The past few weeks we’ve gone on several listing appointments.  We’ve got some great new listings coming to the market in the next few weeks by the way, so stay tuned.  We don’t take every listing for a variety of reasons.  Sometimes the seller is upside down on the mortgage and they don’t want to short sale, or perhaps the market isn’t quite where the seller wants it to be so they wait.  Each seller has his or her own reasons for deciding if and when to sell, and we merely help them in the process on their schedule. How to Interview an Agent to Sell Your Home.

 

How to Interview an Agent to Sell Your Home
Tips on Interviewing Agents

One trend we have been seeing is sellers asking a lot of questions.  Some have a pre-printed list of questions and others are asking questions based upon ideas that came about from interviews with other agents.  If you’re unsure of which questions to ask, our website www.TopAgent.com has a list of 49 questions to ask before hiring a real estate professional.

Our list has been online for over a decade. While it could probably use a little freshening up  there are still some good ideas in there. As we freshen it up the number of questions could change.  One question on that list is How Many Listings Did Your Team Sell Last Year?  This is a much different question than how many homes did you sell last year.

Recently we went on an interview and the seller had interviewed several agents.  The first agent came in about 20% higher than we were.  I had never heard of the agent they were interviewing.  She worked for a company with little market share so I looked her up in MLS and found that she had Zero listings sales.  The seller interviewed another agent who had 5 listing sales.  While not a lot, that’s a lot better than Zero.  The agent with 5 sales came out similar to our numbers.

The first agent either doesn’t know the market, or needs a listing.  Listings generate buyers, so if you take an over-priced listing it may not sell, but the listing agent may gain some buyers from it.  We call this buying a listing in the industry.  We don’t like to do this as we want to help each seller, not use them.  I’m not saying this agent was buying the listing, they just may not have known better.

Working with a seller is much different than a buyer. Buyers are the easiest part of the business.  Working with a seller requires more training and knowledge. Sellers have been known to eat and spit out newer, inexperienced agents.  They need to know if their home is priced correctly in the market, if any new listings have entered the market that is competition, how each showing went, where the home is being marketed, open houses, and what type of calls the agent is getting.  Sellers want to know all about the home up the street, and why Fred the neighbor says they priced their home too cheap.  They want to know why all the cars are stopping at their neighbor’s home.  They’ll have 3 people from work who say they want to buy the home and ask agent to follow up with them.

When a contract comes in it gets interesting.  Since they just had 4 showings they’re convinced all 4 will be writing full price offers and follow up with each of them.  Once a contract is accepted it gets really interesting and all the anxieties about inspections and contingencies come out.  It takes an agent who can handle a seller’s emotions.  An agent with a lot of experience working with seller sis preferable.

Asking the right questions before hiring someone to list your home will prevent this frustration later.  The solution is simple. Interview more agents until satisfied with the answers.  Hiring the right agent is perhaps the most critical decision you will make in the entire process.  Spend the time upfront and it will save you in the long run.

Good luck and Happy Selling!

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Brett Ellis Bio

Last year we said it was a good time to buy because prices were heading up and interest rates would eventually rise. Is Now the Time to Buy?

Is Now the Time to Buy
Payment on Median Priced Home

4 things affect the cost of owning a home, not counting maintenance of course.  Those 4 things are debt, interest, taxes, and insurance.   Last year prices were rising and they still are.

Interest rates are rising now too.  Interest rates were artificially low because the Fed has been buying down rates by purchasing bonds to stimulate the economy.  They’ve been purchasing about $85-billion-a-month in Treasury and mortgage bond purchases however a few fed governors have hinted that they’re ready to vote to discontinue buying down rates as soon as the economy shows signs of recovery.

Wall Street immediately sold off stock a few weeks ago in anticipation of this.  Fed Chairman Bernanke later said they’re not stopping the program now although nobody knows for certain when the program could end.

Here’s what we know.  SW Florida real estate prices were artificially too low after the real estate bust.  They were so far below replacement cost as we worked through thousands of foreclosures and short sales.  It was only a matter of time until the market recovered.

With inventory on the decrease and foreclosures down drastically from their peak, prices have been rising.  After the bust we had two artificial moments that created an absolute buying bonanza for investors and buyers.  Investors were the first to pick up on the opportunity as regular buyers were afraid the market could fall further.  Regular buyers tend to follow the herd and react.

