Duncan Duo Tampa Real Estate Video Blog

 Today, we’ll be letting you in on the truth about all-cash, hedge fund offers.  You’ve probably heard already about the Wall Street hedge fund buyers that have come into Tampa Bay to purchase property directly from investors. While this may be a convenient option, it isn’t right for everyone. In fact, the convenience of these all-cash offers can be very costly. Advertisements for these national hedge fund buyers tend to make it seem as if they don’t carry a commission fee, but this isn’t the case. Oftentimes, the commission rate for a hedge fund buyer is higher than what you’d pay to a traditional agent. Essentially, you’re paying more to earn less. If you care about netting top dollar for your home while extracting the most possible equity from your current home, you’re likely better off pursuing the traditional listing route. Specifically, we recommend you work with us: the Duncan Duo. “ When you work with all-cash hedge fund buyers, you’re generally paying more to earn less. ” We can sell your home quickly and for top dollar, but you don’t have to just take our word for it. We have hundreds, if not thousands, of reviews and testimonials from satisfied clients who have seen the power of what we can do. Not only do we offer a more lucrative experience,but we are also very upfront about what you can expect. We won’t nickel-and-dime you. The bottom line is this: There are instances where an all-cash offer from an investor is a better choice, such as in the case of a distressed sale, but this is very seldom the case. When you hire the right team, a traditional real estate experience isn’t nearly as complex as these hedge fund investors might make it seem. 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.

If you only follow the national real estate statistics, you might have a skewed perspective of what’s happening on a local level. Here’s what’s really going on in our market. The RE/MAX National Housing Report comes out every month, and it discusses national statistics for home sales. These statistics can be misleading; you might see a number that suggests sales are down for the year on a national scale, but that doesn’t mean sales are down locally. It’s important to remember that when you’re looking at national real estate trends, it’s a little like hearing a weather report that says the average high temperature in the United States is 82 degrees. That’s simply an overall look at the national average, and it shouldn’t be used to determine the weather (or market activity) on a local scale. Local market statistics may be doing much better or worse than what the National Housing Report says. The most recent report from September noted that real estate values were up 5.6% year over year, but sales were down 11%. This is interesting because if you look at Tampa, for example, sales are actually up 8.2% year over year; that means we’re outperforming the national market trend as a whole. “ Overall, I think this softening of the market will do us some good. ” If you watch the news about real estate, you’ve probably heard that a market shift is imminent. I think that it will impact Tampa, stabilizing and flattening out the market. Because there are so many home sellers who are having trouble selling, there is more inventory on the market for buyers. Many of these sellers are concerned that they won’t be able to find or buy a home to replace their listing. Overall, I think this softening of the market will do us some good. It’s creating more inventory for buyers, and it will eventually make sellers comfortable enough to sell. Prices are at historic highs, but the number of sales hasn't decreased here as it has nationally. Further to that, we’re experiencing a lot of job growth via corporations relocated here, in addition to our booming local economy. We’re still seeing a lot of great things here in Tampa Bay. This shift we’re expecting is not the same thing as a recession—we’ll simply be moving from having three months of inventory to having around four, five, or six months’ worth. The shift means the market is balancing, which in turn means that there won’t be as much pressure on either buyers or sellers. For any questions you have about buying, selling, or moving to a new home, please reach out to us. We’d be happy to help you partake in that adventure.

Today I’m here with team president Robert Johnson to talk to you about home inspections. What should buyers, in particular, expect during that process? Many first-time homebuyers make it to the point of home inspections in the home buying process and have a breakdown, as though the world were going to end. But the inspection report is written in a way that’s meant to spook you, so we’re here to impart some knowledge onto you so that you can be prepared. There’s no such thing as a pass or a fail during a home inspection. It’s simply a report with a list of things that are wrong with the house—and every house typically has something on that list. You just need to go through the home inspection report and work with the inspector, and your agent can help you establish which are the main issues to focus on. Not everything listed on a home inspection report needs to be addressed immediately. “ There’s no such thing as a pass or a fail during a home inspection ” Think of the inspection report as a blueprint for what needs fixing during the first few years of homeownership. It doesn’t mean that you can’t live in the home, just that you need to pay attention to those items. When you become a homeowner, you’ll naturally have to spend some money fixing things over time, but the trade-off is that you get the benefits of tax write-offs, equity, and creative control over the home. The inspection period is also sometimes an opportunity to renegotiate. Depending on what’s in the contract, you can sometimes have the seller pay for some or all of those items, or you can get a credit on the sale so that you can pay to have them addressed. Ultimately, don’t let the home inspection process freak you out. There will always be items on the report to be fixed, but those shouldn’t usually be bad enough to cause you to move on to a different home. If you have any questions about the home inspection process or are looking for a home to buy, feel free to reach out to us. We’d be glad to advise you.

