Summerland Key By Water

Summerland Key by Water

http://www.lowerkeys-homes.com Summerland Key by Water. Check out this boating tour of Summerland Key. We'll take you by boat through the canals to give you ...

Seaboots Sailfishing in the Keys

6 11 13 Versaw party Jordann releases giant sail fish

Sail fish release on Sea Boots by 15 yr old Jordann. This was her first sail fish and a big one. This sail was 8 foot and 80 pounds and dumped 300 yards of l...

5 25:26 13 Fl Keys Dolphin Championship

5 25:26 13 Fl Keys Dolphin Championship

Sea Boots fishes Dolphin Tournament. Sea Boots fishes Dolphin Tournament with anglers; Krissy Wejebe, Lance and Lancer, Devin, Dave and Captain Jim. Sea Boot...

Fast And Easy Ways To Add Curb Appeal To Your Home

If you're getting ready to sell your house, proper curb appeal can increase the sale price and make your home look more attractive to potential buyers. The outside of your house speaks volumes, and many buyers won't even bother to look at the inside of the house if the outside doesn't look good. If you are getting ready to put your home on the market, try these inexpensive ways to add curb appeal to your home.


One fast and easy way to add instant curb appeal to your home is to paint your front door. Your front door is one of the things that people see first. Try painting your door a striking color like blue or red. You want your door to stand out from the crowd, but make sure it blends in with your house as well. You can paint your door in just a few hours.



If your mailbox has seen better days, why not give it an upgrade as well? A brand new mailbox adds definite curb appeal to your home. A mailbox is affordable and easy and fast to install. Potential buyers will be more drawn to a mailbox that is shiny and new. A rusty, dented, crooked mailbox does not say good things about your home. A new mailbox doesn't take long to install either.



Flower boxes add curb appeal, and everyone likes to look at them. They add a bit of European charm to your home that can increase its value. You can buy them inexpensively at your local home improvement store. Attach them under your windows and to your front porch. Choose some brightly colored flowers to plant in them. Make sure to water and maintain your new flowers, because dead wilted flowers take away from your curb appeal.



Another way to add instant appeal to your home is to upgrade your light fixtures. If your porch light is looking dated, add one that has a modern look. Try to find one on sale to save money. It won't cost much to hire an electrician to install it because the job is pretty simple. Solar path and entry lights look great and don't cost anything to install. They don't cost much money and they are easy to install yourself.



Finally, new house numbers add the finishing touch to your exterior. If your house numbers look old, worn and faded replace them with contemporary looking numbers that add polish and shine to your exterior. Choose numbers that complement your exterior. You can buy inexpensive numbers from a hardware store and install them yourself, or for a more dramatic effect, have custom numbers made.

When you're selling your house, you want to make the best first impression that you can. It can make the difference between a potential buyer passing right by, or wanting to go inside and find out more. Don't lose buyers before you even get to show them the house by scaring them off with an unattractive exterior. Add curb appeal and get your house sold.

Buy Bank Owned Properties

The option to buy bank owned properties may appear to be a good deal.  These properties are not always in good condition and you may not always be able to buy it for much under the current market price.  You need to familiarize yourself with the process of purchasing this type of property before you jump into it.



Real Estate Owned vs. Foreclosure



A real estate owned property is property that returns to the mortgage company if it has not been sold at a foreclosure auction.  Many foreclosure auctions do not even receive any bids.  Auctions normally commence with a minimum bid that comprises of the balance of the mortgage loan, accrued interest, foreclosure expenses and fees for the attorney.  To be able to bid at these auctions, you need to have a bank check for the full bid amount in your hand.  If your bid is successful, you obtain the property in an ëas isí condition.  Someone may still be residing at the property and there may be other liens on the property.



As the amount that the bank is owed is generally always more than the worth of the property, it is unlikely for foreclosure auctions to result in a sale.  After the auction, if the property remains unsold, it is returned to the bank and it is at this point that it becomes a ëreal estate ownedí property.



How Do Banks Sell Real Estate Owned Properties?



Once the property reverts to the bank, the mortgage loan is written off.  The bank takes care of evicting the current owners or tenants, if that is necessary.  The bank may also do some of the necessary repairs.  They negotiate the removal of any tax liens with the IRS and they will settle any homeownerís association amounts that are payable.



Banks all operate differently, but their one goal is to sell the property at the best price.  If you make an offer to the bank, you will more than likely receive a counter-offer from them.  This is often higher than your price, but this is to show auditors, shareholders and investors that they made an attempt to obtain the best price.  If you want the property, you may have to counter their counter-offer.  If your offer is accepted, there will still be a clause stating that it has to go through approval and a time period for this.



