Market Preparation Helps Spring Hill FL Foreclosure Buyers

Foreclosure Wave Could Also Signal Opportunity

If you are organized and willing to put in some serious spadework, buying a Spring Hill FL foreclosure can save you thousands of dollars. A new wave of foreclosures could be heading our way later this year. According to RealtyTrac, the leading source of foreclosure statistics, one in every 665 national housing units received a foreclosure filing in June. More foreclosures mean more opportunities; but it also means that more buyers will begin to think seriously about going after them. In other words – more competition.

If you have never looked into what is involved in snagging one of the foreclosures in our area, a few basics will greatly improve your chances for success:

Do Your Research So You Can Act Quickly.

The foreclosure market performs differently from the traditional market. Arming yourself with accurate comps and knowledge of Spring Hill FL trends will enable you to recognize the right opportunity as soon as it arises – ideally, before other buyers catch wind of it. Working with a knowledgeable agent who keeps you informed is the quickest way to get up to speed. It will help you avoid being dragged into bidding wars with other deal-shopping buyers. Since under-bidding will cause you to miss the best opportunities, and over-bidding will defeat your whole purpose, up-to-the-moment market knowledge is essential for formulating a canny offer.

Weigh in With Cash.

Time is an important factor in buying a Spring Hill FL foreclosure. Your goal is the same as the seller’s: to close the sale as quickly as possible. Naturally, paying cash up front is the simplest route to a speedy closing. If you are buying as an investment, that means targeting only properties that are within your financial reach. As Ron Peltier of HomeServices of America puts it, “A cash buyer who can close in 10 days can certainly get the best deal.” Since closing on a house via traditional mortgage can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days, it is clear which route sellers prefer.

3. Create Clean Offers.

If, like many of my clients, you can’t really afford to propose an all-cash deal, you can still create an offer that lands your foreclosure. Writing a clean offer – one with simple terms and serious cash down — can bring a favorable reaction. Let’s face it: bank officers don’t want to fuss with complicated terms or repairs. A buyer with 20% down, a confirming loan and an “as-is” offer will get a lot more consideration than a buyer with an FHA loan and a minimal deposit. Success means targeting foreclosures at a price point where you can afford to put as much down as possible…then being ready to get dirty and make any needed repairs yourself.

As with any vigorous market, participants need to play by the rules or else be stuck on the sidelines. If you are considering buying a Spring Hill FL foreclosure and are looking for an experienced agent to stand by your side, call me — and let’s get to work!

Creative Writing Sparks Spring Hill FL Listings

Listing Language Can Trigger a Quick Sale

Your Spring Hill FL home is in perfect shape – all set to go on the market. You’ve enlisted an experienced real estate agent with a solid track record. Now all that’s left is…what?

What’s that next step?

In fact, the next step can be all-important: creating a Spring Hill FL listing that does more than just describe the number of beds and baths. It has to stand out among all the competing listings that will be seen alongside it. That Spring Hill FL listing is the keystone of the marketing campaign that will ultimately fetch a new owner: its job is to get buyers and agents to take a closer look. To get that job done, it has to be special!

 When I sit down to work up an effective listing, I try to pay attention to what creative writers from other forms of advertising advise: first discover what is unique, appealing, attention-getting, then present it with language that captures readers’ imaginations. Formulas are out, since following a set group of mechanical rules can only produce a dull, repetitious result. Even so, there are some useful tips that can help spark an effective listing:

* Keep the context in mind. The job of any Spring Hill FL listing is to communicate many essential details in a limited amount of space – but there will be photographic information there, too. Highlight features that can’t be told through either its photos or specifications. For example, if a house offers a spectacular view of the sunset from its veranda, the listing should highlight it. Grandeur can be told nowhere else.

* Listing language should be upbeat and tailored to sell, while at the same time,  filled with accurate and useful information. It’s a balancing act, and going overboard in either direction can be off-putting. Specific details help bring in readers and build believability (high quality brand names like Sub-Zero or Wolf are good examples). Details build credibility that bolsters less concrete descriptions. I leave out unsupportable claims altogether. It can be tempting to fall in love with flowery language that sails off into its own reality — but accurate information builds trust for the lead-up to a sale. 

* Setting the right tone is another important factor. It’s another balancing act.  Listings should be upbeat without exaggeration…accommodating without sounding desperate. The right tone can help bring in prospects, just as the wrong one will drive them off or raise suspicions that something is wrong.

A successful Spring Hill FL agent has demonstrated the know how and experience to bring these and other elements together to produce powerful, effective home listings.  If you are considering selling your own home in the Hernando County or Sarasota County areas, I hope you will give me a call so we can create a dynamic marketing plan to sell your property!

Spring Hill FL Home Sales Could Benefit From Press Change

Home Sales Price, Volume Rises Make News

As usual, the first week of July brought the usual report cards on home sales and other real estate data: the “second quarter stats.” The start of summer signals the beginning of what journalists call the slow news season (in Washington, the ‘silly season’) – a slowdown in the drumbeat of nonstop crises and turbulence in world and national affairs. Sometimes I think the most welcome result is the relief that comes from realizing that we don’t even need to glance at newspapers and TV news. Nothing new is happening. Thank goodness! That’s a mini-vacation all by itself.

One side effect it that it is much more likely that you may have missed some good news that could affect Spring Hill FL homes sales. And possibly a subtle change in the way that news is beginning to be presented.

Reports from the National Association of Realtors, the Census Bureau and others have been looking up for a while, but reports in the national media have emphasized the caution signals. Lately there seems to be a shift in emphasis, if not content. The New York Times reported on the 19.8% increase in home sales in the last 12 months – and for once, the Grey Lady spent more ink on the ‘upswing’ than on the lagging recovery. “…Real estate was far down the list [of categories] investors had to worry about,” said the Times. Coming from that source, it was the journalistic equivalent of a ticker tape parade.

USA Todayheadlined “HOUSING PRICES RISE IN MOST U.S. CITIES,” and went on to quote economist Maury Harris stressing the importance of positive headlines. “It’s a confidence builder at a time when Americans really need something good happening.” He has a point: in the past, Spring Hill FL home sales, like those everywhere else, tend to reflect the national temper even though real estate is a very Spring Hill FL phenomenon.

The Christian Science Monitorreported on the “lift to the long-suffering housing market” provided by the record lows in mortgage rates. They pointed out that previously occupied home sales contract signings matched the “fastest pace in two years,” with prices “rising in most markets.”

The Wall Street Journal sounded a bit more encouraging, as well. “Generally speaking,” they reported, “home prices are rising again in most markets because demand is up strongly from one and two years ago, which the number of homes for sale is down sharply.”

Of course, every neighborhood in Hernando County is unique — and getting accurate home sales information for properties that are similar to yours is a necessary step when you go about evaluating your own family’s home buying or selling plans. For accurate and up-to-date information, feel free to contact us anytime for a consultation.