As we get into this program, more and more informationis being disseminated. The more I learn the more I see how astute young people can get a head start with their financial future. A student or young adult just out of college with a good credit history*, a current job*, and parents who might gift him a down payment* just might qualify for the tax incentive. As with most government programs there is a time constraint that insures the home must be used as a primary residence, but it is relatively short only 36 months. During this period you are free to rent bedrooms to help pay the mortgage.  The home cannot be purchased from a relative. You do not have to be married and there are income caps. Also, two single adults can purchase a home  together and each receive a portion of the credit (see IRS NOTICE-12 for guidance.) If the person is buying a newly constructed home most builders will pay most if not all closing cost. This is also a negotiable item with resales. This is an exciting time to be young and be in the housing market just do not wait too long. The  deadline is approaching rapidly!

 * Not government requirements but necessary for a mortgage loan...if a young person does not have a down payment often parents will give a tax free gift that helps with down payment or closing cost assistance.  ( The photo has absolutely nothing to do w/ this post I just like it !)

Are you going to be out in the rain when Nov31 rolls around?

What have you done ? What have you not done?

The dead line for First Time Home Buyers is Nov 31....... this does not mean you have picked it out..... and you are in love with it. It means you have closed on it.

• Generally when you have signed a contract escrow takes 30 days. That  is unless there are no hiccups.
• So lets count back that means you need to have a signed contract by at the latest Nov 1 (Please ask your Realtor how many contract actually sail through with no problems!)
• The contingencies of the contract should be ironed out so inspections can proceed.
• What if the Termite Inspector finds some wood destroying organism ? Sorry can't close unless you have a clear report ...all that must be REPAIRED & reinspected! What if the Home Inspector finds some horrific fault in this home and there is no way you are going to be saddled with this DOG!        
• So you have to start the process all over. What happens if there is no choice 2 ?What if someone scooped up your #2 ?

We are talking you are  out in the rain !

• Consider you are not going to be the only person trying to push a loan through at this time. The Banks and Mortgage companies are going to be swamped with folks just like you who want to close in time to get that $8000 dollar credit.
• And you know you all are looking for those wonderful bathrooms with separate shower and garden tub.......you want stainless steel appliances. So those really great homes for really good prices are going to be snapped up by some other first time home buyer who did their homework...........

Now is the time to get busy. Choose a great Realtor , Start the Home search and Get approved by you lender ......NOW!

It is tough out there. All sorts of weird things going on!

Buyers asking for closing cost...correction DEMANDING  closing cost. Sellers not wanting to pay for traditional seller cost like surveys. Title companies not requiring surveys.........it's just weird.

When a seller is having to pay 4, 5, or 6 thousand dollars in closing cost he is not readily going to pay for those things we are used to having them pay without a peep. Every hundred dollars that sellers can save is a victory in their mind and adds to that bottom line they always thought they would be able to expect.

And careful how you write that offer .....words count today more than ever. Recently we went round in circles because a Realtor used the verbiage " swings." My clients version of that same object  was Fort and Jungle Jim. Fortunately, all was resolved and we moved on to a happy conclusion.

Exasperating ? Indeed yes! My conclusion is that it is the BUYERS MARKET we are in ! Nobody seems to be able to get their heads wrapped about that fact. And also the fact that the way things used to be done just does not matter any more.Do we like it ? No ! But it  does explain how contentious things are even among Realtors? That would be YES !

For more information on making your sale easier go to ggreal.com

How often do you get a great listing with super nice folks and then on top of that they refer their best friends to you and you list their home as well? And what are the chances that the second would be just as nice as the first. We struck the Jack Pot, these four people were designer clients !Plus both homes sold quickly.....and one of the couples bought in the subdivision we are site managers.....Tamrell Forest !

I put those couples through STAGING HELL !  ( See the Staging Nazi in previous post !) But never was there more than a raised eye brow.Nothing but eagerness and good nature even when one familywas sick with the Flu! Through Migraine Headaches...always yes you can show our home !

Despite the obvious Realtor related adulation of having perfect clients.... these were simply nice people . But what really draws me to this forum is the great friendship these four people have.

                                                                                                                                                               They relished in each others successes and were incredibly supportive when things did not always go according to plan.One closing was smooth as glass the other had some last minute issues. Nothing insurmountable but when you have a support system goodness does it make life easier! And this is the pattern these folks have.

I have written about how much my own friendships mean to me .....when I see it between couples it really is endearing....and rare....If these folks are representative of this new group of 30 somethings I would say our country is in good shape ! 

