Palm City Real Estate Snapshot for ZIP Code 34990, Condo Sales for December 2011

For December, 2011 in the 34990 Zip Code area of Palm City, Florida :

There are currently 65 active condo listings. (Up 5 from November)

 

3 Condo sales are pending and awaiting close or lender approval. (Unchanged from last month)

 

1 Condos Sold in December. (Unchanged from November)

The 34990 zip code area of Palm City condo market is a fairly small section of this area as most property in Palm City is either single family homes or town homes. With only 65 currently active listings, it is not a very large market.  Last year at this time there were 78 active listings, and the market was more active with 5 pending sales and 6 closed sales as compared to this years anemic 3 and 1 respectively. The condo market overall remains significantly more sluggish as compared to the single family residential market.

 

Speculating on the reasons for this could be the current low prices of single family units. The difficulty of obtaining financing for condos in this lending environment and the nervousness regarding the economy and future being felt by the more senior set that tend to go for the condo type of housing. Condo sales tend to be more active after the holidays and we will hopefully see an increase in activity following the holiday season.

The Yacht and Country Club of Stuart Courtyard Villa – Open House

5675 SW Mapp Road – Ocean AccessWaterfront Pool Home in Palm City Florida – Open House

Wonderful opportunity for a family in need of 5 BR’s or for those who have all of their relatives visit them in Palm City, Florida so they can go swimming and boating all winter while others are busy shoveling snow up north!

This spacious Palm City waterfront home rests on nearly an acre of lushly landscaped natural beauty! Tucked away for maximum privacy, this screened pool home overlooks private serene canals with ocean access along with serene preserve views. The inviting living area boasts an open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, a gourmet kitchen complete with 42 inch oak cabinets, SS appliances, and granite counter tops. A true 5BR plus den with a large master retreat that has an additional bonus room ideal for a nursery, gym, or office. Bonus features of this home are impact glass windows, ample closets and storage, 2 zone AC, High efficiency Tanin water filter system, double sided wood burning fireplace and a 4 car tandem detached garage. All in an ‘A’ rated school district in Martin County, Florida.

 

Price Reduced on The Yacht and Country Club of Stuart Courtyard Villa

Sandpiper Bay Foreclosure Home in Port Saint Lucie – SOLD!

Palm City Florida Market Report ZIP Code 34990 – Residential, December 2011

For December, 2011 in the 34990 Zip Code area of Palm City Florida :

There are currently 478 active listings (Increased by 10 homes from November)

114 Residential sales are pending and awaiting close or lender approval. (A decrease of 30 homes from last month)

57 Homes Sold in December (An increase of 21 homes sold from November)

 

For the Palm City, zip code 34990, area of Martin County Florida, it was a strong month for closed sales.  Unfortunately, it was also the second month of increasing inventory (active listings) and also a decrease in pending sales for the future.  Comparing these numbers to December of 2010, when there were 577 active listings, 110 pending sales and 45 homes sold, we are in a better position in all categories.  With the height of the snow bird season coming, we should see some increase in activity.  The Palm City market, however, is not as seasonally influenced as our more coastal areas as this market is heavily influenced by family areas that tend not to be as seasonal, with an increase in activity normally more towards the spring and summer seasons.

 

Via Suzie and Jim Hudson (RE/MAX Lake Oconee-Homes for Sale):

The New Year at Lake Oconee brings an optimistic outlook for real estate in the lake area as the end of last year showed an increase in sales in the area. However, it remains a "Buyer's Market" with a large inventory of homes for sale.  Thus, with a large pool of homes for buyers to choose from,  it is even more important to make your listed home stand out from the crowd!  That means that Staging Your Home to Sell is a must.  The major tasks of staging a home to sell are sorted into the areas of  cleaning, de-cluttering, and de-personalizing.  The other day as I was completing the complementary staging of a new listing, some specific reminders came to mind that I wanted to pass on to those people preparing to sell their home this year.

