The Ellis Team is introducing nationwide local neighborhood updates.  It is free and it offers some features you will not find anywhere else.  We will talk about some of the features and how it works here.

Nationwide Local Neighborhood Updates Neighborhood Trends

One of the features is a neighborhood trends report.  People like to see what is going on in their neighborhood.  We have included a snapshot of basic summary statistics for Reflection Lakes in Fort Myers.  Users can click to explore the neighborhood and more features open.

Some of the added features include local transit times to places of interest the user chooses.  Let’s say a couple is searching for a home.  The husband works one place, and the wife works in another.  They can add both locations so they can see how far each commute is from that neighborhood.

Other features included a list of nearby schools as well as an interactive map that shows places of interest.  Users could select highlights, nightlife, shopping, fitness, arts and entertainment, groceries, etc.  When you select your interests, the interactive map displays those things you have selected and placed them on the map.

Let’s say you selected groceries.  The map will show all the grocery stores relative to the neighborhood you have selected.  The same is true with any category.

I particularly like the nearby neighborhoods information and the available homes for sale.  Others will like the local reviews of each place.  The neighborhood report does an excellent job of compiling compelling data and displaying it in a useful way for consumers.

The best part is this website http://ellisteam.kw.com works anywhere in the country.  Users can select multiple neighborhoods.  For instance, a user may own a home in SW Florida and one up North.  It is easy to add both neighborhoods, and once selected each neighborhood has their own tab and data, all in one place.

We can email this information out every two weeks, or monthly.  This is particularly helpful, so you do not have to remember the website.  Just click on the link and it will take you to the report when it is updated.

The Ellis Team is working extremely hard to bring consumers tools that are useful, and work anywhere.  We have strong partners in other states that can assist with your real estate needs wherever they are.  Providing useful information that works anywhere benefits customers from out of our area.  This benefits local sellers because we can now provide nationwide local neighborhood updates.  Out of state buyers are more likely to use us, and when they do their interest in SW Florida rises.

We have some customers that are selling here in SW Florida and moving back to family or a job relocation.  These tools provide tremendous data in separate locations.  Providing this data makes the Ellis Team a one-stop shop no matter where a buyer is buying or selling.  We will not be their agents out of state.  That takes a separate license.  What we can be is their guide to selecting the best agent no matter where their interest is, as well as great neighborhood data.

The Ellis Team still has our local websites, like our home valuation tool www.SWFLhomevalues.com and our local property search www.LeeCountyOnline.com Nothing is going away.  We are bringing more tools and more value to consumers.  When we meet in person or via Zoom we can show you powerful data.  This data will help you make better decisions, and it’s fun too!

We look forward to helping you with your real estate needs.  If you have a home to sell, please call Brett or Sande Ellis 239-489-4042 Ext 4.  We are easy to talk to and we can help you with your needs, both in SW Florida and anywhere in the country.

Happy Thanksgiving!

See last weeks article “Biden Tax Plan Benefits Florida Real Estate Market

I have been reading several articles on how a Biden tax plan benefits Florida real estate market.  Biden’s tax plan has many parts to it, some of which benefit Florida homeowners and some of which hurt.  As I am writing this article neither candidate has been declared the winner, and we will not go into that for purposes of this article.  We are simply passing along information should Biden eventually be declared the winner.Biden Tax Plan Benefits Florida Real Estate Market

One article suggests the Biden tax plan benefits Florida real estate market by creating an incentive for residents to leave high tax states more than they already have.  Biden’s tax plan could create a marginal tax rate exceeding 60% in New Jersey, California, Hawaii, and New York.  As these states suffer shortfalls, they will be under more pressure to raise rates even higher.  It is a vicious cycle.  Many high tax states are hemorrhaging residents. As they lose residents, they must either cut spending or raise more taxes on the fewer that are left.

