There is undoubtedly a huge market these days for distressed properties and if you have been paying attention to various news shows and listening to Real Estate professionals, you know that there is another huge wave of distressed properties out there that haven't even hi the market yet...but they will, just wait and see.  You may be asking yourself, "what is a distressed property anyway and why or how does it affect me"?  Well, a distressed property is any property that is in danger of being foreclosed upon and there are many properties that are in various stages of the pre-foreclosure or foreclosure process.  In the pre-foreclosure stage, a distressed property is commonly known as a "short sale".

As far as the effect of distressed properties on buyers and sellers it's easy to explain.  If you're selling in today's market and your area is flooded with distressed properties, your properties value is being affected and it's not in a good way either.  If you are a buyer looking in this arena then you could be about to find an unbelievable deal and actually walk into a new home with equity which is not all that common these days of declining values.  If you are a seller facing foreclosure please know that you don't have to settle for the damaging effects of a foreclosure.  You have options and you should explore those options.  For more info on short sales please log on to www.PensacolaShortSales911.com.

For instance, did you know that in the case of a short sale sellers can use the services of a professional Realtor without having to pay for some of the typical fees associated with a Real Estate transaction.  That's right, most lenders will pay certain fees such as Real Estate professional fee, title insurance and doc stamps on the deed.  One word of advice to anyone considering a short sale...many real estate agents claim to be "short sale experts" but few carry the Certified Distressed Property Expert designation.  This designation is earned by attending 16+ hours of training and properly qualifies certain Realtors to handle short sales correctly.  Make sure you hire a CDPE to handle your short sale.  Hiring the right Realtor to negotiate a short sale is the most vital component of a short sale.

Now as far as buyers go, you must ask yourself one question...."is this distressed property the best deal or the best value"?  Often times the best deal does not equate to the best value.  Also, ask your lender about a 203K loan which allows you to wrap up to $35,000 into your mortgage for upggrades and repairs that may need to be done with a distressed property.  Log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com for more information.  Currently in our local market there are over 700 distressed properties up for sale which is about 13% of all active listings.  There is still a huge wave of adjustable rate mortgages (ARM's) out there that are getting ready to re-set and when they do, the flood gates will once again open. 

Many people shy away from short sales including buyers and their real estate agents.  As a CDPE, I can guarantee you that if you are patient and if you have the right Realtor, a short sale will not be the painful process that most make it out to be. 

Today the National Association of Realtors released its home sale statistics for the month of February 2009 and there is some very enticing data in the report.  First, existing homes sales rose 5.1% in February indicating that a lot of first time home buyers have made the decision to get into the game and why shouldn't they after all, intereswt rates are still at record lows and there is a lot of inventory to choose from.

If you are trying to sell your home, then you probably think that since sales went upo then values must have gone up as well.  I wish I could be the guy who says that yes that is true, but I'm going to stick to the pillars of my business & reputation which are Honesty & Integrity.  The truth of the matter is that while increasing sales is a very good indicator of change in the Real Estate market, values still declined by 15.5% according to the same NAR report.

Values are expected to continue to fall well into the later part of 2009.  I beleive the number one reason for declining values is the number of distressed properties being listed every month and the increasing number of distressed properties that are closing each month.  I'm here to tell you that this is not such a bad thing because the quicker we can sell the distressed property inventory, the quicker we can move towards stabilization of the Real Estate market.  To learn more about distressed properties and the Certified Distressed Property Designation log on to www.PensacolaShortSales911.com.

Values will begin to climb again but it's probably a minimum of 3 to 7 years before we see normal growth in values again.  To put that into perspective, values locally in the Greater Pensacola area typically rise at about 3-5% annually.  During the bubble of late 2004 and into 2005 we saw values skyrocketing sometimes at double digit growth...per month.  You didn't think that was going to last did you?  The market continues to give back anywhere from 1-2% monthly and we will no doubt see 2003 level pricing by the end of the year.  We are already seeing signs of 2003 level pricing in some areas.

