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I did this “Home Selling Tips” video to tell home owners how important pictures are when selling a home. Of course it all starts with hiring the right Realtor. So I also go over a couple basic tips for making sure you hire a very good agent.
If you have any questions about selling a home please give me a call.
In the world of buying real estate, it is important to know what you are doing so that you don't get taken for a ride. That is where a lot of research on real estate buying protocol comes in handy. Follow these tips to help you get a good deal when purchasing real estate and to avoid scams.
Determine if your desired property is in an economically viable area. Find out if property values in the area are rising or declining. Check with your city's economic office about the recent history of income from the area. This can be a determining factor in whether or not the property will appreciate or not.
Take the time to investigate the inspector for your potential property. You should make sure that they are certified, work for a reputable company and if possible are with an inspector association that is non-profit. If not, their credentials may be supplied by a non-reputable organization that supplies them for nothing more than a fee.
If you've dreamed of having a vacation home, now is the time to buy. Home prices have gone down in popular vacation destinations like Florida, Las Vegas, and California, and so have interest rates. It sounds risky, sure, but as they say, you have to spend money to make money; and you can easily rent out your second house while you're not using it. It's definitely a good time to buy.
By searching for the best prices one can assure that they will be making the most of their money. Homes that have been foreclosed on can be found for attractive prices although more money may be needed to be invested in the home. Other homes can be bought for more but may require less money invested.
Potential buyers should be sure to get everything in writing. This is especially important when working with a builder, as options and upgrades which are verbally promised may not end up being honored. Make sure you have a knowledgeable Realtor that knows about new construction and a the local builders. This can help you to avoid frustration and confusion during and after your home closes.
One important tip when it comes to real estate is to make sure that you do your homework on what agent to choose. This is important because this may be the largest investment of your life and you need to make sure you are in good hands. Be sure to do background checks, read reviews, and try to find out their track record.
When you are moving, pack a suitcase full of things that you may need for a few days. Include things like clothing and toiletries. Keep this suitcase separate from everything else so that you can have easy access to things that you would need until you can get totally unpacked at your new home.
As you can see from the previous list of tips, buying real estate can be quite an undertaking even if you have done it before. It takes some work, research, and common sense to avoid making a poor purchase, but it is all worth it in the end to make a smart property purchase.
Please give me a call so I can help you with your real estate needs.
Check out the above video to view the Tampa real estate market statistics for May 2014. I do these real estate market statistics in Tampa to help educate home buyers and sellers. The data is taken directly from the MLS (MFRMLS). Please give me a call in you have any questions.
Transcript:
Hello everybody this is Lance Mohr I hope you are having a good day. I wanted to just go over the real estate statistics. I know for quite a few of you who follow us every month who want to see where the market is, where the market has been, and where the market is going I think that is great and I know it can get a little boring at times because you are not going to see some huge change from month to month but if you follow this over time and as just an example going back a year right here, look at last year where we were on inventory 3384 to last month in May over 5000 homes in the market and the same thing if we go to February to see where we were and of course 2013 was a little….I don’t want to say better it was a little different of a year because a lot more hedge funds were in the market sliding things a little bit but you can see where we’ve gone. You could see the monthly statistics; the home active listings went up slightly. You have the pending sales pretty much stayed the same. I think when you look right here short sales are continuing to drop as far as I think a lot of people are staying away from them. They are still about 9% or 10% of the entire inventory out there but here’s where the change is really occurring from last month to this month is short sales as you can see last month were 6% of all homes that closed and in April and May then went to 8%. Look at what bank owned did, they went from 23% to 19%. I’m not really sure why the short sales why this is happening right here. It could have just been a backlog and they were clearing out a little bit. I think with the bank owned you are starting to see, you’ve been seeing over time if you have been in the market or if you are a real estate agent in the market you have been seeing, the banks have just been over pricing their homes. I’m seeing a lot of that. Unfortunately banks and a lot of their agents, not that the agents really have any control over it because they are really…a bank agent is like a property manager, they are basically put there not to market, they are not put there for any form of customer service at all because it is some of the worst and they are some of the most unethical realtors…I hate to say that but it is true. They are pretty much like glorified property managers. They are there to appease the bank and do paper work for the bank; that’s basically what it is. What is happening is they really don’t have a lot into it and the banks’ ultimate decision to get educated but I’m seeing a lot of this where the bank might take a property and price it $185,000 or you will see some really ridiculous prices like $187, 650. Stuff like that and it will be over priced and in 30 days they will lower it and in another 30 days they will get it to where it should be but in the banking world on an REO property 30 days and 60 days in the market is quite a while and the home is already getting shop worn and people are starting to stay away from it. No different than if people are selling home the same thing tends to happen. Then the bank will eventually get a lower price than they probably would have if they had priced it right but they are really not following the market trends. This was a good thing last year and it was great because the banks