The artificial low prices are wearing off and soon the artificially low rates will too.  This does nothing but add to the cost of home ownership.  For the past several years we’ve pointed out what rising interest rates and rising prices could do, but sometimes it’s easier to see in graph format before it makes sense.

I always get a kick out of radio show call in listeners or people on TV that think Realtors just say “now is the time to buy” because they want a sale.  While I’m sure every Realtor would like a sale today, there is just no way of getting around the facts.  Last year was a better time to buy a home than today, and today may be better than next year.

We’re not saying to follow the herd.  We told people in 2009 it was the year of bouncing along the bottom and it was.  We told people back in 2005 prices were high and not sustainable.  We’re not afraid to tell it like it is because we study market indicators.

Successful Realtors sell properties in up, down, and sideways markets.  Our job is to educate the community on what’s going on today, and we feel like that’s what we do,  Some people like what we have to say and others don’t.  As consumers we don’t always get to choose the market, only how we react to the market we’re given.  Realtors don’t control the market.  If we did the market would have recovered much faster.

We’ll keep informing you what we’re seeing based on the data we look at.  If you’re considering buying, we think now is a good time as you’ll be able to afford more home today for the same payment than you will next year.

If you’re thinking of selling consider two things.  Prices are going up.  When interest rates go up too it cuts into buyers’ potential, thereby limiting how many buyers can afford your home.  Rising rates can stifle demand, which can hold back prices.  It won’t help the buyer when rates go up, and it doesn’t help the seller either.  Until the economy definitively turns around, nobody knows exactly what prices will do.  All we can say is your options are better today than they will be next year.

Good luck and happy buying/selling!

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Last week we wrote about home prices climbing this season and how it’s getting harder to find homes in certain price ranges.  Active single family home inventory is down to 5,476 in April, down from 5,900 in March.  Pending sales are up too, so our market has been doing very well.  Inventory typically falls this time of year and starts picking up again about October.  If you’re a home seller, beating other sellers to the market might help you sell before the rush in the Fall.

Good Time to Sell Fort Myers Cape Coral Florida home inventory
Listing Inventory in SW Florida

Last week we ran a line in our ad that read “Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out at SWFLHomevalues.com” We were surprised that with that one little line 8 people responded and filled out their information to find out.  Once we receive the information our team runs a computer report that is several pages long and provides an online computer estimate of value.

Online computer home value report SW Florida
Online Home Value Report presented by the Ellis Team at RE/MAX Realty Group

People can select to receive an online evaluation only, or a more accurate evaluation whereby we come to the property and look at various characteristics like features, condition, view, etc.  For those just looking to get a pretty good idea the online computer analysis works very well.

Keep in mind the computer has never been inside your home and doesn’t necessarily know about some of the upgrades you’ve put in.  It also can’t see the condition or other attributes buyers may like, or certain objections a buyer may not like.

The market has been moving so fast sometimes the computers have a hard time keeping up.  In a rising market, sometimes appraisers go through the same issues. The computers go off recent sold sales and may not reflect a lack of inventory in a certain price range that might warrant an increase in price.

The computers have been doing a pretty good job of getting sellers in the ballpark, but if you’re going to sell it doesn’t do any good to sell a home for $200,000 because the computer says so if it’s really worth $218,000.  You’re just giving $18,000 equity away to the buyer if you do.

If you have an interest in selling, feel free to check out www.SWFLHomeValues.com If you’re a buyer and would like to search the MLS, check out www.Topagent.com It’s simply amazing today what you can find online.

We’ll be happy to send you your online report.  If it looks good and you’d like to consider selling, you can call us to schedule a more detailed appointment to go over how we market homes and how our marketing works to sells homes quickly and for today’s true market value.

Perhaps you’re looking to trade-up or down before interest rates make a move.  Waiting for you home’s value to go up even $10,000 may cost you money.  The home you’re looking for could not only rise in value, but the cost of financing could blow any savings with just a ¼% rise in rates.  Interest rates are expected to rise because the Fed wants to refrain from buying interest rates down as soon as the economy gets stronger.  Several Fed governors have hinted they’re ready now to begin raising rates.

If you’re unsure what to do, give us a call at 239-489-4042.  We’re easy to talk to and we never pressure.  We simply give you your options and let you decide.  When you decide to sell, you’ll have the best and most aggressive team working for you.

Good luck, and Happy House Selling!

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Official real estate sales numbers were recently released by Florida Realtors and as expected, median and average prices for single family homes rose again in April.

