Checklist for Buying a South Florida Home: The Pros You Need

Buying a home in South Florida is hardly a do-it-yourself kind of project. Having confidence that the all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed requires the input of professionals whose daily dealings keeps them in touch with the current legal and financial arenas.  

Call them the “Fundamental Four” — the four groups of professionals you will want to have on your team when buying a home in South Florida this winter.

First and foremost, you need to be sure the money factor is handled in an advantageous way. By far the most popular route is via a mortgage: a home loan. Your specialist here is the professional mortgage broker. He or she will advise you on the types of mortgages available this winter; will work with you to determine the amount you qualify for, the different payment plans you can choose, and guide you through the maze of paperwork.

A real estate agent does more than just sparing you the trouble of going through the listings to find a suitable home. Yes, your agent will help you identify local homes for sale that suit your budget and preferences, but will also be a vital part of the negotiating process and the disclosure and associated paperwork. Your agent is actually the professional who ties together the work of all your other consultants.

The inspector is your expert when it comes to verifying the quality of the property itself. He will inspect and prepare a comprehensive report on every critical physical aspect. Buying a home can’t be a guessing game when it comes to the state of the structure itself: your inspector will help you determine if it fits the price tag.

The title/escrow company facilitates the actual transaction itself, which can be a bit more complicated than you might think. They will prepare all the legal documents after inspecting the title of the property, and, via contract, oversee the timing as the home is transferred from the seller to you.

Thinking of buying a home in SouthFlorida this winter?  Start with the information that’s just a phone call away.  Contact me today!
Interested in selling your South Florida area home? Call me and let’s talk. http://www.lifestylestechteam.com

Which Projects Actually Lower South Florida Home Values?

Renovations and upgrades will increase anybody’s South Florida home values, right?

Maybe…but not so fast! Believe it or not, some projects can actually diminish a South Florida property’s home values. In other words, you could potentially lose more than the cost of the project: you could lower your home’s ultimate resale value as well!

One of the most common examples is the overly ambitious landscaping project. Who doesn’t love a well-tailored garden or a perfectly maintained backyard? Yet,overdoing it can be counterproductive. To some potential buyers, too much landscaping could equal increased maintenance (meaning more work and expense). When the balance isn’t right, turned-off prospective buyers can bring lower offers. When it comes to landscaping, the idea is to keep up with the Joneses, not outdo them.

Another potential trouble spot comes when a remodeling effort goes into converting a spare bedroom. Especially because local property records can record a home’s structural description over the course of the years, a change in the number of bedrooms from four to three can mean home values headed in the wrong direction. It’s also the kind of change that can give rise to skeptical queries in prospective buyers’ minds — running the gamut from “why exactly did they convert the bedroom into another room?”” to “what else have they changed that we’d better know about?”

Any creative, off-the-beaten-path design upgrades can create more problems than solutions. You might think that a potential buyer would look at what they view as an unsuitable paint color and think, “Well, that’s just a few hours of work.” But few buyers want to spend their free time painting…especially when it’s on top of custom textures. Soto says that textured walls are difficult to sand and downright nasty to remove. Home values are usually better served by skipping the fancy textures and sticking to neutral colors.

Home values in South Florida have been on the rise, so before making any moves that could wind up being counter-productive, if you are preparing to sell this winter, why not call me for an up-to-date market assessment?

Selling Your Home Is a Matter That Rates Consideration

It’s the kind of “problem” many would like to have: a buyer has just made an offer on your home — and you hadn’t even listed it for sale! 

 Turns out, it’s not all that uncommon for “house-stalkers” (or their determined agents) to slip notes into owner’s mailboxes or just knock on the door and ask to buy the house. It’s a house-hunting strategy that has worked for all kinds of buyers who are unimpressed by the homes they find on the market.

For anyone up in the air about selling your home in South Florida, here are some questions that can lead to a rational decision:

Basics of Buying Foreclosed Homes in South Florida

You may have seen the reports — and they are correct — that the number of new foreclosures has dropped almost everywhere throughout the country. Although the Mortgage Bankers Association’s report about the drop in non-seasonally adjusted foreclosure starts might indicate otherwise, this winter, sharp-eyed buyers can still find any number of foreclosed homes in South Florida. For those whose goal is to find an appreciably nicer home at a lower-than-average price, a few basics shed light on the process.

Mistakes to Avoid As a First-Time Home Buyer

When a South Florida first-time home buyer begins hunting for the prize that has to serve both as a satisfactory home base and a solid investment, most feel a mixture of excitement (a home is a landmark achievement!) and maybe just a touch of apprehension. Like any expense you’ve never encountered before, it’s appropriate to take extra care the first time out — and to pay attention to what experience teaches. Along those lines, here are some mistakes that are easy for a first-time home buyer to make. Fortunately, they’re also easy to sidestep: