Before I came to Global I had no idea that this type of product was even available! I was used to working in the hospitality industry. Let’s face it, in Florida, most people are associated with hospitality in one way or another.  I have always worked in hotels and times shares, and I can tell you there is such a world of difference.

The best thing about being with Global is the people. At so many large companies you become just another number. Here we get to know people, both co-workers and guests. I have many guests that return each year, some to the same home. Many have been staying with Global longer than I have been with the company, and when I speak with them they ask questions about the people they used to deal with. It truly feels like being part of family.

Another thing I would say is the value to our guests. If you compare what you get staying at our resorts with what you get anywhere else, there is nothing to compare it with. That makes my job easier in so many ways. You get all the comforts of living at home while staying with us. While no two of our homes are exactly alike, they are kept to a high standard that people enjoy staying in. I can’t say there are never any problems and that leads me to my last point.

I love to help people. When I’m working in a unit, either doing routine maintenance or a repair for a guest, I’m not just “patching a wall.” I’m helping someone’s vacation be better. We all wish for a flawless vacation, but we live in a real world where things do break. That’s where I come in. I get to talk to the people, find out what’s wrong, and get it fixed as fast as humanly possible. If it can’t be fixed, it gets replaced. We work with our owners to make sure everyone has a great time and a great place to stay.

In short, I love my job and I love doing it right here, right now. This is my second family and I can’t see being anywhere else.

- Aaron Tripp, Maintenance Department

The best way to describe how we feel about Global is the following:

G – is for good working ethics.

L – is for the love of the family atmosphere we maintain.

O – is for the “over-the-top” attitude.

B – is for always trying to be the best we can be.

A – is for all of us working to together to improve things.

L – is looking towards the future and how we can make things better and continue to grow.

At this time, Dave is working in the maintenance department and enjoys all of the guys & ladies that he works with. I am working at the front desk at our Formosa office, in the field with maintenance a few days, and helping where ever I am needed in the office. We are still enjoying our jobs, even though sometimes it gets hectic – but that goes with the territory in the hospitality business. We feel that Global is our extended family and have loved working for Global and hope to continue in the future. Their values and relationships with employees exceeds many companies that we have worked for in the past. We hope Global feels the same way about us.

- Pat & Dave Hess,  Front Desk & Maintenance Staff

- Adam Costner, Director of Customer Service

- Lisa Boxe, LBV Receptionist

I do reservations for retail clients. This involves persuading new and potential clients to stay with Global vs. the competition.  Sales is very complex and it takes a lot of positive energy. I have to be in a good mood everyday in order to keep the callers attention and materialize the call. Some leads are not as easy to close as others, so I do an intense amount of following up and emailing to make sure that I am not leaving any money on the table. In addition to sales, I assist guests with all of their needs from the time they book until they check-in. I answer general customer service calls, adjust files and problem solve when needed. I also send off personally written thank you letters to all of my clients, and advertise on Craig’s List to generate leads.  My job involves many processes.

I love working for Global because of the people here. I am very close with all of my co-workers and they are a bunch of very compassionate people. If one person sees the other in pain, everyone is there to lend a helping hand. It is a very comfortable environment where everyone embraces you for who you are and appreciates your unique attributes!

-Molly Burns, Vacation Home Specialist

- Susan Lattimore, Vacation Home Specialist

We were one of these young up and coming families frustrated with the fast pace and cramped space of our New York life. During one of our vacations to Orlando, I convinced my husband that we venture into one of the newly constructed communities. I wanted to look at a model home, maybe get a few decorating ideas, and a few free cookies for the kiddies from the Welcome Center, with no further expectations. Once we drove through the gates and passed the lake and the fountain, continued on through perfectly manicured lawns and the community park and pool, my thoughts drifted to “one day, I will live in a place like this.” We met one of the new home consultants who offered to take us to one of the homes by way of a golf cart. The kids were excited to take a ride, my husband less enthusiastic, and my curiosity took the better of me, so we agreed. Once we walked through the double glass doors into a foyer with columns and ceramic tile, I thought to myself ” so this is how the other half lives?” Our overly talkative home consultant handed us the flyer. I didn’t even want to look at the asking price, but again, that nagging curious nature of mind, I had to just take a peek. It was then that I gasped at the price, I looked again in disbelief, it was…..AFFORDABLE. But my New York cynicism kicked in. What’s the catch? Was it a typo? Did this model have 1 million dollars worth of upgrades? Were the closing costs actually worth a year’s wages? But I had, in fact, discovered the beauty of home buying in Florida. Florida is full of beautiful subdivisions, which are like small tight knit communities. Neighbors can gather together at the pool for a community barbecue, and friends can work out together without membership fees at a community fitness center, and kids can ride their bikes around the lake, where you meet your neighbors at the community’s park for weekly play dates.

If the gated suburban lifestyle isn’t what you had in mind, there are communities in Florida still located on acres, yes acres, of land. One of my dear friends, owns a home in an equestrian community. Her home sits on 5 acres and she has the most incredible view of a lake from her back porch . My personal preference is to walk across a paved street to my neighbors home to borrow sugar, not by way of horseback, over the river and through the woods. But the great thing is whatever your lifestyle preference, you can enjoy it.

Now let’s mix in sunny days in winter, golf courses, new malls, outlets, a Starbucks, and you have the Florida lifestyle.

