Category Archives: Fort Myers

Fort Myers Florida news and information.

Stop-Go-Yield!

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Last week we reported that distressed sales accounted for 63.27% of all single family home sales in August, and that a big shake-up was about to ensue as banks declared they were halting foreclosure sales at auction until they had time to investigate whether they’ve followed proper procedures.

Since that time Three major lenders (J.P. Morgan Chase, Allied Financial Inc. (GMAC,) have all stated they were halting foreclosures, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Last week there were in fact several foreclosure sales to the astonishment of the banks who have instructed their local counsel to halt proceedings of final judgments until they study each case.

SW Florida Real Estate Foreclosure Market
Stop- Go- Caution

We at the Ellis Team handle foreclosure sales for one of the large banks and FNMA. FNMA says they have not been affected because they didn’t employ the robo signers the big banks did. The large bank we work with gave us orders on 10 new properties in the past 2 weeks, and we had a closing this past week.

To date title companies are still issuing policies and the banks are still closing sales, although we’ve heard reports of some cancelled sales by agents. Banks may be halting summary judgments, but in many cases they are moving forward with new foreclosures to get the process started, but holding off on the final judgment or auction sale until they know they are on solid legal ground with their paperwork. This is not necessarily stopping them from disposing and selling properties they previously foreclosed on.

So one has to wonder if the bank’s announcement was all a farce for publicity. The answer is probably not. These banks are large and decisions take awhile to matriculate down to all the branches. The implications are huge though.

What’s at stake is the bank’s legal authority to foreclose. Typically the bank makes a loan then services the loan after they sell the loan to an investor, often times as a group package in what is called a security. These loans are typically bundled together with many loans, and many investors may join together and invest in the security package. Other times an investor will buy individual packages of loans.

Because these original loans get bought and sold, there must be a paper trail as to who actually owns the security, and the right to foreclose against the borrower. Defense attorneys have long asked for the lender to produce the note, often called “Produce the note defense.”

Usually the lawyers would sign affidavits that they, or the bank does indeed have the note, and the judge would accept that. The reality is, the note and other paperwork may be missing and perhaps never found. Because of all this, some judges may no longer accept those affidavits, and many of these sales may be in question.
Some speculate this could happen in as many as 30-40% of the cases out there, and the answer is nobody really knows, not even the banks or attorneys right now. This is why banks and states have opened investigations. If this is wide-spread, it could have deep financial implications to the banks and investors, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see damage suits against the banks by those foreclosed upon where the paperwork was insufficient.

This very well could stall the process and tie up the courts for awhile, which could affect the real estate market. It would make sense for the banks to emphasize short-sales now that foreclosures could be delayed, but the banks don’t always make sense.

Inventory could dry up, and transaction volume could decline. Some speculate prices would be driven up fast and furious, but we’re not so sure. We’ve had high sales because prices have been at bargain prices. Unemployment is high, and the economy is hurting. Will prices rise just because supply goes down? In a balanced economy, we’d say yes. In this economy, we may just be prolonging the foreclosures further out and delaying our recovery. We hope this situation gets resolved quickly as nothing good results from a foreclosure moratorium. In the end, the property will still be foreclosed or sold, so no sense delaying it and letting neighborhoods decay and the market falter. Let’s hope this gets fixed and we all get back to business soon.

Watch SW Florida Real Estate Update-Foreclosures-October 2010 on video

Big Shakeup in SW Florida Real Estate Market?

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Last month distressed sales in Lee County accounted for 63.27% of all single family home sales.  This trend has been fairly constant for the past few years as Lee County has been hit hard by a sagging economy and a fallout from the real estate industry.

We have reported in past articles how the government’s loan modification plan was ill conceived and would not help struggling homeowners and in fact would prolong the housing crisis, and this has born out.  While there is plenty of blame to go around, there is a new threat on the horizon that may shake-up the SW Florida real estate market and change the landscape of transactions.

SW Florida Real Estate Distressed Sales Chart
Percent of Distressed Sales in Lee County Florida June-August 2010

Because of the volume of foreclosures nationwide, banks have hired outside firms sometimes regarded as foreclosure factories to handle and process the foreclosure.  The problem is that these firms must certify and investigate certain facts before presenting to the court a notarized package that the person investigating has read all the documents and certified the package is true and correct.