                              Tamrell Forest Courtyard Home......For more information go to ggreal.com

Too Late ..Under Contract Less than one week ! The Guthrie Team Does it Again !

LEARN WHY SELLERS HAVE COME TO EXPECT MORE IN A BUYERS MARKET FROM THE GUTHRIE TEAM ...

ggreal.com

Easy care Knock Out Roses gives this contemporary home the curb appeal that sets the stage for this stylish interior.

 No through traffic on this short street, plus great neighbors, convenience to bases, minutes from the interstate and you will agree the location could not be better.

Gorgeous hard wood floors in Dining and Kitchen...more cabinets than you can imagine with large nook for family dinners.

With this open floor plan you will never miss out on Family Fun. Spacious Master Bedroom and gorgeous private bath will be your retreat from the world....Three additional bedrooms of generous proportion and scale.....property extends beyond privacy fence another 18' 8".....

$175,000 / 1968 SQ Ft/  4Bd 2Ba + Bonus Room/  Yr blt 2000

For More Details Go to http://ggreal.com/

The four states that led us into the market down turn are leading us into the upswing. The average sales across the country are up 6 1/2 % from November '08 through February '09. Florida which suffered a down turn of 18.2 %, in February  rebounded with 12.5 % increase. Some experts attribute this to lower interest rates and also the numbers of Distress Sales, Short Sales and Foreclosures.

The Real Questions is why are  more buyers NOT taking advantage of these ideal conditions? The answer is FEAR! Turn on Radio or TV and what do you hear? Doom and Gloom....that is not to minimize current conditions but still if you have a job, pay stubs and decent credit you can get a loan.  There is money available from FHA ,VA Fanny Mae , Freddy.....and you do not have to put 20 % down. There are actually still loans out there with no money down and 3% down loans with conventional sources.

Author David Reed, Mortgage Confidential advises us to examine the past. When was the last time interest rates were this flat ?........1969 ! In '69 you could buy gas for $.35 a gallon and a postage stamp was $.08.Reed advises those buyers who want to buy not to try and outsmart the market. " ..it can skyrocket overnight..."

We are not going to know when the market has  come back until we are looking at all the great buys in Retrospect....Don't Wait .....Buy Now !

Blowing Bubbles.....you must remember doing that as a kid?.....no one does that any more, right?

Wrong! My friend and ex - Real Estate client, Anne-Marie, is the last of the good time bubble blowers.

Our relationship started when I went to work at Keller Williams. Anne-Marie was the MCA...suffice to say she is the one that wrote the checks which says more than bookkeeper or office manager ...much more... She is a meticulous woman who wants all the i's dotted and heaven forbid you forget to cross those t's...but there is this other side that smacks right in the face of any stereotype you ever, ever had of a professional number cruncher. To say she is religious sounds so stuffy but religious she is. She is one of those cradle Catholics while I am a johnny come lately to the faith,so our perspective can be very different. But now that I've sold her house I am in mourning that she and Al and Steve and I will not be able to meet for our Sunday after mass coffee clutch. But my impending loss is not the point  ...the point is that this person who feels the world needs order and that we all should really follow the rules will at the drop of hat pull out a bottle of soap and a magic wand and start blowing bubbles. Downsizing to a fifth wheeler you cannot imagine how many bubble machines she has had to divest herself of..........

( And you didn't even realize there were bubble machines!)

Say it isn't so.......... I am sad to say in a few weeks off into the sunset with a cloud of bubbles following behind, Anne- Marie and Al will depart and the dream begins !.....So long Pals !

In 2007 we turned down a listing I really wanted. It had such great curb appeal. The home was a For Sale By Owner when I first saw it.  I made contact with the wife  who needed and wanted to sell her home. By the time we were allowed to give a listing presentation it was obvious the Market was slipping badly. As is often the case when you deal with FSBO's they have an inflated idea of the value of their home. Often they are upside down and just cannot face the fact they must come to the closing table with money if they have any hopes of unloading their little piece of paradise. Well it was abundantly clear that paradise in this case had gone south. . They were adamant about the value of their home...Our team did the comps and they were not even close to being in the market at the price they were stuck on.

Part of our listing presentation entails saying we would rather disappoint you now than six months down the road. We are serious about this. Though, admittedly at the time, it gave me serious heart burn. I just hate to walk away from a Listing, especially one I really want. At the same time we take the concept of a Fiduciary relationship seriously. If there is no way you can sell at the price a client is demanding the kindest and most honest thing to do is walk!