SW Florida Real Estate Market Continues Its Upward Trend
Median Sale Prices 2012-Present

The median sale price rose 29.8% over last year from $140,199 to $182,000 this year.  The average sale price rose 23.1% from $237,281 last April to $292,201 this year.  Prices have definitely risen this season; however they typically do this time of year.  We are comparing numbers of last year at same time, so it’s a legitimate 30% increase over last year.

SW Florida Real Estate Market Continues Its Upward Trend

April 2013 prices are up over March numbers which is also typical.  April’s $182,000 was up over March’s $168,000.  Going forward we’ll have to watch as last year prices hit their plateau before steadying out the rest of the year.

 

Home prices by price category in SW Florida
SW Florida Home sales by price category April 2013

When analyzing by price range again we see a drop in closed sales below $100,000 simply because there isn’t much inventory there as home prices have graduated higher.  Those some entry level or investment homes are just higher in price again this year.  Finding sub $100k priced homes is difficult at best.

When prices are rising people automatically assume it’s across the board and they can add 30% to last year’s home value regardless of what price range their home is in.  This simply is not true, although we have seen increased sales in almost every category.  The over $1 Million category continues to struggle.  The SW Florida real estate market is on the rise, but the overall economy may be holding back super premium prices combined with excess inventory in the $ 1Million+ category.

We’re really seeing excellent sales in the $200,000-$400,000 range.  That’s the sweet spot right now in Southwest Florida.  This may change in time, but right now that’s it.  With companies like Hertz moving to Estero and another company I’m hearing rumors about, this sweet spot could do very well for years to come.

Eventually the over $400,000 range will pick up more as well.  It’s doing OK, but if you remember back to the hay days, it seemed any new home in South Fort Myers was $400,000 and up.  Now you can get a pretty nice home for $400k.

The financial markets were spooked last week Fed reports that some Fed governors support raising interest rates by ending the government bond buying spree if we see continued economic development.  This would essentially raise rates.  While this will happen one day, I doubt there’s enough support to do it now.  This will eventually cut into buyer’s buying power when that happens.

Nationally home prices were up 10.2%.  SW Florida is absolutely leading the nation right now.  We did so back in the run-up.  The difference today is its sustainable and we’re still at or near replacement costs.  Back in the upswing in 2005 we were so far over replacement cost.  We were artificially too low in price for the last 7 years and the market has been correcting the past 3-4 years now.  Look for continued strength as we have positive economic news locally.  Keep your eye on national economic news and interest rates and we’ll let you know if we hear more details about landing another big company.  It really makes no sense to report on that unless and until it happens.  As you might have read, the Hertz deal almost didn’t happen, so we never believe anything until the ink is on the paper.

To find out what your home is worth online visit www.SWFLHomeValues.com  To search the MLS, visit www.LeeCountyOnline.com

Good luck and happy house hunting.

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If you haven’t read the News Press story “Anatomy of the Deal” about Hertz selecting Lee County Florida to relocate its world headquarters to you’re missing out on some fascinating behind the scenes tales full on mystery, intrigue, and suspense as if it was right out of a top selling suspense novel.  Hertz Deal Underscores Importance of Confidentiality.Hertz Deal Underscores Importance of Confidentiality

It was fascinating to read about how that deal transpired from beginning to end.  It further underscores why confidentiality is a requirement in deals like this.

In the past we’ve worked with professional athletes, movie stars, and other famous people so we’ll shed a little light on some things people don’t always think about confidentiality.

We had two athletes who played in many Super Bowls interested in buying property in SW Florida.  They both purchased and one bought multiple properties because of the confidentiality extended to them.  One man was rather large and tall, in excess of 340 lbs.  Before he came to SW Florida we sent him video tapes of selected properties that met his needs.  We’d go out and video the properties on his behalf.

At one SW Florida community the salesperson stopped us and said they would do the taping for us, that we were not good enough and they wanted to show their product in the Best possible way.  We’re sure they would have done a marvelous job, but what they didn’t realize who the client was and what they were looking for.

We were videoing entrances to the closet so he could tell if he would fit.  The same was true with doorways and bathrooms.  The salesperson thought we were nuts and not very good, but we knew what was important to him.  He knew we selected nice properties, but they were no good to him if he couldn’t enjoy life within the property.  That’s what he wanted to see.

We couldn’t disclose who the buyers were as they were fairly well known and they valued their privacy.  They wanted to come down to SW Florida and enjoy it, not be mobbed by fans or interested onlookers.