Through recent testimony, it has been revealed that a few of the large banks have one person signing thousands of documents, making it unlikely this person has personally reviewed each case.  In another case the vice president of one bank is also the vice president of another large bank, and is the person notarizing the attorney-in-fact’s signature. This is suspect and unlikely true, which gives further credence that this person is rubber stamping notary signings for various banks, which could invalidate all those foreclosures.

Three major lenders (J.P. Morgan Chase, Allied Financial Inc. (GMAC,) and Bank of America have halted foreclosures in 23 states because of this. There is a potential to postpone many foreclosures both here and nationwide, which could stall a real estate recovery.  The talk of the industry is, would this make banks more likely to consider short sales?  The answer is that would make too much sense, but it would speed things up and limit bank’s liability in this foreclosure document crisis.

FNMA has not been affected, and this document crisis will not halt all foreclosures, but it will shake things up for awhile.  What’s going to be interesting is how the failure of the banks to properly certify their properties for foreclosure will affect title.  A few title companies have already suspended issuing title policies on foreclosures of certain banks until they can determine the foreclosure was in fact legal.  The interesting question would be what happens to previously sold properties that could come into question?

This all sounds like a legal mess, and it probably is.  It is uncertain what all this means, but we do know it could have a profound impact on available inventory, and possible further effects on past sold bank foreclosure properties.  The implications are far reaching and beyond the scope of anyone’s expertise I know of to accurately predict how this will play out.  Our guess is it will just delay foreclosures in our area, which will prolong the market recovery.  Sales transaction could decline further unless banks step up and approve more short sales.

This is one of those wild card events that can affect the market.  Past wild cards were terrorism, oil prices, and the previous financial liquidity crisis.  Stay tuned.

Watch October Bank foreclosure video update-SWFL

How to Buy a Bank Foreclosure in SW Florida

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One of the biggest frustrations buyers have is offering on a bank owned foreclosure and not getting it.  As a listing agent for many of the banks, sometimes buyers call me wondering why their offer wasn’t accepted, so I decided to write a 20 best tips on how to get your offer accepted.

The first thing buyers must understand is there is a lot of competition for these homes.  Typically bank foreclosures go fast, and for over asking price.  Everybody seems to want them.  So structuring your offer and submitting it correctly will increase your chances.

Keep in mind, listing agents must have all the required information, so if they ask for something upfront, they mean it.  Listing agents don’t have time to track your agent down for this info.  We attach a document to each MLS listing specifying what is required with the offer.

Tips on Buying a Bank Foreclosure Chart
How to Buy a Bank Foreclosure Chart

The reason is, the bank never sees your offer until one is accepted.  The listing agent must enter information into and online submission, and it must conform to what the bank asks for, and all fields must be filled out.  If a foreclosure has 20 offers, the listing agent doesn’t have time to call 15 agents and beg for information they required upfront.  Keep in mind, it takes awhile to upload 20 offers, and the listing agent may be dealing with 20 properties.

Listing bank foreclosures is very time intensive, and the listing agent coordinates everything from repairs to working out HOA fees, title issues, code violations, etc.  Providing the required information is the first step.

Secondly, consider that you’re probably competing against other buyers, and that many will be above asking price.  So how do you compete?  Consider a higher escrow money deposit, shorter closing time, and definitely a shorter inspection period.  Bank asset managers are also gauging the strength of each buyer, so you want to put your best foot forward in hopes of getting the property.

In many cases banks will counter multiple offers with highest and best.  Buyers are shocked when the bank doesn’t and just accepts one offer, so it always pays to pony up early on and go for it.  If you do get a highest and best form, assume the other buyer wants it as bad as you do, and act accordingly, because if you don’t, chances are you won’t end up with the home.

Be careful that your offer is written well and clearly states all fees and costs.  It is difficult to impossible to make changes later, and it could cost you the home.  Any change to contract later on opens up possibility home goes back out for rebid and you could lose it, so it pays to write offer correctly the first time.  Same applies with names; make sure everyone who wishes to take title is on contract from beginning. You may not be able to add names until after closing, which could require new title insurance and additional fees.

These are some very useful tips by an experienced foreclosure agent. Each bank has their own rules, so be sure to follow directions well.  Make sure you’re working with an agent who understands contract language. Many times we see financing contracts that don’t match up or specify some costs buyer is not allowed to pay under the buyer’s financing program, and the offer cannot be presented to bank until language is cleaned up which could cost the buyer the sale because of delays.  Be sure to work with an agent who has experience writing clear and concise contracts and understand financing in and out.