Can sellers still make a decent profit on the sale of their home in these uncertain times?  The answer is absolutely they can!  Values in some cases are still higher now than they should have been given the historical growth pattern.  To learn more about Pensacola Real Estate please feel free to log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com.

A broker was dismayed when a brand new real estate office much like his own opened up next door and erected a huge sign which read 'BEST AGENTS.'

He was horrified when another competitor opened up on his right, and announced its arrival with an even larger sign, reading 'LOWEST COMMISSIONS.'

The broker panicked, until he got an idea. He put the biggest sign of all over his own real estate office. It read: 'MAIN ENTRANCE'

This is a pretty funny story right?  Of course it is it shows just how creative and competetive the Real Estate market is.  But let me be honest you can't have the "Best Agent" while paying the "lowest commission"!  I'm telling you that would be like asking your heart surgeon for his discounted fee for a triple bypass now wouldn't it?  The point is that you get what you pay for which explains why many people are frustrated with the Realtor profession.  The honest truth is that if you want the best and if you want the absolute highest sales price for your home, you need to be willing to pay for the best possible service.

To learn more about Real Estate services by a  full time Prefessional Realtor with Honesty & Integrity please log on to www.PensacolaRealEstateKing.com or visit www.PensacolaHomeSite.com.

Well everybody here we go with the start of one of the greatest times of the year.  Yes, I'm talking about the start of the Spring/Summer selling season.  As with the greatest collegiate tournament in sports, you need to make sure that your bracket is filled in and that you have a winning strategy for selling your home.

So with that said it's time for you to get up off the sofa and get the yard in shape with a little mow and some nice colorful flowers to boost your curb appeal.  While you're at it get busy with the Spring cleaning and make sure that your home is clean, uncluttered and in show condition.  Now you're ready to sell your home right?  Wrong!  You forgot about your pricing strategy.  If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, you need to set the price right in order to get showings and offers.

Okay so now you are asking yourself "how do I figure out the right price"?  Easy Jethro, I'm gonna help you out a bit because that's how I roll.  The advice that I am about to dispense is the best that money can buy and I;m gonna give it to you for free today because...you guessed it, that's how I roll!  Are you ready?  Here goes.....HIRE A PROFESSIONAL REALTOR!  That's it, that's all you need to do to get top dollar in today's dynamic market.

Aahhh, I know what you're thinking..."why can't I just put a little red & white sign in my yard and save money on the professional fee"?  First of all because you're going to write your contact info on that sign with a little itsy bitsy marker that is going to fade in the sun within 3 days.  And then, you're gonna miss every call that comes in asking for information on the property because you're at work, at the kids game or at the beach.  Next, you're gonna be away from the home every day either working or or living a life and you're not going to be able to show your home to prospective buyers.

As if that wasn't bad enough, you're are gonna miss all of the people driving around on the weekends looking for new homes because you're at the mall or enjoying a little weekend get away with the family.  Finally when a Real Estate agent calls to get some information about your home to give to a prospective buyer, you tell them that you're not interested in working with a Realtor.  You pay a doctor for the "best care money can buy" when you're faced with a health crisis and you pay a mechanic to make sure that your car keeps running but you won't pay a professional Realtor to help you sell your single largest financial investment.  With all do respect people...not a very wise move.  In fact it could cost you up to 20% in value while you are determined to save a 6% professional fee. 

Why?  Well that's because our local Real Estate market continues to lose about 1-2% in value per month and you and your little red and white sign are virtually invisible to the 87% of all home buyers who are looking for homes on the Internet.  I know..I know..you're on some for sale by owner website that makes all kinds of guarantees and claims that Realtors are one step below used car salesmen.  Meanwhile they just took you for $400 bucks to use their website and..ohhh...by the way you have to show your own home, negotiate over 30 different terms of a sales contract and find your own attorney (who will probably overcharge you) to handle the closing.  Ohh, I forgot..who was going to qualify the buyer?

