Fort Myers Beach Archives - Page 40 of 41 - Fort Myers Real Estate and Homes For Sale

Last week we wrote about sellers in SW Florida who have had their home on the market this season and their home hasn’t sold. We talked about market activity and closing statistics as well as the latest pending stats. In that article we mentioned one sentence that elicited responses from readers “We have a graph we send our sellers that shows typical showing activity.” This week we’ll focus on the question, is your price on target?

We have a lot of information we send our sellers that educates them on how the industry really works and how best to sell their home. We don’t normally share all this information with the public, but in this case we’re going to share the pricing target graph.

This graph is based upon research and showing data over many years in many markets. We know that the seller sets the asking price and the market determines the value. Over time the market speaks to us.

Some sellers place their home on the market and receive lots of showings, while other go on and receive little to no showings. Is the market speaking to you? Perhaps this guide may answer some of those questions?

If you are getting showings but no offers it generally means you are in the range 3-5% above market value.

If your number of showings is low and you’re experiencing a lot of drive-ups but the buyers don’t come in to see the home, your home may be 5-10% overpriced.

If you aren’t receiving showings at all, then your home is likely priced 10% more above what the market will bear for your property.

Many sellers say things like “Well, we can always come down but you can’t go up” , or “They can always make an offer”. The reality is buyers don’t make an offer when a home is overpriced. They make offers on other homes that are priced correctly. Many times they don’t even view the overpriced listings because it’s not what they’re looking for at that price.

Overpricing a home hurts a seller two ways. Legitimate buyers in that range are used to seeing other homes that offer more than yours. When they view yours, it just doesn’t measure up, so they will never buy it.

The actual buyer for your home never sees it, because it’s not on their radar screen. It’s priced above where they are looking. So you miss the mark 2 ways. Sellers that overprice never had a chance. So when we hear things like “They can always make an offer” we know that they won’t be receiving that offer.

A lot of sellers call us blaming their crappy real estate agent because their home hasn’t sold. It may not be your agent’s fault. Have you listened to your agent and had the pricing discussion?

Now if your agent suggested a higher price and never communicated with you how your home is stacking up against the competition, you might have a point. Many times it’s the owner who wants more than what the agent says, or they Realtor shop until they find one that agrees with them.

You’ve heard of Doctor shopping for pills. That’s a bad thing, and so is Realtor shopping for an agent that will write you a price prescription. That prescription never works and can do you more harm than good.

Our suggestion is call a good Realtor who knows the market. You may not like the medicine he/she recommends, but a bitter pill only last a few seconds while taking the wrong medicine can hurt for months or years.

Plus, we live in paradise. Life’s too short not to move on and get what you want. When you overprice you delay your goals. You’re not moving on to where you should be. You’re trapped in your current circumstance, just because you wanted more than what the market would bear. That’s usually an ego thing. It’s human nature. We all do it. The real question is, are you going to let ego and greed hold you back? Some people do and they regret it for years, and some accept the market, take their medicine, and live their dreams.

If you’re looking for a Realtor that will tell it like it is, call us 239-489-4042. Our marketing is pretty good, and chances are we can get you where you want to be if we work together. You can search the MLS at www.LeeCountyOnline.com

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

This Week’s Featured Listings

31 Lagoon St

Luxury Waterfront Home seconds to the river — Seconds to the river and just minutes to work in Downtown Fort Myers

6087 Waterway Bay Fort Myers

So your home hasn’t sold yet this season? Don’t fret; you’re in the same boat as a lot of Lee County home sellers. January and February started off a little slower but we have seen an increase in buyer activity the last few weeks. Will it translate into stellar numbers? We’ll have to wait and see.

January closings were off but we’re predicting February number of closings to come in higher than last year. So far sales prices are up versus last year but not so much over previous months. We have noticed some multi-million dollar closings in February which will help the averages but not necessarily the median prices.

So your home is on the market and you’re wondering if it’s time to worry. Worrying won’t do you much good. It’s important to study the numbers and if there has been a shift in the market the sellers most informed will get out first. Our market is constantly moving and being influenced by external forces. It pays to keep abreast, especially when you’re ready to buy or sell.

If your home has been on the market awhile it’s either not being marketed correctly or it’s overpriced. It could be both. We have a graph we send our sellers that shows typical showing activity. If your home isn’t receiving any activity chances are you’re overpriced. If it is receiving activity, a small adjustment may be in order.

