fl hialeah gardens: Mr. Seller, please leave! - 03/16/10 03:26 AM
There's a reason why I always insist that the home sellers leave the house when I'm showing it to a perspective buyer. More often then not the seller sticks their foot in their mouth, and low and behold, yesterday it happened................again. I was showing a beautifully-kept home that was flawless in every sense of the word. The prospective buyer was sold and was already talking about making an offer while we were still in the house. Then, as the buyer proceeded to comment on the lovely piano the seller says..................here it comes..........are you ready?........"Oh thank you! It belonged to my mother-in-law … (4 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Why scapegoat the appraisal? - 01/27/10 04:15 AM
Appraisals are killing real estate deals. This should come of surprise to no one. As a matter of fact, the appraisal has come up short on my last four transactions. It's quite common for appraisals to come in at $25000 below contact prices, or even more. Just this week I had a property appraise at $140,000 below the contract price! Needless to say, all parties are in shell shock. Yes, the listing agent, the seller, the buyer, and myself expected that we would come up short, and would have to then re negotiate. However, this is more then 100% off from … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: According to Zillow - 12/22/09 05:52 AM
I'm presently in the process of helping a lender sell one of their properties.  We just received a very competitive offer from a ready willing and able buyer.  In the process of explaining the details of the offer to the bank rep, he proceeded to use three words that rip through my brain worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.................."According to Zillow!".  Yes, "according to Zillow this property is worth $70,000 more then this offer".  Needless to say, and as is quite ofter the case, Zillow is wrong. Now I can understand a laymen going to Zillow to get a clue about … (4 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: The FHA monkey wrench - 12/10/09 04:06 AM
The FHA monkey wrench
Generally speaking, the real estate industry is cautiously optimistic that we're presently at the beginning of a market recovery.  The signs of this recovery are primarily manifesting themselves in the entry-level sector of the market.  This is to be expected, as real estate markets tend to recover from the bottom up; today this is largely an FHA-loan fueled recovery.  So why then is the FHA looking to throw a monkey wrench in to the works?
I'm quite weary of the proposed changes to FHA loans for 2010.  Here are just a few:
•·         Minimum credit score of … (1 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: do you have a closing today? - 11/19/09 12:04 PM
I try to make a conscious effort to dress professionally at every available opportunity.  After all, we're professionals and should dress accordingly.  I don't think anyone would argue that.  However, I've lost count of the number of times that one of my colleagues has asked me, "do you have a closing today?"  They see me wearing a suit and immediately assume that I have a closing on that day.  "So what?", you might ask.
Well, let's take a typical buyer transaction.  As is usual for me, I'm involve myself in every step of the process.  I meet the buyer (Bill), I show him properties, I write up offers, I go to the home … (2 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: The velocity of money - 10/27/09 05:57 AM
The velocity of money is a term used by economists to describe the speed at which money makes its way through our economy.  During boom times money moves quickly through the system as it's spurred on by consumer spending and investment, and in recessionary times it's velocity is diminished.
Why should you care?
Well, if you've been thinking about buying a home, then the "velocity of money" should be of concern to you.  The Federal Reserve uses interest rates to control the money supply flowing throughout the system; low rates=more money in the system, and higher rates=less money in the system.  In order … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: How to buy a bank owned home - 10/14/09 03:51 AM
Unfortunately, there's more then a grain of truth in this very funny video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM7oWKgCVo4
 
(0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: I need I need I need... - 09/23/09 03:07 AM
The phrase "I need" seems to be popping up more and more in my recent conversations with would-be home sellers, and it usually rears its head particularly early in the conversation.  I think that many home owners want to make sure that I understand right from the get go what it is that they "need", monetarily speaking, that is, from the sale of their home.  It's perfectly normal for a seller to have expectations and subsequent plans for the proceeds from the sale of their home.  Quite often though, those "needs" are not necessarily in sync with what's actually achievable in the … (1 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Social Networking Group - 09/11/09 02:22 AM
My broker has started a Social Networkng Group in our office.  I have been "voluteered" to run a host of monthly meetings so that our group members may share, interact, and learn from one another about what we're doing to create new business opportunities through the use of various social networking outlets.  We've gone through three meetings already, and I can see that my biggest challenge is simply keeping our members egaged and interested.  While they all may say that Social Networkng, blogging, and an active online presence may be the future of our industry, I don't think that they really beleive it.  More and more … (1 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Why social media? - 08/20/09 05:37 AM
Participation in social media by real estate professionals is really in its infancy.  Relatively speaking, there are very few real estate professionals that are active bloggers or participants in social media circles for the express purpose of providing a public service.  I have no idea how many licensees there are in the United States, yet I'm sure that the 155,000 or so that are on Active Rain's network alone is but a minuscule drop in the bucket.  As a matter of fact, in my own office it's less then one percent.  I've only been blogging for six months or so, and I can honestly say that the … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Where are all the great deals? - 08/10/09 05:55 AM
It's happening as we speak.  All of those so called great deals on foreclosure properties are vanishing.  Here in South Florida, it's becoming very common for properties to sell at more then asking prices!  As fears over interest rate hikes, coupled with the awareness of the upcoming deadline for the $8000.00 tax credit loom near, properties are flying off the shelf at a speed that we haven't seen since the market boom. 
So take this as a word of warning.  If you're procrastinating that buying decision you run the risk of losing out to competing buyers.  We've all but reached the … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Market outlook single family Miami-Dade COunty - 08/05/09 04:15 AM
As you may have noticed, prices are beginning to bottom out, and we are at the beginning of the end of this depreciating cycle.  The next six months will specifically reveal exactly where that bottom actually was.  As with any economic cycle, you never know the exact bottom until you've past it.  The foreseeable future for the single family home market in Dade County is that we will soon return to a state of predictable equilibrium, where the forces of supply and demand create a balanced market with roughly six months of inventory; we now have twelve months of inventory.  In … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Take me home... - 07/31/09 06:13 AM
I need a home!  
Here's a new friend to anyone out there that wants a great family pet... This is real estate related.................Right????please call:Monica Gaitan (305)668-1629 … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: mortgage rates in the immediate future- - 07/30/09 07:16 AM
Hello all, I came across this great video from a real expert on rates and the overall mortgage market:
http://www.mortgagesuccesssource.com/go/inflation/index.html
 