Bank foreclosures are prevalent in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Lehigh Acres, so following these tips will increase your chances, and ignoring them will most assuredly have you scratching your head wondering why the bank selected another offer.  Good luck and happy house hunting.

Search all Lee County Florida single family home foreclosures on MLS.

Search all Lee County Florida condominium foreclosures in MLS

Future of Real Estate Video Show SW Florida Goes High Defintion

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We recently experimented with shooting our TV show in High Def.  Previously we’ve used a mixing board much like a TV studio whereby we can mix camera shots, video graphics, etc, but it was standard definition TV.  Because we have a high definition TV we use anyway, and we shoot the show with High Def cameras, we though it would be nice to make everything more clear and understandable.

Future of Real Estate Video Show SW Florida Goes High Defintion
SW Florida Real Estate Market Update Video September 2010

Future of Real Estate Video Show SW Florida Goes High Defintion

Instead of having one track mixed in from a mixing board along with audio, we’ve gone to mixing each camera track and audio track and syncronizing them.  The reason I spell all this out is because agents all over the country have asked how we produce our show, and now that we’re making the change I thought I’d spell it out.  We then mix all the tracks together and produce one output and export.

Next week we’ll work on shooting the video so everything is in screen properly, or we’ll add another camera.  Let us know if you like the new changes.  View the latest show SW Florida Real Estate Market Update This week’s show covers pending home sales in Cape Coral Florida, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Lehigh Acres.  We also cover inventory levels in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and all of Lee County as we’ve seen varying reports of inventory levels reported lately.

SW Florida Real Estate Market Update

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Official numbers were released last week, and as expected single family home sales dropped.  As you can see from the attached chart, there is some seasonality to this, but there are more reasons as well. 

Fort Myers Cape Coral Real Estate Closed Single Family Homes
SW Florida Real Estate Single Family Home Closed Sales

Sales are still well above 2006-2008 levels, but they are down against 2009 levels which was a record setting year.  Last year the market was filled with bank owned bargain inventory, and the trend this year has been less foreclosures coming to the market so we’ve been steadily selling off that bargain inventory. Actually the market never filled, but as foreclosure properties entered the market they were scooped up just as fast.  The pipeline has slowed this year. 

Combined with the expiration of homebuyer tax credits and high unemployment it’s quite predictable our market would slow.  Median home prices even began rising as less bargain sales were occurring.  In the last 3 months we’ve seen median prices decline from $101,500 in April down to $93,500 in July. 

So if less bargain homes are selling, it must be true that less regular sales are selling as well, or else the median wouldn’t drop.  This is also true, as distressed sales percentages in Lee County reached 64.18% in July vs. 54.66% in April.  Now that season is no longer here, it seems mainly the bargain homes are selling, and there are less bargains, so home sales are down, and non-distressed homes aren’t picking up the slack. 

Last year we predicted we’d see a No-Mans Land market when the foreclosure bargains dried up, and we’re seeing the beginning of this phenomenon now.  There is no major upward pricing pressure due to the economic times. 

Without rising prices, we won’t see increased builder activity, which means less tax dollars to the county government.  With fewer sales, we’ll see less doc stamps revenue to the state.  It’s a vicious cycle, so government better be prepared to make cuts because property tax values are also down which also cuts into county budgets. 

Real estate agents are out interviewing now because they’ve noticed their leads are down and they’re looking to go where there are some leads.  When the deals are gone, so is the investor interest, and we’re left with fewer residents looking to purchase.  We’re not seeing move-up buyers because people are uneasy about the economy and many can’t afford to sell because they owe more than their home is worth, so they can’t take advantage of moving up even if they do have solid employment.  The same goes with buyers looking to move-down.  You cannot move down to save money if you can’t afford to sell at today’s prices. 

This is Labor Day weekend and our market may be laboring, but it will be fine in the end. There are still good buys entering the market, and while we don’t see a lot of immediate upside pressure, we don’t see downward pressure either.  Even with slowing sales, we’re still the 2nd highest year on record.  Buyers looking to take advantage will have to be both quick and patient.  The early bird gets the worm when it comes to fewer foreclosure bargains, and the patient buyer gets the short sale, which can be a bargain if the buyer is prepared to wait.  And because 64.18% of current sales are distressed in some fashion, it pays to be both quick and patient.  The educated buyer with resolve is the real winner in this market.  The fearful buyer is missing opportunities and will kick themselves later.  

