BayWatch Magazine | Property Values

BayWatch Magazine - Property Values  |  January 1, 2017 Wherever we go people are continually asking us, “What is the real estate market like right now? “  They are curious to know what properties are selling, be they high rises, villas, single family homes, condos, what prices are like, what the activity is like, etc. We enjoy having these conversations with friends and clients, but today we wanted to provide some pertinent information and a glimpse into the data and numbers available from the local Multiple Listing Service (MLS).  Below are some figures that will provide many answers t...
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The Psychology of Buying and Selling a House

WSJ.com: The Psychology of Buying and Selling a House. │ June 12, 2016 It’s a fact of life: Homes come with far more emotional weight than any other investment we make. A home is a refuge from the world, a place to raise a family and, for some people, an investment they hope will bring them a good chunk of money down the road. We fall in love with houses in a way that we never fall in love with a portfolio of stocks and bonds. All too often, though, we don’t realize that how we feel about homes blinds us when it comes time to buy or sell. We let our emotions blind us to cold facts abo...
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SWFL Ranks Low For Best Places to Buy Rental Homes

Naples Daily News - SWFL Ranks Low For Best Places to Buy Rental Homes. │ April 1, 2016 For investors, the bloom is off the orchid when it comes to buying rental homes, a new report said. "Southwest Florida is past its prime when it comes to acquiring single family homes as rentals," said Daren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac, which released a report Thursday ranking the best places to buy residential rentals nationwide in this year's first quarter. Using government data and its own databases, the Irvine, California-based research company ranked counties nationwide based on th...
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Prices Up But Sales and Choices Down in Collier County

Naples Daily News - Prices Up But Sales and Choices Down in Collier County. │ March 18, 2016 For beleaguered buyers, there's good news: Choice is coming back to the housing market. After months of tight supply, overall resale inventory rose 27 percent in February, to 5,577 homes from 4,406 homes a year earlier, according to the Naples Area Board of Realtors. Click to Read More
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Bonita Bay Property Values

BayWatch News │ February, 2016 Issue As you read this BayWatch issue our season is in full swing.  Regarding real estate, it is well documented that inventory is more limited than in years past.  2015 proved to be very fast and furious with sales accelerating, homes being on the market for far fewer days before selling, and according to the local Multiple Listing System’s statistics more properties selling for more than the asking price than in any year since 2005.  But would you believe that the inventory of 2016 mirrors that of 2015? When many of you left town this past spring, invento...
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Cash Sales Are Rising

Realtor.com - Cash Sales Are Rising Here. │ December 7, 2015 Cash sales may be far from their peak of 41.1 percent in February 2011, but the share of buyers paying with all-cash did show an uptick recently. For the third consecutive month, cash sales in real estate were on the rise, accounting for 28.9 percent of all sales during October, up from 28.4 percent the previous month but still down from 30.4 percent a year ago, according to RealtyTrac’s October 2015 U.S. Home Sales Report. In RealtyTrac’s analysis of 230 metros with at least 10 or more cash sales and at least 100 sales in Octo...
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Nothing’s Normal About This New Normal

Fort Myers News Press - Nothing's Normal About This New Normal. │ November 24, 2015 With 300,000 new residents expected in 2016, Florida is Florida again, and the real estate market is roaring back. Or is it? Yes and no, the three News-Press Market Watch experts say in this analysis of the third quarter of 2015. It’s a market unlike any they’ve seen, where you can be right or wrong, and some of the most spectacular wins seem to come from left field. Click to Read More
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U.S. Home Price Growth Gains Momentum in September

WSJ.com - U.S. Home Price Growth Gains Momentum in September. │ November 24, 2015 Home price growth accelerated in September, according to a report released Tuesday, underscoring concerns that lofty price gains are helping to keep some buyers out of the market. The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, covering the entire nation, rose 4.9% in the 12 months ended in September, stronger than a 4.6% increase in August. The 10-city index gained 5% from a year earlier, compared with a 4.7% increase in August. The 20-city index gained 5.5% year-over-year compared with 5.1% a month earlier....
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Rushing to Invest Before Interest Rates Rise? Read This First.

Trulia - Rushing to Invest Before Interest Rates Rise? Read This First. │ September 23, 2015 Consider these 4 factors before jumping into an investment property. For now, at least, interest rates are still at an all-time historic low. The average annual interest rate in 2000 was 8.05% with 1 point, according to FreddieMac.com, while the January 2015 average interest rate was just 3.67% with 0.6 points. Click to Read More
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