Vulnerable States Losing Residents

Another article mentions Illinois and California as particularly vulnerable.  Biden’s tax plan calls for an increase in capital gains rates as well as several new taxes.  One such tax is raising the amount many earners pay on social security.  Another tax is capping deductions for some earners, as well as raising the top income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%

When you factor all these new taxes in, the theory is people will flee high tax states and move to lower tax states where their income is taxed less by the state.  It is not much theory as we have already seen it the past 4 years.  The writers of these articles speculate it will intensify and speed up.

At this time, we still do not know who will control the Senate and how those votes will go.  All we know is that if Biden wins the election, there will be upward pressure.  Some of these taxes will hurt real estate, and yet the Florida real estate market could still be a net winner in that we may gain more people interested in Florida than we lose in tax penalties.  The same cannot be said for other states, but we focus on the SW Florida real estate market.

Target Marketing High Tax States

In 2020 the Ellis Team has sold many properties to buyers from high tax states.  In fact, we have several looking right now and making offers.  Our marketing has focused on those areas and we expect that to continue.  When our team lists a home, we advertise it where we think the buyers are.

We have many local buyers and even more out of state buyers.  If you get lucky out of state buyers come to you based on brand, reputation, or referral.  If you are an aggressive agent you go find the buyers through advertising, and that is what we have done.  We do get a lot of referrals from out of state agents. Many agents calls us because of the Keller Williams name.  We appreciate all of that and that is why we are at the company we are with.

What is particularly fun is selecting certain markets you believe contain buyers who might move to SW Florida and combine that with our artificial intelligence that shows us where buyers are coming from and take out ads directed at those buyers.  When the leads start to flow in off those ads it feels a lot like finding a good fishing hole nobody else knows about.  Never ask a fisherman where their best fishing hole is and expect a straight answer.  Conversely, never ask a top agent who is using this advanced technology to locate buyers to tell you exactly where they are coming from.

Never Ask a Fisherman

A fisherman might tell you which lake the fish are in, but never the exact spot.  A top agent might tell you which states buyers are coming from, but not the exact formula to advertise to them.

If you have a home to sell, always call Brett or Sande at the Ellis Team 239-489-4042 Ext 4.  We have buyers and can help you get Top Dollar.  We do not know who the next president is yet, but we do know how to sell your home either way.  Or visit www.SWFLhomevalues.com for an instant and Free valuation.

The Ellis Team marketing sells listings for top dollar and fast.  This past week we closed on a $525,000 listing that sold for $536,200, $11,200 above asking price.  Some of the showing agents felt it was overpriced and we would never get that for the home.  They were wrong, and had we listened it would have cost the seller money.

Ellis Team marketing sells homes for more money.  How is that possible? That is an excellent question, and one we get regularly.  While we cannot share all the answers in a short article like this, we can cover some highlights.  First, we do not stand back and expect agents in the MLS to sell your home.  We proactively market it to a proven bank of buyers we market to.  Secondly, we target and attract new buyers each week through aggressive online and print advertising across multiple mediums.

Additionally, we have a team of buyer agents and inside sales associates calling buyers specifically for our listings.  When the Ellis Team takes a new listing, we may already have the buyer in our data bank.  We use advanced marketing and artificial intelligence to build this data bank and it is paying off for our sellers.

A single cyber-attack can cost you your business. Data from the National Cyber Security Alliance shows that 60 percent of small and mid-sized business close after 6 months following an attack. This is why investing in the services like Sapphire that handles cyber security for business is a must-have investment.

Are We Too Busy

Some sellers are reluctant to list with a successful team because they wonder if they will get lost in the shuffle and not be a priority.  Let me address that issue as well, as there are certain advantages of working with a team.

We are not too busy.  In fact, we have sold almost our entire inventory.  We were not too busy for them when we had inventory, and we are certainly not too busy now that we don’t. Our team was built for scale.  Our advanced marketing costs a lot of money and was designed to bring in lots of buyers, not just one.  It would be a waste not having seller’s properties to market to this valuable group.

The Ellis Team has a full-time listing manager and marketing manager to assist us.  Having experts on our team allows us to provide a higher level of service than single agents can provide.  Our team of specialists sole goal is to get your home sold for top dollar.

