[jackie8689]

Very good point, Summergal. One of things I did to get around it was to go to some of the local RE Companies that have robust websites that allowed an MLS search for the area. These proved to be much better, since they mostly provided additional pictures, etc. These companies would be like ReMax or Century 21. I googled.

[summergal]

jackie - very good tip. I've found those to be more up to date as well. You are right, if you take the MLS# from realtor.com etc and plug it into some of the other co. websites you can get all kinds of additional info. One site I ran across (for a different state) had an average of 20 pictures for every listing!

Another thing to try is to take the address from the listing and look up the property on that county's tax appraiser's site. Often there is a great amount of insight there. For instance, if the ownership is a bank or a trust... it would indicate a forclosure or other "special" circumstance. Also if you take a look at the tax amount, there will be a "homestead" discount when the property is occupied by the owner, or no discount when it is being used as a rental. And also look to see if the property was sold the very recently. These hints can be a clue to how well it was maintained over the years and to watch for signs of the "quick flip makeover" that may be hiding some expensive problems.

Lots of info there to be found on the net, but it's only the tip of the iceberg. You still have to see the home, it's immediate neighbors and the general neighborhood in person. I've seen homes that seemed really crappy on the net, yet turned out to be great homes and ones that seemed awesome, were really spiffed up disasters lol.

No doubt, being the buyer or seller is stressful. There's alot of emotion involved with things relating to your home.

[jackie8689]

Absolutely! So many factors to consider when moving. Research and being armed with information is one factor AND physically seeing the house, the neighborhood are just as much to consider. The resources are definately out there.

[Dee2e]

HOME SALES

Florida's housing sector in May continued to adjust to changing
market conditions, including a greater inventory of homes available
for sale in many areas. A total of 18,680 existing single-family homes
sold statewide last month, a decrease of 24 percent from a year earlier,
according to FAR. Meanwhile, the statewide existing-home median
price rose 11 percent to $256,400.

Read the full story:

http://www.planetrealtor.com/florida...le=n1-06272006

[Cabbage]

Originally Posted by Grass Is Greener

cakeprincess have you checked your asking price against zillow.com? sometimes the site is a little off in the appraisal but a lot of times is pretty accurate.

Yes I have noticed that. I personally don't use it anymore brcause the appraisal doesn't seem to be right. I like to type.

[summergal]

Dee2e - great article! So the prices are still rising, that's what I've noticed in my area, although not as big a jump as what we have been seeing.

[Jewels36]

Originally Posted by jackie8689

Very good point, Summergal. One of things I did to get around it was to go to some of the local RE Companies that have robust websites that allowed an MLS search for the area. These proved to be much better, since they mostly provided additional pictures, etc. These companies would be like ReMax or Century 21. I googled.

Jackie,

I do this as well. I am sure there may be some outdated listings on realtor dot com, but I haven't encountered any. I always croos reference any that interest me with the listing agents website. I also go to the local property valuation website to check additional info such as number of owners, previos purchase price, tax rate, etc.

I am aware some are foreclosures too and sale less than others that are not but from a mortgage and real estate appraisal standpoint - these foreclosures do affect market value of the area they are located. When they sell for less, they work to bring down the values in a given area. If there are a lot of sales this may not have much of an effect but when there are not many sales the effect can be big. A lot of foreclosures in a given area can also really work to depreciate the values in a community.

There are so many factors to consider when purchasing a home today beyond the home and area itself.

Interest rates are still really good, even for those with less than perfect credit. There is a loan program for almost anyone and most programs do not require more than 5% down, some less (including no money down). These programs still offer great rates too. Rates are going to rise but I don't think we are going to be looking at double digit rates anytime soon. However, with home prices up across the nation to the point that many can barely afford a home, any increase can further add to preventing people from affording these homes. This would cause values to stop rising and in some areas to fall.

The other things that concern me right now is what another horrible hurricane season would do to our economy; especially if we have a major earthquake during the same time. This would surely be devastating.

In addition to that there is Iraq, Iran and Korea to worry about. I live in a military area and hear a lot from my military friends. These parts of the world are very unstable and we could easily find ourselves involved more thatn we already are. If this were to happen it too would have an effect on our economy.

IMHO, it is necessary to exercise prudence when considering purchasing at this time. This market calls for a wait and see approach. It is better to be careful than it is to buy at the top of a market and then have values drop. It is difficult to build true equity in the beginning anyway if you purchase on a 30 year mortgage. Imagine how much more difficult it would be if the values drop as well. If this home is to be your last move, it really would not hurt you but if you think you may be selling again in 1-3 years, it could be a disaster to you financially. We do see ourselves selling again, probably 2-5 years, so we are really trying to be careful.

The other probelm is for those that get talked into taking on an adjustable rate mortgage. Fixed rates are not that high and there is no real reason to do this unless you can not afford the home at the fixed rate payment. In which case, you need to think twice. If rates are increasing, this means the adjustable rate will also increase at each increment (could be monthly, every 6 months, or yearly depending on the type you chose) and it won't be long before you can no longer afford the payment again. In addition, with the overflux of homes on the market, it may be difficult to sell and you could be looking a foreclosure. I have never been fond of these type of mortgages and have always tried to discourage them. About the only people that I have ever thought should use them are those with lots of money who are capable of taking such a gamble.

[atinob10]

What's up everyone, do you all know one another and don't allow new comers?
Are do you always ignore posts. A bit rude.
Or do you need education in Home Staging? It really works and you will not only get the price your asking but you can usually ask for 10% more. Every $100.00 you spend in staging you can add 1,000. to your asking price.