Well, that's even if you get a buyer because you have grossly overpriced your home and nobody is going to overpay for it.  The only way that you stand a chance of selling an overpriced home is if the buyer just fell of the turnip truck and is willing to pay cash...that's right greenbacks people because no bank is going to lend $250,000 on a home that is only worth $200,000.  I know it's hard to beleive but even banks have standards these days.

Well, now here it is 12 months later and you have lost at least 15% in value because you were determined to sell your own home and you weren't going to pay a professional to do it for you.  You finally call the Realtor who has been calling every month, mailing you "just Listed" and "just sold" post cards, and sending you statistical data on the market.  You agree to meet with this Realtor and expect a miracle right? 

In closing let me ask you 2 questions.  First, when you go to look for your new home, just how many "for sale by owner" homes are you going to look at?  Secondly, if you needed life saving heart surgery, are you going to ask the doctor for the " do it yourself" home surgery kit? 

Do your self a favor.  If you are thinking of selling a home, hire a professional Realtor to handle it for you and net more at closing.  That's right...earn more at closing!  For more information on Real Estate and professional Real Estate services please log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com or visit the web site www.PensacolasRealEstateAgent.com. 

Find yourself a Realtor with Honesty and Integrity and you will find a Realtor who has Value!  I guarantee if you hire the right Realtor, you will have a winning strategy and finish like a champion worthy of a trophy.

 Below is a look at our local Real Estate market as it pertains to "Residential Detached" properties only.  This info is provided as a courtesy to those who are interested in how the Pensacola area Real Estate market is performing.  Anybody who is intyerested in obtaining more in-depth data should log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com.

For information regarding short sales and pre-foreclosures, please visit www.FloridaShortSales911.com.

Sales and Inventory History

Friday, March 13, 2009
Category - Residential / PropType: Residential Detached

A friend of mine recently showed me a picture of a For Sale By Owner sign that reads the following:

House For Sale By Owner because my neighbor is an a*&^%@e!

So my immediate question to seeing this photo was "Is that considered to be a form of disclosure?"

A brand new buyers agent in our office recently about to close his first transaction and was soliciting suggestions for a closing gift for his clients.

After much thought and deliberation, he decided to send flowers to the home that his clients had just purchased.  When the flowers arrived his clients were absolutely mortified when they saw the card that read; Rest in Peace.

The young couple were so angry that they decided to call the florist to complain that there must have been a mistake.  After being told what the card said, the florist responded by saying, "I am deeply sorry for the mistake but rather than getting mad at me you should consider the rest of the story; somewhere there is a funeral taking place and the card on those flowers says. "Congratulations on your new home."

 Question: What does the housing market and Terrell Owens have in common?

Answer: Both have declined in value recently and they are both distressed.

Sometimes you have to apply the laws of the sporting world to the housing market.  When a player becomes a distraction in the locker room and puts selfish desires ahead of the team, it usually doesn't end well for them.  What do teams do?  They cut the palyer and look to the future.  Ahh, but where there is distress their is also help.

The market is flooded with distressed properties and there is no immediate end in sight to this phenomenon.  Many factors can cause a property to become distressed such as divorce, loss of a job or laid off, unexpected medical bills or death of a spouse.  In these situations many times a homeowner is faced with a mortgage that is more than the value of the home itself.  Many people feel trapped and turn to the bank for help only to be told that they can't be helped.  Some people take matters into their own hands and attempt the For Sale By Owner approach in an effort to save on taxes, professional fees and other costs associated with the sale of a home.

Many times these people fail miserably and find themselves closer to the brink of foreclosure.  What these people need is the help of a caring and professional Certified Distressed Property Expert--CDPE.  Most homeowners facing foreclosure don't realize that they can use the services of a trained Real Estate agent without having to pay for those services.  Many banks will pay title insurance, professional fee and various other fees in what is commonly called a "short sale" situation.  For more information on short sales log on to www.FloridaShortSales911.com.

