Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Tour an Investment Condo! Have you ever thought about buying a seasonal rental home in Southwest Florida? There are a number of benefits to doing so—especially if you’ve made a tradition out of vacationing here. I’d like to discuss them with you today. First of all, owning seasonal rental property is advantageous because it’s an opportunity to lock in a future retirement home. In the meantime, you’ll be able to rent the property out on a daily, weekly, or even short-term basis and create a steady source of income that, in turn, will offset the costs of ownership.  Because property rarely loses its value, you’ll enjoy year-over-year appreciation on your seasonal rental property. In our area, properties are currently appreciating at a yearly rate of 8% to 12%. Don’t forget the tax incentives! As a rental property owner, you’ll actually have the option to write off travel and maintenance-related costs as business expenses. Finally and most enticing of all, you’ll have a home away from home that you can use whenever you want. Benefits aside, there are a few other factors you’ll need to be mindful of. For instance, two-bedroom properties tend to outperform three-bedroom properties, and the property’s quality, location, and amenities will either help or hinder your ability to generate cash flow. “ In our area, properties are currently appreciating at a yearly rate of 8% to 12%. ” Some desirable amenities include: - A pool  - Access to bicycles  - High-end furniture - An updated kitchen   - Close proximity to the beach - Beach supplies  Now, I’d like to switch gears and highlight some of last year’s numbers as it concerns our local rental market. Naples, Marco, and Bonita Springs - Occupancy rate: 80% for six months of the year - Average stay during high season: 10 days - Average daily rate during high season: $232 - Average stay during low season: six days - Average daily rate during low season: $128 Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Estero, and Sanibel Island - Occupancy rate: Over 90% during the winter months - Average stay during high season: nine to 10 days - Average daily rate during high season: $184 - Average stay during low season: five to six days - Average daily rate during low season: $123  If you have any further questions about the long list of benefits associated with purchasing seasonal rental property or about our local rental market here in Southwest Florida, feel free to contact Faye directly at [email protected] or you can visit us online at SearchFloridaGulfHomes.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

Homeownership is a wise financial decision. Here are four reasons why. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Today we wanted to share the four financial benefits of homeownership with you: 1. You’re paying for housing whether you rent or own. In our area, the median rent is about $1,750 per month. We’re also seeing that you can get a $200,000 property with a mortgage that has a monthly payment of around $1,200. 2. Owning is a form of forced savings. Research has shown that homeowners have a 44 times higher net worth than renters, on average. Ownership gives you the ability to build equity, pull out lines of credit, and more. You can’t do that in a rental. “ Homeowners don’t have to worry about rising rental rates. ” 3. Owning is a hedge against inflation. Home values and rents go up in our market by about 8% to 12% each year. As inflation comes into the market, rent prices go up. If you’re in a home that you own, your mortgage will stay the same while your home value increases with the market. 4. There are substantial tax benefits. If you're living in your home full-time, you can take advantage of the homestead exemption and see significant tax savings through that. In conclusion, from a financial standpoint, owning a home has always been and will always be better than renting. If you have any questions about buying, selling, or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via phone or email today. We look forward to hearing from you.

Don’t miss our cost versus value pie competition. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Today we’ll be answering some questions about how the cost of home remodels and repairs compares to the value brought by those projects. Additionally, we'll help you gain an understanding of where you will and won’t see an appreciable return on your investment.We decided to give today’s message a bit of a twist, though: Connor and Doug are going head to head in a trivia-style contest. And the cherry on top? After each question is asked, the first person to hit the table will have a chance to answer. If they answer correctly, their opponent will get a pie to the face. If they answer incorrectly, though, they’ll be the one to get the pie. If you’re thinking about selling your home, reach out to us and we’d be happy to send you an itemized cost versus value report for your home, so you’ll be able to see where the greatest dollar-for-dollar return will be on the money you spend. For help with any and all of your real estate needs, please reach out to us as well. We look forward to hearing from you! 

No matter if you’re buying or selling in our Lee County market, opportunities are there for the taking. Find out why in our latest market update. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report It’s time for a look at how our Lee County market performed this past April. There’s a lot to share, so let’s jump right in. Although the number of closed sales for single-family homes saw a 6.8% dropoff year over year, the median sale price went from $263,000 to $266,500—a 1.3% increase. As we predicted, the market is making an adjustment, which has led to a bit of a downturn. Even still, we’re seeing plenty of activity and buyers getting into the market. For sellers, this could very well mean that now is as good a time as any to take advantage of all the opportunities before you in our market. If you’re more comfortable with waiting, just know that you could be gambling away the chance to earn top dollar on your home sale. The choice of whether to get into the market now or later is much clearer for buyers: Year over year, the number of active listings in our market has shot up by 10.2% from 6,017 to 6,633. It goes without saying that the more homes available to you, the better your chances of finding the perfect home.  “ We’re seeing plenty of activity and buyers getting into the market. ” As for new pending sales, we’ve had a year-over-year increase of 5.5%, so it’ll be interesting to see if we can keep this up into May. Next, let’s look at the median time to contract—from the time the home goes on the market to the time it’s under contract. Here, we saw a 16-day jump from 55 days to 71 days. In all likelihood, this can be attributed to our market’s above-average supply of inventory. Unless a home is priced aggressively, it’s going to sit a little longer.  Shifting the focus to townhomes and condos, the number of closed sales is 6.9% higher than it was at this time last year. The median sale price for these homes is up as well: Between April 2018 and this April, it rose from $198,000 to $205,000. For condo owners looking to sell, upgrade, or downsize, it only makes sense to get your property on the market now. Our market’s sweet spot when it comes to pricing is currently between $200,000 and $300,000. Broken down further, it’s between $200,000 to $250,000 and $250,000 to $300,000 for condos and single-family homes, respectively. For help with any and all of your real estate questions and needs, you can reach us by phone at 239-309-2352 or find us online at SearchFloridaGulfHomes.com. We hope to hear from you soon!

