SW Florida Real Estate Insider

Bad Deal for a buyer

Well, season is in full swing, and for me, that means going on alot of listing appointments for seasonal residents wishing to sell thier home. Alot of people try to sell on thier own first, before they contact a real estate agent. In some cases they are successfull, but in most cases they are not. I ran into a story the other day on a listing appointment where the seller was very successfull, but at a GREAT cost to an unsuspecting buyer.

At this listing appointment, the seller's of the property had been trying to sell on thier own for about $90,000 higher than any sales in the past 4 -5 months. Thier reasoning was that there was a sale about 6-7 months ago where a seller was able to sell thier 2 bedroom villa for $370,000 which was almost $200,000 higher than any of the sales in that community. Some buyer who didn't know any better had way over paid (almost double the market value) and the seller cashed in! Here is what my research of public records came up with, seller was on the market with a realtor for 6 months at $325,000.00 with no success. Of course this was because the property was about $130,000.00 over priced and no realtor would show the property to thier clients. Shortly after thier listing expired they ended up selling to a foriegn buyer for $370,000 which we know of course was about double the market value.
So without benefit of a real estate agent who would look out for thier interest and give them a market analysis of the property and of the community, the buyers bought a home that they may never be able to recoup thier losses in.

Bottom line, always have a real estate agent represent you when purchasing a home, even a For sale by Owner or from a builder/developer. The builder developer always has a commission built in for real estate agents, so you might as well get the benefit of what you are paying for in the price of the home anyway. And with a for sale by owner, it usually can get negotiated, and lets face it, it is a lot cheaper than overpaying for a house.

SW Florida Real Estate Insider

I was out this weekend showing property near Sanibel Harbour Resort and Spa, I hadn't been out that way for a few months and forgot how beautiful it is!

There are 5 condo buildings located right on the tip of Fort Myers before crossing the Sanibel bridge and the views are amazing! All of the buildings face the back bay waters of the Gulf of Mexico and offer amazing views and sunsets.

The 2 towers that are to the the left (in this pic) of the resort enjoy full use of all the resorts amenties and some are in the rental program as well. Great for income when you are not using the property!

Sanibel Harbour is a 4star/4diamond resort and is the only one in Lee County.

One the other side and seperate from the resort is Punta Rassa. It shares the same beautifull spot but is not part of the Sanibel Harbour resort family. However, you do get full access to the restaruants on the resort property as they are all open to the public. The sanible yach club is located right between Punta Rassa and Sainibel Harbour Resort and is great place to store your boat for easy access to the Gulf of Mexico.

If you are interested in seeing what is available for sale or rent in these communities just call or send me an email.

SW FL Real Estate Insider

Amendment 1 FAQs

Q: When will the changes from Amendment 1 show up on tax bills? A: For those who are eligible, benefits from portability, the additional homestead exemption and the $25,000 exemption for tangible personal property will show up on 2008 tax bills. Q: How does a person apply for portability?
A: The homesteaded property owner should turn in a completed application to the office of the property appraiser in the county where the new homestead is located. The application from the Department of Revenue. [http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/appraisers.html]

Q: Who's eligible for portability this year?
A: A person who establishes a new Florida homestead for 2008 and filed to give up the previous homestead sometime after Jan. 1, 2007. In other words, a person who relocated from a homestead last year and is claiming a new homestead for 2008 is eligible. The deadline for 2008 homestead and portability applications is March 1. The portability benefit would show up on the 2008 tax bill.

Q: Who's eligible for portability after that?
A: Any Florida homesteaded property owner who establishes a new homestead for 2009 or any subsequent year—as long as the person had another valid homestead within two years of establishing the new one.

Q: How much is the portability benefit worth?
A: A homesteaded property owner can transfer up to $500,000 of portability benefit to a new homestead. A person moving to a more expensive home transfers the dollar amount. A person moving to a less expensive home transfers the percentage value.

Q: I don’t plan to move. What happens to the 3 percent cap on property tax assessments I got every year under Save Our Homes?
A: You’re still protected. Save Our Homes doesn’t go away.

Q: Is there an application for the additional homestead exemption?
A: No. The additional exemption will be granted automatically to anyone qualifying for a base $25,000 homestead exemption. It applies only if a property's assessed value exceeds $50,000.

Q: How much is the additional exemption?
A: The exemption is $25,000, but it does not apply to property taxes assessed for local schools. In other words, no additional exemption will be applied to a property's assessed value for the purposes of levying school taxes.

Q: Do business owners and mobile-home owners with tangible personal property have to apply for the exemption?
A: To receive the exemption, they must file their 2008 returns. If the value of tangible personal property is under $25,000, they will not have to file again the following year.

Q: When does the 10 percent cap on annual assessment increases for most non-homesteaded properties go into effect?
A: It goes into effect in 2009. There will also be an application. Keep checking the Department of Revenue web site [http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/property/appraisers.html ]for details.

(data source:planetrealtor.com)