 

1. Complete all deferred home maintenance.  Even small projects such as replacing electrical outlet covers, or re-caulking a bathtub, etc., should be done before listing, as they are likely to show up on the home inspection report in preparation for closing.  In the buyer's market, the buyer may ask that these repairs be done as a prerequisite for closing the sale.  A home which is in good repair compares better to others that are not.
2. Store all weapons in a secure place, or remove from the home.  A homeowner does not want the responsibility for someone's getting hurt from a weapon,  or of the chance of a weapon being stolen.  Even knives can be considered as weapons.
3. Remove all items with personal information from view in the home.  Sellers often forget that refrigerator magnets, receipts or bills, and prescriptions may reveal information that could lead to identity theft, or loss of privacy. In any case, those items are definite reminders of the current owners of the property, which may prevent the buyer from imagining himself  in this particular home.
4. Keep all windows clean, and open to the view.  The view outside the home is important for the sale.  Most owners are in the habit of closing window treatments to prevent sun bleaching or heating.  However, potential buyers include the view as an essential part of the home that makes it attractive.  That lake view, or beautiful back yard can make the sale! Extending the view makes the home seem larger, too.
5. Increase the light power in every room.  This is the indoor version of #4.  Every home looks better with more light, and light makes people more cheerful.  A seller should make sure that every light bulb is working, and that the wattage is higher than usual.

 

Home staging is more important than ever as there is a large inventory of properties for sale.  The more you prepare your home to sell, the shorter the time it will be on the market.  Another plus of home staging is that if one de-clutters and discards unwanted belongings early in the selling process, the move after the sale to a new home will be easier!  A recent closing had was delayed as the seller had not de-cluttered the home even though he had not lived in it for two years, so it took longer to move!  Consider home staging the first step in the selling process, and the first step in the moving process.

 

 

Home Staging Before

Home Staging After

For more information about Staging Your Home to Sell, contact Suzie and Jim Hudson at RE/MAX Agents Realty at Lake Oconee.  706-347-1115.  We provide complementary staging  for every home we list.  To search for a home in the Lake Oconee area, go to our website LakeOconee.com.

 

Via Jim Paulson (Owner/Broker) (Progressive Realty (Boise Idaho) www.Progressive-Realty.info):

I am always amazed at how many people that rent a home don’t stop to wonder why their landlord decided to buy a home only to rent it out.  Simply put, it is because it is your landlord’s investment strategy to get their tenants to pay off their debt while they get tax deductions themselves!  If that isn’t good enough, property values historically appreciate 3.8% a year so if you borrow the money from the bank (using other people’s money) the appreciation essentially even pays off your mortgage at today’s interest rates.  Keep in mind the property keeps typically appreciating, while your mortgage (and interest payments) declines giving even better leverage!

Before most people begin buying investment properties, they start by buying their primary residence so they can fire their landlord.  I have a complete system that sets buyer's on a "Path 2 Own" their own home.  At least here in the Boise, Idaho area, there are multiple programs for 100% financing and sometimes below market interest rates for first time home buyers that are considered low to moderate income.  Sometimes, it actually helps to make less money so you can get your share of the government stimulus money!  I consistently have clients buy their own home for less than what they had in security deposit on their rental and their monthly payment typcially drops giving them more disposable income almost like getting a raise!

Here are the three main tax advantages you will potentially start earning when you decide to own verses rent your home:

1.  Primary Residence Mortgage Interest Deduction. All the mortgage interest paid on a primary residence is a potential deduction.
2. Primary Residence Property Tax Deduction.  Here in Idaho, we have the “Homeowner’s Exemption” so property taxes are considerably less on the same home if you live in it, plus it is a tax deduction.  (lower taxes on the same property is yet another reason why owning can be cheaper than renting)
3. Residential Mortgage Point Deduction.  This is when you buy the property and pay “points” on your mortgage.

As always, check with your CPA for specifics on how these might impact you and your specific situation!  Now is a great time since you should be starting to complete your 2011 taxes and it is a great time to do a “what if analysis” with your tax preparer to see how much less you might have paid in taxes had you been able to claim these deductions instead of passing them off to your landlord!

I have owned rental homes in the Boise area for twenty years.  If you have any questions on buying investment property or want to know about some of the government programs designed to help first time buyers acquire their first home, please call or email me @ GoOwnIt@gmail.com.