 It would be down right funny if it were not so sad! Another Realtor took the listing...this so called professional did everything Mr. and Mrs. FSBO wanted. A few days ago on the way to the post office I saw a sign on the home that said Short Sale. Mrs. FSBO had really wanted us to list her home and was incensed that we would not do what she wanted. There is a wee part of me that would love to say" I told you so!" But the real emotion I feel is contempt for that Realtor who took the listing. The home would have sold at the price we gave them. Yes, it would have been painful at the time but oh the heartache and credit hit they must endure now. Probably the best part is if they had taken our advice back in '07 the results would not have been so dear and at this point just a bad memory in their lives. Granted sometimes we all take an over priced listing....or we hang on to a listing we know should be reduced... But any Realtor worth their salt had to know these folks would pay dearly for allowing them to proceed on the path to Short Sale. Shame on her!.  

It would be simpler to say what I am not passionate about!  Is there really anything I am lukewarm on? Suffice to say very little!

My passions would have to at least include Gardening, Interior Design (Interior Redo!), Cooking, Wine, Art, Real Estate, Faith, Family, My Husband ... And those who know me well understand that was stream of consciousness not order of importance                                                           .

 There is also another one: Friends? Yes Friends! Probably the most successful I have been in all my endeavors would be the relationships I have managed to preserve. Truly the gems in my life would be those wonderful women I have collected and proudly call friends.  

There are many categories these treasures fit into. Some are over 30 years enduring, some are barely a year.  Each treasured for when you met, what the circumstances were, and how much you have gone through together. And so important the sum total of all the laughs shared!

Inevitably the old enduring ones have had there ups and downs. The spats and break ups ....The "if I never hear her voice again that will be just fine with me" vow. Then only to have some near tragedy befall them and who is first on the phone to offer love and support. Yes that would be me!  Friendships among women have a flavor of schizophrenia mixed into all that binds us together. Friendships are about emotions and yes passions so there are bound to be the extreme highs and lows.Perhaps the most exquisite relationships are the ones on first site you just could not stand and yet characteristically you persevered to get to know them and found them utterly enchanting. There is also the type you meet and immediately you are smitten. You make the mental note give this one a chance she might really enrich your life.

There is also special category of she is old enough to be your mother or your daughter... How wonderful is this? All of your frames of reference are skewed and isn't it terrific. But still there is that mind similarity that tells you that we are different but oh so the same in so many ways!.

 Now that Real Estate is the focus of my life it is amazing the interesting relationships that develop. Not so hard to imagine when you understand the emotional process and the incredible intimacy that naturally occurs when you are buying or selling a home. You know you are in trouble when you start to  adore their kids, you cannot help but check and see if the new born is ok .....You accept all invitations and add them to your prayer list. You call to check on things that end up just being an excuse to talk.

Before you know it they are in your group of chosen family or as some refer to as Good FRIENDS ! Friendships are work and only worth the energy you put into them. Friends must be nurtured, sometimes weeded, sometimes they even need a little fertilizer to grow....Time consuming? Well yes!  But the rewards incredibly wonderful!

CRADLED BETWEEN NINE MILE AND MOBILE HWY

CUSTOM DESIGNED ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME

MINUTES FROM 1-10 YOU CAN BE IN DOWN TOWN PENSACOLA OR MILITARY BASES IN NO TIME!

ONE OF THE MOST PEACEFUL AND BUCOLIC AREAS IN ESCAMBIA COUNTY........ 

This light filled room, currently used as a formal dining room, awash with light could easily become your office ....so many options in this versatile home. The living space contains 2897 SF, 4B, 2 1/2 BA....

The rear of the home is actually the exterior of the Master Bath. Notice the glass tiles and the round window which is in the water closet. The rest of the rear of the home is lined with deck and lanai.....so versatile

The master bath is gorgeous. With a flick of the switch the shade lowers to eliminate late afternoon sun. Not an inch of space to be lost was the designers mantra...you will agree when you see this efficient bath.....2 separate vanities. water closet and this gorgeous garden tub with jets and glass shower beyond.

Perhaps what will intrigue you more is all the storage ...Don't forget the over-sized 2 car garage and then this wonderful detached garage with carport. The interior is a wonderful work shop now....but the potential is limited only by your imagination. Currently toilette and sink.....imagine this could be a marvelous mother in law suite ....or guest house....

The home sits on over 3/4 of an acre ....priced at $290,000

For more information see MLS # 354603 or call Annie @ 850-748-6659