Look over your marketing. Do the photos put your home in a good light? Does the listing description paint a true and enticing picture of your home?

Is your home being marketed locally in print as well as globally online? Does it go out to sites like HGTV, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, propsmart, Homes.com, Livedeal, Dupont Registry, etc? We submit your home to over 100 websites as well as advertise in the News Press and other local outlets.

If your home is For Sale By Owner you’re at a disadvantage as we haven’t found a seller yet that can expose their home properly to the market. Now you might say it only takes 1 buyer, and this is true. It only takes 1 qualified buyer who likes your home above all others and sees the value above All others. If you’re not exposing to the full market, chances are you’re going to have limited success, if any.

If your marketing is good, how is your price? One way to research is to look at Market Reports for your neighborhood. Go to www.LeeCountyOnline.com and click on Market Reports. If you don’t see yours listed yet, you can create your own. Sellers love this feature.

Of course, you can always call us out and we can sit down with you and answer your questions. A real estate expert can guide you through the process from correctly pricing to offer simple repair and maintenance tips to get you Top Dollar.

When interviewing agents be sure to look at their marketing plan. You’ll be surprised to note that not all Realtors market the same and there can be vast differences. Make sure you know what you’re getting.

Lastly, no matter which agent you select, keep in mind that the seller sets the price, but the market determines the value. It pays to price your home at or close to market. If you have questions, give the Ellis Team a call. 239-489-4042 We’re never pushy and we present you with your options so you can make the best decision for your family.

Good luck and Happy Selling!

Official January 2016 real estate sales numbers are in for SW Florida and as expected single family home sales fell 5.5% Condo sales were down 7% from last year.

Median sales prices were up 22.6% over last year; however they were only up .87% over last month. We did see a big jump in mean average sale prices in January, going from $280,186 in 2015 to $427,536 in January 2016. That’s a 52.6% jump. One reason we don’t use the mean average is because one large sale can skew the numbers.

Pending inventory fell 13.6%. Some say it is because we have fewer inventories to sell while others suggest the market may be taking a breather and leveling off. Now that the stock market has recovered some and oil has rebounded off its lows, maybe we’ll have a sense of stability going forward.

Of course we have that election thing hanging out there and I think everyone can agree this election cycle is like nothing we’ve ever seen before. If uncertainty creates confusion, we’ve got it in this election process.

Within the next few months perhaps the economy’s future will come into focus and people can start planning where they want to go with their real estate desires. So many in SW Florida have options now that their mortgage has paid down and prices have risen. Many feel like they’re no longer in jail and are free to explore their options.

We’ve seen an increase in local homeowners considering a move. They need to properly value the current home they have and see what improvements or repairs are needed to make it most sellable. They also want to know what they can buy if they do sell.

Our website www.LeeCountyOnline.com is great for both because you can search all the listings available for sell, as well as see sold and pending data in your neighborhood via the Market Reports section on our site. There is even a button to receive an online computerized valuation of your home.

Deciding whether to sell a home and buy another home is like putting together a puzzle. All the pieces have to fit, and when they do you have to decide if you like the finished puzzle. There is no substitute for meeting with a professional Realtor who understands this process. However, if you just want to turn all the pieces over and begin putting the corners and edges together first, our website is an excellent place to start.

If you’d like advice from a professional, give us a call. 239-489-4042 We’re friendly and never pushy. We simply present you with your options and let you decide what’s best for you. If you do decide to make a move, you’re not going it alone as you have someone by your side advising you and helping you with the process. We turn a complicated process into a smooth transition for you and your family.

And we help you avoid some costly mistakes. Please call, we’d love to help you. We’re the name you know and the people you trust. Always call the Ellis Team at RE/MAX Realty Group. 239-489-4042

Open House This Weekend Sat 1-4 PM

Ellis Team Open House — Large pool home in Cape Coral-Open House Sat 1-4 PM

2110 SW 13th St Cape Coral

The past few weeks we’ve released data on the SW Florida real estate market showing a pretty healthy market. We have noticed a shift in buyer attitudes the past several weeks and those can be a blip on the map or the start of a trend. Late Season always provides the answers to that, so we won’t be able to track for several more weeks.