   Navigating the closing process is much easier if you’re equipped with the right knowledge, and we’d like to offer you that information today. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Today’s guest, Beverly Onson, has worked with Fidelity Title for some time and knows all the ins and outs of the closing process as a result. And it’s for exactly this reason that we brought her in for this message—so that she can offer insight into some of the questions people typically ask about taxes, home loans, and the financial side of the closing process. To kick off the conversation, Beverly first explained how taxes work here in the state of Florida. In short, Florida residents pay their taxes in arrears—meaning that taxes are paid out through a single bill toward the end of the year. Speaking of taxes, the subject of Homestead Exemption is another area of confusion for some in our area. Essentially, Homestead Exemptions, available in Florida only to homeowners whose primary residence is in our state, offers property tax exemptions on some (or all) of their home’s taxable value. New homeowners can apply for this exemption anytime after closing. Generally, doing so shortly after receiving your recorded deed in the mail is a good idea. Better still, applying is simple. All you need to do is visit www.leepa.org and fill out the relevant form under the “Exemption Information” tab on the sidebar. You can find plenty of information on other applicable tax exemptions on this website, as well, including those for seniors, veterans, and widows, to name a few. “ Inquire before you wire. ”Another critical subject Beverly touched on during our discussion was wire fraud. This increasingly common scam has become a hot topic in our market as of late—and for good reason. Wire fraud scammers target innocent buyers by tricking them into sending their closing funds to the wrong account. To achieve this, scammers pose as someone legitimately involved in the transaction, typically the buyer’s agent or someone from the buyer’s title company, and then send out fraudulent wiring instructions as the buyer approaches closing. It's precisely for this reason that Beverly Onson and her teammates at Fidelity Title provide verbal wiring instructions to each and every buyer they work with. They do also send email instructions, but these are only accessible to buyers if they are able to enter the secret code provided to them during the previous verbal discussion. Beverly also notes that wiring instructions for a given buyer will never change. So if they receive an email claiming this is the case, they can be certain it’s a scam. If a buyer is ever uncertain, though, Beverly says they can always call for confirmation before sending any funds. Ultimately, there are a number of ways to protect yourself against wire fraud. It’s all about knowing what to look out for. Inquire before you wire. If you have any other questions for Beverly, feel free to give her a call at (239) 954-6790 or email her at [email protected]. And, as always, if you have any other questions or would like more information about anything related to real estate, please reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Join us as we tour three luxury model homes. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Today we’ll be giving you a video tour of three Esplanade model homes. For your convenience, we’ve provided timestamps to help you navigate to the section(s) you’re interested in viewing: (00:23) — This 2,275-square-foot home features three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a den. This model has an open floor plan and is one of the most popular options that Esplanade builds. These homes cost anywhere from $600,000 to $700,000 and include a pool, spa, summer kitchen, outdoor fireplace, wood floors, and much more. (03:48) — This model home is around 2,900-square feet with three bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a dining room, and a den. It includes a beautiful outdoor living space and shows off two guest rooms. (08:14) — Today’s final tour is of a 3,800-square foot home, which includes a media room, two-car garage, dining room, den, and much more. If you’d like more information about these properties or have any questions, reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Veterans can take advantage of the VA loan, which includes 100% financing and no mortgage insurance. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report One of the benefits our veterans receive is the opportunity to take out a VA loan for a home purchase. I’m here with Whitney Hall of Acopia Home Loans to talk about this type of loan and how it benefits veterans out there who want to buy or sell a home. The biggest benefit with a VA loan is that it’s 100% financing, meaning no down payment or mortgage insurance is needed. The loans typically have a better interest rate than conventional loans, as well. Veterans also receive some leniency on any credit issues they may have. If a veteran has had a foreclosure or a bankruptcy, they’d need to wait two years to be eligible for a VA loan; it’s a very forgiving program. These loans aren’t difficult for veterans and their real estate agents to obtain or use, so it’s unlikely that buying a home would become a complicated process because of using one. Whitney’s average closing time is around 19 days using VA loans. Acopia Home Loans waives fees for veterans and provides them 25% toward closing costs, which can add up to thousands saved. Many mortgage lenders offer some sort of incentive to veterans looking to buy a home.  “ These loans aren’t difficult for veterans and their real estate agents to obtain or use. ” As VA loans don’t require home insurance, veterans are often able to qualify for more when buying a home. There is a myth that veterans pay more fees in closing costs, but it simply isn’t true; the contract is negotiated in the same way as any other loan. Another myth is that veterans can only have one VA loan at a time, but there are ways to get up to two loans (as long as the veteran is eligible). If you have any questions about VA loans or would like to learn more, give Whitney a call at 239-471-9829. We’ve created the “Homes for Heroes” program, which helps minimize closing cost fees for first responders, veterans, medical staff, and similar occupations. If you’d like to learn more, are looking to buy or sell a home, or have any questions, feel free to call me at 239-791-7514. I look forward to hearing from you.

