Are you Green with envy? Green features bring more money in shorter time!

Studies Show that having green features in a home helps it sell quicker and for more money. Green is the new buzz word. But being green means different things to different people. Results of studies report consumers are looking for 3 main catogories;
1. health cosiderations
2. Suataqined materials and resources
3. Money saving
Green Realtors are tapping onto the pulse of the green community. Less than 10% of Realtors have positioned through certification, themself as a green home specialist.

There are less green homes available, so they are seller quicker and bringing more money to the seller.
Locally the leading home builder is
www.inmovation-homes.com
They are the "Leader in Affordable energy efficient homes"

Most of the experts say green is not a fad, green is here to stay.

Is SMS or Texting getting out of hand?

As a Real Estate Broker with nearly 30 years experience I have seen allot of changes in the Real Estate technology arena. When i first started practicing we didn't have fax machines, cell phones, PC's, digital camera, and personal 3-1 printers.
We used Xerox machines, carbon paper, pay phones and you took your film to to be developed and waited several days or paid a premium for a 24 hour photo development.
That was the early 80's and this is the 21st century. Technology and the tools we use to practice real estate change weekly if not daily. What used to take years now can be done in a few days. Don't get me wrong I love technology and the changes it has brought to the industry. My question is; Is all this texting getting out of hand?
I see teenagers and many not so young walking in crowds, with know one watching as they walk. Everyone looking at their phone texting or e-mailing. For a non-scientific study I decided as I was heading to an appointment yesterday to watch everyone and try to make eye contact with other drivers. I wanted to see how many people were texting. I only saw a few people who weren't using their phones to text or checking their e-mail.
When I meet a new client I always what is their preference on how they would like to stay in contact. More and more it is through texting. These days I have a separate text only phone. I like the quickness and convenient and the response time. It is also true that most text are still actually read and most e-mail is never opened.
But now the local pizzeria, repairs shop and the local market sends you a text. You can scan a QR code and receive a text with the information back. You can receive a tweet or a Facebook status update via text. It will probably be soon where many will start ignoring their text or unsubscribe many of their would be text'r.
For now I'm enjoying the ability to communicate quickly and easily without allot of time wasted. Although I think I'm starting to think Old School. Maybe I will start picking up the phone and call if it's more then a few words. maybe the phone will come back in fashion.
...Oh no my text phone just went dead.

Veteran's receive unexpected savings when purchasing a new home or refinancing an existing

The VA unexpectedly lowered the funding fee (this is usually financed into the mortgage) they charge. This reduction may save the veteran thousands of dollars in the life of the loan.

2.15 now 1.4 1st time use
subsequent use 3.3 now and 2.8 after Oct 1, 2011
It is great that something was done to give back to those who have given to all us. All of us who enjoy freedom in the greatest country of the world.

For additional information see this great article http://mortgagedaily.tv/2011/09/23/va-funding-fee-lower-for-loans-closed-on-or-after-october-1-2011/va-funding-fee-chart/

This the best time to buy a home in this generation and maybe the next

Many don't realize that the window of opportunity to buy nearly twice as much home for the dollar is closing. The interest rates being charged for FHA and VA loans are the lowest we have seen in 50 years. The current interest rates have been  hovering around 4%. This is a low rate on the type of mortgage used to finance most affordable homes in Florida. This great rate combined by prices that have been reduced to 2003 or 2004 prices, creates a net effect of the average borrower being able to have nearly 2X the buying power of just 4 or 5 years ago.
When rates go up and if inflation picks up then these super low mortgage payments will end.

"If inflation picks up you won't see these mortgage rates again in your lifetime" Brett Arends of The Wall Street Journal Sept 16, 2010

It's time we spread the word, get everyone who doesn't owe a home to buy one. Right now you can lock a low mortgage payment for the rest of your life.

“If you don’t own a home, buy one,” Paulson said,  “If you own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshhelmin/2010/09/29/urgent-advice-from-billionaire-john-paulson-buy-a-house-and-gold-plus-rupert-murdochs-pay-cut/

Act now before it's too late.

What's the Big deal about being a CRS?