What we can track among other things is the Months Supply of Inventory. We’ve provided the graph from last year showing the overall single family market at a supply of 5.5 months. Anything less than 6 months is considered a seller’s market. A balanced market is generally a 6-9 months supply of homes on the market.

In 2016 we’re looking at a 5.03 months supply of homes on the market, so it’s more of a seller’s market today than it was last year. Almost all categories improved except for a few. The $400,000-$700,000 market went from 10.89 months last year to 13.95 months this year. The $600k-$1 Million market went up as well, but ever so slightly from 14.12 months to 14.30 months.

Real Estate Inventory Levels Stable in SW Florida

Overall we’d say these are pretty stable numbers. Most other price ranges decreased which puts more pressure on buyers. So here’s the takeaway if you’re considering selling in this market.

You should always price your home correctly. That’s a given. And if you’re selling a home in the $300k+ range, you’re looking at supply of inventory over 6 months. If you’re over $400k you’re facing significantly more competition for the same buyers, so it will take longer to sell your home. There are fewer buyers the higher in price you go, and I’m sure this is true in most markets across the US. That’s not rocket science.

What’s amazing this year is how dramatically the chart starts moving right at $400,000. And this year we’re seeing resistance over $300k which may influence the numbers later on in the year.

Keep in mind these data points are good for a specific point in time. It’s like a photo. It shows you what’s happening at a specific moment. A movie however is a series of snapshots over time, or even perhaps real-time if it’s live video. In the trenches we’re seeing buyer reluctance.

It’s kind of like a fishing hole. You go there every day for a few years and it produces results. And the next day seems better than the last, until one day something changes. You get nibbles and bites, but you can’t hook-em like you did the day before. It takes more work, and even then you don’t always get them in the boat. Sometimes they find a way to sneak off your line by the time you reel them in.

Agents today feel like that fisherman where something is up. You’re not sure if it’s the weather or what’s affecting the fish. All you know is the fish are running scared and they’re hard to land.

If you’re a buyer, homes in many price ranges are flying off the shelf. And rates are low, so now is the time to lock down that purchase. As you move higher in price there is more selection.

If you’re a seller, you need the advice of a seasoned expert to guide you through the market. When there is a shift in the market, an expert can be the difference between getting bites and getting the fish in the boat. The Ellis Team can help if you need us. 239-489-4042

You can search the MLS at www.LeeCountyOnline.com if you prefer to start online. We have Free market reports too on our site so you can see what’s going on in your neighborhood. When you’re ready to make a move, give us a call. We can go over your options.

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Watch the Future of Real Estate on a Shifting SW Florida Real Estate Market

This past week official SW Florida 2015 year end sales prices released and as expected single family home prices showed a price gain of 12.96% Closed home sales were up 9.7% over 2014 numbers as well, so all in all we’d call 2015 a very successful year.

As you can tell by the Year End Prices Graph our market has risen every year since the bottom in 2009. We’re still not back at peak 2005 prices. We have risen to mid 2007 levels when the market was in free-fall.

When prices rise it doesn’t mean they are guaranteed to rise at the same rate. In fact, they’re not guaranteed to rise at all. One of the steepest rises was in 2004 but once 2005 hit the party was over. We started warning in Fall of 2005 the party was over but few would listen.

Today we aren’t warning anything like that, but we are seeing a shift in the market towards a more balanced market. If you asked Realtors who have been in the business for any length of time most would probably say a healthy balanced market is the most fun to work because neither buyer nor seller have a leg up on the other and both must act rationally to accomplish their goals. Of course, not every buyer or seller knows where we really are at any given time and are stuck on yesterday’s headlines sometimes.

One little report I like to look at from time to time is the Market Watch Report published when we log into MLS. This can be customized. I have mine set today to look at all activity in Lee County Florida within the past 24 hours. This can be changed to homes only, condos only, etc and the time period can be adjusted as well. I look at various time periods.

SW Florida 2015 Year End Sales Prices Released Market Watch — Market Watch

The graph I’m sharing with you today shows 24 hours. One thing we notice is new listings are outpacing pending sales 84-66. You’ll also notice sellers that have failed to sell are reducing prices. There were 101 price reductions in the last 24 hours. Now this could have been in response to last week’s article about a shifting market, but Realtors in general know when a listing is not receiving showings or losing out to other homes because of price.

