Posts in category 'Real Estate Explained'
Subscribe and receive email notifications of new blog posts.
RSS Feed
5
Should You Buy or Sell a Home Right Now, or Wait?
If you've been thinking about buying or selling a home lately, you may have found yourself asking the same question a lot of people are asking:
Should I do something now, or should I wait?
It's understandable.
Mortgage rates moved higher again recently. The average 30-year fixed mortgage was 7.28% as of October 1, according to Freddie Mac, compared with 7.03% the week before. Freddie Mac
Buyers are watching rates. Sellers are watching buyers. And everyone seems to be waiting for some kind of signal that tells them what happens next.
The problem is that real estate rarely gives us an "all clear."
What's happening here in Volusia County?
The local numbers are actually pretty i...
14
What Does a Healthy Florida Condo Association Look Like?
If you're buying a Florida condo, it's easy to focus on the unit.
How's the kitchen?
What's the view?
Is there a pool?
How close is the beach?
Those things matter.
But you're not only buying a condo.
You're buying into an association.
And understanding the health of that association can be every bit as important as deciding whether you like the unit itself.
A low monthly fee isn't automatically a good thing
Buyers understandably pay attention to association fees.
But I wouldn't evaluate an association simply by asking, "How much is the monthly fee?"
I'd want to know what that fee is supporting.
An association has buildings and common areas to maintain. Depending on the property, that might include roofs, elevators, pools, landscaping, exterior maintenan...
31
Should You Price Your Home High and Leave Room to Negotiate?
There's a question sellers have been asking Realtors forever:
"Why don't we price it a little high and leave ourselves room to negotiate?"
I understand the logic.
If you really want $500,000, why not list at $525,000? Then if the buyer negotiates, you have somewhere to go.
The problem is that buyers don't necessarily look at it that way.
They don't know that you're willing to take $500,000.
They only know that your house is listed for $525,000.
And before they ever negotiate with you, they have to decide your house is worth seeing.
Buyers are comparing you before they walk through the door
Years ago, buyers relied much more heavily on their Realtor to tell them what was available.
Today they can si...
24
How's the Market? It Depends
One of the questions I get asked all the time is, "How's the real estate market?"
And my answer these days is usually: It depends.
That may sound like I'm avoiding the question, but I'm really not.
Because there isn't just one real estate market.
The market can look very different depending on whether you're buying, selling or investing. It can also change depending on your price range, where you're looking and even whether you're talking about a single-family home or a condo.
If You're a Buyer
For many buyers, today's market offers something we didn't have much of during the COVID-era market: choices.You may have more time to compare properties, look at what has been sitting on the market and negotiate things that would have been much harder to negotiate a few years ago.
But that doesn't mean every property is sitting around waiting for an offer.
A home that is priced well and checks t...
17
What Happens After Your Offer Is Accepted? A Florida Realtor Explains
Getting an offer accepted on a house feels like a finish line. You've spent weeks or maybe months looking at homes. You've found the one you want. You've negotiated the price and terms, everyone has signed the contract, and finally you can relax.
Except you're not finished.
In many ways, this is when some of the most important work begins.
I've had buyers tell me after closing that they didn't realize how many things were happening behind the scenes between contract and closing. That's understandable. Most people don't buy and sell houses every day. Realtors do.
And while every transaction is different, there are several things that commonly happen after a Florida home goes under contract.
First, we start watching the calendar
Real estate contracts have deadlines:
- Inspection periods expire.
- Financing deadlines arrive.
- Deposits are due.
- Appraisals have to be completed.
- Associati...
|
 |
