The Royal PalmCast

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 g...

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 ...

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, rever...

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 person...

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...

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 i...

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 disc...

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 associatio...

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!
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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 raco...

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 th...

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...