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• Regional Spotlight: Florida’s Existing Condo Sales Rise in July 2010

  MSC Marketing 9:21 am on August 26, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: condominiums (2), condos (4), Consumer news and advice (159), Florida (7), Florida Realtors (4), housing market (46), real estate (163), Regional, residential, Statistics (62)   Filed under: Agent information, Buyer Info, Condominiums, Consumer news and advice, Florida Association of Realtors, Statistics, The Housing Market

  RISMEDIA, August 26, 2010—Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 11% in July 2010, with a total of 5,557 condos sold statewide compared to 4,991 units sold in July 2009, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors.

  Eleven of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported higher existing condo sales in July, according to Florida Realtors. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $87,200; in July 2009 it was $108,500 for a 20% decrease. The national median existing condo price was $181,300 in June, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). (More …)

  
   
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• 5 Things Sellers Must Require of a Real Estate Agent

  MSC Marketing 8:55 am on July 1, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: agents (23), Consumer news and advice (159), housing market (46), real estate (163), residential, sellers (35)   Filed under: Consumer news and advice, Seller Info

  Are you thinking of selling your home? Are you dreading having to deal with strangers walking through the house? Are you concerned about getting the paperwork correct? Hiring a professional real estate agent can take away most of the challenges of selling. A great agent is always worth more than the commission they charge just like a great doctor or great accountant. You want to deal with one of the best agents in your marketplace. To do this, you must be able to distinguish the average agent from the great one. Let us help.

  If I were hiring an agent to sell my home today, I would require they:

  1. Tell me the truth about the price

  Too many agents just take the listing at any price and then try to the ‘work the seller’ for a price correction later. Demand that the agent prove to you that they have a belief in the price they are suggesting. Make them show you their plan to sell the house at that price – TWICE! Every house in today’s market must be sold two times – first to a buyer and then to the bank.

  The second sale may be more difficult than he first. The residential appraisal process has gone through a complete overhaul in the last twelve months. It has become more difficult to get the banks to agree on the contract price. A red flag should be raised if your agent is not discussing this with you at the time of the listing. (More …)

  
   
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• News Alert! The Luxury Market Has Returned

  MSC Marketing 9:02 am on June 17, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: economy (67), housing affordability (45), housing market (46), Luxury (28), real estate (163), residential, Today's Marketplace (34)   Filed under: Luxury, The Housing Market

  by Steve Harney on June 4, 2010

  There is no longer any question that luxury homes are beginning to sell.  The high-net-worth client has marked 2010 as the year to again start purchasing real estate and their desire is turning into sales. Financing is beginning to open up in the ‘jumbo’ market and prices are starting to reflect true values as upper end foreclosures are starting to mount. What does this market have in store for us as we move forward in 2010? That will be determined by supply and demand.

  DEMAND

  Obviously, demand is increasing. The Wall street Journal reported:

  “After a near-disastrous 2009, the luxury market appears to be making a comeback, driven by growing buyer confidence, improved financing conditions and more-realistic seller pricing. Despite the housing downturn, attractively priced homes in some of the nation’s most coveted neighborhoods are selling, sometimes fast and sometimes with multiple offers. Nationwide, sales of homes selling for $2 million to $5 million in the first quarter totaled 2,461, up 32% from a year before, says CoreLogic.” (More …)

  
   
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• 5 Tips for a Successful Home Remodel

  MSC Marketing 9:12 am on June 15, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Consumer news and advice (159), Home improvement (8), real estate (163), residential   Filed under: Home improvement

  RISMEDIA, March 12, 2010—As spring approaches, many homeowners grow eager to start remodeling projects to update and refresh their surroundings. Before getting started, it’s a good idea to hire a professional remodeler for a workable plan and better results, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

  “A professional remodeler knows how to translate a homeowner’s dreams and budget into a beautiful reality,” said Donna Shirey, CGR, CAPS, CGP, president of Shirey Contracting in Issaquah, Wash. and 2010 chairman of NAHB Remodelers. “They have the expertise and skills to satisfy a customer while keeping the budget in check.”

  Here are five tips for planning a successful home remodel that you can enjoy for many years to come. (More …)

  
   
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• Around the Home – When You Should Leave Home-Improvement Projects to the Experts

  MSC Marketing 9:53 am on March 8, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Best Practices (27), Consumer news and advice (159), residential   Filed under: Best Practices, Consumer news and advice

  By Amy Hoak

  RISMEDIA, March 6, 2010—(MCT)—Eager to save money, homeowners are more willing to get their hands dirty with home-improvement projects these days. But the DIY route isn’t always the safest or cheapest.

  “Especially with money being so tight, it’s totally understandable that people want to take on projects themselves that in other periods they would have hired someone to do,” said Meri-K Appy, president of the Home Safety Council, a Washington nonprofit dedicated to preventing home-related injuries. But how do you determine if a project entails more than you can realistically handle? (More …)

  
   
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• Is It the Beginning of the End for Housing Crisis?