did not quite have it figured out until probably the end of the summer how good the market really was but unfortunately right now banks think the market is better than it is. They think we are still in a 2013 market and we are not and so a lot of overpricing that way. You are seeing bank drops right here. I think this is the reason why. If you look this is comparison over time which is great to see what is going on. You can sort of even if I wanted to go back even further you can see right here going all the way back to 2013 and trailing into 2012 and 2011 it goes back quite a way. Anyhow you have this as statistics right here. You have May with a little further breakdown it is a good idea to have an idea where you are if you are looking at buying a home or if you are looking at selling a home. Where does your home lie? Is it 100 to 200? Is it 200 to 300? Where is it and what is the inventory like? Overall the inventory still under 4 months which is really good. You have to figure the average sales price of $180,000. You have right here you have inventory under 3 months for $100,000 to $200,000; even at $200,000 to $300,000 still very low inventory 300 to 500 very low inventory. I know this does not seem like low inventory right here but look at the price ranges. Check this out. If you have any questions on anything; real estate questions or any questions on the real estate market in general don’t hesitate to reach out and give me a call. I also have on my website tampatoenjoy.com a lot of great educational videos. I really wish people would start watching more of those because I get a lot of…yesterday I had someone contact me and she was very confused about how CDD fees work and home owner’s associations and a lot of people are still very unfamiliar with really how foreclosure/short sales work and how bank-owned properties work. I have all that information on my website tampatoenjoy.com. I also do this right here every week as you can see the home buyer webinars for buyers at TBbuyerwebinar.com and TBsellerwebinar.com. You are going to save tons of time just watching this because most people who are searching for a home if you like it great continue to do it but most people are not doing it right and they are just going to all these sites that are just more frustrating than good. I know visually Zillow and Trulia look good but you know it really, really hurts people I think in the long run because they are just a train wreck of a site, just completely outdated information. I know everybody is trying to find something that the next person doesn’t know about, but once you know the person or have an in on an investor that is just going to give you free money – because that is what an investor would be doing if they gave you a tip, giving you free money, I don’t think that is going to happen. Certainly not on websites like Trulia, Zillow or the MLS. Basically you have to be the first to the party so to speak. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to give me a call. Visit my website tampatoenjoy.com. Go to my Facebook page. Go to my Google Plus page. Like me. I appreciate it and I hope you have a great week. Have a great day as well. Goodbye.
Tampa, FL – Lance Mohr, Realtor with Future Home Realty, is currently presenting free bi-weekly Webinars discussing the ins and outs of buying a home. The process of purchasing a home can be both confusing and overwhelming, as it is often the largest investment of a home owner's life. “After 15 years working in Real Estate, I've come to notice that almost everyone goes about finding a home the wrong way,” Mohr said. “I've created this weekly Webinar as an educational tool to help the community through this process by breaking it down into easy-to-follow steps.” This free online seminar, or “Webinar”, is filled with information that until now has not available to the general public.
The 30-minute Webinar covers topics such as how to save money during the home buying process, what to look for when buying a home, the correct steps to take and what types of professionals home buyers should surround themselves with. The information provided in Mohr's presentation is invaluable for both first-time home buyers as well as seasoned buyers, as they both will save time and money by following Mohr's expert advice.
Registration for the Webinar can be completed through the following link: http://www.facebook.com/TampaRealEstateExpert. Participants will then select a date and time to watch the presentation. If missed, a link will be sent to the participant's email address for a second chance to watch. Questions or comments should be addressed to Mohr at Lance@Tampa2Enjoy.com. “Like” Mohr's page on Facebook for more information: www.Facebook.com/TampaRealEstateExpert
Lance Mohr is a licensed real estate broker associate who is passionate about helping buyers through the challenging process of finding their dream home. He has extensive experience in real estate sales in California, Utah, Texas and Florida. Mohr is also a member of such top relocation firms as Cendant Mobility, Prudential and Century 21. He has also helped both individuals and corporations with their relocation needs including the employees of many Fortune 500 Companies.
For most homeowners, the kitchen is the heart of every household. Practically, a lot of homeowners spend a lot of time in their kitchen rather than in their living room. The kitchen is not only the most used room in the house, but it also brings the most weight when the time comes for you to sell your home. Potential home buyers, for the most part, prefer to invest in homes with furnished and majestic kitchens.
Remodeling a kitchen is by far one of the best and most effective ways to improve your home’s overall value and aesthetic appeal. As the name implies, kitchen remodeling enhances the look and appearance of your kitchen. On top of that, it improves your kitchen’s functionality and purpose. Remodeled kitchens not only look more appealing than their older counterparts, but they are more efficient as well.
A kitchen remodeling project, however, is a costly endeavor for any homeowner. For the most part, remodeling a kitchen would cost more than a thousand dollars. Luckily for you as well as other homeowners, there is a cheap way to remodel your kitchen.
When remodeling a kitchen on a tight budget, the first thing you have to do is to come up with an overall kitchen design. With the help of the internet and home remodeling magazines, look for kitchen ideas that best suit your kitchen space, home design, and personal preferences. Aside from photos of outdoor kitchens on magazines and the internet, you can also get inspiration and ideas from the kitchens displayed in showrooms and stores. If you have found a kitchen that you like on a store or showroom, take note of it and make sure to take pictures of the kitchen design.
