sellers: Real Estate Sellers do have Options - 11/19/07 12:08 PM
We work with a lot of real estate sellers that are not understanding that they need to be flexible.  As Realtors, it is our job to make them understand that the real estate market currently favors buyers and although this doesn’t mean they have to give the property away, it does mean they have to be open to different scenarios that will ultimately sell their property.
We recently prepared a purchase contract for some Miami Shores buyer clients and the deal never materialized because the sellers were being stubborn and wanted things done their way. It was a very strong offer and … (29 comments)

sellers: Miami Real Estate Models for everyone - 11/14/07 07:23 AM
There are many different real estate models in Miami and as much I would like to say that one is better than the other, the fact is that different people (whether buying or selling Miami Real Estate) will have different preferences.
The idea is that each particular customer should study their options and identify their needs. Telling you that our full-above-and-beyond real estate services are your best choice would not be right since this may not be what you are looking for.

Just recently we were working with a Miami real estate buyer that was pre-approved, very motivated and ready to go. We had … (23 comments)

sellers: Home Sellers Can't Handle The Truth - 11/04/07 06:45 AM

If you are in the market to sell your Miami home, how do you interview Realtors? What questions do you ask and ultimately, what’s the most important factor when choosing a Realtor?
When we asked random people what qualities are important when choosing a Miami Realtor, the response was: Ethical, Loyal, Truthful, Professional, Aggressive, and Experienced.
But when we ask home sellers how they choose their Realtor, it comes down to one single factor: PRICE.
Here are different scenarios we wanted to present. In the 3 scenarios, sellers interview 3 well known Realtors in their area who appear in local … (39 comments)

sellers: Jake the snake is back! - where do these investors come from? - 09/16/07 04:02 AM
I wrote a post a while back called Investors that leave a sour taste in your mouth.  There I told you about the manipulating tactics of one particular investor we had dealt with who wanted us to draft a fraudulent offer.  Take a look at the comment thread because it is hilarious. 
Once we scared the tail out of Jake the snake and told him he was aking us to commit mortgage fraud, which is a Felony, I really thought he would be out of our lives forever.....better than "SNAKE OFF".  But no, to my disappointment, Jake is back.  The purpose of sharing … (52 comments)

sellers: To smell or not to sell....that is the question - 07/11/07 02:46 PM
You have read all over the place that we are in a buyer's real estate market.  What exactly does that mean?  It simply means that there is more supply than demand.
If you want to sell a property in a buyer's market it is important to be prepared because you will have a lot of competition. It is a slow market and you must make sure your property is in tip-top showing condition. You have to make sure that your property stands out from the rest and shows better than the rest. This means following every single piece of advice that's out there for getting your home ready … (54 comments)

sellers: Investors that leave a sour taste in your mouth - 06/26/07 09:30 PM
I've been debating whether to post this or not and finally decided to go for it to get your opinions. 
I would like to set the tone for this story about a Real Estate Investor who I will call JAKE.  Jake purchased one of our listings before.  He called without an agent, claimed he did not have one, we showed him the property, gave him comps, and did other due diligence.
Several weeks later, we received an offer for that property from Jake's real estate agent.  Although felt somewhat disturbed by Jake's ways, we decided to try to negotiate the best deal possible for our seller.  The offer had the typical … (85 comments)

sellers: Absentee owners at ease - 06/15/07 11:00 AM
We have several listings from sellers that do not live in Miami.  Some of them live outside the country, some of them outside of Florida.  What these sellers have in common is that they hired us because they felt confident and sure that we would handle the sale of their real estate property to their complete satisfaction.
One of our customers  who lives in a different state and whose property just went under contract, expressed that he was nervous about the whole transaction and did not know what to do.  This particular seller thought he needed to be present during all the … (10 comments)

sellers: Miami Real Estate Dilemma - 05/11/07 04:04 AM
Talk about a real Miami Real Estate Dilemma! - I have to tell you about this current situation with a real estate customer and we would like your opinion on this matter.  Who do you think dropped the ball?
We have a seller that accepted an offer from a more than qualified buyer and everything seemed to be going perfectly.....until......let me tell you the sequence of events so you can know the facts.
The buyer  came in with a very strong contract:
20% down in escrowpre-qual letter for a loan amount in excess of purchase priceinspections were doneappraisal was perfectcondo approval completedcommitment letter from lender receivedclosing date … (28 comments)

sellers: Market Conditions for Miami Shores, Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside and Biscayne Park - 05/08/07 05:36 AM
For the month of May, we decided to show the real estate market conditions for single-family homes of four cities within Miami with the purpose of comparing the different markets.  The cities I will be showing are close to each other geographically, but with obvious price range differences.  These numbers were pulled directly from the Multiple Listing Service and reflect conditions for 2007.
There are currently 201 single-family listings in Miami Shores, Florida:
Highest priced listing:  $3,950,000 Lowest priced listing : $317,500Properties currently under contract:  13Closed properties since 1/1/2007:  36 There are currently 17 single-family listings in Bay Harbor Islands, Florida:
Highest priced listing:  $6,000,000Lowest priced listing : … (16 comments)

sellers: Why isn't my house selling? - 04/18/07 02:50 PM

 
Here in Miami Shores I get asked this question a lot?  Why aren't houses selling? Well....Today Rick came up with this great article in MSN Money called 6 Reasons Houses Don't Sell by Bankrate.com. (yes, it was Rick...no chuckles please). Make sure you read the article, our own Lenn Harley was quoted! 
 