Most Realtors will consult with their sellers if they believe the market isn’t responding to their asking price much the same buyer agents must consult with an unreasonable and unrealistic buyer.

Greed works in both directions. Sellers want the absolute most for their home and buyers are afraid to make a mistake and want to pay the absolute least they can for a home. It’s the Realtor’s job to educate their customer on the reality of the market. A balanced market is always the most fun because you’re educating both sides versus scolding one side that refuses to acknowledge the major up or down trend.

A good way to research the market is to search active, pendings, and solds in a given area. Our Blog blog.topagent.com gives weekly SW Florida market reports, and our MLS search site www.LeeCountyOnline.com lets you search all the listings and view Market Reports. The market reports tell you what homes are selling for per sq ft in a neighborhood and the average days on market. You can customize this search for any area.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling, there is no substitute for talking with a professional. We hope the online tools give you some great information, but please call us and we’ll be glad to sit down with you and go over your options.

Always Call the Ellis Team, we’ll handle you with care! 239-489-4042

This Weekend’s Open Houses

Saturday 1-4 PM

6087 Waterway Bay Dr

Gulf access Home in Boating Community

Open Saturday 1-4 PM

12510 Kentwood Ave

Hampton Park in Gateway

Is there a shift in SW Florida real estate market? Many agents I’ve talked to have complained that buyers thus far this year lack a sense of urgency. They’re making offers at times but then shutting off to counter-offers. For some listings, there are no offers at all.

Last year it was common to have multiple offers per property. Prices were rising and Realtors could price homes ahead of the last known sale. This year might be different. We’ve noticed a slowdown of offers on homes priced about $275,000 and up. One Realtor we talked to this week has noticed a slowdown on homes over $200,000.

Is the stock market affecting the real estate market? Some speculate yes, others aren’t so sure. Sometimes there is a flight to tangible assets like real estate when the stock market is in trouble. Other times the stock market affects consumer confidence and people are afraid to do anything.

Let’s look at some of the numbers. Just because Realtors start talking doesn’t mean the numbers bear out their suspicions.

Shift in SW Florida Real Estate Market February Pending Sales — SW Florida Pending Sales Feb 1-9 2016

Last year there were 1,537 new pending sales in February. As of February 9^th, 2016 there are 217 new pending sales. The average list price of those pending sales are $280,569. We know that closed sales were down 2.8% in December. Unofficial January numbers suggest sales were down 12.7%

This confirms that so far this year new pending sales are off as well. Of the pending sales, average price is down. We won’t know what these pendings close at until they close, and of course we’re not dealing with a full month. In December, the average closed sale price was $333,735. Official January numbers won’t be released until later this month. If the rest of the month holds true, it would confirm strength in the lower price ranges and lack of urgency above $280,000.

Shift in SW Florida Real Estate Market Closed Sales 2015 — SW Florida Closed Home Sales

What should sellers do with this information? They could wait and see if this is a temporary lag in the market. This sometimes happens as season picks up steam the latter half of February and into March. Or, sellers could reposition their home in the marketplace and be the first ones out in case buyers remain unmotivated.

In January we listed two condos in Reflection Lakes and sold both within a matter of days. Just because the overall market may see a shift doesn’t mean all properties are affected exactly the same.

If you’re putting your home on the market, it pays to look at what has sold and what your competition looks like. Look at it objectively like a buyer would. If you have had your home on the market, look back and see how you made your initial determination. Did you price ahead of the market expecting the market to increase?

Look at it like a basketball game. Just because your team had a good 1^st quarter doesn’t guarantee you a solid 4^th quarter. To win you have to be better at the end of the game, not just at the start. If your home has been on the market and not selling it’s either the marketing or the price. And even if it’s the marketing, chances are it still might be the price as well.

I’ve been tracking a few listings that interviewed with us and went with another Realtor who listed at a higher price. In each case, those properties are still on the market and they’ve reduced the price down to where we initially said. They are still on the market, and if buyers remain indecisive, they may end up reducing more.

Sometimes it’s best to be the first one out than to languish on the market and compete with all the other sellers reducing their prices. Of course, Season could kick in any moment and clear out the inventory shelves.

Check your competition for yourself at our SW Florida MLS Search Site or call us at 239-489-4042 We can help you sell your home and find your next home as well.