If you’ve been thinking about relocating or purchasing a second/vacation home, but thought it might be nearly impossible, why not talk to one of Global Real Estate’s expert team members? You can contact them at 1-800-280-9516. Let them send you some information and links with current listings, just take a look, you’ll be glad you did!!!

I carried my biased opinion throughout my early adulthood.  I refused to participate in the office Halloween party, would not eat any Halloween candy, and on Halloween nights I turned off my lights and hung a big sign on my front door that read “WE DON’T CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN.  Not surprisingly, my home and car were targeted on more than one occasion for an occasional egg washing with a toilet paper accent.

I was adamant in my “anti-Halloween” sentiment, until I had children.  For the first five years of child rearing, it was easy, until that one fall afternoon when my 5 year old daughter returned home from school, with a wild look of excitement in her eyes as she declared she was going to be a “Princess Angel” for Halloween.  Her three year old younger sister piped in that she too was going to be an angel.  Then they looked at me with innocent, thought provoked eyes and asked the question I feared would be asked, “What’s Halloween?”

Suddenly, my thesis on the evils of Halloween seemed so inappropriate and totally irrelevant.  Certainly, my children weren’t evil, nor their classmates, nor teachers, nor MOST of my neighbors.  We weren’t going to draw a circle of fire in the backyard, recite ancient incantations, and sacrifice our puppy. 

“What’s Halloween?”  I realized it’s a time of imagination, pure fun, and an excuse to eat an unbelievable amount of candy in one day.  It’s also an American tradition, as American as apple pie, baseball, and Thanksgiving.

My personal convictions, still keep me opposed to the ideas of blood and gore, I won’t purchase the “hatchet in the back” costume, nor do I enjoy an “Angel of Death” wielding a bloody knife chasing me down a corridor.  For me, life is full of things to be afraid of, natural disasters, diseases, Wall Street needing government assistance, and my bank going bankrupt?!!!…. So to willingly make myself afraid isn’t my idea of a good time.  But that’s my personal choice and I understand now that other people have the right and freedom to think and feel otherwise.

I’ve also discovered that there are local churches that offer alternative options for celebrating Halloween minus the fright.  One such church is Real Life in Clermont FL.  This Halloween, the church will have a “Fall Festival” where children can dress up like Biblical or Historical characters, enjoy hay rides, roast marshmallows, listen to live music, and yes partake in eating immeasurable amounts of sweets.  This church is one of many in the Central Florida region that offer fright-free Halloween fun.  Next week, I’m taking my family to “SeaWorld’s Spooktacular” which is a month-long celebration of Halloween, and another fun and safe alternative.  I will be sure to write about that experience, from a child and adult’s perspective.  Happy Halloween!

The National Training Center in Clermont is a campus designed for athletes, teams, and individuals looking to train at a state-of the-art facility.  It is a 300-acre, sports, health, fitness and education campus with a  37,000 square foot training center. It features an aquatic center, fitness center, track and field complex, cross country course, multi-purpose athletic fields and softball/baseball quadraplex.  This complex hosts a variety of events, from triathlon camps and clinics, track and field meets and a variety of children’s events and programs.  The National Training Center combines sports and athletic facilities with a hospital, medical office building, community college, and a four-year university.  It is an amazing concept and attracts athletes from all over the world.

The Glenbrook Resort is a private pool vacation home property and only 10 minutes from the NTC, located in Clermont.  If you are in the Clermont area, why not sign up for one of the many classes offered at the NTC.  If you are a visiting athlete or team and want to experience a training facility like none other, feel free to contact the NTC.

At Global, our family is made up of our professional staff, our homeowners, and our guests.  Our goal as a staff is to provide superior customer service for our guests and our homeowners.  We want our guests to experience the “vacation of a lifetime”, when staying at one of our luxuriously furnished Orlando vacation homes in one of our many resort communities.  We also want our homeowners to be assured that we are dedicated to maximizing their property potential.

For our homeowner “‘family members”, we have decided to add a more personal touch.  Our Guest Relations Manager, Valerie Morgan, has recently began calling all of our homeowners to introduce herself, find out any needs or concerns they might have, and to establish a close rapport with them.

Valerie has an extensive background in customer service.  She started her career at 18 years old as a hostess in a restaurant, she was later promoted to a server, and eventually became a Corporate Trainer for newly hired employees of three different restaurants.   Although she has only been at a Global for a short period of time, she has already made an indelible mark in our Guest Relations Department.  She has implemented and established new procedures for our front-office personnel to make our guests’ check-in process even more efficient. She has updated the guest directories that are found in our Orlando vacation rentals, in order to make them current and provide more pertinent information, and she has begun taking owner surveys, in order to gain honest feedback.

Besides all her accomplishments here at Global, she is a sweet down to earth person.  A native of Chicago, she loves the Red Sox, College football (Auburn), and NASCAR.  She loves spending time with her nieces and nephew, her brothers, and her twin.  Valerie brings the personal touch to our Guest Relations Department, and wants our homeowners  and our guests to see her as a good friend, who is always willing to help and to listen.

If you are a past, present, or prospective guest, know that Global is committed to providing you with personalized service.  If you are a present or prospective homeowner, you haven’t found just an amazing property management company, but a “family” that truly cares about your valuable asset – your home.