A Gated Community Home – is it for You?

As a real estate agent, often I am requested to find my clients specific types of homes and home sites for building. These specifics typically include: Bay front, Lake front, water view, specific number of bedrooms and baths etc. If you’ve ever purchased a home, then you know exactly what I am referring to…

In recent months however, I’ve been increasingly asked to locate homes or home building sites in gated communities around my service area of Bay County: more importantly, the Panama City – Lynn Haven metro area of Florida. I believe we are all well aware of what a gated community is, but if not let’s identify some characteristics of these communities…

“A gated community is a type of residential community which offers controlled access and entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and may feature a closed perimeter of walls and fences.”

While gated communities are not a new form of residence, they are often misunderstood. In today’s real estate market there remains a common misunderstanding that gated communities are only for the wealthy and beyond the means of the average home owner. This of course is not entirely true.

While there are some upscale communities that cater to a more costly living style, there are also many gated communities that offer similar life styles and amenities for the average home buyer. In my area there are many of these types of communities all offering various amenities and benefits. From master planned gated lake communities such as Lake Merial or Wild Heron, to master planned gated bay front communities such as Bay Point.

Each gated community may offer unique living and investment potential. For the consumer interested in these types of communities, there may also be additional benefits. When speaking with my customers regarding their desire to own a home in a gated community, an over-riding factor seems prevalent: Gated communities are perceived safer for children and families and offer unique living styles for those that so desire them. They are also perceived as maintaining their home values and appreciation.

While gated communities may not be for everyone, they do offer features many find attractive for their choice of style and quality of living. Features such as private and semi-private marinas, on-site fitness clubs, golf courses and child day care are being required by home buyers more and more in today’s real estate market. These features and amenities tend to be prevalent in many gated communities and fulfill the wants and needs of these types of home buyers.

In addition, I’ve recently been made aware of another unique style of gated community which caters to the racing fan! These communities offer residents race tracks for their amusement. From oval stock car style tracks to 1/8 mile drag racing tracks as well as motocross racing. How’s that for a unique recreation and living style!!!

A retired couple I am currently working with would like to find an Active Adult 55+ Community. Both husband and wife workout daily, own a boat and are avid golfers. Naturally, they would like to purchase a home within a gated community, which is either on or very close to the golf course. The community must offer dock space for their boat and have a club house or community club with an exercise room or fitness center.

As I show this couple the available communities, a few items are of particular interest to them: Some gated communities offer limited or no “through traffic” to the residents, which they value. The limited trough traffic value is for their grand children whom visit with them several times a year. Homes within gated communities often exhibit a strong pride of ownership. I’ve yet to find within a gated community a home with an unkempt lawn or debris scattered about the property. In large part this is due to the homeowners’ associations’ rules, or covenants and restrictions which govern many of these communities.

Homeowner association rules often include restrictions such as:

Additionally, residents of these communities take pride in their community and self-monitor and maintain their properties. To some these rules may seem excessively restrictive, while to others they are a necessity to maintain their style and quality of living. Many of these communities have what I refer to as “spot light homes”. These homes are the “premier” homes of the community. Often, they are built for specific owners or for events such as the Panama City Parade of Homes.

They will feature the highest quality construction materials and fixtures, and often are the highest priced homes in the community. While many gated communities offer luxury homes, vacation homes, and luxury condos there are also those that offer affordable homes, condos and home sites.

These communities may not have the full amenities of the more luxurious communities, but still manage to offer safety, community spirit and modest community pools and club houses. Many of these practical communities are specifically and conveniently constructed near schools and local recreation venues.

Summary

Not all master planned gated communities have uniformed security guards and cameras, but all offer unique living opportunities for those that desire the features and amenities the gate community has to offer.

From retirement communities to equestrian communities, from waterfront communities to forested secluded communities, gated communities are sought out by many of today’s home buyer looking for that little something “special” for their investment. Gated communities work for everyone, not just for the wealthy.

© Copyright 2008 Jennifer MacKay. All Rights Reserved.

by MIAD Communication Design

How Customer Communications Creates New Factors in a Marketing Communications Plan

In delivering a customer communications management system, there are extra considerations in respect of the development of a marketing communications plan.

