Highlands County Talk

I was thrilled when I saw WalMart sign announcing their new location in Highlands County, right on US 27 as you enter Avon Park. I was thrilled because it would save me 30 minutes in time and gas as I live in Avon Park Lakes, just 2 minutes away from the WalMart construction site.
Then I heard people starting to speculate: "My home value is going to increase, double, triple etc. as soon as WalMart opens its doors." I don't believe this is very likely to happen because generally WalMart doesn't employ rocket scientists or celebrities able and willing to pay $500,000 for a $130,000 home in Avon Park.

No doubt we will see an increase in home values but it's not going to happen over night. The commercial says "America runs on Dunkin", I say "America runs on WalMart". WalMart in Avon Park will draw in a lot of consumers from Sebring, Lake Placid, Wauchula and Frostproof. WalMart will also draw in other businesses and the value of commercial land in Walmart's immediate neighborhood is likely going to increase dramatically. Take a look at the kind of businesses you usually find around WalMart. This is what is going to go up around WalMart in Avon Park. In return, that will bring more money into Avon Park and into the pockets of the average home buyer. This is where I see the increase of property value happening. It's not going to sky rocket, keeping in mind that we are still recovering from a steep down market. However, things are looking good!

Andrea Mills - "Avon Park is gonna be the next big boom!" Copyright 2008 *All Rights Reserved

This article was originally posted on http://sebring.activerain.com/

Why do I need to remove clutter?

"I'm only selling my home, not my personal belongings. The buyer knows that, so why do you want me to declutter my home?"

Of course, you are not selling all your personal belongings with your home but there are plenty of advantages if you take the time to declutter:

1. The interior of your home will look bigger!
2. Your home will appear brighter!
3. No clutter means there's plenty of storage space!
4. Buyers can picture their own clutter in your home if they are not distracted by your clutter.
5. You already made the decision to move, which means you will have to pack up your belongings sooner or later. Remove your clutter now, pack it up or have a garage sale. You won't have to worry about it anymore once you have a buyer and closing day is just around the corner.
6. Buyers can truly appreciate the special features of your home if they are not distracted by looking at clutter.

If you think about it, there are only advantages to decluttering your home. Get started todaY!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GETTING YOUR HOME READY TO SELL, GIVE ME A CALL! I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP!

Dear Seller,

I have heard "I need this amount from the sale of my home" many times and I perfectly understand your point of view. I want you to make a profit and if it was up to me, I would get you a million for your home. Unfortunately, it is not up to me and it is also not up to you. Let me explain why:

Let's say you bought your home for $200,000 and now that you are ready to sell, you want to make a profit. Your asking price is $220,000. You lived in your current home for 5 years, kept it well maintained, made a few updates and improvements. There were 5 recent sales of comparable homes in your neighborhood. Their sale price ranged from $175,000 to $180,000. Now the question is, will a buyer pay $20,000 more for your home when they know comparable homes have sold for at least $20,000 less? More importantly; if you were the buyer...........would you pay $20,000 more?

You have located a ready, willing and able buyer to purchase your property. Now what? Of utmost importance is to reach a complete agreement on the following:

Price - how much have you agreed on?
Terms - how will the buyer pay for your property?
Personalty - are their any appliances, furnishing, etc. included with the property?
Legal Discription - do you have a complete legal description of the property?
Expenses - who will pay for what?
Escrow Deposit - have you gotten a good deposit and who is going to hold it?
Disclosures - have you made the proper disclosures to the buyer?
Title Insurance - who will be providing title insurance?
Closing Date - when exactly willt he transaction close?
Inspections - have you agreed on what inspections are allowable?
Financing - if applicable, are you being asked to pay a portion of the buyer's costs?
Title Defects - have you addressed the potential for a title problem?

These are just a few of the predominant issues to be concerned with when deciding to sell on your own. Once you have covered these in full, make sure you have them placed in writing. While you may use the standard form from any office supply store, consulting with a real estate attorney is more advisable. When using a Realtor, part of our job is to prepare the contracts on your behalf and answer all regarding questions you might have.

Be careful not to consider your property sold until everything is official! Unfortunately, many buyers get cold feet and change their minds before entering into a formal contract. There is also less importance given to sticking with a buying decision when dealing with an owner directly as opposed to dealing with a licensed Real Estate Professional.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS REGARDING SELLING YOUR HOME ON YOUR OWN, PLEASE CONTACT ME. I'M ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP

1. Buyer requests financing from seller
While seller financing can make sense in some situat9ions, it is not for everybody. You will want to be concerned with how much money the buyer will be placing as a down payment. Obviously, the more you loand them, the higher your level of risk. Consult your accountant to sxee how providing seller financing might affect you when tax season comes around.

2. Early Occupancy
Each case is different,m but in general it is not wise to allow a buyer to mive into your property prior to a full closing. There are always things that the buyer might not like after moving in, and then refuse to close. If you are going to allow this, make sure you have consulted your attorney about drafting a lease prior to letting your buyer move in before closing. Otherwise, you might jeopardize your rights in case you would need to have the buyer removed from the property at a later date.

3. Guest Registry
Showing your property to prospective buyers without having them register their names and other info is very risky. You have a right to know whom you allow into your home. Simply leave a sign-in sheet visible and ask everyone who sees your property to fill it out. This way you can follow up with them later if your price changes, or should there be any cases of theft. You can then provide the police with a list of visitors to your property.

4. Get it in writing
Don't accept a buyer's offer without a written contract. In Florida, a contract for sale is only valid if placed in writing and executed by the parties. Some buyers will encourage you to trust their word. There is absolutely no reason not to have yoru contract in writing.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT SELLING YOUR PROPERTY YOURSELF, GIVE ME A CALL!