Check it out, he's right on the money!
(0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: large homes with large lots - 07/19/09 04:49 AM
Here are the  propertesties that I currently have on the market that have large lots in a the exclusive neighborhood of Hialeah Gardens Estates:
http://floridamoves.com/Property/propertydetails.aspx?SearchID=9047947&PropertyGUID=AB093A99-10EB-4415-9235-DB19B9B8D4EA&RowNum=1&abrand=72985
http://floridamoves.com/Property/propertydetails.aspx?SearchID=9047947&PropertyGUID=AB093A99-10EB-4415-9235-DB19B9B8D4EA&RowNum=1&abrand=72985
http://floridamoves.com/Property/propertydetails.aspx?SearchID=9047947&PropertyGUID=A0264D58-BD26-43AB-B3FA-837F73F7B856&RowNum=4&abrand=72985
http://floridamoves.com/Property/propertydetails.aspx?SearchID=9047947&PropertyGUID=7DE4E450-C971-4913-B3CC-6DE5D29DC539&RowNum=5&abrand=72985
 
 
(0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Predictable Equilibium - 07/19/09 02:55 AM
Everybody wants to know when the depreciation will finally stop.  Truth is, that you can ask 10 different real estate professionals where the bottom of the market is, or whether we're perhaps there already, and you'll get 11 different answers.  So for the already skiddish consumer, the seemingly contradicting advice that they're getting from us further contributes to their anxiousness about buying or selling real estate.  Furthermore, the mass media with their all-too-common "sky is falling" reporting now has many consumers in a state of sheer panic.
From 1980 to 2000 real estate prices in The United States appreciated at a rate of roughly … (1 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: The "Real" real estate market-Part III - 07/13/09 05:44 AM
Today's challenge for would-be home sellers is to create a perception of value in a depreciating marketplace.  No quantity or quality of marketing can achieve this.  The only way that this is possible is through a pro-active positioning strategy, in conjunction with the use of the most extensive market exposure available.  It is the only way to truly know if a given price point (asking price) is at level that the buyer pool is willing to bear.  Logically, home owners who employ limited services brokerages with limited marketing resources, and especially those who choose to go it alone as ‘For  Sale … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: The "Real" real estate market-Part II - 07/13/09 03:11 AM
Unfortunately, in real estate we rarely, if ever, give commodity markets any thought.  If we understand what real estate really is, and by contrast what it is not, then we will be well on our way to understanding what motivates the market, and how to use it to our advantage as home sellers, regardless of market conditions.  Real estate is a commodity. Real estate is a commodity.  Real estate is a commodity.    However, we consistently treat it like a product, expecting our marketing to be able to sell it. It never has, and never will.  Two important attributes of any commodity marketplace are:
(0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: The "Real" real estate market-Part 1 - 07/11/09 02:54 AM
The real estate business is perhaps one of the most competitive service industries there is.  I clearly remember my first day in real estate school when the instructor said "he/she who controls the inventory, controls the market".  We're conditioned from day one to do three things; get listings, get listings, and get listings!  There's nothing about this notion that is necessarily untrue, and as a matter of fact I have benefited personally by concentrating on building up an inventory of properties in a certain subdivision.  Some of my most successful colleagues are indeed those who have been able to carve niches for themselves, whether it be in a neighborhood, … (0 comments)

fl hialeah gardens: Active rain - 07/10/09 02:37 AM
I'm here today trying to convince my fellow colleagues of the advantages of getting involved in social networking.  They are skeptical, however the exponential benefits of this type of activity are still in its infancy.  Has anybody out there actually seen any new business result from your activities on either Active Rain or other social networks?
(8 comments)

 
Carlos Lobato (Coldwell Banker RE LLC)

Carlos Lobato

Miami Lakes, FL

More about me…

Coldwell Banker RE LLC

Address: 15100 NW 67th Ave. Suite 110, Miami Lakes, FL, 33014

Office: (305) 804-1651

Mobile: (305) 804-1651



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