 

Jim Paulson, CRS, GRI, EPRO, SRES

Owner/Broker – Progressive Realty

Boise, Idaho

Jim Paulson, CRS, GRI, EPRO, SFR

NAR Employer Assisted Housing Instructor and EPRO Instructor
Owner/Broker - Progressive Realty Corporation
Specializing in Boise Idaho Real Estate
http://www.IdahoMLStours.com
Http://www.Progressive-Realty.info

Via Andrea Swiedler - Swiedler & Adams - New Milford, Litchfield CT Real Estate (Prudential Connecticut Realty, Litchfield County Real Estate):

Sometimes I feel as if it is David vs. Goliath. Living in what I consider to be a rural area I have watched as large companies either force out local businesses or buy them out. Time and time again. And the sad part is, we lose. When it happens we often see job loss, we can see a loss of quality of service, we lose a sense of community. I know there is often no way to combat this tide, yet it doesn't make me happy.

A few years ago I was helping a dear friend find a company to replace his oil burner. A well known local family owned company had just been bought up by a company based out of Canada. I spoke at length with a sales rep there who insisted that the new company was committed to the same level of service. They were even thinking about keeping the old company name as it was so well known and well respected here. (they never kept the old company name, and a good thing or the old man would be turning over in his grave right about now)

Fast forward a few years.... I used this same company to set up oil delivery on a vacant home. NO, it is  not a foreclosure.... I received the first bill and called them immediately. They tangled all sorts of different homes on the invoice, from two different companies mind you, dating back to 2006. And there was no way to identify where the oil delivery was made and when. We went back and forth about this, each person I spoke to just couldn't understand why it made a difference. Or perhaps they just didn't care.

I was polite, but insisted that if they were going to be paid in a timely fashion they would have to provide me with a bill that pertained to this particular property only, or at the very least would have to identify the property in question as well as dates of delivery. I was also dealing with a global company I had to answer to, and plus I never thought my request was unreasonable.

They had their own take on the issue. They cut delivery off and never informed me. Thankfully no damage occurred, but we were close. And when contacted again, they were nasty, arrogant and were not willing to work with me to make the changes we needed on the invoice. Nor were they willing to deliver oil until the bill was paid. The attitude was amazing actually. And no changes were going to be made to the invoice. They would not remove the old balances (as I said, they had combined two separate companies on the invoice in the first place), we would play their way or no way. The only way I would have of identifying the delivery address would be the delivery ticket that was left outside at the house. Interesting...

Just to be clear, the overdue amount was not that overdue, we are talking weeks here, and I thought we were working together to resolve the issue at hand, to have an invoice that was acceptable to submit for payment.

So now I am preparing to move the account to one of the few remaining local companies. What was I thinking in the first place? Well, a long standing history of doing business with the original company, the thought that local people still work for the new company. The memory of the conversation I had with the sales rep a few years earlier. What is clearly apparent is the old company is long gone, the new company has a lousy sense of customer service and has lost my business for good.

Of course word will get out... if they happen to care or realize that local people yap. What was it I heard the other day? Oh yeah... the three fastest ways of getting something out there..

TELEPHONE, TELEGRAPH, TELL-A-REALTOR!

David will smash Goliath this time. David has a choice. I am calling a very local company today and setting up a new account. I know the level of customer service will be one that I can rely on. We may pay a few more pennies for the oil delivery, but I know if there is a problem I can actually speak to the owner. I also know if there is a problem he will work hard to resolve the issue because of a good work ethic, there is the sense of community, the realization that a satisfied customer means everything to the success of a business.

What is most unfortunate is that these larger companies just don't care. When they take over a smaller company they need to make sure they understand the lay of the land and make sure their employees are giving good old fashioned local customer service, as if it were a mom and pop operation.

I should have made this choice the first time around, live and learn I guess.

Andrea Swiedler, Realtor® Liddy Adams, GRI, Broker Associate

Cell: 203.460.1775  Email: andrea@andreaswiedler.com 

Swiedler & Adams, we know real estate!

Search Homes for Sale in Litchfield County CT.

 

Prudential Connecticut Realty, New Milford & Litchfield, CT

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© Andrea Swiedler, 2009 - 2011

 Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. - Mark Twain