Quicksilver is now on Facebook!
|
|
|
|
Foreclosure: Do Not Let it Happen to You!
|
|
|
Let’s visualize for a minute. Think about the very worst thing that could ever happen to you money wise. Try to see yourself never being about to purchase anything using your credit for years and years to come. No new car, no new phones contract, no nothing unless you have cash on hand. That is what it feels like after your credit has been affected by foreclosure. Tampa homes for sell, condominiums and commercial properties all have owners that have been rocked by the nation’s foreclosure epidemic. When the bills get to high to pay, what do you do? Do you sit back and let your home get foreclosed on or do you fight back? Due to the negative impact on a person’s credit report, it would be to his or her best interest to get in contact with someone that can help, such as a realtor that specializes in distressed property liquidation. An experienced professional can be an incredible asset to those desperate for help. You might even be able to stay in your home. Remember when problems arise, money gets tight and the bills are coming, ask for help from someone who is experiences in foreclosed properties. Anything is better than having a foreclosed property on your credit. Do not sit back and wonder what to do, go out and get help.
|
Is Rushing into Buying a Home a Thing of the past?
|
|
|
Think back to a couple years ago when the housing boom was in full blast and everyone who even thought about buying a Tampa home for sale could purchase one in as little as a week. Ah the good old days. Now think about recent times where the banks are not lending any money, credit is slow and low job totals are making people think twice about moving into their own home. With such a contrast between these two times, one has to wonder how could this have happened, but the most important question is did we learn our lesson. With distressed property, short sales, REO bank owned homes and foreclosed homes dominating the Tampa’s real estate industry, a new buyer will almost certainly have to wait some time before getting the keys to the home of their dreams. Buying a house that has these types of distressed signals is now a waiting game. The seller must have all the paperwork turned in to the bank, and the bank has to approve the sale. This process can delay closing a home for months. To look at things on the positive side, maybe it is not a bad thing to wait to buy. Maybe a buyer can find peace with the idea that they have just made one of the most important investments in their life. That is hard to swallow in a week. Another possibility is waiting a few extra weeks could give the seller time to make the transition to another home. When something as bad as a recession comes around and changes the way we do things, it is very important to stand back and learn from the situation. We all got too greedy and things got a little too easy. This lead to rushing and entering into deals that was not really in our best interests. Now that we are on the slow road to recovery, hopefully we have learned from our past mistakes.
|
SHORT SALE NEGOTIATIONS? NO PROBLEMS HERE!
|
|
Gone are the days of short sale transactions taking month after month to go through. While the ways of handling these transactions has not changed much, the length of time to close deals have seen a dramatic decrease. “Lenders are now getting incentives from the government to work with short sales and close these deals,” said Alex Gromkov, Senior Short Sale Negotiator for Quicksilver Real Estate Group. “I am closing about four a month with an average wait time of three months,” added Gromkov. Many experts in the short sale negotiating field claim the key to getting a deal done as quickly as possible is to have the right paperwork filled out and sent to the lender as soon as the required information has been completed. Others say the relentless pursuit of the sometimes, hard to reach lender is the secret of success. “Good communication between the lender, buyer, and the home owner is the most essential way to insure a successful deal in the shortest amount of time,” said Gromkov. A good mix of persistence, the correct information and good communication seems to be key to finding success when negotiating short sales, a problem in which so many Americans are faced with. A successful deal not only helps a buyer find a home for a low price, but it also helps a homeowner in distress, trying to get their life back by starting over on a clean slate. |
Realtor sells Commercial property after a 512-day wait
|
|
As the old saying goes “Rome was not built in a day.” Local Realtor A.J. Altieri knows this for sure as he finally closes a deal on a 5,000 square foot commercial property in Tampa’s Dale Mabry Highway. “I used mail-outs, banners, Internet marketing and even created a website for this property,” said Altieri, a leading commercial sales agent for the Quicksilver Real Estate Group. A.J. had to make use of all his knowledge and experience to sell this building in Tampa’s declining commercial real estate market. In the fourth quarter there has been only 29 commercial properties sold. This drop in sales may be because many businesses are downsizing and not buying commercial as they would in a more economically feasible market. As the residential properties are now starting to level and in some cases, rise, commercial properties are still on a downward spiral. This is forcing sellers to reduce the price of homes to stay competitive with other sellers in the area looking to unload their unused building. “In commercial deals today, a Realtor must educate the seller to at least consider every offer,” add Altieri. “I have made so many new contacts and now people are coming to me for help negotiating deals exactly like I did on this property,” added Altieri. On November 25, all his hard work paid off. |
'Tis the Season! It’s the time of year devoted to family, joy and the giving of gifts. Children have that special look in their eye as they count down the days until their 2nd favorite day of the year comes around, (Besides their birthdays…) while their parents scurry around town looking for the best gift for the best prices. Christmas time is here, ladies and gentleman, get ready for the movies where the main character gets his chance at retribution for the sins he committed all year and the songs of goodwill that stick in your head in the elevator. It’s the season to be jolly so when you see people in the Christmas spirit, try not to get upset at their holiday cheer. There are many scrooges out trying to spoil good times, do not let them steal your joy! In these times, with all that is happening in the world around us, it is hard to find something to feel good about. With the economy in a horrific state no one wants to concentrate on spending lots of money on gifts for even their love ones. With that said, we must remember that giving does not have to be mainly about money, we can also give the gift of understanding, encouragement and love. These are the main ideals for this holiday but the primary one we have to focus on is togetherness. If we can concentrate on being together instead of the pettiness of the world we live in, then we will truly understand the meaning of this much celebrated holiday. |
THE REAL DEAL ABOUT CURB APPEAL A few weeks ago, my good friend Joey called me to ask my expert advice on why his home, which was sitting on the market for almost 400 days, was not getting any showings. During this call, he told me about the new hardwood floors he recently put in, the extension of an extra bedroom and the brand new pool cage he added on to his home. This guy sounded troubled. He invited me to come over and take a look at his home and all his improvements, so I promptly obliged, curious as of why he was having such problems showing this remarkably sounding home. Once I got there I realized exactly why he could not show this house. There was concrete laying all over the yard, wood everywhere, paint buckets lying around and grass in some places, but not in others. Joey’s problem was not the interior of his house it was the exterior. Joey had no “curb appeal.” Curb appeal is the attractiveness of the home’s exterior. I had to let Joey know that if his home has a bad appearance on the outside, buyers will not bother with looking inside. Curb appeal can be a deciding factor in a competitive real estate market. I gave him some inexpensive tips on how to improve on the look of his residence. - Landscape the driveway to set the tone for the yard
- Arrange flowerbeds from tallest to shortest
- Keep windows free of shrubs and clear of branches
- Have harmony between the colors of blinds and drapes
- Add a pond or chimes for soothing sounds
- Paint your front door and garage door a nice clean color to match the look of the home
Once Joey tried some of these tips he found that the amount of showings increased dramatically and a few weeks later, he sold his home. Curb appeal also increase the property value 10% - 15%. It also add style and flair to a property and more visually lucrative to buyers. I encourage everyone that is selling property to think about how much work they would like to put into curb appeal and try a “makeover” to their home’s exterior. Those minor changes you make may add an extra 15% to your home sale. |
|
|