Perhaps when the government gets its act together and figures out which way is the road to recovery, we’ll see increased sales and prices.  Look for another homebuyer tax credit soon, or some other vehicle to spur the market, because real estate is traditionally 32% of GDP, and if we can kick start real estate, the economy may follow.

View our newly revamped website Topagent.com

Artificial List Prices Affecting the SW Florida Real Estate Market

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A few years ago we reported that listing agents were listing homes at ridiculously low prices to create buying interest simply because the home was being sold as a short sale.  This is a bad practice for several reasons, and yet we’re seeing it continue today. 

Misleading Short Sales Distort Actual Values
Misleading Values in SW Florida Real Estate

This past week I noticed two different homes, each located in a different subdivision, listed at far below actual values.  This can cause many problems we’ll outline now. 

The bank is not likely to accept a short sale on either of these homes.  The bank will learn the actual value by ordering a BPO (Broker Price Opinion) or a bank appraisal.  Once they determine the home is worth much more, typically they just kill the sale.  Many owners and agents mistakenly believe that banks typically counter, but this isn’t normally true, especially when the offer is far below value.  There also can be more than one lien holder involved, and both look into value, and either one can kill the sale. 

If the banks were to accept such a deal, it creates a potential tax event or larger deficiency judgment against the seller.  The bank could also ask for a promissory note against the seller, and that note would be significantly larger due to the under valued sale. 

Even though the deal is not likely to be accepted, it also hurts the market in two other ways.  Buyers mistakenly believe that artificial number is the new market, because they saw a home for sale for X amount of dollars, even though it has no chance of selling.  Some buyers act quickly to tie it up, then wait months to find out the answer is No.  All the while, some good bargains have come and passed and they’ve missed out.  They may not have been the Steal they thought they were getting, but they were good bargains and suited their needs. 

In addition to the misperception buyers have, banks must also make decisions on how to price foreclosure inventory.  They do look at sold comparables, but they also look at what is on the market.  If they’re not careful, they’ll notice a particularly low priced sale and price theirs too low, which has a domino effect on future foreclosure properties, and it snowballs from there. 

The artificially low listing can influence future sales if people aren’t paying attention.  The foreclosure process is far from perfect, and people from other states typically make decisions about local property, so there is no need to give them false ammunition for fear they may shoot themselves in the foot with it.  When they do this, it hurts the entire market. 

The market will go up and down as conditions dictate, but it need not move in a direction due to false hopes and misinformation.  Sellers need to do a better job interviewing agents, and agents need to insure they know the local market, understand the short sale process, offer advice commensurate with what market conditions dictate.  This can be challenging I know in a changing market, but we see False Listings everyday and it doesn’t help anyone. 

The seller is let down when the bank rejects and it goes to foreclosure, the bank wastes time investigating a False Listing, and the buyer mistakenly believes they’ll end up the proud owner of a steal; all the while great bargains pass them by in the process.  And the market is let down by false and misleading listings that really shouldn’t be on the market.

If you missed last week’s Future of Real Estate Show, you can tune in now.  We interview Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott and ask him tough questions about Florida’s and Arizona’s immigration law and how that affect what he does.  Additionally we ask him his views on controversial red light cameras, the upcoming tight budget process, school resource officers, the jail, traffic stops, and much more.

SW Florida Real Estate Video Channel

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Here’s an update to our SW Florida Real Estate Video Channel.  The Top Agent channel has received 1,661 channel views and the videos have received 29,940 views.  We have videos posted other places, so this is just the videos contained inside this channel.

Here is an Index of some of our recent videos:

Realtors Clean up Neighborhoods WINK News 5-17-10 5PM

Cap and Trade E-Mail Hoax Fox 4 News 5-3-10 10 PM

Brett Ellis on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams  January 11, 2009

Brett Ellis on NBC Today Show  October 1, 2008

Innovative Sales Techniques  August 25, 2008

Pricing Your Home to Sell – Future of Real Estate

Featured Hot Listings – Future of Real Estate SW Florida  June 4, 2010

Hot Listings-Future of Real Estate SW Florida  May 23, 2010

Future of Real Estate Hot Properties for Sale  May 10, 2010

Home Prices on the Rise – Effects of the Oil Spill

The Future of Real Estate – Hot Properties of the Week  May 4, 2010

The Future of Real Estate – -Home prices going up in SW Florida May 4, 2010

Featured Properties of the Week-April 19, 2010

Short Sale vs. Foreclosure

Future of Real Estate-Government Shortens Short Sale Time

Future of real Estate-Flood Insurance Program Expired   April 1, 2010

FUTURE OF REAL ESTATE 3-19-10 Michigan, Florida a Market Comparison

The Future of Real Estate 03-13-10 Hot Properties

The Future of Real Estate Market Trends   March 15, 2010

Future of Real Estate March 04 10

Short Sales and Bank Foreclosures REO   March 6, 2010

Future of Real Estate 3-04-10 Hot Properties

State of the Market Report SW Florida Seg 1 Feb 2010

State of the Market Report SW Florida Seg 2 Feb 2010

Future of Real Estate State of the Market Report Fort Myers Beach, Lehigh Acres, Feb 2010

