Tag Archives: 7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr Fort Myers

For Sale By Owner Pitfalls

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For Sale By Owners are at a big disadvantage and it’s not really the seller’s fault. There are several reasons why it’s hard to sell a home By Owner. The number one factor is Fear. Buyers have a fear about the process of buying a home and without an agent all those fears bubble up. They fear they don’t know the area as well as the seller. They don’t know the neighbors. Buyers may not know the schools, etc. They don’t usually know how to structure a contract, and they don’t know financing. Buyers have never lived in the home, but the seller has. Buyers feel at a big disadvantage, so their fear leads them to the second biggest issue, which is trust. Buyers become skeptical because they realize they’re not holding many of the knowledge cards; the seller is. The seller knows much more about the home and the neighbors than the buyer. There isn’t an agent as a go-between so there is a lack of trust. This lack of trust is born out of fear.

For Sale By Owner Fort Myers
Pitfalls of Selling By Owner

When you have fear and lack of trust, any potential transaction is shaky at best. The seller has fear and trust issues too. The seller also does not understand financing, insurance, etc. The seller is fearful that the buyer may not be able to qualify or is telling them the whole story. There is no agent to verify certain facts, so the seller must ask the tough questions themselves. Buyers don’t like to divulge confidential financial information to the seller as they would a seasoned professional like an agent. Buyers trust their agent; they don’t trust a seller they don’t know. The seller doesn’t trust a buyer they don’t know, and there begins the cycle of distrust, which elevates fear. Buyers and sellers don’t negotiate with other buyers and sellers everyday, all day long. The questions they do ask come across as personal, so they get evasive answers. Buyers and sellers treat each other at arms length because they know whatever they say could be used against them in the course of negotiation. Some buyers and sellers get cute and try to Buffalo their way with the other side. Even if they are better Buffalos, the other side typically reads they’re not getting the whole story. Complex issues arise in a transaction. Inspection issues can be sticky, not to mention insurance, survey, financing, HOA, and past permit issues, to name just a few.

For Sale By Owners Net Less Money at Closing

Recent studies have shown For Sale By Owners sell on average for 12% less than what a Realtor gets for a home. The only way a buyer would buy a For Sale By Owner is if they can save the commission and buy it under market. If they have to do all the work themselves and face that fear on their own without the help of an agent, they better get a bargain. However, the reason a seller wishes to sell By Owner is to also save the commission. Both the buyer and seller cannot save the same commission. If the seller is going to take the time to show it, advertise it, make signs, place ads, and pre-qualify each buyer they better get more than fair market value for their efforts. They must fight bank appraisers and they have nobody in their corner if they get a bad appraisal. They just lose another deal. So if sellers get on average 12% less for a home, why would they try on their own? A leading For Sale By Owner company CEO recently sold his home through a Realtor. If their company is so great, why did he resort to hiring a Realtor? Every seller wishes to maximize their bottom line but selling By Owner isn’t it. If it was easy everyone would do it. Not only is there a cost to taking less, there’s also a cost for losing deals and selling it over and over. And doing it all yourself can get discouraging. Buyers and sellers are also emotional. They don’t have a 3rd party intermediary keeping things real. Facts and logic get blurred and they can convince themselves of almost anything. If you’re thinking of buying or selling, do yourself a favor and hire a good agent. You can do it right the first time, or do it the hard way and try on your own. Hey, you might get lucky, but then again, it could turn out badly. It’s your choice. We don’t see a lot of FSBO’s today but they will always exist. We hope this article helps you analyze your options. Good luck and Happy House Hunting! View our July 2014  SW Florida Real Estate Market Update To view our Listings in Hi Definition, visit www.HomesinHD.TV or click on our playlist below Visit our Google+ Business Page Feel free to view our Virtual Tours . By Brett Ellis Fort Myers Real Estate Agent 7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr Fort Myers, FL 33907

New Form Required on Florida Home Sales

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New Form Required on Florida Home Sales

A new form just arrived June 1st informing buyers of what the homeowners insurance and flood insurance may cost, and if the cost exceeds the amount disclosed then buyer may have a right to cancel contract.

New Form Required on Florida Home Sales
Homeowners and Flood Insurance Disclosure in Florida

There have been significant changes to homeowners and flood insurance policies and costs in the past few years and some are quite surprised at the hoops they must jump through to obtain affordable insurance.

The Ellis Team is strongly encouraging our sellers to provide an elevation certificate so we can obtain upfront what the flood insurance costs will be.  Without the elevation certificate insurance agents are forced to quote off the base elevation which can be much costlier.  Some buyers were surprised to find out flood insurance was tens of thousands of dollars on a property.  This is one reason the National Association of Realtors urged Congress to make changes to the flood program.

These changes are in effect now, but having the elevation certificate helps.  Many people don’t realize the buyer can assume the seller’s flood policy.  This is worth examining as well.

Homeowners insurance has seen its share of changes too.  Wind mitigation surveys can significantly reduce policy premiums on homes, especially homes built before 2002.   Older homes are getting costlier to insure because they were built to lesser codes.

I called Peter Craig over at Pacific Crest Insurance as he has been bailing us out and saving deals for us from surprised buyers brought in by other agents who didn’t know about inspections and saving money.  Peter told me about a company that is charging $800 to nail in clips so that the insurance companies will reduce premiums. If the home has certain features like hurricane clips or straps the premium is reduced.  Homes built before 1985 typically don’t have either so having nails put in helps with costs.

He also told me about a survey company that does elevation certificates quickly.  We ordered one for a property because the seller didn’t have one and got it back within a few days.  I think the seller paid $130 or so for the certificate, but it saved his deal and saved the buyer thousands on insurance.

