All of life’s major projects take preparation, and selling a home in Pelican Bay and Bay Colony requires just that.  Contacting me is a pretty good place to begin, because selling a home efficiently and within a reasonable amount of time most often takes extensive knowledge of the Naples market. A checklist is a good way to introduce the steps you can take to prepare for selling a home. Here’s a quick overview of five of the items I include in that checklist:

 1. The obvious first step is identifying any major problems and determining what should be done about them. Decide whether you are going to fix items like roof leaks, rewiring, insect infestations or the presence of asbestos -- or whether you are going to reduce your asking price to reflect any unremediated issues.  I can provide input to help you establish where possible value may be added or lost, and what is worth your time and investment to fix.

 2. Whenever you return home, take a moment to pause and visualize what someone seeing your home for the first time will see. Make a solid first impression by tidying the front yard and keeping the lawn neatly cut and edged. Strategically place colorful flowers in planters where that is appropriate. Repair fences and gates, and be certain that they look freshly painted. And if Fido has the run of the place, be sure that his (ahem!) evidence is nowhere to be seen.

  3. Stage your home to maximize its appeal – and keep in mind that staging needs to be fresh for every prospect. Remove any unnecessary furniture. That may well mean renting a storage unit to place it and all other clutter into (it’s bound to be a better solution than trying to jam everything into closets or the garage!). Paint walls in light, neutral colors. Remove heavy window treatments to let in as much light as you can (the ‘cheeriness factor’). Keep the kitchen and bathroom as spotless as possible. Make sure that your home smells fresh by opening windows and using flowers, candles or air fresheners; but be careful not to overdo it.   I can be especially helpful at this stage, and if it’s indicated, we can discuss whether it makes sense to hire a professional stager.

 4. Have the property's value appraised, and educate yourself about the competition. For a bank to issue a loan, your home must compare favorably with similar properties on the market. When we sit down to establish a list price, we’ll need to keep that research and the recent and best comparables in mind. 

 5. This is my favorite to-do item: Be prepared to go!  If a move is going to be in your future, you should begin the hunt for a new home, and be prepared to move quickly once you have an executed offer!

 These are just a few of the steps I help my clients take before listing to get top dollar for their properties.  If you are considering selling a home in Naples, call me today to see how I can put my marketing experience to work for you.

This gorgeous Pelican Bay end unit condo just sold to people who love what Pelican Bay has to offer. Completely remodeled with amenities galore, everyone who lives in Pelican Bay enjoys the lifestyle! Friendly owners, regularly scheduled parties, Men's and Women's clubs, Happy Hour on Monday nights. . . the fun just goes on and on.

In addition to the active social life, every property owner at Pelican Bay can take advantage of a fully outfitted exercise room, library, party room, as well as a huge pool, hot tub and Men and Women's sauna. Close to 2.5 miles of picturesque beach, walking/biking trails, 18 tennis courts, and free kayaks and Hobie cats for every resident to use, there is no limit to your fun in the sun.

Honestly, what could be better? The lifestyle in Pelican Bay is something that you can have, too. Want to learn more? Simply visit the website or contact Ginny.

www.ginnylee.com
239-591-3225
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This is usually the time of year when Florida residents have gotten through tax season, heaved a sign of relief, and gone back to working on more important matters – like earning enough to make reducing taxes a goal worth pursuing. (Taxes are always low for Forida Residents)

 This year, the latter part of April may be a little different. Because this is an election year, tax matters are already being widely debated, and changes that could affect everyone are more possible than usual. I am bringing these topics up for discussion with the firm caveat that your own planning (including Pelican Bay and Bay Colony home buying decisions) should always be made after consultation with the financial experts you trust. Currently, federal and Florida rules carry tax benefits that can greatly reduce a homeowner’s tax liability. They are very unlikely to be eliminated, but you may want to keep your ear tuned whenever you hear these topics under discussion, because seemingly minor changes can have major impacts. 

Mortgage Interest and Points

 Many renters found that they were able to use the standard deduction tables to simplify their federal filings.  Homeowners, on the other hand, were usually better off using itemized deductions because of the welcome mortgage interest deduction. Qualifying points paid to obtain a mortgage can also generally be deducted in the year they are paid.

 IRA Penalties

 Everyone with a standard Individual Retirement Account has heard about the penalties for withdrawing funds before retirement age. But currently there is an exception in some home buying situations. Generally, some IRA funds can be applied to home buying (or building) a first home without those tax penalties. The catch is that you can only withdraw up to $10,000 over your entire lifetime (not annually). Those with Roth IRAs may find additional tax advantages, too.
  Real Estate Taxes

 Qualifying local and Florida's property taxes can amount to sizeable deductions, if you make the Florida residence your main residence! (that only means 6 months and a day)
 

As in all financial planning, you should consult your accountant or other tax professional before making any important decisions.  And whenever buying or selling  a Pelican Bay or Bay Colony property makes sense for your family, I’m standing by to answer all of your real estate questions.