A few years ago I heard a rumor that Kenny Chesney was looking at property in Key West but nixed the deal when word got out he was buying.  I have no idea how true this rumor was but it could be as famous people like to keep secret what they’re doing for as long as possible.

I remember negotiating land deals and in many cases the original contract was an unnamed buyer.  Sellers don’t like this but there were reasons.  Children’s Miracle Network wanted to build a facility but needed confidentiality.  We met with company representatives out of state and began the process.  They knew that we were contributors to the network as we had contributed money from every Ellis Team closing to CMN for years.  We still do today.  Sande is a CCIM so they wanted local expertise and someone they could trust. They knew we believed in them and they believed in us.  Their facility now sits on Colonial Blvd and helps children from all over SW Florida and reduces many trips to Tampa.

We worked with builders who were competing with other builders for communities so they didn’t want it known which land parcels they were bidding on.  If word got out, prices could go up or another builder could speed up a development order and take away chances another community would be allowed given the existing road and water resources.

In the case of Hertz, employees back home hadn’t been told yet.  Tulsa was a competitor to SW Florida.  I can just imagine many from NJ wouldn’t move to Oklahoma, and many from Oklahoma wouldn’t go to NJ.  SW Florida just seems like a nice place key employees from either might go to, and we agree.

In the end, it all worked out for SW Florida.  We weren’t in the know in this deal, and that’s OK.  We didn’t need to be, and neither did anybody who wasn’t closely involved.  Companies choose locations for their reasons.  The fact that we all found out who the mystery company was the day it was announced served everyone well, and that’s the way it should be.  Relocation is a stressful thing and involves a lot of people so it wouldn’t do a lot of good getting people riled up about various locations.  7 sites were considered locally for Hertz.  Imagine the public interest had Hertz been revealed and speculation as to which location was selected.

Welcome to Southwest Florida Hertz.  We think you’re going to like it here.  I know I’m joining the Hertz #1 Club.  We hope everyone here does too.

More than 4.7 million homeowners lost their homes to foreclosure or short sale since 2007 nationwide and they’re not taking it anymore.  What are they doing about it?  They’re buying again, and they’re buoying the housing market from coast to coast. Boomerang Buyers Heating Up the Housing Market!

Boomerang Buyers Heating Up the Housing Market
Boomerang Buyers

 

SW Florida certainly saw its share of financial hardship.  Scores of homeowners were forced to short sale or were simply foreclosed upon as the local housing market dived and jobs were lost. Many left the area in search of work.

As the economy has slowly improved over the past few years some of those same people are moving back.  Still others who never moved rented and kept their companies going anyway they could, or worked multiple jobs to survive.  It’s been a tough 7 years for many locals, so it’s no wonder there is much joy in a rising real estate market.

As the market improves so does the economy as sales lead to jobs and construction.  Construction leads to construction jobs and ancillary businesses, which leads to further opportunities.

Many SW Florida homeowners are still underwater even though prices are rising.  They’re essentially trapped in their own homes waiting the market out for a time when they can afford to sell.  A Boomerang buyer is free from the trap because they got out from under the crushing debt years ago.  Lenders at the time said it would take 2-5 years before they could buy again but many had no choice. They had to sell.

Boomerang buyers took a hit on their credit reports and it did prevent them from buying, but they were released from the debt, and once could argue many of these buyers will be in a position to purchase well before some of the trapped homeowners will be.

I just had 2 Boomerang buyers contact us in the past week asking about re-entering the housing market as their business has finally picked up.  I checked with a few lenders to see what the requirements are and found varying requirements.

Chase requires 36 months after a short sale which is fairly typical. I checked with two local mortgage brokers who can lend 2 years after a short sale provided borrower has 20% down. If the borrower only has 10% down it’s 4 years, and can be as much as 7 years with less than 10% down which makes FHA attractive.  A FHA loan is 3 years, and VA is 0-1 years while USDA is 1.5-3 years.

If you’re not confused by now you probably worked in finance at some point in your life. The bottom line is there are options for you if you’re ready to re-enter the housing market.  How long you have to wait depends on which program you finance under and how much you can put down.  FHA, VA, and USDA will be the least down payment required.

Rates are low and prices are on the increase, and now that Hertz has announced they are relocating their world headquarters to Lee County, things are looking up.  Inventory supply is already tight.  I would suggest if you’re thinking about re-entering the market, sooner is probably better than later.