This Weekend’s Open Houses

Saturday 1-4 PM

6087 Waterway Bay Dr

Gulf access Home in Boating Community

Open Saturday 1-4 PM

12510 Kentwood Ave

Hampton Park in Gateway

SW Florida real estate home prices aren’t quite back to what they were in January 2006 however Southwest Florida home prices rise to highest level in years.

December 2015 median home sales price in Lee County came in at $231,000 which was a 21.6% increase over sales in 2014. Average sales prices rose 17.2% up to $333,735 in December.

Closed sales fell 2.8% in December and most attribute that to delayed closings due to new Federal regulations knows as TRID. We’ve written extensively on how TRID would delay or kill some closings and you can search those articles right here on our Blog

While overall sales fell 2.8%, cash sales fell 10.8%. We don’t really have an explanation other than as prices rise we tend to see more financed sales.

Each year listing inventory increases starting in January but this year we actually saw a 4.2% decrease.

January started out strong. Typically sales don’t pick up until about January 18^th or so, but this year it was early. If anything we perhaps saw a slowdown in the 2^nd half of January. Perhaps this was reaction to major stock market corrections? We don’t know, and we hesitate to get caught up in sales activity over a one or two week period. January isn’t the biggest month for sales anyway.

Sales tend to build in season. February becomes a very strong month and March builds on top of that. Mortgage rates have actually fallen with all the financial turmoil, so buyers may benefit from that when they go to purchase.

Official year end stats for 2015 won’t be released until February 17^th, so we’ll wait and report that breaking news on our Blog that day. You may wish to subscribe to our Blog so you don’t miss it. We know year end prices will be up; it’s just a matter of how much. Sellers like to know as it forebodes next year’s tax assessments. It also gives sellers a good idea in case they are considering selling.

If you’re considering selling you might like to check our the Market Reports section on our Southwest Florida MLS search website We wrote about this new feature last week and many signed up to receive real-time reports of active listings, pending sales, and solds in their neighborhood. If your neighborhood isn’t listed yet, you can create your own.

If you’re a buyer, you can use our website to search for properties. Buyers love it because it’s updated every 5 minutes. It’s fun as a Realtor to make a change in MLS and watch it update on our site in just a minute or so. A lot of national websites don’t update or don’t have all the listings, so buyers get frustrated when the home that interests them isn’t there or sold months ago.

That won’t happen on our website as long as Realtors have updated the MLS. While buyers love shopping on our site, there’s no substitute for sitting down with a knowledgeable professional who will listen to your needs and make suggestions. People who are not from here feel at a disadvantage because they don’t know the area. They want local help from someone who cares and knows the area.

That’s where we come in. We’re the Name You Know. We don’t try to sell you anything. We just educate you on the market and guide you in the right direction so you can make the best decision for you.

Call us today at 239-489-4042 or search online at LeeCountyOnline.com

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

The Ellis Team is growing. We’d like to welcome two fantastic additions to our team. Ashley Johnson and Alisha Swientek have joined the team as buyer specialists. Both bring a wealth of real estate experience to the team. They look forward to helping you find your dream home, along with Kevin Ellis and Chris Herrington. We are deeply proud of each of our team members as they share our values and goals of helping our customers buy or sell the perfect home for them.

In the old days we used to send out market update reports to neighborhoods which would provide homeowners a list of nearby properties on the market, pending, and recently closed sales.

New Market Report for Home Sellers in SW Florida — Sample Market Report

Sellers loved the information because it gave them a handy reference guide of similar homes in their neighborhood. They could take it and drive by those homes and compare locations and appearance to their own home. People would track homes for months especially when they had a potential interest in selling in the near future.

We pioneered the online computer valuation estimate even before the big national online valuations came out. Sellers are now able to go online at sites like www.LeeCountyOnline.com or www.Ellisteam.smarthomeprice.com and get an instant price analysis of their home. These sites are great and sellers love them, but they don’t give you the list of comparables like those old reports did.

One of the problems with the old reports was they were somewhat outdated the day they came out. Agents compile the reports and send to printer. Once it’s printed, they get mailed, which takes time. They weren’t real-time.

We decided to bring back those reports, but not for just a few select neighborhoods. We want everyone to have them, and in real-time. And we’ve done it. Introducing new market report for home sellers in SW Florida.