When it comes time to put their home on the market, the Number One topic Naples sellers focus on is Pelican Bay and Bay Colony home and condo prices:  home prices historically, home prices this April, projected home prices in the future. What many sellers don’t truly realize is that they have more control over the price their home fetches than they may think. 

 Smart application of remodeling dollars to maximize a property’s salability is the earliest and most important action a homeowner can take. If you plan to remain in your home for the foreseeable future, lifestyle and personal preference issues will rightly get your attention. But if a move is on your planning horizon, remodeling decisions should be hard-eyed business decisions. In my experience, there are three rooms that buyers are particularly interested in – and homeowners bent on raising their own Naples home prices should share that interest!

 Kitchens can drastically raise or lower home prices.  Since kitchens have evolved into the major social hubs of American homes, increasing its size can be superbly cost-effective. If there is a possibility of and opening it up to living space by knocking down a non load-bearing wall, it is well worth considering. Upgrading appliances to stainless steel, replacing countertops with granite or other stone, and refinishing kitchen cabinets can absolutely give some much-needed appeal to an outdated kitchen. Just switching out old hardware for contemporary substitutes can add appreciably to a kitchen’s appeal.

  Families spend much of their time in their living rooms – and even if they don’t, psychologically, it can seem the center of family activity. A cramped, cluttered and dark space will detract from other more attractive features of a home. A living room can be made into a bright and welcoming space by making inexpensive changes, such as removing all but essential furniture, painting walls a neutral color, and removing drab window coverings to let in as much light as possible. Replacing worn carpet with a wood laminate -- or refinishing long-covered wooden floors -- can take a bit more elbow grease and budget, but can be worth the cost.

In the master bedroom, homebuyers want to visualize a sanctuary where they can escape from the trials of their busy lives. Simple but effective changes can make all the difference. Remove large pieces of furniture (particularly desks and computers)…in other words, aggressively de-clutter.  Find pale, tranquil and soothing colors for the walls, and choose simple bed linens in complimentary colors (think “hotel luxury”). Make sure that clothes are not on show and that closet spaces are tidy, even if it means putting some of your apparel into storage. 

The goal is always to make changes that allow buyers to see the potential in a home; it’s how individual local home prices can rise above general market trends.  If you’re considering selling a property and would like to discuss home prices in Pelican Bay and Bay Colony and ways to maximize values, give me a call today so we can schedule a free consultation! 

Buying homes and renting them are such distinctly separate aspects of Naples real estate scene that we tend to pay attention only to the sector we are most involved with.  We pretty much ignore the other. Renters and real estate investors watch trends in residential rentals, while homeowners and soon-to-be homeowners check on prices and activity in the Pelican Bay condo and home market.

 All of which means that it’s easy to overlook how trends in one sector have major impacts on the other. And any sort of residential construction activity – new building or remodeling – has a direct and positive impact on our economy as a whole. 

 So here’s some good news: this year, rental construction is expected to reach its highest level since 2005. Somehow that may not seem like such a big deal, but despite the way it looks, 2005 is SEVEN years ago (time flies, doesn’t it?)! Those have been seven painful years for most of the construction folks we know, so the change comes as welcome news. It’s also possible that a turnaround could mean that other turnarounds in different areas of the economy may be in the wind.

 The apartment experts at NMHC just published something that most of us already suspected. They found that nationally, apartment vacancy rates fell to a decade low of 4.9%. We have already written about how asking rents continue to rise (in March, up .5% from the previous month). The same experts noted that some empty-nesters seem to be increasingly likely to opt for the convenience of apartment living -- even those who could easily afford to buy.

  It explains why more investors are stepping up to order the building of new rental homes even as many older apartments and rental homes are being renovated.  Add to that recent government moves to encourage lenders to become at least temporary landlords, and the result is real activity. Budgets have been tight for families in recent years, which may have caused them to decide to choose rental homes that were older, hence less expensive. If the economy continues to strengthen, these same families may later be able to afford to look at one of the new rental homes now under construction. It’s likely that many tenants would choose to live in a place that is a product of new construction, or in a complex that has been recently renovated.

  All that increased building activity is another sign that the housing market as a whole is waking up. In the longer range, since newer rentals generally cost more money, more would-be tenants will ultimately reconsider the prospect of owning a home – in turn increasing demand for first-time or entry level homes.

There are no new homes or condos being build in the Pelican Bay and Bay Colony Community so prices on rentals and sales are just going up so now is the time to buy because it is a Great Investment!