Prior to submitting an offer, it is a good idea to ask your agent to find out some information from the listing agent.  You should find out what repairs the bank has agreed to and if there is a special ëas isí form, among other things.



A property that is owned by the bank is not always a bargain.  Before you start bidding on one of these properties, make sure that the price you are willing to pay compares to that of other homes in the area.  Take into account the amount you may have to spend on renovations, including the time it will take to complete the renovations.

Buying A Vacation Home On The Beach

For a long time, we've been going to the beach town I grew up in, on vacation. For the longest time, we've been paying a lot of money to stay in a hotel, and after everything that happened this last time, I was insistent that we buy a home near the beach.



Now, I had read somewhere that houses were more inexpensive in the beach town. My husband insisted on seeing it for himself, so I actually had to take an honest look at the beach town. While it was indeed more affordable, some of the houses were in a flood zone, and some of them were very tiny. After all the news of hurricanes and floods we had heard, we didn't want a house in a flood zone, but I thought we might be able to do tiny.



I started looking for homes that were on dry land, but I also wanted a house near the bay or the beach. Beachfront and bayfront homes cost upwards of one million dollars, but even a block or two back the prices were drastically reduced. A house five blocks from the bay cost less than a quarter of what a bayfront home cost!



We started looking at houses, and even my husband had to admit that I was right about the prices. I felt so happy that we were taking action on it. I liked every house we saw, and my husband didn't like any of the houses we saw. We must have seen a dozen houses, and we had driven down for the day just to see the houses. Keep in mind, we live in our year round home about three hours west of here.



We also had to be careful too. We were somewhat familiar with the neighborhoods there, because I had grown up in the area, but so much time has passed that I really had to rely on the realtor for information about how things had changed, and whether things were the same.



I was satisfied that the realtor wasn't leading us astray, and we kept looking. It was tough, because a lot of the buildings for sale weren't single family vacancies. That made me wonder if we would have to deal with wild parties and all kinds of things, but the realtor steered us clear of those.



Finally, we looked at a house that was right across the street from the bay. It was a one floor house, but it had airy rooms and a view of the bay. Because it was so small, the price was great, and that is the one we bought.



Now, buying the house isn't the whole story, of course. We have to pay taxes in two towns now, and we had to decide whether to pay for utilities during the winter months. But overall, we have a beautiful new beach home, which gives us all the more reason to run down to that beach town every chance we get. I love it and my husband loves it too.

Buying A House In A Sellers Market

In different parts of the country right now it's definitely a sellers market.  Inventory of homes for sale is low, interest rates are below 4%, and there are a lot of buyers out there looking to get into a home.  So how are you going to find your dream home when you are competing against so many other buyers?

If you are looking to buy then staying on top of new listings should be your top priority.    They give you access to the MLS listings meaning you'll be seeing new homes come onto the market at the same time any other relator would.

When you find a home you like be sure to act on it quickly!  Have your agent give you a tour of the house, don't want for an open house to happen!  A lot of homes are getting offers within the first couple weeks of being on the market, so it's important to arrange a showing quickly if it's a home you are interested in.  Wait too long and the home could be under contract.

Once you find the home you like it's time to make an offer.  Your agent should be doing a comparative market analysis of recently sold homes in the area that are similar sizes.  This will help you determine if the list price is over or under what it will most likely be appraised at.  Once you come up with a number you feel comfortable with, submit it to the seller and hope for the best!

If you find yourself in a multiple offer situation you might want to take a different approach.  If it's a house you really love consider doing an escalation clause.  Instead of listing a price of what you'd like to buy at, tell the seller you are willing to pay $2,000 to $3,000 more than the highest bidder and want right of last refusal.

A seller is not going to object to getting more money for their home, and if the highest offer is outrageous you can always walk away from the home knowing it's not worth it.  But this way you'll have the peace of mind knowing that you didn't overpay by thousands of dollars.

If the seller accepts your offer the house isn't your quite yet.  It's key that you get a home inspector to look over the home and try to find any damages that you might not be aware of.  This includes things like a cracked foundation, mold, leaks in the roof, and other major repairs.

You can use your inspection as a way to gain leverage in negotiations, asking for items to be repaired or for credits at closing to make up for the repairs that need to be done.  If the seller refuses to renegotiate this is one of the several  points in the buying process in which you can walk away from the home with a valid reason.

The purchase of your home will also be contingent on the appraisal and your mortgage being approved.   While the mortgage process can be long and frustrating, once you are clear to close by the bank the house can finally be yours!  But until then be prepared for the emotional roller coaster that is buying a home.