Top Dollar Realtors

Sande and Brett Ellis have a reputation for getting homes sold for top dollar.  There is a saying “What you focus on expands.”  Brett and Sande have focused on top dollar our entire career, and that’s probably why we’ve been known around town as “Top Dollar Realtors.”

Any Realtor can give a home away.  Giving a home away is easy.  Low price sells anything, from homes to cars to electronics.  Getting top dollar requires spending money on advertising and acquiring marketing expertise.  It is not something you can learn in a day, week, or year. How you respond to questions matters as well. Learning the sales process and mastering marketing techniques are time tested and work in today’s digital society.

The Ellis Team works with the best of the best technology partners.  Other Realtors often call us and ask how we do it, and we are happy to share our story.  Most will not do it because it costs money, but for those that do they see results like our team does.

Thinking of Selling?

If you are thinking of selling your home, please call Brett or Sande Ellis 239-489-4042 Ext 4.  Who you work with matters.  This is not the market to play around in and hire the wrong Realtor.  You will be kicking yourself later when this market passes you by.  For those on the fence and just want an idea of what their home is worth, we have a website for that. www.SWFLHomevalues.com  You will get an instant, free estimate of your home’s value.  We are here for you on the phone or online and can walk you through the process.

We look forward to hearing from you.  Put our experienced team to work for you!

See last week’s article “Real Estate Appraisal Values Lag Behind Market

Rising Florida home prices are being caused by low inventory levels.  Across Florida, median home prices increased 13.2% while the number of homes closed increased 8.8% In Southwest Florida, median home prices gained 16.5% in August over last year.  The number of homes closed also increased 16.5%.

Rising Florida Home Prices Statewide Numbers

We are seeing a perfect storm.  Low interest rates are driving consumer demand.  Other factors are in play as well.  Covid-19 has made people think about where they want to live, and where they want to work.  Many can work from home, so they might as well live and work somewhere they enjoy.  If they can live anywhere, they might as well enjoy the benefits of living in a low tax state.

Rising Florida Home Prices INventory Levels

When we look at the inventory levels, we notice listings always go down February through August or September.  You might notice a difference this year. Listing levels were already way down in 2019 due to a booming economy and low interest rates.  Fast forward to 2020 and we see that accelerating.  Not every part of the state is enjoying the success we are, but then again, many other counties enjoyed big price gains the last several years.  Lee County didn’t see that, so there is more room for gains than other areas of the state.

This past week the Ellis Team has worked on several multiple offer situations, both on the selling end and the buying end.  Scoring that victory for our clients requires determination and skill.  We work with buyers to structure their offer to look the absolute best it can to the seller.  Because we work with so many sellers, we know their concerns and can offer a lot of wisdom to our buyers.

Our sellers benefit greatly too.  The worst thing you can do in a market like this is take the wrong offer.  Buyers and buyer’s agents will present the story they want you to see, and it is our job to uncover the facts and separate the offers impartially so our seller can make the best decision.  Just because we have multiple offers today does not mean we will if we must put it back on the market in the future. You never want to squander a good opportunity, and yet it’s a fine line between determining whether it’s a good opportunity, or an opportunity to waste time.  This is where the wisdom of an experienced agent comes in.

The market is hot and we have rising Florida home prices. This does not mean all properties will generate multiple offers.  Proactive marketing must be employed to insure receiving top dollar.  Sure, you can get lucky, but who wants to play with luck in a market like this?  We never know how long these great markets will last. The biggest mistake most sellers make is being overconfident for too long and missing the market.  Subconsciously they hold on to the number in their head from 2 months ago all the while they’ve missed the market of the moment.

The Ellis Team has a plan.  We sit down and show you where homes have sold.  We go over the 3 things that will happen once your home goes on the market, and what to do in each scenario.  Our sellers are prepared for the market of the moment, and if the market shifts at the exact time your home is on the market, we can too.

