It's Time to Stop Shopping and Start Making Offers

Working on behalf of the Home Seller, I am present at many of the showings as buyer's agents bring their buyers through the seller's home.  I do this as a service for the waterfront real estate owners in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra, St Augustine, and Orange Park.  I want to make sure the home is presented at it's best, and I want to answer questions about the property and get immediate feedback from the buyers.  I also want to ask every showing to make an offer regardless of their feedback, and see if we can't put together a deal that makes since for both parties.

Being present at the showings, I see a lot of frustrated home buyers and frustrated buyer's agents looking at  30, 60, even 100 houses…

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  1. Priced to Sell

  2. Priced to Keep

This is one of my Canadian friend's rule of thumb on pricing, and I fully agree.  In any real estate market cycle, this rule of thumb works.  It's one of the keys to the success that I have had at liquidating properties for owners or banks who MUST sell.

Too often I believe we all forget about the dynamics of selling real estate.  It is everyone's intention to sell a house at absolute top dollar and then buy a house in perfect condition for the absolute lowest dollar.   It rarely ever happens this way.   More often than not, home owners end up having to reduce the price because the idea that "someone will come along and just fall in love with it" never happens.  Frustration sets in and the price…

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We've just been given another SunTrust approved Short Sale and the sellers, buyers, and all parties involved are ready to get this one closed.

Suntrust Short Sales are not too difficult as long as the appropriate expectations are set upfront.  The way Suntrust currently works short sales is that all phases of the process are completed in the 60-70 day time frame, and then it gets handed to the Suntrust negotiator.

YES, they do take longer than many of the other big banks, however the legitimate short sales are getting approved.  It's just a waiting game.  The good news on Suntrust is that if you get assigned to a negotiator, you are basically done and should be closing shortly thereafter.

Check out the Suntrust Short Sale information on their…

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In Jacksonville Florida, many homes have been abandoned by the owners after frustration of dealing with a mortgage modification.  It's happening in every neighborhood and in every income bracket.

I blame the mortgage companies! The general public is not aware that a Short Sale is the best option versus just walking away from the mortgage.  If an owner attempting a loan modification actually hangs in there with his mortgage company after months and sometimes years of frustration and red tape, eventually the mortgage company may finally deny the modification and then recommend a Short Sale......occasionally.

Short Sale is an option, and most often the best option.

Do not call the bank and ask if you can do a short sale!

If you call the bank and…

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We get calls from home owners in Jacksonville and Ponte Vedra who need to sell a home, but have been unable to get the mortgage company to give them an answer on doing a short sale.  These home owners are upside down in the mortgage, and attempt to get some kind of approval to do the short sale from the bank.  DO NOT DO THIS.

The correct steps to Start and Complete a Short Sale:

  1. It's important to have the correct expectations, so spend the time to read this page about Short Sales.
  2. Contact a licensed real estate agent who is an expert in Short Sales.  Meet Brad.
    1. We discuss your financial situation, house, bank, etc.
    2. We discuss the short sale process
    3. We discuss working with our Short Sale Attorney who will represent you.
  3. Meet…

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Question of the month: Is it a good time to buy a home in Florida?

Much of the web traffic BradOfficer.com receives is from out of state home shoppers looking for waterfront homes in Jacksonville, beachfront homes, oceanfront in Ponte Vedra, etc. Inquiries come from all corners of the U.S. often asking questions about specific properties being showcased on the site, questions about the area, and questions about the market.

I've been getting the question above more often in the last few months as many are starting to think it may be a good time to make a purchase.

Top 3 Reasons why it's a good time to buy real estate in Florida

  1. As one of my mentors says:  "It's always a good time to own real estate".  Real estate is not the stock market and…

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The elusive short sale of a SunTrust mortgage has undoubtedly caused many REALTORS to question their chosen field.

The first Short Sale that I ever accomplished was in 2007 and it was a SunTrust Mortgage.  Back then, it was very smooth.  We spoke directly to the loss mitigation negotiator within a week, we had an answer from the bank in just under 3 weeks, we received the clear to close letter and went to closing within 5 weeks of the offer.

Long gone are the days of "short" in the Suntrust short sale.  Most often we wait at least 60 days to finally be assigned a negotiator and then another 30 + to get Suntrust to sign off on the short sale.  That's 90+ days for a Suntrust short sale....very painful for everyone involved.

During the 90 days the…

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A home is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it and not a dollar more.  The value of the home instantly changes once the purchase is completed through a closing at which time the value changes again.

In consulting with many home owners who owe more than their home is worth, we always discuss how to complete a short sale and the value of their property.  Many times I'm told that they will contact the bank to find out what price they should list the property for.  This doesn't work and is a waste of time.

Who determines the list price of a Short Sale?

The listing REALTOR determines the list price.....not the bank nor the home owner. Here are the steps I go through to determine the listing price:

  1. Comparable Sales: I look at what…

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I've argued this point many times and I'm not backing down!

Real Estate pricing across the United States continue to drop in almost every market.  Yes, I believe it is still too high due to the Supply and Demand principal.  We have too much Supply and not enough Demand which forces prices lower.

My Argument: Short Sales Hold the KEY to the Real Estate Market Stabilization

Problem #1:  Banks are causing Supply to increase.

With over half the market as "distressed" the majority of the distressed homes are Short Sales.  Short Sales take 60+ days to get approved and are becoming increasingly more difficult......however, banks would rather a home owner short sale vs. going through a foreclosure or a Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure.  Therefore, home…

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We are #1 !!!

Not that we should be, but we (Jacksonville) are #1 on a recent report for price reductions.  The data showed that out of all the major housing markets in the United States, Jacksonville surged ahead with 54% of all current listings on the market have had a price reduction.  (that's really not good)

Important Points to pull from the Data:

  1. Price is everything in a Buyers market!
  2. REALTORS price properties too high (I've been guilty as well)
  3. The Market price of your home is still going down.  Remember, the property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.  Not many people will tell you this and it's hard to hear, but it's the truth.

The Good News:

  1. Houses are Selling!
    • Clay County Closings since June…

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