Future of Real Estate State of the Market Report Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs Feb 2010

Future of Real Estate State of the Market Report Cape Coral Feb 2010

Future of Real Estate Show 2-9-10 Inside the Numbers

Future of Real Estate 2-9-10 Seg 2 Interest Rates-Featured Properties

Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson Segment A  Feb 1, 2010

Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson Segment B   Feb 1, 2010

Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson Segment C   Feb 1, 2010

Sean Ellis Condo Association Law pt 1

Ellis Team Sean Ellis Condo Assn Law Pt 2

Ellis Team and Lee County Florida Home Down Payment Assistance program

Lee County Florida Selling Foreclosed Houses

2010 New Years Predictions

Chinese Drywall- Future of Real Estate Seg 1

Chinese Drywall Future of Real Estate Seg 2

Chinese Drywall – Future of Real Estate-Seg 3

Future of Real Estate Ellis Team -Social Media

Insiders Guide to a Successful Short Sale Part 1 12-5-09 Future of Real Estate TV-Radio Show

Insiders Guide to a Successful Short Sale Part 2 12-5-09 Future of Real Estate Show

WINK News 5 13 09 10PM-Local Housing Rebound?

WINK News 2 18 09 10PM – State of the Market Report

WINK News 2 18 09 11PM  Home Prices Where They Were a Decade Ago

State of the Market Report

Changing Mortgage Rules SW Florida 8-1-08

SW Florida Real Estate Housing Numbers  This was the Beginning of Increased Sales Which Led to Record Sales

Ok, we have many more videos but you get the picture.  Subscribe to our SW Florida Real Estate channel and browse away.

Short Sale Tips Revisited

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It’s been 8 weeks since we last reported on short sales, and we’re happy to report short sale activity is up as we’d hoped it would be.  Short sales make much more sense to all involved over a foreclosure as it helps preserve the sellers credit better, minimizes losses to the lender, and keeps the neighborhood in better condition. 

I recently heard a funny quote “Why do they call it a short sale if it takes so long?”  While I can’t remember who said it, it’s funny because it’s so sad.  Hopefully with new initiatives in place we’ll see quicker turn-around times for short sales.  As a CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert) we thought we’d share a few tips to help agents navigate this short sale process and make your deals quicker and smoother. 

SW Florida Real Estate Foreclosures Vs. Short Sales Graph
Foreclosures Vs. Short Sales in SW Florida Real Estate

There is a clause in the Short Sale Addendum to Purchase and Sale Contract entitled #5; Multiple Offers which reads “Unless otherwise agreed by Buyer and Seller in writing, Seller may continue to market the Property for sale and accept other offers and submit those accepted offers to the lender.”  We are not attorneys and we are not giving legal advice.  This clause seems suspect though and we encourage listing and selling agents to amend or supersede this clause. 

A purchase and sale contract is between one buyer and one seller, and once accepted you can request the lender to take less than what is owed via a short sale.  In a normal transaction a seller wouldn’t enter into multiple contracts with multiple buyers, so why would you muddy the waters and try that on a short sale?  Selling the property to multiple people just seems unethical and one buyer may have legal remedies against a seller for employing such a tactic.  

Quite often we see sellers accepting any offer that comes down the road, but the lender certainly would not agree to the short sale because it is so far below market value. The lender wants to minimize their loss, and only agree to short sales if it makes sense.  Sellers would be far better off negotiating or waiting for a reasonable offer than to accept any old offer.  

When you submit multiple contracts to a lender they mistakenly think it must be a hot property and hold out for more, and many times each new offer starts the process all over again, further delaying approvals.  And keep in mind when you submit more than one contract, the seller may be legally liable to more than one buyer. 

You don’t submit offers to the lender, only accepted contracts.  A seller should really only enter into one accepted contract.  A lender cannot do anything without an accepted contract between buyer and seller as the lender is not a party to the transaction and can’t sell to anybody.  This could change if they foreclose, but until then they are just the lender. 