If the buyers shift, we can adjust our marketing as we have the intelligence to us that.  Talk to Brett or Sande Ellis 239-489-4042 Ext 4 and we will be happy to discuss your options.  Even if you are not ready yet, it might help to begin talking about options should you decide down the road.  Information is power.

We also have a website where you can get a Free instant online valuation of your home www.SWFLhomevalues.com People love that website.

We are here to talk.  Brett and Sande are easy to talk to, and there is no pressure for you to do anything.  Call us and let’s chat.  You will feel better, and you’ll have some information that will help you make decisions.

Good luck and Happy Selling!

See Last Week’s Article “United States Housing Market Not Affected From Unemployment Yet

Like Southwest Florida, the United States housing market has fared very well in 2020.  A robust economy pre covid-19 and low interest rates are two factors that have fueled the real estate market locally and nationally.

We like to analyze data that may affect the market now or in the future.  When looking at national unemployment numbers we see that unemployment is falling fast and steadily from its peak in April.  The last time we saw double digit unemployment was 2009 and it took 4 years to fall just 2.5%.

United States Housing Market Not Affected From Unemployment Yet

We know that our current unemployment rates were forced by the Coronavirus outbreak and was precipitated by forced shutdowns.  It is not surprising that we are rebounding so fast and steadily., and yet we know that anyone who lost their job probably lost their ability to pay for housing for any length of time.  Thank goodness we had a good economy going into this thing.  Imagine how tough this would have been financially back in 2009.

United States Housing Market Unemployment By Age

Secondly, we like to look at who was most affected by job loss, as that may leave clues as to what is ahead for the United States housing market. The hardest hit segment is the 24 and under segment with current unemployment at 14.1% They make up 3.0% of all home sales in the United States housing market.

The 25-34 age group has 9.7% unemployment and make up about 25% of all home sales in the United States.  Lastly, we see the 35+ group with 6.8% unemployment.  They make up 72% of all United States housing market home sales.

Home Sales are Strong

This might explain why home sales have been so strong.  The majority of home buyers have been the least affected by unemployment. Low interest rates have helped offset any losses by affected home buyers.  Still, 8.4% unemployment and rising home sales may not be sustainable forever.  The good news is unemployment should not stay at 8.4% as those numbers are declining rapidly.

We plan to watch these numbers as they should leave clues about what is ahead for the United States housing market.  One potential scenario is it could hold back move-up buyers.  The 25-34 age group tends to be first time home buyers, and if a significant number hold off purchasing their first home it could impact down the road some move-up buyers who are ready to make their next move.

If the economy keeps improving and we get the service sector back to work, this should all work out.  Question marks remain how the travel and tourism segments will fare and people’s willingness to travel until covid-19 is under control.  Optimism in the vaccine and treatment fronts abound and this could help that segment recover sooner if therapeutics or prevention pans out.

Florida Looking Good for the Future

While the United States housing market may max out at some point until the economy recovers, Florida is looking rather good as many from out of state have found Florida desirable.  Florida is a net migration state from other states, so we may buck the trend if the national United States housing market maxes out someday.

At last check Lee County single family home inventory is down to 2.36 months supply of homes on the market.  Buyers must be quick and decisive to score a home in this market.  Sellers must be wise and patient, making sure they select the best offer for them, not necessarily the first offer that tried to box them into a quick decision.  This is where experienced agents come in.

Experienced buyer agents know how to make your offer as strong as possible.  Looking at it from the seller’s eyes is extremely helpful now, and therefore experience matters.

Sellers need experience now more than ever, so be careful trusting your home sale to an agent with little to no listing experience.  If you would like to speak to Brett or Sande Ellis about the process, we’re available.  Simply call 239-489-4042 Ext 4, or visit www.SWFLhomevalues.com to get a Free estimate of your home’s value.