Expert home inspector Bob Cantu joins us once again today to discuss a few more points regarding the home inspection process. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report If you’ve ever had any questions about the home inspection process, today is your lucky day. Because so many viewers ask us to explain how home inspections work here in sunny Southwest Florida, we decided it was time to address the subject with the help of expert inspector Bob Cantu. In Bob’s words, a home inspection is a “general overview of the home’s condition.” Inspectors will examine a property’s roof, plumbing, electrical systems, air conditioning, and more. Home inspections are meant to uncover any structural, mechanical, or safety issues a property may have. In our area, insurance inspections, like wind mitigation inspections, are also a major part of this process. If a home passes a wind mitigation inspection, it’s owner can be credited for a discounted insurance rate. Homes with features designed to help them withstand high winds are far more likely to do well in such an inspection. For instance, insurance companies will only offer credits on properties with three nails in their hurricane strap. Updating a home’s roof or adding hurricane shutters to doors and windows can also help. “ The work of inspectors like Bob is so critical to the real estate process. ”  Moving on, we also wanted to ask Bob about some of the deal breakers that tend to be uncovered in an inspection. According to him, bad roofs, faulty electrical panels, and poor plumbing are three of the most common issues that cause buyers to back away from a deal after the inspection. That isn’t to say that these issues will always lead to the collapse of a sale, though. Buyers and sellers may certainly negotiate repairs based on the findings within the inspection report. Home inspections exist to make sure that a property’s issues, especially ones not immediately visible to the naked eye, do not remain undetected and unresolved. Sometimes, identifying these issues requires inspectors to use specialized tools like an infrared camera—which can be used to find leaks. And when issues like leaks go unnoticed, they can evolve into an even worse, even costlier problem down the line. This is why the work of inspectors like Bob is so critical to the real estate process. If you’d like to reach Bob, you can give him a call at (239) 340-6700 or email him at [email protected]. And, as always, if you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to reach out to our team. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

How does infrared technology improve the home inspection process? Listen to this expert’s explanation to find out. Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Did you know that infrared technology can be a useful tool during the home inspection process? It’s true, and we recently had a great conversation with Bob Cantu from A Handy Home Inspector to learn more about how this is the case. Infrared technology makes it easier for home inspectors to identify hidden issues in a home, like leaks or displaced insulation. Without infrared technology, such problems could easily be missed. Inspections on new construction homes, in particular, can benefit from this technology. A property’s problems may not always be perceptible to the naked eye. If left unchecked, many of these deficiencies could eventually evolve into major structural or safety concerns.  “ Without infrared technology, certain issues can easily be missed. ” The use of infrared technology helps ensure that this doesn’t happen, which is why Bob and his team offer this additional screening for no additional cost when you book an appointment with them. Better still, the next three buyers to book a home inspection with A Handy Home Inspector and mention “What’s Happening in Southwest Florida” will receive a free drink tumbler with the Handy Home Inspector logo on it. So if you’d like to book an inspection with A Handy Home Inspector, simply visit their website: https://ahandyhi.com/. As always, if you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Buying a Southwest Florida Home? Search all Homes for Sale Selling a Southwest Florida Home? Click here for a Home Value Report Welcome back to “What’s Happening in Southwest Florida?”! On this show, we want to keep you updated and educated on all things happening here in Southwest Florida. We’ve got a couple exciting topics to cover for you, so for your convenience, we provided timestamps for you below so you can navigate the episode in the video above at your leisure: 0:08—Guest Lindsay Springsteen is on-site at the luxurious Grandview at Bay Beach Community to walk us through the development. It’s the last condo unit of its kind to be built on Fort Myers Beach. 16:30—The impact of monthly housing inventory on home prices. Learn about the state of inventory in our market and how that will affect buyers and sellers. If you’re interested in following small businesses, trends, and events here in Southwest Florida, be sure to follow us on social media. For any questions you may have, feel free to reach out to us here at the Leugers Group. We’d love to help you.