Simply go to Market Reports section on our website. You’ll see several neighborhoods listed with more on the way. If you don’t see your neighborhood listed, don’t worry. Just click on a neighborhood, any neighborhood. At the top select Create Your Own Market Report. With just 2 clicks you can select your neighborhood and yours is created. You can even save it and have it sent to you monthly.

We’ve created market reports for neighborhoods like Reflection Lakes, Whiskey Creek, Cross Creek Estates, Danforth Lakes, Highland Pines, Caloosa Trace, Daniels Park, Botanica Lakes, and even the Downtown River District high rise condos.

You can see what homes and condos are listed for, which units are going pending, and what homes are selling for. You’ll get the price per square foot for each home along with the averages so you can compare your home to the market.

It’s all in Real-Time, just like our MLS search site. You won’t have to wait for properties to close, agents to compile reports, and the postal service to send them. Our database is updated every 5 minutes. Don’t believe it? Test it out. Within an agent inputting a listing or sale in MLS, our system updates.

If you’re thinking about selling, www.LeeCountyOnline.com will be a great resource. There’s no substitute for professional advice though. Please call us and find out how our marketing is bringing more buyers and top dollar for our sellers.

If you’re a buyer, you’ll love the website too. It’s hard to find properties and beat out other buyers to hot new listings. Because our site is updated every 5 minutes you’ll have a distinct advantage over other buyers. Our agents are great and listen to your needs. We’re not here to sell you anything but rather find you what you’re looking for and help you get it.

Our people are the best, and our technology isn’t too shabby either. Call us and we’ll talk, or login and see the difference. Not all Realtors have the same people skills or the same technology. And they don’t all spend the money to market your home the way we do either.

Call us at 230-489-4042. Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Large 5 Bedroom 3 Bath Home in Danforth Lakes

Danforth Lakes Market Report 5 Bedroom 3 Bath Pool Home — Danforth Lakes Pool Home 5 Bedrooms 3 Baths

While we’re awaiting the Fed’s decision on interest rates at the time of writing this article we thought we’d delve into year-end inventory numbers in SW Florida. Could this be a perfect storm for Southwest Florida home sellers?

We’ve been saying for quite awhile this may be the perfect time to sell your home as rates are low and inventory is low. Buyers have to compete against each other to win bids. In a normal market it feels like the buyer is competing against the seller and that’s just not the case right now.

As rates rise it will begin, albeit slowly, to price buyers out of certain price ranges. Ultimately this will begin the process of adding inventory to the market as there will be less buyers competing for each listing. It may force buyers down in price range and increase the number of buyers at the low end of the spectrum, but then again some buyers at the low end will be priced out completely, so that may wash.

We never know how many buyers become priced out. All we do know is that a 1% increase in rates equates to about 11% less purchasing power for any given borrower.

As you can see from the inventory graph, single family residential listings in Lee County Florida are down to 4,628 listings. This is down 10.3% from last year’s number, and down significantly from 2011 when we had in excess of 8,100 listings. It’s no wonder average prices rose 20.4% in October this year over last October. Median sales prices were up 14.0%

Month’s supply of inventory is also down 20.5% from last year. Currently it sits at 4.0 months, which is up from September’s 3.7 months. Last year supply was running around 5 months.

If you’re a seller, it’s really a “Perfect Storm” to sell right now. Listing inventory is down right now, and nobody knows how long it will be this low. The one thing we know for sure is that real estate is never constant. External forces influence inventory levels, demand, and ultimately pricing.

Rising rates is a big driver which influences demand. It affects affordability. It also affects consumer confidence. While higher rates slightly above zero percent shouldn’t affect buyers too much right now, the psychology of continued rising rates can influence consumer sentiment going forward.

Nobody is really concerned about the first Fed rate increase. It’s just that when they start raising rates, they usually continue. Nobody wants to see rates stay at zero percent forever, and yet everyone is afraid to begin the process. They cannot stay where they are, although empirical evidence suggests if you had a basis to place rates at zero for several years, there is still some evidence that suggests rates should stay there. And if you believe rates need to stay at zero then you’ll be against beginning the process now.

By the time you read this article, those arguments may already be settled. Regardless, one of these days, if not already, rates will begin to rise and it will cost buyers more to borrow. It will begin a process, and one day sellers may look back at today and say “I wish I had sold my home back when rates were lower and inventory was lowest.”