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

See last week’s article “Florida Real Estate Demand Heats Up From High Tax State Residents

Ellis Team Weekend Open Houses

Open House Saturday 12-3 PM

1453 Mandel Rd

6414 Royal Woods Dr

Open House Sunday 1-4 PM

7706 Bay Lake Dr

Florida real estate demand is heating up and we know it is coming from a few sources.  One obviously is low interest rates.  Who wouldn’t want to take advantage of these historic low rates if they could?  The other is heavy demand from northern buyers relocating to escape high state taxes.

Naples Relocation Patterns
Naples Florida Relocation Patterns

A recent report showed out of state buyers moving into Florida at a rate of 950 per day.  Florida has 67 counties.  You have to figure Lee County is one of the 10 largest counties by population.  It’s safe to assume Lee County is getting its fair share of those relocating from high tax states.

Let’s assume the top 10 counties are pulling half of the 950 daily relocations.  One tenth of 425 is 42.5.  Let’s cut that in half again and round that to 22.  If 22 people per day are moving to Lee County that equates to about 660 people per month.  Assuming an average family size of 3, 220 housing units would be needed per month in Lee County.

Florida Real Estate Demand Affects Housing Inventory

We have been witnessing our housing supply shrink each month as more contracts come in than new listings entering the market each month.  Lee County is down to a 2.36-month supply of homes which is the lowest I can remember in over 30 years practicing real estate in Lee County.

Florida Real Estate Demand Heats Up

Moving companies are reporting they have no more trucks available to move people out of New York City.  People cannot move out of there fast enough.  In Manhattan apartment vacancies are up 122% over last year.  Manhattan is not alone.  In fact, at Keller Williams we have intelligence that shows us where buyers are relocating from to our area.  I pulled up Naples in the system as an example to illustrate how this works.

Bonita Springs has different data from Naples which illustrates the point that each area attracts buyers from different areas.  The Ellis Team takes this data and advertises our listings in those markets.  What we find is a high level of lead conversion from those markets.  People up north are genuinely interested in leaving their state for Florida.

Everyone has their own reasons, and we hear them all.  Their reasons matter to them, and the first part of obtaining the lead is listening to the data.  When a seller hires us to sell their home, basically they are saying, “I don’t care where you find the buyer, just go out and get me some”.  Some Realtors aggressively market while other just place it on the MLS and pray someone else has a buyer.  The Ellis Team likes to go out and find the buyer.

Marketing Drives Sales

The best place to find the buyer is advertising where the buyers are.  We know many buyers are local, so we advertise heavily locally.  We also know many buyers are coming from out of state, so we advertise our listings in those cities where buyers are coming from. Florida real estate demand has never been higher.

I looked up the other day and we had 22 pending sales.  I wondered why we did not have 32 or 42 pending sales, and it dawned on me.  If we had more listings, we would have had 32 or 42 pending sales.  Our marketing is aggressive, and it is working.  The only thing it is lacking is inventory.  We can pare down this marketing at any time, but that would not be as fun.  We enjoy putting smiles on our seller faces when we bring them offers for top dollar.

If you have been thinking about selling your home, now might be the time.  You can call Brett or Sande Ellis at 239-489-4042 Ext 4 and we will be happy to sit down and evaluate your options. Or you can visit www.SWFLhomevalues.com to get an instant valuation of your property.

Do not let the best market we have ever seen pass you by.  Nobody knows how long this will last.  The Ellis Team is just a phone call away.  Good luck and Happy Selling!

See last week’s article “Seller’s Market Fuels Rise in Home Sale Prices

 

Closed home sales back on track after the covid-10 shutdown. 2020 started off with a bang, and then suddenly covid-19 hit, and Florida was under a shutdown or stay at home order.  People wondered what it would do to home sales and business in general for that matter.  We are happy to report closed homes sales are back on track after shutdown.

Closed home sales back after shutdown

In fact, July closed home sales eclipsed all three previous years.  Closed home sales could have been higher had we more inventory to sell.  3% interest rates are attracting buyers too, but now versus later.  Florida is also attracting buyers from other states.  America has decided Florida is definitely the place to be for various reasons.

