I have benefited from many posts here and would like to share...
From my daily affirmations:
I enjoy affirming my intentions, expressing my gratitude and meditating daily to open a path to higher consciousness.
I am grateful for the love and kindness of friends and family who enrich my life and for the artistic expressions, inventions and life's work of countless others who make my life so easy, safe and enjoyable every day.
I am grateful for a profession which gives me a good income providing valuable services to my neighbors in an easy and enjoyable manner and for the abundance of pleasant customers who are drawn to me and my listings every month. I easily discover my customer's concerns and wishes and inspire them with confidence in my ability to help them.
From my daily prayer:
God please help me to be open to life and to others with greater presence, love and acceptance. Keep me in touch with each present moment and lead me to the highest potential for my life here on earth. Help me to see, appreciate and accept opportunities that abound in this universe for me to share my gifts with the world and give me the wisdom, energy and enthusiasm to realize those opportunities fully. Help me to live every day in a way that expresses my love and acceptance and to remain in touch with the web of energy that connects me to all of your creation. Use me to make a positive difference in the lives of all who I come into contact with and thereby to make a positive difference in this world forever.
Our local supply of homes for sale has dropped 18% in the past few months to around 9 months supply. Condos are now at around 12 months supply. This is still high and represents a Buyer's market with downward preassure on prices, but it is an encouraging move in the cycle and beleive that it indicates that we may be seeing the bottom right now. Of course the media will not pick this up until several months after the fact so Buyers still have some time to buy great values with a great selection.
I based the above statistics on the current inventory of unsold listings in our immediate area and the number of sales in the past three months. We usually see a lull in the late summer and early fall coinciding with the most active part of our hurricane season, but activity has been brisk for months now and there are a lot of good reasons for the buying public to continue showing up. Low prices, low interest rates, a first time buyer's tax credit and a great selection in a beautiful area all help.
I have been so busy recently that I have not been out fishing in a while and snook season will be closed May 31st for the summer.
I put my Customers first and here is what they have to say...
"We've had dealings with a number of real estate sales persons in the past and you were one of the best by far. If we ever need to use an agent again it certainly would be you..."
•- Happy Sebastian home sellers
"You were the best and on top of everything all of the time. Many thanks again for all you did for us."
•- Happy Sebastian condo sellers
"We wanted a card that expressed all we feel about our house sale. "Its not just that you do things, it's the wonderful way you do them!" This comes close but doesn't begin to say how fortunate we were to have you..."
•- Happy Sebastian condo sellers
"We are so happy with our new home in Sebastian. It's like we died and went to heaven!"
•- Happy Sebastian home buyers at dinner in their new home
"Ed sold our condo in one weekend and we still netted more than we were asking by ourselves in the weeks prior to hiring him to do the job. He has people waiting in line to purchase...here"
•- Happy Sebastian condo sellers as told to a neighbor they referred to me
"We really appreciated your professionalism. You are the best Realtor we have worked with over the years."
•- Happy Sebastian home buyers.
"It is so nice to work with you on every deal. The way you care about your clients is so admirable. We always look forward to your next closing..."
•- Title Company Manager
(These and other notes of appreciation are on file at my office.)
My highest praise is when customers refer me to their family, friends and neighbors!
I have been in the real estate business here since 2001. I hold a Florida Real Estate Broker's license, GRI (Graduate Realtor Institute), TRC (Transnational Referral Certification), and am a member of the Florida and National Associations of Realtors® to whose strict code of ethics I adhere. I believe in education and professionalism and take great pride in caring for my Customers interests.
My wife Jean and I first visited the Sebastian area with our children in the 1980's. We returned to purchase a vacation home in the 1990's and loved it so much that, in 2001, we wrapped up our empty nest and careers in the Atlanta area and moved here full time. Jean is an Educator now working in the library at Sebastian Elementary School.
I have a degree in accounting and economics from Central Michigan University, am a CPA and former corporate Director and Chief Financial Officer. I have served on the board of the Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce and as Chairman of its Economic Development Committee. I bring a wealth of knowledge, experience, and love for this area's small town charm and natural resources to my job every day.
My mission is to enjoy earning my living by helping neighbors to buy or sell their own slice of paradise here in the Sebastian, Florida area by:
•· Faithfully representing my community and the life that I love here...
•· Putting my customers' interests first while maintaining my own high standards...
•· Providing every customer with the most competent and friendly professional service that I possibly can...
SALES HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY BRISK FOR THE PAST TWO OR THREE MONTHS, ESPECIALLY IN LOWER PRICED SINGLE FAMILY HOMES. CONDOS HAVE BEEN SLOWER BUT HAVE STILL EXPERIENCED AN INCREASE IN INTEREST THAT WE HOPE WILL EXPAND INTO A REAL MARKET. MORE EXPENSIVE WATERFRONT PROPERTIES HAVE NOT FAIRED WELL AT ALL WHILE GATED/DEED RESTRICTED COMMUNITIES ARE SLOWLY COMING AROUND.
THESE NUMBERS, THOUGH SHOWING IMPROVEMENT, STILL POINT TO A STRONG BUYER'S MARKET WITH DOWNWARD PREASURE ON PRICES.
A GREAT SELECTION AT LOW LOW PRICES WITH LOW INTEREST RATES AND A TAX CREDIT FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS REPRESENTS THE PERFECT TIME TO INVEST IN REAL ESTATE AGAIN!