There is opportunity in this market.  Even though prices are rising, they are nowhere near where they were at the height of the market.  Combine that with today’s rates and buying power is strong.  I would argue this market is much healthier and sustainable than it was at the height when everybody was buying.  The herd was wrong at the top of the market.  This, right now, today is the land of opportunity.

I’m not quite sure why people call back in 2005 the “Good Old Days.” There was no real opportunity back then, only heartache to come for so many.  2013 is the “Good Old Days.”  Today is the land of opportunity, and even if you were hurt in the market in the past, you too can benefit going forward.  We all suffered the last 7-8 years, and now we can all benefit.

The hangover is over, so raise your glass and toast to a new beginning, especially for the Boomerang Buyers.

 

Hertz Moving Headquarters to Estero Florida

Hertz released the following press release:

LEE COUNTY, FL –

The Fortune 500 company bringing over 700 jobs to Lee County has been revealed.

The Hertz Corporation today announced that the company will relocate its worldwide headquarters to Estero, Florida from Park Ridge, New Jersey.

“This is truly the largest economic event in Lee County’s history and we’ve been established since 1887; that is no understatement,” said Lee County Commissioner Frank Mann.

Hertz CEO Mark Frissora was at Southwest Florida International Airport with Governor Rick Scott to make the announcement.

“We are so grateful for this welcome to the Sunshine State,” Frissora said. “We did not make the decision to relocate lightly. We wanted to know that Florida was not only attractive to us as a company, but also to our employees.”

He added that some of the executives will be moving down immediately. Until the Estero location is built, they will be working out of a temporary location – likely in North Naples.

Hertz made the decision following its recent acquisition of the Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, which was finalized on November 19, 2012.

 

Dollar Thrifty is currently headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Consolidating the corporate offices to one location will allow for increased efficiencies and cost synergies across the company.

Additionally, access to the Florida travel and tourism population will position the company for long-term growth.

According to Visit Florida, there are approximately 1 million employees in the state’s travel and tourism industry, Florida’s largest business segment.

Hertz also noted that Orlando is the world’s largest car rental market, and that Miami is a hub for accelerating travel growth between the United States and Latin America.

Starting this year, up to 700 jobs will be relocated to Florida over a two-year period. More than 2,000 Hertz and Dollar Thrifty personnel will remain in New Jersey, including approximately 150 employees who currently work in Park Ridge.

All other Park Ridge employees will be able to retain their current positions at the new headquarters, scheduled to be completed in early 2015.

Hertz was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1918, and moved its headquarters to New Jersey from mid-town Manhattan in 1988.

“After our recent business expansion, we have been looking for the right location to blend Hertz and Dollar Thrifty head office employees,” Frissora said.

“Florida is the center of the U.S. travel and tourism industry – this move enables us to be closer to leisure and business customers, as well as many travel and association partners. As part of this move, we will open off-airport and retail car sales stores on our headquarters campus, which will enable us to experiment with new services and monitor customer satisfaction first hand. Lee County, on the Southwestern Gulf Coast of Florida, is a well-established travel destination with tremendous growth potential, with easy access to other leading tourism markets including Orlando, Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Tampa/St. Petersburg.”

Hertz and Dollar Thrifty have more employees in Florida than in any other state except California, and Florida rents more cars per capita than any other state.

Florida provides ready access to a vast and diverse talent pool, including 3,000 of our own employees, as we grow our businesses. All of these factors supported the company’s final decision.

Frissora added, “This is the best, most balanced business decision based on market factors as well as the needs of our employees and customers. The relocation results in a positive financial return to the company and we will provide more details during our next quarterly earnings call. Additionally, in no way should this decision be perceived as a slight to our partners in New Jersey and Oklahoma. We recognize the significant efforts undertaken in recent years in both states to create and retain jobs, while improving the overall business climate. In particular, over the last several years we have seen significant improvement in New Jersey’s business climate and our decision should not be interpreted as a reflection of our views about doing business in the Garden State. New Jersey has been our home since 1988 and would have been for countless more if not for our acquisition of Dollar.

 

Because of these efforts, we will continue to grow our car and equipment rental businesses in New Jersey and Oklahoma. We are retaining e-commerce and certain financial functions in northern New Jersey thanks to the state’s strength in the financial services industry. Oklahoma will continue to be our primary home for IT, customer service and financial support driving our North American businesses. Overall, we concluded that it is in the best interests of our company, which is primarily in the travel and tourism business, to be near our largest market.”

