, brokers Jennifer Derosiers and Jenny Moorhead layout the expectations for etiquette for Realtors®.

Today, we've got useful tips from an insurance pro to help you make the best decisions when it comes to protecting roofs, air conditioning, plumbing, electric and more. Guest Blake Chapman also shares tips for buying flood insurance, boat insurance and renter's insurance on this episode of the Royal PalmCast.Host: Jim SanvilleProducer: Jerry Johnson

Let's talk Insurance! Insurance expert, Blake Chapman discusses how to minimize financial losses when something goes wrong. From hurricanes to damaged boats to leaky roofs and most things in between, Blake shares some of his comprehensive knowledge in the industry with us in this episode.

A looming shortage of real estate appraisers is poised to stretch out the time it takes to complete real estate transactions in the coming years, according  Scott DiGregorio.The Fort, Myers, Florida, mortgage broker and real estate educator joins us on the podcast today to discuss the currrent state of the appraisal business — how it works and the many challenges its practioners face.    Scott says home appraising is more art than science and how emotion can sometimes kill a deal if the buyer and seller disagree on whether an appraisal is fair. He also touches on what sellers can do do assure a fair appraisal, such as staging the property or even just adding a new coat of paint.    Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.

Concerned that you or your client won't qualify for a traditional mortgage? Mortgage expert Scott DiGregorio says there's probably a way to get home financing done.  On this episode, he discusses the many creative approaches that loan officers have available to work around common issues such as low credit scores and minimal downpayments. Among the topics covered are down payment assistance, first-time buyer programs, reverse mortgages and the importance of financial literacy for young people. Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson. 

If you're involved in a real estate transaction in the United States, you had better know about FIRPTA — the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act.  Today we talk with FIRPTA expert Julie Lepore of FIRPTA Solutions, who wants Realtors, homebuyers and home sellers to be aware of the risk of not considering FIRPTA when property changes hands. FIRPTA is a tax law enacted in 1980 that imposes U.S. income tax on foreign persons selling U.S. real estate. Under FIRPTA, if you buy U.S. real estate from a foreign person, you may be required to withhold 15% of the amount realized from the sale. Standard Florida real estate contracts contain explicit language about FIRPTA, which buyers and sellers ignore at their own risk. Sometimes, buyers fail to check the nationality of the person selling the property, which may result in the buyer holding the bag for estimated tax payments that should have been collected at closing. Closing is not the time to verify nationality, says Julie, who has long evangelized a "FIRPTA-first" approach to real estate deals.   She says she's actually heard "grown men sobbing" after finding out they are responsible for the payments after failing to verify a seller's place of birth.  And this is one episode you'll want to hear through to the end: During our ever-popular Lightning Round, Julie reveals that she does a killer imitation of a famous singer — and even provides a sample!  Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.

There are lot of crooks out there and some of them want to steal your land. On this episode, we talk with real estate fraud  expert Julie Lepore, who regularly sees the red flags common with property theft in her job at FIRPTA Solutions in Cape Coral. Working with locally based Secret Service agents, she has learned the warning signs of land sale fraud, which has become far too common in Southwest Florida. Julie describes what to watch for and how Realtors can protect their clients from unscrupulous characters. The most common scenario she sees — and there were about 50 fraud attempts identified through her office in recent months — involved foreign "property owners" wishing to sell vacant lots they don't own in Lee County and beyond. In most cases, she says, phony documents — especially passports — are presented as "proof" of ownership by the scammers. Sadly, the scam isn't discovered until the real owners try to sell the lots themselves. In some cases, buyer-victims build houses on the lots only to have to remove them and lose large sums of money. Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.

Mortgage expert and podcaster Scott DiGregorio joins us to talk home financing. Scott describes the breakdown of loan originators into three categories — mortgage brokers (middlemen), traditional banks and mortgage bankers like himself — and explains the pros and cons of each business model. He discusses how to compete with all-cash buyers and a hybrid approach called delayed financing. He also discusses consumer protections built into today's mortgage market. and offers advice for aspiring mortgage originators who are looking for a quick and easy way to make money. Hint: "There is nothing quick and easy about this business," according to Scott. Later in the show, Scott plays our Lightning Round, where we really get to know him as a person. Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.

Real estate broker and educator Caroline Boland joins us again for a deeper dive into the NAR Code of Ethics. On this episode, she delves into Article 1 of the code, which states that Realtors must be honest and fair in dealing with clients and all parties involved in a transaction. She also discusses Article 4, which is related to Realtors' disclosure of any personal interest they have in a sale.  And what about disclosure of so-called distressed properties, where there was a recent homicide, for example? In Florida, Caroline says, there is no legal requirement to disclose that information.  But is it ethical to withhold it? She also touches on the Code of Ethics language related to making or sharing false or misleading statements about other Realtors.  Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson. 

Ethics are everything in the real estate business. So much so, that development of a Code of Ethics was one of the first orders of business tackled by the National Association of Realtors in 1913. Since then, the NAR Code of Ethics has been continually revised and updated to stay in sync with the modern world.  Today Realtors must complete ethics training every three years to fulfil membership requirement at local Realtor associations. Our guest today, Caroline Boland, is a certified NAR ethics instructor who has taught thousands of Southwest Florida real estate professionals both the basics and the finer points of the code.  Caroline explains the origins of the NAR code and why it is essential to the industry. She says she loves discussing the code of ethics with Realtors, particularly when she tackles questions that begin, "Is it OK if..." This is the first episode of our two-show series with Caroline on the topic of Realtor ethics.Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.

We're away for Christmas, but wanted to leave you with one of our favorite episodes from 2021. If you missed it the first time, we think you'll enjoy this interview with a professional critter wrangler from Cape Coral!-True story: Wildlife removal expert Patrick Gibson once removed an unwanted gator using a chainsaw. His workdays include confrontations with venomous snakes, killer bees and potentially rabid racoons. The Cape Coral resident often draws a crowd of onlookers when he works and it's no wonder. He routinely crosses paths with rats, woodpeckers, iguanas and all manner of insects.  The professional pest remover has served more than 4,000 clients in Southwest Florida, including homeowners, property managers and businesses such as Wal-Mart, Home Depot and the Southwest Florida International Airport.  On this episode he shares a few of the best stories he's compiled over the past decade working in Southwest Florida. Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson. 

Bill Steinke, RPCRA's 2022 president, joins us in the studio to talk about his real estate career journey and a look ahead at the Southwest Florida real estate market in 2022.  Before becoming a Realtor, Bill was in the financial services business, and was later a restaurateur in Fort Myers. As the association's president, he says much of the focus will be on RPCRA's community involvement opportunities. He believes that by spreading the word about how much real estate professionals are active in their communities, the public will gain a better understanding of the value they offer to consumers.  He also plays the Lightning Round and tells us, among other things, which celebrities he's been told he resembles! Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.   

Cape Coral Realtor and stand-up comic Sheena Reagan has a message for the business world: lighten up! On today's show, she talks about how the appropriate use of well-timed humor can reduce tension in real estate deals.  But that's not to say selling houses isn't serious business — and not everyone appreciates humor. Sheena was named Florida's Funniest Female in a statewide competition in 2018. But her heart also lies in the world of real estate, which provides most of her income. In our conversation, she describes the impact of Covid on both comedy and real estate and how the latter has exploded in Southwest Florida since 2020.  She also recounts her funniest moment in real estate, which occurred spontaneously during her live virtual showing of a fixer-upper in Matlacha.   Host: Jim Sanville. Producer: Jerry Johnson.