Non-Vacant Vacant Homes

Some real estate pros encourage sellers of vacant properties to move house sitters in to ensure security and keep the home ready for showings. In Spokane, Wash., Diana and Kevin Uphus of Select Real Estate launched Diana's Home Sitting Services in 2000 to locate house sitters for clients. House sitters pay $400 per month to live in the home, and they also cover the utility bills.

When choosing a house sitter, the Uphuses perform background checks on candidates - whom must be able to leave at a moment's notice for showings, carry $100,000 in personal liability coverage, perform simple maintenance and keep the home clean. They also ensure the sitter's furniture is in good shape and complements the home's decor.

Source:Realtor (01/09) Vol. 42, No. 1, P. 18; Tracey, Melissa Dittmann© Copyright 2009 INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD (301) 215-4688

Possible Short Sale For $72,000

Just listed for $72,000! Affordable for first-time homebuyers or rent as an investment.

Snatch up this cute and stylish 2 bed/1.5 bath condo before the bank does! Tucked away in Fairway Oaks which is only a few minutes to downtown and I-75. Hardwood floors, extra storage and washer and dryer on the inside. Owner says, "Layout feels like home."

For more details, visit: http://sar.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=1066832319&s=SAR&t=SAR.

Foreclosure: Private Island For Sale

I just found this listing. Very cool. Who doesn't want to own their own island?


1.4 Acre private island just west of Fort Myers on the Caloosahatchee River. Zoned for a single family residence but could be converted to a bed and breakfast or niche retreat resort. Percolation tests have been sucessfully completed. Two recent MAI appraisals came to $1.5 Million. Lenders loan came to $850,000. Lender/owner will hold to qualified buyers and/or discount to quick cash offers.

Live like Brangelina, Mel Gibson, Johnny Depp, Eddie Murphey, Nicolas Cage, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, Gene Hackman, Robin Williams, Tony Curtis, Richard Branson, David Copperfield, Leonardo DiCaprio and Athena Onassis for only $850,000!

New Rules For Pricing A Home

How do you price a home in this market? Pat Hiban of the Pat Hiban Real Estate Group in Ellicott City, Md., says comparables are irrelevant these days. “You want to price it less than the active competition,” he advises. He dismisses the notion that someone who is less eager to sell a home quickly can set the price a little higher. In this market, the lower price is “realistic,” Hiban says.

He suggests looking at the three most competitive active listings that the seller will be up against. If there are no real differences between those houses and your seller’s home, undercut the competition on price. If the house you’re trying to sell has something that the competition doesn’t — say a finished basement — then go with the same price.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, Jamie Smith Hopkins (12/14/07)

8 Tips For Sellers In A Buyer's Market

It’s a buyer’s market, but sellers can increase the chance of a sale in today’s climate by working with a Realtor and considering these eight things.

1. Don’t count on open houses to sell your home. According to the California Association of Realtors, less than 5 percent of buyers find their home at an open house. An open house should never be the center of a prospective real estate agent’s marketing plan.
2. Target your marketing. Know what buyers in your area look for and emphasize your home’s appeal accordingly. This includes everything from the description (whether you highlight transportation and parks, or restaurants and nightlife) and how you stage the home (whether the third bedroom becomes an office), to where you advertise the listing (a newspaper in addition to online).
3. Tour similar homes in the area to better understand the competition – what a home sold for 12 months ago, or even six months ago, may not be a good estimate for today.
4. Consider staging your home. Although not always necessary, staging can make a difference in how your house is viewed and compared to others.
5. Offer prospective buyers a neighbor “reference” list. Make a list of your best, most reliable neighbors, so that buyers can reach out to get a better feel for the area, the locals, and what makes the neighborhood a truly unique place to live.
6. Photos posted online should be taken on a sunny day with a wide-angle lens. Approximately one-third of buyers who responded to a recent survey said they would eliminate homes they saw online if they had too few or poor quality photos.
7. Consider a pre-inspection to give you a selling edge. Include information about any repair work you’ve completed since you bought the home. If you don’t market your improvements, you won’t get as much return for them.
8. Once your house is on the market, accept feedback and tweak as necessary.