The Ellis Team from the seller perspective has recently sold several properties, and quite naturally many of these homes had several offers on them.  A home marketed heavily attracts multiple buyers.  Today we will talk about what to look out for with multiple offers.

First off, if you are considering selling your home, you should call Brett or Sande Ellis.  Chances are we may already have a buyer for your home.  If we receive 4 offers on a home, only 1 buyer can win.  That means 3 other buyers still need a home.  We have a database of buyers looking to purchase right now, and possibly we could sell your home even before it hits the market.

Secondly, the offer a seller takes matters.  When you have multiple offers on a home, picking the winning buyer is a calculated risk.  If the buyer you choose doesn’t perform, you lost that buyer, and you might have lost the other buyers too.  In that time your home was off the market those other buyers could have found another home.  They are not going to sit around and see if your home goes through because they cannot afford to.  If another home meets their criteria, they need to jump on it because it will be gone soon too.

2020 is literally the best time perhaps ever to sell your home.  We have not seen interest rates this low, and we have not seen buyers so anxious to get into a home as we have during covid-19.  Covid-19 has created a nesting situation whereby people just want to hunker down at home.  They are not traveling like they used to, and their home becomes not only their living quarters, but also their entertainment center, work environment, etc.  The home is as important now as it’s ever been, and it’s affordable due to low interest rates.

Your home is a hot commodity right now.  Selecting the right agent to represent you is more important than ever.  You need an agent that can see the flaws in a deal before it happens.  That takes experience, and lots of it.  You do not want to lose a deal in the best-selling market we have ever seen.

Experienced agents know how obtain crucial facts from the buyer’s agent, and the buyer’s lender.  If a buyer does not cooperate, they probably will not win the bid.  Sellers look at the strongest offer.  The strongest offer isn’t always the highest bidder.  So much more goes into writing a strong offer.  The Ellis Team works with our buyers to write the strongest offer possible.  Because we’ve done so many seller sides over the years, we know what sellers are looking for.  Writing the offer in the best light upfront helps our buyers win more bids.

Brett or Sande would be happy to sit down with you and go over all the options in selling your home.  You do not have to do anything.  We like to present you with your options, and let you decide.

Call Sande or Brett 239-489-4042 Ext 4 or visit www.SWFLhomevalues.com to get an instant value of your home for Free.  If it looks good, Brett or Sande can validate the number and make sure it’s the correct for your home.

Good luck and enjoy the best-selling market we have ever seen!  If you are thinking about, we’d hate for you to miss this market.  Great selling markets do not last forever.

See last week’s article “Targeted Real Estate Advertising Selling Homes for Top Dollar

Ellis Team Newest Listings

Part of any successful advertising campaign should include the ability to identify and target people most likely to buy a product.  The Ellis Team uses targeted real estate advertising as an additional way to sell homes for top dollar.

Let’s say your company makes the best dog treats on the planet.  You would want to target pet owners, and more specifically dog owners.  It would do no good to target cat owners if cats do not like the treat.  When we list a property, we try to think like a buyer.  If I list an 800 sq. ft home, chances are 8 roommates are not going to buy it.

In the covid-19 era we know many people lost their job, so they are not in the market to purchase right now.  Others who kept their job may want to take advantage of the low rates.  Still others do not need a job to purchase.  It gets complicated.  What we do know is an owner has hired us to find a buyer for their property.

As aggressive real estate marketers the Ellis Team casts several nets.  Our newspaper, PPC, radio, TV, social media, and direct mail campaigns cast a wide net.  We advertise the property to anybody and everybody hoping to find one or more buyers who show interest.  We call this the shotgun approach.

Additionally, we cast tighter nets.  We call this the rifle approach.  Lately we have been targeting cities up North where we know buyers are selling and leaving.  We talk to agents daily who tell us they have sellers leaving their state and they are not coming back.  Florida is one of the areas they are moving to. We have the ability to advertise our listings anywhere in the country.

