Elaine's Blog

Why our market is a great place to be

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 10:04:52 -0600

I found this information on Forbes website very interesting.

Naples-Marco Island, Fla.
Rank: 10

Projected total GMP growth, 2007-2012: 22.7%

Over the last decade, an influx of wealthy new residents has driven population levels and tax revenues to new heights in the Naples area. These new residents have helped stabilize the local economy by avoiding risky mortgages and heavy debt loads that threaten to decimate other areas in Florida. According to Global Insight, personal income for area residents is expected to grow by 7.2% on average until 2012--the top rate in the nation.

We REALTORS do make a difference :-)

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 10:07:58 -0600

I just want to share this heart felt letter I just received from one of my "short sale" customers:

We were in the biggest mess of our lives, looking to be foreclosed on, not with just one house but three! We thought we had trustworthy people in charge of our investments while we were clear across the Country and by the time we realized they weren't it was too late. We turned to our trusted Real Estate Agent, and friend in the area, only to find she was moving and then we really felt lost. She assured us that she was leaving us in very good hands, but we were skeptical. After all, we got into this mess by trusting someone who had been highly recommended. We decided that trusting our friend's opinion was better then going it alone. All we could think of was that no one would have the dedication that it was going to take to pull us out of this..........boy we're we wrong!

From the first moment we spoke on the phone, I knew that our friend had left us in good hands. Elaine and Stephen jumped into action right away, as though it was their own necks that were on the chopping block! We couldn't possibly have been in better hands through all of this. They not only got offers that the bank would accept for short sales, they had multiple offers waiting in the wings incase something went wrong. One day I received a call telling me that one of our houses had been broken into. I didn't know what to do, I called Stephen to let him know and ask him if he would be willing to look some phone numbers up for me. He told me not to worry about a thing, he would take care of it. He called the Police, went all the way out there and met with them, twice, and made sure the house was secure, we didn't have to do a thing. That is service!

I can't believe we are finally at the end of this nightmare and we survived without a single foreclosure. The stress and emotions that go along with all of this are amazing and Elaine and Stephen took that all away. Being on the other side of the Country made it even more difficult for us but they erased those miles by going above and beyond anything we could have ever expected from Real Estate Agents.

Words can not explain the gratitude we have for what Elaine and Stephen have done for us. We just wish there were something we could do to repay them; there is no way that a commission can take care of our debt to them!

From the bottoms of our hearts, we thank them!!!

Dave and Shelly O.

Washington State

It looks like I ran over a Christmas Tree Stand

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:51:47 -0600

So, Charles McDonald's blog Your Vehicle says a lot about your Business! impressed me so much; I went ahead and put a wreath on Big, too.

Here is the result:

For some perspective, here's a picture with me:

Do you think I should have used a bigger wreath?

christmas

Southwest Florida Builders are pulling out all the stops

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:54:32 -0600

I just got this youtube video emailed to me.

This shows how innovative our area builders are becoming to stand out of the crow. Or are they just desperate?

Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRZvQSoUXRI

This is either really sad or ingenious. What are your thoughts?

Real Estate professionals are "high risk borrowers" according to some lenders

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 11:36:29 -0600

I was shocked to hear from my loan office at a national bank, that REALTORS pose a high credit risk to lenders.

This came after I asked her what else the bank wanted from me to give me an equity line. My credit score is over 700, even with the equity line I'm applying for the loan to value ratio is around 50/50 and I've got adequate income to qualify. Despite all that, the bank insisted on a complete profit and loss statement and financial statement for my business, they required both come from my CPA. I jumped through that hoop immediately.

Despite all of this the bank has yet to commit to the equity line. Now they want all that information about me personally. That means I have to provide the bank a detailed account of how I spend my money. Let's see ... 25 rolls of toilet paper, 2 cases of wine, feminine hygiene products. This is nuts.

I mentioned this to a builder, a mortgage broker and an interior decorator. They all reported similar experiences, singling them out as "high risk borrowers" due to their professions being linked to real estate.

Is anyone else out there getting this run-around, too?

Flocks of Snowbirds are arriving daily

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:00:26 -0600

Southwest Florida residents are feeling the influx of winter residents and tourists. Yes, the streets are a bit busier and our commutes are a little bit longer, but our visitors and guests are also spending a lot of money. The stores are pretty full and cash registers are ringing.

Another welcome sight, or rather sound, are the many German and British visitors.

We at Team Elaine Sherer are getting more and more inquiries from our European friends who look at our market adjusted home prices as very tempting. That, coupled with the increased purchasing power of the British Pound and the Euro, makes purchasing a vaccation home or a lot to build a home later a sound choice.

I feel like I'm back in the eary nineties, when 90% of my home and lot buyers where Europeans. Is anyone else feeling this, too?

Consumer confidence still is increasing in Florida

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:41:06 -0600

According to the Florida Association of Realtors despite the weak housing market consumer confidience rose 3 points in October. The source of the rise in Florida appears to be low-income households (those living on less than $30,000 annually).The rise in confidence among low-income households appears to be driven by improved personal finance. Compared to a year ago their expectations about their finances will improvement over the next year. Perceptions among low-income households is that it is a good time to buy big-ticket items.My guess is that Florida's lower-income households believe things are getting better due to the limited finacial obligations they have monthly and that home prices that seemed out of reach are now with in their budgets.

BLACK FRIDAY WAS NOT BAD IN FACT IT WAS GREAT

Elaine Sherer (Sellstate Achievers Realty Network, Inc.) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:55:30 -0600

With Black Friday behind us we look to be off to a good start to this next years economy. This good news may have a good indication of this years realestate sales. With the media talking about all the great buying opportuinity coupled with record low interest rate. Those that are looking for a house to call a home with all of the benifits are going to find that this is the time to make those decisions. We as agents are seeing more activity with homes being viewed and more phone call asking about homes in the Ft. Myers and Cape Coral. So this is an exciting new developement for us. So in conclusion all of use at Team Elaine Sherer are getting ready for a little more activity this year.