 Wherever your family falls in the Pelican Bay and Bay Colony real estate mix, don’t hesitate to call our office when you have a question about the market and what is available for you. We’re standing by!

As a whole, we Americans are an interesting group.  We are smart, educated, involved in our community…and, not unlike the rest of America, our attention span about 5 or 10 seconds.  It follows that when you put your home on the market and your agent places it among the Pelican Bay Proprties, your home has about that long to grab potential buyers’ attention. 

Time and time again, studies show that realty listings with superior curb appeal get markedly more attention than those with run-of-the-mill photos.  First impressions count. It’s how advertising agencies can charge hundreds of thousands of dollars to get just the right angle with just the right lighting on their perfectly-designed product packages. In ad-speak, that photo with the perfect angle and lighting is called the ‘hero shot’. 

Your home can have its own ‘hero shot’. Its landscaping, color, the condition of its driveway, walkway, garage and backyard, along with the overall neatness combine to make a true ‘hero shot’ that will stand out from the other Pelican Bay real estate listings. That same look (over and above the one in the photographer’s viewfinder) can also be counted upon to draw the attention of potential buyers who happen to be just driving by.

 It’s not surprising, either, that curb appeal also affects the value and salability of realty listings. A study by the University of Washington found that "mature trees in a well-landscaped yard can increase the value of a house by 7% - 19%.” On the other hand, overgrown trees that obscure the view of the home can delay its sale.

 The curb appeal of homes almost defines a neighborhood’s appeal, and vice versa. Any home that is well kept improves the image of the rest of the houses on any street. In the same way, a home with a neglected look can bring down the general appeal of the entire neighborhood. You already know what it’s like to drive by a street lined with houses that are all beautifully maintained. Now that’s the kind of place where you would definitely want to live!

 If you are giving serious consideration to selling your Pelican Bay Home or Condo, call me anytime for a “curb appeal” consultation.  Usually, just a few easy steps are all it takes to improve that vital first impression!

St Maarten in the above picture has beautiful curb appeal and is selling fast!

I live here and so should you click here to see the beautiful listings!

With spring in the air, notions of fresh starts and new horizons have a way of pushing into just about everybody’s consciousness. It’s only natural, whether because of the weather, school schedules, or everything else around us that seems fresh and new. And something else is in the air, too: if past history is any guide, now is also simply the most popular time of year to sell or buy Naples, Florida property.

 For those with a home to sell, this is traditionally the most active time to be in the real estate market. Homes entered in Naples property listings during springtime can be expected to attract buyers more quickly, and they stand a better chance of fetching a good price. With 60% of moves in America taking place during the summer months (most likely a reflection of the school year schedule), it stands to reason that spring is a great time to get your Naples property onto the market.

 For potential homebuyers expecting to shop for a new home sometime this year, there is ample reason to swing into action sooner rather than later.Pelican Bay property listings can be expected to conform to the national trend: at a rapidly rising rate, Realtors® expect constant or higher residential prices in the coming year (73% vs. 62% just three months ago, according to the NAR). Following the past few years of price declines, it won’t be surprising if the market’s recovery brings a rapid rise in prices. Then the bargains people have begun to take for granted could quickly become tomorrow’s regretful “I could have bought that house for only $---” stories…that happens again and again. Those who know they are going to be in the market this year should seriously consider getting in the market!

  For both buyers and sellers, spring is the most popular season for a number of reasons. Especially for families with kids in school, or anyone whose business is geared to encourage summer vacations, it’s also the most sensible time to act. Whether you will be adding your own contribution to Naples, Florida and Pelican Bay propertylistings, or beginning to comb those property listings to zero in on a new home, do get in touch with me to help make this spring the one that makes 2012 your Year of the Big Move!

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In an age where technology is king, the concept of free and widespread listing syndication at first sounded promising to agents and consumers alike. “Listing Syndication” is the term used when third parties – including big Internet outfits like Zillow and Trulia -- take Pelican Bay real estate agents’ listings and put them up on their humongous national websites.

 Most Pelican Bay real estate agents thought to themselves ‘Great! – now everyone in the country can see my clients’ home listing; we will get the word out nationally.’ And they were right about that, up to a point. But now some serious scrapping has broken out, and the details are something I think readers will find useful to think about. They affect what happens whenever you look for a Pelican Bay or Bay Colony real estate property, or put your own up for sale.

  For Pelican Bay house-hunters, the biggest issue with syndicators is information that is either out of date or inaccurate. To any would-be homebuyer, sites like Zillow or Trulia hit them first: they’re always smack dab at the top of the Google or Bing pages when you look on the web. What isn’t apparent is that such websites don’t always offer all of the homes or data that might be available through a Pelican Bay real estate agent.

