Monthly Archives: May 2015

Memorial Day in SW Florida 2015

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Most of us will be out celebrating a 3 day weekend having fun enjoying our families and/or a little time off, as we should.  Life is tough and we deserve it.  Let’s not also forget why we have this holiday.  Memorial Day originally started as Declaration Day.  Several states lay claim to the first Memorial Day, and there was even dissent as the south refused to celebrate Memorial Day after the civil war.

Memorial Day in SW Florida 2015

While history can be fascinating, what’s even more important is the present.  Memorial Day represents honoring those that have served our country.  It’s always sad when some people refuse to honor certain veterans because they disagreed with a conflict or war.  We owe our freedom to veterans.  Our veterans didn’t get a chance to select which conflict or which war they would serve in.  They just served, for us, for the United States of America, just because.  They didn’t ask questions.  Nobody would listen if they did.

First responders at the Boston Marathon or the World Trade Center didn’t get the chance to pick which disaster they’d respond to, they just did what was needed regardless of how scarred they’d be for dealing with the scene.  The same is true with our veterans.

While you’re out there having fun this weekend, take a moment to visit a grave, or say thanks to an existing veteran, or just remember in your own special way.  It’s the least we can do. We honor our fallen, but let’s also celebrate life.

Memorial Day in SW Florida 2015

Personally I’m thankful our SW Florida real estate market is doing well.  Really I’m thankful for so much more. This past week RE/MAX laid to rest one of the best brokers SW Florida has ever seen.  George Sayers was loved by all and made a difference in so many lives from New Jersey to Florida.  Life is precious.  Celebrate precious moments this weekend with friends and family.  You never know in the blink of an eye when things can change.

We do not know how much time we have here on earth.  All we control really is how we treat others, how we enjoy the time we have, and how we honor those that served for our benefit.

So please, take a moment to thank a veteran, or a surviving spouse.  Display your flag.  Hug your kids.  Say I love you to a loved one.  Pick up the phone and call someone dear to you that you haven’t spoken to in awhile.  Say all the things you’d want to say if today was your last day on earth.  If that blink comes, you won’t get that chance tomorrow.

Remember that our veterans didn’t always get that chance.  Most were separated from their families in a foreign place.  Most spoke by written mail and an occasional phone call, and they sacrificed for us.

For us at home enjoying our freedom and our weekend, we have it all.  It’d be such a shame not to pay some respect.  Such a shame not to say things you’ve wanted to say.

Remember it’s up to us to take care of each other.  After thanking a veteran, the biggest honor we can bestow is to make SW Florida a better place.  Enjoy your weekend, spend time with family, and honor America, a country of freedom worth fighting for!

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SW Florida Real Estate Market Update

Visit our Google+ Business Page

Feel free to view our Virtual Tours

New Riverfront Rental at Oasis

Check out our Buyer Advantage Program

Check out Bella Casa Condominiums.  We’ll be happy to show you this project in South Fort Myers

Other Resources

Fun Things to do in SW Florida

Fishing and Boating in SW Florida

Lee County Florida Sports

SW Florida Entertainment

 

By Brett Ellis

RE/MAX Realty Group – Ellis Team

Fort Myers Real Estate Agent

7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-489-4042

Ellis Team Buyer Advantage Program

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The Ellis team is proud to re-introduce our Ellis Team Buyer’s Advantage Program. This is a program we used many years ago when we were the first agents to put the MLS on our website.  We’re bringing it back and adding some valuable features we think you’ll find useful.