Today we’re here to talk about something you’ve probably heard about from us before: our immediate cash-offer program. We’re going to discuss the benefits of this program and who might be a good candidate for it. We’ve always made home sale guarantees in the past. But, we started rolling out this new idea to give clients more convenience because a lot of people don’t want to deal with the process of listing the home. In addition to everything else we do as a team, we can give you an immediate cash offer for your home. You’ll have a quick close, few conditions, and we’re not looking to beat you up on inspections. You don’t have to lift a finger to sell your home with this program. “ This is a great option for anyone who needs to move quickly. ”This is a great option for anyone who needs to move quickly, is worn out with the home selling process, or if you’ve inherited a property. In addition to providing you with this cash offer, we’ll also show you what you’ll leave on the table. If you’re weighing the options of having a traditional sale or taking the cash offer, we’ll show you what you’ll get from both options. We can help you decide what the right option is for you. If you’re interested in our immediate cash-offer program or if you have any other questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out by phone, email, or on our website. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Being in the real estate business means being intricately involved in people’s lives when they decide to buy or sell a home. With that in mind, several years ago we established an approved vendors list. Our goal in creating this list is to provide you with referrals to companies that align with our core values and our mission statement, which is to give great service to our customers. No matter what your needs are as a homeowner, we have the resources you can lean on. The vendors on our list are companies we’ve referred thousands of people to, so we know they’ll take care of you. Working with someone you trust is especially important for anyone who’s moving to a new area or buying or selling a home for the first time. People come to us looking to see who we trust, and we can put them in touch with the people who are most important to us. For most of our providers, we prefer to have one company per niche. This way, we know that if there’s a problem, it can be more easily solved because of the exclusive relationship we’ve established with that company. Our customers always have the option of getting quotes from other people, but the vendors on our list are the ones we know and trust. The vendors on our list are the ones we know and trust. We’ve spent years building our brand and selling thousands of homes, and we’ve worked with some companies for many years. Not only does this kind of relationship allow for problems to get resolved more easily, but it also allows us to work better together to hit certain goals. We’ve been in working relationships with these companies for so long that our own agents use them. Once you’ve worked with these companies on your own and have had great experiences doing so, it’s easier to recommend them. If you’d like to see our full list of approved vendors, you can check it out on our website. If you’re a vendor and you’d like to join that list, you can apply on our website as well. As always, if you have any real estate questions or you’re looking to buy or sell a home, don’t hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We’d love to help you.

Robert Johnson, the president of The Duncan Duo Team, joins me today to talk to you about something that may surprise you. If you had a short sale or foreclosure a few years ago, you may think that you cannot buy a home or you may hesitate to buy a new home because you are concerned about your credit. Well, we have some news for you: You may be able to buy again! Different mortgage lenders have different time frames, and every investor is a little bit different in terms of how that process works and when those events fall off. In fact, we are helping people every single week get into a home that had a short sale, foreclosure, or delinquency situation. So, if you are someone who bought and sold and then had a problem, do not be discouraged because there is an option out there for you. Also, since the economic crash happened so long ago, we started helping more and more people through those issues over the years. With the short sale they had to wait two or three years and three to four years for foreclosures, and that time has passed. Now we are seeing people who have foreclosures buying and selling. Even if enough time has passed since your foreclosure or short sale, you can have someone purchase the home you want and rent it from them until you are ready to purchase. There are a lot of programs out there that can help you, and oftentimes lenders will know about those programs that can help you buy. Many people are now considered first-time homebuyers again and are unaware of this because they have not talked to a real estate professional. Our team knows all about these opportunities and programs that are out there. We can educate and guide you the right way. If you're a buyer and not enough time has passed or your credit still isn't high enough, there are programs out there that allow you to pick the home you want, we have somebody else buy it, and then you rent it until your credit is where it needs to be for you to purchase it yourself. You can start buying it now without an actual mortgage. No matter what, you need a second opinion. There are companies out there that may be able to give you a loan in a great industry and if that is not possible, we can introduce you to one of the lease-to-own programs. Too often we see people who think that they cannot look at homes for sale when they can. It is about knowing your options and talking to a professional. If you are one of these many people who needs to know the options, feel free to reach out to us. We would love to help you make your owning goals a reality.

Robert Johnson was recently promoted to president of the Duncan Duo Team, and today he’s joining me to answer questions about himself and his background. Robert has been in real estate for almost eight years. Prior to joining the team, he didn’t have much experience. In fact, he says that he only had one sale. Growing up in Tampa, Robert's family has been in the area for generations. Now married with three kids, his family has grown with his real estate career. His first son was actually born the same month he started with the Duncan Duo Team. In the years since he started, we have had the opportunity to get to know his family. Of course, we already knew some of them since they work with us as well. His mother is a transaction coordinator and his cousin is the No. 1 agent in the company. He has even had friends work with us. He tells us that, although it was weird in the beginning, working with friends and family helped him thrive. Since they were able to blend together well, they have done great things through the years. When Robert started eight years ago, he was a buyer's agent. He then became the No. 1 buyer's agent before becoming the No. 1 listing agent. From there, he was promoted to run the entire listing division team. Robert has done nearly every job in the company. And now, after all his hard work and skill development, he has been promoted to president. Through the years, we have grown and so has Robert's success. In his first year, he only had 18 closed sales. Since then, he has had a year with 124 of them. Through the eight years that Robert has been with us, The Duncan Duo Team has grown, much like his success. When Robert first started with the company, there were only five people in a tiny office space. Through the years, however, it has grown, much like his success—In his first year he only did 18 sales, since then, however, he has had a year with 124 closings. Personally, Robert, who went to Gaither High School and USF, says that he loves real estate. He enjoys water sports, baseball, Star Wars, and Disney. But mostly, he loves anything that involves his family. If you have any additional questions for the man we now refer to as “El Presidente” or for me, please feel free to reach out to us. And, as always, if you are looking at buying or selling in the Tampa area, please call or email. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