  Rather than using feeds that offer each viewer the freshest information possible, syndicators lead those searching for a new home through a dizzy trail of listings. Moreover, if you have ever used them, you probably know that some of those have usually expired. In addition, syndicators are real search engine hogs; local real estate agents have to battle against their Google-engineered pages to get a top spot. As a result, house-hunters may be unable to find what the very local housing market and its most active agents have to offer.

 As well as failing to deliver accuracy to consumers, syndicators may lead consumers in the wrong direction when they do find a house that interests them. If a listing agent is not willing to pay Zillow a monthly fee for the privilege of having listings accurately placed at the top of the search results, a consumer may find a different agent's contact information displayed. It’s easy to see why some agents are fuming about this, but more importantly, it may do damage to the client’s experience. Just because an agent is at the top of a search result does not mean that he or she can answer important questions a buyer may have about that listing. 

  Finally, it is not uncommon for consumers to experience confusion when it comes to listing prices. Syndication has in the past led to inaccurate information about prices to be published online, even duplicates with different prices. Yikes. 

 However, those slowly evolving issues don’t totally cancel the early promise of wide syndication. Personally, I love the wealth of information syndication provides consumers.  Technology and free access to information are boons to us all.  However, when it comes to buying a house in Pelican Bay, sometimes there’s no replacement for the human touch. 

Call me anytime for the personal service only I can give you because I have been Living, loveing and selling Pelican Bay and Bay Colony since 1984 and no one knows this area better than Ginny Lee, No One!

Remember when moving was fun?

If you share the sentiments of just about everyone in town, your answer to that is a definite “NO!” Picking up and moving a household has never been fun or easy -- and long distance moving can be even worse. When you need to relocate from another state to Naples Florida, you can’t just hop back across town to take care of a few last minute details: likely as not, you’re a jet plane ride away!

The logistical concerns of moving your belongings, coupled with the expenses and the stress of locating a new home, can combine to be close to overwhelming. Thankfully, there are specialists to help with the situation. With focused training and years of experience, relocation specialists help save time and money (not to mention mental stability). With assistance from a relocation expert, you can move ‘moving’ out of its traditional nightmare category. 

  When a local agent lists ‘Relocation’ among their qualifications, it means more than just first-hand knowledge of the area’s schools, shopping, commute times and home values. While people tend to be more or less familiar with the real estate market in their current neighborhood, it’s challenging to get up to speed with an unfamiliar real estate market. Agents qualified in relocation are particularly aware of the need to familiarize their clients with local values -- especially since they often have a small window of time in which to secure their new home.

For anyone planning relocation to Pelican Bay or Bay Colony, you can rely on me because I have loved and lived in and sold Pelican Bay since 1984...I have sold close to 3000 homes and condos and have had 5 different places of my own. You can count on me to help you with everything because I have all the contacts to make your next move easy!

You will love moving close to our Beach!

Are your Mortgage Rates OK?

When mortgage rates began to rise in January, it caught the attention of a lot of future Pelican Bay homebuyers. If they had been enticed by the record-breaking low mortgage rates that had been headline news for so long, many of them began to reconsider their leisurely home-hunting pace.  Now we have an interesting turnaround: last Tuesday, the FHFA reported yet another reversal. They say that rates fell again: either nine or ten basis points, or --depending on how it’s reported-- five.

It may seem a little difficult to sort that one out.  The difference between five basis points and ten basis points is, after all, 100%. But mortgage rate reporting can be like that. As the FHFA (it’s the outfit that regulates Fannie Mae) points out in the fine print, interest rates are typically determined 30 to 45 days before a loan is closed. So even when you have last week’s report in hand, the apparent trend might be misleading. Even if it were clear what the exact size of the rate dip was -- and it isn’t.

All this is an indicator of a basic residential real estate truism: in addition to using a great Pelican Bay real estate agent, today’s house-hunter will be well served to enlist the help of a great Pelican Bay mortgage broker, too. Your local mortgage broker will be on top of what area lenders are doing, what they are looking for, and what the latest timing realities are. Your mortgage broker will paint a clear picture of what to expect based on your individual financial picture, and will work with you to shape a loan package that works for you, the seller, and the lender alike.

It’s worth noting that mortgage brokers are no longer allowed to pay referral fees to any Realtor. That tends to work in your favor, since it solidifies the fact that at the end of the day it's solely by doing a great job for you that a local mortgage broker stands to earn repeat business.

 If you are considering buying a Pelican Bay condo or home, please don’t hesitate to call me for a complimentary buyer’s consultation.   If you like, I can introduce you to a great mortgage broker, and you can decide if now is the time to make your new home a reality!

I will tell you that the Pelican Bay area is safe to buy because most of my buyers have paid cash so there are no worries about foreclosures or short sales! A lot of home buyers put a small mortgage on their properties after they buy them becaused the rates are so low!