If you are a homeowner facing a difficult situation and in need of answers to your many questions regarding a short sale or debt resolution, then please seek the help of a professional Realtor to assist you in negotiatiing with your lender.  Recently congress passed a bill that puts a 3 year moratorium on 1099 "phantom" tax implications as the result of a short sale.  For a free short sale consultation on the Pensacola Florida area please log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com or visit www.PensacolaShortSales911.com

Releasing a football player is a whole lot easier than selling a distressed property and that's why you need an expert on your team. 

Is it me or is it just the shift in the market that is making people do unsavory and unethical things?  Don't we have enough of a hard time fighting the "sleazy used car saleman" icon that has placed upon our profession?  Are the honest, professionals in our industry being overshadowed by the dirty dealings of the few bad apples?  I think so!

We as Realtors are living in a time where distressed property listings take up almost 40% of the listings in MLS.  And every Realtor claims to be a "short sale expert" even though they don't even know the first things about short sales.  I have been working short sales for over 6 months and recently earned my designation as a Certified Distressed Property Expert-CDPE.  The education that I got buy going through 16 hours of training only solidify what I already knew but more importantly it gives me a recognizable advantage over most Realtors.  To learn more about distressed properties pease visit www.Floridashortsales911.com.

My biggest issue is the Realtor who accepts multiple offers on his listings and advises his or her clients not to sign the offers.  Their strategy is that they will let the lender decide which offer meets the bottom line while being able to keep it active in the MLS so as not to lose valuable marketing time on a property that has been changed to contingent.  Now on the surface this sounds like a good idea right?  WRONG, not only is this practice unethical, it is also fraudulant and exposes the agent to harsh litigation and possible loss of license.

If you're having trouble putting your arms around this theory and embracing it, let me put it into perpsective.  Ask yourself how many times can you sell your own home.  The answer is once!  The buyer can turn around and sell it and so on and so on.  Too many Realtors are misinformed when it comes to the term "third party approval".  The third party approval is given on a contract not an offer.  Why?  Because the lender does not own the property and this is still considered an at arms length transaction which just happens to need lender approval to fullfil the short sale request.

I'm here to tell you that if you are approaching short sales with any other strategy you are playing Russian Roulette with your license.  I recently put in an offer for my sellers on a short sale and was told that there were several offers on the table and that the highest was a certain amount.  This immediately sent up a red flag with me because this particular agent/broker has done several short sales apparently.  Almost two weeks later and we still have no word from the agent that his sellers even looked at the offers and signed on to send to the lender.

I highly reccomend the CDPE class as it will provide the correct information to keep one safe in negotiating short sales properly.  For more info on short sales please log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com or www.Pensacolashortsales911.com

How important is it for us properly educctae our buyers and sellers?  I mean really how many of us in this declining market jump at the "opportunity" to pick up a potential client.  But are we really screening our clients to see if they are the right fit for us?  How many of us are interiewing them while they are interviewing us?  It's a two way street you know! 

I used to think that any call was "the" call and that whoever was on the other end of the phone or at the other end of an email needed my help.  But did I really need their business?  I strugled with this for months and finally came to the conclusion that i could pick and choose who I wanted to work with.  Recently I had to pull a Donald Trump and "fire" one of my clients.  I must admit that I got a little bit of a rush out of it.  I am a professional and I am worth every penny of my fee and then some so why wouldn't I pick the kind of client whose goals are the same as mine? 

My coach once told me that I needed to get out of the way of the person who is supposed to help the client that didn't have the same vision as I did.  And by doing so, I would be freed up to align myself with the people who really needed my help.  At first I strugled with this philosophy but soon I understood exactly what she was talking about.  As a result of being a little more picky about who I choose to represent, my business has seen a bit of a boost and activity is picking up. 

To find out a little more about me and the kinds of services that I provide, please log on to www.PensacolaHomeSite.com.  My motto for this year is simple: '09 is all mine!!