There’s more equity out there than just money.

  • "Real estate counseling is a practice on a professional level, designed to guide a client or customer to a better understanding of his real estate ownership problems and their probable solutions, utilizing modern principles and methods of questioning and listening to establish Client Management."

    Charles Chatham

  • "It is a sign of intellectual laziness to buy with cash."

    Peter Fortunato

  • “We can always make a deal as long as no cash or payments is involved.”

    Jack Miller

Leadership Team

About

FREE  is a real estate exchange counseling and networking organization for the mutual benefit of the members and their clients using creative marketing and the sale or exchange of real and personal properties. This informational forum was created to teach and advance the use of alternative methods of buying, selling and exchanging real and personal property. As of 2023, the organization has been involved in 10,000+ transactions valued over $1B (adjusted for inflation).

History

FREE was created in 1963 by merging the Sarasota Real Estate Exchangors and the Manatee Real Estate Exchangors, two groups that had been meeting previously for several years. The original exchange clubs were organized by real estate agents and were comprised of licensed professionals only. After the merger, the name FREE was adopted and the membership opened to include developers, property owners, and entrepreneurs.  In 2003 and later in 2023, FREE undertook a complete reorganization of the club in order to embrace the informational era.

Benefits

Our benefits include unlimited education and counseling on all aspects of property exchanging, excellent networking and promotional opportunities, plus free listings on the FREE website (coming soon). More importantly, FREE may offer the opportunity to move more real estate, sometimes larger remuneration, and in some instances for their clients, the deferral of income tax on the transaction. More below.

Members

Our members are a friendly and professional group of both seasoned exchangers/traders and people new to this exciting form of transaction. Discover new solutions, learn from our seasoned professional members and benefit from their years of experience. Some of our current members include real estate owners, investors, licensed professionals (realtors & brokers), developers, asset managers, financiers (including hard money lenders), consultants and educators. We’re here to make deals happen and look beyond the “all cash” or bank financing as the only means to consummate a transaction.

FREE’s objectives

  1. To disseminate through educational programs information relative to real estate in general and exchanging in particular.

  2. To promote education and professionalism in the specialty of exchanging and exchange counseling.

  3. To assist members with creative solutions to real estate problems.

  4. To create an atmosphere of cooperation and sharing of ideas.

  5. To provide technical assistance to its members.

  6. To create a forum to expose properties to a larger, more active market place.

  7. To create an organization whose members subscribe to the philosophy that working with people is more important than working with property. Giving of oneself is essential and that if this giving is done willingly and sincerely, the best interests of clients and members will be served.

Why FREE?

  1. Access to an excellent internet site geared to licensed and unlicensed entrepreneurs .

  2. Estate building for retirement .

  3. Acquiring a varied portfolio geared to your present needs .

  4. A forum for selling or trading real or personal property for clients .

  5. A forum for selling or exchanging member properties .

  6. Higher commissions when exchanging, "You keep yours, I'll keep mine" (ykylkm) .

  7. Frequent educational programs .

  8. Networking with other exchangors & licensed professionals who share the same goals .

  9. Solving problems with unwanted property .

  10. Satisfaction from helping others out of uncomfortable situations.