Venice Area Homes Blog

In today's real estate market, selling your home by putting a for sale sign in your front yard just won't cut it anymore.  Thanks to Erica for sharing.

I wanted to share with everyone a tip that I use when preparing short sale proposals to send to homeowners lenders.  One of the most time consuming activities - writing the loan number and sellers name on each page of the application.  Writing that number 90 - 120 times is just a pain in the neck. 

I just thought of a way to save everyone some time and help out with the writer's cramp.  I use a Microsoft Word to print loan number and sellers name at the top of each page of the short sale application.  I am not sure if anyone does this already but it was a huge timesaver for me.

I create a document and narrow the margins and change upper to down to upper margin 0.3", bold and right justify and type in:

Loan #XXXXXXXXXXXX n/o Joe & Jane Sellers

I then put my short sale proposal into the printer.  Count how many pages there are and enter that number in the amount of pages to print and hit print.  The loan number and sellers name prints nicely on top of each page of the proposal and it looks great.

Hope this helps you!

"The difference between a winner and a loser is one good excuse." 

THE END.

This article was just posted by my Board of Realtors and thought it was worth sharing.

By Andrew Wooten, president of S.A.F.E. www.justbesafe.com

A safe office is good business. Making your workplace more secure will make your clients feel safe and increase productivity, thereby creating more listings and sales.

Client & Agent Records
The key to staying safe in the real estate industry is knowing your clients and having your office know your schedule-both of which are centered right in your office. Ideally, your workplace has a process in place for meeting clients for the first time, collecting their identifying information, and "checking out" agents for appointments. If your employer does not have a process in place for these standard procedures, here are some tips you can follow that will ensure your safety on the job.

• ALWAYS meet new clients in your office, and be sure to introduce them to at least three different people. A would-be assailant doesn't like to be noticed, knowing a person could pick him out of a police lineup.
• Have all clients fill out a Prospect Identification Form with name, address, work information, phone numbers, and vehicle information-and verify all information provided before you head out the door with them!
• Always tell someone in your office where you're going, who you're meeting and when to expect you back. Create an electronic or paper form for this, or use a white-board that others can check.
• Be sure your office has up-to-date contact information on you in case of an emergency.

Be Unpredictable 
What about your safety as you head to the office, or leave for appointments? Criminals watch for patterns, so be sure to change up your daily routine.  Arrive at work-including weekly or daily locations-at different times. Leave your house and come home at different times.  When driving, take different routes to commonly visited places. Park in a different space than you usually park. Random variances in your behavior move you from a predictable target to an unpredictable, difficult person to surprise.
 
The Night Shift 
If you must work alone in the office at night, be prepared! Have your broker walk the entire office with you before everyone else leaves, and make sure all the windows and doors are locked. It's also important that all entranceways and sidewalks are well lit and that you can see your car. Move your car to a safe, nearby spot before the last person leaves the office.

Remember that law enforcement officers are here to help you. When you're working alone at night, call your local police station and let them know you have hot coffee and ask them to have cruisers use your parking lot for meetings and writing reports. Call the police immediately if you see or hear anything suspicious or have a good reason to suspect a crime is being committed.

You can increase the service you bring to your clients by being more aware and comfortable in even the most familiar surroundings.  Don't let your focus on a potential sale distract you from being safe.  Above all, always remember Andrew's golden rule:

"You are your best weapon, your mind, voice and body.  Listen and trust your inner voice.  It is the best weapon you have."

Leesa - This is so important for today's home buyers and sellers.  All too often I have customers who put a lot of value on the "Zillow" and "Trulia" without realizing these are computer generated values and no one seems to know what criteria they use to come up with these values.  Real estate is local and only your local real estate professional can provide you with a true estimated value of your home. Thank you for your informative post!

"With the expiration of the $8,000 tax credit we had anticipated a potential drop off in sales, but the level of pending sales still shows strength in the market," said 2010 SAR President Erick Shumway." There are still a lot of serious buyers in our market, and we hope this very active period continues through the usually slower summer months."

Home buyers unable to tap into a federal tax credit before it expired on April 30th are finding a consolation prize in mortgage rates, which are near their lowest level on record.    Government sponsored mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said the average rate of 30 year fixed loans this past week (a/o 7/15/2010) was 4.57 percent.  That's the same as a week earlier and the lowest since Freddie Mac began tracking rates in 1971.  The last time home loan rates were lower was the 1950s, when most mortgages lasted just 20 or 25 years. 

"The Gulf oil spill hasn't ruined Florida's economic recovery and the modest growth will continue this year, according to a new report.  While the oil crisis dealt a blow to the Panhandle tourism industry, it won't be enough to stop the Sunshine State's economy from growing 2.9 percent this year, a University of Central Florida forecast said. Even so, the report predicts recovery at snail's pace both statewide and in South Florida as employers resist hiring and real estate values remain depressed."*

If you are considering selling your home, there are steps you can take to help make your home "stand out from the crowd" and ensure a successful sale.  Call me at 941-270-1851.