Targeted Real Estate Advertising

Targeted Real Estate Advertising Selling Homes for Top Dollar

Targeted Real Estate Advertising Selling Homes for Top Dollar Wildginger Dr

The graphic shows two separate ads we ran this past weekend.  As you can see, these two ads generated 40 buyers in just one weekend.  Keep in mind, we are showing you just 2 of the out of town ads.  We may run more ads than 2, and we also run local ads for buyers who have an interest in real estate.  I count 61 buyers signed up just last weekend alone.

By casting multiple nets, we have been able to accumulate a significant amount of people interested in buying property here in SW Florida.  This data is useful because our team of buyer specialists can see what they are searching and call them with new properties entering the market.

It works like this.  Let’s say Sande or I go on a listing appointment and the seller wants to sell.  We know they will have their home ready next week to put on the market.  Our buyer agents can begin calling buyers in our database ahead of time letting them know that a seller will be listing their home next week in an area they are looking in.

We May Already Have a Buyer

Our team may already have the buyer for that listing.  We acquired that buyer through endless marketing, both during the time of the listing, and even before we took the listing.  Sellers benefit from the previous marketing our team has done because we keep the database of buyers.  This database is so valuable because it not only includes their name, email, and phone number, it also tells us what they are searching for and what they like.  Our agents can search the database and find buyers quickly.

Do not call us if your home is listed with another Realtor.  We offer this service for Ellis Team clients only.  We already know about the homes listed on the MLS.  Our buyers can see your home on our website. The Ellis Team proactively calls buyers when our team lists a new property to MLS.  Those sellers hired us, so those are the sellers we spring into action for.

If you’re thinking of selling and want to talk to us about the process, call Brett or Sande Ellis 239-489-4042 Ext 4, or visit www.SWFLhomevlaues.com for a Free instant online estimate of your home’s value.  Find out how targeted real estate advertising can help your home sell for top dollar too.

Good luck and Happy Selling!

See last week’s article “Total Real Estate Sales Volume Bounces Back for the Year

Ellis Team Open House

Open House Sunday 1-4 PM

14120 Reflection Lakes Dr

14120 Refletion Lakes Dr
Open House Sunday 1-4 PM in Reflection Lakes Fort Myers

New Listing – Video Walkthru

5259 Skylark Ct

 

Today we would like to tell you how real estate marketing trends are shifting to professional video tours. Professional videos make a property come alive through cinematography.  When done correctly, the viewer enjoys a cinema like experience using all senses while familiarizing them with the property.

Imagine if children could learn math through an interesting movie.  Movies capture our attention and interest.  Isn’t that the whole purpose of marketing?  The reason most companies do not offer professional video is because it costs money, and lots of it.

Real Estate Marketing Trends Shifting

The Ellis Team is introducing professional video tours on many of our properties.  We create a single property website for each property that has professional photos, a 3D tour of the home, and a professional video tour.

Video Tours

While the video is on each property’s single website, we also upload them to www.SWFLvideotours.com where they are seen by even larger audiences.  We also load the videos on our Facebook pages where it is seen all over the world and shared by others.  This is the true power of leverage.  To get these results, you must have professional video to start.

3D Tours

You have probably seen 3D video tours used by a few agents in SW Florida.  The Ellis Team uses them as well www.swfl360hometours.com because buyers can access and view a home at their leisure from anywhere in the world.  They have helped us sell many homes during the Coronavirus pandemic. 360 home tours allow the consumer to be in control.  Many buyers love them, while others want to be wowed and not worry about the technology used to view the home.  This is where captivating video comes in.  Just as some people learn better with visual and others like audible, the Ellis Team employs multiple streams of marketing to reach the consumer how they wish to view a property best.

If you like the 360 self-guided tour, we have that.  If you like professional still photos, we have that too.  Now we are introducing professional video tours, and recent real estate marketing trends suggest consumers love it.

We ran an ad online last week up North and 175 people watched the video on Facebook alone.  The interesting thing is many watched the entire video.  We believe adding video to our professional photography and 3D tours will be a real winner for home sellers.