What's the Big deal about being a CRS? (edit/delete)

A CRS which stands for Certified Residential Specialist. A CRS is a member of the council of residential specialist. Only 3% of All Realtors obtain a CRS Designation.
CRS stands for Certified Residential Specialist. A CRS is a member of the Council of Residential Specialist of the national Association of Realtors.
Mission statement:
"...to recruit and retain Realtors and International real estate Professionals seeking the knowledge, tools, relationship building and referral opportunities they need to maximize their income and professionalism in residential Real Estate."

The Council provides superior education, to help Realtors become more successful an

Publish Post

d make more money. The approximately 3% of Realtors who go through the certification process and that have the CRS designation, are involved in 27% of all transactions.
More education, more referral opportunities, more experience...means more competency
You can rely on a CRS!

Sellers Need to Get Practical About Price

Sellers whose homes have lingered on the market for months--or years, in some cases--are banking on this spring to turn the tide.

Foreclosures and short sales are still flooding the market, which means many sellers are still up against big inventories and some big bargains that may pull away buyers.

As such, more real estate pros say it’s time to have tough conversations with sellers about slashing their sales price of their home, particularly if it hasn’t garnered any traffic in recent months or years. After all, spring usually brings out more buyers, as home shoppers look to buy and move before the next school year.

"We have had a problem with sellers who are nostalgic for the way it was," says Ron Phipps, a Warwick, R.I., real estate professional and the president of the National Association of REALTORS®. He says what home owners could fetch for their home during the housing boom is not practical today. "You have to be where the market is, not where it was," Phipps says.

Phipps suggests encouraging sellers to check out the competition by visiting open houses or viewing online virtual tours of similar homes for sale to see how the seller’s house compares in price and appearance.

"You have to be very realistic about what is keeping your home from selling," Phipps says. "Sometimes it may actually be the person in the mirror, if your expectations are not realistic. Ultimately, there is a price at which all things sell."

Foreign buyers are turning to the U.S. to buy “trophy properties

Foreign buyers are turning to the U.S. to buy “trophy properties,” according to a recent Wall Street Journal blog which added that demand is so strong, leading real estate website Realtor.com plans to add features, including a translation service, to help the influx of international buyers find real estate.



“They’re feeling that investing in U.S. real estate right now may be a more stable option than investing in their home countries,” Julie Reynolds, a Realtor.com spokesperson said.



Reynolds cited a National Association of Realtors survey that showed that 55% of foreign buyers paid cash in 2009, compared with about 8% of overall respondents.



In her WSJ blog, S. Mitra Kalita concluded that, “Given the shaky state of some markets and a still-tight lending environment, real-estate agents say the rush to market to foreign buyers only makes good business sense.”



And the National Association of Realtors findings back her up: It reported that between April 2009 and March 31, 2010, $66 billion of residential property — 7 percent of the total U.S. residential market — was sold to foreign nationals, recent immigrants and temporary visa holders.



“We have definitely seen an increase in international clients this year,” said Miami realtor, Ines Hegedus-Garcia. “What’s exciting is the fact that they are not interested in just single residential properties, but multiple properties as well as commercial and industrial. They are savvy cash buyers who do their homework and pull the trigger fast once the numbers make sense.”



On Realtor.com, traffic from countries in Western Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia has increased by more than 50% over the past two years with the foreigners targeting properties in Florida, California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, New York, and Nevada.



At a local level, Realtors have also noticed the surge of interest from abroad: Last year 28% of them reported working with at least one international client in the previous year (2009 – 2010), up from 23% in 2008.



Here’s how the foreign interest in U.S. property breaks down: Canadians have make up the bulk of international buyers during the past 3 years; Mexicans the fastest growing; and buyers from the UK, stung by their own housing market collapse, have posted the steepest decline.



About 50 percent of international homebuyers said they wanted to move here and make the homes their primary residences; 25 percent bought vacation homes for their own use; 14% were bought residential rentals for investment; and another 14% said they wanted their purchases to double as their own vacation home and a rental.







Read more: International Buyers Bullish on U.S. Real Estate
REALTOR.com® Blogs

64% report that they feel housing is a ‘safe investment’

* NAR revised the ‘pending home sales’ data DOWN..2.8% for Jan and 1.5% year over year. This is an important statistic to follow because its a clear indication what direction the market is headed. Few pendings = fewer closings = more price drops = more underwater owners = more distressed sellers who will need to see via a short sale to avoid a foreclosure. Watch the FREE Agent Short Sale Secrets video and download the FREE Short Sale training guide now.



