Jacksonville Beaches Real Estate

Merry Christmas! I hope the holiday season brings you lots of rest and maybe a present or two. I'm showing houses tonight so maybe my Buyers will get a signed acceptance before Santa comes! Let's see what the New Year brings in the housing market. Wish I had a crystal ball... Warmest Christmas wishes,

Okay all of you procrastinators! It's time to get very serious about finding your first home! Time is of the essence! Please don't hesitate any longer. You must have a "fully executed" contract by April 30th with a closing date before June 30th. That's really cutting it close! Today is April 14th and you've got 16 days to find a house! Please don't wait any longer. There are currently 3338 homes in the price range of $120,000 to $190,000 listed in our MLS. Let's go look at a few of them this weekend! :-) Call me today if I can help. We'll find something in time if you're willing to start looking with me TODAY!

Is it just me, or is this Christmas here to soon? I'm just not ready for it yet. It could have something to do with the fact that it's going to be 83 degrees tomorrow. Somehow, 83 degrees and Christmas just don't seem like a good match! How can we get past this heat?!?!? The real estate market remains hot too. I got another short sale listing today. Another investor owned property that would be a really good buy for someone. There still seems to be a lot of activity out in the market. Lots of buyers trying to take advantage of the First Time Buyer tax credit. Lots of buyers trying to take advantage of the foreclosures on the market as well as the short sales. Interest rates dropped so low last week that they are the LOWEST THEY'VE EVER BEEN!! Wow! At one point they were just above 4%. That's amazing! What are you waiting for? If you've been thinking about buying a house...NOW is the time to act! In the meantime, I hope the weather cools off, but not the marke...

Once again it's time for me to repost the scariest real estate story ever! It's become an annual tradition to repost this article. I call it my "List Em and Leave Em" post. Don't let this happen to you! The names have been changed to protect the slackers and the victims... I continually hear people say that their realtor bugged them for weeks to get them to list their house with them. They finally agreed to list it and they never saw the REALTOR again!! I'm not exaggerating! Check out this story.... New example of a "list em and leave em" real estate company Wednesday, May 02, 2007JANESVILLE, Wis. - A couple checking out a house for sale were shocked to discover the 55-year-old homeowner dead in her bed. Authorities said foul play was not suspected. Real estate agent Linda stood in the dining room while Justin and Colleen walked through a house Monday night. Before long, she heard Colleen scream."I thought, 'What's wrong?' Maybe i...

The number of short sales in the Jacksonville market continue to increase while the number of REO homes seems to be decreasing. There are a lot of foreclosed homes (REO) that are being sold for MORE THAN ASKING PRICE with multiple offers! There are often more than a dozen offers on a foreclosed home that is in good condition. The short sale market is absolutely dead at the moment. In order for a First Time Buyer to purchase a short sale, they should have placed their offer MONTHS ago! Short sales are taking 5-6 months to get to closing so they're not a good option for a First Timer trying to meet the November 30th deadline for closing. As the homes that have been on the market continue to sit there, more and more of them are becoming short sales as the price has to be reduced. The price drops and the status of the home becomes a short sale. It's brutal out there right now for SELLERS and it's GREAT out there for buyers! Interest rates are approaching historic lows and the...

Hurry! If you've been watching the market, waiting for just the right time to jump in--- now is the time!! Short sales are the name of the game. There are a bazillion of them on the market right now and lenders seem to be getting their act together. I have partnered with one of Jacksonville's finest real estate attorneys, David Heekin, to ensure that my buyers AND my sellers are protected and under the watchful eye of an attorney. There are so many legal ramifications of a short sale that I just felt like it would be a good investment for my clients to have peace of mind throughout the entire process. David is involved from day one. Put us to work for you today before all of the bargains are snatched up.

The number of foreclosures continue to increase in the Jacksonville area. Several different auctions are held at least once a month and these tend to clear out large numbers of homes in one afternoon.You can even buy foreclosures online! Lots of empty, foreclosed homes continue to sit in many neighborhoods creating eyesores and in some cases, a safety hazzard. The upcoming bail out package has GOT to include some relief from this foreclosure nightmare! I think if they would lower the interest rates down to around 3.5%---we'd have buyers coming out of the woodwork! And why not? There are lots of good deals out there. I've decided NOT to work with short sales for a while. The time involved and the disaster that often befalls the poor buyer, has made me rethink this market entirely. As my short sale listings expire, I refer them to another agent. I just don't think they're fair to the buyers OR the sellers. They often take so long, the house ends up in foreclosure be...