“We also want to note that the New Jersey Partnership for Action was very active and effective in their efforts to entice us to remain in New Jersey, and we are grateful for their efforts.”

Hertz chose Lee County, Florida, primarily because of its diverse community appeal, work force availability and accessibility.

The company worked closely with Florida Governor Rick Scott as well as other state and county government and business leaders throughout the decision-making process.

“This is exactly the kind of opportunity the county should be looking at in terms of how can we conduct ourselves with business as a government,” said Lee County Commissioner Larry Kiker.
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral

 

SW Florida Real Estate market Update

Brett Ellis Bio

Data for January and February are in and we’re beginning to see signs that prices have risen the first two months of 2013.  Single family median home sales rose from $140,000 both in January 2013 and December 2012 to $153,890.  Median home prices were up 23.1% over last year’s median numbers. Emerging Data From Season Shows Price Gains.

Emerging Data From Season Shows Price Gains
SW Florida Real Estate Prices

Average single family home sale prices also rose from $215,973 in January to $269,961 in February 2013.  This represents a 35.3% rise over last February numbers.  The average piece can be deceiving as a few large sales in the county can skew the numbers, so this tends to be more volatile.  It is nice to compare both statistics to spot meaningful trends.  The average price was higher in December 2012 at $224,878 so you can see this number can bounce up and down just a bit.

60.27% of the home sales were paid in cash.  Last year 66.13% were paid in cash so financing is rising slightly.

Listing inventory is down from last year’s levels.  Pending sales are up over last year so we would expect inventory levels to be down in March once official numbers are released.

Listing Inventory
Listing Inventory

The Ellis Team had a very productive and busy season, and judging by many of the agents we’ve talked to, others did as well.  In fact, we’ve sold practically our entire inventory.  We don’t even have enough to fill a page in the newspaper.  With recent price gains many are surprised at how much they are able to get for their home today versus just one year ago.

 

Of course, there are some that didn’t realize just how low prices were a few years ago, so when they read news headlines they believe their home shot up more because they’re using a higher baseline.

It’s important to keep in mind that not all homes appreciate or depreciate at the same rate.  Certain communities fare differently than others, as do homes with varying features such as waterfront, etc.

For the first time in awhile we’ve begun to see SW Florida residents making up/down and lateral moves.  We saw so little of this because so many were upside down on the mortgages they couldn’t afford to sell even if they did wish to live in a different type of property.  With the rising prices it is freeing some up to make the move they’ve been thinking about for a few years.

Some residents have felt trapped in their homes because of the values.  The chains are beginning to loosen. Although it will be awhile before everybody is out from those chains.

Some people can afford to sell but just don’t like the prices today.  They’re still not where they were at the height and may not get there anytime soon.  However, if you’re selling today and purchasing another, chances are you’ll make out because its value is much less today than it once was too.

Whatever your situation is, it pays to consult a Realtor that can help you fairly identify your value.  If you under price your home you just give your equity away.  If you overprice it, you’re making decisions based on a false premise and that could bite you in the end.

Give the Ellis Team at RE/MAX Realty Group a call 239-489-4042 and we’ll be glad to help you evaluate your options.  Or feel free to search the MLS at www.Topagent.com

As Realtors we are inundated with new programs by 3rd party vendors selling us on their ability to do this, syndicate that, or make us more productive somehow.  Literally there are thousands of tools available so sometimes it gets a little tough, especially for new Realtors to muddle through all the stuff to find out what works and what is a waste of time or money. New Trend Reports Available.

New Trend Reports Available

Some of these tools are free, and some cost thousands.  To my way of thinking, even if it’s free, if it doesn’t save you time or promote your properties effectively it’s a waste of your time, and as a Realtor, time is the only thing you have.  Once you give it away, you can’t get it back, so why give it away to technology programs?  And if it costs thousands, it had better work.

Trends Report Median Price

While being bombarded by outside vendors sometimes it’s easy to ignore tools available within the MLS system.  I found such a tool today I’m guessing most Realtors know little about.  I think it’s new since I watched a video on it but I hadn’t heard of it before.