Once you have a kitchen design, the next thing you have to do is to start planning on your DIY kitchen remodeling project. Once again, the internet can be a good reference for you to learn how to plan a kitchen remodeling project. On the internet, you will find a lot of blogs, community forums, as well as websites that contain information on how to plan and build kitchens. Aside from helping you create a layout for your kitchen, these online sources also contain essential tips on how to reduce your kitchen remodeling expenses. With these online sources, you will find a lot of insightful suggestions and pointers that will help you land the best deals for kitchen fixtures, cabinets, floor tiles, and other components of your kitchen.
Inspect your kitchen and take note of the components that need to be replaced. By doing so, you will be able to save a fair amount of money from your kitchen remodeling. To create the beautiful kitchen that you can be proud of, you do not have to replace all its components. If a fixture or component is not broken, then there is no need to fix it or replace it.
Head down to the nearest DIY store, go to the kitchens department, and buy the components needed for your kitchen. After that, go back home, and slowly install these components on your own. If you opt to install these parts on your own, you will get to eliminate labor costs, resulting to bigger savings.
If you have any questions about your homes value click here for Tampa home prices.
When it comes to Tampa Bay foreclosures, homeowners are already scared. They may have tried putting their home on the market and it didn’t sell. They may have resorted to trying a short sale and that didn’t work either. The last thing they need is for someone to take advantage of them while they are in a vulnerable state of mind. If approached by an investor (or someone claiming to be an investor) here are some things to look for and avoid.
• Watch for investors who charge you a fee for signing your home over to them. Why would you pay someone? The object is for you to get paid.
• Beware of investors telling you that they will take care of any default you have on the home. You, as the homeowner, are the only person who can cure the default.
• Be wary of investors who will buy your property, lease it to you and give you the option to buy it back. This cannot benefit you in any way. Think about it. The investor obviously wants to make money, so you will be buying your own house back from them and you will have to pay more money for it. You are better off trying for a short sale.
• Try to avoid refinancing if you can. Chances are your credit has been affected by slow payments. If you do get a loan it will probably be a higher interest rate and you will more than likely have to pay closing costs.
• Try not to think about bankruptcy as a solution. Bankruptcy does not stop foreclosure. It puts a hold on foreclosures which can allow you time to reorganize your finances.
People in foreclosure are vulnerable. Think twice before embarking on a plan and think about the situation carefully before signing anything. You don’t want to put yourself in a worse situation than you are already in. If you do your homework and research different options you will find a solution that suites you and will not put you in the greedy hands of a shady investor.
When it comes to purchasing a foreclosure in Tampa Bay what you don’t know can hurt your investment portfolio. Learn how to evaluate profitable foreclosures with these simple steps.
1. Alternative Measures. Price alone isn’t always the best indicator of value when it comes to foreclosures. In fact, price is one of the least reliable indicators of value since the original cost of the home could have been inflated or may not represent the current value of the home. Instead, use an alternative measure of value. Some of the more common measures include:
• Rental Rates. What would the house rent for if it were placed on the market? If the cost of mortgage, taxes, insurance and other anticipated expenses is less than, or equal to, the current rental rate then it indicates a solid basis.
• Replacement Cost. Another common measure includes the replacement cost of the home if it were to be built new. Calculate the cost of land, impact fees, labor and materials to derive the estimated replacement cost of the home. Tampa foreclosures listed at, or below, the current replacement cost of the home and land indicate a solid purchase price.
• Return on Investment. Calculate a conservative return on investment by taking the combined levels of appreciation, depreciation (minus recapture) and tax deductions into account as compared to your total investment then compare against “safe” alternatives such as Treasury Bonds.
2. Future Profit Potential. The most desirable Tampa foreclosures are those which present a long term growth potential. Although many variables impact the viability of a neighborhood, the following represent a few “tried and true” measures every investor should take into account when evaluating a potential property:
• Owner Occupied versus Rental. When working with a real estate agent request information about the percentage of owner-occupied homes versus rentals in the immediate area. Typically, owner occupied neighborhoods tend to retain a higher value for a longer period of time than comparable neighborhoods with large numbers of vacancies or rental homes.
• Amenities. New schools, hospitals and shopping are always attractive options that help neighborhoods retain value over the long run.
• Durable Patterns. Affordable housing options located near major universities, public transportation, large employers and other high demand areas never go out of style.
3. Buy Right. Although buying a Tampa foreclosure might seem easy there is often more to it than meets the eye. Working with a qualified real estate agent with a proven track record of buying and selling Tampa foreclosures is the key to success.
• Experience. Intimate knowledge of the various types of foreclosure sales, bidding instructions, restrictions and other qualifications is necessary to participate in some of the best foreclosure sales opportunities. Take time to ask how many foreclosed Tampa homes the agent has sold in the past.
• Education. Every foreclosure program has unique rules, regulations and oversight governing the dispersion and sale of the foreclosed property; make sure your agent routinely works with foreclosures in Tampa in order to reduce the risk of losing a big sale due to a technical error or paperwork glitch.
• Expertise. A real estate agent should be a lot like a partner who is able to supply the information and resources required for you to make an informed decision. Take time to ask a few tough questions before selecting an agent to determine the level of expertise exercised by the agent.