Great news concerning renters of foreclosed properties! I have been complaining and worrying about these tenants for months! I am so relieved that SOMETHING is finally being done. I hope they follow through with all of this and really protect these families caught in the foreclosure mess. This is not fair to the tenants that have been paying their rent and playing by the rules. Please see the article below from the Florida Association of Realtors site today: Fannie Mae bans evictions of renters WASHINGTON – Jan. 14, 2009 – Mortgage finance company Fannie Mae said Tuesday it has adopted a policy allowing renters to remain in their homes even if their landlord enters foreclosure. The new policy will allow residents of about 4,000 properties to sign new leases with Fannie while the property is up for sale. Michael Williams, Fannie Mae’s chief operating officer, said in a statement that the change should “help bring a measure of stability to communities impacted by high foreclosure rat...

Great Article on Selling Your Home by Anonymous (I read it online and loved it! Started following other links and never got back to the article!) Enjoy the read. IT IS SO TRUE! Selling a home in a declining market starts with a proper attitude and finding the right Realtor® who is optimistic and knows the right sales techniques in this tough market. Even though most people and economists are down on the housing market (feel it is depressed, that the economic recovery isn't going to happen in the next few months, and consumer confidence is down), it doesn't mean that you can't sell your home. The truth of the matter is many people will sell their homes between now and this summer. While many sellers and real estate agents take a reactive approach to market conditions, those sellers who take a more proactive and realistic approach to the market will be the ones who sell their homes. These are the sellers who take advantage of this market and move up to their dream home! Firs...

There are currently 3000 preforeclosure homes on the market in Jacksonville. If they aren't in full blown foreclosure proceedings, they're definitely in deep trouble. Most are in some stage of the foreclosure process, lots are short sales. In troubled times like these, it's time for the buyers to come out of hiding! Interest rates fell again Friday to below 6%! Now is the time to get into the market! Whether you're a first time buyer or an investor--the time is right. Inventory remains extremely high (which means lots of homes to pick from) and now interest rates are low so it's the "perfect storm" for buyers. I can even tell you about a way to get up to $35,000 in buyers assistance for first time buyers! Yep. You read that right. I can get you up to $35,000 to help get the price down, pay closing costs, do repairs, or whatever it takes to get you into that first home! Call me today and I will put you in touch with the lender that will guide you thr...

I've been hit in the face with the harsh reality of what really happens when an investor faces foreclosure on the home(s)he/she bought as rental homes. I've had the unpleasant task of informing renters that the home they're living in is in foreclosure. This is really a bad situation. The renters have been paying their rent on time and have a lease that is good through next year. Unfortunately, they will have to move right away if the home is foreclosed on. They are caught up in the housing nightmare that is engulfing our market. They are the innocent bystanders that are going to suffer through no fault of their own. At least my tenants know!! I have been hearing way too many stories about tenants having Sheriff's officers show up at their door telling them to GET OUT. It's gotten so bad, several cities have begun to refuse to evict these tenants without prior notice. SOMETHING must be done on a national level to ensure that these tenants have ample time to find ...

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that nearly 3 million homeowners were behind on their mortgages at the end of last year. An additional 1-million-plus borrowers were at risk of imminent foreclosure. Wow! As if that's not bad enough, a lot of the borrowers are finding out that they're so upset down, they just mail in the keys! Don't leave your house without a fight! The lenders can't help you, they can't work with you, they can't do a thing except foreclose if you mail in your keys and walk away from your house. Do NOT use this crazy option if you're upside down. Lenders are working harder to help you keep your home. FHA has programs to help with the ARM loans out there right now. The lenders are working with home owners after recieving pressure from the Feds to help them. Hundreds of thousands of distressed homeowners are reaching out for help. The Homeownership Preservation Foundation, part of the Hope Now Alliance, fields more than 4,000 cal...

I have been trying to research the subject of foreclosures in the Jacksonville area. It's really sad. Depending on exactly what search criteria I use, the average number is somewhere in the neighborhood of 1300 homes. This does not include Condos. There are approximately 100 of those. These homes are either in some stage of preforeclosure, have already been foreclosed on and are now owned by the lender, or they are currently offered on the market as a short sale. I think that the community of Realtors needs to figure out how we can HELP these people that still have a chance to keep their homes. There are a whole lot more people that are just one late payment away from getting into arrears on their home loan. These are the folks we need to concentrate our energy on. There is hope! If you are in trouble, please read the following tips taken straight from the HUD web site. This will keep you out of trouble! If you are unable to make your mortgage payment : 1. Don't ignore the prob...