I’m joined today by Robert Johnson, the president of our company, to help me discuss something that a lot of home sellers in the market are unprepared for—how to handle bidding wars. This is one of the biggest challenges in the market right now. It’s no secret that we have low inventory. A lot of homes in the mid-level price range are seeing fiercely waged bidding wars. Many sellers aren’t ready to deal with this, since often these bidding wars lead to their home selling quicker than they expected. What do sellers need to know about handling bidding wars and how to process all the offers being thrown at them? No matter what advice real estate agents give, it will always be the client’s call. Even though some think that a bidding war is a great problem to have, you still need to understand how to navigate that situation and how to trust your team to help you select the best offer. On that note, it’s important to remember that, sometimes, the best offer isn’t always the best price; it might be the one with the best terms that fit your end goal. No matter what advice real estate agent’s give, it will always be the client’s call. As agents, one of the things we do to help clients make a good decision is to look for the highest and best among the offers received, and to give the offers a chance to come back with their absolute best shot, given the seller’s needs. There are always risks involved with this ‘highest and best’ approach, so discuss these with your agent. I’ve seen agents make the mistake of sitting in the driver’s seat of the transaction. The seller needs to be involved because a lot of times, the buyer and their agent assume the highest and best offer is just a matter of price or of how quickly they can get to close. The seller might want a longer closing, or to lease the property back—you really never know. In instances where there are 40 or more offers, a seller can’t be expected to have a conversation with every one of those agents. Sometimes those agents will get angry about not hearing a response to a question they asked, but we can’t do their jobs for them; we just have to present everything to our client and let them decide what they want to do. That said, for this to work, sellers should be honest with their agent about their goal, whether it be about money, time, or connections. If you’re thinking about selling your home, reach out to us. One of the great agents on our team will give you the best advice on how to accomplish your real estate goals.

We have a lot of fun filming our educational real estate videos for you all, but even professional actors don’t get things right on the first take. From passing cars to missed marks, we’ve created quite the blooper reel, and we want to share that with you today. To get a behind-the-scenes look at our video blog, watch this short blooper reel.

Welcome back to “The Duo Talks”, the monthly series where my wife Angela and I take questions about what’s going on in the real estate market from radio show listeners. We aim to give them the best advice possible to make informed decisions about real estate. The question of the week to answer is: Why should you sell your house if you’re worried about finding another one to buy? This is a fear a lot of people have. The most recent statistics from the Tampa Association of Realtors show that we only have 2.4 months of inventory, which is a record low over a decade span. Today, we have some practical advice about how to get the best for yourself out of this real estate market. In a competitive market like this, it may be a better decision to buy a home before you sell. There are consequences that you might want to keep in mind, however. One is that you might, for a short period, have to make two mortgage payments. But there is the convenience factor of not having the hassle of dealing with the home on the market. Additionally, buying first can allow you to search for and buy the right house without being pressured for time. If you have the ability to buy first in this market, it’s something I’d consider. In a competitive market like this, it may be a better decision to buy a home before you sell. You might worry about the ramifications of having to pay two mortgages at once. On the alternate side of that worry, however, is that if you rush to buy a house, you might pay too much or just buy a house that is wrong for you. The competitiveness of the market can cause people to skew their judgment. Some people really just feel more comfortable about selling their home before buying, and there are ways you can do that, too. First and foremost, hire us. We can do a guaranteed sale where the home is sold in 29 days, or we’ll buy it. We can also give you an immediate cash offer for your home. In this situation, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to get top dollar, but you will have the convenience. Another option would be to sell your home and move to a temporary location until you can find a new home to purchase. You may not like that idea, but is it worse than buying the wrong home and having to live there long-term? Maybe three months in an apartment is a decent trade-off. Just make sure that you take your time and buy the right house. Don’t get caught up in the emotion and pressure of the existing real estate market. A competitive market like this one makes it hard for sellers to accept offers from buyers who say that they need to sell their home before they can close on the seller’s. Opportunities like that are few and far between. If you do manage it, you probably will end up overpaying and you won’t get great terms. If you have questions about this or other real estate topics, feel free to give us a call or visit www.theduncanduo.com. We’d love to give you the right advice for your specific situation.