The marketing communications plan can provide a clear guideline as to how to execute, the expected costs and the expected return. Customer communications management will increase the ease with which a multi-channel marketing communications strategy can be executed. It will also increase the sophistication with which a company can communicate in a relevant manner with its customers.

In the context of discussing the plan I will use Philip Kotler ‘P’s framework as this is the standard study for virtually all marketers.

First off, lets establish the Four P’s of product marketing in context with customer communications management:

Product – Which products are you looking to promote? Today’s customer communications management platforms mean that you can market more than one product in an individual campaign based upon an individual users profile. Therefore Product Range Selection is an additional component in the customer communications management driven marketing communications plan.
Place – Customer communications management processes give the marketing communications plan complete freedom to choose from a wide range of communications methods. These include voice, Direct Mail, Transactional Mail, Email, Social Media oriented email, social media direct, SMS, mobile and web. Therefore channel flexibility is a key advantage for the marketing communications plan.
Promotion – Specifically what is your promotion and what are the promotion objectives? To garner new customers? To market more to your existing customers? To raise awareness of a product launch? To build brand appeal through a news advisory about your company’s efforts in the community? To raise funds for a charity that your company sponsors? The options are wide and… Continue reading

by System One Gang

Free Dry Cleaner Business Plan

Free Dry Cleaner Business Plan for Loans

Obtaining Business Financing

 

When obtaining a business loan for a dry cleaning business, it is imperative that you have a properly structured business plan that will assist you in showcasing how you intend to operate your Dry Cleaner, how the business will operate, how you intend to market the business, the anticipated financial results of your company, and how you intend to repay your debt obligations. This sample loan business plan will provide you with the framework that you need in order to acquire a business loan for starting or expanding this type of business.

 

Executive Summary

 

Introduction

 

When obtaining a business loan for a dry cleaner, it is imperative that your business plan has a clear and concise executive summary that provides an outline of what are seeking to accomplish, how much capital you are seeking to raise, the management biography of the business owner, and an overview of the anticipated profit and loss statements of the business. Here is an example of how the title paragraph should be written:

 

Dry Cleaner, Inc. (“the Company”) is seeking a business loan of 0,000 in order to launch the operations of a dry cleaning business that will be based in San Francisco, California. The Company was founded in (Insert Year). The business was founded by Mr. John Doe.

 

Products and Services

 

In the next segment of the business loan and business planning document, you should showcase the products and services that you will be providing to the general public. For instance:

 

The Dry Cleaner will provide the outsourced cleaning of clothes to the general public and to other dry cleaners that solely operate in a drop store capacity. The business will generate substantial revenues from these services… Continue reading

by kevindooley

Free Tanning Salon Business Plan

Free Tanning Salon Business Plan for Loans

Obtaining Business Financing

 

When obtaining a business loan for a tanning salon business, it is imperative that you have a properly structured business plan that will assist you in showcasing how you intend to operate your Tanning Salon, how the business will operate, how you intend to market the business, the anticipated financial results of your company, and how you intend to repay your debt obligations. This sample loan business plan will provide you with the framework that you need in order to acquire a business loan for starting or expanding this type of business.

 

Executive Summary

 

Introduction

 

When obtaining a business loan for a tanning salon, it is imperative that your business plan has a clear and concise executive summary that provides an outline of what are seeking to accomplish, how much capital you are seeking to raise, the management biography of the business owner, and an overview of the anticipated profit and loss statements of the business. Here is an example of how the title paragraph should be written:

 

Tanning Salon, Inc. (“the Company”) is seeking a business loan of 0,000 in order to launch the operations of a tanning salon business that will be based in San Francisco, California. The Company was founded in (Insert Year). The business was founded by Mr. John Doe.

 

Products and Services

 

In the next segment of the business loan and business planning document, you should showcase the products and services that you will be providing to the general public. For instance:

 

The Tanning Salon will provide a number of high technology tanning beds that will be used by the general public. The Company will generate revenues from the ongoing usage of these tanning beds on a daily basis and… Continue reading