ORLANDO, Fla. – July 1, 2008 © 2008 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

Green Features on New MLS!

The Sarasota Association of Realtors' Green Realtor Alliance of Sarasota committee was amazingly able to have 4 green feature options added to our new Mid-Florida Regional Multiple Listing Service system's listing form. This makes us one of a small handful of Realtor associations and multiple listing services in the country to offer green features (1) as a way to distinguish your home for sale and (2) as an option to look for in your home. Go Sarasota!

Check out our new listing form: http://www.mfrmls.com/uploads/MFRMLSresidential.pdf. The green features can be found on the bottom left corner of the first page. My contribution is the last option which I felt was important since a lot of homes have some green elements (energy efficient appliances, window upgrades, skylights, low impact yards that may not yet be Florida Certified, etc), especially considering that every little bit helps!

Thanks for all the hard work, GRAS!

"Home-Value Web Sites Miss the Mark"

I often hear from clients or folks "on the street" that their home is worth X amount of dollars according to some online home valuation site and, therefore, should sell for more than the current market conditions seem to allow. While I'm generally a fan of free access to information and go out of my way to make sure my buyers and sellers are as informed and aware of the current market conditions as possible, I feel it is important to take a moment to share with all my opinion on these sites.

Although websites like Trulia, Zillow and Cyberhomes CAN give you an estimate of your home's value, I encourage you to remember the source. These sites pool public (county tax records) and private (MLS figures) information and use computer programs to generate their figures. These computer programs, for example, simply can't account for granite counter tops versus crumbling composite counter tops that need to be replaced. As everyone knows, your home is very different from your neighbor's or their neighbor's or the eyesore a few blocks over that is on a major road.

When a Realtor creates a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to assess a home's value, factors such as condition, location, recent sales and the currently available inventory are taken into consideration. A good Realtor will even go so far as to verify the facts used to compile a CMA by accounting for a home's unique details in pictures, virtual tours and general descriptions. A great Realtor will make phone calls to find out why nearby homes sold for the amount they did and will even preview homes for sale in the neighborhood before they suggest a listing price.

In summary, check out these sites as you should stay informed about the biggest purchase in your life to date. However, please remember that although computers can replicate on canvas Van Gogh's Starry Night down to the direction and width of each brush stroke... they lack creativity and critical thinking skills.

If you would like a more accurate and human generated valuation of your home, email me your property's address.

For a second opinion on these websites, here's one from The Associated Press: http://www.realtor.org/RMODaily.nsf/pages/News2008062402?OpenDocument

Palmer Ranch Price Reduction & More To Come!

Seller wants out... seriously. So much so, in fact, that she has authorized me to reduce the price of the condo by $16,000 to $149,000 and then an additional $1000 every week until it's sold!

Here are details:

• Lovely 2 bed, 1.5 bath Serenade condo in coveted, peaceful and centrally located Palmer Ranch. Neutral tones & barely lived in--shows like brand new!
  
• High ceilings with crown molding, huge walk-in closets, hers & his split bathroom & full-size warrantied washer/dryer included.
  
• Large porch with view of preserve, clubhouse & sunsets.
  
• Fee includes water, exterior insurance, 2 heated pools & spa, playgrounds, awesome workout center, tennis, caterers kitchen, private gate & alarm system!

For more details and pics, visit http://sar.mlxchange.com/Pub/EmailView.asp?r=907616654&s=SAR&t=SAR.

Easy to show! Schedule an appointment today with me or your Realtor, write an offer (you never know!?!), and help a sister out to get this sold. I know we can make a great deal and a WIN-WIN situtation for all!

Flood Facts

Want to buy some of Sarasota's amazing waterfront but are concerned about the risks?

FEMA keeps track of the potential flood risk of every address in the United States and has kindly made this information available to the public at http://www.floodsmart.gov/. In addition, you can also check out local floodplain maps at http://www.msc.fema.gov/.

For more information, including how to apply for flood assistance, visit FEMA's website: http://www.fema.gov/.