2887 properties currently available for sale, 1606 properties have been on the market over 120+ days

• Highest listed property, $13,500,000
• Average listed property $396,834
• Median listed property $215,000
• Lowest listed property $11,000

59 new properties were listed for sale over $1,000,000 in June 2010

• 64 new properties listed below $99,999
• 161 new properties listed between $100,000 - $199,999
• 39 new properties listed between $200,000 - $299,999
• 16 new properties listed between $300,000 - $399,999
• 13 new properties listed between $400,000 - $499,999
• 5 new properties listed between $600,000 - $699,999
• 0 new properties listed between $700,000 - $799,999
• 4 new properties listed between $800,000 - $899,999
• 3 new properties listed between $900,000 - $999,999
• 3 new properties listed above $1,000,000

187 properties sold in Venice/Englewood area in July 2010

• 59 properties sold listed below $99,999
• 66 properties sold listed between $100,000 to $199,999
• 35 properties sold listed between $200,000 - $299,999
• 9 properties sold listed between $300,000 - $399,999
• 10 properties sold listed between $400,000 - $499,999
• 1 properties sold listed between $500,000 - $599,999
• 2 properties sold listed between $600,000 - $699,999
• 4 properties sold listed above $1,000,000

All reports are based on data supplied by the MyFloridaRegionalMLS and FloridaRealtors.org.  Report statistics encompass communities of Venice, Nokomis, Casey Key, Osprey, Englewood, Rotonda, Rotonda West and Manasota Key FL. 

*Source:  FloridaRealtors.org (07/30/2010).

FAST FACTS ON TAX EXEMPTION

What is the Tax Exemption Program?

An economic development property tax exemption program that gives the Sarasota County Commission the authority to grant tax incentives to:

• New businesses established in Sarasota County
• Existing businesses that expand through the purchase of new equipment and/or improvements to real property

Why do we need it?

This program will diversify the county's business base by encouraging businesses that offer higher than average salaries to relocate here and helping local companies expand. Tax exemptions are economic development incentives and remain a key factor of an area' s competitive advantage.

What taxes are and aren't eligible for exemption? 

• Sarasota County property taxes on qualified buildings & equipment are eligible for tax exemption
• Land is NOT eligible for tax exemption
• School taxes are NOT eligible for tax exemption

What is the process of granting tax exemption? 

• Exemption is not guaranteed
• A business must meet the threshold criteria for the program
• Economic Development Guidelines will apply to determine whether to grant the exemption
• If criteria are met, a public hearing will be scheduled where public input will be heard
• After the hearing, the County Commission votes to approve or deny the exemption and, if approved, the
• percentage of the exemption and the term of the exemption
• Each exemption is granted as a separate ordinance

Will Sarasota County's services be affected? 

• No anticipated impact to existing services
• Other counties that voted YES for tax exemptions are enjoying increased employment and
• business diversification without any reduction in services

Will big-box retail/outlets and fast food restaurants be eligible? 

• Big-box retail/outlets may apply, but the Economic Development Guidelines don't suppor t granting the
• exemption to these businesses
• Fast-food restaurants may be eligible, but only in an Enterprise Zone because they don't
• otherwise meet the criteria for qualification

How will the county monitor businesses that receive tax exemption? 

• STRICT OVERSIGHT of businesses granted tax exemption by County Commission by
• requiring these businesses to file an Annual Renewal Statement and an Annual Report
• and stable economy and a secure future for all Sarasota County residents.
• We need it for a stronger, more balanced

What factors will the County Commission consider pursuant to its Economic Development Policy Guidelines? 

• Number of full-time Sarasota County posi tions created by the business
• Average wage of the new employees
• Amount of capital investment
• Innovative business
• Commitment to local procurement
• Net positive contribution to local economy

DON'T DELAY!

Vote by mail by August 24th.

Call 941.861.8618 or

Email absentee@sarasotavotes.com

Provide your name, address, date of birth

and where your absentee ballot should be sent.

• Businesses must meet strict guidelinesto qualify.
• There will be NO erosion of our currenttax base.
• Homeowners will NOT
• Plus, school taxes will NOT be affected.

OFFICIAL BALLOT LANGUAGE

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AD VALOREM (PROPERTY) TAX EXEMPTIONS

Shall the Board of County Commissioners of Sarasota County be authorized to grant, pursuant to s. 3, Art. VII of the State Constitution, property tax exemptions to new businesses and expansions of existing businesses? 

Yes, for authority to grant exemptions.

No, against authority to grant exemptions.

Additional information is available at the Sarasota County website at www.scgov.net

If you have a few minutes this morning, this is well worth the view.  Just made me laugh and put a big smile on my face.  This guy is great!