Thinking of Selling?

If you are thinking about selling your home, we have some information about what may happen in the market in the next 6 months.  You may want to talk to Sande or Brett Ellis 239-489-40402 Ext 4 to find out how this will affect your property.

If you are curious about your home’s value but not sure you are ready to do something, we have an online value tool that is fairly accurate, instant, and Free.  Simple go to www.SWFLhomevalues.com and enter your address.  It will show you your home’s value along with comparable sales in the area.

To get your home professionally video graphed, call Brett or Sande and find out how we can help get your home sold for Top Dollar.  We are marketing locally and across the world with our digital platform and aggressive marketing campaign.  Ellis Team sales have increased in the middle of a pandemic.  We believe this is the result of hard work, top notch marketing, and aggressive lead generating by our team.  The Ellis Team is not sitting back and waiting for the market to come to us, we are taking it to the market.  Isn’t that the kind of Realtor you want working for you?  Don’t forget to check out the videos at www.swflvideotours.com

See last week’s article “Rapidly Changing market Conditions in SW Florida

Always call the Ellis Team at Keller Williams Realty 239-489-4042 Ext 4

Earlier this month we wrote an article that inventory supply was down to 3.09 months in SW Florida.  Less than 4 weeks later we want to update you about the rapidly changing market conditions in SW Florida.

Single family housing inventory supply is down to 2.70 months as of July 29th.  The rolling average of closed sales for the past 365 days has increased by 219 sales.  This is a sign that closed sales are picking up. Housing inventory fell by 372 homes.  That is a total swing of 592 homes, and all this happened in a 27-day period.

Rapidly Changing Market Conditions in SW Floridao

This is why we say we have rapidly changing market conditions in SW Florida. If you are a homeowner in forbearance, you are going to want to speak with a Realtor soon.   The six-month window that began back in April will expire in October.  For most borrowers, the lenders front loaded the forbearance.  This means you will have a balloon payment at the end of 6 months.  If it was difficult making the payment before, it will surely be difficult to make all 6 plus October’s payment.  The good news is most loans have equity.

What we found during previous financial hard times is many people did not act.  They put their head in the sand and ended up losing their home when the home could have been sold before foreclosure.   Back in the mid 2000’s some were short sales, but those sales were better than foreclosures on a seller’s record.

Today, if the homeowner has equity, it may not be a short sale.  You may be able to pay off the loan without a foreclosure.  Many homeowners believe this was a government protection and their credit will be fine.  The truth is your credit will not be fine, and they will foreclose if you go in default.  Speak with your lender, and definitely speak with a Realtor before it gets too late.

Sellers thinking about selling should keep in mind we have a great sellers’ market today.  What we don’t know is how long that will last.  We have more buyers buying today.  Florida is well positioned because we have buyers coming in from other states.  We also have record low interest rates.  The wildcard is the election and foreclosures.

We feel fortunate to be here in SW Florida.  We have a lot going for us.  The fact that people want to move here may mitigate some or most of the financial distress foreclosures would cause us.  Today is nothing like the foreclosure crisis we went through as we have end users for properties today.  We did not have that back in 2006-2010.

Hurricane Update

 For those of you that have a transaction pending, please get an insurance binder now.  We could have several storms lining up, and once we are in “the Box”, insurers can no longer write new policies.  You can assume an existing one.  One year we had hurricanes lined up for about 6 weeks.  There were very few days insurers could write new policies. It looks like we may see the same thing this year, so do not take that for granted.  It could stop your closing even if the storms are not coming here, and nobody wants that.

If you would like to talk to us about your home’s value and your situation, please call Brett or Sande Ellis 239-489-4042 Ext 4.  Or visit www.SWFLhomevalues.com to find out your home’s value instantly, for Free. We will analyze your situation and discuss your options.  Good luck and stay safe this hurricane season.

See last week’s article “Timely Real Estate Trends We Are Keeping an Eye On

3 Things We are Watching in SW Florida real Estate Market