I BELIEVE WE HAVE FOUND THE BOTTOM AND THAT THE MARKET WILL SLOWLY BUT SURELY WAKE UP NOW AND CONTINUE TO DRAW DOWN INVENTORIES, WHILE IT WILL LIKELY TAKE A FEW YEARS TO REACH A BALANCED MARKET AGAIN.
SALES AVAILABLE MONTH'S SUPPLY
RIVERFRONT HOMES 0 36
GATED/DEED RESTRICTED 12 55 18
RIVERFRONT CONDOS 15 62 17
SEBASTIAN HIGHLANDS 72 204 11
VERO LAKE ESTATES 28 78 11
The above are taken from the Indian River County Multiple Listing service database on May 2, 2009.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, BUT SALES OF HOMES AND CONDOS IN SEBASTIAN FLORIDA HAVE PICKED UP DRAMATICALLY IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS.
With everything that is happening to shore up the economy, financial markets and home ownership, I believe that this indicates we have reached the bottom and that, sometime in the near future, we will bring down inventories to a point where there will be upward pressure on prices. This will happen first on the most popular properties, those with the best waterfront views, the best locations, the newest and best construction and features, etc. So, if you need a house or condo and want your choice of the best available properties at these bottom of market prices, jump on the band wagon and find your slice of paradise now!
Interest rates have just hit what may well be their lowest levels in three decades and for years to come.
First time home buyers and buyers who have not owned a home in the past three years can get a tax credit of 10% of their purchase price up to $8,000 toward their down payment and closing costs.
It's been a long cold winter throughout the rest of the country and people who have been putting off getting their own slice of year round Florida paradise are now waking up to the best deals in a long while, with prices down around 2002 levels on a great selection of properties. Even waterfront properties are down over 50%.
As the markets loosen up in South Florida we will experience a return of those buyers who always love our small town waterfront atmosphere and then we will be back to a "normal" market balance where prices will tend to rise at a historical rate of about 5-6% annually.
Investors have been back in the market for some time now but what we see today are first and second home buyers looking for their own slice of paradise!
IF YOU HAVE NOT OWNED A HOME IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, YOU CAN RECEIVE UP TO $8,000 TAX CREDIT ON YOUR RETURN BY BUYING YOUR OWN HOME NOW.
HOME PRICES ARE BACK TO LEVELS WE HAVE NOT SEEN SINCE 2002.
INTEREST RATES THIS WEEK HIT RECORD LOWS WE HAVE NOT SEEN IN DECADES.
THERE ARE LOAN PROGRAMS FOR QUALIFIED BUYERS REQUIRING LITTLE OR NO DOWN PAYMENTS.
PRESENTLY, THERE IS A LARGE SELECTION OF GREAT HOMES AT THESE LOW PRICES TO CHOOSE FROM.
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO LIVE IN THE PRIVACY AND SECURITY OF YOUR OWN HOME AND BENEFIT FROM THE INEVITABLE APPRECIATION IN ITS VALUE OVER THE COMING YEARS, FOR LITTLE MORE THAN THE RENT YOU NOW PAY.
CALL ME TODAY AND LETS SEE IF YOU CAN OWN THE HOME OF YOUR DREAMS AT THIS TIME.
If you have not owned your own home for the three years preceding your purchace, you can receive a tax credit of 10% of the purchace price up to a maximum of $8,000. The credit can be taken on your 2008 return if you buy a home before you file it, or on your 2009 return when filed.
Income limitations apply but are set at $95,000 filing single and $170,000 filing jointly.
With prices here in our area of vero Beach and Sebastian Florida back to 2002 levels, interest rates lower than we have seen in decades and a huge selection of great homes to choose from, anyone who is renting, looking for their first home and has an income and decent credit should be considering buying their own home at this time.
For the past three or four weeks now our calls, emails and showings have been steadily rising and area wide contracts / closings are exceeding new listings for the first time in a great while (Inventory reduction), but we still have more than enough listings to give buyers the advantage and probably will for the balance of this year at least.
Every day now our small office logs several pages of showings just on our own listings. The largest increase in traffic has been in the lower price ranges while the more expensive waterfront homes and condos continue to lag behind.
Banks continue to show a great level of ineptitude and real estate professionals generally recommend that buyers not focus only on foreclosures and short sales when many of our "regular" listings are now just as great of bargains and a lot less time and aggravation is involved in buying them.
Foreclosures and tighter money supplies have meant an increase in the demand for rentals while investors are now snapping up cheap properties and generating positive cash flows for the first time in a long while.
If we have not yet reached the bottom, price wise, we are so close that anyone with the wherewithal and the interest should be taking advantage of the situation so they don't miss the opportunity to buy right! While prices will probably not rebound any time soon, the wide selection now available allows buyers to pick properties with the appeal to keep them rented and enhance their saleability in the future.
This market also gives the large percent of people whose jobs and credit have not been affected the opportunity to move up. The trick is that they must price their present home to sell realistically in this market, taking a smaller hit there so that they can reap the bigger savings on the better and bigger home that they want to move up to!
I beleive that those with good credit and some equity or savings can now get the home they qualify for at the lowest fixed interest rates we are likely to see in our lifetimes.
Professional Real Estate Service in the Sebastian and Vero Beach Florida area. Find your own slice of Paradise here where the Treasure Coast meets the Space Coast.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
Ed Junker
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