  MSC Marketing 9:47 am on March 8, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: Consumer news and advice (159), economy (67), housing market (46), real estate (163), residential, Today's Marketplace (34)   Filed under: Consumer news and advice, economy, The Economy, The Housing Market

  By Amy Hoak

  RISMEDIA, March 8, 2010—(MCT)—A smaller percentage of mortgages were delinquent and the rate of those entering the foreclosure process slowed in the fourth quarter of 2009, possible signs that the foreclosure crisis that has gripped many of the nation’s housing markets is finally starting to ease, a trade group has reported.

  “We are likely seeing the beginning of the end of the unprecedented wave of mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures that started with the subprime defaults in early 2007,” said Jay Brinkmann, chief economist of the Mortgage Bankers Association, in a written statement. (More …)

  
   
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• NAR - Frequency and Usefulness of Information Sources

  MSC Marketing 4:29 pm on January 7, 2010 | Comments:0
  Tags: home buyers (115), NAR (34), real estate (163), residential, web exposure (27)   Filed under: Buyer Info, Charts, People, Seller Info, Statistics

  Perhaps more important than simply the use of various sources of information is the frequency and usefulness a buyers access these sources. By a wide margin, the Internet and real estate agents are the most useful for the home search process.

  Source: National Association of Realtors, 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers

  

  
   
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• November 2009 Sales Up 86 Percent

  MSC Marketing 2:41 pm on December 15, 2009 | Comments:0
  Tags: competitive information (50), consumer confidence (52), First Time Home Buyers (23), market share (36), real estate (163), residential, Sarasota (62)   Filed under: Sarasota

  
  
  The Sarasota real estate market remained hot in November 2009 with overall sales nearly 86 percent higher than November 2008. Total sales stood at 578 in November, mirroring last month’s total of 574 and much higher than the 311 sales reported in November 2008. The breakdown was 417 single family homes and 161 condos sold last month.

  The fall has proven to be a busy one for many local Realtors®, and the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Pending sales stood at 793 in November, just below last month’s total of 839, and far higher than last November, when only 504 pendings were reported. (More …)

  
   
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• BusinessWeek – Roth on Real Estate

  MSC Marketing 4:18 pm on December 10, 2009 | Comments:0
  Tags: First Time Home Buyers (23), home buyers (115), housing affordability (45), investment comparison (14), real estate (163), residential   Filed under: Buyer Info, The Economy, The Housing Market

  If You Don’t Buy a House Now, You’re Stupid or Broke
  Interest rates are at historic lows but cyclical trends suggest they will soon rise. Home buyers may never see such a chance again, writes Marc Roth.

  Well, you may not be stupid or broke. Maybe you already have a house and you don’t want to move. Or maybe you’re a Trappist monk and have forsworn all earthly possessions. Or whatever. But if you want to buy a house, now is the time, and if you don’t act soon, you will regret it. Here’s why: historically low interest rates.

  As of today, the average 30-year fixed-rate loan with no points or fees is around 5%. That, as the graph above—which you can find on Mortgage-X.com—shows, is the lowest the rate has been in nearly 40 years.

  In fact, rates are so well below historic averages that it should make all current and prospective homeowners take notice of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

  And it is exactly that, based on what the graph shows us. Let’s look at the point on the far left.

  In 1970 the rate was approximately 7.25%. After hovering there for a couple of years, it began a trend upward, landing near 10% in late 1973. It settled at 8.5% to 9% from 1974 to the end of 1976. After the rise to 10%, that probably seemed O.K. to most home buyers.

  But they weren’t happy soon thereafter. From 1977 to 1981, a period of only 60 months, the 30-year fixed rate climbed to 18%. As I mentioned in one of my previous articles, my dad was one of those unluckily stuck needing a loan at that time. (More …)

  
   
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• From The Publishers Of Robb Report - Beachfront Property

  MSC Marketing 3:46 pm on November 19, 2009 | Comments:0
  Tags: Casey Key (2), FL (4), home buyers (115), real estate (163), residential, Sarasota (62), Vacation (15)   Filed under: Buyer Info, Sarasota

  Exquisite Beachfront Property

  

  Source, Robb Report, COLLECTION – December 2009 Edition

  Spotlighting some of the top BEACHFRONT PROPERTIES on the market.

  Sarasota, Florida

  Located in the Osprey section of Sarasota, this eight-bedroom, nine-and-a-half-bathroom, 16,500-square-foot estate has a private beach and frontage on both the bay and gulf sides of the peninsula on which the property sits.

  The master suite has his and her baths. The kitchen has dual cooking centers.  Among the home’s other features are four fireplaces, a billiards room, a gym with an indoor lap pool, a wine room, and staff quarters.

  The property also includes a tennis court, a putting green, a boathouse, and a pool house that contains two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

  Click image to see full size article in PDF form.