 
The 6 Reasons Houses Don't Sell, according to Bankrate.com are:
1.  Your home is overpriced
2.  Your home doesn't "show" well
3.  You're in a bad location
4.  You have a lousy listing agent (I thought this one was a little harsh but really Laughed!)
5.  You are battling competition or market conditions
6.  You have ineffective marketing
All sellers should be looking at this article, … (22 comments)

sellers: My People are big on Permits - PART II - 03/13/07 06:19 AM

This post is a continuation of another blog I wrote a couple of weeks ago; My people are big on permits.  It may make no sense if you don't read the first one, so take a look.
Here's the summary - we are working with a buyer who likes a property that has been completely remodeled, we later find out that only some permits were pulled for the work and these were not finalized (no final inspections).  We explain all the repercussions involved in buying a property in which no permits have been pulled and the buyer agrees to do very thorough inspections to make sure all the … (45 comments)

sellers: The waiting game - YAWNnn - 03/02/07 10:33 AM
We ALL know it is a buyers' market, but does that mean buyers have the right to keep you waiting?  Being a seller in a buyer's market means that:
you need to be flexible you need to be available you need to be VERY PATIENT   Just today, with 4 different showings this is what happened.
Showing number 1: scheduled for 12:30 PM - I called the buyer's agent to confirm and they said they were running on time.  At 12:40 PM they were still not there, when I called to see if they were close by the agent was very belligerent and told me to wait. … (22 comments)

sellers: Above and Beyond - where to stop - 02/25/07 10:06 AM
We recently sold a listing of ours and had to do certain things that go beyond the duties of a real estate agent.  It's what Rick and I are about, we go beyond our duties, do it to help our real estate customers, do it gladly and with no regrets.
Scenario - one of the contract conditions by the buyer was that everything be removed from the garage, including an old refrigerator.  The sellers had already moved out of town, agreed to clear the garage the weekend before the closing and the garage would be ready by the walk-through date.  The closing … (63 comments)

sellers: Reality Check - truth hurts - 02/24/07 08:41 PM
What happens when a good friend wants to sell their home but you know they will lose money if they sell now?  Just last week we were invited to do a listing presentation by friends and neighbors.  As soon as we pulled their tax information we knew they would loose money with this transaction.
We hoped there was a discrepancy in the tax roll with regards to the size of the house, we hoped they had not put a lot of money into it, we hoped we had made a mistake and could give them the information they wanted to hear. 
Although … (24 comments)

sellers: Trust your Realtor - South Florida Real Estate Market - 02/14/07 07:28 AM
Our goal with this blog is challenging.  Although we are Realtors and we do sell properties, we want our customers to trust us and to know that we represent their best interest.  We have established a great reputation and hope to convey that message to our readers.  I want to thank Rebecca Blood who has inspired me into writing more in depth about what we do with the idea of establishing a clear road of communication where we can dialogue openly and honestly about our market.
Rick and I specialize in the South Florida Real Estate Market, specifically The Miami Shores and … (34 comments)

sellers: Miami Shores, FL - market conditions - 02/01/07 02:39 AM
It is still a buyer's market here in South Florida but the market is surely picking up.  This can be evidenced by the amount of movement we are seeing with showings of our own listings and the amount of phone calls we are receiving with inquiries.   It's a new year and buyers that were holding off and waiting for a "market collapse" cannot wait any longer and are beginning to buy.
Certain price ranges are moving better than others, we grabbed all the sales in Miami Shores, Florida in the last 6 months and arranged them by price range to get an … (9 comments)

sellers: floorplan with a BAM! - 01/10/07 04:38 PM
Selling an empty condo unit is not an easy task.  Ideally a seller will follow the advice of his/her Realtor and will hire a Stager to furnish and make the unit more marketable.  When staging is not an option, a rendered floor plan is always a good idea.  Sometimes developers will create furnished floor plans that are used as sales materials, but other times, Realtors need to resort to other creative methods, like hiring a draftsperson, architect or designer that can render the boring floor plans.
We currently have a listing in a brand new complex called The Preserve, just South of … (23 comments)

sellers: Emotions FOR SALE - price negotiable - 12/26/06 07:51 AM
Buying or selling real estate can be extremely emotional.  You often hear that "you must detach yourself emotionally from your home when selling" or "not to make an emotional purchase".  This is very easy to say, and is something we have been hearing for decades, but WHY??
Usually people are making the biggest purchase of their lives when buying a home and are making the biggest sale of their lives when selling, so why can't you be emotional??
 
Emotion usually clouds the senses and your judgment.  Emotion usually helps you make irrational decisions.Emotion puts LIFE in our world.So here's what I think.  Without emotion, buyers … (119 comments)