Florida Real Estate Newsletters
Florida Real Estate Newsletters issue with varying purposes from Florida real estate professionals, real estate professional associations and government entities concerned with real estate. Before considering examples of newsletters from each of these sources, let us consider what the term 'newsletter' has come to mean in this age of the internet and the World Wide Web. As the word 'letter' in 'newsletter' suggests, traditional newsletters were something sent to, or at least addressed to, a particular group. While of course there is still the need to address particular groups with news, the variety of ways that the internet and the World Wide World has created in fulfilling this function has left the use of the term 'newsletter' as a mere stylistic choice in some contexts. That said, it may be the case that the term 'newsletter', which once indicated both a literary form and a literary function, will come to indicate a literary function that may take a variety of electronic forms as well as its tradition paper forms. These points will be expanded upon in the course of this article.
Real Estate Newsletters from Florida Real Estate Professionals
Many Florida real estate brokerages and mortgage brokerages send out free real estate newsletters in e-mail form that one can sign up for on their websites. The news in these newsletters generally covers economic, business and legal issues that pertain to the real estate and mortgage industries. Though these newsletter e-mails are often sent out in the ostensive spirit on informational generosity, they often serve the tacit main purpose of maintaining and growing awareness of the business that sends them out. However, as most consumers who sign up for such newsletters are quite aware that they are signing up for ads that promote the brokerage that sends them, and not just news, it is all quite innocent enough.
While such newsletters may create the impression that the sending brokerage is some sort of economic or financial think tank as well as a brokerage, the truth is that brokerages order these newsletters in a way similar to the way that they order business cards. From a company such as "Pages Newsletters," real estate professionals can create a custom newsletter that puts ready-made articles on topics of chosen by the professional plus information about real estate professional in a seamless format.
Some real estate businesses, however, offer newsletters that contain some degree of in-house journalism or unique content. An example is the free "Preconstruction Investment Real Estate Newsletter" e-mail newsletter issued by a brokerage called "Your Advice & Education for Realty Development" or "YEARD", that provides a wide range of real estate services. This newsletter includes discussion of real estate investment and construction news. Being in part a real estate advisor, this brokerage has plenty of its own content to offer.
Another way real estate businesses use newsletters is to maintain relations with existing and ongoing clients and customers. An example of such a business is "Aamerican Property Management" (sic) who maintain two real estate newsletters on their website. One of these is directed toward the owners of properties that they manage, and covers issues specific to their management business as well as issues of general interest. The other is directed to renters who live in the buildings that the business manages. This newsletter covers things that will be happening with regard to managed buildings as well as topics of general interest to tenants.
In sum, while newsletters from real estate professionals are often offered with the basic intent of growing real estate business, the newsletter form has uses by real estate business that serve functions beyond merely marketing real estate service.
Real Estate Newsletters from Florida Real Estate Professional Associations
Two major professional associations concerned with real estate are the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers. Both of these associations have state chapters in Florida: the Florida Association of Realtors and the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers, respectively. While the Florida Association of Mortgage Brokers sends out an e-mail newsletter letter that covers the mortgage industry and issues of general interest to participants in the mortgage industry, the Florida Association of Realtors serves the newsletter function with a publication called "Early Bird" in the "News and Events" section on its website. Though Early Bird has the content of a traditional newsletter, it is not explicitly referred to as such. In addition to the website version of Early Bird, the Florida Association of Realtors has a daily version of Early Bird, "Early Bird Daily", that is sent though e-mail to those who sign up. Every Florida county has a local chapter of the Florida Association of Realtors. Most if not all of these local chapters have a real estate news section on their website, if not e-mail or paper newsletters as well.
Real Estate Newsletters from the Florida Government
The main governmental organization concerned with real estate in Florida is the Florida Division of Real Estate, which is in the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. This division regulates both real estate brokerage and real estate appraisal, and has specific areas of its website devoted to each of these practices. The appraiser's section contains a link to an online version of a newsletter called, appropriately, "The Florida Real Estate Appraisers Newsletter". This newsletter contains fairly technical discussion of issues of interest to appraisers, such as changes in law that affect the practice of appraisal. It also contains a section devoted to disciplinary actions against appraisers, whom the division licenses and regulates.
In the section devoted to real estate brokerage, there is no mention of a newsletter, but there is substantial news and information of significance to real estate broker and sales associate licensees. Also, it is possible to check the license status of these licensees through an online data base maintained by the Florida Division of Real Estate. Thus while the traditional newsletter form has been preserved in the case of appraisers, with regard to real estate brokers and sales associates, the newsletter function has been given new forms that bypass description as a newsletter.
In conclusion, while there remain many examples of the traditional newsletter form in the world of Florida real estate, the internet and the World Wide Web have brought about new possibilities in form for the traditional newsletter function, and these being well-explored by Florida Real Estate Agents and others interested in Florida real estate.