If you’re a buyer the last thing you want is the seller sending in other accepted contracts.  It would be far better to move on and go buy another home and not waste any time waiting or investing in inspections, etc.  As a seller, it should also be the last thing you want as well as it can hold-up or kill your sale.  From a practical standpoint we don’t even know why this clause is in the addendum, or why agents or sellers would employ this tactic. 

The other advice we would give is to have the sellers completely fill out a financial questionnaire upfront before taking the listing.  There is no sense wasting buyers and sellers time if the seller isn’t going to qualify for hardship with their lender.  You’ll need all this information with the accepted contract anyway, so it’s best to do it upfront and save everybody time.  Not only will this speed up your short sale, but it will also help you skip doing deals that should never be attempted in the first place.  Buyers are skittish enough on short sales anyway, so why attempt one if it has no shot at success?  We’ll bring you more tips on short sales in upcoming articles.  By educating the market on what works and what doesn’t, everybody wins.  Good luck buying and selling.  We’re all in this market together, for better or worse, and it pays to work together for success.

Future of Real Estate SW Florida New Videos

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We just posted two new videos of our Future of Real Estate show. The first segment, Pricing Your Home to Sell – Future of Real Estate demonstrates the Pricing target, which shows homeowners how well their property is priced depending on the number of showings, drive-up, and drive-bys.  This graph is very informative and has been tested across North America with many Star Power Stars and attendees, which are the highest producing agents in the country.  Brett, Mike, and Sande of the Ellis Team are Star Power Stars and and enjoy learning and sharing great ideas with other high powered agents.

We also talk about the expiration of the National Flood Insurance Program for the third time this year and what that means for closings in SW Florida, as well as a new Condo and HOA law that was signed by Governor Charlie Crist this past week.  Also information on banks participating in the HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives).  Stay tuned to Topagent.com

The second video  Featured Hot Listings – Future of Real Estate SW Florida features four new listings, one in Daniel’s Park which is a gated community in South Fourt Myers for $165,000, and other in Brandywine in Myerlee for $20,000, one in Carillon Woods and another in the Forest Country Club.  We also tell you how to view virtual tours of all the Ellis Team Listings, as well as search the entire MLS for free.

Future of Real Estate SW Florida New Videos.

Distressed Sales Falling in Lee County

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We’ve been talking quite a bit the past several weeks about HAFA (Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives) program and other programs designed to make selling a short sale easier.  Going forward, these programs should provide some much needed relief for many sellers, and open up the market for more buyers.

We’ve noticed a trend this past year developing in the Lee County SW Florida real estate market.  As we’ve reported, sales numbers hit record levels in 2009, and prices look like they may have stabilized.  We’ve noticed that total distressed sales are down significantly since last May.  Our definition of a distressed sale in either a bank foreclosure where the banks sells the property on the open market after they’ve foreclosed, or a short sale by a seller hoping to avoid foreclosure and protect their credit.

Short Sales and Foreclosure Sales in SW Florida
Distressed Sales in SW Florida

Fort Myers is showing the most strength with only 47.83% of sales being distressed in March 2010.  Compare that to Cape Coral at 62.0% and Lehigh Acres at 74.19% Lehigh Acres is down from the whopping 88.5% set last June, even though they have leveled off about 75% the past 4 months.

Cape Coral has also declined, down from 78% last May to 62% now.  This chart explains why prices have stabilized in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, and why Lehigh Acres is a little shakier at the moment.

Inventory levels are down in all three segments, and sales are up significantly over February in Fort Myers and Cape Coral, and up moderately in Lehigh Acres.  Officially sales numbers have not been released at the time this article was written, and we believe going forward we’ll see some median price increases in Lee County, and especially in Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

We’re studying preliminary numbers, and we’re seeing an approximate 28% jump in sales over February numbers for single family homes.  There was an increase in distressed sales, but the majority of the increase was regular non-distressed sales, and this is encouraging going forward in 2010.

We’ll be keeping our eye on the market after the home buyer tax credits expire on sales after April 30, and on interest rates which are creeping higher.  Nationally consumer confidence is rising, and eventually that should trickle into job growth.  SW Florida has been hit hard with high unemployment, and we really want to study these numbers as ultimately employment will be the engine that fuels SW Florida real estate prices in the future.

Always consult a CDPE (Certified Distressed Property Expert).