Many buyers qualify for the home, but when they find out the homeowners and flood insurance costs are so high without these discounts they no longer qualify.  I’ve talked with several agents who have lost deals because buyers no longer qualified for the home.  It’s knocking them out on their ratios on the monthly payment.

Sellers used to not care because it was the buyer’s issue, but that’s no longer the case.  It’s not about if the buyer pays more in insurance, it’s about whether the buyer can still qualify for the home.  Most buyers buy as much as they qualify for, but when insurance costs are double or triple what the lender used for their monthly payment, it knocks them out of the deal.  Now sellers care, and if they don’t, they soon will when they start losing deals on their home.  Even if the buyer hasn’t bought as much as they can afford, they still shy away when they see high yearly insurance premiums they weren’t prepared for.

Now the new disclosure addresses this upfront, which is a good thing.  For it to work properly, getting quotes before you find the buyer is essential, so I’d recommend real estate agents find a good insurance agent and do the research on each listing before you find the buyer. Having the elevation certificate is crucial.  A wind mitigation report is helpful as well.

It’s so much easier to sell a home once than several times.  Getting this information upfront can save deals and get the sellers on their way to their next property and get buyers into their home the first time.  It’s more work on the front end, but it will help keep deals together and save work on the back end.

 

Good luck and Happy House Hunting!

Preview our Latest Listing in High Definition
1528 Pinecrest Rd

Cypress Lake Country Club

Fort Myers, FL 33919

Whether you’re ready to list your home today or just get an update on prices, we’re here to help. To get your home listed and marketed in High Definition simply call the Ellis Team at RE/MAX Realty Group 239-489-4042 or email us at Brett@topagent.com or Sande@topagent.com To search the MLS visit TopAgent.com  To learn more about Hi Def video for your home visit HomesinHD.TV

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By Brett Ellis

Fort Myers Real Estate Agent

7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr

Fort Myers, FL 33907

Perception Vs Reality in the SW Florida Real Estate Market

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It’s season again and it’s not uncommon for listings to rise during season which is usually a good thing except for those sellers that decide to “Test” the market.  There’s an old saying that goes “If your home is over the market it isn’t really on the market.”

Perception Vs Reality in the SW Florida Real Estate Market

Perception Vs Reality in the SW Florida Real Estate Market

Sellers overprice homes in all kinds of markets; good, bad, and sideways.  Overpricing is nothing new, but it seems to be gathering steam these days as sellers read headlines that the market is improving and prices are on the rise.

It is true, the market has continued to heal itself, and prices have been rising for many homes.  Some price points have a shortage of homes on the market while some price points have as much as 3 year supply.

The other day I noticed the following post on Facebook from a Bonita Springs agent who I’m friends with “Well, I see we’re back to listing properties based on list prices, not sales prices again.”  Several local SW Florida agents chimed in and agreed.

Personally I’ve been on dozens of listing appointments in the past several months.  Some we’ve taken and many we have not.  Some sellers are interviewing as many as 8 agents trying to get an agent that will agree with their price.

I’ve gone back and tracked several of the listings where we recommended a true market price and the seller chose to list with another agent at a much higher than market price.  Some have even listed just slightly higher than market and they all have one thing in common.  Their homes are still on the market.  They have not sold, and they will not sell because they are over-priced.

Oh, sellers can justify about anything.  Perhaps the Germans or the Canadians will come and fall in love with it and buy it.  We do extensive marketing to foreign buyers but one thing I can tell you is they research the market and don’t want to overpay either.  Imagine if you were traveling to another country, or even another state.  You’d research the market before you felt comfortable buying wouldn’t you?  Germans, Canadians, and Snow Birds from here in the States do the same thing.  Nobody wants to overpay.  They don’t care how much you need for the property, only what it’s worth.

Pricing your home correctly is only part of the battle.  So much more goes into effectively selling and successfully closing the sale.  Many owners and agents can get the contract, but closing it is another story.  This is where the real expertise comes in.  Notwithstanding this fact, overpricing the home negates the experience it takes to close a sale because you rarely even get that chance.

And if you are lucky enough to over-price and find a buyer, the appraisal will trip you up when the property doesn’t appraise.  Even many cash buyers are putting in contingencies that property must appraise.

A lot of sellers like to overprice in season then get serious when many of the high end buyers go home.  Why would you want to do that?  Again, if you’re over the market you’re not really on the market.  Why not have your home on the market when the most higher end buyers are here?

Sure, many of these seasonal buyers come back and visit in the summer, but some buy on impulse while they’re enjoying the weather and good times here as well.  Especially when they see how bad the weather is up North.

Sellers don’t like when buyers have erroneous perceptions about the market.  Buyers don’t get what they want when that happens and the seller just sells to a buyer with correct perceptions.  The same is true for sellers.  If you have erroneous perceptions, buyers will pass you by and work with a seller that perceives the market correctly.

Agents don’t control prices, the market does.  I don’t care if prices go up $10,000 or $20,000.  I can’t.  It’s my job to research and interpret the market for our clients so they can be successful.  I can’t make the market anything it’s not.  If I could, I’d start with my own property.

If you’re thinking of selling, give us a call and we’ll work with you to get the best price.  You might find other agents who will list it higher, but ask yourself this question, “Am I looking to sell my property or just list it and waste my time?”

All those other listings we walked away from are still on the market.  Our listings are selling. Things that make you go hmmm.  Call us at 239-489-4042 or stop by our office at 7910 Summerlin Lakes Dr Fort Myers, FL 33907

 

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