Can I Interest you in Some Florida Swamp Land?

 
I received the phone call yesterday. The buyer was calling from up North. She has been watching the real estate market and has decided that Brevard County would be a great place to invest in some real estate. She’s right, it is a great time to buy in Florida.

I asked her what she was looking for. She indicated that she would like a 3 or 4 bedroom, 2 to 3 bath, 2 car garage, situated on at least half an acre.  She would like 1800+ feet of living and minor repairs needed, preferably none.  I told her that I would be more than happy to see what I could find.

“What’s your price range?” I asked.

“$25,000. I don’t want to pay anymore than $25,000 for a property.”

“25,000?,” I asked. I was certain I misunderstood.

“I will not pay anymore than $25,000 for a property,” she responded.

Hmmmmmmm…..

When you find one of those, let me know, because I’ll buy one too!

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores REALTOR®,  Melbourne/Palm Bay FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

I also buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.

 

Forbes Top 10 List of Recovering Areas

Forbes has determined that these metro areas boast gains in real estate sales over 2008:

1. Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
2. Lincoln, Nebraska
3. Colorado Springs, Colorado
4. Salem, Oregon
5. San Luis Obispo, California
6. Bremerton, Washington
7. Denver, Colorado
8. Redding, California
9. Santa Barbara, California.
10. San Jose, California

It’s not surprising that 4 of these areas are located in California. In placing the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area at the top of the list, this certainly covers a very large portion of South Florida.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores REALTOR®, Melbourne/Palm Bay FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

I also buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.

What an Incredible Experience!

Yesterday, my family and I drove up to Cape Canaveral Florida to visit a client that I had helped in purchasing a beautiful riverfront condo a month before.  We went straight down to the boat docks by the gazebo hoping to get a glimpse of the manatees playing.  We saw at least 6 of them.  These sea cows, known as gentle giants live in shallow waters in our lagoons. 

We we absolutely mezmerized at what we saw.

In the 35 years I have lived in Brevard County I have never seen anything like this before.

All of these pictures were taken in the backyard of my client’s new riverfront condo here in Brevard County Florida.

These guys were drinking fresh water from a hose. They couldn’t get enough of it.

They were circling and snorting and doing somersaults right in front of us. 

They were so close we could reach out and touch them.

They just loved laying on their backs and taking in the fresh water.

My friend, Tony, indicated that the manatees are very active early in the morning.  They love playing and and having fun in the water. Later in the day they usually are resting.

He has indicated that he can stand on his balcony and watch the porpoises jump, also.

Now this is what I call heaven. 

Such an incredible sight to see. 

My teenage daughters absolutely loved watching these playful, fun loving creatures.

 

 

My client, who has become a great friend of mine, has told us that anytime we want to visit, we are more than welcome to come to watch the manatees.

He absolutely loves his new home, as he says that everyday he feels like he’s on vacation.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores REALTOR®,  Melbourne/Palm Bay FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

I also buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.

Don’t Always Assume on those Short Sale Listings

 

This morning I went to check on one of my short sale listings.  The owners moved last week, so the home has been vacated.  I always make it a point to check my vacant listings regularly, to be sure there are no problems, and to be sure the doors are locked and the lights are off.

When I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the blinds blowing in the breeze.  Huh?  How can that be, when the air conditioner wasn’t currently running?  Uh oh, there was a broken window.

A new pane of glass will need to be put in that window.

Often times we see short sales or foreclosures with windows that get boarded up to protect the home from the weather/rain. However, in many cases FHA or VA will not allow their buyer to purchase a home with broken or boarded up windows, because the short sale or foreclosure lenders are not favorable to doing repairs on these properties. So, often times the house will not pass an FHA or VA inspection.

NOTE: On every short sale and foreclosure, for a buyer, I always ask the lender to do the needed repairs.  And often, they won’t agree to it.  However, I will say that on a couple occasions the lenders have done regular repairs and some necessary FHA repairs. One lender fixed some broken windows, one put a stove in and another gave a credit to the buyers for an A/C repair. We don’t always know what they’ll agree to do, until we ask.

So, the key here is to never assume they’ll do nothing.

This article is authored by

Sandy Shores REALTOR®,  Melbourne/Palm Bay FL Real Estate

Brevard County Real Estate & Investing

I also buy, sell, rent, own and manage Investment Property.