* Fannie Mae reports results from a recent survey: 64% report that they feel housing is a ‘safe investment’….that is actually a slight improvement over this time last year.

http://timandjulieharris.com/2011/02/28/fannie-mae-reports-64-feel-housing-is-a-safe-investment-nar-pending-home-sales-data/

Seven Reasons Why NOW is the Best Time in Years to Buy a Home

Seven  Reasons Why NOW is the Best Time in Years to Buy a Home
1. Home affordability is at an all-time high.
The median mortgage payment on the median priced home as a percentage of the median household income is lower than it's been in a generation.
2. Mortgage rates have reached rock bottom, and may go up soon.
As interest rates start to inch back upwards, monthly payments and total loan costs will spike upwards.
3. Buy Now; Buy Low!
After declining nearly three years, home prices are stabilizing in most markets.
4. Sellers are motivated.
This means that buyers have the upper hand! From banks looking to dispose of foreclosed properties to homeowners who are fiercely competing among an excess of housing inventory, buyers have untold choices and negotiating power.
5. Financing is readily available for qualified buyers!
Banks are getting back in the game and ready to lend to well-qualified buyers.
6. Owning vs. renting is increasingly favorable.
Since 2009, the average principal and interest payment has fallen below the average rental rates, and the gap is now wider than it's been in the past 22 years.
7. Homeownership is at the core of the American Dream!
Owning a home is critical to financial stability and wealth building. It's a forced savings account, a place to live and a fabulous tax deduction.

The American people are tired of how Washington keeps taking away their benefits to help with their over spending.

The American people are tired of how Washington keeps taking away their benefits to help with their over spending. Many national home owners rights groups are starting to mobilize as The Obama administration officially unveiled it's plan to remake the mortgage market and reduce the government's role in housing finance by shutting down government backed mortgages.


The “white paper" outlines steps the Obama says will help draw private money back into the mortgage market.

"We are going to start the process of reform now, but we are going to do it responsibly and carefully so that we support the recovery and the process of repair of the housing market," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said in a statement.

The government-sponsored enterprises of Fannie and Freddie backs home loans, and converts them into assets that can be sold to investors. They stand behind the vast majority of mortgages in the United States. In the past these institutions were traded publicly, they were taken over by the government in late 2008.

Part of the white house’s plan is to eliminate home owner tax deductions for what they consider the wealthiest Americans, which is those with adjusted incomes of over $170,000 vs. the $250,000 they had previously spoke about. The fear is that they start here and then whittle away all deductions. It seems simpler that if they are going to do that, than a flat tax or a Universal tax may be fairer. Only time will tell where this issue will end up and how much it will cost the tax payers.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/02/11/news/companies/fannie_mae_freddie_mac_white_house_proposal/index.htm

Home Buyers who need to finance shouldn't wait to long, sadly rates are on the rise.

Buyers who need to finance shouldn't wait to long, rates are on the rise. If you aren't one of lucky ones who have cash to purchase, then it is now time to leap off  the fence. It seems that new money to purchase a home is now rising above the record lows we have enjoyed the last couple of years. As these rates go up the amount in monthly payment go up also. Right now many families are able to purchase a home less than what a similar home can rent for on the same street. It seems the waiting is over. Although we may still see some prices adjust a little lower in some markets the real risk is in inflation and the rise in interest rates which will affect the monhtly payment for 30 YEARS.

http://realestateinvestordaily.com/market-information-news/home-purchase-mortgage-applications-decrease-interest-rates-on-the-rise-2/

Cash sales are on the rise in Florida

We are seeing alot more investors leaving the sidelines and joining in the the greatest buyer opportunity in the last  20 years. Although we have seen some big down turns in many, if not all markets, the investors flush with cash are starting to take advantage of this part of the housing cycle. Usually in a down market there are more cash sales. This is certainly the case this time around.
Cash buyers demand a discount off the listing price, and many times they will get it.

Cities in Florida, Cal, and Las Vegas are seeing the largest increase in cash transactions.

Many Florida Realtors feel this will continue as the market travels through this part of the cycle.

http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?id=254435