If I had a dollar for every time a seller said they should have sold back in time I’d be a rich man.

Let me be clear, we think we’re going to have a good market in 2016. Prices may rise. We’re not saying we have a Top to the market. All we are saying is it’s a lot more fun to sell when you have little to no competition from other sellers. You place all the competition onto buyers to compete. These days won’t last forever. You’ll still be able to sell when you’re competing against other sellers. It’s just won’t be as much fun.

Imagine if you played poker and you were dealt the hand of your life. You’d probably bet that hand differently than a normal hand. And you surely wouldn’t fold. If you’re thinking of selling, play that winning hand while you got it.

Call us if you’d like to talk 239-489-4042 or feel free to search the MLS at www.LeeCountyOnline.com

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Featured Property of the Week

8740 Banyan Bay Blvd

3 Bed 2 Bath Pool Home- Former Model

The number one complaint we hear from sellers is that they listed with a Realtor and never heard from them again. The number one complaint we hear from buyers is that either the Realtor doesn’t return their calls or their Realtor is out of town and can’t show them properties.

Buyers and sellers aren’t being unrealistic. They need help and that’s why they go to a real estate agent. Because buyers and sellers have questions, it’s not enough for the agent to know the answers but keep the knowledge locked up in a vault. That knowledge and information must be communicated with the customer.

In the old days we provided each of our clients with a communication binder where they would store all the reports, ads, and feedback we’d send them through the mail or personal delivery. We would discuss the reports with the clients, but there was a delay because of they way they were sent.

Communication the Key to a Successful Real Estate Transaction

Today communication is better and immediate. Our sellers receive a communication portal which is essentially a website we setup for each of our listings with private access by each seller. They login and see the marketing activities, the showings, and the feedback. They see the timelines and what is left to do on the checklist and what our team has already completed. There are links to the PDF of their ad in the newspaper. They can view each ad just as it’s printed. We can also post links to websites all over the Internet. When we list a property we place it on dozens of websites. The seller sees as we post these ads. They can preview their ad on Zillow, Trulia, realtor.com, Craigslist, News Press, LeeCountyOnline.com, REMAX.com, and all the other websites we place it on.

Sellers love viewing their printed newspaper ad online. They can send it to friends, or just have it for their records. All communications between sellers are stored there as well for easy reference.

When the property goes pending, the transaction gets another website. Inspection reports are posted along with progress on buyer’s loan if applicable, timelines, etc. When we speak with clients they can actually see what we’re talking about. It really helps make our sellers a more educated seller, and that’s a good thing.

We have systems for buyers as well. While they’re shopping for a home we have a client portal. In that portal they can store favorites, take notes, and be alerted when matching properties enter the market or change price immediately. This helps buyers get a leg up on other buyers who are shopping for the same thing. The early bird gets the worm.

When the buyer finds a property and goes under contract, we also setup a web portal where they can log in and check their progress. We are in constant communication regarding their loan, inspections, insurance, HOA or Condo Association deadlines, etc. We’ve taken a complicated process and made it easy to follow along and understand.

It all starts with communication. When buyers and sellers understand the process and know ahead of time what to expect, they begin to trust. They trust their agent and they trust the process. When buyers and sellers trust the process, they’re not surprised and they can make adjustments when necessary without freaking out because they were caught off-guard. Yes, unexpected surprises can happen in a real estate transaction, but being prepared and proper communication upfront goes a long way to solving surprises later on.

Many transactions have few if any surprises, and that’s the way it should be. Each Realtor has their own systems they like to use. When selecting a Realtor, just make sure you ask about communication so you know what to expect. Have them show you their systems. Selecting a Realtor based upon communication systems and skills might be the single best criteria you could use to determine which Realtor to work with.

You can always reach us at 239-489-4042 or search the MLS at www.LeeCountyOnline.com

Good luck and Happy Selling/Buying!

Our team is growing again. We need a closing transaction coordinator. Full-time position. Call us at 239-489-4042 if you are looking for a job and have real estate, mortgage, HOA or title experience.

New Listings:

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5 Bedroom 3 Bath Home in South Fort Myers

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7479 Twin Eagle Ln

Eagle Ridge 5 Bedroom 4 Bath Golf Course Home

7479 Twin Eagle Ln Fort Myers Single Property Website

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