  1. How would you like to be notified about upcoming listings Before they come on the market?  The Ellis Team lists and sells a lot of property because our marketing works.  Sande and Brett go on a lot of listing appointments each week.  We don’t take them all.  Some sellers aren’t ready yet, or they simply aren’t willing to price their home at today’s market value.  We only bring listings that will sell to the market.  We’ve created a private website for buyers in our Buyer Advantage Program™ that will post the listing appointments we’re going on.  Literally you’ll find out about upcoming listings even before we list them.  If one meets your criteria, you can contact us and we’ll arrange for one of our buyer specialists to show it to you.
  1. Our website is up to date so you’ll be able to search for Hot new listings in real-time. Many national websites have outdated or incorrect data which can be frustrating for a buyer.  It’s terrible to find a home online only to find out it closed 2 months ago. Our website is tied into the MLS. As agents we have that privilege that national sites don’t always receive. We’re in a tight inventory market so every advantage helps.
  1. Open House Pass- Have you ever visited open houses and been hounded by agents asking you to register?  Of course that agent wants to follow-up with you about the open house. They’re just doing their job.  If you don’t buy the open house they want to show you others.  If you find an agent that’s friendly to work with this is all fine and good.  The problem comes in when you visit several open houses in a day or month.  Now you have several agents contacting yEllis Team Buyer Advantage Program Open House Passou and hounding you to shop with them.  This can get quite frustrating.  We’ve solved that problem.  We provide you with an Open House Pass that puts other agents on notice that you’re working with the Ellis Team at RE/MAX.  Now you only have to forge one relationship with a great Realtor and you won’t have pesky agents hounding you for contact information.  Your life will be simpler and your agent can listen to your needs and hone in on the property you’re looking for.  In a low-inventory market it pays to not waste time starting that process all over again and again.
  1. Free Reports- We’ve complied a series of buyer reports we’re getting ready to release. Members in the Buyer Advantage Program will have access to all of these reports and valuable information. Our reports cover things like how to make an offer when there are multiple offers on the property, how to best structure your offer, and what to look out for in the inspection process.  Many buyers have mortgage questions as the process has changed in the past few years.  We have Free reports for that.

 

The Ellis Team at RE/MAX takes buying and selling real estate seriously.  It pays to work with a serious Realtor.  Simply go to Ellis Team Buyer Advantage Program and sign up and we’ll add you to our Buyer Advantage Program as an added bonus.  You’ll also gain access to the pre-listed property information, the Free reports, and the Open House pass along with future benefits we’ll be unveiling soon! You can always call us at 239-489-4042

Always call the Ellis Team, we’ll handle you with care!

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SW Florida Real Estate Market Update

Visit our Google+ Business Page

Feel free to view our Virtual Tours

Check out Bella Casa Condominiums.  We’ll be happy to show you this project in South Fort Myers

Other Resources

Fun Things to do in SW Florida

Fishing and Boating in SW Florida

Lee County Florida Sports

SW Florida Entertainment

 

By Brett Ellis

RE/MAX Realty Group – Ellis Team

Fort Myers Real Estate Agent

7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-489-4042

Southwest Florida Real Estate Market is Heating Up

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Southwest Florida Real Estate Market is Heating Up.  Closed sales in March were up 24.7% over last year despite lower inventory levels.  Single family inventory levels were down 9.8% and yet we saw a big jump in closed sales.

Southwest Florida Real Estate Market is Heating Up

We’re tracking pending sales and they’re also up 7.9% which means closed sales in the coming months should also be strong.  So what is different this year in 2015 versus last year?

Southwest Florida pending sales

Money has really come into the market.  If you’ve been reading this column the past several years we’ve been telling people our market is healing, but it won’t be fully healed until money and capital fully return to the market.  For many years cash sales drove this market at the bottom of the market.

Investors and people with money were able to take advantage of a depressed market.  We had a market that was artificially too low and was below replacement cost.  The builders couldn’t build at a loss.

This is all changing now and we’ve entered a new growth stage of the market.  Lenders have begun to lend again and this is what ultimately fuels a market.  When you only have cash buyers you don’t ever have a fully valued market.  The same is true in the stock market, banking, currency exchanges, and economies.

This is one reason countries like Russia and virtually every country in the world seeks capital investment, to spur their economy.  Leverage and capital is the fuel that drives growth.  SW Florida is receiving some fuel right now and that’s a good thing.

In fact, 44.4% of all single family transactions are bought as cash is still on the high side.  There is room for the lenders to really come in here and propel this cycle.  Lending and availability of money is a good thing.

Some are afraid that lending will bring a return of the over-spending days like we had before the bust. The availability of capital we had back in 2005 was not good because anybody could obtain credit regardless of their ability to repay.  The underlying assets were overvalued and the borrower was on shaky ground.  It all crumbled as it was built on a house of cards.

This time is different. We don’t have thousands of homes built with no end user in sight.  In fact, we have a shortage of homes for the end users.  We don’t have speculators flipping to another speculator who may wish to flip to yet another flipper.  We have end users.  We have buyers and we have actual tenants who need a home to live in.

So now that we have users, we have demand, we have little supply, and we have financing options, we have growth and opportunity.  These are healthy signs and I’m happy the way this market has come back and done so in a reasonable and sustainable way.

Financing is the facilitator to growth.  SW Florida appears to have several more good years of opportunity and sustainable growth ahead.