[bamboosmom]

BTW- do apts. back homes in your subd.? Does I75 run through your subd.? Is noise a problem for your subd.? What about the golf course lots? Many homes were on those.


You say you are moving becuase of a business tra.nsfer Most jobs do not allow this benefit. When they transfer you, you have a deadline for arriving. Is your husband self employed or planning to work for family when you relocate? Maybe that is why you can wait this thing out. (Just speculating, that's all.)

You said the people are unfriendly.

Hi everybody,
let's start over...Hi I am Bamboosmom

When I found this site I got excited and thought we could mention homes for sale...my mistake...I am new to the forums and didn't read all the rules.
Once again, I am sorry for that.

Here are answers to the questions posted:

First off My development has over 9,000 homes/lots. In my section there are over 3,000 alone. It may seem that there are alot of homes for sale, but if you see how many aren't for sale then it sortof makes sense.
You need to watch out for the investors that scooped up the homes that were damaged after Hurricane Charley. Make sure that they did the repairs
correctly. There can be unforseen problems later on down the road. Hopefully everybody gets a home inspection before buying anywhere.
The homes are priced low because the original owners sold it AS IS and the investors did some quick repairs, so that explains why there are some homes at lower prices. Also, there are homes that are priced higher because of upgrades that may include new windows, doors, garage doors, new a/c units,
new pool surfaces, alarm systems etc. Alot of the lower priced homes may not have these upgraded amenities.

Apartments do back up to some homes. If this is what the homebuyers decided to choose, then it doesn't bother them. On the other hand, it makes the lot not as desirable as some other homes with premium lots.

I-75 does not run through our community. If you check out the google maps you can see that the community is just off I-75. Homes that are close to this area do have a noise problem Being close to I-75 is also a plus if you don't live right on top of the interstate. You have quick access to get to work, the beaches, Orlando, etc.

I am located about 6 miles away from I-75 and it is fairly peaceful where we are. You can fall asleep at night on the back patio

see next post for more info!

Golf course homes. Many are backing up to the golf course, but also the condo's do too. It depends on what you want around you. If the golf course backs up to your home, the golfers are sometimes right in your backyard.
Sometimes it can be good, sometimes it can be bad. It depends on what you want. Everybody has different likes and dislikes. It's only human nature.

We are selling because we are transferring up north mainly because we miss the rest of our families. After the death of 5 people in 2005 in my husband's family it made us realize that family is more important than have warm sunny weather most of the time. I will take the cold and snow just as long as I can spend more time with my parents who are getting older as well as my husband's parents. I miss my sister, his brothers, their kids, our friends...
Our kids don't want to stay down here either. When they were in school, there were so many different groups of kids that disliked eachother because of where they all came from.
OUR JOB: We own our own business so we can go anywhere. We are relocating so we can have more property and a much bigger office for the business. We have about a half acre now, but we are looking for 2 or more acres. Our business can be anywhere due to the fact that our customers are all over the country and outside the USA. We deal over the phone and internet. see next post to continue...

[bamboosmom]

The people... Down in Florida there are many transplants from all over the country. Not everybody is friendly. Some do not like people from New York because they feel that New Yorkers are loud and rude. One friend of ours sat at our table and told us a story about being in Walmart and stated that he heard a loud person with a NY accent and turned to his wife and said
"oh boy, now we have the Loud Rude New Yorker's moving down".
Would you take that as an insult if you were from NY???
I sure would. There are different groups and gatherings for people from Michigan, Illinois, Tenn., N.Y., Mass. etc.
You feel at home with people from your home state. Sometimes you have nothing in common with a person from a different state.
The older people can be very unfriendly to the younger bunch of us that are moving down. They are less patient with the teens, children, etc.
I heard one older fellow at the deli counter in Publix scream at the lady behind the counter " I TOLD YOU A HALF POUND, DON'T YOU HEAR ME!!!!"
The poor lady was almost in tears....Now this is not the majority of older folks.
I don't want anybody to think that the older folks aren't nice. Many of them are, but you do have some grumppy ones. These are the plain facts. With so many retirees here, you will tend to see this a bit more than up north.
This is what I mean about some unfriendly people. People tend to stick to their own kind, if you know what I mean. Hey, it happens in alot of places that have different people with different interests.
I miss the old friendly faces from my home state. You don't feel out of place when you are in your home state. You sometimes can feel very out of place around people that can't relate to you.

In a nutshell:
I would stay here if all of our friends and family lived down here, but they don't. Life is too too short to be away from the people you love. I love the sunshine, the wildlife, the beaches, the sunsets...that is why we will snowbird when the winter comes. Deep Creek is a great community. It has its problems from time to time, just as other areas do, but basically it's a safe quiet community with great stores, restaurants, movies, parks and beaches nearby.
I also don't like hurricanes.
Punta Gorda/Charlotte County got the direct hit from Hurricane Charley.
You can google Direct Hit on line and find out info on what happened here.
I am scared. Truly.
It doesn't matter where you may want to buy on the gulf coast or east coast of Florida, as well as Texas, New Orleans, North Carolina, Georgia, S.Carolina,
Virginia...etc. If a hurricane comes you need to be prepared.
Now our home is secure with the shutters and all the upgraded codes from the county and state.
I hope this clears up some things and just wanted to say I never meant to push this area. There isn't a need to push this area, it speaks for itself.
Have a great 4th of July everybody.
Remember, we are all AMERICANS and have the freedom to have our own feelings. Sometimes we may overact, but if we didn't it would be one boring place!!!!!
Have a great one,
Bam