It’s called Trend Vision.  The way it works is a Realtor can ask for reports based upon simple criteria.  For instance, let’s say I wanted to know what the trends were for Town and River waterfront property in the last year.  I couldn’t drill down to just Town and River, but I was able to ask for data on only waterfront properties priced $150,000 and higher in 33919 zip code.  Technically this could include lakefront properties in Whiskey Creek and a few other places, so it’s not a perfect report.  I can also search by MLS Geo Area instead of zip code.

Trends Report Months Supply of Inventory

When finished the system automatically produces nifty reports.  The Realtor can select the time frame.  In this example I selected Dec 2011 through February 2013 or roughly the past year.  Any given month can skew results with so few being sold in a given criteria per month, but generally you may be able to make out some trends.

This is helpful because overall LeeCounty numbers don’t tell the whole story, or what’s going on in your neck of the woods as the Today Show weatherman might say.  At least this drills down to a local level.

Agents can select properties by type, or even single out short sales and foreclosures.  While I haven’t figured out how to drill down to the neighborhood level, this may be helpful in spotting overall trends in a given geographic area.  As a Realtor I can easily spot the holes in relying on a report as Gospel truth, there can be some knowledge gained when using this as an additional tool combined with other reliable data.

If you’re a Realtor, check it out and let us know what you think.  If you’re a customer, you might ask your Realtor to pull some reports for you to see if it brings clarity to your situation.

If you have a property to sell and want to make sure you price it right, give us a call. 239-489-4042. If you’re a buyer, it pays to know the market and the trends.  Call your Realtor, and if you don’t have one yet, give us a call.

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

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We’ve been reporting price gains throughout 2012 and new sales numbers for January 2013 by the Florida Association of Realtors bears this out. We’re changing once again how we report numbers and going back to the Florida Assoc of Realtors data for a simple reason.

As of today we still have data from the Cape Coral and Fort Myers MLS. Sometime down the road Cape Coral is going to pull out of a technology venture so the MLS’s will be separate. While it’s not a big loss, it will affect less than 10% of the sales data. I like to report apples vs. apples and when the change occurs later this year, it will be apples Vs apples with a bite or two taken out.

New Sales Numbers Show Price Jump in 2013

New Sales Numbers Show Price Jump in 2013
Florida Realtors January 2013 Sales Data

So let’s focus on what we have. Pending sales are up about 24% over last year which could lead to some nice closed sales figures when we’re all done. Average price is up over 6% while median price is up over 24%. This tells me there is breadth to this market and the rise is widespread.

Days on the market are down 5 days. Essentially, if something is on the market, available to be shown, and priced correctly, it will sell. The Avg percent of list price/sold price is up as well. The higher priced homes skew this number lower.

Florida Realtors sales data January 2013 SW Florida real estate
Days on market by Price Range January 2013 SW Florida real estate sales data

Not all homes sell at the same rate. Let’s look at Avg days on market by price range. As you can see, the lower the price generally results in lower the days on the market. This can be for a few reasons.

First off, there are more buyers at the lower prices. 1st time home buyers, lateral buyers, baby boomers, and investors compete at the lower end. There are only so many luxury buyers out there.

Additionally, even though an investor may be able to afford higher priced homes, they tend to look at return on investment. The lower priced homes return a cash flow not seen in some higher priced homes. There is a limit to what some homes can rent for. Taxes, HOA fees, mandatory club fees, etc all eat into an investors return which caps what they’ll pay for certain properties. This leaves many higher priced homes to end users which limits the market and the buyer pool.

Some higher priced homes rent well. Some have limitations as to how many times per year they can rent.

The bottom line is our market is recovering price wise. We still receive calls from sellers who want too much for their home. Of course, we still receive calls from buyers wanting a home close to the beach, with a pool, under $100,000 too. In any market there will always be people who want to sell for more than the market will pay and those that seek to underpay. The market seeks its own level, and the key to successfully navigating the market is understanding where it’s at.

Our market is kind of like the ocean. Tides come and go, and sand bars move with each passing storm. A wise captain has a depth chart and depth finder, because charts are mere guides to the waters as tides rise and fall and sands shift.

Our real estate market is subject to ebbs and flows like the tides, and an occasional storm which shifts the bottom. The key is to not run aground and get from point A to point B. If you’re finding it difficult to tell where the bottom is or where the tides are heading, please give us a call. We have the latest depth finder and our captains are the best in the business.

Our depth finder is the MLS and our captains are our agents who read charts everyday and will help you interpret the market. Our market is constantly moving so it pays to work with people who understand the changes. If we can help, call us at 230-489-4042

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

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