Buyers can find properties but they need to know where to look.  Our website www.Topagent.com is a good first step, but sitting down with a buyer specialist is even more crucial because often times we know about product that isn’t in the MLS.  New construction is available too, and it pays to have someone who knows the product and the process walk you through that.

If you’re a seller, the stars are aligned for you right now.  To get top dollar it pays to work with an agent who understands the market and can guide you through contracts, pricing, and how to get financing for your property.  There are options available but you have to know which one will work for your home and it can be complicated.

If you’re in the market to buy or sell, our website is a good resource.  However, we suggest you give us a call and we can sit down in a relaxed atmosphere and put all the pieces of the puzzle together for you.

We’re easy to talk to and we like to help.  Call us at 239-489-4042

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SW Florida Real Estate Market Update

Visit our Google+ Business Page

Feel free to view our Virtual Tours

Check out Bella Casa Condominiums.  We’ll be happy to show you this project in South Fort Myers

Other Resources

Fun Things to do in SW Florida

Fishing and Boating in SW Florida

Lee County Florida Sports

SW Florida Entertainment

 

By Brett Ellis

RE/MAX Realty Group – Ellis Team

Fort Myers Real Estate Agent

7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr

Fort Myers, FL 33907

239-489-4042

Is Now the Time to Sell in SW Florida?

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Official sales numbers were just released for the SW Florida real estate market and sellers will be pleased. Median home prices are up 18.9% over last year and average sales prices are up 30.8%. March median sales price came in at $219,938. This is the first time median sales prices have crossed over the $200,000 threshold since the decline of the local real estate market.  People always ask us, is now the time to sell in SW Florida and  what do I need to do to get my home ready to sell?

SW Florida sales Prices

We’ll have a free report for potential home sellers at the end of this report that will answer the 2nd question.  In fact, we have 8 free reports and we’ll tell you how to get them.

Sellers may want to consider 2 pieces of information about the market.  Sales prices are at a renewed high.  I feel like saying all-time high because this is a new market.  The old market reset years ago.  However, since prices did hit these highs and then some years ago, I won’t call it all-time.

Is Now the Time to Sell in SW Florida

Secondly, inventory is down and possibly going lower.  You can see by the Active Inventory Chart inventory is down significantly from last year.  Sales in March shot up too so we expect April sales numbers to come in very well.

So the question is, is now the time to sell in SW Florida?  The answer is yes from a statistical standpoint. However, you must weigh other factors, such as where are you going, is your house in shape to sell, do you owe more than your house is worth, and what do you need to know about the home selling process that may have changed since last time.

Interviewing agents can be a chore.  All agents sound the same and sellers mistakenly think if their home is on the Internet that’s all it takes to sell.  There is a big difference in the ways Realtors market online and offline.  If the Realtor doesn’t understand the difference, how in the world is the seller supposed to know?

We have good news for you.  We have a series of reports you can get for free that will answer many of your questions.  We’ll even tell you which questions you should ask your Realtor before you sign any listing agreement.

The Free reports are:

1. The Ultimate Home Seller Checklist

2. What is Your Home Really Worth?

3. What 92% of Sellers Know About Listing a Home

4. The Six Best DIY Tips to Prep Your Home for Sale

5. How to Stage Your Home, Room by Room, to Sell

6. Three Tips for Selling Your Home Fast

7. Five Things No One Tells You About Selling Your Home

8. Six Homeowner Hacks You Can Put to Use when Selling

Rates are still low and buyers are swarming.  You might not want to miss this market as many times there are several buyers for a home like yours.  That sure beats when there are several homes for every buyer.

If you’d like to receive your Free Home Seller Reports, simply go to Find Out What Your Home is Worth Online It asks for your home address.  In order to receive the reports please enter your email address and phone number so we can send them to you.  It will also send you a computerized value of your home and will update you when values change.

Don’t get too hung up on the home’s value.  The real value is in the reports.  The computer does a pretty good job of estimating your value but it has not been inside your home and in a fast rising market sometimes values can go up faster than what computer reports.

If you’re seriously considering selling your home we can zero in on today’s best value for your home, so don’t worry.  Just use the computer as a guide, not the real estate bible.

Of course, feel free to call us at 239-489-4042  We’ll be glad to help you buy or sell.  Good luck and Happy Selling!

Southwest Florida Real Estate Video Market Update

We’ve updated some pages on our website and added a few new ones:

Shadow Wood Preserve

San Carlos Park Homes For Sale in Fort Myers

Danforth Lakes